Monthly Archives: May 2008

Don’t Play That Song

Well it’s an early posting today, so far at least. It also a rainy wet day. Nothing but rain. No mater how you dressed you were going to get wet. Last night I watched Daily Show and Colbert Report. Daily Show had Hank Hill’s father on it, Cotton Hill. No wait, that was John McCrazy. I couldn’t watch it so I played music while the old coot rambled on and on about what a nice guy he is. We know he’s a nutter and not trustworthy. And by we, I am including or incriminating you, dear reader.
C

So far I’ve missed three weeks of My Name is Earl and Scrubs. I have them recorded so there’s not much to worry about in that department, if worry is the right word to use. I did watch The Office which hit the degree of being uncomfortable that it used to. That humor which is funny yet makes you squirm. Job fairs and golfing were the themes, with Michael making one’s skin crawl accordingly.

30 Rock was near madcap brilliance of course and that was due to Alec Baldwin once again with support from Matthew Broderick as well as Dean Winters playing Liz Lemon’s low rent on again off again boyfriend. No one can play sleaze quite like Dean Winters. And good old Kenneth trying to get to the Beijing Olympics with help from Jenna was cute.

After that was Lost which was pretty good, minimal Jack which is usually a good thing. Too convoluted a plot line to get involved with here, so I recommend you go to the Entertainment Weekly website for recaps and theories about the episode. Way too myriad for me. Went to bed, woke up not wanting to get out of bed but since I arranged for Lydia to have the day off so she can spend time with her Japanese Brazilian boyfriend, I had to go in.

For the first hour it seemed that I would be solo but as the morning progressed one or two people trickled in. A total of 5 people came in out of 10. Around noon, Vivek made an appearance, saying that I could go home around 2PM. I stayed until 3PM. I asked him about the receptionist position and he said yes, we would need one for the summer.

Then I told him what Greg Stevens had to say about it yesterday and he effectively turned the matter over to Tom Chin who once again doesn’t know what the fuck he is talking about. So the ball is still up in the air vis a vis Juan working for me during the summer. Sorry Juan, no definite answer yet.

So I left at 3PM, hopped on the E train to the bus terminal where I got in the queue for the bus which was surprising to see so many people who had also left work early. Luckily I got a seat, unluckily I almost got an eye poked out by a umbrella with a jerk attached to it talking to his friend about the most mundane topics. Perhaps if the subject were more interesting I wouldn’t mind getting stabbed in the eye.

He was so annoying that I got off the bus a stop early just to get away from him. I didn’t mind walking in the rain and I noticed he got out at the next stop. I could see his gigantic red and white umbrella in the distance as he tried to mange walking with an umbrella and talking on a cell phone at the same time. I easily overtook him as he fumbled. Made it home, dried myself off and here I am. That’s about it for now.

No one except for dear Harpy commented on the MOJO letter, he being just as confused by the header as I was. I emailed MOJO about it this afternoon, no reply as of yet.

Ego Tripping Out

It’s Thursday though last night I could have sworn it was Thursday which would make today Friday but it isn’t, it’s Thursday and that’s a drag. It happens from time to time, getting a little ahead of myself on occasion. Today was a day of fiasco’s. Bill asked me to drop off a power supply for his laptop at his office on my way to work this morning. That was no problem. The actual problem was I brought the wrong power supply. I thought he needed the one with the Apple logo on it but no. So I have to bring the one Bill actually needs which is no big deal, not even a hassle since it’s on the way.

I watched two documentaries on PBS last night, the first was a new documentary on Marvin Gaye. Great story, deserved more than an hour, though I guess that is where Jesse Martin comes in with his bio-pic of Marvin in the works. Should be an interesting scene of Marvin on the beach in Hawaii trying to kill himself by snorting many grams of cocaine. A troubled life for the trouble man. Great clips throughout the show of Marvin in his uneasy prime. What a sexy guy he was but couldn’t dance for shit.

The other documentary was about Aretha Franklin which had even better clips from the sixties, but it was a documentary from the late eighties it seemed. Keith Richards was in it for a minute or two and he looked still alive. Still there were some clips of Aretha live that sent chills up my spine. A friend of mine and I had a plan a few years ago to drive to Detroit just to hear Aretha sing in her church. Obviously it never came to fruition, never making it to Motown.

Work was ok. Nothing much to report. The bookkeeper was back after a bout with cancer which seems to be in remission and that was good to hear. She’s a buffer of sorts between me and Tom Chin. I was planning on trying to get Juan a summer job in my office, but as usual communication is up to me. A month ago I mentioned that there might not be a need for a receptionist and Vivek said there would be.

Today I mentioned it to Greg Stevens and he said there would be no need. So I figure I have to get a definite answer so in case it doesn’t go well Juan could figure out something else to do. Greg cited the cost, but it wouldn’t be much of a cost since it’s the same as we are paying Lydia presently. I’ll find out more about that tomorrow.

I also dealt with the insurance company and NYU dental school, who didn’t have me in their records. At least the first of several numbers I had dialed. Then the same thing with the insurance company. It turns out they did send a check for the scaling and planing they had done on my left side of my mouth. But they sent it to NYU and not me.

NYU does the work and collects money from me. That’s it. All insurance paperwork has to be done my me, not the dental school. They’ve already gotten my money, and now my check covering a little bit more than 50% of what I paid which is better than nothing.

Serenity now!

Oh forgot this nice little bit. I had a letter published in Mojo Magazine. It was actually the second time they’ve published a letter, or rather email that I’ve sent. This month’s issue, #175 with Slash on the cover. I don’t like Slash. In the UK it was Paul Weller on the cover. My letter was about the previous month’s switch of covers for a US readership. Instead of a great picture of one of my all time favorite bands ever, The Specials, they had Neil Young. Great songs, but let’s face it, he’s a geezer. The Specials, interracial, young and handsome with a great political slant are much more easy on the eyes.

My letter is under the heading “We thought you were inferior” and the letter goes as follows:

I love you MOJO, I really do. I buy your magazine every month. I was driving the newsagents crazy insisting MOJO 174 had the Specials on the cover. Then I saw Neil Young instead. I like Neil Young, but I got so much more from my beloved Specials. Just disappointed in the switch. I know you have to do it in the US since Neil is more famous that Jerry, Terry and co. And I still love you.

What do you think about that? I had to admit, I thought it was great as I laughed out loud.
But that headline…
What do you think it means?

Please check out this link from the wonderful Dan Savage. Cut n’ paste:
http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/hello_straight_people