It’s Friday and I woke up alone, Bill having spent the night before sleeping uncomfortably in his parents apartment. Apparently they have a horrible sofa bed and if you’ve ever slept on one of those you might have an idea how uncomfortable they could be. I recovered from my Wednesday night escapades, even had to explain my drunk dialing to my sister, whom I drunk dialed. She called me last night to check out what condition I was in. I was actually all right, and apologized for the call. I don’t think she minded, though she was probably a bit worried by my slurring from a bar on the Bowery. But the Bowery is not what it used to be, it’s in the process of a gentrification.

I slept a lot yesterday, about 5 hours in the afternoon and about 7 more last night. Felt refreshed somewhat and as ready as I’d ever be to go to work. Lot’s of people have Friday’s off so the train wasn’t too crowded. I was able to sit and read until I got to Ninth Street where I got off and picked up some bagels. A few people asked how I was doing since I had left work way earlier than usual, and I just gave them an answer related to me being hypoglycemic. An occasional look of concern, but relieved when I told them it’s merely from not eating properly.

That was better than the truth. I had to leave because I was still drunk from the night before. That wouldn’t work. I do have things to do and I was able to do them before I left at 11:00. Apparently I missed Felicia yesterday who was understanding this morning, before she left work early again with the shakes and nausea. The office was half empty again, this being the summer and people taking their summer Friday’s, a paid day off. I spoke to Rey who crawled out from his blankets, he being in worse shape than me. He tried talking me into going home with him on Wednesday night, saying, ‘Who takes Thursday off Nigga?’ I explained that I needed to make an appearance, he reluctantly understood and got home in one piece.

I do have a plan to see him next weekend, taking my final summer Friday and taking a train upstate to party with him while he is on his vacation. The plan is to return on Saturday and go to Jersey City Gay Pride with Juan, before he goes back to school the next day. But that is over a week away and a lot could change.

Linda, my British coworker suggested I leave early today and I let her know all she had to do is say when and I would be gone. When came at 5:00PM. No session for me with Philip Beansprout, Bill is going alone. Philip is on vacation until September so we all get a break. I think Bill wanted to go alone anyway, I guess he will talk about my foul mood the other morning, having woken up later than usual. That’s his prerogative. I did try to make amends, closing the door once the horse has fled the barn.

It’s a lovely Friday evening, Bill’s on the couch. He plans to come home and crash, after not sleeping too well last night. My plan is to chill out and do nothing. Well, almost nothing. There is laundry after all.

I am convinced that the longest hour of the week is Friday nights, from 6:15 to 7:15.

Oh what a beautiful day it was yesterday. I hooked up with Rey around Astor Place in the East Village, our plan was to see an old friend of ours Excer, play in his salsa band, Conjunto Imagen. Work was slow, not too busy and I got through the day without much effort. Rey got to the city somewhat earlier than expected and he wound up at Farfetched where another old friend was working, Harpy. It’s funny but I’ve known these guys for almost twenty years, back from when we all worked for Rupert Murdoch at 2 Park Avenue and then in Secaucus, NJ.

Somehow we all wound up working together on a failed precursor for the Internet. Seems that Rupert wanted to compile a Hotel Database for hotels, motels, inns and bed and breakfasts from around the world. I believe the plan was to gather as much information and pictures of various establishments and sell them to travel agencies. It was Rey, Excer and my job to look at brochures all day and select whatever photographs we liked, edit them and send them off to Harpy to have them converted into slides for inclusion in the database. It was a great job, paid 10 dollars an hour, and we were freelance so we made our own hours.

The first time I met Excer was with Rey. We were both working late at 2 Park Avenue and went outside to Excer’s red Honda and shared a jazz cigarette. Amidst the coughing we saw two femme guys walking up Park Avenue and Excer made a comment about them. I showed my uncomfortable ness, by handing the jazz cigarette back and getting out of the car. I found out that Rey took it upon himself to admonish Excer for saying stuff like that considering that I was gay and more than likely offended by what he said. They were, and are good looking men and I was more than likely the only gay man that never hit on them or made it obvious that they were so sexually enticing.

Time passed, Excer saw the light and we all became good friends. So it was a treat to meet up with them again. Excer looked fly in his baby blue Guyabera, and I thought to myself that I was glad to be wearing my gray Guyabera and not the baby blue one I came thisclose to wearing. Rey and I just hung out on the pier at the South Street Seaport, he regaling me with tales of being a Corrections Officer at Riker’s Island while plying me with beer. I just drank and gave an occasional look of horror. The show ended and Excer and his girlfriend gave us a ride back to the Village where Rey and I proceeded to drink some more.

Rey just moved to upstate New York after living in New York City for 38 years. Being in Manhattan he realized how much he missed being able to hang out in a variety of situations all within the space of a mile or two. We sat in Phoebe’s around the corner from CBGB’s. I was gripped by the idea of calling my sister. I owed her a phone call, but I’m sure she didn’t expect and I sure as hell didn’t expect to drunk dial her. Oh but I did. Don’t know what I said but I’m sure it wasn’t so bad.

I only had about four hours of sleep and didn’t feel so good when I woke up. I did make it in to work, but after a few hours of that, not feeling any better I left early and took the Path train back home. I passed Patti Smith on the street and said hello. Then I came home and slept for five hours. Crazy dreams. All better now. Rey just called and he had a similar experience today except that he’s on vacation.