Sitting at my desk with my socked feet. It’s just past noon. I have a plan to go to a dispensary on 14th Street, not too far from the fruit stand. Also, stop by a cigar store to pick up a stogie for when I get back to Hoboken tonight. Tonight there is an off-site event after work that I was hemming and hawing over, but decided to attend. Me, team player and all that noise.

The event is near the ferry back to NJ so that is a treat to myself for this summer evening. The food is paid for by the agency that placed me at the fruit stand. Drinks are not, which is just as well since I really don’t drink these days.

My sister made it to Garfield last night and I was able to talk this morning to her as well as my sister in law. I will be seeing them over the next few days. Not taking off a block of days like previous years. Personal time off is a rare thing these days and I’ve accumulated about a week of them.

Listening to The Bird and The Bee singing the Hall and Oates songbook right now. I saw them when they played Maxwell’s a long time ago. My brother Frank was there which was fitting since Frank turned me onto The Bird and The Bee all those years ago. Looking back I’m thinking that the audience were made up of a bunch of guys who would have loved to be entangled with Inara George, more than likely, my brother included.

My nephew Brian 2 is supposed to be on the mend. His sister Kasey is supposed to fly out to Colorado to check in on him. It may be a tag team enterprise, my brother Brian 1 flying back as Kasey arrives.

I am reading a David Sedaris book, The Land and It’s People. I got it from the bibliothèque and it was due yesterday but I am not done with it, so I will pay the 20-cent late fee. I’ve been reading it on the Path train and laughing out loud at various points. It looks like a beautiful summer day outside, looking through the opaque blinds in front of my desk. Not sure if opaque is the right word, and I am not sure of how it really is outside. I will find out soon enough.

Mike sent me a message about today being Global Beatles Day being today. I knew about it and forgot about it. Still, it was nice that he remembered, especially since he does not care for the Beatles. He is excited about going to the Pride parade with me & Bill on Sunday. Last year was such a good time, he hopes it can be repeated.

We will be by the daily fruit stand, and I have brought in soft drinks for us. Should things get a little too warm outside, we can bounce into the fruit stand and chill for a minute if we need to.

Fairy choir

11:15 AM June 24, 2026. Big fruit stand. Fairly quiet at the moment. That could change any minute. Working with Violet. Steely Dan Aja is playing for the second time. I figure that if I have to rearrange my lunch time to accommodate Violet then I will comandeer the music.

I actually thought about the music last night at home. Soft, easy going stuff. I started out with the Spinners Greatest Hits and now we’re on Steely Dan. I’m sure you can figure out where this is going. Then Boz Scaggs’ Silk Degrees came on…

There is a Pride event at this big fruit stand this afternoon though I am uncertain I was invited or allowed to take part in it. That’s fine. I’m always the odd man out at these types of things and if this type of thing can be avoided you know that I will avoid it.

So I have my scheduled lunch in 30 minutes. I am not hungry but that does not matter. I did bring a peanut butter and jelly sandwich which I will more than likely eat when I return and when Violet goes on her lunch break. I will sit in a concrete park a block away and enjoy a little cigar.

My sister flies in tonight. My brother has flown out to Colorado. They might not see each other this time. And with the whole thing involving getting older, who knows what’s what? Myself, I am anxious since I haven’t seen my sister in a few years and she has a discerning eye (& ears) and will probably worry about my state of health.

And an aspect of my state of health is directly related to having a small cigar at lunch time. After years of smoking both tobacco and marijuana something was bound to take it’s toll and Annemarie will definitely pick up on that. That is causing me enough anxiety already.

Yancy made it a point to seek me out and ask my opinion on Clive Davis’ passing. I told him that I didn’t work directly with Clive Davis, though I did work for someone who did, that I mentioned the other day in a previous post. Yes he was a legend of his own making.

I sent Mike a post about a possible job and he is interested in it but since he only has his phone, he is going to have to call me when I get home to work on it together. It should not be too difficult since I already have most of his information on my computer already.

It wasn’t difficult but I did mess up a bit by sending a list of references instead of a cover letter. I caught it soon after the initial sending, but I felt bad as I apologized on Mike’s behalf and re-sent the information. Is there comfort in knowing it’s for a custodial position and that grammatic accuracy is not a requirement for picking up trash in a public park in Manhattan?

Still, there is unease.