Thursday, October 16. It’s autumn. The days are shorter. It’s still night when I wake up in the morning. I do not like it, but I have no choice but to get through it. And so I do. It was the proper temperature to wear the pea coat this morning. No sweating like a horse this morning, more like a pony. An undershirt beneath the cardigan while the button-down shirt dried in the closet out of sight.

Work was alright today. A well-known rapper was in to promote his book with an interview with his wife and the co-author of the book. Apparently, the rapper had problems with drugs what and he recovered from the episode, which is also the title of his book. His new release drops at midnight tonight, and a book signing in Midtown tomorrow. He was a nice guy, said hello and thank you when I told him that his interview went well.

Mike is the one I turn to with regard to these rappers, and I mentioned who was coming in, which got him somewhat excited. But he’s also dealing with his beloved, who once again will not be coming over this weekend. Never mind the fact that the beloved didn’t book a hotel room. He needed to transfer money from his savings account to his checking account, and he told Mike that that takes about 24 hours. Mike believed him, though I did tell Mike that the whole transfer takes about one minute when done online.

I don’t think Mike wanted to hear that. He usually calls when he’s about to go to work in the city, and even though he had about 20 minutes before clocking in, he abruptly cut the call short. This afternoon, he told me the latest setback with the beloved, and I said that I did not trust the beloved. I tried holding my tongue when he discusses matters involving the blevoed’s plans, but I’m sure I crossed a line.

Mike was upset by that, and I tried to explain that this was the fourth weekend where the beloved had backed out. Mike explained that it was actually his own idea this time, and the beloved agreed. There would not be enough time together, maybe one day, and that day was supposed to include going to the Statue of Liberty as well as a visit to a cemetery for the beloved to honor his fellow soldiers.

So, Mike offered a way out, and the beloved readily agreed, perhaps seeing the chance to kick the travel plans down the road a bit more. I sort of see what is going on, but Mike doesn’t, or doesn’t want to. I have to remember to keep my thoughts to myself and just hang back and wait for the angry, disappointed phone call again. He wants to be in love so badly that he doesn’t see what is happening and occasionally realizes that a 3,000-mile relationship is not easy to maintain despite FaceTime.

Maybe it’s easier if both parties know each other and have spent time together in person instead of on camera. Bill is taken aback when he hears this going on when Mike calls. Mike sees what Bill & I have and wants the same for himself. Bill and I tried to explain that it’s taken us 25 years to get to where we are. But it seems Mike does not want to hear that either.

Well, I overdressed this morning. Last night the weather report before I went to sleep was it the weather would be in the 40s so I busted out the Navy peacoat that I had for the past 25 years and with the window open this morning it did feel a little bit chilly but when you’re on the 5th floor have a five-story walk up things are different and when you hit the street and when I hit the street is quite balmy.

I still carried on, got my bagel, and walked to the PATH train, and when I got there, I was sweating like a horse. I might not be hung like a horse, but I could sure sweat like one.

I got to the office in front of Marcus by 30 seconds who told me I was supposed to be at the other office today and I thought he was crazy he said look at the calendar and there it was despite the fact I was there for 3 days last week I was supposed to be there for today did not make any sense at all but it’s not my place to decide what makes sense in which does not.

It turns out that my being here was the smart thing to do since it’s been a bit busy this afternoon with various guests and personnel showing up.

I contacted Yancy, who initially was okay with it, and then minutes later, not so okay with it. He runs hot and cold like that, like the faucets in the men’s room that are activated by an electronic eye, it’s never the right temperature you want it’s a fucking pain in the ass to get the water to start running.

It’s one of those days, one of those past 24 hours
I find myself questioning my Santa day (SANITY), and with my paranoia, usually I am, and I have no reason to be, and then there are days when I do have a reason to be paranoid.

This morning, I received word that it’s like so and so asked for these dates, November 10th to the 14th, and I gave them something else, and they said thank you for your help, but that’s not what we asked for, and I was able to fix it but still it didn’t work out initially though in the end it did.

And Marcus finally gave me the iPad that is supposed to be used by me for backup for another office, and then he told me that I should not be doing this. That so-and-so should be able to do it himself since he has all the necessary tools for such a thing. Nothing like mixed messages, I suppose.

I did have a very interesting dream last night. Or this morning. I was wearing a suit, a blue pinstriped Sean John suit that is a favorite. In the dream, I was only wearing the pants. I was wearing braces and a white shirt with my black Keith Haring tie, but could not find the jacket, which led me to run through the World Trade Center where it might be going up and down escalators, seeing it and then not seeing it.

I was talking to people or getting on the wrong escalator. And then I wound up at 13 Riverview Avenue where my mother and father and Frank, Annemarie, and Brian were having dinner, which seemed to be steak tips and red peppers, and despite Annemarie being a vegetarian, the plate was right in front of her.

Frank was wearing a shirt that looked like something I saw online months ago, and I complimented him on it and then mentioned to my mother that it was a cheap shirt that I knew where he got it from, some place online not quite reputable, Temu.

I slept soundly, and it was a relief. Though there are moments before the alarm clock goes off when I am getting anxious waiting for the alarm clock to go off.

I just met Dion, a wonderful young man in his 20s is being let go since his contract has expired, and I met his replacement, a young woman named Andrea, who seems nice, and Dion says that she’s great, and I said But you’re great and he said We’re both great, we’re equal.
I am going to miss Dion.

Oh my God, those are some ugly shoes. A guy walked by wearing the ugliest shoes, which seemed to be in fashion, which does not account for anything resembling taste. I hope I will spy again, and I will try to surreptitiously take photographs of his ugly footwear

I definitely wore the wrong coat today.