Category Archives: Iron my Shirt

I Like What You Say

It’s been raining all day. And of course I had a job interview today. I sometimes take that as a good sign since I once had an interview that took place on the day of a monsoon and it went very well back then so I think it has to be good luck. It wasn’t monsoon like at all but it was certainly a steady rain. It was at 3:00 this afternoon so I was able to take my time. There was a five page application which I needed to print out and complete which was no problem at all and gave me something to do for 5 minutes.

Then it was donning a suit for the first time since May 23. I planned on leaving the apartment around 1:30 and since the interview was across the street from my former employer of McMann and Tate I was planning on taking the Path train in. I headed out with an umbrella and walked to the Path train. I would have taken a bus to the train but a bus did not show up until I was a block from the station. I sat on the Path train and noticed that I was going to be quite early.

If it weren’t raining out I would have found somewhere to go, something to do to kill some time before heading into the interview, but since the weather was what it was I decided to ride the Path rain to the end of the line and staying inside where it was dry and air conditioned and ride the train back to 9th Street. It was a very good idea and once I got back to the street the rain was coming down quite hard. I headed down 6th Avenue and took my time as I was still quite early.

I had a quick chat with a canvasser for the ACLU. I explained to the young woman that I fully support the ACLU and that since I live in NJ I also support the NJCLU. She wanted to talk and try to get some money from me, so earnest and cheerful she was, but I begged off telling her that I was unemployed and off to an interview. As soon as I said that she said ‘OK bye’ and looked for her next target. I continued on my way and stood under the marquee by the IFC Center which used to be the Waverly Theater.

I chatted with Bill for a minute or two on the phone before going into a newsstand where I got the latest Mojo and Uncut magazines. No matter what I was going to do I was going to be early, but these little stops ate at the clock enough that I would only be 15 minutes early which I thought was better than 30 minutes early. I rode the elevator to the 11th floor where there was no one in reception, so I just stood there until they showed up.

I explained who I was there to see and told to have a seat. I sat on a couch and watched the rain fall outside. Simone who was interviewing me arrived and we had a nice chat in a conference room, as I explained my resume. How that job got me to that job while Simone wrote on my resume with a lot of arrows going this way and that way and her shorthand explanations regarding what I was saying. It certainly went a lot better than I expected, especially since I had no expectations. This was a company I had interviewed with a few years ago and this one went a lot better.

This time I was on the 11th floor, last time was on the 10th floor in an area that looked a lot like something from Terry Gilliam’s Brazil. Simone told me she would contact me either way by next Tuesday and the entire process could take place for about 4 weeks. So I think it went well. Of course there are dozens of other people she was seeing so my hopes aren’t that high. In the meantime I will just read Mojo and Uncut, and perhaps finish Retromania by Simon Reynolds before it has to be back at the bibliothèque.



Outside My Window

I Like It- The Blackout All Stars

Last night I heard from a former co-worker. Nice guy, hadn’t heard from them in a while. He has a way with words and being a little older than me, there are many tales he likes to tell. One of the last times we worked together he started to repeat his stories and I had to tell him that he told the story to me so often that I could repeat it back to him.

He doesn’t feel that comfortable where he’s working and now that I’m gone, he feels the music business is not what it used to be. It had been some time since I left that world and to hear him say such things, and then doing an about face and talked about how he plans on doing better after watching a Clive Davis video.

Listening to him talk about what was said (which sounded like a death rattle) , he told me that he plans to persevere and follow Clive’s direction. Apparently he has decided to take a big gulp from the Kool Aid being offered. I did ask if a certain wombat was still working in the organization and he said that the wombat was still there, still being as horrid as he had been, in fact the wombat has gotten worse.

Considering it has been over 10 years since I had last been there and not much had changed at all, I was surprised that the wombat still has the same desk, doing the same work he has been doing for about 20 years. Then again I shouldn’t be surprised since he has a debilitating drug problem and still he gets to work every Monday through Friday, and even attends the events after work, it is probably the only thing the wombat can do. And you wonder why the music business is in the shape it’s in.

It’s now been a week since I was dismissed from the cigar shack and I do hear from some customers. I guess contact between me and Thomas and Jerry Vale has been restricted. One of the customers mentioned that someone that I didn’t much care for was put off by my dismissal, saying it was typical of how the cigar shack handles things.

Having worked for the cigar shack long enough I can attest that he is right, certain things are handled in a hush hush, sweep it under the rug as soon as possible manner. Since I am no longer there, I can’t say that I still care but I was surprised that this certain customer actually had some nice things to say about me.

Bill had off today from the day job, having spent three of the past five days driving a bus. He came home last night, had a quick bite and promptly went to bed. I stayed up watching Mad Men which I missed on Sunday night. It was good and I am glad I forgot most of what the synopsis I had read previously.

Tonight I am going to an art installation at the ferry terminal in town. Why not? It’s free. From there I might just take a ferry to Manhattan and attend cigar night at the Eagle. Since I went last month and handed out cards for the cigar shack, talking up business for the shack, I feel I should go and let the fellas know that I am no longer in the cigar shack’s employ and that they might as well go back to ordering their cigars online, rather than visit a place that let me go. It should make for an interesting evening overall.





20 Mellow Yellow