I heard from Juan, he said that TV on the Radio was very good and it was very crowded and it only rained for a little while. I think Bill and I did the right thing by not going, despite Bill saying today that he would’ve been fine to go. The walk to the Path train was therapeutic with Bill and I talking about the issues that came up during the session. It was a mellow night in when we got to the apartment.

We talked a little bit more when we got home and then we watched Law and Order, Bill’s favorite show. He went to bed soon after and I channel surfed, finally going to sleep around 1:00. Slept really well and woke up around 8:30 this morning. A beautiful day, Hoboken emptied out, most residents fleeing the city, heading for the shore or wherever. I went out and got the bagels and newspapers and even made a deposit in the bank. How’s that for productivity.

Unfortunately it was all downhill from there. Not much to do besides laundry, Bill awoke and did his thing, sitting on the couch. I was puttering about when Bill mentioned it would be a good day to go looking at beds. The bed we sleep in now is about 20 years old. I’m used to it, meaning that it doesn’t bother me much, but it’s not good for Bill’s back. He’s mentioned this several times in the past few years and I suggested that he do some research and we’d go looking.

2 years later, Bill’s research is completed and we walked to Sleepy’s and 1800 Mattress on Washington Street. Sleepy’s was first. Sleepy’s is located in what used to be Battaglia’s and before Battaglia moved in it used to be Madhaus, an off shoot of Steve Fallon and Arnold LaSpina’s Hand Mad, two friends from a long time ago. Abdul was our salesman, showing us the best most expensive beds that were in the top of our price range.

Abdul had us both lay separately on a black mattress where with bells and whistles deduced that we should get a medium four mattress. He was telling us according to a colored spectrograph that these parts here and those parts here are the most pressured and we should definitely buy the top notch beds. I had never shopped for a bed before and it is odd and must have looked strange to other people to see two large men laying next to each other on various mattresses in the store.

I usually zone out when shopping for pricey items and I certainly zoned out this afternoon. We thanked Abdul for his help, and he kept saying that the sale that was going on now was going to end on July 4th. We next went over to 1800Mattress where Steve and Arnold had their first Hand Mad store on the second floor of a building on Washington Street. It seems to be that their former stores for funky gifts turned into bed stores after they moved out.

1800Mattress had better prices I felt and we were on our own to check out the beds. No Abdul and no colored spectrographs here. I didn’t mind, but I think Bill did. We didn’t lay together in this store, we lay separately. I saw a nice floor model for under a thousand dollars and mentioned to Bill who cut me off saying it wasn’t about the price it was about the comfort. Well, duh. I knew that. What I didn’t know was the price range we were looking at, nor did I know of the extent of his research. We didn’t stay long there and wound up hungry on the street. We ate at a restaurant called Piccolo Roma. The lunch specials leave a lot to be desired, named flavor. Rather bland food. I could’ve done better and I usually do. Bill and I left and decided to walk around Hoboken’s waterfront.

We were strolling down First Street when Bill stopped to light a cigar. I didn’t realize that he stopped and kept walking, finally noticing he wasn’t with me after about 15 paces. He asked if I noticed that when we are walking around and if I want to light a cigar he stops. Why couldn’t I stop for him. I told him I did stop when I saw he wasn’t next to me, and I wasn’t paying attention. He always pays attention to me it seems. I didn’t think it was such a big deal, but apparently it was.

We continued to crawl to the waterfront, when I decided I didn’t want to go just then and there, with the problem of my not stopping and the lackluster food I just wanted to go home on this beautiful day. We walked down Hudson Street talking and at Fifth Street made a right instead of a left and walked towards a less crowded section of the waterfront. I just sat there and zoned out, Bill trying to get a conversation going. I answered whatever questions he asked, usually monosyllabic.

With the problem of walking together, the food, and the heat I just wanted to sit there at stare at the river. After an hour or so I left Bill on the bench and went food shopping. There was no food in the apartment for dinner. Picked up a few things and ran into Joe Kinderutten a guy that used to work at McSwells. Nice guy when sober, nasty when drunk and he was drunk a lot of the time. We knew each other but never hung out, not really getting along back then. We talked for a few minutes, he’s still playing guitar, and tending bar somewhere. He does look eerily younger then he used to. I wonder if there’s a portrait rotting somewhere…

Came home and took a three hour nap. Bill came home and gave me a kiss. That was nice, wasn’t it?