Well for me it’s been a busy day somewhat. I stayed up until 12:30 last night just reading the New Yorker. Harpy was right, last week’s issue is really good. Mainly all about the election, both sides and it’s totally engrossing. I was looking forward to sleeping in, but neglected to turn off the alarm on my cellphone.

I have an alarm that goes off at 6:45AM, Monday through Friday to remind me not to forget my phone. I forgot to turn it off so at 6:45 this morning I heard it going off, forcing me to get out of bed to shut it off. Oh the agony…Still I was able to go back to sleep, but it just wasn’t the same. Poor me.

I usually go out for bagels on days off but this morning I stayed in and had my Post Raisin Bran and coffee like I do every working day. Read the Daily News online and set about doing the laundry. Chatted with a few friends from around the world online and watched Lady Be Good on Turner Classic Movies.

It was a 1940’s musical about an on again/off again couple who writes songs. She does the lyrics and he does the music and they write hits and love each other but…. The songs were by George and Ira Gershwin so they were superb of course and the movie starred Eleanor Powell and Robert Young. It was a good way to pass the time while I got ready to run into the city to pick up my suit.

It was cold and sunny in Manhattan. Quite a few people out at 1:30, the ending of lunch time. Bryant Park is almost set up with it’s outdoor enclosed stores and the ice skating rink is free and fully operational.

I’m not one for ice skating despite several attempts in my childhood. There were mainly two places to ice skate, one was in Rochelle Park and the other was in Paramus. Parents would drop off a few kids and drive off leaving the kids out in the cold on the ice.

Sometimes change was given for hot chocolate, sometimes not. I never could get the hang of ice skating and would generally slide around on the ice with my blades perpendicular instead of the way they should be. Murder on the ankles though.

I didn’t like it much and it prevented me from roller skating. Skateboarding was a lot easier I felt, though I mainly skateboarded from point A to point B. No steep hills, no empty swimming pools or half pipes for me.

I did run into the office and the people that saw me were surprised. I just told them I wasn’t really there and chatted for a minute or two and grabbed my suit. Soon I was on the street lighting up a Padron and headed towards Bill’s office. He wasn’t there since he was at his sadistic chiropractor and hadn’t gotten back yet.

Finished the cigar as I walked into the bus terminal where I found a bus waiting for me. Back in the apartment, I threw on some dress shoes and a business shirt and brought the suit to the tailor. He said the only thing that needed to be mended was the trousers.

I also told him that I wanted buttons for my braces. I hate wearing belts and I think once you wear braces you don’t want to wear anything else. Or at least I don’t, so all my suit trousers have buttons for my suspenders. The jacket fit just right.

Now it’s a cold Friday night. I don’t mind. Just hanging out mainly like I always do. Plenty to read, eat and drink and maybe even something to watch on TV.

I also have some DVD’s, Wall-E which was out earlier this summer and got really good reviews and also Too Tough to Die: A Tribute to Johnny Ramone. That should be interesting.

According to the other DVD’s on the Ramones, he was a tough taskmaster with entrenched right wing views, but if it wasn’t for him, the Ramones wouldn’t have lasted as long as they did.

Last minute add: Maurice Menares is alive and well living in Portland and working for Adidas. He can probably be found through http://linkedin.com which is used more and more these days to maintain and exploit business contacts.