Category Archives: Abstract Absurdist Otherness

Read it and weep! I’ve published and now, I be damned! There are some diamonds in this coal. Proceed with cautious carelessness.

I Remember- Julee Cruise

Hope you all had a decent hump day. It was alright on this end. I was busy and I was also out and about. I did not go to the smoke shop though I walked by it and gave Shlomo a wave of the hand. Whether or not Shlomo responded in kind, I couldn’t say. It was fairly cold outside and I merely kept on walking. I would likely be walking past later on so I paid it no mind. I was on my way to the bus terminal. With the Path train still out of commission, the bus is the best way to get into the city.

There is the ferry but that’s a bit more money. Even the $5.00 each way at rush hour is a bit steep and I wasn’t going at rush hour so the cost was a few dollars more. It was a good idea to head over to the bus terminal since the buses usually are full by the time they get to my favored stop, or at the very least, standing room only. So I nabbed a seat and read some of that Yo La Tengo book. Ira Kaplan, cub reporter so far.

I got off the bus and bought a round trip ticket at the Port Authority Bus Terminal. I wasn’t planning on using the bus to get back. The plan was to get to TekServe on 23rd St and 6th Avenue to have my iPod looked at. And since there is the Path train right there I decided I would be taking the train to Newport and walking back to Hoboken. Not that far a walk, maybe 20 minutes from the Path station in Jersey City to the Hoboken Train Station. I walked down 6th Avenue and ran into my old Rasta pals. They said to tell you they said ‘Hello’.

I didn’t linger, too cold. I strolled down the Avenue of the Americas and in no time I was at 23rd St. I had to take a number once inside TekServe and was told it would be a 15-20 wait. I didn’t mind. I was good to get in from the cold and I was able to sit and read while I waited. About 20 minutes later my number was called and I walked over to Timothy. Nice guy, asked if I was related to some British actor which was odd since Trevor Howard is so rarely remembered these days.

Timothy was British so that was probably why he asked. I told him what was wrong with the iPod and he said it happens every so often with the iPod classic. He was able to fix it for a nominal fee ad I was happy with the cost as long as I got my iPod back. I do have some priorities you see. I decided to walk up to the Path station at 33rd Street rather than getting on at 23rd St. I wanted a seat and my chances would be better at 33rd St.

Nose in the Yo La Tengo book once again, reading about Georgia and her growing up on the upper west side. I was at the Newport Station soon enough, listening to Richard Hawley on the iPod and headed for Hoboken. And like I planned I walked by the smoke shop again and waved to Shlomo who was looking at his laptop and not out the window. A stop at the bibliothèque to pick up a book I requested but couldn’t remember why I requested it. An experiment in time perhaps is what I think. And I think I am right. You’ll see.

And I’m really happy my iPod is back and fully functional.










I Never Lost My Praise

A dream was had where I found myself working for the cigar shack again, only this time it was in an office setting. Many rooms shut off from me as I tried to track down Zack/Calvin/Hot Sauce to tell him that I shouldn’t be there, that I no longer work there. Then I was in a room with my father of all people, who asked me how my dentist visit was. I admitted that I lied, that I wasn’t off to see the dentist, I was actually looking for my mother which seemed to upset him somewhat.

Yesterday was a very good day. It was a Sunday and Bill came home in the morning after driving from Atlantic City. After giving me a bagel he went to take a nap. The plan was to head out to Saddle Brook to celebrate my brother Frank’s birthday. Frank turned 61 on Friday. Bill rented a Zip Car for the occasion and that definitely made it easy to get out there. On the ride we played a game, I picked out songs on the iPod and he tried to guess the artist. He did well, though got hung up on a Carpenters song.

We got to Meghan and Rob’s house and settled in. There was some catching up to do since I hadn’t seen Meghan or Rob since July. My sister in law Elaine was there and soon Frank showed up with his daughter Corinne, followed by Brian and Karen. Brian and Karen’s kids were busy so it was mainly a grown up gathering. Corinne had her ankle wrapped up in an Ace Bandage since she was out the night before at a Bachelorette party in heels. Bill, Brian and Frank were downstairs watching the football game and I sat upstairs with my sisters in law, Elaine & Karen.

Soon dinner was had and then we had cake. It was all very nice and good to see everyone, well mostly everyone once again. Then it was time to come home. Goodbyes were made, kisses and hugs exchanged. No guess the artists game on the way home, just an easy ride, avoiding the Sunday night tunnel traffic. We were home by 7:00. A wonderful afternoon was had.

Bill and I settled in, watching Boardwalk Empire before he was off to bed. I stayed up watching Night of Too Many Stars, the autism telethon on Comedy Central which was very funny. And touching, watching an autistic girl onstage playing piano and accompanying Katy Perry on the song Fireworks. I stayed up and watched the first half since I missed it during Boardwalk Empire, which was also good.

I slept fairly well, waking up to Bill kissing me goodbye for the day once again. I got out of bed after that and started my day anew. After showering and breakfast I sat with a cup of coffee in front of the computer. One of the first things I saw had me gutted. It seemed a friend from a Facebook group passed away the night before. A nice guy named Jeff Lunger. I never met Jeff though he lived in Jersey City, but we had many chats online and enjoyed posting videos of different performers and songs. He was good friends with Galt McDermott and from what I understand was working on a documentary about him.

It really floored me to hear of his dying. He hadn’t been online in a while but I just assumed he was busy. Death was the last thing I expected. I posted on his wall my condolences and posted in the mutual Facebook group some videos. I had hoped to meet him at some point, at a show or at Maxwells but now that isn’t going to happen.

Rest in peace Jeff Lunger.