Category Archives: Mood Mambo

Ages of You

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It’s Monday again. How that happened I’ll never know. Woke up to the sounds of the Rascals singing ‘It’s a beautiful morning…♫ and I searched for the snooze button while the Arif Mardin production went on. No fault of the Rascals and definitely not Arif’s fault. It was battleship gray outside once again and I just wanted to sleep. But no, work was waiting and I had to get out of bed. Made coffee, had cereal, showered and then I was out after getting dressed. I no longer hustle to get the 7:10 bus, instead I take my time and catch the 7:20 bus. Not as nice a bus, but usually less crowded.

Got to the city and for some reason I decided to play REM’s first album, Murmur on my iPod. I remember when I first got the record around the same time I got my first Walkman. It was the beginning of the cassette age for me. I wanted a Walkman for Christmas a few months before, but my father, figuring that I was mentally retarded said no. I would more than likely be crossing train tracks and playing music so loudly that I wouldn’t hear the oncoming train taking me to my death.

Instead of a Walkman I got a Sears cassette deck with an AM/FM radio. I was crestfallen that Christmas upon opening the box and instead of seeing Sony, I saw Sears. Still I had to show some gratitude and thanked both my parents for the tape deck before going up to my room and beating up my bed in frustration. I didn’t have a car at that time and still trucked around wherever it was I had to go with the tape deck cradled in my arm. It was 1983 so I was probably jazzy all the time. I walked to the 7 Eleven in the snow, just to get out of the house, just to get high.

Eventually I got a car and wound up driving the company van for the book company I worked for. On one lunch hour I decided to take my cash and go to one of the rip off shops by Grand Central where I bought a Walkman II for about $80.00. Soon enough I was putting everything on cassette and playing it wherever I would go. I wasn’t stupid enough to wear it while driving, I did have the Sears cassette deck for that.

One occasion, one of the last reunions of a sort while my mother was alive, had my parents and me with brother Brian and his then fiancée Karen driving down to Bordentown NJ. I was playing Murmur over and over, and loudly too. Loud enough for my mother to complain that I was going to go deaf playing it that loud. I grumbled and lowered the volume, staring out the window at whatever it was that we were driving past.

We made it to my cousin Eileen’s house, where we sat in her backyard and smoked cigarettes (everyone was doing it) and drank Budweiser (everyone was doing that too). Don’t remember much about going home but we made it all in one piece and didn’t get pulled over. All these memories came flooding forth while playing Murmur, which still stands up on it’s own, a near perfect record. Finally got to see REM at McSwells touring for Murmur.

It was one of the first shows that they sold tickets to, and I swear there were only about 30 people in the back room watching a shaggy Michael Stipe hang on the the microphone for dear life while tossing his curly locks to and fro. Won’t be seeing that again anytime soon. Michael Stipe with hair that is.

Here are some pics from an errand this afternoon in midtown.

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Neighborhood with Slow Children
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Gray Manhattan
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Silver Cup Studios where Julio was working today
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Above The Clouds

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Man is it a dreary Monday or what? Warm, a bit but drizzly all day long. Perfect weather for a Monday. Last night was very mellow, Bill came home. That was nice, many tales to tell about what he’s been up to. He’s stage managing a play that opens soon. It seems to be going well. He made himself a nice pasta supper, I’m pretty sure he enjoyed it. He was nice enough to leave the pots and pans in the sink. I let them soak last night, and they were there, just waiting for me in the sink when I came home an hour ago.

I really can’t complain, since I can wash the pots and pans myself, and I’m sure I’ve done it myself at some point. Hey- if you want to use them, then somebody has got to clean them. That’s just one of the differences between Bill and myself. I can make a pasta dinner in one pot, and wash them immediately after I’ve eaten. I even prefer to make him his dinner since I can do it faster with more efficiency. But this is how it’s been and I’ve basically resigned myself to it. I watched John Adams, part four. Adams is being sent as an envoy to the Court of St. James, meeting King George III, Adams was accompanied by his wife Abigail. A few scenes with Thomas Jefferson last night as well. Jefferson is quite an interesting character.

Almost makes me want to rent Merchant Ivory’s Jefferson in Paris, starring Nick Nolte. Was never so inclined before, I guess it’s the influence of the mini series. Paul Giamatti is a difficult actor sometimes, though he’s excellent as John Adams. There was a scene in the show last night when John and Abigail were disembarking from a ship from England and there was fanfare to greet them. My first thought was that the crowds were there for someone else. But no, I was wrong. Who else would it be? John Adams was regarded as a hero returning. There was an interesting scene for Washington’s inauguration, Washington repeating the words of the Justice, and where the Justice was yelling the words, Washington, spoke very quietly causing everyone to strain to hear what he was saying. I doubt if someone standing next to Washington would have heard the oath of office.

It was similar to the Sermon on the Mount in the Life of Brian, though in that film, people in the distance, Brian’s crowd, kept mishearing everything that Jesus was saying, which was probably how it actually turned out. ‘Blessed are the cheese makers?’ ‘I think he meant all dairy products.’ Tried watching Tracy Ullmann last night, but sometimes I just don’t get her, or rather, I have to be in the mood for her. Forgot what we watched after that, obviously it made little or no impression.

Work was slow today and everyone was in. The company that had been leasing the office space with us cleared out. They’re still on the lease until next year but it was sad to see these people go. No heartbreaking sadness, just knowing the office will definitely be emptier without them. Moe came in today as well. Today was supposed to be his last day, but according to him, it wasn’t. He’ll be freelancing somehow and still in the office. He’s still the fast talker and a harbinger of doom. He was going on about how the partners were going to have to take a pay cut (?) and that heads will roll. He made a point to tell me that one of the heads wasn’t mine. But how much of what he has to say is bullshit? I guess time will tell.