03 | September | 2007

Back in Hoboken again. Pretty much mellow. Yesterday was the only day on the past four days that I didn’t have anything to drink, alcohol wise. Today was the BBQ in Garfield. Last night was pretty mellow. Not that I had much of a choice. The body does need to rest and so does the liver, though I have seen and do know people that can drink for days on end. That’s not so bad especially if one is partial to gin blossoms. I’ll take the expanding waistline from many beers thank you very much. Get some chubby chasers on my ass, that’s the ticket.

Last night was just hanging out with Bill, watching TV. That was it. We watched last week’s episode of the season finale of Big Love which was very entertaining. Got more out of it on the second viewing than I did the first. Really, such good acting on the show. The wives are amazing, Bill Paxton is very good. I read that he was once in a band called Martini Ranch back in the 1980’s. I heard of them, didn’t actually hear them and more than likely wrote them off since they were from Los Angeles rather than New York, Athens or the UK. I was such a rock snob, but I don’t think I missed much. I mean I got X, the Blasters, Minutemen, Black Flag, Circle Jerks, Los Lobos and the Go Gos, which covered LA or Southern California. As far as San Francisco, I really couldn’t tell you. They were still considered hippie-ish despite Jello Biafra’s best intentions. California Punk was too hard edged and violent. Didn’t have the implied violence in leather jackets from the Bowery.

Bill headed into the city, telling me that he was going to see his dad when actually he headed up to the Upper East Side to get an available Zip Car. We did have a plan to leave for the train station at 12:30 but when the appointed time came, Bill wasn’t around. I figured out that he rented a Zip Car when we spoke on the phone and told me to bring cd’s. Most people would bring one or two, but not me. I brought a baker’s dozen.

I also packed along the two Andrew Loog Oldham books that brother Frank lent me and lent him Joe Strummer: Let’s Rock Again dvd and burned Girl Talk, Patrick Cleandenim and the Knife. We headed up to Garfield in the Zip Car, driving through Saddle Brook in Garfield past all my old haunts. We pulled into the driveway and headed towards the grill. No one was there except for friends of Frank and Elaine’s, John and Ann and their Boston Terrier. Bill sat and talked with them while I passed Elaine in the stairway on my way up to see brother Frank.

He’s doing a lot better and his conversational skills are getting better. I think he’s still doing the rehab thing which is helping him out considerably. He also has a month to go before he goes to work which is a relief to him. He was a bit stressed out about all that. Then there’s the driving issue about driving. We didn’t talk about that, just what we’ve been listening to, watching and reading lately. Driving skills didn’t come up.

Lot’s of hot dogs and hamburgers and Coronas and Guinness were around which made everything quite palatable. Brother Brian and Karen and Hillary, Brian and Cassie were there, as were Meghan and Rob, Corinne flying solo since John her boyfriend was making double time pay at the Gap. Rob’s parents and grandparents were there as well as sundry other friends from Garfield. A good time was had by all. Perfect way to unofficially end the summer season. Best one I’ve had in a few years thats fo sho.

And here are some pics

Bill, driver/partner extraordinaire