Monday, December 22, 2025

Winter has arrived officially, and all the autumn lovers are silent. Darlene Love sings Marshmallow World. Well, sang actually. Now I am playing Scritti Politti, ‘White Bread Black Beer’.

It’s been a good weekend. Mike came over on Saturday, and it’s been good. He returns to his crib tomorrow. We sat around and talked, Bill, Mike & me on Saturday. Good talk, though, about what I couldn’t remember right now. More than likely, it was about theater and plays, and show business.

Sunday had Bill sitting at home while Mike and I walked around Hoboken. We looked at plants and went to the 503 Social Club, which had an art exhibit with various artists in Hoboken and some musicians playing. It was brief, and then we walked up past Frank Sinatra’s birthplace to the really big supermarket.

We came home, had some frozen pizza, and watched One Battle After Another by Paul Thomas Anderson. Bill and I watched, Mike was preoccupied with his phone. That used to bother us, but it doesn’t anymore. Leonardo DiCaprio and Sean Penn, with a great supporting cast. I can see why it made the top spot for a few film critics end of the year poll.

Mike got Bill and me nice Christmas cards with handwritten notes in them. Heartfelt and touching, they hang on the door to the apartment in place of a wreath. Bill was off on the road for a day trip, and Mike and I headed into the city. We are planning on going to Garfield on Thursday for Christmas dinner with Elaine. Very much the same as Thanksgiving, only this time Brady won’t be there.

Brady was a dog that was given to my niece Corinne by her ex-boyfriend. They split up, and she got the dog. Corinne moved to Colorado and was going to take Brady with he,r but her father, my brother Frank, talked her out of it since he had become so attached to Brady.

Frank and Brady were pals until Frank died, and then Brady became Elaine’s responsibility. Elaine did well, taking excellent care of Brady up until yesterday, Sunday. Brady was 98 in human years, and his kidneys were not functioning. Elaine knew what had to be done and scheduled it for today, but things took a turn on Sunday, so Brady shed his mortal coil on the first day of winter.

Elaine is understandably sad, and perhaps having company over this week might help lift her spirits or distract her from them.

So I bought a gift for my grand niece, Shelby, and picked it up with Mike. We picked up lunch, which we ate in my office. I didn’t have to be there and didn’t expect to see anyone. But Jimmy Chile was i,n and we exchanged holiday greetings before heading out once again in the cold.

There has been a plan to have Mike here for New Year’s, but tonight he talked with his beloved, who said he was going to try to fly here during those days. Mike has little faith in it actually happening, but knowing it might be a possibility gave me the blues. That Irish thing, where you have had a great time and all it takes, in this case, was a remote suggestion to sadden me.

And I recognize the bullshit since Mike is not mine, I do like having him here, as does Bil,l and in my mind palace plans were made and suddenly shaken up by something that could very well not happen. I do love Mike, but I am not in love with him.

Now it is Tuesday. It’s been a melancholy day. It wasn’t anxious. I long for happy days and I can’t say they’ll be back since it doesn’t feel like it. I slept alright last night. I have to adjust my sleeping schedule since the new gig is approaching. Instead of going to bed at midnight, I think it will have to be 11:30.

I posted about Juan yesterday, and also posted on the social medias. I alerted Juan’s sister, not that I felt it was anything bad I wrote, just comparing his life with what is going on today. I did not think his mother would read it, but somehow she did. Juan’s mother seemed to take this as an attack, and I tried to assure her that it was not.

This is her post: I don’t think so. My son was American born & his parents & sisters are highly educated. We are very proud of where we came from & of how far educated we are. I don’t see your appreciation @ my son loyal friendship to you. As his friends say, my son was an Angel, much different than many people who feel superior than us Hispanics when many of them don’t even finish high school. At the age of 15, my son attended NYU. Please be informed that his sisters are Doctors & I, his mother retired with a masters Degree obtained from UMDNJ. The University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey. I don’t see a reason why my son or any of us should have been a target. My son graduated @ New Jersey City University with high Honors for being the Suma Cum Laude of his promotion. Rest in peace my dear son until our Great Father decides to put us together as mother & son again.

Of course, I couldn’t tell her that some of the time Juan spent with us in Hoboken was to escape his mother’s house in Union City. Juan was great and a good man. I’ve posted so many times how much Juan was loved and welcomed here as a refuge from maternal stress in Union City. Somehow, she thinks I look down on Juan being Hispanic, which, if you know me, that is not the case.

I did reply to Juan’s mother: I recognize Juan’s intelligence, Yolanda and I recognize this administration’s lack thereof. They are disappearing citizens for their views and have stated they intend to do worse. Juan was liberal and open-minded and would have likely had something to say about the razing of Gaza, which has caused citizens and green card holders to be thrown in jail.
I definitely did not besmirch Juan’s life or legacy; I only stated that this administration would consider him an enemy.
I have been following what this administration has been doing and I am certain Juan would have been doing the same.
I regret that you may have misinterpreted what I posted.
Juan had friends in Hoboken who loved him and cared for him deeply.
He was incredibly intelligent and is sorely missed.
I am good friends with the Dean of UMDNJ.

I just don’t think Yolanda has been paying attention to what is going on in this country right now and feels that any mention of Juan that isn’t glowing is an attack, when it clearly isn’t.