Monthly Archives: August 2009

Bummed Out City

Yeah, It’s been one of those days. I should have stayed in bed until the afternoon instead of rising at 9:00.

Last night Julio and I took yet another walk along the river, a few other people looking at the wreckage or at least trying to. It was dark and all that could be seen were police boats anchored around the site where the helicopter and the plane hit the Hudson River.

Like I wrote yesterday there were no survivors.

Not much to see yet people kept coming and staring into the darkness that lay between the shores of Hoboken and Manhattan.

A block or so away the girls were all dolled up for a Saturday night on the town. Big bouncers stood next to them as the girls tried to entice Julio & myself into various bars and clubs.

We just wandered up the boulevard, running into the Latino kid who works at the shoemaker shop around the corner. He invited me to stop by the store sometime, saying he had a gift certificate for me.

Since the last time I was there in November 2008, things had gotten ugly real fast. It wasn’t his fault, it was the runner they have, some GED program drop out who turned up the heat on the problem at hand. A born & raised Hobokenite from way back when with nary a tooth in his head.

The Latino kid was gracious and shook my hand and wished me a good evening before going on his merry way.

Julio and I continued walking when we ran into Bill who was just getting back from stage managing a play in midtown, off off Broadway.

Actually we heard him first, saying that Julio and I made for a nice couple. The three of us walked back to our building, Bill explaining his plan for the night at 10:00.

He was going to rent a Zip Car at midnight so he could drive around Bergen County and explore the routes for the bus company he’s going to be driving for.

Having grown up in Bergen County I knew of some of the routes, but I wasn’t about to head out there and go driving. He expected to get back in a few hours, like around 2:00 or 3:00.

I didn’t stay up, I just went to bed. When I woke up this morning, there was Bill in bed. I asked him what time he got in and he said 5:00 making me feel I did the smart thing and stayed home.

It’s ridiculous, but Bill wants to drive a bus that badly and who am I to say otherwise? He doesn’t drink, he doesn’t do drugs. He just wants to drive a bus.

Now I’m at home after walking around by myself. I was going to head into the city, just to get out of Hoboken and brave what appeared to be approaching storm clouds.

But, I missed the bus and walked along the river and sat, enjoying a cigar and finishing up the New Yorker and reading some of the Tom Waits biography by Barney Hoskyns.

Not much to see again, just some boats and some buoys making where debris was submerged as well as various news trucks parked alongside the road.

I should have gone into Manhattan.

8.9.09 Recovery boats 001
8.9.09 Recovery boats 002
8.9.09 Recovery boats 003
8.9.09 Recovery boats 004

News crews in their tents

News crews in their tents

Her Majesty

Today has been a day unlike any other. This morning just before noon I was sitting at the computer, planning my day when I heard what sounded like an explosion.

Didn’t hear anything after that so I didn’t think too much about it. A few minutes later, I was looking at Hoboken 411 when it was announced there was an twin engine plane in a collision with a helicopter over the Hudson River.

I texted Julio as well as Rand & Lisa. Julio didn’t know anything about, he was in West New York, Rand & Lisa think they heard the explosion.

Julio and I had walked around that area last night talking about how nice it would be to live in the upper reaches of Hoboken, but he had discussed it with Stine a few weeks ago and they agreed that yes it was nice, but too noisy what with all the helicopters going up and down.

It’s quite noisy across the Hudson River from the west 30th street heliport. There are helicopters going in and out all day long.

I wanted to put Bill on one of those helicopters a few years ago for a birthday present. It was something like $100 for 3 minutes flying over Manhattan but I put that idea on the back burner and soon forgot about it.

The heliport is used also by celebrities flying into Manhattan from various airports or the Hamptons. I saw Penny Marshall leaving the heliport a few years ago when I was riding along the Manhattan bike path.

The reports are saying that there were no survivors, 9 people dead. It’s also been reported that a wing from the twin engine plane landed on a roof at the campus of Stevens Tech.

It’s been a messed up week, outside of my world.

There was that loser asshole who went to that gym outside of Pittsburgh and turned out the lights and started shooting a room full of women who were doing an aerobics workout.

He claimed that he was rejected so many times by women (30 million by his count). How many women did he reject, that weren’t up to his standards? What a scumbag.

He left a trail, his plotting for a year or two about how he was going to kill some women. What a fucking loser. I hope that the maggots and worms don’t have anything to do with him, too bitter. Let him rot.

There was some good that also happened this week, Judge Sonia Sotomayor was confirmed to be an associate justice for the Supreme Court, and was sworn in this morning.

Bill and I watched it, afterwards, Bill let out a loud ‘Boricua!’, signifying that he and Judge Sonia Sotomayor are both Puerto Rican.

And today, or rather this morning in London, crowds of people showed up to celebrate the photo shoot for the cover of the Beatles Abbey Road. It was 40 years ago today, Iain Macmillan set up a step ladder and had the Fabs on the zebra crossing a few times.

It was over in 10 minutes, then they went back to disliking each other.

I also went into the office today and did 2 hours of work for Greg Stevens. It was nice, no one else was there. If I can continue helping out Greg Stevens, this is the way I would like to do it.