Author Archives: 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.

Finally Got Myself Together (I’m A Changed Man)

1 Reply

Well like the title says, I finally got myself together. I actually left the apartment, left the block, left the city of Hoboken and headed into Manhattan. I think I would have climbed the walls if I stayed in again. I didn’t have as clear a plan as I did yesterday, everything was open to be changed. Didn’t know whether or not I’d take the bus in and then the subway, or just hop on the Path train to 14th Street. I didn’t make my mind up until I got to the Path train where a crowded train was awaiting me on the platform.

I have had problems the past few days knowing what day of the week it was. Thursday felt like Saturday, making Friday seem like Sunday, making Saturday and Sunday quite confusing. Last night was alright for fighting, being Saturday and all. But no fights were in order. More time in front of the cathode tube, Bill and I watched a Paul Mooney comedy special. I put it on, Bill didn’t even know it was on. I figured he’d enjoy it since he definitely likes the stand up comedians, and it turned out I made the right decision.

Paul Mooney was pretty funny and I bet Pedro would like it as well, if he has Showtime that is. Then Juan made it over in time to watch a repeat of 30 Rock which of course was pretty funny. Bill went to bed after that and Juan and I watched Weeds which I had recorded for moments like this. He missed the season so it was catching up on three episodes before I had to kick Juan out so I could get some sleep. It was good to watch again and I caught a few things that I missed the first time I saw it.

Slept really well and was awoken by Bill shuffling off to church. I roused myself and showered and soon enough I was mingling with the hoi polloi, bagels, newspapers, and oblivious supermarket cashiers. Came home and before you knew it, I had read the papers. Nothing to read about the Scott McClellan bombshell the other day, implicating the administration in the outing of Valerie Plame. You would think this would be something that the liberal media that you’ve heard so much about would be all over like white on rice, but no, it’s been buried. I even posted on the NY Daily News discussion group, me with three or four entries and one other guy holding up the administration’s lies about how Valerie Plame was a desk jockey at Langley, VA. That was the extent of the discussion sadly enough. Not much else anywhere about it as far as I could tell.

Walking around the city was ok, 14th Street not as crowded as I thought it would be. Wandered around Virgin for a while, stopped by Farfetched for a few minutes, saw Harpy and Lois, eventually having a Padron and walking up to 33rd Street to get a seat on the Path train, while talking to Annemarie on the cellphone. Would have been great if she was in town, but she wasn’t so the cellphone was the next best thing to having her next to me walking up Broadway. Now I’m home, cooking dinner for Bill, eliminating the mess that usually happens. All in all a nice end to a nice weekend, wouldn’t you say?

Oh, here are some pics.

112507-nyc-hoboken-001a.jpg
Michael Des Barres?

112507-nyc-hoboken-002a.jpg
Nay, it’s Harpy!

112507-nyc-hoboken-005a.jpg
The Loneliest Mohican

112507-nyc-hoboken-007a.jpg
Abandoned Bicycle

112507-nyc-hoboken-009a.jpg
Looking for the newspapers

112507-nyc-hoboken-012a.jpg
Christmas trees for sale

Don’t Bother Me

Leave a reply

What is it with me? What is my motivation, or more precisely, where is my motivation? Up in smoke perhaps? But I’ve been good, just lazy. Content to sit around and do nothing most of the time, then logging online and writing about how my friends are never around to do anything, meaning I’m not calling anyone to do anything either. This morning, Bill mentioned going to see a play that his friend, Rome Neal directed at the Nuyorican Poets Cafe and I expressed very little enthusiasm. I didn’t say no, but at that moment I wasn’t up for anything, I was frustrated by the New York magazine compilation of crossword puzzles in an effort to increase my word power and boy am I rusty.

But I thought about going out to meet up with Bill, since we hardly ever do anything together lately, Thanksgiving dinner was a family thing, and this would be a date of sorts. I actually got motivated, listened to music instead of watching Robert Morse in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, and got bundled up for my trek into the city. And once again waited until 4:20, well actually 4:14 as I was pressed for time. The iPod was all charged up and decided to listen to Sparks, Lil Beethoven which I still have to burn for Annemarie.

I figured on taking the bus to the city then walking over to catch the train to Union Square, stopping in on Farfetched and seeing Harpy perhaps and Lois or Susan or whomever might be working. As I approached Washington Street, my phone rang and it was Bill. They were moving his mother to a different floor, I think to a cardiac unit, or at least from a cardiac unit obviously I’m not too sure. (She’s out of the cardiac ward) He wanted me to call him when I got into the city. I could tell by the sound of his voice he was worried and I suggested just calling off the evening, rather than having him sitting in the Cafe worried about his mother. He reluctantly agreed and I was ok with it, since it was my idea anyway. So the best laid plans fell by the wayside. I actually got it together and left the apartment, ready to head into the big bad city only to trip on the plug, and yanking it from the wall, effectively killing that idea.

So now I’m making some dinner, listening to Steely Dan right now, just playing the role of a DJ, Primal Scream cued up for the next track. No plans for the evening, it’s even colder than it was yesterday. Staying in once again, the best option. At least right now it is. Tomorrow could be a good day to go out and do something besides walking the radius of Washington Street and to Clinton Street. A major adventure perhaps. I’ll let you know in any event. Not much on TV tonight.

I did watch Smoke Signals, starring Adam Beach. The first Native American film written, directed and produced by Native Americans. It was written by Sherman Alexie, who wrote the Lone anger and Tonto Fist Fight In Heaven which Annemarie gave me for my birthday. I tried getting into it, but now after seeing the movie, I have a renewed interest in the book again, so I’ll give it another shot.

Dinner was good. Ravioli again. The end.