Monthly Archives: June 2009

I’ll Come Running

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Just got back after a long day. Not a bad day, but on the long side. It’s almost 10:00 and I just walked through the door about 20 minutes ago. A few beers under my braces, typing is a bit heavy. Or at least my wrists an fingers are. Typos aplenty, though with spell check, you’ll have to take my word on that.

Last night watched most of Conan O’Brien debut on the Tonight Show. In 15 minutes he was funnier than 17 years of Jay Leno. Will Farrel was predictably hilarious and I opted to miss Pearl Jam since I always opt to miss Pearl Jam. After that it was all about being horizontal for me. A kiss on Bill’s shoulder and I was off to slumber-land.

Woke up, knowing I would be going in a little later than usual since I had after work plans. That meant I stayed in bed until 7:30. I got out of bed and showered, had coffee and cereal and I was soon on an air conditioned coach bus reading the New Yorker.

Got to the office, things were humming along. I was immediately busy doing this, doing that. Vivek and Sanjay were in as well as a few of their Indian cohorts. They mainly kept to themselves as I busied myself helping Greg Stevens trying to set up his Vonage phone system.

That was a nightmare that has been ongoing for the past 4 weeks or so. They were supposed to have sent it then but didn’t. For some reason it only arrived yesterday and though the Vonage people said it would be an easy set up, it wasn’t.

The phone call center for their customer service was of no help. We tried to avoid calling in the IT people knowing that it would cost at least $100.00 for them to walk trough the door. Of course they eventually needed to be called. And when the IT guy showed up, even he was having difficulty working out what needed to be worked out.

He was on the phone with Vonage customer service for over an hour. Eventually he succeeded and got the new phone system up and running for Greg Stevens. Still I have work to do tomorrow on Greg’s behalf regarding this phone system.

Scanning documents for Vivek occupied the last hour of my work day. I had plans to see an old friend, Tim Stout after work. Tim is another suit and tie aficionado and has been organizing get togethers for men who like men in suits and ties.

Tim and his partner are moving to Dallas so Tim can be closer to his daughters. I had gone to a couple of Tim’s gatherings at G Lounge in Chelsea but never stayed long, too much house music which for me is bearable in the smallest doses.

Tim always tried getting me back and when I heard this was his last get together I knew I had to make an appearance. Before I did that I decided to go to the Rocking Horse Cafe and had a nice dinner, reading the Brian Eno biography and having a couple of Coronas.

I wandered over to G Lounge and once again felt outside of whatever Gay scene was going on around me. Tim spotted me and made a beeline over. A nice hug and a chat before we were interrupted by a few other suit and tie guys who just loved Tim.

I walked away getting myself another beer and chatting with another suit and tie guy from back in the day, Eric. Eric was quite aloof back in the day, but life taught him some hard lessons and he was quite chatty as we stood on the sidewalk for a few minutes smoking some cigarettes.

I came back inside and Tim found me again and we chatted some more, then he was off again. It was basically his going away party and many suited men wanted a word with him.

I wound up talking to a few guys which is odd for me since hardly anyone talks to me at a gay bar. One of these guys I was talking to, Michael was someone I had chatted with a few years ago online.

I’m always wary when I run into someone I’ve chatted with. I often ask if I was rude to them which I’m not. And I wasn’t. All in all it was a nice gathering for Tim. About 30 guys all dressed up, the majority in pinstripes, all wishing Tim and Stefan the best in their new lives in Texas.

And now I am home with the one I love.

Tim Stout & Me

Tim Stout & Me

Tim, Me & some other gents

Tim, Me & some other gents

Foreground

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It’s back to work for me again! Of course I could have used an hour more of sleep but that’s just not how things work out.

Last night Bill and I watched Into the Storm, a bio-pic of Winston and Clementine Churchill. It was good but I started thinking that the Churchill bio-pic a year or so ago starring Albert Finney and Vanessa Redgrave was a little bit better.

What can I say? I just like Vanessa Redgrave that much.

Len Cariou as Franklin Delano Roosevelt was a nice touch. Bill enjoyed it. He told me so as he headed off to bed as I watched the news and of course spaced out on the weather report. Bill and I sat on the stoop before the bio-pic and smoked cigars, very Churchillian.

We seem to have landed in a spot where we both really enjoy each others company. I guess if you’re in a relationship you know how it goes. Sometimes your partner drives you up the wall. Not lately though.

We’ve been there for each other and simply enjoyed walking around Hoboken or Central Park.

He was out of the apartment as I was getting out of bed this morning. The forecast today was that it was going to be warm so I dressed casual. I headed into the city, reading the New Yorker.

The bus got crowded fast despite a few coach buses following each other quite closely. I made it into the office a little after 9:00 which is the way they want things to be.

Of course things were busy. I made myself a cup of coffee and found there was very little milk left.

That meant I had to head out and get milk which I did. Then when I came back and was about to make a second pot of coffee for the office I found there was no more coffee. So it was out for me again.

Lately Vivek and Sanjay are so secretive, or more likely, absentminded about telling me what is going on. It was a surprise to see that one of the big wigs from Kent, Washington was in as well as the French Spaniard.

Both were in to see me and engage me in a meeting. That was an unwelcome surprise for myself and for them as I told them I had way too much to do this morning to sit down and talk.

Eventually I made it back and I did have their meeting and it went well.

They all seemed to like what I had to say, despite the fact that I had no idea what it was I was saying. It was a very Chauncey Gardiner moment.

‘As long as the roots are intact, all will be well in the garden.’

The Washington state big wig went off with Vivek and Sanjay to Parsipanny and I was left with the French Spaniard. Pierre is what I’ll call him and he was a nice guy, very easy to get along with. We talked about the design of the still incomplete website and he’s they guy who’s going to get that together.

It’s odd that someone has to fly up from Florida to discuss these things with me as well as sit in on a phone call with a potential client yet Vivek and Sanjay and even the now invisible Abby could never find the time to do the same.

Obviously if I need to talk with someone about this, I need to call long distance rather than talk to those guys sitting about twenty feet away from me.

Yesterday as I walked home from sitting by the river and before smoking cigars with Bill on the front steps, I stopped by Tunes and picked up Grizzly Bear’s latest CD, Veckatimest. It’s pretty good, and enjoyable.

None of the songs are as good as Grizzly Bear’s Deep Blue Sea on the Dark Was The Night double CD Red Hot compilation, but a few of them come close.

Not really something that moves you along as you walk around midtown Manhattan. More like something you can listen to sitting still and get a lot out of it.

I recommend it.