Monthly Archives: August 2006

What Difference Does It Make?

Late is the hour. Just got back from Julio and Stine’s apartment. She’s flying back to Denmark to tie up some loose ends. So it was a bottle of wine and stories of our respective past couple of hours, days, and weeks. All in all a good time was had by the three of us since Bill was at his parent’s house, this being a Thursday and all. So it’s a late start for me. She had cooked dinner for Julio’s mother and sister and her fiancée. I didn’t come down until after they left as it was a family affair. A very mellow time and many laughs and digs between Julio and myself afterwards while Stine tried to figure out what to bring back with her to Denmark. Earrings? Yes, but exactly what earrings to bring? Stuff like that. Stine has finally gotten her New Jersey driver’s license so she’s a Jersey girl, officially.

It was an easy day at work, relatively quiet, stress free. Felicia and Linda were in Felicia asking me for my opinion on pictures of her and her boyfriends, taken when she was illin’ a few weeks ago. He is a cutie, and I tried to pick the best picture that made Felicia look good. A picture of the two them kissing, he with his eyes closed, she with her eyes open, looked weird, but oddly enough it was the best picture that I could find. She’s not so bad looking anyhow. If I was straight, I’d prefer some meat on her bones, but I’m not straight so I really don’t care, though she is awfully thin. Linda came in much later than expected, something like around 3:00. Nice hours huh?

I was kind and civil though keeping an eye on Linda and speaking as clearly as possible making sure she doesn’t mishear ‘Busy’ as ‘Pissy’. Apparently I still have to watch my back. Maybe it’s the same way no matter where you work, someone is always out to get you and stab you in the back. Never really paid much attention to that before, but maybe I should. Though between Wanker Banker and McMann and Tate I had never been in such jobs that inspired such fear and loathing. Perhaps that’s how it is when you climb a corporate ladder. But I never stepping on anyone while climbing, I don’t think. I competed with some other people while applying for the jobs, but I got those through force of will I’d like to think. Really it was a personality contest for the positions, winning someone over I suppose. I know my computer skills might’ve been easily surpassed by my competitors.

Or maybe not, I don’t know.

I have to go to work tomorrow. Many others have off, having a four day weekend and since I had off last Friday, wet and drizzly day that was, I have to go to work. It will be a day of reduced hours, meaning that I should be able to leave at 3:00PM. I’m hoping for 1:00 but will settle for 2:00. I’m not picky, as it’s more than likely that 3 it will be.

Down in the Flood

Presently on hold with Apple Support. In the mean time I’ll tell you about my day as I usually do, but this might have interruptions from the support team at Apple. Last night I bought the new Bob Dylan record, Modern Times from iTunes. Not as subversive as you might think eh? There were extras that were enticing, extra songs and videos and I couldn’t resist. I could’ve walked to Tower Records or at least another store, perhaps an independent retailer, but I wanted it then and there so I bought it. I decided to play it on the way to work this morning and it sounded quite good.

After the usual flirtiness with Plantain Man, who was wearing loose shorts this morning so wood was as prominent as it usually is, I got on the Path train and stood near the door and decided to fast forward and watch the video for Love Sick, from the Grammy’s about ten years ago. This was when the guy wearing Soy Bomb jumped onstage and started doing an interpretive dance, much to Bob’s consternation. For some reason there was no sign of the soy bomber, which I found to be disappointing. I thought the guy was odd, but would’ve been fun to see it again. He probably didn’t sign a release for video, or they couldn’t find him so he wound up on the cutting room floor.

There’s a great, killer version of Cold Irons Bound along with Down in the Flood, both from Masked and Anonymous so since I had gotten off the train, I decided to play both tracks. They sounded great as I walked down Sixth Avenue to Carmine Street. It was going to be a busy day and I found that Felicia was going to be in. (Apple is now on the line. ‘Wonderful’ is the phrase this neckbone keeps repeating on the other end when he gets information from me that I have to say slowly and repeat even slower the second and occasionally third time. Now they are having trouble finding me in the system. My online
support is in India. Wonderful. His name is Rogis. It’s 7AM in India with me being on the phone with Apple for 1:01:36. I’m off the phone now and still don’t know if it’s been fixed, but I have a case number in any event.)

Last night, before I left work, I set up a conference room so I wouldn’t have to run around this morning, all I’d have to do was put out food and coffee. I came into the office and walked past the conference room, to find no plates, cups, utensils and whatnot. I walked into the kitchen and there was Felicia happy to see me. She didn’t know what happened to aforementioned items. Apparently the cleaning crew at night put them all away. Nice but set me back a little, for Felicia started putting the items together to get into the room. She also put the food together and we put it on the cart and brought it in.

The clients came in earlier than expected as well as Linda, the British woman. Felicia joined in and sat down. I did my usual routines of running around. It was very busy. I rarely sat down, one thing after another and I loved it. It made the day go faster and there was an edginess to most everything I did. Edginess meaning I was really quick witted. People laughed at my comments and I continued on my merry way. After a few hours of that, I was going to sit down when Linda came up to me.

“I don’t know why you’re so angry, but maybe you should go and take a nice lunch.” “Actually, I’m fine. Just really very busy. I’ll go get a salad in a few minutes.” “Pissy? I don’t why you’re pissy, whatever that means.” she said, mishearing ‘busy’ as ‘pissy’. “No, I think you’re angry.” “I’m not angry. Believe me, if I was angry you’d know” Anyone who knows me well, knows that if I’m angry with someone I freeze them out. Not a good thing I suppose, but it beats the alternative.

She kept insisting that I should go, being angry which in reality was making me angry. There’s a strange thing going on between Linda and Felicia, with Linda once having my job and willing to volunteer and jump in if need be. She also complains that it’s not her job anymore, she being the assistant to the CEO, Heinz Hasselblad. Felicia seems to resent her and both talking charmingly to each other most of the time, each disparaging the other to me at various moments.

So where I was previously too busy to be angry about anything that according to Linda, should be pissing me off, I went out for an hour and sat in the park talking on the cell phone to Bill, relating my tale of woe. Having the time to sit down and reflect gave me the anger that seemed to be missing. I sat and stewed and went back to the office being all nice to everyone like I was previously, even towards Linda. I think it’s her that’s crazy, not me. Why do the loonies always find me?

I was out the door at 6:00 and lit up a cigar for my walk. Decided to walk down Broadway, and listen to the new Bob Dylan record, mp3, download, whatevs. Got through the first song when the iPod froze. No problem, a simple restart, then again, then again. Every other song from different downloads worked, but not the new Dylan. Humbug! I played Ray Charles instead. Bob would have approved, but I wanted to hear what I paid for the night before. That’s when I called India, and spoke to Rogis. And here we are.