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.

Right now at the cigar shop I am playing Elvis Costello & the Attractions, Armed Forces. Hard to believe that album is 31 years old. I remember playing it so much that my brother Brian said that I would soon be tired of it. That wasn’t true, but it was replaced by other music and bands back then.

Every week it seemed there was something new and exciting being released and surely something followed that caught and captured my imagination. Today nothing really captures my imagination and certainly working in the cigar shop having an imagination is a detriment.

Today was working with the possum and the old lady Jerry Vale. They seemed to get along quite well and I suppose Thomas and I make a good opposing team. It hasn’t been too busy but the sales have been quite good. I am thisclose to breaking $2000.00 but if I don’t make it, I will be happy with the sales numbers that I got.

The possum was itself today, glasses free and showing those beady little eyes it has. The old lady just stands around telling tales of yesterday, being a footloose youth in the 1970’s in Manhattan. Seeing this one and that one wherever and whenever.

When not telling tales of yore the old stands around hands clasped in front, or behind and occasionally humming along like an old washerwoman. Sunday’s Best just played and the line ‘Blame it all upon the darkie’ (sang satirically of course) was heard by myself and not the two people of color buying cigars for the evening. She wanted a big cigar and he opted for the thinner, more lady like cigar. whatever works I suppose.

The old lady hums along to Chemistry Class by Elvis and Co and he is certainly way off the naval base with that one. The lovely couple who bought the cigars have just put me over my goal so I am relatively content. No the old lady whistles. Most annoying, hands in pockets and doing her best to gain an inch or two in height.

Hard to believe but I have to work again with these two characters. I can easily understand how some managerial types are fond of the drink, I can see how it gets them through the day. The line between happy drunk and angry drunk is much too narrow and I would more than likely injure someone, if not myself.

I would not mind something bad to befall Christophe Sigmond, extraordinaire trou du cul. His glutes were not kissed the way he prefers and since I would not open up a new box of cigars for him he decided he did not like my attitude. I apologized and that just made him angrier.

I deferred to him totally, making sure he had enough rope but it wasn’t enough. He remarked he didn’t like my intonation to which I replied that intonation was overrated.So perhaps the powers that be will hear of my transgression and I am sure I might eventually hear it from Zack.

The safe was short some money tonight and I know for sure it wasn’t me since the first time I went into the safe was went I went to count at the end of the day. Old lady Jerry Vale certainly did not since he’s just a part timer so it must have been the possum. The possum who’s drawer always comes up short.

Well tonight it was over which explained why the safe was short. He was insinuating a week or so ago that it might be Jerry vale’s fault why his drawer kept coming up short. I think the possum doth protest too much.

I won the Mega Millions the other day. $2.00 which is $2.00 more than I had when I first walked into Hoboken Daily News. Now I just have to get the remaining $999,998 and I should be set. I can wait, but hopefully it won’t be too long.

Today has been a day off. Nice and sunny, it made for a beautiful autumn day. I planned on getting up early, but not as early as it was when I woke up to Bill going through his laundry as I lay sleeping. Who knew folded clothes in a bag could be so noisy?

Bill left wearing clean clothes and kissed me goodbye as I lay trying to go back to sleep. I intended to get up even earlier than I do when I have to work but of course that is not how things turned out. I slept a few minutes later than I usually do. Not that I am complaining, I do enjoy my sleep.

So I got up, made some coffee and showered. I emailed an associate of the do nothing counselor Joe Monaco who Joe arranged a meeting with. I had big plans and I know I could have worked it all out with some hustling but I didn’t need the stress. Plus I had a lot of laundry to do.

After a cuppa I headed to the supermarket to get some items that we were running low on. Not too many people roaming the aisles, no rock stars (Ira!) suggesting I buy organic milk so I was in and out in no time.

Came home and had a nice breakfast and started on the laundry. Three loads altogether, and after it was done I headed out into a beautiful afternoon. A stop at the bibliothèque to pick up two books I requested on impulse. The Letters of Samuel Beckett 1929-1940 and a bilingual edition of Waiting for Godot/En Attendant Godot.

I keep going back every now and then to Samuel Beckett for some reason. He is/was stimulating. I planned on heading into the city to visit Occupy Wall Street, the encampment down on Liberty Street by the World Trade Center. I made plans to meet Jimmy Seltzer there.

On the way to the Path train I stopped by the Guitar Bar and said hello to Mr. Wonderful, Jim Mastro. Jim is on Letterman tonight playing behind Garland Jeffries so I definitely plan on catching that. I stopped off and bought a few pounds of bananas for the Occupy Wall Street crowd.

They’ve been out there for weeks and could use the food, and most everyone likes bananas. And they are good for energy, stave off the blues and help prevent nasty leg cramps in the middle of the night!

The Path train from Hoboken to the World Trade Center is remarkably fast, must faster than it is to Christopher Street and midtown. It being a Friday afternoon, quite a few people were leaving work early, and there were also a lot of tourists as well as hawkers of 9/11 memorabilia.

I called Jimmy Seltzer once I followed the sound of the drums to the demonstration and we met up. He was with a co-worker who split after a few minutes leaving Jimmy and me to walk around and chat. I took a few pictures of the people and their signs.

Jimmy soon headed back to work and I hung about for another hour. I thought I would see someone I knew but didn’t. Once again they must have seen me first. I decided to head uptown and take the bus. In midtown I ran into my old pal Jesse and we talked for a few minutes.

After that I was in the queue at the bus terminal. I nabbed a seat as the bus filled up and once again stared at my smartphone. At one point I looked up, past the heads of people seated in front of me and saw a young woman who looked a lot like Lily Mastro.

I texted her and she eventually scanned the bus and saw me. I waved and decided to get off the bus a few stops after mine and walked her to the Guitar bar where she was meeting up with her father. We hugged once we got on the street, and she’s enjoying college life and majoring in Biology.

After using the loo in the Guitar Bar I left my faux daughter with her real father and headed home. It was a good day off and a great day out spent with some really nice people.