Saturday, July 5th. A beautiful day.

Yesterday Bill and I came home from shopping, just chilling out and having good conversations. Mike was in the Bronx visiting his Pops. He phoned us as he was leaving the Bronx. He had some BBQ which was a major point of July 4th for him. We lack a BBQ and do not have invites to BBQs. I cooked one of my finest Chicken, Penne, and Pesto suppers.

Mike arrived an hour or so later as we were watching Jeopardy. We watched Ironheart on Marvel TV. At least Bill and I did, Mike is getting more addicted to his phone. It used to be annoying but we got used to it and find it a little less annoying. We did draw Mike into Ironheart since it takes place in Chicago and Mike is from Chicago.

Following Ironheart, we got it together and strolled up to Stevens Tech so we could view the fireworks. We let Mike decide on the location and the route we would take to get there. We wound up on a platform by one of the modern buildings where we had a somewhat unobstructed view.

Mike was disappointed that the fireworks weren’t going to be on the Hudson. Bill and I knew they weren’t going to be there but we still had a good view of downtown where the spectacle would occur.

We took a few selfies while we waited and the downtown NYC fireworks went off, visually blocked by the downtown buildings. But a moment later Jersey City and Hoboken had their own shows blowing up so we did have a show after all. When they were finished we came home.

Bill was in bed not long after leaving Mike and me to entertain ourselves by watching TV. And then Mike was out cold and I crept into bed alongside Bill. I had a headache from dehydration and though I did drink some water, I should have taken a pain reliever for the headache.

I woke up with a headache and did take a Motrin with my coffee. Bill and Mike jabbered on as I got my head back in order. Bill had a plan to go visit a cigar lounge in town to see a friend, Turrell. Mike and I had plans to go to Coles St in Jersey City so I could take some photos of Mike before the colorful graffiti and murals.

We shot a few really good pics before Mike started getting woozy. I tried to get more out of him but to no avail. We sat and just chilled. Mike started getting emotional, tearfully telling me how much he loved Bill and me. How he appreciates and is grateful for all we have done for him. He lay his head on my shoulder and sobbed for a minute.

All I could do was hug him and tell him he is alright. Bill and I love him too. The kid needs love after all he has been through and we give him that and more.

Now we are all home, Bill working on something, Mike napping in the bed and me at the computer.

It’s Liberty State Park on the 4th of July. I thought it would be more crowded, but then again it is 6 or 7 hours away from the big fireworks event by the Brooklyn Bridge, which would be a prime spot to view from.

It’s a nice day. Streets are relatively deserted. Those who are on bicycles are behaving themselves. Those who are on scooters are generally clueless. I sit underneath my friend, Tree, who offers ample shade.

They are setting up for some events that are 100 yards away from me. They’re playing modern music, which includes autotune and tunes written by 10 different people, including people that they are sampling work from, such as my disdain for most contemporary music.

I only say it here because I can’t say it at work and I probably seem like the old man at the desk since the music that I play is mostly from the 20th century when a few of these people were just born.

Bill and I went to the supermarket separating from Mike who was dissatisfied with our choices of what to do on the 4th of July in Hobo, generally, we don’t do anything. We just sit around the apartment and watch TV. It’s a day off for us and it’s rare that if we’re at the loft at the same time.

And Mike was not impressed with those choices. He suggested heading into the city to which I put the kibosh on almost immediately saying that the trains were going to be crowded. They’re running on a weekend schedule. There’s no clear objective to being in the city unless that is the objective itself which it was for Mike.

He just digs big and the city, which is how I used to feel 45 years ago when I was going into the city on weekends. But it was a different city. There were fewer people. It was more fun. Not as was an edge to it. Now it’s overly commercialized where back then it was not as commercialized as today.

So Mike went to visit his pops in the Bronx and I was going to suggest he go to Brooklyn and visit our friend from Facebook. Michael, who manages the Brooklyn branch of the Cigar Shack brand, I used to work at 13 years ago.

But Mike opted for the Bronx and Bill and I had quite a heavy talk about the situation with Mike. I think Bill thinks I was played for a sucker and I think perhaps I was but also I had good intentions.

True. They were friends with benefit parts to it and I didn’t necessarily instigate that. But it is what it is and it’s a different situation. It’s a strange situation and I feel like I’m running out of time, patience, and money.
I sit under a tree puffing on a bone like I did last week. Feeling good. Feeling mellow. Not that I was uptight or angry earlier. It’s a day off and what’s the point of being upset and angry on the day off I can get paid for that shit hahaha.

Riding my bicycle. I just had a wish that I was as easy and outgoing and friendly as I am after I smoked half a joint and riding my bicycle. No edge, no cynicism. Just pure love, but when it wears off and I’m dealing with other people, I do know things could be better on my part.