Crazy rainstorm a happenin’ right now. Good thing the windows have been repaired. I could’ve been blown away at least in one sense of the words. Another ok day at work. My attitude improves mainly because I get to run errands around town and it gets me out of the office. It’s been good to have Rachel around. It was also a plus to not really have any major client meetings today. Most of my coworkers are still retarded and rude. They don’t say thank you at all. Not when holding an elevator for them and not when I fetch a bottle of wine for them. Unforgivably rude. Where is Serial Mom when you need her?

During one of my errands I was walking through Soho and I knew a group of them all went out to lunch somewhere, en masse. About ten of them where probably rude and obnoxious to the wait staff. As I was walking I was feeling strange, a fear of seeing them outside the office during daylight. I really have to get out of there. On one hand I do want to see what kind of bonus I will be getting. It better be an improvement over what I got from Wanker Banker, though in one of my last conversations with Felicia, she told me an amount which was basically the same as Wanker Banker. Should I believe a liar?

This week has been achingly slow, crawling to Friday. Time Will Crawl, besides being a Bowie song was also a title of a previous blog this week. It turned out to be true. I should have written, ‘John Wins the Mega Millions’, but that song hasn’t been written yet. Maybe I’ll write that during my nine days off, title a blog entry with the same name, and then win the Mega Millions. I’ll actually title it, ‘John Wins the Mega Millions Next Friday the 24th of November 2006’. I like the sound of that.

Twice this week I’ve read about cholera. What a terrible way to go. I had no idea the disease kills so fast. It got me thinking I should attempt to read Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I tried reading 100 Years of Solitude but couldn’t get into it. That was back when I tried to read the important works of the 20th Century. I tried reading James Joyce, Ulysses, but I couldn’t get past page 48 after several weeks. I think there’s an interesting new version that actually uses punctuation which could make it an easy read. Tried reading Thomas Pynchon, The Crying of Lot 49. Eventually I gave up on those guys.

I am about to read The End of Faith by Sam Harris. The description says it delivers a startling analysis of the clash between reason and religion in the modern world. Sounds like a fun read. Just in time for the war on Christmas. And outside the storm rages on.

Right now, at this very minute I am very pissed off at Microsoft Windows. This is the second piece I am writing tonight. Less than 5 minutes ago, I had written over 500 words and the computer decides now is the time for an automatic update and restarts itself, losing everything in the process. And let me tell you, it was killer stuff. Killer, in the sense of being really good and funny and offering a new style. Now I have bupkis. I’m sure I can crib something together but I was basically finished and polishing the piece before posting.

I remember writing about how the landlord had the windows fixed in the apartment. Bill and I tidied up somewhat though neither one of us was going to be home. I found it hard to believe that Bill didn’t know the windows were in need of repair. The empty upended cigar boxes didn’t provide anything resembling a clue. I also should him a kitchen in the window that was so off balance you needed to be a Zen Master in order to open it. All it would take is a sudden glance or a strong wind to send it crashing down. It’s been so windy lately and being on the fifth floor makes it windier. I’d sit on the couch and watch with one eye on the window, the other on the telly. Sort of like Marty Feldman.

Bill gave me a nice bear hug last night, almost fusing my spine and my rib cage together. After that it was easy to fall asleep. I woke up once again at 5:45 and sort f hustled around the apartment. Bill was up and about getting his act together. I left and walked out into the rising sun to the Path train which was not as crowded as it is an hour later. I got to the office at 7:00 and set about setting things up for today’s day long meeting. I had the foresight to set it up before I left the night before so it was relatively easy.

I got permission to run up to Macy’s and get two coffee makers. The kind that most everyone has at home, easy to figure out in any event. I got off the 1 train at 34th street and found it difficult to get into the store, it was so crowded. I wandered through the Men’s Suits department and found most everything lackluster. I rode the escalators to the Cellar and what I saw resembled a mob scene from ‘The Day of the Locust’ which I’ve never seen mind you, but I just added it to my Netflix queue.

People everywhere, screaming, running around with boxes of cookware. Totally stressful. I am looking forward to having next week off from work. I picked up two coffee makers and after asking a salesperson where the shortest lines were, I wound up in the candy department behind three women. The woman immediately in front of me had a check, a coupon, another discount and she was having it shipped to her house. The clerk had difficulty and needed top get the same information three or four times. I was tempted to say, ‘Her name is Lydia Carter. She lives on Hawthorne Street in Brooklyn. Her number is 718-555-5555.’

I held my tongue and was out of there soon after. It was a humid day and I found myself out running errands at various points of the day which probably accounted for my better mood at work today. Two more days of work and I’m off for the next nine! Woo hoo!