Monthly Archives: July 2010

I’m Gonna Love You Just A Little More, Baby

It’s a Saturday and it’s a day off. It’s been overcast with threats of rain and quite muggy too. But I don’t mind. Like I said, it’s a day off. I did some shopping for tomorrow and also played the guitar.

Talked to various friends on the phone. Some are coming, some aren’t, some are leaving early to watch the World Cup final. I sent Todd an email telling him that close to 40 people are expected.

Tim and Lily of the Street Corner Mourners (pass the hat!) are playing tomorrow and I think Jon & Deena from the Cucumbers are playing as well. I did ask Deena a few months ago when this whole shebang started.

Rand is supposed to be handling the music on the iPods. Chaz is making or bringing Spanakopita, Lois and Sheilah are making salads and Karen, Elaine and Meghan Taylor are bringing cakes or desserts. I’m alternately psyched and anxious about the whole thing.

I doubt there will be any problems but having said that, this superstitious atheist gets nervous.

Annemarie made it safely to New Jersey. She stopped by Hoboken on her way to Garfield. We walked around a bit and had salads at the Garden of Eden in the upstairs room. No one else was there and it made for some quality time. After that, a walk around Pier A. I enjoyed a nice cigar, a freebie from work. A La Reloba by My Father’s Cigars.

Earlier, I stopped by the library and took out the Celluloid Closet and the Dark Knight. I’ve seen both of them of course, but there’s nothing on TV tonight and I figured when Bill gets home, maybe something familiar to watch would be nice. That’s about it.

Downloaded some songs that I remembered from a Stiff Records collection from 20 years ago, as well as the new single from N*E*R*D*. That track is swinging.

I will have to get Rand to play it tomorrow. I pointed him in the direction of what I would like to hear and what I think the other ‘grown ups’ would also like. I have two playlists for him to use if he would like and also requested a certain song be played.

Hopefully that will be revealed tomorrow.

Don’t know what else to write. I think I’ve covered all the bases. Don’t know if I’ll write tomorrow. I will be busy enough, but then again there will probably be a lot to write about. I suppose I will see what state of mind I am in at the end of the day.

I hope to be feeling quite nice and relatively cross eyed and painless.

I am certainly looking forward to seeing family and friends. If you’re reading this and know where to go at what time, I look forward to seeing you. For the rest of you I hope you have a good day tomorrow doing whatever it is that you do.

Even if you’re in Bala Cynwyd or even Portland.

Not Annemarie's car




I’m Gonna Lock My Heart (And Throw Away the Key)

It’s Friday! I made it through! And now I have three days off! And Annemarie’s flying in tomorrow! And I am going overboard with exclamation points! But I don’t care!

It was an decent day. My stress last night from work still haunted me enough, that when Bill was kissing me goodbye as I slept he mentioned that I would have a good day at work.

Work. The mere mention of it freaked me out. I didn’t have that good a night’s sleep last night and the last hour after Bill left was anxiety ridden. I rallied and got out of bed. Suit hanging up, more ready for the day that I was.

Shower, breakfast, coffee. Soon I was at the Washington Street bus stop. Not too hot out, it was in the 80 degree range. I had a smoke while I waited for the bus, away from a dad and his baby strapped to his chest.

He was hoping to catch the 89 bus but he didn’t wave his hand so the bus just went right on by. I figured he was waiting for a bus to take him up Washington Street and told him that another bus would soon be approaching. But it wasn’t the 89 bus so he walked away.

I was in the bus terminal in no time, and soon on the subway hurtling uptown. I had enough time to hang out but decided to be proactive and head into the shop to clear up the things I thought I neglected to do last night.

But apparently what I neglected to do was remedied easily enough, just a simple point and click. All that wasted anxiety! After that it was all easy and I bought some red grapes and shared them with Don
Some of the good customers came in today, meaning the customers I like. I also sold a pricey box of cigars and shipped them off to Connecticut. The day went well and I also picked up the latest Mojo and Uncut magazines.

Another favorite customer laid a Cuban cigar on me since I recommended he pick up You Never Give Me Your Money. He’s a Beatles fanatic as well. He too couldn’t put the book down and when he finally did he felt like taking a shower afterward.

It was awfully nice of him to give me a Cuban cigar and he asked when the last time I had a Cuban and I answered in the 1990’s. I’m sure someone, somewhere down the line gave me a Cuban stick. Probably at Right Track.

I enjoyed a strong, full bodied cigar at lunch time. My daily freebie. Raymond recommended it after I told him I wanted a cigar that would fuck me up. It didn’t really, but it was strong enough and a good smoke.

The afternoon went by rather quickly. I played a few Beatles albums, the Dark Was The Night compilation, Bob Marley & the Wailers- Kaya and Bob Dylan’s Bootleg series Vol. 8.

I turned a customer into Nick Drake enough that he ran out and bought a collection after hearing River Man.

I had no problems with closing tonight, Raymond was around to answer any questions that I might have had. It got me out of the store soon enough.

I couldn’t tell you the time it took to get from the cigar shop to the bus terminal since I played Feed the Animals by Girl Talk, the one continuous track. But I would say it was the average 16-17 minutes, me marching down the avenue like Harrison Ford chasing Joanna Cassidy in Blade Runner.

This gent was making a mandala at 3:55 at Columbus Circle.