Monthly Archives: January 2009

The Classical

I don’t know how it happened. Things were going relatively well this week and I was looking forward to leaving early, seeing Bill for a few minutes and stopping by Farfetched to see Lois and Susan. Alas, the best laid plans etc.

First off, the other night, I’m on the bus going home, my cellphone rings, I answer it. It’s Vivek asking me about some expenses we talked about. I told him I would have them ready first thing in the morning.

I go home and send myself an email reminding me about the expenses. I remembered talking to Vivek about them, but don’t recall anything coming of it. He talks a good talk but rarely follows through.

Like a few months ago telling me about some side work for me. It never materialized. That was fine, I still have my regular gig.

Still when I came to work on Thursday I proceeded to tear apart my desk looking for something that doesn’t exist. This morning he was in at 11:00 which was different. Usually in around noon. Anyway I corner and say I don’t have the expenses and is it possible that he never gave them to me? No, he insisted that he had.

So I continue tearing apart my desk. An hour later the phone rings, it’s Vivek. He has the expenses, he had them all the time. That’s it. No apology. So I started working on his expenses which were hard to decipher. I gave up and decided to finish them next week.

Heard from Bill today, heads were rolling at his job. 18 friends of his got the ax. He was angry and I tried to calm him down via chats online. When we last left off he was closer to the window than to the ledge. 50,000 people laid off today. Circuit City liquidating their stores and laying off 34, 000.

I am now on Bill’s insurance since I was fed up with Oxford insurance. The other day it was reported that United Health care which owns Oxford had worked out a legal deal with New York state regarding that the independent board (Ingenix Inc.) that reviews out of network claims (and rejects 20-30% of those claims) is owned by United Health care

Conflict of interest anyone?

United Health care will close Ingenix Inc. and spend 50 million dollars to create a truly independent board. That was done by Andrew Cuomo who should be the next Senator from New York, rather than Caroline Kennedy. I’m no hater of Caroline, but Andrew is better qualified. But then again why the fuck should I care? I live in New Jersey!

I am just so glad this day is over. It couldn’t end soon enough.

Here’s some carbon monoxide information. I spoke with Julio last night on the phone and asked him about carbon monoxide detectors. He told me to look at the date on the back of the detector. I did and it was manufactured on July 28, 2001.

These detectors have a life span of maybe 5 years so I wasn’t in danger of carbon monoxide poisoning, but more in danger of going insane with the beeping every now and then.

Tomorrow, I have to get a new carbon monoxide detector. I have one that functions but the apartment is supposed to have 2.

RIP Andrew Wyeth
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There are 12 people in the world, the rest are paste- Mark E. Smith

Down By The River

Just got in from the cold. It’s been a bitterly cold day today and luckily I didn’t wind up in the Hudson River like the passengers on the US Air plane that landed on the water a few hours ago. I heard about it at work and watched it as it unfolded.

All the passengers have been reported safe and in various hospitals. No major injuries, some hypothermia from the freezing waters of the Hudson, 40 degrees. The ferries were first on the scene followed by NYPD and FDNY boats and the US Coast Guard.

From Hoboken411 YouTube. Couldn’t wait for permission.

I called Bill to tell him the news, which he hadn’t heard. I had a feeling the ferries would be tied up with the rescue and decided to take the Path train since the buses would be filled with ferry passengers unable to get across the river. Bill and I agreed that the Path would probably be the better bet.

It’s been reported that a flock of Canadian geese flew into the engines and tore up the fan blades. So with only a few days left, I guess BushCo. will invade Canada for revenge. So it was a bad thing that happened but so far no fatalities making it a semi happy ending.

This morning it was snowing out which was a surprise to me. Nothing too much, just a dusting. Some icy spots but no spills on my part. Took the short cut through Grand Central Station, navigating my way through the commuters coming in from upstate and Connecticut.

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As I was going through the doors on Lexington Avenue, I saw Gerri Delaney walking in from outside. I used to work with her at Staffmark, a staffing agency from 2001 to 2002. We worked side by side and got along well.

We also worked during 9/11. I was let go from the agency the following summer and when the first anniversary of 9/11 came up I gave her a call to see how she was doing. A lot of people had unhappy memories of that day and I figured since we both went through it together it might be a good time to reconnect.

Her reaction on the phone had the tone of ‘why are you calling me?’ That was the last I spoke with her until at some point last year when she somehow called me at work wondering how I was doing. I gave short answers and dutifully took her phone number on a post it which I stuck onto a printer that I eventually threw out.

I didn’t say anything to her this morning as I passed her and I didn’t look back either.

Despite the plane landing on the water it was pretty much a quiet day. Cold, but quiet. Bill had a visit with Medicare to see about getting a home health aide for round the clock care. Hopefully that will go well and Bill will be able to stay in Hoboken again.

Awfully cold in bed at night without the big lump on the right.

For the past couple of days or so I’ve been posting a lyric online from some random song. Today’s lyric was ‘In walked Bud with his exploding nose, he’s been giving it maximum today/shouted’ how the devil you in trouble I suppose, all you ever do is runaway’.

The song was written by Graham Parker and covered by Dave Edmunds/Rockpile, called ‘Crawling from the Wreckage’.

I am so Nostradamus.

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from http://obamiconme.pastemagazine.com/
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