Blogarama! Same bat time, same bat channel. Didn’t have too good a day at work. It was Friday and it was my thirteenth day, so it was Friday the Thirteenth in some way. Yeah, that must be why. Maybe it was my last day of feeling apart from most everyone that works there and I am apart physically. I am about 100 feet away from everyone else. I only see them coming and going, no one lingers. I’m sure I can find an advantage in that.

Today was also Cinco de Mayo. A celebration of all that is Mexican. I’m fine with that, though I was surprised to see so many people lining up outside of bars. St. Patrick’s Day from south of the border. I don’t feel much like celebrating and Bill is out of sorts as well. Juan was supposed to come over tonight but he was thinking later, I was thinking sooner and with the mood of Bill and I, it would probably be best if we hung out tomorrow night instead.

Juan was cool with that because Juan is cool.

So we are just chilling tonight really on the down low, listening to music and not even thinking about watching Law and Order or anything else on TV. Maybe Bill Maher, but we can catch the rebroadcast. A good night’s sleep would be so nice. Now twenty years ago it was a different story. Ten years ago it was a different story. I loved the nightlife, I got to boogie. Actually just partied a lot, not much boogying was involved.

Now I sit at home, doing laundry and listening to the Buena Vista Social Club cd. Not an homage to Cinco de Mayo, they’re Cubanos. I do have a Selena track somewhere, a duet with David Byrne. She was Mexican. But now I’m playing Nothing from Nothing by Billy Preston. Trying to get Bill out of his doldrums would certainly help lift me out of mine. Now Beny More with the Rafael de la Paz Orchestra. Next up, Andre 3000.

Love Hater. I’ve just discovered Speakerboxx/The Love Below by Outkast. I’ve only played Andre’s cd. Haven’t got to Big Boi’s disc yet. Andre’s is so good.

It’s really been and up and down day. Trying to get up somehow. Bill just went to bed and it’s 9:30. Dos Viejo’s! But when you’ve made it this far and it really ain’t all that far at all, we’re entitled to moments in which we do nothing but crash. It ain’t easy carrying the world on your shoulders. Like I would know….

I’m as mellow as I could be. Now playing Laraaji, Meditation. Picked it out because it’s almost twenty minutes long and I won’t have to think about much of anything during that time. I guess it’s like, meditation. Duh.

Tomorrow I’m going to East Harlem with Bill to jam with his friend Tom from work. I have to bring my guitar. It should be interesting. I suggested it because Bill once jammed with him and it didn’t really work. So I offered my talent for playing guitar to perhaps provide impetus. I also thought I was Brian Eno.

Back to work, Monday Monday. Didn’t sleep so well. Waking up was difficult. Had to think for a moment about where I worked. No more Wanker Banker. That seems to be fading into the distance. Now at McMann and Tate, where no one knows my name. Well they do know my name. I started up the office and checked my office email, heartened to see the homework that I had done over the weekend was there on my computer. An Excel spreadsheet. Very happy to see it.

I shuffled along, turned on machines, made coffee. It was a quiet day. A lot of people out of the office, traveling around the world, making deals and whatnot. I sat at my desk, doing whatever is asked of me. Not quite drudgery, not quite paradise either. It’s a job. Bill is not covered by my insurance, which is a drag. The creative world doesn’t cover partners. Spouses, ok but not partners. In the financial world, sure, they’ll cover partners and spouses. I find it odd.

Luckily Bill had a procedure last week with a cool doctor who performed the removal of an infected cyst before the benefits ran out yesterday. The doctor also rang up a visit Bill had today. Another drawback to the insurance or lack thereof, was no more sessions with Phillip Beansprout. Bill phoned ahead with the news that tonight would be our last session.

When we met, Phillip wasn’t too happy about it, and asked if we explored the Cobra plan option. I told him we did and the Cobra plan would cost close to $1200.00 a month. We couldn’t afford to keep going to sessions. Most of tonight’s session concerned insurance talk. Phillip seems to really like us and we definitely like him. He offered to bend the rules and see us privately sans insurance.

His usual fee for couples counseling is $200 an hour. He said he’d charge us $75.00. So the plan is now to see Phillip Beansprout on Friday evenings, around 6:30. I will have to go to work tomorrow and tell them that on Friday’s I will definitely need to be out of the office by 5:30. I hope they understand. It’s next Friday, not this coming Friday. And no insurance involved.

During the interviews I had I was told my hours would be 8:30 to 5:30 with an hour for lunch. My first day, when I started to leave at 5:30 I got a weird vibe from the powers that be. So I’ve been leaving between 6 and 6:30, which seems to placate them. I am now giving them more than enough notice that I need to be out by 5:30 one friggin day a week. I suggested 6:00 but Bill reminded me that I do have to travel and why should I hustle? Good point.

I am so glad that Bill and I like Phillip and we’re both glad that Phillip likes us, enough to bend the rules.

So officially our case is closed in the eyes of the Greenwich Village Mental Health and Chess Club. Unofficially, we continue.