Monthly Archives: August 2009

Pieces of What

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It’s a Monday and it’s been a gorgeous day as well. That hardly ever happens, a pleasant Monday. I guess not going in to work might help.

Last night Bill and I watched Lawn Hors d’œuvre: Criminal Malcontent which was good. Bravo has back to back episodes and Bill has a thing for Chris Noth.

It was enjoyable. I try to ween myself off the Lawn Hors d’œuvre franchise but Bill loves to watch it so I indulge.

After that was True Blood which was most excellent. So excellent that when something was revealed at the end I stomped my feet in approval which surprised Bill somewhat. Oh it was just so good. Things are getting more intense and getting bloodier too.

Hung was good but I didn’t really play that much attention. Same with Entourage but I did pay a little bit more attention. Bill and I stayed up later than usual since he’s off of work this week and me, I’m unemployed.

I plan on going in to the office tomorrow just to check in with Greg Stevens, letting him know what’s going on. I have no phone for me, no desk computer so what is the point? I figure I’ll make more of an impact with my absence.

Today was a busy day for me on Facebook. Some former classmates from St. Francis de Sales grammar school started a Facebook group and I joined. Suddenly I was inundated by these former classmates.

It was good to see who was up to what. A few divorces, and I was surprised by the fact that a few of them were Republicans. Still they are just Facebook friends now.

There are a few I’d like to meet again, and a few I would be wary about. The ones I would be wary about are the ones who went to the same high school as me, Paramus Catholic Boys Prep School.

When we all meet up again in September 1976 we were all assigned different home rooms and I basically never hung out with my grammar school classmates again. I found other friends, whereas they all basically hung out together those years of high school.

They were mostly from the other side of Lodi anyhow. I did meet 2 of them at the awful reunion I attended in 2000. I was talking to one of them, Jimmy B, who then called the other one over, Santo M. Santo’s first thing out of his mouth was ‘Who said I was gay?’

To prove he wasn’t gay he motioned over to his wife with the big chest. I was pretty much wired and stood near the bar, drinking nips of Heineken and being the only one tipping at an open bar, leaving the other customers to wonder why they weren’t getting the service I was getting.

It was good to make contact with most of these grammar school friends. Some of them still live in Lodi with their kids. No overtures about meeting up so far. I’m sure someone will suggest meeting up at the Crow’s Nest or somewhere out there.

I just wonder whatever happened to Jim Carley from Harrington Park and John Nesselt of Glen Rock and Kevin Wagner of Saddle Brook NJ & Orlando FL. Those were the 3 guys that I hung out with each semester. After graduation from high school they seemed to have vanished off the face of the earth.

I did work with Kevin at HBJ. He was hurt that I didn’t tell him I was gay, we drifted apart from that moment.

Their names never come up on Facebook or Google, and I’ve searched a few times throughout the years. I’m sure if I was looking for Mrs. Talamini I’d have no problem digging her up.

***Jim Carley died of a heart attack in 1997 while jogging. John Nesselt still does not want to be found, and neither does Kevin Wagner.***

Miss Gaudio's class Grade 4A 1971-72

Miss Gaudio's class Grade 4A 1971-72


Miss Vendermere's 5th grade class 1972-73

Miss Vendermere's 5th grade class 1972-73

Can’t Get Out of the Rain

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Once again, this is being written on Bill’s Mac. As I was making some dinner an hour ago, the power went out and I have been having some difficulty getting my computer to start up again.

I’m sure it will, just not right now. Just not, when I have to write. Last night’s entry was quite late. I had taken 199 photos at All Points West and kept about 160. I got caught up in the editing and resizing before I started writing, which made me write so late.

And it wasn’t easy since I was fried from being out in the sun most of the day. Bill came home zombiefied after going out with the cast and crew to the Cubby Hole in the Village, just as I was getting ready for bed.

I do know I slept incredibly well, no thanks to the constant downpour. Bill was up before me headed to church. I slept in for another hour or two, no worrying about the sheets being hogged.

When I woke up it had stopped raining. I showered, got most of the purple X off my hand from the festival yesterday. I called Meghan since her niece was going to today and wanted the wristband.

I was going to go to the Guitar Bar and leave it with Jim Mastro but I called beforehand and Jim told me the niece had picked up the other wristbands and was on her way. It was just as well since once again, it was pouring out.

After a few hours of rain, and after I watched a documentary on Jack Wrangler, a 1970’s porn star the rain let up and I decided to drop off the 2 Netflix movies I had.

The other was Unleashed, starring Jet Li, Bob Hoskins and Morgan Freeman. I rented that one since the music was by Massive Attack. In the UK the movie is called Danny the Dog which is also the title of the soundtrack album. It was an OK kung fu movie, though a bit schizophrenic.

Had 2 California calls today. Annemarie for the usual weekend call and Juan who was in Berkeley visiting his uncle. Juan was hilarious and had me laughing quite a bit. He’ll be back next weekend.

And of course I wish Annemarie and Earl were around. I felt that way a few times last week, walking along some of the same streets I walked along with Anne & Earl.

Juan tried to convince me to go again to All Points West to see MGMT playing and take some pictures. But they’re not going on until late, and with all the rain in the past 24 hours, it’s more than likely muddier than ever.

And True Blood is on tonight and I am quite exited to see how things will turn out this week. I know I could watch True Blood anytime and here is MGMT playing a show that I could see for free, quite close to home, but I just don’t want to get caught in the rain.

As for work, I will probably go in on Tuesday to see how things are. I don’t have a phone and no computer thanks to Vivek so I don’t know what the point will be in going in.

Potatoes for salad are at a low it seems.

Just checked my computer, which still won’t reboot. Screen frozen. Leaving it unplugged for a while, perhaps that will do the trick.

It was Rand’s suggestion the other day to do that, so hopefully it will work again. Or I will just have to bring it to Rand’s again for a closer inspection.

7:57PM
Bill plugs in the computer and it reboots. This is written on my computer.