Monthly Archives: January 2008

Tight Turn

Leave a reply

Finally it’s Friday. First 5 day work week in a few weeks. I got through it alright, nothing too special. Have a whole year of this. Well not a whole year, there are days off between now and December 31, but the majority are five day work weeks. Bill was here again last night. Sometimes it’s good to have him around. No it generally is good all the time to have him around. If only he could find the garbage cans, or the bag where recyclables go. I suppose I hide them too well, one in every room of this four room railroad flat.

Most of the time I pick up after him, suppressing my resentment about these tasks. Seeing the shape of his parents apartment last week made me realize that he’s been like this all of his life. I guess thats the way he was brought up. For me it’s a struggle to be neat, and I could hold my own generally but when dealing with this small pile here and that small pile there next to those other piles, I basically threw my hands in the air to surrender. This morning, Bill left with a kiss. No more coffee, no cereal in a bowl. Just crap over here, crap over there, empty vitamin water bottles, on the floor, under the couch. I picked them all up and put them in the recycling bag. I even went into the fridge and emptied bottles with only backwash in them. I cleaned up a bit and created some more space all before I jumped in the shower.

Outside this morning it was pouring rain, pissing all over the streets, complete with thunder and lightning. I got on the bus which quickly filled up and wound up finishing the New Yorker as we sat in the Lincoln Tunnel for about 20 minutes. Greg Stevens was in before I was which rarely happens. I set about doing the office start up routine, as well as doing whatever task was asked of me, taking care to look after Lydia and making sure she had enough to do. I keep telling her to take her time, but so far she’s rushed through most everything that was asked, leaving her to ask me later in the day if there was anything she could do.

She’s a good worker, has a good work ethic. I just hope I can find enough to keep her busy. By 2:00 this afternoon I was through with just about everything I had to do. Greg Stevens left around 3:00 and at 4:00 I felt that it would be ok for me to leave. It had stopped raining and I had a very nice walk across town, enjoying my Padron and listening to the Raybeats. I walked to the bus terminal and got on the Hoboken bus which quickly filled up and since it was now 50 degrees outside, with everyone in winter clothing, a bit damp, it got very humid. I read the book I ordered last month, almost done with it. Very good entertaining read.

Now I’m home, Bill should be going to his parents apartment this weekend. Tentative plans to go to the movies with Charlie on Sunday, perhaps No Country for Old Men, or There Will Be Blood or any other movies that might be out. Of course, if Bill needs me to help him out with cleaning his parents apartment again, then that’s where I’ll be. But tonight I’m home and I’m cool with that. That’s about it for now, nothing else going on as far as I know. Cheers.

And Through the Wire

Leave a reply

It’s Thursday, this much I know. Vivek returned to work, quite happy. The office was buzzing. Told Larry Stooge that I wrote a diary everyday. He asked if it was a blog and I said no. Really no need for him snooping. Trying to keep it on the down low. It was a productive day. I found out that Lydia is an illegal worker. She really shouldn’t be working in the office, but she is. She’s getting paid off the books so no one is the wiser. It’s an interesting folly. I didn’t hire her, so I’m not going to get caught in the sweep, if there is any sweeping to be done.

I heard from Juan who is in Costa Rica. He instant messaged me while I was away and since he only had internet access for about 10 minutes I missed him. I hope he’s having a good time. He’s been gone for almost a week I think, but it seems like he’s been gone for a longer time than that. Probably because when he’s at school or nearby we still communicate via email, instant messages or phone, so it’s like he’s around one way or another.

I haven’t heard from Song who from what I gathered was in Taiwan last I checked. Perhaps he’s on his way back to Sydney. I totally missed him when he was in the area. I think I was supposed to call him back, but I never did, being in such a foul mood and Song being such a nice guy, it might have been all for the best. I hope Song is the forgiving type. I know Juan isn’t. Juan is the condemning type, hence his charm.

Thanks to Bill involving me in Facebook once again, as John Ozed in case you’re interested, I found an old friend, Kelvin Joyner. I’ve known Kelvin on and off about 10 years. He used to work for a cartage company when I was working at Right Track Recording. He’s a real sweetheart, he’s had his troubles as have we all. He had a band back in the nineties, I think the working name was All Mighty. He asked me to play keyboards for them and I explained that I don’t play keyboards, but that was why he asked.

He knew I had a musical ear and with the right instrument I might be able to bring it out. I was game so I sat in on a few practices. It was perhaps the height of my Brian Eno infatuation so wearing the hat of a non-musician I played admirably, dispensing clavinet sounds as well as Eno-esque philosophies like, ‘it’s not what you play, it’s what you don’t play that matters’. Pretentious, yes? Well the band lasted about a month, I played with them a few times, before they disbanded or just kept playing and not telling me what was going on.

Still years later, I look back with fondness on Kelvin giving me the chance to sound like Jerry Harrison on certain Talking Heads tracks. I have some tapes somewhere, and I think I sounded pretty good, not great. They did cover one song, Little Wing by Jimi Hendrix, which I didn’t know at all then, but thanks to Kelvin’s enthusiasm, I eventually got into Jimi. Kelvin does have a band again, a three piece from what I could tell from his myspace page. Look him up, Kelvin Joyner, and give a listen to his songs. So that is where it’s at today, January 10, 2008. Crazy innit?