NARTH | johnozed

Another hot day and it’s a Saturday so that means there are a few more people than usual on the sidewalks while there is more parking than usual on the street. Bill was up and out once again, driving a bus load of young Turks around the metropolitan area. And he will be sleeping in a hotel out by Hofstra University tonight since he has to drive the young Turks around again tomorrow. He asked me if I could bring his trousers and a shirt to his office building tomorrow just in case he can’t make it back home tomorrow.

I got up early this morning and was soon running around Hoboken. I had some things to get done and wanted to do them before it got too hot. This time I was on the street before high noon so it wasn’t that bad. A trip to the exotic Shop Rite to get some on sale items that the nearer supermarket charges way too much for. I decided once I got home, to cook dinner since it would be way too hot to do it later in the afternoon. A smart idea, all I would have to do is reheat the penne and chicken with the pesto. Yes, I fell back to that recipe which I hadn’t had in a while.

I started cooking it last week and it was so good I figured, why not have it again this weekend? So that’s been taken care of and I ate it about a half hour ago. I was out by the river reading again this afternoon, finally finished Maggie the Mechanic and now I have Perla La Loca to read. I also have another collection of later Love and Rockets stories and the Palomar tome. And I still feel like Hoboken is a bit like Dairytown. Lots of faux hawks and mohawks worn by young people around town. It doesn’t mean they are punk or anything like it. They’re not Travis Bickle disciples. They’re merely trendy.

And not enough people have tattoos. Of course I am being facetious. There are way too many tattoos these days. It’s a turn off. I can understand one or two discreet tattoos, but covering the whole arm, or leg, or chest or back. Not my thing, to each their own. Will they be regretted as the wearer gets older? Is it time for me to look into a career in laser tattoo removal? Is there a school or course I could take? And will I get to bring the laser home and do crazy things with it? I don’t know exactly what I could do with a laser but I did read enough comic books when I was a lad to get some ideas.

Last night, coming home from Maxwells with Bill after dinner I got a phone call from Julio. Stine and Alexander are in Denmark so Julio is feeling lonely. He wanted me to take him out for a birthday drink but when I explained I was with Bill for his birthday, he remembered. I told him we could do something tonight but I haven’t heard from him yet. It’s still early, the sun is still out, it’s the longest day of the year according to Neil DeGrasse Tyson and the ‘leap second’ which passed about a half hour ago.

The call could still come through, and if so I bet that Julio wants to go to the Biergarten near his place. Convenient to him, a bit out of the way for me. It’s been a while since we hung out like that so that could still happen. If not I will be content to stay home and just chill out. I am going out tomorrow night anyhow, seeing the Feelies with my brother Brian at Maxwells, thanks to their great drummer Stan with his pen, getting me in with a plus one.

Hello Nick Colas and Hello Bruce Horowitz. Hope you are both doing well. I am fine, you should drop a line, let me know how you guys are doing. Either or…

15 Foolish Pride

Another day another dingus. Yes it’s Tuesday and after a nice day like yesterday today was bound to be a bit of a let down. I did sleep fairly well last night. Bill came home from his readings last night and I of course greeted him at the door with a nice kiss, helping him with his backpack as well as removing his hat. He looked great and he’s been losing weight since he’s taking more care in what he eats as well as a lot more exercise than he’s been used to.

Bill ran into Thomas on the train last night. He didn’t know it was Thomas, whom I work with, he thought it might have been an actor that he worked with, or perhaps someone from his office. A manly hug was exchanged. Bill came home and asked me what Bradley looked like. I described him as best as I could without having to crawl around on my belly. My impersonation of Thomas thankfully did not involve a steel rod up my ass. But it was a good imitation of Thomas and Bill got it almost right away.

I woke up on time as usual this morning, had my coffee brewed by Bill once again. I poured a bowl of cereal and jumped in the shower. I hadn’t shaved in a few days so that was a requirement today. I was out the door at the usual time, walking to the bus stop, enjoying a cigar and waiting in the quite warm weather. No coat needed and I had my tie neatly folded away in my shoulder bag.

I have to admit I was a bit apprehensive about going to work, as I usually am when I have a day off. Not knowing what to expect, except for the pressure to sell sell sell. But no one is coming in in in. It’s very slow in the cigar shack area. All the store around us are slow. Things might pick up by Father’s Day in June, but the pressure is on Zack and then onto us since shit does roll downhill.

Bradley and Jerry Vale were my cohorts most of the day, Zack out of the office at a meeting somewhere. Lunch was nice, spent once again on a bench by the park where I started reading Retromania by Simon Reynolds. More academic than I anticipated but I muddled through. The footnotes were a welcome distraction, a timeline with how pop culture is fixated on the past, not looking forward the way it used to be.

Now we are listening to Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Live Rust. That got a lot of airplay on WPIX at the end of the 1970’s. This weekend the news about about Robin Gibb being in a coma. Colon cancer, liver cancer and now pneumonia. Robin seems to be headed out. Today I heard my brother Brian (as well as Harpy) that Levon Helm is on his way out. Both seem to have only a few days left, if at that.

Thank you for the music, Robin & Levon.

09 – Our Day Will Come