Monthly Archives: May 2009

Stairway to Heaven

OK, so I only stretched before cycling yesterday, not so much afterwards but climbing 5 flights of stairs makes for some stretching doesn’t it? Doesn’t it? I was pretty tired though. Casey Chasm called while I was showering. He and the missus were going to Margarita’s for dinner but I was too tired to make it.

Plus I had food here that I had bought that needed to be cooked and eaten before it all started to go bad.

I was content with a few hot dogs last night and I settled in and watched Tennessee Williams ‘Suddenly Last Summer’ starring Maggie Smith, Natasha Richardson and Rob Lowe. It was a BBC production from the 1990’s I believe.

I had it in my Netflix queue, added it when I was mourning Natasha Richardson’s untimely death.

It was good, Maggie Smith and Natasha Richardson were excellent. Rob Lowe was passable as Dr. Sugar. No flashbacks like in the Joseph Mankewicz version with Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift. I suspect Tennessee would have been happy with this classy version.

After that I forget what I watched. I do have A Matter of Life and Death by Michael Powell on DVD via Netflix and threw that in the player but I wanted Bill to see it too and since he was doing a reading at the Theater for the New City last night I decided to hold off. I was a zombie anyhow and staying awake to watch the whole thing would have been a bit of a chore.

I did toy with the idea of a trip to the supermarket but it looked like it was about to start pouring any minute. By the time I figured out that it wasn’t going to rain it was too late, the supermarket was closed.

Asleep in bed by midnight. Bill was with his theater friends and didn’t get home until 3:00 in the morning.

I woke up around 8:00 this morning, glad not to have to go to work again. I roused myself from bed and shuffled about doing those morning things that I do most mornings when I don’t have to work.

Still plenty of parking spaces in Hoboken and it should be like this until Labor Day so come on down to Hoboken on weekends and park wherever you damn well please. I got some bagels for myself as well as Julio & Stine.

Donuts for Bill and the newspapers which weren’t as depressing as yesterday. Or maybe they were as depressing as yesterday but my outlook had improved so the stories didn’t affect me as much.

I planned to take a walk around Hoboken early this afternoon when Bill had awoken. He wanted to come but only after the Lawn hors d’œuvre SUV episode had finished. Oddly enough it was an episode that neither of us had seen before, from the early years with Olivia having a short spiky haircut.

The other night was a good one with Alan Dale who plays Charles Widmore on Lost as well as the late Meade patriarch on Ugly Betty. This time he played a judge who’s young son was murdered years before. A few twists that were too convoluted to write about here, but it was one of the best episodes of Lawn hors d’œuvre SUV that I had seen in a while. Bill missed it since he was tired and went to bed before it was broadcast.

So this afternoon after Lawn hors d’œuvre SUV we headed out. I arranged to meet Mr & Mrs Chasm outside their building and the four of us walked up to 14th street and proceeded to walk down the riverside, enjoying each others company as well as the sunshine and a lot of sunbathers. I applied sunblock again and I was quite glad that I did.

We walked over to Pier A and found a bench where we sat for an hour in the shade chatting each other up. We parted ways, Bill and I off to CVS and the Mr & Mrs off to wherever it was they were headed off to.

Bill and I ran into Roger Johansen and his wife Dina. on Washington Street. Always good to see Roger, he’s a prince. It was also the first time I had met Dina and she seemed really nice. Bill and I egged her on to get her MBA and perhaps she heeded our advice, that having an MBA would be a leg up in the search for a good job.

He invited us to his new place in Weehawken which is near his old place. He always had the best houses. I told him that Bill and I would love to visit, all he needed to do is let us know when.

Bill and I came home. He cooked for himself, I napped. Nothing like an afternoon nap. More people should do it. We can call them Siestas. I think it would catch on.

As I drifted off to sleep I remembered a nap that I took about 35 years ago in Framingham MA. Then I thought it odd that I was thinking about a nap from so long ago. It was a comfortable nap back then and I slept wearing my glasses. Then I drifted off to sleep in this day and age.

Woke up made dinner and now Bill naps.

I told him that when I wake him up at 9:00 we’re watching A Matter of Life & Death starring David Niven and Kim Hunter. It used to be titled Stairway to Heaven in this country, now it’s back to it’s original title.

Here’s some snappy snaps from this afternoon.

Last night before the storm. Natural light

Last night before the storm. Natural light

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Free toy

Free toy

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Fishing in Hoboken

Fishing in Hoboken

Vitamin

Today is Sunday, day three of a four day weekend. It did not start well and last night didn’t end well either. I don’t know what happened. After a wonderful day with Julio, Stine and Alexander and family in Van Saun Park in Paramus, and a few Stellas with Julio and Stine I came home, feeling ok.

I was pretty tired and when Bill came home I was just exhausted. I got myself ready for bed before midnight and just said a good night to Bill before heading to sleep.

I don’t think I slept too well and I woke up feeling sad. Bill was up already getting ready to head to church. He gave me a donut last night which I wanted to have this morning but when I woke up this morning it was gone. Bill ate it. That made me sadder.

Bill headed out and I showered and made some coffee when a few minutes later Bill showed up with a donut, some bagels and the newspapers. He decided that me well being was more important than catching a bus into Manhattan. It was a very nice gesture but still I had a melancholy air about me.

Like the Sunday night feeling that I would have when I was a kid with a major book report due the next day.

It really wasn’t Bill or anything that he did or ate, it was work that was weighing heavily on my mind. Bill was off once again, concerned about the state of mind I was in and I was concerned too.

I made some breakfast and had a bagel. I was able to copy the photos from yesterday onto a disc for Julio and Stine and headed downstairs where the boy wonder had opened up his gifts.

Mine was opened last night and they waited for me to show up this morning when they gave it to Alexander. I also gave the other bagels Bill got for me to Julio and Stine. I sat with Julio watching Alexander while Stine cooked some food to bring to Brick NJ.

The duck on a stick worked fine but Alexander just kept bashing it on the floor. He’s a strong boy but the duck was stronger. After a while they had to get ready to go and since I wasn’t going with them, despite being invited, I headed upstairs.

Still a bit gloomy, all the news in the papers was mainly bad and it was bumming me out. Even though I had a few cups of coffee, I thought it best to take a nap. A reboot as it were.

That didn’t last long and I set about hanging some paintings that Bill’s late father painted throughout the apartment. Then I just farted around a bit when Rand texted me a little past noon.

He was thinking about a bike ride and asked if I was interested. I was interested. It would be good to see Rand again as it always is and a bike ride would more than likely clear the blue cobwebs in my head.

Rand showed up an hour later giving me time to do some proper stretching before cycling. I also had the foresight to apply some sunblock beforehand. Since it was Rand’s idea to go riding he was calling the shots.

Last time we headed north up to Guttenburg, this time the plan was to head south. We headed to Jersey City, exploring the riverfront pathways whenever possible and wound up at Liberty State Park.

It was an excellent ride yet disappointing to see that since I had last been cycling down in Jersey City a few years ago, they still have not done one thing to make access to the bike paths bike friendly.

We tossed a Frisbee for a while before getting all sweaty.

Mid Toss!

Mid Toss!

A ride back through Jersey City brought forth ices from a street vendor who confused coconut with lemon and got a bit indignant when I returned mine.

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An easy ride back into Hoboken where I left Rand on the steps of his building, turning down a martini with Rand and Lisa, deciding to head home and grill up some hot dogs instead. Bill was home for a while before heading into the city for a reading at the Theater for the New City on First Avenue in the East Village.

I was supposed to have drinks with the Chasms tonight but they backed out, then backed in while I was showering and Bill was napping. No worries, I’m pretty beat even after stretching after cycling.

Just staying home tonight. I know I’m going to sleep well tonight and I don’t have the blues anymore.

Stine mentioned last night that she wasn’t comfortable with pictures of Alexander being posted online, that other people will see them before she does so I’m not doing that anymore. You’ll just have to take my word for it that Alexander is a handsome boy from now on.

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Lisa on the phone with...

Lisa on the phone with...

...Rand!

...Rand!