The year is winding down finally. Not a particularly a good year and not the worst but somewhere nearly perfectly in the middle. On the pressing home front, McMann and Tate or rather, Wolf Olinz still owes me some pay and it hasn’t come through yet and I don’t think I’ll know anything about that until Tuesday, maybe when the controller, Blue Eyed Knob or the human resources director, Muscle Relaxant return to work and properly ignore my email about what is going on. Obviously I’m using surreal names for the company and for the people because I really don’t give a shit about what they think.

I spoke with Amiable Alan who misses me in the office but realizes that I did the right thing by leaving. They treated him like shit too so perhaps he’s another person planning on leaving that well of dysfunction sooner rather than later. That makes about 4 or 5 people who’ve whispered their plans to leave Wolf Olinz. I’m not naming names but they are good people, hard workers who routinely get treated like crap. I wonder if Brian Babylon, the head of the company in the UK knows about what a horror show his New York office is?

So no bonus, which was expected, whether or not I get the weeks vacation pay seems doubtful but I do believe at least one week’s salary should be coming my way since I did earn it by working for these lunk heads. I don’t know if I mentioned during the last operations meeting as I was answering a question I was asked about how I was doing something, I was talked over which lead me to continue speaking about being talked over about how ridiculous it is to answer questions that were not being heard by the questioners.

Despite my trying to tie loose ends together my actions went unnoticed and now I sit waiting for a paycheck that I know Alan had received, and I’m sure other people’s direct deposits have gone through. Me? I feel like I’m being punished. Punished for taking action for being treated and abused they way they had abused me for nine fucking months. They are quite stupid and ruthlessly paranoid. I mean, these are the people that hired a security guard to sit at the front desk all night for fear that Felicia (who’s real name is Ariane) was going to show up in the middle of the night and do some damage.

They probably did the same when I left though I left voluntarily, whereas Felicia was fired. I just want my fucking money, that is all and I will be far away from them. In one of the last morning announcements I made, I quoted the Smiths, ‘For the good life is out there somewhere/so stay on my arm you little charmer’. I didn’t add the last lines, ‘for I know my luck to well/and I’ll probably never see you again’ from ‘Hand in Glove’. Douche bags.

Now it’s a sunny Saturday afternoon. Juan and I saw ‘Brazilian Girls’ at Irving Plaza last night. They were great and a lot of fun and Juan and I had a great time saying snarky things about various people around us. Nothing too malicious, just a good natured ribbing between friends. It was a blast and I’m glad Juan enjoyed the show. The band was great and charismatic amongst the lights and smoke machines. I’d definitely see them again and I plan on asking Juan to burn me some cd’s of their stuff. I’m utterly charmed by deadpan vocals from a chanteuse in a top hat. I can be so easy.

Well it’s back to the drawing board of sorts. Though there is no drawing, and the only thing board is you, meaning bored. I’m kidding of course. You are never bored dear reader. Obviously I’ve taken the past couple of days off. Just didn’t think I had anything to write about and I was tired of trying to find something to write. I’ve been off the past few days and just mainly chillin’ in the apartment, not doing much of anything at all. The holidays have come and gone, taking the anxiety of the holidays with it to my relief.

Just hanging around Hoboken, going out sometimes during the day to venture out and interact with people. Friends are working or out of town or out of the country. I felt bad about my sister and her family and the troubles they’ve had trying to get from Eureka airport to Orlando. They wound up staying in Arcata much to their chagrin. So on Christmas Eve I headed out to Barnes and Noble in Hoboken and bought Annemarie a book about the E Street Band, Bruce Springsteen’s group. I sent it out to them via FedEx and courtesy of Wanker Banker.

Bill had rented a Zip Car which we’ve been doing the past few years to go visit my brother Brian and Karen and their kids, Hillary, Brian and Cassie on Xmas Eve, where we are joined by Frank and Elaine and their daughters Meghan and Corinne, and Meghan’s betrothed, Rob. Bill and I got there before Frank and company, finding the kids are happy and tension between Brian and Karen. High drama on the holidays, a lot like everyone else. I thought we always sidestepped ill feeling at this time of year but this time it caught up to my family.

Meghan and Rob arrived after Bill and I and we all settled in, trying to avoid the frostiness between Brain and Karen. It definitely got colder when Frank and Elaine showed up with Corinne who sat in the back seat listening to her parents bicker. The temperature dropped somewhat but slowly things thawed out over dinner and after drinks and handing out presents. Dinner was as usual great thanks to Karen sweating all afternoon in the kitchen. Nothing really beats a homemade meal and I certainly hadn’t been cooking too much lately. And the Guinness helped that’s for sure.

Bill and I came home. I gave him the second part of his present. The first part was taking him to see the Manhattan Transfer at the Blue Note the weekend previous. The second part was a poster I had gotten framed of Rosa Parks on a bus celebrating the Civil Rights movement. Bill always said she was an inspiration for him to drive a bus and he actually had gotten the poster for me months earlier. I had planned on framing it for his birthday but I wasn’t able to get it then so it worked out quite nicely, don’t you think?

For his part, Bill had gotten me a Bass Guitar, by Brownsville in the shape of a Hofner Bass like Macca used to play with the Fabs and still plays to this day on occasion. And an amplifier to go with it. I hope the neighbors don’t mind. I’m sure Bill doesn’t.

Tonight I had a lovely dinner with Song and Ray and Ray’s friend Robert. They hoped to meet Bill but perhaps next time. I’m sure Bill would love Ray, he’s just Bill’s type. I hope they have a safe flight to Vegas and then to Sydney in the New Year.
Gong Xi Fa Cai!