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.

I Really Like Him

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Well it certainly feels like winter has arrived though it’s not official. Very cold and blustery outside today. It is just as the forecasters announced on the news the past couple of days. It looked like it was going to rain when I went out earlier so I brought and umbrella. I was off to see Raymond at the smoke shop. Shlomo was in as well as his partner, Israel. It was a good opportunity to have a smoke and chat with Raymond. He gets along really well with Shlomo and Israel and it is through Raymond that I’ve been in their good graces.

I enjoyed a smoke and using whatever expertise I had from the last job I held I was able to help various visitors to the smoke shop and turn them from visitors into customers. Just out of being a nice guy. I’m certainly not getting paid. I would like to see Shlomo and Israel succeed and I don’t mind helping out. If they want to throw me a free cigar, that’s fine. And if they don’t or can’t, well that’s fine too. Whatever I can do to help them out while I am just hanging out, I do.

Bill came home this morning and soon went to bed. He usually drives to Atlantic City tonight but there is a different itinerary. He’s not driving to Atlantic City, he’s not driving anywhere. No, he is home tonight and will drive tomorrow to somewhere different. The neighbors are still doing their illegal construction, furniture in the hallway, of course it’s the part of the hallway where the lights are out so if one isn’t careful there is a chance you can walk face first into a sofa. There are a lot of things moving in and out of that space.

Mr. Wonderful Jim Mastro was on TV earlier. The local NBC affiliate had something about small businesses in Hoboken today, how they are doing after the storm and there was god old Jim, playing a mandolin. He also had screen time, telling people to shop local (in Hoboken). I’ve done my bit, getting that ukulele earlier this month during the dark ages and I hope other people purchase items at the Guitar Bar (as well as Guitar Bar Jr.) and the other stores in town. Hoboken still needs help despite city hall saying 93% of businesses are back.

The Path train is still out, no trains to and from Hoboken. The Erie Lackawanna station is open There are plenty of buses and there are plenty of buses to take people into the city and back. The word is that the really big supermarket will be out of business until February of next year. And of course there are the rumors. In the smoke shop a guy was talking about how Radio Shack was looted. It wasn’t. Nothing really bad happened crime-wise in Hoboken. No hordes, no Visigoths descending from Jersey City Heights to pillage the mile square city. Where do these people get their information?


Another Girl, Another Planet

I Really Taught Me To Watusi

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Yes I did not post yesterday. It was a friggin’ holiday and I decided to not write, which in turn gave you all (both of you) the opportunity to not read. A ‘win win’ situation wouldn’t you say? I know I would. Yesterday was very much a mellow day, Bill was home the night before after driving to Massachusetts and back. Sleep came fairly easy, dreams somewhat disturbing. I was up earlier than expected thanks to some neighbors taking advantage of rebuilding after the storm to remodel their apartments without building permits and it sounded like a basketball game was in progress.

I’m sure there are a few people in town avoiding the building permit scene and doing whatever remodeling they could do. Some people are definitely in need of rebuilding but in my building a tenant is merely trying to make room for his wife moving back in. So being up early allowed me to go to the supermarket nearby to get a few things before the Thanksgiving last minute rush kicked in. I got a few things and then headed home where I had a nice breakfast. Bill was still asleep when I came back and of course I let him sleep.

He eventually got up and got himself together. The plan was the same as last year, dinner at Oscar’s Brasserie in the Waldorf Astoria. We started going there two years ago with Hyman Gross. He used to go with his lady friend and since she passed away we decided to treat Hyman. I was working then so it was doable. Then Hyman passed away and we went to honor Hyman. I don’t know if we’ll go again next year. We get dressed up to find no one else is dressed up. The food is great though.

After dinner a walk across town back to the bus terminal as we smoked our cigars. Someone blessed me with a few Cubans so it was especially enjoyable. Not too long of a wait for the bus and not too many people. A couple of hours after we left Hoboken for dinner, we were back in Hoboken, sated. Not much on the television so we watched a Harry Potter marathon which Bill seemed to enjoy. I of course told him to pay attention at certain points just so he would know who was who and what was what. It helped somewhat.

Soon it was bedtime for the Bonzos. Bill slumbered off first and I joined him shortly thereafter. This morning Bill was up first and out and about. I woke up to an empty apartment. I knew Bill was driving tonight and had no idea where he was. He soon came home, after spending some time talking with the neighbors. I showered and had some coffee that Bill made. He came home with more groceries and things he was going to need for the drive tonight. We spent some good time together before he headed out leaving me in solitude.

I unfortunately couldn’t help but feed the trolls. It seems a woman was photographed at Arlington Cemetery giving the finger to a sign that requested silence and respect. Yes, she flipped the bird to a sign. This of course cost her her job because she was disrespecting the dead, soldiers and veterans all at the same time by flipping off an inanimate sign. Oh she has stalkers after her, true ‘patriots’ screaming that she should go to Iran. You can just smell the tea and semen on their chins as they type.

And me being me, went to this woman’s defense. Yes it was a stupid joke, but ultimately it was harmless. ‘I have 37.5 relatives in national cemeteries and blah blah blah.’ Truly pathetic. I was slandered as well for pointing out the hypocrisy of terrible spellers. Pedro felt obliged to intervene and request that I stop feeding these trolls, and eventually I did.

I am quite glad there was no internet when I visited Ford’s Theater with my family in the 1960’s.

I also saw Shlomo at the smoke scene. He was hanging out with some guy named MJ. I just gave Shlomo a book that I’ve had for the past couple of years about cigars and tobacco, a handbook of sorts for tobacconists. I wasn’t using it as anything besides a doorstop and figured Shlomo would be better off with it than me. I think he figured I was angling for a free cigar but with the Cuban bounty that washed up on our doorstep, I could afford to walk off with a simple handshake. I don’t think Shlomo is used to someone like me, just being kind for no particular reason.





I’m The Urban Spaceman