johnozed

About johnozed

I'm 50+ years old, 210-ish#, 6'2", reddish blonde, blue eyes with glasses (and without) masculine, funny, relatively intelligent, enjoy the company of assorted friends and family especially sordid friends and family. I love music, reading, writing, conversing, laughing, going to films, shows, concerts and smoking cigars. And I also enjoy looking nice in a suit and tie. Looking more like Lewis Lapham than Tom Wolfe. I'm sure there is more, but we'll just have to find out when I write about it. In a lifetime relationship with partner Bill Vila.

As expected, going back to work after such a grand time on Saturday was dreary. The weather was great and I listened to some tracks that I bought for the wedding but never played. Songs like Never Let me Down Again by Depeche Mode and I Got A Man by Positive K. We rapped along to I Got A Man on the way up in a driving rainstorm.

I bought it not only because it’s a funny song, but Lois had written a song called I Got A Man and I initially thought it was the same song. It wasn’t. Lois’ song was just as funny and fitting the occasion perfectly.

The bus ride was fine, sat and talked with Casey. Great guy. Really a chatty guy too and I’m surprised I could keep up despite the fact that I usually don’t talk to anyone in the morning, on the bus. We chatted about death this morning. His wife’s mother as well as my mother. Who knows what the people crowded around us think of our little chats. A few weeks ago it was political, today was death.

We parted ways at the bus terminal, made some loose plan to have drinks with him and his wife at McSwells someday, and I journeyed across town listening to ‘Heroes’ by David Bowie, another song I could have played at the wedding.

Got to the office, right on time and no one else was in the office. I did my drudgery which I don’t mind since they pay me nicely to do such things. People came in in dribs and drabs and soon I was off running to the bank and returning some audio cables that I bought to DJ with which I didn’t use. Luckily I kept the receipt and was able to get a full refund. Yay!

Another bright and sunny day and me trying to find shadows to walk down the street in. The morning passed and I remembered I was going to have lunch with Christina, my assistant from my Wanker Banker days.

She’s been having a bad year, unemployed and made some bad decisions employment-wise leaving her and her son to live with her mother in the Bronx. She showed up around 1:00 and I actually had lunch outside of the office which I rarely do.

We walked over to Second Avenue and decided on pizza which I really don’t eat as much as I used. Bill was going to order Grimaldi’s last night. They make the best pizza in Hoboken, but they were closed for vacation. A few years ago I would have known that.

Christina and I sat and ate and caught up. I told her to email me her resume and I would do my best to clean it up and make it look better. Working at a few staffing agencies helps with the resume game. A little padding here, the right turn of phrase there. It’s a lot like cruising sans sock in the pants.

The afternoon flew by and I was soon listening to Bowie singing Fame with John Lennon on backing vocals while I enjoyed a Padron. Walked through Bryant Park and saw hundreds of people on the edges of the lawn waiting to be able to stake out a spot to watch Lifeboat by Alfred Hitchcock.

Julio and I tried going to the film series there a few years ago but found it too crowded and I was snubbed by a neckbone giving free stuff away from City Search.com so we left with me grumbling. Never tried to catch another film there again.

And why should I? You have to wait there for three hours for the sun to go down so the movie could begin. And I have better things to do with my time.

Like writing this blog.

Yesterday’s clouds

The crotch to car trick

Archeology Today

It’s a lazy Sunday after having a blast on Saturday. On Friday night Bill and I heard from Rand and Lisa that they would like to hitch a ride with us to Lois and Fred’s wedding party. They also asked if Garry Rindfuss, another friend, could ride with us but Bill had rented a Honda Civic from Zip Car which would sit four people comfortably, and five people uncomfortably. Since it promised to be a five hour trip, two and a half hours each way, it didn’t seem likely that Garry could ride with us.

Bill went to sleep early Friday night, I went for a walk, dropping off dvd’s at the post office and walking around town, smoking a Padron and watching the revelers lined up outside of various bars on Washington Street. Sat on the front stairs with Julio while I finished the cigar, the two of us talking which we haven’t done in a while. It was still pretty warm out, no breezes on Park avenue just as there were no breezes by the river.

We mainly talked about plans for Saturday, he working in West New York and helping out his sister’s husband, and me heading upstate. I was soon fast asleep after seeing Julio off on the third floor. The next morning, Bill was up and out at 6:00 to get the car and make sure his mother was going to be alright for the day.

I was out doing the Saturday morning thing, and home in time for a nice breakfast before heading out at 9:00 meeting Bill on the street outside, then heading over to pick up Rand and Lisa. It turned out to be a nice enough morning, as we headed north. I brought about 20 cd’s since the car was not iPod ready, but Rand bought an adapter and we were able to play my iPod as well as Rand’s which I asked him to bring for backup while I DJ’d.

It was a fun ride up, I was playing the role of the music selecter and Rand was the navigator while Lisa was the shining star and Bill the pilot. We harmonized to Queen as well as other selections. You’re My Best Friend and Bohemian Rhapsody were smashing. After a leg stretching stop in Roscoe, NY were were soon in Walton after passing through a major thunderstorm for about 45 minutes.

By the time we got to the Rainbow Lodge, it’s was blue skies. We met John Hamilton as well as his two sons, Jasper John and Henry James. Great names for the kids I think. John’s wife Donna drove up a few minutes after we did with Lois who looked beautiful in her wedding dress. John played the Wedding March on electric guitar, adding some Jimi Hendrix like effects.

I video taped it but somehow it didn’t come out. Luckily Rand who was officiating the ceremony was shooting it so that will hopefully turn up later. I don’t know how I lost it, but it must have happened during the transfer this morning. Fred looked great in his creme colored suit and tie with a snappy haircut, the perfect compliment to the bride.

Soon we were all in the lodge after the ceremony on the dock. Instead of rice, we were given bubbles and trout food pellets since the pond was stocked with fish. I started DJ’ing with Enjoy Yourself by the Specials, I Do, I Do, I Do by Abba and the stereo backing track of God Only Knows by the Beach Boys.

I was able to handle John Hamilton’s PA system and occasionally alternated with Rand’s iPod, ultimately finding it easier to just use my iPod. Still it was good to have Rand’s iPod there. I played the first dance for Lois and Fred, David Bowie’s Rock and Roll With Me from Diamond Dogs. I selected the music and ran back and forth to the table where I could have a few bites before heading back to the music setup.

I thought I was doing a good job, but according to some of the other party guests, the music wasn’t up beat enough. So I played Get Down Tonight by KC and the Sunshine Band, an all time favorite but it seemed nothing I could play could raise most of this crowd off their seats. Regardless I made sure the people I knew enjoyed themselves.

The song that actually got people up turned out to be Ca Plane Pour Moi by Plastic Bertrand. Followed that with an extended version of Kiss by Prince. Time flew certainly since we were having fun and before anyone realized it was nearly 5:00 and the Rainbow Lodge had to turn over into a restaurant once again.

John and Donna invited us to their house a few minutes away so we followed Jane in her car. John and Donna have a beautiful house which they maintain for the summer. So many inspirational things to stimulate Jasper and Henry’s imaginations. Jasper’s quite an artist and designed the cover for John’s book, Music, Madness, and the Unworking of Language.

Jasper is 11 years old and is known to filled up countless notebooks with his drawings. It’s actually John’s second book, the first was published in 2003, called Soliciting Darkness, a book on the poet Pindar who I had never heard about until I just looked it up in my library system.

A few more guests arrived at the Hamilton abode, including Fred’s mother and his best man who’s name I can’t remember. Chips and wine and some beers were served with Bill and I smoking cigars and John smoking his pipe.

It had been a while since I had been with John and Donna end it was really a wonderful time being with them and their boys. They’ve invited Bill and myself as well as Rand and Lisa to dinner when they return to the city. John is currently a professor at NYU. Prior to that he taught at Harvard and now Harvard wants him back. An enviable position to be in.

Bill mentioned that we had to get back on the road, another two and a half hours ahead of us. After being escorted out by zombie Jane we were on the densely fogged highways back to Hoboken. My harmonizing on the way back wasn’t as good as it was in the way up, but I hung in there singing along to As by Stevie Wonder and You Won’t See Me by the Beatles.

As usual, coming back from such a wonderful time with friends, away from the usual spots makes Hoboken look so dreary even on such a sunny day as it is today. Ob La Di, Ob La Da.

Snaps

Lisa