Back to work today. Not so bad though. Juan headed back to Trenton, Julio came back to the States and Bill has flu like symptoms if not the actual flu. I didn’t have that bad a morning, and I made sure Bill would have what he might need throughout the day. He’s been run down, working and the drastic change of temperature over the weekend hit him with a whammy.

Coughing up colors, which is actually a good thing since his body is expelling whatever viral things have taken up residence in his chest. I missed yet another bus but really didn’t care, another one appeared soon after. Decided on taking the train with Juan mentioning earlier that he hoped my subway wouldn’t be blown up. Nice sentiment, especially since it didn’t blow up.

It felt like a Monday but it was actually a Tuesday. So I expect to lag behind a day until Saturday. Four day work week’s rock. Caught up on the drama that coworkers went through over the weekend. Some inconsequential, some sad. Called Bill to let him know I had made it to work safe and sound. He sounded weak and tired. His fever has been fluctuating between 99 and 102.

I planned on a visit to the Post Office but it didn’t look like it was going to happen. A bit cold out through most of the day. Talked to a coworker about the shingles he is suffering from. Had them bad enough that he went to the emergency room. I told him how I solved my shingles problem a while ago with urine. It worked, the shingles were gone within days and they never came back.

He didn’t seem shocked by my solution. He did seem shocked when I offered to pee on him.

No, I didn’t really offer to pee on him. I’m not that kinky.

Had the chicken, pesto and penne lunch. Heavy and a bit pricey but keeps me sated throughout the afternoon. Spoke to my brother Frank on the phone. He’s pushing the counseling. I haven’t given up on it, not at all. It’s just that Bill and I would be more comfortable with a gay person rather than Carol Howell, who we had to explain a lot of things to.

It’s funny, when I had discussed my previous therapy with Frank, he mentioned that I should’ve simply gotten a different therapist. Now that Bill and I are doing that, Frank is making me feel like it’s the wrong move. Hey for me it’s either this or nothing. The woman simply made me feel that uncomfortable. And Barbara the woman who seems to run the Washington Square Institute tried laying a guilt trip on me when I discussed this over the phone.

She felt I should tell Carol Howell myself. I told her that I didn’t want to, that she should do it. So presently we are on hold until they could find a gay person to be our counselor. It could take some time according to Barbara. If it takes too long we’ll simply take our neuroses somewhere else. Somewhere gay. Maybe San Francisco. That would be cool.

Or Amsterdam. Julio and Stine had gone to Amsterdam on their honeymoon and I saw the pictures with Julio the other night. He also sent me an email with a photo of a flyer showing they have psilocybin on sale. That could be an excellent couples therapy medication. Maybe Terrance McKenna can write a prescription.

Also a shout out to my lawyer pal, who gave me some really good advice this weekend…

We had a good time regardless. Juan arrived, soon followed by Bill. All safe and warm inside. Outside it was a monsoon with temperatures falling fast and barometric pressure rising. Winds from the west about 30 miles per hour. I didn’t say anything, and would’ve gone if Bill wanted to. But after settling in and hearing the wind howl and the rain fall, it was decided to stay in. Juan had never seen the 40 Year Old Virgin, so we stayed in and watched it.

Of course it was funny. Juan enjoyed it more than he expected and Bill and I thought it was even funnier with each viewing. Lot’s of laughs, combined with cocktails and occasional munchies.

The monsoon raged on outside, I figured that since the New York Guitar Festival was promoted in the Daily News and it was free it would be packed. And then to deal with the storm going to Leroy Street and that event wasn’t going to hit its stride until late. We made the correct decision and hunkered down. We ordered pizza from Grimaldi’s and promptly inhaled it.

I timed it so immediately after 40 Year Old Virgin, I threw in The Shining which neither Bill or Juan had seen in it’s entirety. Quel horror! Wonderful tracking shots throughout, classic camera work. So influential. Supremely creepy. I saw it the first weekend it came out with my sister in law Elaine, and it had a slightly different ending. Shelley Duval and the kid wind up in the hospital. Nowadays it doesn’t end that way. They altered the ending a week or so after it was originally released.

Sort of like when I saw Ghost Dog with RoDa when it came out. There were no subtitles for the French dialog. We had no problem with that despite the fact that neither RoDa nor myself spoke French. We saw those parts by watching the expression of the actors. And we thought it was brilliant that there were no subtitles. But apparently that was a mistake of the distributor. Jim Jarmusch the director had them fix it a week or so later when he got word.

The Shining ended perfectly on time and we then switched over to Saturday Night Live. Juan wasn’t lasting too long and split soon after. Somehow swimming up the hill in the rain. But like me, he has his Ipod and will go out on a night not fit for man or beast. Well, not like me, for I stayed in and wished him a good night.

I didn’t last too long after that, crashing after Weekend Update. Said good night to Bill who told me to get ready. I lay in the bed and drifted off almost as soon as my head hit the pillow.

Then Bill came to bed and woke me up and gets me awake, aroused and amazed for the next hour. A gay old time indeed. Wow, making up for lost time I tell you. Fantastic and with some new twists and turns. Macho Man, he put me to sleep soon after.

Like most of the things I’ve written, and like life, things change day to day, sometimes minute by minute. Sometimes once I’ve written something, the entire situation or the perspective changes. And this is one of those situations. Kudos to Bill, I’d stand up and give him an ovation, but well…you know…

It snowed a bit overnight and this morning. All the rain had frozen and made the sidewalks sheets of ice. So we walked up to Washington in the middle of the street, Bill for the bus, me for the bagels and papers. Came home, chatted with some oddballs and friends online and then ventured out into the Hoboken Tundra for some pictures.

I walked around playing Wire, their second album Chairs Missing. Decided to wander around and play the entire album before I came back home.

Nice and brisk and clean air and not many people. It was cold and windy and only nutters outside like myself and young people playing football. Who was crazier? They were. I wasn’t falling to the ground or throwing a ball around. I was being artsy. Or so I would like to believe. You can judge for yourself, can’t you?