Perhaps the trick is not to look at it too closely. Sure, you can acknowledge it, but to dwell on it too much can take its toll. That is how I feel about it at 10:27 AM on Friday, the 13th of March, 2026. It can all change at any time, of course. I am at the fruit stand listening to a co-worker’s tracks, she goes by the name Vitesse X, and it’s dream pop-ish with a drum and bass jungle frantically going on. It is a thing to behold with one’s own ears.

The fruit stand is quiet this morning. Some people, like Jimmy Chile, have been in since 4:30 AM, which is a godforsaken time for anything that does not involve sleep, though a long time ago that would be the time in the middle of a party. But that was the 20th century, and I do not do those things anymore.

Bill is home. Getting ready for another road trip, and Mike will be babysitting me once again. It seems that this plan works nicely for all concerned. My allergies have cleared up as the temperatures have dropped once more. My nose still has some abrasion from blowing my nose so often over the past few days.

The co-worker whose tracks I am playing is Jordan. She’s a 20-something young woman who seems to have got it together, though all I see is what she presents as she walks past my station at the fruit stand. It’s a long way from where things were 30 years ago at Skyline Studios and Right Track Recording.

I was thinking of Justin Luchter the other day. We got along fine. I found him to be a good guy. It’s been over 30 years since I’d last saw him. He was living with his Aunt Pauline in Brooklyn back then, and who knows where Justin might be these days? Maxwell’s soundman was between Ira Kaplan and Andy Peters, and I worked with all three. Justin got me the Skyline Studio gig, which didn’t last too long as Skyline was not in good shape financially and soon went under.

I tell the story, usually around the holidays, about having to hand out bonuses to coworkers at the studio, and me getting a 10% raise. I told them I would rather get a cash bonus instead of a 10% increase, but they insisted. Then, a few months later, since things were not going so well, everyone was having to take a 10% pay cut, which meant that where everyone else got a holiday bonus, I ultimately got nothing.

Still, it was a good experience overall. They had a reunion a few months ago, but I did not go. I do not like reunions unless they’re family reunions, and even then, I find myself dragging my feet. The last one in Bordentown was nice, and I remarked that it’s good to get together without a corpse in the room. Some people agreed, and some people thought it was a horrible thing to say.

Amazon delivery leaves packages on the first flight of steps, which is a hazard when going down a stairway. Then somebody leaves a doorstop by the door, which has the door open 6 inches, which is quite a stupid way to start my day, on top of my allergies attacking.

And those allergies are kicking my ass. Woke up at 6:25, so incredibly weak after a fitful night. I was so weak, and it was so dark out that I immediately sat down and sent an email to the fruit stand superiors that I would not be coming in today.

When I’m in my apartment, and the window is open, it’s really bad. Right now. I am on the street, and it is not bad at all. I am thinking that the level of pollen rises up to the fifth floor, whereas on the street, it’s not as bad. I can see buds on the trees coming forth due to the suddenly warm temperatures. Maybe my body would be better acclimated if things were ‘normal,’ but I do not think we will be ‘normal’ again.

I have just opened the window, so we shall see if that theory about pollen levels on the fifth floor is true. Odder things have happened. I walked to the big supermarket to buy tissues, Benadryl, and some other things. As I walked, I was talking to Mike on the phone. Mike was surprised that I was walking and talking on the phone since that is something I am not fond of doing.

Mike said that his beloved is feeling very much the same way as I am with allergies in Northern California, as well as Mike’s ‘Pops’ in the Bronx. We’re all in the same age group, all going through the same thing. I am thinking about taking a nap, but I am wary about any changes to my sleep schedule at night. I’m not sick, I don’t feel feverish, just a head full of mucus.

And with the window open for a few minutes, my right eye and behind it, start to react. Watery eyes and a runny nose. It is definitely a fifth floor thing. The window is closed, and the TV is on. Good Times. Bill naps as I type.

I will be going to work tomorrow, I’m certain of it. No unlimited sick days. It is all ‘Personal Time Off,’ and those days need to be earned. That means I will have to put in more time to get time off. Lex Luthor, the former coworker, an alcoholic on dialysis, mentioned that the agency that placed him & me at the fruit stand was compassionate enough to afford him extra sick days.

I’m sure this was before his alcoholism was revealed, that his water bottle did not contain water. The fruit stand let him go, and the agency will place him somewhere else. Whether or not his extra days off were true, I do not know.

He also told tales of blowing various coworkers at the fruit stand. That was an odd confession, not just to me, but Janis and Kimberley told me the stories they heard as well. Wednesday, March 11, 2026.