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 Like to Lead When I Dance

Leave a reply

Today was a day from hell. Not THE day from hell, but hellish nonetheless. It started out with me in bed, around 8:00 wondering why Bill was still in bed. Wasn’t he supposed to be at work? I nudged him and asked him why he was still here and he responded that it was Saturday.

This is how my life is. I have no idea what day it is most of the time. When people tell me to have a good weekend it takes a lot of strength not to pop them in the mouth no matter how good their intentions may be.

I made arrangements to meet up with Rand in the 20 degree chill to hand off a Netgear adapter. He lent it to me a while back and the one he had is broken, so he needed his back. That was no problem and Rand offered to wait with me for the 10:30 bus which as usual would arrive after the 10:50 bus.

Every fucking Saturday this happens. I know if I got to the bus stop after 10:30, the 10:30 bus would show up and I would miss it. Rand was kind enough to stay long enough before I sent him off just in time for him to suggest that he was going to take off anyway.

And of course since the bus was late or missing there were more people, standing room only after a few stops. I sat on a 2 person bench, made enough room for someone to sit next to me, but they wouldn’t. So I made the most of it and spread out while people stood all around me. I made the effort, they refused it, and so I got comfortable.

Got to the cigar shop a bit late, but I phoned ahead letting them know that I would be late. Brain dead answered the phone trying to be clever and passed along the word that I would be late and in by noon. And thanks to the careless planning, there were 3 full timers and Sean.

Me, Brain dead and Calvin. Calvin took off on Tuesday to see Prince and since he didn’t want to miss a day of work, made himself useless. Instead of a laid back day if laid back is the proper phrase, it was generally uptight.

No need to have a boss around today, but there he was. Things didn’t go well at all. I wanted to take lunch at 4:00 but Sean who agreed to take lunch at 3:00 decided to take lunch at 4:00 since Calvin figured it might get very busy. It wasn’t busy at all.

Jeez I can’t stand working there. Had a brief chat with Annemarie, the usual chat of how I hate working where I am working. She’s doing fine by the way, all things considered like her car being broken into the other morning.

Brain dead left at 7:30 and Calvin should have left as well but a customer came in with homemade wine and Calvin couldn’t resist, plus Calvin planned on staying later and having a cigar before heading home to wife and kid. One of the customers asked if he could play his iPod and so it was listening to someone else’s music most of the day.

Dreadful for me, good for the customer and ignored by most everyone else. It made a slow afternoon even slower. Music can help things go faster and smoother at least for me and when its music I am not particularly in the mood for, I am in hell.

Don’t get me started about jazz since I generally abhor it. Maybe if it’s performed live I might enjoy it, but generally it’s a bore. And guess what’s usually played at the store?

I also got some bitter news from Harpy but I won’t write about it here but my thoughts are in his generally direction, not for him but for his lady love.

And I neglected to mention that I heard from Casey Chasm yesterday. He’s doing OK, Madam Chasm is pregnant with their second child and Casey will be in Afghanistan later this year.

Love and good wishes to all concerned and especially Bill who greeted me with open arms when I came home like he said he was going to do.

This was written last night but I could not post due to server problems in Bala Cynwyd.

and since today is Sunday, I will not be posting later.

I Like the Sunrise

Leave a reply

Just got home from day one of a four day stint working in the cigar shop. It was an interesting day to say the least. First thing, which happens to be the latest thing, Keith Olbermann’s last show was tonight. All of a sudden, at the end of the show he announced that it is no more.

I found out when I checked my email a few minutes ago from the LA Times and the New York Times. No explanation given. Perhaps over the weekend, or at least next week, if ever. It will be explained at some point, that’s for sure.

Back at the cigar shop, all seemed well. Today was payday and Calvin was extra nice, wanting for me to buy a box of cigars and ship them to Hoboken. He would like to buy some cigars and ship them with mine.

So he buttered me up, I relented and made him pay for shipping. It’s cheaper to buy cigars in New York and ship them to New Jersey since interstate commerce cannot be taxed. I save a ton of money doing so.

After getting all that together, I received a phone call from the guy who called me earlier in the week. An interview has been set up for next Tuesday. There’s an online application I have to fill out which I haven’t checked yet and I will once I am done writing this here blog entry tonight. I’m trying to not let my hope get out of control.

The day proceeded as it often does, slowly and the man cave back room was filled with smoke. Calvin had his two hour lunch and I manned the front of the store while he smoked in the back room. I don’t mind Calvin taking a two hour lunch. He usually comes back happy and he’s out of my hair during that time.

Another phone call, from someone who had come across my resume online. The called, named Mike noted that I had sales experience on the resume, 7.5 months of sales experience selling cigars. Mike asked if I was interested in becoming a stock broker and I told him that I was not interested. That call ended quite quickly.

I had a good lunch at what is becoming my favorite diner, the Moon Rock, next to what used to be A&R Studios, then Le Bar Bat and now it’s Providence. The food is good, they seat me in a booth where I can sit and read and there is hardly anyone there when I am there.

After that it was a 15 minute visit at the internet computer bank nestled in the back of Universal News. The new guy, Fred was in when I returned from lunch and he was helping Calvin unpack boxes that had just come in. A long day finally came to an end. Fred left a few minutes early so he could catch a train home and I closed up the shop.

Uneventful rides home, and now here I sit, Bill a few feet behind me and Bill Maher and company (including Rachel Maddow who has no idea what happened with Keith Olbermann) pour forth from the television. Another day of work tomorrow, day 2.