September | 2012 | johnozed

It’s a Friday and so far so good. Last night did not go so well. Fell asleep for about an hour or so then I woke up with the Everly Brothers singing Cathy’s Clown in my head. I did the right thing and got out of bed around 3:00 and surfed the net for a while before heading back to sleep for a few more hours. That went well, then Bill kissed me goodbye as he was headed off to the gym and then work at 6:00 then I woke up again for a little while before I was able to sleep again.

I did have a plan today. I had been corresponding with Payless since my sneakers started to fall apart soon after I bought them, but they were still wearable and they matched the chip on my shoulder. About a week after that they fell into further disrepair and I stopped wearing them. Of course I did not have the receipt but according to customer service that would be no problem. So I trooped over a couple of miles to the Newport Mall, Airwalks in my bag. I called customer service once again to make sure it was OK that I didn’t have the receipt.

And it was OK. I walked in and stood by an empty register. Just then a manager appeared and I told her my tale of woe. She understood and directed me to get a new pair if I wanted to or get store credit. I opted for the new Airwalks and after a quick and easy transaction, I was walking back to Hoboken. It was quite hot too, dense heat and a cloudless sky. I came home and took off the work boots and put on the new sneakers. Then after a few minutes I headed out again.

Busking was on the agenda for today and it had been a number of days since I last busked. I found a decent spot under a tree and set about playing some songs, A Hard Day’s Night, Walk on By, and Hateful by the Clash. It was going well. Tariq even showed up and was enjoying my playing as he was cocktailing. He is a good player and has the cojones to play on Washington Street at night, where he probably makes good money. I opt for the waterfront and the adoration of toddlers and change.

Tariq mentioned how much he enjoyed what I used to do, which was some improvisations. I play a few chords and sing about the people walking by in front of me. The color of their clothes, what’s on their t-shirts, the fact that some people look serious (but when they hear me singing about them they smile). I also sing about students from Stevens Tech and the amount of backpacks they carry to the trains and also sing about the nannies pushing strollers. So I did it again and had Tariq doubled over in laughter.

The funny thing is I am more comfortable doing that improve thing when there is a friendly face around and Tariq had the friendly face. If I had the nerve to do it without anyone around I would but since that rarely happens I rarely do it. Plus, when I do such a thing the people smile or smirk and just hurry along. They don’t linger and they don’t dig for change. But today turned out to be a good day, things went well and the toddlers showed up so happy to dance and clap along as I play. And you know that can’t be bad.

Blah blah blah. Am I right? Another day, low key at best. Ran around some, did some errands. I did not go to the bibliothèque, at least not yet. There’s still time. I did request a book the other day and as of yesterday it is en route. I figured it would get here by today and since the bibliothèque closes at 8:00 tonight I still might get an email letting me know it had arrived. It’s a lot like watching paint dry. It’s been a slow going day today with the sun finally making an appearance late in the afternoon.

I was in midtown Manhattan this afternoon and ran into my friend Jesse. Jesse had news to tell me about our mutual friend Marcus. When Jesse told me this news I feared the worst. But as it turns out it wasn’t the worst, but it wasn’t the best either. It seems that Marcus has been deported. Apparently he was in custody of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for the past year. That is certainly too bad, but Marcus is a survivor and I am sure he will be back one way or another. He does have family here.

I told Jesse to give my best to Marcus’ family. I was soon back in Hoboken and decided to have a seat by Pier A and read. It felt funny without my guitar. I thought I would be situated to be away from my usual spot so I wouldn’t be seen by the toddlers without the guitar. As luck would have it, there they were trooping around Pier A with their minders, asking me where my guitar was, and making the motions of strumming. I told them the guitar was home sleeping but they would see it tomorrow. Too much information for their minds.

I have been playing the guitar inside and trying to remember songs by heart. Not Ann & Nancy Wilson from Heart, but by memory is what I should have written. Lately after I’ve properly butchered a song enough, I’ve been going off on musical tangents which I think sound pretty cool. I have one on a Sound Cloud and I am sure I have posted it here before, around 8 months ago. So now I have the itch to do another and I might just post a new ditty tonight. I have no idea what it will sound like.

I listened to the older song on Sound Cloud since someone I used to admire in the 1980’s started following me on the Cloud. To me I think it sounds a lot like Laraaji, someone that Brian Eno produced back in the 1970’s. Not as melodious as Laraaji of course but conceptually it’s near that neighborhood. And also perhaps a little Feelies in the mix which is probably by osmosis. Having written that I can safely say that it is nowhere near Laraaji or the Feelies. Or anything else for that matter. I guess it sounds like me.

I just did a search online for this here blog and could not find the link to the Sound Cloud. So here it is again. NSFH or NSFW, and definitely NSFD. It may cause drowsiness and alcohol intensifies the effect. Use care when using the Sound Cloud. It may cause dizziness as well. Do use caution. And now, on with the shoe.