It’s Wednesday, hump day. Yes back to that. HUMP day. Juan made it over and he and Bill and I watched two versions of Law and Order. Juan mentioned that he watched an episode alone and we agreed it’s weird to watch it alone, or without Bill in the room. We watched the Daily Show afterwards, then I kicked Juan sweet butt to the curb. Soon after I was asleep dreaming dreams of what I can never remember. Not the apocalyptic dreams thanks to the occasional Jazz cigarette.

It was extraordinarily cold today, 17 degrees. Freezing. Below freezing actually. Bill was finally up and about and headed to work. He was gone before I knew it, though for some odd reason, didn’t leave the TV on which usually draws me out of bed like a groggy moth to a radioactive flame. He did make the coffee and for that I was grateful. I showered, shaved, got dressed, had cereal and a couple of cups of java. Then it was out into the tundra. I spent a few minutes picking up recyclables that were strewn about the sidewalk. I recognized my bottles of diet 7-Up and Bill’s bottles of orange essential vitamin water and couldn’t just leave them like that.

I walked up to Washington and 5th Street and waited a few minutes for the next 126 bus headed into the city. I took my usual seat in the back, next to the hub of the right rear tire. No one wants to sit on that so I sit next to it, offering whoever wants a seat, that spot if they don’t want to stand. Being 6’2”, I can’t sit there since my knees would be in my nostrils. It’s usually then I feel bad, or merely disdainful of those that live in uptown Hoboken since when they finally get on the bus they have to stand. There are some chivalrous men on the bus that occasionally give up their seat for a woman, but that’s not me.

I make sure I get a seat by going to an earlier stop that’s not as close as the one nearest my house, but it’s about a five minute walk in the opposite direction. I got off the bus and walked to the office. I was the second one in, Naomi was there. I took the time to tell her that working in such a nice environment had shown me how bad things were at McMann and Tate. She told me that it’s a nice office and everyone works really well with each other and that I was a welcome addition to the company.

That was certainly a nice way to start the day. Of course it didn’t last. Today, being payday was the main thing that had gotten me out of bed. I hadn’t gotten paid since December 15 and funds were perilously low. I sent an email to the bookkeeper asking her about the check and when she finally answered me hours later she told me that I wouldn’t be able to cash the check until tomorrow.

I think the look on my face showed how upset I was, yet I kept my cool. I explained that I needed to pay bills and I hadn’t gotten paid since last month. They got it together and I didn’t need to make a scene. That’s a change for the better, except that by waiting for the check to clear, I had to forego my usual salad for lunch and had two extremely crappy slices of greasy cheese and bread. All the good salads are gone by 3:00 in the afternoon, leaving nothing but wilted lettuce and oddly colored broccoli.

Bah!

It’s Monday or actually Tuesday. I probably write that every day after a federal holiday. Go and check for yourself, can’t do it myself. It was an okay day. Nothing special. Got up, Bill’s back is out of whack so he stayed in bed. I stayed up until midnight so I have a nice restful sleep and even adjusted my alarm clock. That took some self reassurance when it went off, had to actually tell myself that time is not what it was. At least it wasn’t that way last week. Had a nice breakfast, coffee, cereal and I remembered to take my vitamins.

It was fairly cold as I headed out into the streets. Nobody at the bus stop since a bus had just pulled away. I sat in the back and read the New Yorker. Almost done with last weeks issue and I’m almost up to date. Should I re-subscribe when it runs out? It’s not cheap but it is informative and entertaining. I know I would miss it if I didn’t have it. I’m hoping for a special rate from Conde Nast. They’re always offering me GQ and Wired magazine and I even have a subscription to Men’s Vogue which sold me with George Clooney on the cover. He hasn’t been on the cover for a long time and I really don’t enjoy reading it. So that’s going, for sure.

There were a lot of people scheduled to be interviewed at work today and I had reminded myself to buy flowers for the desk on my way in, past the Conde Nast building, where the law firm that Bill works for shares the building space. It was crowded on the streets, the usual foreboding air of something about to happen in the back of my mind. Things are a little too quiet lately. Feels like something is going to happen. But as far as I know nothing happened. A bit of post 9/11 paranoia, and I didn’t even know what color the alert level is.

The day flew by though. I just imported resumes most of the day, taking care not to do too much, lest they just pile more on my desk. I did about 75 resumes though and they’re impressed with that. I didn’t mind the tedium though. There’s plenty more where that came from so I’m not going to be running out of things to do, that’s for sure. Bill stayed in contact with me via instant messaging. He was more uncomfortable than in pain. That was good. Even now he’s walking and talking as usual.

Juan’s coming over tonight and that’s cool since he’s always welcome here. Bill has taken to asking whether or not ‘our son’ is coming over. I insisted on being two dads, rather than me playing the mom. It’s really the only way this situation will actually work. The three of us watched the Golden Globes last night, many laughs amongst us. It was a nice way to end a three-day weekend.