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 Confess

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It’s a Thursday and I went back to work today. I didn’t mind, it’s something to do and the mantra continues, ‘At least I have a job’. It was a relatively easy day, bottle of water nearby, flask of bourbon hidden in my bag.

I made it to the bus stop and saw the 10:15 bus loading but I didn’t take it. I waited for the 10:30 bus. That’s the bus I like. It wasn’t too crowded and the tooth wasn’t bothering me too much. Water did the trick as usual and I made it to the shop early once again.

It was Marcus and Don Birch today, Sean scheduled to come in later. Marcus was busy rearranging things on the shelves before he headed out for the day. Calvin had off for the day. I was sent an email yesterday telling me that the protocol is to call and leave a voice mail message rather than an email.

I suppose they like to analyze the voice on the recording to make sure I am who I say I am, in the state that I say I’m in. Protocol is never revealed until the line is crossed. Marcus never brought it up and the email was from Calvin.

I had a dental appointment this afternoon and instead of lunch that is where I was. It was actually Bill’s dentist that I saw and since Bill has such a winning smile I figured he could do some periodontal magic on my teeth.

I got there on time and was in the dental chair almost immediately. The dental hygienist took the x-rays regarding the lower left quadrant of my mouth. Apparently I had a cavity under my filling which is what was causing me some extreme discomfort.

Rock & roll radio was playing as the dentist worked on my numbed mouth as he sang along to Billy Idol’s White Wedding and Blondie’s One Way or Another. ‘Roger never sang while he worked on my teeth’ I thought to myself like I was in a Roy Lichtenstein painting.

A root canal was in order and I’ve had so many of them it seemed, that it was not much at all. The good doctor completed 75% of the work, with plans to finish the other 25% next month. And a cleaning and more x-rays at the end of this month.

I am going to have to check in with the insurance and the doctor’s office to see what will be covered under Bill’s dental plan. In any event I was soon out of the office and headed back to the shop a changed man, the thorn had been somewhat removed from my paw, or in this case the pain in my tooth was removed.

I was certainly in a good mood, better than it was when I left. Also increased my sales which were pretty much lackluster before then.

Tonight thanks to Soft Cell’s Tainted Love/Where Did Our Love Go, The English Beat’s I Confess and Erykah Badu’s Tyrone, I made it from the shop to the bus terminal in 17 minutes, 24 seconds.

I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Out of My Hair

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Well I listening to the inner voice which was yelling today. I needed a rest and the tooth was acting up so sleep wasn’t as easy as it should have been. Had a dream that took place down the Jersey shore with my family.

I saw a water spout as I looked out the window and tried to get everyone interested in checking it out with me. No one cared, not even Annemarie. I wanted to walk to the beach to get a closer look and take some photos but had to jockey cars around instead.

I only saw the water spout from a distance, through a window.

It wasn’t an easy day out of work. It was tinged with despair. I do want another job, a normal office job, 9 to 5. But I worry that the longer I stay out of that world and in the retail world, the more difficult it will be to get into that corporate world.

I went out a few times today, running errands. Always a bottle of water by my side. Rinsing water through my mouth does the job well of reducing the pain. Better than bourbon. The catch is I have to drink it a lot and then go to the bathroom a lot.

Good thing there are a few public restrooms in the area. I did go to the bibliothèque and every time I would turn around another librarian would say ‘Hello John’. That was nice. I picked up a collection of Love & Rockets by Los Bros Hernandez, aka Gilbert & Jaime.

Another errand involved UPS. I have a shoulder bag from Eagle Creek and the strap broke. Eagle Creek has an excellent lifetime warranty on their bags. Last month the zipper broke after about 10 years of use.

I sent it back and it came back repaired a week or so later. A week after that, the strap broke. I’ve been using Bill’s larger bag in the interim. Apparently it was sent back via UPS, but with the hours I’ve been working I of course missed it.

And the door tags they leave behind tend to fly off and wind up in the gutter.

I made arrangements for Bill to pick the package up tonight, but since I was not working today I went myself. There is supposed to be a truck at the main post office from 5 to 8PM for pick ups. At 5PM there was no truck.

Nor at 5:30 or 6:00. I went home and had something to eat, then went back out and finally the truck was there. The usual driver wasn’t there. He knows me and always greets me with a hearty hello. But this guy was new. I just had to sign for the package.

No headaches, no hassle.

Now I’m home, a bit sweaty. Watching South Pacific on PBS. There is nothing else on to watch and it’s not so bad. I had seen it once before when I knew someone in the show years ago at some theater somewhere.

It was enjoyable then and it’s even more so now. I had hoped to take Bill to see it but things being what they are it wasn’t going to happen. So we’re here at home on a hot August night, watching it live on television. Not so bad at all.