Monday evening. Last Monday of this rotten year 2024. Bill and I went to see A Complete Unknown, the Timothee Chalamet as Bob Dylan biopic. Edward Norton was very good as Pete Seeger, I found the Pete Seeger role to be heartbreaking.

It portrays Pete Seeger as a true believer in the folk music world and he recognizes Bob Dylan as someone who can greatly popularize folk music. But Bob was a rock & roller at heart and after a few years in the folk world, crossed over to rock & roll.

The legend is that at Newport in 1965 when Bob went public with an electric band, Pete was ready to get an axe and cut the power to the stage (which could’ve injured or killed Pete Seeger). In the movie, he is stopped by his wife, Toshi.

Some parts of the movie were filmed around the block from us in Hoboken as well as other spots around town and in Jersey City. The movie is being touted for Oscars but we’ll see how that goes.

I know the mythology of the times regarding Dylan and Bill did not, but he still enjoyed it nonetheless and a friend of Bill’s is in the film briefly, playing Paul Griffin on organ in the studio as they’re beginning to record tracks from Highway 61 Revisited. O

n the last Saturday Bill and I went to Manhattan to meet up with Mike and go see the tree at Rockefeller Center. The original plan was to go on Friday but Mike had some mishaps and couldn’t make it.

The weather was better on Friday since Saturday was drizzly and damp. Mike loved meeting Bill. Bill was a font of information about various buildings and locations that Mike didn’t know about. Apparently, we filled out the roles of Bert (Me) and Ernie (Bill) quite well.

After seeing the tree, Mike wanted to visit the Louis Vuitton store which was looking like a stack of Louis Vitton bags. But it was the Louis Vuitton headquarters that looked like that and across 57th Street was the actual store which had a line of people outside waiting to get in. I wasn’t feeling it and neither were Mike and Bill.

But before that, we all needed to relieve ourselves and the nearest public restrooms were in tRump tower. So holding our breath we rode that infamous escalator to the basement of the tower to use the facilities.

The restroom was at the end of the hall and one had to pass the propaganda store for L’Orange Merde. I kept saying to Bill and Mike to avert their eyes and not too look. I am sometimes pee shy in a public restroom but all I had to do was close my eyes and imagine I was peeing on la tombe de L’Orange Merde.

A visit to the Applejack Diner where we all ate well except for Bill who in an attempt to eat healthy ordered a turkey burger that resembled a brown doorstop and according to Bill tasted like it. Photos were taken and we strolled back down to the Path train. Bill and I to Hoboken, and Mike eventually to Jersey City, where he now lives.

Mike needed to transfer so he did that in Hoboken where Bert and Ernie kept him company until his train arrived. I am glad Bill and Mike liked each other since Mike is spending New Year’s Eve with us, and crashing on the couch so he can just bounce over to work on the morning of New Year’s Day.

Nothing has been set regarding entertainment so I guess we will wing it.

Friday. Two days past Christmas. Since I last spewed the other day I haven’t been dwelling in the house of Burton & McGrotty which had taken up too much space in my consciousness. I’m sure there are traces of it but nothing that has been too overwhelming.

I do miss having a routine, and without it, my days have been blurring into one another. The holiday on a Wednesday this year really threw a monkey wrench into my calendar. Is it Friday? Saturday? Should I be calling my sister at 3:00 PM today?

Bill has been outstanding. Always there for a hug if needed. I get one when it is absolutely necessary. I don’t take them for granted. We wandered around Hoboken this afternoon. Another visit to the Guitar Bar to see Mr. Wonderful (no sarcasm), Jim Mastro.

I have my plan which Jim is supporting and affording me. Bill has his own project, a staged reading that is scheduled for March. My plan and Bill’s reading will take place at Jim’s 503 Social Club. Bill and I were there a few weeks ago seeing Debbie Schwartz’s opening act up for Karyn Kuhl and the Gang. It’s a cozy space.

Bill’s reading will have an audience whereas I will be using the space as a studio of sorts. I have ideas, all in my head and I have to write them down somewhere.

There was a plan today. Bill and I were going to take Mike to see the Rockefeller Christmas tree. But Mike couldn’t work one day this week and his boss contacted him to come in today. Originally he was told he couldn’t make up the day but it turned out some of his coworkers were unable to come in so Mike had to step up to the plate.

That’s the story and Mike is sticking to it. The plan is now to go tomorrow. Today’s plan had also involved meeting up with a social media group, Cigar Men NYC at a cigar lounge in midtown on the east side. They meet on a Friday and since tomorrow is Saturday there will be no meeting.

Mike is also supposed to come over on New Year’s Eve. We were invited to the usual New Year’s Eve party but I sort of put my foot in my mouth last year and I am still somewhat embarrassed by it. Nothing off color just a reference that sort of affected 2 other guests. I did not know about that until after the fact.

And there are hurt feelings on my part involving some friends. They’re creative. I’m creative but I am never invited though one of those creative people has remarked a few times about my jokes. Not enough to procure an invite to a brainstorm. Perhaps I am too much of a loose cannon.

It’s been going on for years and though I am used to it, it still bruises. And I did try to involve the other creative in my idea for something some weeks ago but they still haven’t responded. And that’s fine since I have the impetus to just do it myself with Bill.

It’s not rocket science and both Bill and I have done similar projects in the past. Between Bill & myself we have one very good functional brain.

So Mike has been invited to spend New Year’s Eve with us. Bill has to find the couch so Mike can sleep on it. He’ll be working the next day so he’ll be out in the morning hours. I have to get a comforter so Mike won’t freeze to death and actually be comfortable.

I also made a few edits to past entries in this here blog. Went from Derry to Perry as it were.