January | 2009 | johnozed

Well it’s Monday again. It was a pretty good weekend. Cigars and bourbon on Friday, Chaz’ party on Saturday and yesterday a whole lot of nothing. I only went out for a little while yesterday afternoon, a trip to CVS to pick up various items and that was it. That was all I wanted to do with the world.

Not because of anything in particular, just a low key day. I did watch the Golden Globes from start to finish. Good to see Bruce Springsteen win an award and giggling on stage. Tina Fey is great and won her well deserved awards.

I am itching to see Slumdog Millionaire and Bill wants to see The Wrestler so I guess that’s where we’ll be somewhere down the line. We usually get the ‘let’s go to the movies’ bug around this time of year. Hype from the award shows does the trick.

Bill has discount passes for the movies which would make it more enticing as well as affordable. He has to get the passes though. It’s convenient since the movie theaters are right by the bus terminal. NO movie theaters in Hoboken, yet.

At work last week Vivek mentioned how good Slumdog Millionaire was and today he said I should go to 28th and Lexington where I could by the DVD for $5.00. He also mentioned that it might not be released in India due to the fact that Indians don’t like to see themselves portrayed in such a bad light, what with the abject poverty and violence.

He also mentioned that Indians tend to be a bit straight laced, just look at the reaction they gave to Richard Gere kissing that Indian actress at a press conference.

Or maybe everyone just feels that way towards Richard Gere. I know I did about 10 years ago when he was online in front of me at Tower Records, snapping up the last Story of Jamaican Music boxed set. He was talking to a friend about ‘How much Cindy was going to like it’. That was when he was married to Cindy Crawford. Julio was there with me so if you don’t believe me you can ask him.

Today was just like any other Monday. Getting up was a chore though. Most Monday’s are. Nothing special to report, a few errands here and there, a salad for lunch. All very hum drum. I did run into Scott Harbison on the bus tonight. He got on in Hoboken two stops before I was getting off.

It was good to see him. He’s on the wagon and working with the Hoboken Leonard Cohen, Lew Carbone. I have a feeling Lew Carbone Googles his name so I intentionally misspelled his name to see how far he will search.

I call him the Hoboken Leonard Cohen since he’s an older gent, an artist and always has a beautiful woman nearby. I don’t think he’s a Lothario, just that he enjoys the company of good looking women, much like Leonard Cohen.

I don’t know Lew Carbone at all, just seen him around town for the past 20 years or so. I could be totally wrong, but I think my point of view is so much more interesting.

That’s what I should do, take people I don’t know, just know about and write totally false things about them. Like how Jerri Fallow is a licensed truck driver who killed a man in South Dakota and is wanted on several bench warrants.

She’s crazy that Jerri Fallow. It is said that the man she killed only offered her a sandwich which apparently drove her over the edge.

So sad. So damn sad.

on the other hand….

Well Chaz once again threw a pretty good party. All very adult, chit chat and cocktails. The promised snow storm didn’t happen. I was starving beforehand so I ate a light supper about two hours early. Bill was in the city, fortifying himself with Claratin. Chaz has a cat, Lily (who once tried to take my eye out) and Bill is hyper-allergic to cats.

Rand and Lisa were going too so plans were made to meet at the Path train. I stopped off at Karma Cafe gingerly stepping over the kitchen help laying about the floor and got a gift certificate for Chaz. I started walking down Washington Street when I got a phone call from Bill who was in the city and about to head into the 14th Street Path station.

He mentioned meeting at Journal Square which made sense since the train he would be on would be going to Journal Square after Hoboken. But he wasn’t going to make a move until I gave the go ahead. The plan was to meet at the station so I told Bill that yes we would meet in Jersey City.

Rand and Lisa were a block or two behind me so when I got to the station I called them. They thought we would all be taking a cab from Hoboken to Jersey City Heights and I explained the situation. Rand and Lisa and I met on the platform, Bill on a train already, somewhere.

Nice ride and a few laughs along the way. We got off at Journal Square where we found Bill disembarking from the same train that we were on. He was in a different car, you see. I figured we would be taking a taxi from Journal Square so I bought a six pack of Stella Artois which cost more than usual since it was part of the train station.

When I left the store, it was suggested that we could walk. That was fine by me and I was surprised to find out that Lisa and Bill were into it. I know Bill isn’t a fan of the cold. I could have bought a six pack closer to Chaz’ house but it didn’t matter. Rand and I led the way with Bill and Lisa chatting it up a few feet behind us.

It wasn’t too bad of a walk, a frozen drizzle would rain on occasion but overall it was harmless. We were on Carlton Avenue before we knew it and soon we were in Chaz’ warm living room next to a kitchen table crowded with food and snacks.

Chaz made some excellent vegetarian chili as well, which I only had a tiny portion. Chaz’ lifelong friend Andy was there with his friend Howard. They made for a nice couple as well as Debra and Roy another couple that I only seem to see at Chaz holiday party.

No Dave McKenzie, no Connie and no Kathe. Dave was in Kentucky, Connie was fearful of the blizzard that wasn’t happening and Kathe had gotten out of work in Astoria and was just too tired to make the hike. And it would have been a hike for Kathe from Astoria and Connie could be excused since it would be unnerving to drive home in the middle of the night back to Highlands.

From what Chaz said, Connie was angry with the fact that she wasn’t going to be at the party.

Chaz had presents for most everyone, Bill and I getting a Simpsons calendar as well as a Simpsons bottle opener and two DVD’s, the Outkast movie Idlewild and the Paul Giamatti movie Sideways. You could tell it was a good party, lot’s of food, and drinks and before we knew it it was 1:00 in the morning and Bill was on the phone calling for a taxi to take us back to Hoboken.

Bill was heading back to Stuyvesant Town so Rand, Lisa and I rode to the Path train and saw Bill off. The three of us walked up Washington Street in a light drizzle past people lined up outside of bars trying to get in. I parted ways with Rand and Lisa on 7th Street with hugs and kisses.

I came home and watched Saturday Night Live for a bit while enjoying a night cap before going to bed myself. I waited to hear from Bill to make sure he got home alright. He did but was waylaid by his allergy since the Claratin wore off.

That’s it for now, back to rearranging the deck chairs tomorrow.

Here’s some pics.