Tuesday. Bill was up before me, playing games on his cellphone which was distressing at 5:45AM. It sounded like waking up next to an arcade. Then it was the wrinkling of paper. Quite loud. Not being a morning person, I was about to start screaming since it was 45 minutes before I needed to get out of bed, but I held my tongue and tried to get as much sleep as I could get which wasn’t easy. Needless to say, I eventually got out of bed at 6:30 as Bill was walking out the door. I admit I kissed him, but it was a rather disgruntled kiss.

I got in the shower, did my thing, had some cereal, coffee, and checked email and soon I too was out the door, bus pass tucked into my iPod case. It was a lot colder this morning, about 35 degrees, which is half the temperature it was on Saturday. More people in wool this morning on Washington Street, than in shorts and flip-flops. I’m sure some runners would show up eventually, pushing high tech baby strollers as they run around the mile square city. It used to be that when couples had children they would leave Hoboken for the suburbs, but now they stay.

I got off the bus. The Port Authority bus terminal is a madhouse in the morning and I’m still getting used to it. People running this way and that way, trying to cross a river of people is like trying to avoid salmon during mating season. I got to the office in time though. 8:30 is when I start and at 8:31 I’m usually making coffee for everyone. It’s nice, people come in, walk by my desk and actually say hello. Such a little thing, but it makes a difference to me at least.

It was a busy day. I’m doing research for the president of the company. Naomi wants me to check a letter that she’s sending to the editor of a local paper that had denigrated Roseland, the town she lives in. I had to go to the Roseland town website and look up high school marching band rankings and cheerleading championships. That’s fine by me. Naomi’s lieutenant, Wally also had a project for me and told me he wanted to work with me on it at some point in the afternoon but he never got around to it. I didn’t mind since Wally is a bit of a closet queen.

Not that I mind closet queens, despite the fact that by being so closeted, it creates the appearance that something is wrong with being gay and there isn’t anything wrong with being gay. Silly Wally. Closets are for hangers, winners use the door. A tough lesbian came in late afternoon. It’s true, Ellen DeGeneres is the only lesbian with a sense of humor. Forget about Rosie O’Donnell. She hasn’t been funny in years.

This tough lesbian with almost as much, if not more, testosterone than me was just so bitter. I did catch her checking out one of the female counselors as she walked by. I saw just over the computer screen, she tried to be discreet but I caught her. She was finished with her interview soon enough and she did say good night so maybe her attitude was due to nerves.

I had an epiphany this afternoon. I came to the realization that all this drama that I put myself through in so unnecessary. It’s just a job after all. I’ve been told I’m doing a good job, getting positive feedback from Naomi, telling me about my phone manner and my interacting with clients and candidates. Not bad for day six, wouldn’t you say?

Last night Juan, Bill and I watched ‘The Stand’ a made for television movie, written by Stephen King. I read the book in 1981 and saw the movie when it was originally broadcast in the nineties. Still pretty good for a TV movie, eventually both Bill and Juan were taken in by the movie. I didn’t notice it when I first saw it, but even Bill and Juan noticed a lot of homoerotic shots throughout the movie. Very interesting and I simply don’t know how I might have missed it before. Bill didn’t make it to the end, he went to bed before the final hour.

It was a wet night, a major storm passing overhead. That continued to the morning, which made it difficult to wake up. It was a real drag, pouring rain outside, total darkness at 6:30 in the morning. Bill wound up sleeping in, deciding to stay home. That was jarring to say the least. I get accustomed to Bill stirring before I even get out of bed, and on a morning like today’s, I surely could’ve used his wake up call. But I persevered, trying to find in the darkness a suit to wear. I didn’t want to turn the lights on and wake Bill up. I found a nice navy pinstriped suit, braces and a tab collared French cuff shirt. I wore one of Bill’s neckties for luck as it was my fifth day at work.

Bill bought me a monthly bus pass the other day since money is a bit tight for me these days. I think he was inspired by Turk getting a monthly bus pass for Carla on Scrubs. I got to use it which is nice and since Bill bought it I was riding the bus for free. The bus filled up quite fast and by the time it left Hoboken it was mad packed. It pulled into the bus terminal and I strolled out into the rain listening to Rufus Wainwright’s Want One.

I got to the office and said good morning to my new coworkers and bosses. The president said hello, her lieutenant grunted. She’s Naomi, he’s Wally. Eventually my other coworkers came in all in various degrees of blue Monday feelings. The rain out a damper on most everyone’s mood. I tried to be as chipper as possible, as my plan to fit in is to kill them with kindness. As far as I’m concerned, John Ozed doesn’t exist in that office, except for the brief checking of email.

There was a report of a gas leak throughout Manhattan and parts of Hudson County NJ. No one had any idea what the gas may have been, but the shut down the Path train for a few hours because of it. I mentioned to Bill later in the day that it sounded uncannily like the beginning to The Stand. We shall see how this mysterious gas turns out. For those in other parts of the world, go to http://nytimes.com . It’s all there, I’m not making it up.

I also decided on a last ditch attempt to get my bonus from the Wolffmen by sending a guilt loaded email to the president of McMann and Tate. And it goes a little something like this:

Hi Lamisil,
I regret not being able to talk to you about my leaving McMann and Tate. I did my best but after almost nine months I was burnt out and terribly depressed, which even my therapist couldn’t help. I really didn’t have anyone to talk to at McMann and Tate regarding that and my scheduled meeting with Table Lamp, scheduled in October never materialized, which could have made a difference in the way things had turned out. It would’ve been nice to talk to SOMEONE about what was going on.

The abuse I had suffered under Felicia was no help either, from my fifth day at McMann and Tate to being told in June by Felicia to consider looking for a different job, I never really knew where I stood or what kind of performance I was doing, and believe me I did my best. At least the clients noticed and appreciated it. Then in December, I found a memo on my computer from January about how two people should have been hired to work the front desk in two shifts because one person (namely me) would get burnt out. So it seems the front desk situation is known of, but not taken care of. Which in my case could’ve made a world of difference.

I tried not to leave McMann and Tate in the lurch and attempted to take care of supplies and whatnot to cover until someone else came in. I’m glad McMann and Tate had a good year and I had hoped to at least get some recognition bonus wise, but I did the right thing and gave notice, which is more that a few former employees did during my time of employment, and in doing the right thing I lost out on any chance for a financial recognition for whatever contribution my work had achieved for the good of the company and the clients. I told Rachel Floor Vacuum and Lydia Penguin that if there are any questions about things in the office to call me. Obviously I am still willing to help out for the good of McMann and Tate I’m glad I left on a relatively good note and I wish you and your wife, as well as the staff at McMann and Tate a happy and healthy New Year.
Regards,
John

Hey, it’s just an attempt. I’ve got nothing to lose. Just trying to guilt trip and rich hippie narcoleptic into giving me what should be mine.