Friday afternoon, 63°.Last week’s plan to go to the cigar social in midtown didn’t happen and this week is the make-up plan. I will not be wearing makeup if that is what you were thinking. It’s a gray sky day, and I am ready to head out, though I still have a few hours to go. I had a second interview following the one that went well yesterday, and I think today’s interview went well.

It was on camera, so I showered and shaved, and put on a nice shirt. It was quite an easy-going interview, I enjoyed the conversation that the woman and I had. This was round two, and I made a good enough impression for a round three. The job is in the city, easy enough to get to, and I think they are in a hurry to fill the position as I am eager to join the team.

That is what I told her, my eagerness to join the team. That was something extraordinary, since I am not necessarily a team joiner, but my scruples must be adapted to this new chapter if it comes to pass, and I will do my very best to fit in. It may be a business casual position, so I will bring my clothes to Mona’s dry cleaners to have my clean clothes even cleaner and hopefully free of the smell of cigars.

I am excited, and I certainly hope this job happens, and also wary about getting too hopeful should the whole thing come crashing down. It’s happened before, and I was gutted. Spam calls keep coming in, some legit, most of them are shady. A few crept through during my interview, but my interviewer did not seem to notice. It’s annoying.

I also received a text from a number from British Columbia from a ‘Nelly’ who claimed to be in Florida. They initially asked if they could ask a questio,n which was a question in itself. They asked my name and I said Nelson. They asked where I was and I said British Columbia. After a few minutes of cat & mouse, I wrote ‘stop’ and they said ‘bye’. If I had known it was that easy, I would have said ‘stop’ sooner.

I am presently thinking of making dinner here rather than going out. I do have food here, and that would save me some money. And I have just started the food prep, so that settles that. A very early dinner, I reckon.

I might meet Mike in Manhattan. He’s in the Bronx right no,w and he mentioned that he might want to go with me to this cigar social. I did tell him what a good time I had when I last went and it seemed to have piqued his curiosity. I am now at the corner of 5th and Washington Street waiting for the bus to take me into the city. Bill is near West Point.

Mike is in the Bronx and it seems unlikely he will be joining me but I am determined to go nonetheless. The sky is gray rain is expected I’m wearing a raincoat and have an umbrella in my bag forewarned is forearmed.

I made it to 54th and Second Ave. The great Von Harris, Jack, Brent, and Dave were the cigar brethren. It was as smokey as it was last time but not as crowded. Some fine looking men there too. Mike didn’t make it. I heard from him while he was in the middle of Times Square.

Mike loves the city. He called me and wanted to meet up but I was set on my way to the Path train. The trick is to get there before 11 PM before the train start running with fewer trains. He didn’t know that. I do know that I am home in Hoboken, Bill is asleep in the bedroom and Mike made it to his crib.

You’ve caught me at a good time in my headspace. Things have been despairing as of late. I wake up, have my coffee, and check email responses to jobs I had applied to with little or no results. Whatever good mood I might be in when I putter around the apartment, within moments it crashes down.

Bill does his very best to alleviate my downward turn, but sometimes I am too far gone to appreciate it and push back resentfully. That is not resentment towards Bill but rather towards my circumstances and my anger for Bratty McGrotty and those worms. There have been times when I felt it would be best to go out and get some fresh air and Bill joins me.

He earnestly tries to build me up, but I lash out unfairly. It’s harder this time around, with the former junkie leading the Health and Human Services department laying off 10,000 employees on top of the thousands of other workers dismissed from their jobs in the name of cost efficiency. Oh it’s such bullshit, I know, and I can’t help but see these people as competition for work that is scarce already.

Like I have posted before if Bill or Mike is here, I focus on them and put my troubled mind to the side. When there is no one around, and there is no one around all the time, then I get into trouble.

Today was slightly better, though. There was a phone interview earlier this afternoon which was mediocre, but OK. I don’t think it went well, but that’s not up to me. There was another phone interview later this afternoon, which went incredibly well. The woman was engaging and somewhat intelligent, and we got along just fine.

Bill overheard both interviews and agreed the second interview was tops. It really lifted my spirits considerably. I am trying not to fall into the sticky sweet puddle of hope, but sometimes it can not be resisted. Plus it is better than being the morose person I have been as of late.

Mike is at his crib in Jersey City. Bill is on his way home with the company car. I am happy. I had a fun phone call with Mike, and Bill is his Silly Billy self. The other night, when Mike was here, Mike explained how when he was younger and in a Chicago version of “Little Shop of Horrors”.

The director had Mike act out Audrey II, but it was decided that might couldn’t sing and so had another guy sing those parts with Mike doing the ‘Feed me Seymour’ lines. I decided to see what Mike could do and asked him to do a tone.

Just a simple ‘Ahhh’, which Bill and his perfect pitch stated it to be an ‘A’. I matched Mike’s tone, and Bill matched mine. Mike was surprised at this, and we did it a few more times. The whole thing was less than five minutes but it opened Mike’s eyes, or ears as it were.

It was a fine example of small, lowercase, fun.