Interesting Things as of Late | johnozed

Back in Hoboken again. Pretty much mellow. Yesterday was the only day on the past four days that I didn’t have anything to drink, alcohol wise. Today was the BBQ in Garfield. Last night was pretty mellow. Not that I had much of a choice. The body does need to rest and so does the liver, though I have seen and do know people that can drink for days on end. That’s not so bad especially if one is partial to gin blossoms. I’ll take the expanding waistline from many beers thank you very much. Get some chubby chasers on my ass, that’s the ticket.

Last night was just hanging out with Bill, watching TV. That was it. We watched last week’s episode of the season finale of Big Love which was very entertaining. Got more out of it on the second viewing than I did the first. Really, such good acting on the show. The wives are amazing, Bill Paxton is very good. I read that he was once in a band called Martini Ranch back in the 1980’s. I heard of them, didn’t actually hear them and more than likely wrote them off since they were from Los Angeles rather than New York, Athens or the UK. I was such a rock snob, but I don’t think I missed much. I mean I got X, the Blasters, Minutemen, Black Flag, Circle Jerks, Los Lobos and the Go Gos, which covered LA or Southern California. As far as San Francisco, I really couldn’t tell you. They were still considered hippie-ish despite Jello Biafra’s best intentions. California Punk was too hard edged and violent. Didn’t have the implied violence in leather jackets from the Bowery.

Bill headed into the city, telling me that he was going to see his dad when actually he headed up to the Upper East Side to get an available Zip Car. We did have a plan to leave for the train station at 12:30 but when the appointed time came, Bill wasn’t around. I figured out that he rented a Zip Car when we spoke on the phone and told me to bring cd’s. Most people would bring one or two, but not me. I brought a baker’s dozen.

I also packed along the two Andrew Loog Oldham books that brother Frank lent me and lent him Joe Strummer: Let’s Rock Again dvd and burned Girl Talk, Patrick Cleandenim and the Knife. We headed up to Garfield in the Zip Car, driving through Saddle Brook in Garfield past all my old haunts. We pulled into the driveway and headed towards the grill. No one was there except for friends of Frank and Elaine’s, John and Ann and their Boston Terrier. Bill sat and talked with them while I passed Elaine in the stairway on my way up to see brother Frank.

He’s doing a lot better and his conversational skills are getting better. I think he’s still doing the rehab thing which is helping him out considerably. He also has a month to go before he goes to work which is a relief to him. He was a bit stressed out about all that. Then there’s the driving issue about driving. We didn’t talk about that, just what we’ve been listening to, watching and reading lately. Driving skills didn’t come up.

Lot’s of hot dogs and hamburgers and Coronas and Guinness were around which made everything quite palatable. Brother Brian and Karen and Hillary, Brian and Cassie were there, as were Meghan and Rob, Corinne flying solo since John her boyfriend was making double time pay at the Gap. Rob’s parents and grandparents were there as well as sundry other friends from Garfield. A good time was had by all. Perfect way to unofficially end the summer season. Best one I’ve had in a few years thats fo sho.

And here are some pics

Bill, driver/partner extraordinaire

Rob, Grillmeister

Cassie, Hillary, Bill and Brian

Cory, Elaine and Meghan

The view from above

Brian, Hillary and me

brother Frank and Elaine

Nieces plotting

Hillary and brother Brian

It is Labor Day after all

The house I grew up in

This used to be my playground

Just got back from Otisville, NY from an overnight visit with Pedro and Connie at their beautiful house on a hill overlooking a forest with bears and deer and snakes and ticks not to mention poisons ivy, oak and sumac. And lot’s of beer. Friday was a good time as well with Carla and Millie at South Street Seaport. Had some vodkas and some beers while there and had a few more beers when I got home. Feeling pretty good, didn’t realize the time until it was 2:00AM when I decided to go to sleep and dream of having an argument with my brother Brian and our mother about my teeth. That didn’t exactly allow for a good nights sleep and I woke up feeling less than tip top. I actually thought about bailing on heading up to Pedro’s but realized that all I would really have to do is get on a train for two hours, then get picked up and driven to the house, where I would eat and drink for the rest of the day. That is something I could easily do especially after adding years of experience doing those things like eating and drinking under my ever expanding belt.

So with that motivation and gravity guiding me down four flights of stairs I bypassed the bagel and newspaper routine and headed to the train station, buying a ticket and cruising the guy behind the snack counter which was awkward since I initially balked at the price of a slice of chocolate yogurt cake and came back a few minutes later when my hunger dictated that I buy the cake, rationalizing that it was a holiday weekend and it would be a minuscule splurge and I was fucking hungry. And hungover, not so much headache wise, more like body hangover. I figured that I would be able to sleep once I got on the train. The train chugged out of Hoboken and I was riding the Port Jervis line to the penultimate stop, Otisville. Even though everyone else seemed to fall asleep as soon as they sat in their seats I couldn’t despite the state I was in, since I was wary about sleeping past my stop. I didn’t mind, I had the chocolate yogurt cake, an iced tea, water and plenty to read, finally finishing off Uncut magazine from England, and a few copies of the New Yorker.

Pedro picked me up at the station and we were off to the liquor store to get beer for the evening. We got to the house where Connie was cooking up a lot of food. She got Pedro to turn on the grill and throw some burgers on since I was basically famished and fading fast. A couple of burgers corrected that soon enough and a little bit of the hair of the dog that bit me. Actually so much hair of that dog that the dog had patches of hair missing on it’s body. Connie’s daughter Liz came up with her boyfriend Brian who is a professional skateboarder, who flies all around the world, skateboarding. They were a lot of fun. Pedro, Brian and I wandered around in the woods behind the house looking at trees and things and hunter’s perches. Bears had been seen in the area so I was wary. Also looking out for the poisonous plants and deer ticks. After about a half hour of that we all had enough and decided to head back to the house for more beer and food. Someone heard a faint echo of Dueling Banjos which got us up the hill that much faster.

More food and more beers and then the tequila came out. Not the Cuervo nonsense but Patron which wasn’t so bad. Danny and Gina came over from next door, eventually bringing their kids over, Justin and Peter. Pedro has been teaching Justin how to defend himself and here’s a clip of some late night sparring between the two of them.

There were moments where we’d be outdoors on the deck looking at the meteor showers, satellites and Mars. Totally overwhelming to look up see see such constellations. Away in the distance we could see the light pollution from New York City, and once the moon was in the sky that was bright enough to dim the majority of stars overhead. Big orange moon at that coming up through the trees, it was beautiful.

Le Orange Moon

Dominoes soon dominated our attention. I hadn’t played in a while and was teamed with Liz while Pedro and Danny made up their team. To my surprise I won the first tow rounds and also the fifth round. Everything else went to Pedro with Danny helping him as much as Liz helped me. Danny never really played before and Liz was a bit drunk and couldn’t focus much. Pedro can be intimidating while playing since that’s how they play it in Riker’s Island. I think he spooked the others but I was pretty much used to it and wound up laughing in his face.

Dominos!

Domino Dominator

A not so good go round for me

The kids had to go to sleep so that meant Danny and Gina had to go too and the dominoes match was over and not a moment too soon. Another game was started with just Connie and Pedro and myself after Liz and Brian left but that ended in disarray due to Connie and Pedro faux bickering which had hints of actual bickering. We all went to sleep soon after that.

I woke up feeling ok. Pedro and Connie were hurting though. I was offered a chance to stay one other night but the two of them seemed hobbled and I remembered that I had to go to Garfield tomorrow for a Labor Day BBQ which Bill and I are looking forward to. Pedro and Connie drove me back to the train station and I finally fell asleep for about 15 minutes which was all I needed since I woke up feeling totally refreshed after that. Back to Hoboken and it’s brick buildings, leaving the green covered mountains and hills of Otisville behind. I had a blast. I plan to go up and see the fall colors in a few weeks. Got to brush up on my domino skills, meaning that I should pay attention.

Here are some pics. Quite a few.

Green fields from train trestle