April | 2012 | johnozed

Well today was quite a long day. Zack and Bradley and Thomas all on deck. And it has not been easy for anyone doing sales, despite the new limited edition whatchamacallit cigar that was just released. We all emailed our clients letting them know that the best thing since sliced bread is out, the second coming of second hand smoke has been set out into the world.

Zack of course, with 7 or 8 years of building a client base easily makes his sales, Bradley with a lifetime of working in retail makes his sales, Thomas does well with his people and my emails get ignored. Out of 30 emails, three responded, two were sales, another was a question that went answered but went no farther than that. And I just checked my work email again and it is still the same. No responses. I’m not sweating it, at least not until Friday since I am off tomorrow.

No Jimmy Seltzer sighting this week. He usually comes in on Thursday and since tomorrow is Thursday and I won’t be in, chances are I won’t be seeing him until next week, which is too bad since I do enjoy the fleeting chats I do have with Jimmy Seltzer. He offers insight that I am usually blind to, such as yes I do have a job that I am none too fond of, but still I do go in day after day and generally do a good job.

On Friday, Zack and I have a tentative plan to review my performance review. I agreed with most of the things he wrote on the report, but do I tell him that my heart isn’t in it? That I have grown disheartened as the second anniversary approaches much to rapidly for my tastes? No, it will be best to keep it to myself and just say ‘yes sir’ or ‘no sir’ as he goes down the list of my faults. Best not to mention the disdain that I have for most of the customers. No I leave it to him to express his disdain, his name calling and his curiosity that some of these customers are more than likely closet cases.

I did have a good bus ride into the city this morning. I ran into neighbor Deborah, been a week or so since I last saw her. I neglected to wish her a happy birthday on her Facebook page but she didn’t mind. She almost had a good day if not for an argument with her boyfriend which could not be good. An argument on your birthday is not a good thing.

It’s so odd to come home and not find Bill fast asleep in bed like he has been for the past couple of days. He is scheduled to sing before the Mets game on Sunday and I’ve made arrangements to have the day off to videotape him once again, but the forecast for Sunday is rain which would be a drag. I guess we’ll find out on Saturday, whether or not Sunday at CitiField will come to pass. I hope it does, he’s been practicing frequently lately. But if it does not, I hope a reschedule could be worked out. And I hope I can rearrange a day off so I could attend.

Rocket Man

Another day another dingus. Yes it’s Tuesday and after a nice day like yesterday today was bound to be a bit of a let down. I did sleep fairly well last night. Bill came home from his readings last night and I of course greeted him at the door with a nice kiss, helping him with his backpack as well as removing his hat. He looked great and he’s been losing weight since he’s taking more care in what he eats as well as a lot more exercise than he’s been used to.

Bill ran into Thomas on the train last night. He didn’t know it was Thomas, whom I work with, he thought it might have been an actor that he worked with, or perhaps someone from his office. A manly hug was exchanged. Bill came home and asked me what Bradley looked like. I described him as best as I could without having to crawl around on my belly. My impersonation of Thomas thankfully did not involve a steel rod up my ass. But it was a good imitation of Thomas and Bill got it almost right away.

I woke up on time as usual this morning, had my coffee brewed by Bill once again. I poured a bowl of cereal and jumped in the shower. I hadn’t shaved in a few days so that was a requirement today. I was out the door at the usual time, walking to the bus stop, enjoying a cigar and waiting in the quite warm weather. No coat needed and I had my tie neatly folded away in my shoulder bag.

I have to admit I was a bit apprehensive about going to work, as I usually am when I have a day off. Not knowing what to expect, except for the pressure to sell sell sell. But no one is coming in in in. It’s very slow in the cigar shack area. All the store around us are slow. Things might pick up by Father’s Day in June, but the pressure is on Zack and then onto us since shit does roll downhill.

Bradley and Jerry Vale were my cohorts most of the day, Zack out of the office at a meeting somewhere. Lunch was nice, spent once again on a bench by the park where I started reading Retromania by Simon Reynolds. More academic than I anticipated but I muddled through. The footnotes were a welcome distraction, a timeline with how pop culture is fixated on the past, not looking forward the way it used to be.

Now we are listening to Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Live Rust. That got a lot of airplay on WPIX at the end of the 1970’s. This weekend the news about about Robin Gibb being in a coma. Colon cancer, liver cancer and now pneumonia. Robin seems to be headed out. Today I heard my brother Brian (as well as Harpy) that Levon Helm is on his way out. Both seem to have only a few days left, if at that.

Thank you for the music, Robin & Levon.

09 – Our Day Will Come