It’s a Friday and it’s been quite a day. Woke up around 4:00 thinking it was 6:00. Almost woke up Bill, going so far as to nudge him as he slept. I soon gave up, not because I knew the correct time (I didn’t) just that I had to pee. I drink a lot of water during the day and sometimes I just got to go, in the middle of the night. Back to bed after spying the correct time and slept as deeply as I could for two more hours and before long, Bill was kissing me goodbye as he was headed out the door. That stirred me somewhat, enough to get my ass out of bed, into the shower and out the door in time to catch that 7:10 bus into Manhattan.

I would have liked to have taken the day off, but I was taking a half day anyhow. Harpy called me up the other night, with one of the best guilt trips ever. Harpy broke his heel on October 14 and has been housebound ever since. He doesn’t have insurance. He mentioned that he’s been back in Manhattan for two years and not once had I gone and visited him. That was true, but then again, I don’t visit anyone lately. He did an end run, mentioning that I write so often about not having anything to do, why don’t I just go up and visit him? He had a point, so I decided to go visit him. I was going to go yesterday after work, but I didn’t. Yesterday I just wanted to go home and do nothing, then write about having nothing to do. It’s a vicious circle, but I’ve grown accustomed to it, despite the dizzy effect of being in such a circle.

It was a slow enough day that taking half a day wouldn’t matter much to anyone. That was fine by me. Harpy asked me to bring cigarettes and beer, two things that we both enjoy greatly. I left the office at around 1:30, having spent 5.5 hours there. I walked across town and at 42nd and Eighth Avenue I went into Duane Reade and bought a 12 pack of Heineken and two packs of Marlboros for the fabulous invalid known as Harpy. I hopped in the A Train and soon enough I was getting off at 175th Street and Fort Washington Avenue.

Harpy has a really great apartment, a little bigger than our apartment in Hoboken for just a little bit more money. We immediately caught up and started drinking. Harpy loves playing the DJ and so he was playing things off his mac, off his pc and actually played vinyl. No Hot Tuna though, as it was a Jorma free zone. After about 3 hours all twelve beers were gone, Harpy having 7 to my five. I wanted to leave while the sun was still out as it was getting chilly and I had forgotten to wear a coat. A short walk to the GWB Bus Terminal and a few minutes later I was on a bus to Union City.

A very cold bus, and after five beers on an empty stomach made me nod off for a few minutes, waking up looking at darkness outside and freezing inside. Nice nap, not very relaxing though. I decided to take the light rail back to Hoboken from Union City. I needed to get rid of some of the beer I was carrying and asked a policeman at the light rail station is there was a rest room. There wasn’t but he allowed me to use the employee restroom. I was in and out of there in about two minutes and then on the light rail to Hoboken where I walked home twenty minutes later.

It was nice to visit Harpy. Next time I’ll plan it better, now that I know how easy it is to get to his apartment.

Pics (new caption lay out)

Headed to work

Harpy stunned!

His Left Foot

The Foot

Leaving Manhattan

Pack One

Looking towards Hoboken, slouching towards Bethlehem

The Other Side

Dinosaur leg (not Harpy’s) coming out of Light rail station buried in the Palisades

It’s Thursday and it’s been a Raphael Saadiq kind of day. I’ve always love Raphael Saadiq, ever since his days with Tony Toni Tone through Lucy Pearl. He’s got one of the best voices out there today, just a pure soulful voice that transmits joy when he opens his mouth to sing. I played his gospel-delic Instant Vintage cd on my way into work and despite being groggy, it made the commute that much better. It really made my morning. It set me off on a soul tip, and since they don’t frown upon listening to music at work, I had a hankering for Aretha Franklin, You’re All I Need To Get By. So the afternoon belonged to Aretha. Luckily for me, I didn’t have the song that has been floating through my head, For Your Eyes Only, by Sheena Easton. Ghastly!

It was a weird day at work. Greg Steven is flying out to Taos, New Mexico with his wife for ten days. He has property out there and this is what he does. I can’t blame him. If I had property on the upper east side, the Hamptons and new Mexico, I’d be going whenever I could and if I was president of the company I go whenever I damn well pleased. Vivek was out again too. Shades of heaviness abound with him. He was supposed to go to an important luncheon, but he phoned me from the hospital, saying that his wife had to go to the emergency room. A few people rolled their eyes at this news and I found out that Vivek sometimes backs out of situations like this by saying things like his wife being ill or whatnot. I was the only one in the office that knew that he was supposed to take a Broker/Dealer test yesterday, but didn’t. Well, I told Greg Stevens about it, and Greg was none too pleased.

But Greg was off to Taos so that took care of that sort of. Since today was Thursday, that meant Penne, Pesto and Chicken for lunch. I work on 50th street and the pasta place is on 57th. They don’t deliver to my area so I have to go and get it myself which is fine with me, I enjoy the walking. As some of my pictures have shown I like to walk up Park Avenue, better looking men in suits you see. It’s also near where Wanker Banker used to exist. I ran into Sean, someone I used to work with. He owns property in Hoboken and lives down the Jersey shore. I ran into him one drizzly Saturday afternoon a few years ago when I was quite jazzy. He noticed but said nothing.

Then I ran into Craig, a super cutie that I had a man crush on. But I’m gay so do I need to qualify it as a man crush? Being gay, wouldn’t a crush imply that it’s a man? Yes johnozed you are so correct once again. Craig’s a nice guy and good looks are to his advantage. We chatted briefly, then he went off to get his lunch and I went off to get mine. The afternoon got a little busy which sped things up and soon enough I was out the door.

I decided to take the Path home since the going home bus has been quite crowded. It was good, I had a seat, no pregnant women standing around me, almost done with Grand Illusion, the Guiliani expose on what an asshole he’s always been. I walked up Washington Street and it was almost like old times. I ran into Tommy King, former Weehawken neighbor. He’s still up there on the cliffs, looking good, dropped maybe 100 pounds and he got his teeth fixed, which is inspiring to me. Also ran into a friend of Julio’s who invited me to a comedy night at the Elks club on Saturday. I think I’ll pass, but I didn’t tell him that. I did say that I would tell Julio about it though.

Here’s some pics…..

Ouch

Looking for a date

Nice suit next to hands up guy

‘Yeah, I got a place around the block…’ ‘AWESOME!’

another free range cutie

toilet paper delivery

sporting wood and rocking the cellphone