After a fun weekend, Mondays are generally a drag and working at McMann and Tate really makes it a drag. I was in a good mood though, despite Bill being sick most of the night with a head cold and I believe my pillows are trying to kill me. Bill has been a nonstop drip drip drip of mucous. Tissues are suddenly a scarce commodity in the apartment. I don’t mind looking after him, since he’s so helpless. To his credit he was able to go to an audition and pick up a new computer chair at Office Depot this afternoon.

I woke up in darkness again, with Bill sleeping, snoring and wheezing. He wasn’t going anywhere so I stumbled about, making coffee and jumping into the shower. I found a pair of clean blue jeans to wear and since the temperature was inching towards 60 degrees I opted for the 5 dollar Target shirt I bought over the summer. Got on the Path train which had a seat waiting for me. Got off at Ninth Street and got my bagel, walking down Sixth Avenue, for what could be one of the last times in the early hours of the work day.

Picked up the free morning papers from the bruthas by the IFC film center (formerly the Waverly Theater), poked my head in to see if the new Mojo was on sale yet and it wasn’t. I was able to pick up Uncut and The Word at Virgin on Saturday before going to work at Farfetched. The Word, which I never bought before had an excellent interview with Tom Waits. If you see it, snap it up. Great photographs by Anton Corbijn as well. Why is it that the Brits have much better music magazines that the US? The days of Trouser Press and New York Rocker are long gone and I’m becoming a codger.

I was about to walk through the revolving door in the building when I saw the girl named after Fabric, Terry waiting for the elevator. I decided to keep walking. I did not want to be stuck in such confined quarters for any amount of time. After a very long thirty seconds she was gone and I was waiting for an elevator myself. I set up the office and checked my email when the head of McMann and Tate US stopped by. He said he heard about my leaving and asked what I had planned. He said he wanted to talk to me about my leaving, maybe we could have lunch, or drinks. Whatevs.

He’s a day late and a dollar short but I went along with his idea. The day proceeded as every soul crushing day went before it. Clients in, double chinned account managers underestimating the amount of guests making me leave the office to find additional sandwiches, and sodas. I didn’t mind. Any time away from the office is good time. I was sitting at my desk in a short sleeved shirt when various reptiles came up to me complaining about how cold it was. I raised the temperature to 32 Celsius, which is 90 Fahrenheit. And still they complained.

My coworkers had their lunch in the kitchen and still can’t find the garbage pails. Today’s record was over an hour for a box of take away rice to be thrown out after sitting on the counter. I left after setting the office up with beer and wine so they can wrap their holiday gifts for under privileged families. They seem to be horrid beast all year so this one act of charity, which can be expensed by the way, makes up for being douche bags all year round.

Yesterday was Saturday and today is Sunday. Yesterday had to work at Farfetched with Susan, Jessica and Harpy. I didn’t have to, I was asked and committed to it. I’ve been working there for almost ten years mainly during the holiday season. I enjoy it and the store has a great staff. Susan and Lois have been putting a lot into their store for over twenty years and it’s a fun place to shop and it’s also a fun place to work. I’ve been working with Harpy on and off for about twenty years so that’s fun and occasionally competitive.

It was fairly busy and sometime there’s some jostling for airplay on the stereo between Harpy and myself while ringing up customers purchases. I worked from noon until 8:00. I had a break to go out and get some food so I made a little detour to stop by the box office at Irving Plaza and pick up two tickets to see the Brazilian Girls on December 29 with Juan. I’m taking him for Christmas so if he reads this he’d better act surprised and it had better be a good show. I am sure it will be.

Got phone calls towards the end of my shift from both Juan and Julio, both of them asking what I was up to after work. I didn’t have any clear plans and decided it would be cool if I merged both hanging out with Juan and hanging out with Julio and Stine. Surprisingly I was able to bring both groups together all in Julio and Stine’s apartment. I asked Julio if I should bring anything and he suggested red wine. Since I was drinking at Farfetched, Susan, Harpy and I dispatched three bottles of Italian champagne after Jessica had left, I bought a bottle of Korbel and brought it to the apartment.

Juan arrived soon after I got there and we all sat around the table, listening to Brian Wilson’s Smile album and just drinking champagne and talking. Lot’s of talking. We talked about my job status, working at Farfetched, Stine’s job working as an architect for Julio’s cousin. They are flying to Denmark on the 20th for the holidays and they told tales of previous New Years celebrations in Copenhagen. It all sounds so drunken, at least from the way Julio describes it. Both Juan and I were entranced as we moved from the champagne to the merlot.

I even brought my guitar and promptly destroyed a few Beatles songs much to everyone’s annoyment.

Somehow we wound up discussing religion, or god. Mythology I pronounced it, Julio sort of agreed and Stine and Juan holding up the religious end. It didn’t come to fisticuffs though at around 2:00 in the morning I realized that I was way too fucked up to proceed and getting into bed seemed the best route. Juan was to far gone to make it home so he crashed on the couch as I climbed into bed with Bill who is coming down with a nasty cold.

I was supposed to go to church with him but wound up sleeping in after I unsuccessfully tried to convince him to stay home and get better. He had to read the liturgy so there was no stopping him, just a lot of wadded tissues in his wake. Juan slept fitfully on the couch and Julio and Stine nursed their hangovers. I somehow was able to go out and get bagels and Gatorade and the newspapers, making breakfast for Juan and myself, watched a DVD about Man Ray, then sending Juan back home and me off for a two hour nap, waking up feeling almost human.