Mood Mambo | johnozed

Well it’s Friday today and that’s good I guess. I am sure most of you made it through the week safely with no squabbles. It was a bit bumpy here but things have gotten better. It’s was that time, when Bill gets so tired and not much fun to be around. Nothing bad on his part, he just over does it and stretches himself too thin. And sometimes no matter how good the news is, or how happy someone is to see you, you’re just not in the mood and generally cranky. It happens to me and it happened to Bill.

But things are better, like I wrote. Hurt feelings don’t last mostly and there is no point in hanging onto them, they do not do anyone any good. Bill is off to Atlantic City once again and I am tracking him to give myself some peace of mind. Already he is at the border of Lodi and Hackensack. I guess he is picking up in Bergen County before heading south. I will hear from him once he gets to Atlantic City. Hard to believe but it was only a month ago that Atlantic City was almost under water. Nothing will prevent people from gambling I guess.

Today has been alright. I slept fairly well, waking up to Bill’s farewell kiss before he headed out. I got out of bed a little while after that. I had a dream that seemed to take place down the shore at a house that my family rented. My siblings were all there and at one point I decided to go to the beach and walking in the direction of the ocean I found myself at the intersection on Route 36 where Highlands borders with Rumson. That was about as far as I got before turning around in the dream.

Then I got back to the house and found that in order to get to one room, you had to climb a ladder and move a curtain so that a door could be opened. No one seemed to mind despite the fact that it was an odd way to go from one room to another. The dreams seem to have gotten very interesting, enough that I can actually remember them when I usually forget them once I am awake and starting my day.

I saw Shlomo today and talked with him for a bit while enjoying a cigar he blessed me with. I mentioned that he should get one of the Shop Local/Rebuild Hoboken signs that most stores have in their windows. I knew Jim Mastro created them so I had an actual reason to go to the Guitar Bar. And there was Mr. Wonderful himself and he did have a few of the signs. So I got one from Jim (who also loaned me a Bee Gees CD- Spicks & Specks) and headed back to the cigar shop where I gave it to Shlomo.

He set about putting it in the window and I headed out, picking up Raspberries for Bill since he asked me to get him some. Now I am home again, about to make some dinner. Nothing planned for tonight. I was invited to join the people who voted to save rent control at a nearby pub, but I reckon I will just be staying at home and saving some money. Next Friday, Bill and I are going to see Sinbad at the Apollo Theater.

It was my birthday present to Bill back in June, and now the date is here. Bill’s never been to the Apollo, where I have been a few times. It should be fun, we have good seats. It will be interesting since Bill loves Sinbad and has been reluctant to see live comedy since Bill has quite a rambunctious laugh, the type that could possibly draw the attention of the comic. So we shall see how that works out. It’s next Friday so there’s plenty of time to think about that.

Guitar Bar

Feels So Good

Yesterday and last night was a snow storm, today bright and sunny. More flooding though not as severe as it was last week. Still debris covers a lot of sidewalks in Hoboken, basements emptied of all contents. Beds, dressers and of course personal belongings piled up. I think the basement in my building has been cleaned out. I haven’t been down there since I threw out my stuff. Perhaps tomorrow I will go again. It does take its toll, just walking around the street and seeing people trying to put on a brave face while their lives and possessions are ruined.

When I tell people I lost a couple of hundred records (maybe 500), they’re sympathetic. All I need to do is just look a few doors down and see I got off easy. A friend online was almost bemoaning the fact that he can’t get from Jersey City to Brooklyn tonight to see a concert due to the lingering consequences of the Sandy storm last week. He realizes that his whining is stupid because of the fact that it is a minor inconvenience especially compared to others in this area. He does hope its better next week since there is a better show he wants to attend.

It’s hard for me to believe but I have not left Hoboken in almost two weeks. Usually I would jump into the city for something but I’ve been in town since the storm. Strangers still chat with one another as they walk past each other, wishing each other the best. I saw Jim Mastro and he’s still recovering from the storm. I’m not writing a lot about what he’s going through but I hope it works out. He lost a recording studio with some expensive, vintage equipment in it. Perhaps FEMA could help him out.

And despite when snow falls things generally look pretty, when it falls on debris it just looks terribly sad. I guess things are slowly getting back to something resembling normal in most of Hoboken. The bibliothèque is closed, been closed since last week. The majority of the employees are probably getting paid since they’re full time, but of course the part timers aren’t going to get paid. That’s just how things are. I do hope they open soon though since I do have items that need to be returned and the drop off boxes are filled to capacity.

And the Republican Party are licking their wounds, trying to figure out how they lost the election. Now that they’re number one job of making Barack Obama a one term President has failed will they cooperate? Will they help pass a jobs bill? Will both parties do something about climate change? Something has to be done. AIDS prevention, education, the crumbling infrastructure are all things that need to be taken care of as soon as possible. Also closing Guantanamo, getting the troops out of Afghanistan are on the list. I want the President to start kicking ass and not let them off the hook.

Have You Been Making Out OK