Monthly Archives: March 2012

I Hold On

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And now I am home, earlier than usual because I went in earlier than usual. I had to open the cigar shack. It was not easy getting out of bed and starting to move, but of course I did. A different crowd again on the bus, these early morning people are a trip.

I’m sure if I more accustomed to getting up early and going to work it wouldn’t be such a surprise. I mean, I did do that for a number of years, that now elusive Monday through Friday job. Now I go in later and it’s no longer a Monday through Friday situation.

Yesterday I was in at 10:30, today, 9:30, tomorrow 11:30 and once I close Wednesday night, I will be opening on Thursday morning. Not easy but I do get the job done. At the cigar shack it was Thomas and Jerry Vale and me. Zack was a chaperone on his kid’s class trip so he was out today. And it was slow going at the cigar shack.

Thomas and I butted heads this afternoon. It was bound to happen, he’s been in such a mood lately and I know yesterday I gave him a break, saying he had a lot on his plate. This afternoon he could have shoved that plate up his ass for all I cared.

Things got better once we talked or rather, argued but it wasn’t 100% easy after that. He bitched about a few things, about me, about Jerry Vale. I give Jerry Vale some slack since he’s going through some difficult times himself and if he needs to take a couple of minutes for a quick snack, I say let him. I have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich during the day and it certainly helps me a lot.

I tell you, that Thomas is no Juan, no Corinne. No, he’s a very old 25 year old. Such an old man, he’s older than me & Jerry Vale and we’re the oldest employees at the cigar shack. I don’t know how that works, or how it will work when he gets older.

As my day ended I started to crash. So tired despite having a banana for energy. I thought about walking to the bus terminal tonight, but was too tired so I opted for the subway. I got to the terminal in no time and found myself at the end of a queue. We moved along eventually.

There was a woman about four or five heads ahead of me, struggling with two rolling suitcases. The four or five heads in between me and the woman just stared. I looked and saw no one else ahead of the suitcase woman so I asked one of the people staring if they minded if I helped her out. They didn’t mind so I took one suitcase and we ascended the stairs. I then helped her on the bus and took a seat.

Michael Hill, super nice guy, sat next to me. He’s a friend from Maxwells and we chatted about a documentary he saw last night, How to Survive a Plague. It’s about ACT UP, a group that I supported and protested with outside of St. Patrick’s Cathedral a number of times. Michael was moved by the documentary and Bill and I hope to see it when it gets a release later this year.

ACT UP was the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power. Silence = Death. We were loud and disruptive since our friends, families and lovers were dying. Wouldn’t you do the same after having to change your friend’s diaper as he lay in his own waste while the nurses stood in the hallway making jokes and rude comments on the ill patient dying a few feet away?

It’s been one of those days, I guess.


the queue for the bus


13 Reasons To Be Cheerful, Part 3

I Heart You

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Monday again. How did that happen? It doesn’t matter really how it happened. It’s almost over after all. A little over 2 hours left actually. Where did it go? How did it get here? This is not my beautiful house! This is not my beautiful wife! Anyway, here I am home from work.

I was in an hour earlier today. The schedule to prevent Thomas from whining is in effect. Yesterday was a nothing kind of day. Did do much, didn’t go anywhere. I did go to the record store after I joked with Annemarie on the phone about applying for a job there.

On the door was a help wanted sign, full & part time. I dare not apply since I have butted heads with them a few times, basically about how when CD’s are used in listening posts, the CD should be labeled as used, not sold as ‘new’. It’s a sticking point and I’m sure most record collectors would be on my side. Despite all that, I wandered around looking at stuff and left empty handed. I generally buy my Mojo & Uncut magazines there, that’s it.

Something like Kindness, a band from the UK that I bought last week, I bought on iTunes. This just reminded me, that I need to make a CD of it as a backup of sorts.

Bill was fast asleep when I headed out around 3PM, a vanilla sky overhead and me on the phone with Annemarie. I came home and Bill was still asleep. I don’t recall what I was watching on TV, I was watching Philip Glass on PBS, a performance of Satyagraha. I wasn’t watching it, just listening to the music which of course, sounded like Philip Glass. It’s a good thing I like Philip Glass.

Bill woke up and I decided to take a nap. It wasn’t that relaxing since Bill was talking to the TV and I have no idea what he was watching. I did ask him to wake me up in about an hour, which he did, then I asked for another half hour which was granted though I only slept about 10 minutes more, giving up and calling it fruitless.

We watched 60 Minutes, then The Simpsons, then Bob’s Burgers which I really like. It was all leading up to the season premiere of Mad Men which I allowed myself to be swept up in all the hype. I enjoyed it somewhat, as did Bill but he went to bed halfway through and I stayed up keeping one eye on the computer and another on the TV, making me look a little like Marty Feldman.

I started watching Capote which Bill and I saw in the cinema when it came out and yes it was still very good. Philip Seymour Hoffman was outstanding as Truman Capote, certainly deserving of the Academy Award. Midway through I went to bed.

Not a good night’s sleep like the other night, but enough to get through the day. And it was a nice day at the cigar shack. Zack and Thomas and myself. I have to admit that I was hesitant about working with Thomas. He’s got a lot on his plate and it’s been wobbly as of late. Today he was fine and no need to be hesitant.

Zack was cool as usual. I had a nice salad for lunch and as I was eating I got a call from Zack, asking me to visit the other cigar shack nearby and pick up some cigars for the store as a swap. Since I did the leg work, I got the sale, so I was happy about that.

Now I am home, got out an hour early. I walked down to the bus terminal, listening to Led Zeppelin, once again figuring they would provide the best soundtrack as I stomped my way down the avenue. And they did the job.


the Moon with Venus...?


07 O-o-h Child