Interesting Things as of Late | johnozed

Another Saturday night in the cigar shack. It has been a long day, working alongside Thomas and Frank Burns nee Bradley. Bradley reverted back to Frank Burns today, more than likely because he was hung over. I wasn’t hungover since I really do not drink anymore, but I did not sleep so well.

Too many thoughts coming into my head as I tried to sleep and the majority of the thoughts were regarding the cigar shack. Zack’s girlfriend got a haircut and he told me about it so I thought about that for way too long. And then Bill was up and out at around 2:45 this morning so I wasn’t sleeping too much as he kissed me goodbye, in fact I was awake enough to tell him to be careful.

Tonight will be a melatonin night that’s for sure. I woke up before the alarm clock though I don’t think ‘woke up’ is the proper phrase since I didn’t feel like I was sleeping anyhow. I got myself together and headed to the bus stop, catching an earlier bus so I could get my egg sandwich.

Then a walk up to the cigar shack where Frank Burns was holding down the fort. I sat in the office and was about to take a bite when all of a sudden it got fairly busy. I put down the sandwich and helped a customer even before I punched in.

Once I made sure they were relatively happy with their purchase and Frank Burns was secure enough in his insecurities I was able to eat the sandwich and then finally punch in. Thomas was in soon enough and it made for an uneasy day.

Nothing bad between Thomas and myself but both of us are ill at ease with Frank Burns most of the time. Frank Burns does like to play the role of little Hitler when Zack isn’t around. And he was at his most alter kocker today. Whatever good feeling he presented the other night had dissipated but that was more than likely from the hangover.

Had a few phone chats with Bill as well as sister Annemarie and Bobby Risotto. Good talks all around, some food for thought. Now less than an hour to go at the cigar shack and of course it is bound to drag.

Thomas was supposed to close but since getting back to Coney Island is going to be a nightmare, he asked if I could close and I said sure. In return he gave me three of his cigars from his stash which was awfully kind and though he did not have to do it, I gladly accepted.

The area around the cigar shack has slowed considerably which will add to the crawling of time. I myself should be home by 10:00 if all goes well, Bill expects to be home by 11:00. We both have off tomorrow which seems to get rarer and rarer these days. Must do something about it.

And now I am home a few hours later than I should. I closed the cigar shack and walked down to the subway. Lucky me, the downtown train pulls in as I descend onto the platform. I think that everything is going well, and take a seat. I get to the bus terminal and climb the escalators and approaching the gate where I catch my bus and see a very long line. I decide I don’t want to wait, that I would rather be in motion so I go and head down the escalators and start walking to the Path train.

Lot’s of young couples enjoying the end of sabbath as I walk down Broadway to the Path train. I get downstairs to the Path and see that it’s very crowded down there. No one knows whats going on and then the police move everyone out after putting police tape over the turnstiles. Strange but no one did anything about the 30 people on the Path platform, beyond the police tapes.

I make my way to the bus terminal where the lines for both Jersey City and Hoboken have merged into one and is now stretched towards the bowling alley. Some NJ Transit personnel separates Hoboken from Jersey City and I am that much closer to the gate, about 50 yards away.

I then notice that the people way ahead of me on line are turning around and heading to the third level of the bus terminal. I figured out that they were going to the ‘after 10PM gate’. They start to run and I do too, following a guy up the staircase, avoiding the crowds running to the escalators.

Me and the guy make it and we are now like 20th in line. The PA blares that Hoboken bus 126 will be at gate 325 (usually 323). We’re all happy, hundreds of us, or at least the ones I can see. Then the information guy says Hoboken 126 bus is at gate 204.

We wonder whats going on and then it is announced again that Hoboken bus 126 will be at gate 204. We panic and run, I head to the staircase again, most everyone else goes to the escalators.

It was sort of like Jurassic Park meets It’s A Mad Mad Mad Mad World. But now I am home after all that and I am tired of writing. Good night. No post tomorrow.

Green Manalishi

Well here I am again after a long day at work. It wasn’t so bad though. I did great, connected with quite a few new customers and I was really very funny. I got a lot of laughs. It started out OK as well. I was up before Bill, got myself together with a shower and some coffee and cereal. Bill was up and quite active, he doesn’t need coffee whereas I need a daily infusion.

It’s a balance and we manage quite nicely. Bill was out of the apartment a few minutes before me, a long day for him stage managing. I was out a little while later, waiting for my bus. Using latitude I could see Bill caught an earlier bus and was on 14th Street while I waited at 5th & Washington Street.

Eventually my bus arrived and I settled into a seat. A few stops away about 20 girls from Stevens Tech got on board, the first trip into Manhattan for a few of them. They chatted nervously as the bus rolled along, becoming standing room only before it usually does. And of course with all the nervous young women from Stevens Tech it took a while for them to get off the bus and then stand around waiting for their chaperone to take a proper head count.

They went one way and of course I went another. I walked up the avenue, stopping to get my egg sandwich before heading to the cigar shack. The shack wasn’t too busy, Frank Burns behind the counter. I settled into a quiet spot to eat my egg sandwich before signing in when I saw Frank Burns inundated with customers.

I stepped in and relieved some of the pressure before signing in, yet getting credit for the sales. Pressure off, I went back to the sandwich, then I finally punched in. Jerry Vale made it in a half hour later and the day started accordingly. A new set of drawers came in which needed to replace the old set. Zack told me about it the night before and I set about emptying the old drawers and moving it out.

Then I did the bank run and came back to see that Frank Burns and Jerry Vale moved the new drawers into the man cave. The old drawers were still usable so we kept it to the side instead of throwing it out. I was playing music in the shack with my iPod and a song came on, making Jerry Vale to think it was Delaney and Bonnie.

It wasn’t. It was Joe Tex. That prompted Jerry Vale and I to have a discussion about Delaney and Bonnie. Jerry Vale said that Bonnie was dead. I said she wasn’t. He insisted. I looked it up and saw I was right. I then told Jerry Vale that Bonnie Bramlett was alive, Delaney Bramlett- not so much. Jerry Vale insisted that Bonnie had died a few months ago and that the Wikipedia entry was not updated (as if).

He seemed annoyed and I went to lunch. I had a nice chat with Annemarie for a few minutes as I sat on a bench near the park. Then I read the New Yorker and smoked a cigar. Soon my lunch hour was over but I decided to stop by some girls selling home baked goods by the park for their high school. I bought four blondies and headed back.

Frank Burns was dealing with a hip woman and I asked the woman if the coat she was wearing was a Vivienne Westwood. She said no, she bought it at a Salvation Army. We had a nice chat about clothes and rock and roll and things like that as Frank Burns tried to ring up the sale. The woman was buying cigars and Frank Burns had clipped them before completing the sale.

Well it turned out the woman’s card did not go through and that made Frank Burns very angry. And he also left two cigars unable to be sold again since he had clipped them. I spent the rest of the time with Frank Burns avoiding him since his mood was more poisonous than usual. He finally left, leaving me and Jerry Vale to have a good time and a few laughs about Bonnie Bramlett.

It was a good day and once again I led in sales which was nice. October is turning out to be a much better month than I expected and to watch Frank Burns have his pissy little melt down made it all that much better.

The Rutles – Cheese and Onions