Category Archives: Iron my Shirt

I Met Her Today

2 Replies

It was a relatively OK day today. Slept well last night, as did the non-snoring Bill. I can’t say I am getting used to this stay until 9:30 nonsense, but I’m getting paid and it is not saving the cigar shack owners any money so that’s fine with me.

I had an interesting dream last night which featured my dear friend RoDa, but I don’t really recall what it was about over 12 hours later but the dream probably came about since he was interviewed online for the latest AOL venture, Hoboken Patch.

Basically any town in the US can have an AOL Patch page so it’s really no big thing but obviously it registered in my unconscious mind. Hail Xenu indeed! I did not want to get out of bed as usual but I got it together. Bill was gone a few hours already, his back improved over the previous 24 hours.

I did catch the Daily Show this morning, its part of my routine lately. I watch the Colbert Report at 11:30 and catch the Daily Show in the morning so I could watch the 11:00 bad news. I paddled around the apartment, shower, coffee, breakfast then it was out on the street.

I walked to the bus stop, initially listening to Joy Division which I found too heavy so I decided for some lighter fare, and played Squeeze instead. Squeeze were such a great band and fun to sing along with. Rand & I could do a good impersonation of Difford and Tilbrook, Rand covering Glenn Tilbrook and me handling Chris Difford, much like Difford & Tilbrook sounded a bit like Lennon & McCartney. Just like them!

I stopped into Hoboken Daily News where Andy & his brother were quite happy. Andy shook my hand telling me that the 7 Eleven directly across the street from the newsstand was going out of business in six weeks.

I replied I was happy for them but still it wasn’t good to see people lose their jobs, to which Andy pointed to the ceiling and said it was all because of the guy upstairs. I guess the guy who rents an apartment above the Hoboken Daily News has a say in matters such as this.

I waited for the bus listening to Squeeze when suddenly I got a pat on the back, more like a shove. I was ready to throw down when I saw it was Rand. Very good to see my old pal. Been a few weeks. He was looking good and looked like he lost weight. He said he didn’t but I think ol’ Rand was being modest.

We had a nice talk while I waited for the bus and puffed on a cigar. Soon though the bus arrived and I had to get on board though I would have rather spent more time with Rand.

I called Bill once I was in the vicinity of the cigar shack and killed sometime hanging around outside, before heading in with a minute to spare. Calvin phoned in sick so Marcus was there running things while Thomas was trying to be busy.

With Calvin out, that meant that both Thomas and I would be stuck in the cigar shack all day. Every silver lining has its cloud I guess. It wasn’t that bad, and I had a nice cigar on my lunch hour. It wasn’t as peaceful and quiet as I would have hoped but still it was relatively enjoyable.

I’m currently reading A Freewheelin’ Time by Suze Rotolo and it’s a fun read. Suze just passed away a few weeks ago but she does have some interesting things to say about her time with Bob Dylan. Have to return it to the bibliothèque soon.

not my bus


I like this one. Rand does not. Says his eyes are magnified with his spectacles on.


His choice.

I Didn’t Make It On Playing Guitar

2 Replies

So now we find ourselves at Friday. How did we get here, and why now you might ask? I have no idea. I’m just here. And today was back to work for me after being off yesterday. And yesterday was the day I was going to call my friends, Connie and Jane.

Jane is upstate near Woodstock and Connie is down the Jersey Shore. Both made it to the party in July but I haven’t seen either since then. I don’t recall even speaking with either of them on the phone. I know I should call. And I was going to do it yesterday. Now I am looking at Monday, or maybe Tuesday.

And the chance that if I call that I would actually speak with Connie or Jane is 50/50. Connie is sometimes ill, too ill to answer the phone and Jane, well she’s in Woodstock and it’s all in the timing. It’s all in the timing with both of them.

Today it was back to work and it wasn’t any big thing. Am I settling into the job? Am I getting used to it? I haven’t had the anxiety that I usually do, sometimes prompting me to pop a Xanax before I head in and occasionally a Xanax the night before is in order. But lately there has been no need which probably brings a sigh of relief to some of you out there.

This morning started with Bill lovingly kissing me goodbye for the day and me lying in bed trying to remain asleep. It worked up to a point, and then I realized that I needed to get out of bed and get to work. Shower, shave, breakfast and coffee, checking email as I got suited up and eventually heading out the door.

A bright and sunny day on the cold side was what I faced when I headed outside, passing the third floor and hearing Alexander and a playmate running wild while Stine and her guest laughed. I was tempted to knock on the door and play but no, the adult world awaited me.

A walk to the bus stop as I enjoyed a cigar, early enough to see the 10:15 bus go on by. The 10:30 bus showed up as it should have and I rode watching the bus fill up with commuters. A quick walk through the bus terminal to the subway where I heard voices singing, the same crew listed in the latest issue of New York as being one of the best groups underground in the MTA. They were unseen on another platform and I recognized them from the plucking of an upright bass.

Eventually I was outside the building which houses the cigar shack. A brief call with Bill filled with laughs and soon I was inside the shop. It was Calvin and Thomas today and we made for a pretty good team. A few laughs made the time go by faster, no question about that.

It was fairly busy as well which definitely moved the hands on the clock. After 10 hours, I was back on the subway, walking through the bus terminal once again. Ran into Hyman Gross and opted to take the later bus and wait with Hyman. It was good to see him again.

Lately when neither Bill nor I see Hyman we always worry. But Hyman was in good spirits, talking about his Lasik surgery to deal with the gout. It seemed to have worked according to Hyman but left him with tinnitus.

He was worried about that and I did my best to reassure him, telling him that sometimes I too get that ringing in the ears, more than likely from going to so many rock and roll shows and not using protection for the ears.