Don’t you just love federal holidays? I know I do, at least when I have the day off. Today was a federal holiday and I had the day off. Quite nice. Didn’t do any of the chores I had in the back of my mind, so I’ll concentrate on doing those this weekend. It was brutally cold this morning when Julio called asking me where his bagels were. He and Stine also had the day off, and in the background Stine suggested that he go and get the bagels. He reluctantly agreed and I gave him my order, plus the News and the Post. I read the Times online.

Bill had to work though. He wished he had the day off but really couldn’t afford to take the day off. That sucked but secretly I was looking forward to yet another day of lounging around the apartment. If he was here he could’ve been as quiet as a door mouse, perhaps playing his keyboards with his headphones on. I chatted online with a few friends, people I hadn’t spoken to in a long time. I was generally well received, some guys quite happy to see me. Unless those were bananas in their respective pockets.

I did have to go out and run a few errands around Hoboken. Like I said it was cold. It was actually 13 degrees with strong winds that cut right through you. Needless to say, I didn’t spend too much time outside. Caught up on a lot of things I recorded on DVR and also kept working on the iTunes/iPod thing. When I went out I did take the iPod and it worked nicely, but I did have it under wraps, buried on my person under several layers of clothing. It worked fine, listening to Neon Bible by the Arcade Fire.

Juan drove by last night as he was returning to school. He stopped by to pick up the cd’s I burned for him and I made a care package of some Pop Tarts and some homemade cookies that I made. Not from scratch, just the kind you unwrap from the supermarket, slice up and put in an oven for 15 minutes at 350 degrees. I made some on Saturday night which Bill and Juan really liked. Bill liked them more I suppose since he kept asking me for more cookies, so I made another batch. He didn’t know I could bake.

Now the sun has gone down. I made an last errand to pick up some shoes that were cruddy after the snow and slush last week and also picked up my shirts at Center Cleaners on the corner. Lot’s of cute Hispanic boys working at the shoemakers. Makes me wonder what exactly goes on there. Maybe I’ve been watching too many videos on the computer. Sort of like reading something really funny in the New Yorker, then you turn the page and the next article is tragic and you still keep expecting to laugh some more.

Yeah just like that.

Not much to do today. Bagels, Papers, whatnot. Last night, Juan came over and we watched ‘The US versus John Lennon’. It was alright. Not the best documentary. It got Bill thinking that John Lennon’s murder was a political assassination. Wouldn’t be the first time I heard that. It was actually Juan’s suggestion. A decent one at that. Song popped in via Yahoo instant messenger and said hello before he went out to lunch in Sydney with his boyfriend Ray. It was afternoon there. Juan hung out for a bit after that, playing me some excellent songs. I gave him 3 cd’s that I burned which he left behind. How Freudian.

With the ‘new’ computer and the restoring of my iPod and iTunes I’ve been going through a lot of unmarked or improperly marked songs. So I busy myself correcting and categorizing songs. And here are some of them.

Heat Wave – Martha and the Vandellas.
What a great happy song! Really gets you going. 2:44 of fun and sun. The Funk Brothers sound on top of their game of course, and the girls just sound so joyous. That call and response and that see sawing piano. Pure pop. One of Motown’s best ever.

Want More- Bob Marley
Live at the Roxy I believe. In Los Angeles. Great concert it seems. So intense. The bass is so heavy. Almost a dub version. I would’ve loved to have been there. This will have to do in any event.

Moonlight in Glory- Brian Eno & David Byrne
From the influential, ‘My Life in the Book of Ghosts’ A lot of people, including Chuck D. from Public Enemy have said this was a classic record for them. It really is a great one. I have it on three different albums and some cassettes and I was able to digitize ‘Qu’Ran’ a song deleted in the eighties so as not to offend Muslims. Well I was offended with the deletion so there!

I’ll Always Love My Mama- The Intruders
I think my sister turned me onto this song. I always associate her with it and I’m thinking red Volkswagen Beetle, before the fire. Definite mid seventies disco and I like it.

Last Train to Clarksville- The Monkees
Who was really better? The Beatles or the Monkees? I recall arguments that people had about that, around the same time Judy Foglio thought ‘Hey Jude’ was written for her.

The Same Old Song- The Four Tops
I really like the Four Tops. I think they were the better of the two, between them and the Temptations. Levi Stubbs had such an excellent voice. Classic Motown once again.

Nights in White Satin – The Moody Blues
Oh my god. Classic FM radio. This song was always playing sometime, somewhere. I met Justin Hayward when I was in the recording studio world and the man is toast. Sort of like Ozzy Osbourne.

I’m Walking- Fats Domino
Now this is before my time. I remember hearing it on commercials for Golden Oldies when I was growing up, and now here it is on an mp3. Kinky.

Rikki Don’t Lose that Number- Steely Dan
One of the best bands to ever take their name from a dildo in Naked Lunch by William Burroughs. But what does it all mean? Is Rikki a man or a woman? No idea.

That’s it. That’s my community service.