Category Archives: So how’s band camp?

I Dream of You

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I suppose it’s working retail that really tires me out. Dealing with people, standing around for 10 hours a day and not really going anywhere just walking around in circles will do that to you. Today was a day just like that.

Running around in circles. A lot of that today. Slept alright last night, my neck has been bothering me lately. Mainly it is from the pillows doing whatever it is that they want at night and for the past 2 nights I had a crink in my neck.

I was careful last night, doing my best to make sure that I would have much of a problem today. It worked somewhat, not much pain throughout the day. Still every now and then there would be a little twinge but not as bad as it had been.

I met Eliot Spitzer yesterday. he didn’t come into the cigar shop, but was walking by. I stepped outside and said hello, mentioning the mutual friend we had in common, a fantastic woman named Audra.

Audra went to school with my sister Annemarie and that’s how I knew her. And she was at the shindig that Bill and I had in July at Maxwells. He lit up when I mentioned Audra’s name and I later sent an email to Audra saying that I met the former Governor. Nice guy, shorter than I expected.

No bold face names like that today, except Don S. I left the cigar shop today to have lunch. It’s been warm enough, in the 40 degree range but the sidewalks are crap and the curbs and corners are lakes and ponds full of slush. Not much one can do about that.

Still it was good to get out of the store if only for an hour. Calvin still can’t understand why anyone would want to leave the cigar shop on their lunch hour. For him it would be difficult to come back inside. It is for me, but I realize it’s my duty, my job and someone is usually waiting for me to come back so they could take their lunch hour.

There is no news regarding Hyman Gross yet. Bill hasn’t heard anything and I doubt if Bill or myself were listed as a contact in case of emergency. We can only hope that no news is good news.

Tomorrow is New Year’s Eve. Bill and I will likely have dinner at Arthur’s Steakhouse in Hoboken, a short stroll around Hoboken, smoking cigars, going home for a spell before heading over to Rand & Lisa’s for their New Year’s Eve open house.

It’s what we’ve been doing for the past 10 years and if Rand & Lisa are willing we’ll probably be doing the same thing for the next 10 years.

Calvin did mention hanging out for a little while after work, to enjoy some nice cigars for the end of the year. He said Sean and the Bradley were into it, so basically I was cornered. I don’t mind. We’re closing the cigar shop at 5:00 so I hope to be home by 7:00. At least that’s the plan so far.

Don’t know if I’ll be writing tomorrow. Do you?




I’ll Come Running

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OK, it’s Tuesday, I know that much. It has been a decent day. Marcus was not in the shop when I showed up and Calvin had the day off, leaving Don and Bradley and myself to run the shop. It wasn’t bad.

There were moments when Bradley was going off, being outrageous for the sake of being outrageous, like I used to do when I was 16. And Don was busy telling certain customers of his plans for leaving the cigar shop behind.

Most of them, nay- all of them were happy to hear the news and wished him well. He has a few contacts within the customer group that he’s going to do work for as well. Don is quite computer savvy, and tried to get me involved with these situations but alas, I am not as computer savvy as he is.

I might be more computer savvy than the average guy on the street, but there are still others more savvy than me. He has bolstered my ego somewhat, that Don. So the way things are going, Bradley will assume Don’s duties at the shop, coming in early, doing an inventory check and leaving around 7:00.

I’ll remain with the schedule of coming in late and leaving late. I guess that’s fine, since I’m not a morning person and wouldn’t want to commute during the rush hour. After Thanksgiving (which will be here, 2 weeks from this Thursday) I’ll be going in at 12:30 and leaving at 10:30 or thereabouts.

Such is the retail life. But there was one customer than came in this evening who asked if I worked in finance before working in the cigar shop. I explained my positions, office manager, office services, reception.

It turns out that he’s working with a company that I interviewed with this time last year. Nothing happened with that office team and I still send an email to them, to remind them I am still looking.

No word from that Mr. Castillo and according to the customer, Mr. Castillo is no longer employed by that office team. The customer did ask that I send him a resume and I will do that very soon.

Still I hang onto the epiphany that even though it’s not the job that I want (the cigar shop) it is the job I have, and there still aren’t many jobs out there to be had. So the resume was sent out once again. Hope is still there, but also somewhat satisfied (?) with the fact I am still working.

And getting a free cigar a day and a nice discount on cigars is a nice perk. I met Tico Torres from Bon Jovi yesterday. He’s the drummer. Nice guy, never met him before but I said I had as I shook his hand.

It was Jon Bon Jovi that I met when I was working at Right Track, Jon’s cousin Barry Bongiovi (super nice guy and quite handsome) was the manager of the studio at that time.

That’s it for now.