Category Archives: Interesting Things as of Late

isn’t it all?

Epistrophy

I don’t know what happened. Last night as the evening progressed I became really fatigued, my bones were aching and I had difficulty staying awake. Probably just like you as you read this blog day in and day out. Only this time it was me. I didn’t do much, just sat and read, telling myself I would go to bed at 10:00. After a half hour phone call with brother Frank, I went to sleep. Frank has been going through some tough times, the stroke, though mild, did a number on him. He thought he was out of the woods stroke wise, but he’s not. The damage caused still shows itself from time to time. He was telling me about something that happened last January, when he actually meant this January. Things like that. He’s stressed.

I was fading fast during the call though and as soon as I got off the phone I went to bed. I wore my sweatpants, a fleece top and got in bed under the comforter but I was still cold. Even burying myself under the sheets I was shivering. I eventually fell into a deep sleep, waking up at 6:00 this morning with my temperature around 99. I decided not to go to work which was a smart decision and slept for a few more hours. Woke up still crappy, went back to bed. Now it’s 5:30 and I’m feeling a lot better, and planning to go into work tomorrow.

I guess whatever it was, it was a 24 hour virus. I communicated with Lydia to see how she was doing. She was quite busy, Tom Chin going crazy without me there. I told her where to find some things she was looking for. She told me they were out of coffee and I headed out to Empire Coffee in Hoboken where I’ve been buying the office coffee. The girl who took care of me is someone I really don’t care for. The first time I dealt with her was last month.

She asked me what I wanted to get and I was looking over the selections of coffee in the store. Then she asked me to hurry up since she had been working there all day. That will forever set the tone for dealing with her. She bends over backwards to be nice and I remain aloof. There are nicer people in the store I would rather deal with, but the past two times it’s been her.

After getting coffee for the office, I headed home, ready to do nothing but recuperate. I am still going to see the Beckett play tomorrow at the Brooklyn Academy of Music and who knows? A touch of fever might help with the comprehension of the play. Getting hungry which is a good sign, I think I’m going to make some soup. Haven’t eaten much in the past 24 hours, so something light would be a good thing. I’m just glad to be feeling better than I did 24 hours ago. No chattering teeth tonight. Work tomorrow. I’m surprised I was able to write this much, and I’m sure you are too.

Happy Birthday

It’s a freezing cold Monday in January. Juan came over last night, he watched half of The Wire and then we watched the rest of season three of Weeds. Today he goes back to Ewing for his off campus life. Hopefully they have heat down there since it’s presently 25 degrees which is the high for the day. Barometric pressure is out of control, clear blue skies, courtesy of a Siberian wind. I picture Juan living in a ramshackle house, peeling paint, bare light bulbs, cold wind blowing through the slats of the house. I’m sure it’s not like that at all.

Right now I am watching Edge of the City, a film from 1957 starring Sidney Poitier and John Cassavetes, directed by Martin Ritt. Pretty good, edgy, jazz score. Sidney playing the cool uptown cat and John Cassavetes the guy harboring a secret. Of course it being the 50’s, Sidney has to die and Cassavetes has to find some sort of gritty redemption.

Before that was A Patch of Blue, once again with Sidney Poitier, and Shelley Winters and Elizabeth Hartman. I remember that being on Channel 4′ s 4:30 Movie. They always seemed to show A Patch of Blue once a year and this was the first time I saw it and understood it. It may also have made an impression on me when I was growing up, seeing how ugly racism could be and also how some disabled people like Selena the blind girl in A Patch of Blue could be abused and mistreated. And how noble a regular person can be.

Man, that Shelley Winters was horrible. I mean she was good but her character was just horrible. She pulled it off and won a best supporting actress Academy Award. A ‘happy’ ending to the melodrama, but Elizabeth Hartman had a tragic life though. The acting parts dried up, she was manic depressive and jumped off a bridge in the 80’s. Such an affected performance. I am watching Turner Classic Moves more and more these days. Sidney Poitier turned 81 yesterday.

Back to work tomorrow, a four day work week which is something quite easy to get used to, but that ain’t going to happen. I’m sure I would complain about having to work four days after a while. Whittle it down to one day and I’d moan about that too. Then, if I had nothing but days off, I’d complain about not having any work to do. Ok, that might be a stretch. I’m thinking if I was wealthy enough not to work, which should happen, any day now.

On Friday I am going to see my first Samuel Beckett play, Happy Days. From what I gather, it mainly takes place at a hamburger stand in late 1950’s suburban Milwaukee. Oh and the cast are buried up to their waist in act one, up to their neck in act two.

Today is a day off, in honor of the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King, a great man. I’m sure you would agree.
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