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 Got You Leona Lewis

Fuck this shit, Or rather FTS. That is what I posted on my Facebook page. In the past 48 hours I have spent roughly 24 hours at the cigar shack. Last night was the super bowl event which was totally boring to me and very uninteresting. I did not care one bit if one team beat another.

The super bowl event at the man cave at the cigar shack was attended by 9 customers and they were attended to by Jerry Vale and myself. The food was lousy but the customers got 3 cigars for their $75.00 fee. The food which was delivered had to be microwaved since it was cold when it was delivered.

A general waste of time and money if you ask me. Thankfully as soon as the super bowl was over the customers left, leaving Jerry vale and myself to clean up which was not so bad since Jerry vale and I took care of the cleaning throughout the super bowl. I did not get home until 13 hours after I originally left.

Zack and Bradley had the day off so they did not have to worry about anything. They had to get ready for the staph meeting tonight. So at the cigar shack we had a full staph which meant sales were down for everyone, except for Zack who sold tickets for another event somewhere in the future at $300.00 a pop. He grabbed the lion’s share, four figures where everyone else was in the low three figure sum.

The staph meeting started around 9:20 when I was done closing the register again for yet another day. I was toast, the 24 hours were bearing down on me. The staph meeting started with Zack telling Bradley, Thomas, Jerry Vale and myself that January was a good month and February is starting out to be very good as well.

I sat in the corner, outside the circle of the other four and did not say much. I was too tired. After Zack spoke then it was Bradley’s turn to speak. It was his first time to speak as an assistant manager and he did alright. Though I had things to say when Zack spoke, by the time the baton was passed to Bradley I had nothing.

I listened, stared with dead eyes and wanted to go home. I like Jerry Vale but he never shuts up sometimes. He can go on and on and if he is talking about skiing or the sporting goods store where he used to work, then he will go on forever. And sure enough he did.

Thomas noticed my vacant stare and chuckled to himself which probably made Zack and Bradley think we had something up our sleeves. The only thing up my sleeve was my watch which I couldn’t help but look at as the time passed. Bradley had the idea for Thomas, Jerry Vale and myself to think outside of the box. Now I have to find a box.





full moon rise


02 Breaking Glass

I Got You Train

A Saturday at the cigar shack and it’s been alright. Working with Bradley and Jerry Vale today and it’s been interesting to say the least. Bradley accidentally took a sale from me when I was out yesterday. A sale that I set up on Thursday, ready to go. Bradley did the right thing and gave me most of the sales to make up for the $600.00 differential.

And then on top of that I had another big sale and I also sold an item that I have been trying to sell for the past couple of weeks. Funny the people who obviously have money hemmed and hawed and always said they would think about it. The guy who doesn’t look like he has much is the one who bought it.

A sweet deal, a nice lighter and an very stylish cutter all packaged in a traveling humidor. All together the items would total about $450.00. I sold it at half price to a nice guy who saw me at the Path train last month. He saw me and waved and I had no idea who he was. I mean, I see a lot of people all week and everyone blends into a blob of DNA eventually.

He was nice and understood that evening that I was toast and couldn’t even recognize myself much less a guy who comes into the cigar shack once a month. But apparently I made a good impression on him so that was nice. And he’s quite a handsome dude so it’s odd that I wouldn’t recognize him. Now of course I recognize him ass crack that showed when he bent over.

So tomorrow is the big day, Super Bowl Sunday. The NY Giants vs the New England Patriots I think. Guys are every excited, women are very excited and I will be working the event. It shouldn’t be too taxing, in fact the main drawback is the fact that I will be getting home a lot later than usual, but I have been granted permission to take a car service home so I might just do that and start the arduous process of being reimbursed on Monday.

I already told assistant manager Bradley that I might be late on Monday morning, depending on how late the cigar shack closes after the Super Bowl. He was antagonistic of course, as if he could be any other way.

Bill drove to Atlantic City last night and expected to drive again tonight but they decided to give the job to a full timer which he understands and has no problem with. I am happy since he will be home when I come home. So I suppose we will stay up and watch Saturday Night Live together which is nice. I’m not too hungry at the moment but after I write this mess, I think I will have a banana. Good for energy, good to fight the blues.

And Harpy made an all too brief appearance at the cigar shack en route to the opera. And I forgot the banana.






11 – Since I Fell for You