Category Archives: STFU

I’m So Bored with the U.S.A.

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Just got home. Checked Facebook. My brother Brian posted a YouTube clip of Elvis, Suspicious Minds. I don’t need to hear the song or watch the video to have the song become an ear worm and burrow it’s way into my brain.

And perhaps I’ve infected you with the mere writing of Suspicious Minds. For that I apologize.

Woke up this morning around 6:00AM, the usual for some but not for me. Bill was kissing me goodbye and also telling me about a bus hijacking in the Philippines, 8 passengers killed, the bus driver lived. Horrible news to wake up to.

I didn’t understand what Bill was saying but despite not knowing what he was saying was enough to cause the next 2 hours to be fraught with tension, with me not being able to go back for a proper sleep.

I just talked with Bill about it and he said he didn’t tell me anything about the bus hijacking, just wished me a good day and that he would see me tonight. I suppose that is what caused the tension.

“I love you baby, have a good day and I will see you tonight” “Leave me the fuck alone!”
Ah, we still have the romance in our relationship.

The work day was the usual drudgery. We had a big shipment of cigars in yesterday and it took four of us to put them all in stock. Today it was learned the order was not for our cigar shop. They found out before I came in and all 7 boxes we were packed and sealed to be shipped out again.

That all happened before I came in and it accounted for the harried looks on Marcus and Don Birch. The day was mediocre at best. I held up my end though. Raymond came in an hour or so later, after attending to family matters.

One of my first customers was a rather rotund gent Boob Zimet. I did my best to help him in the humidor and duly wrote down the cigar numbers for inventory.

I rang up his purchase and asked him if he wanted any of his cigars cut. “Yes, but not by you.” WTF? Marcus overheard that and came running out to make sure I didn’t slug the guy or comment on his ever widening girth.

Turdlike Boob Zimet waddled out and Marcus did a quick search for him online. To my surprise it turns our pus factory Boob Zimet works at the rather large law firm that Jason Flom’s dad used to work at. In fact, fat, old, & stupid Boob Zimet is a senior partner or something like that.

Marcus confirmed that the guy was a real asshole, and that’s really not Mike’s style to use language like that. It’s my style actually.

I found out that I was hired to replace Harold, not just fill in for him while he was attending the natural bodybuilding/rent boy conference in Miami Beach.

That’s what I was told when I started, but now it turns out they wanted Harold out of there and were looking for any excuse which they found when they looked at his attendance records.

Tomorrow night I have to attend a gathering of the cigar shop employees. It may be at the Carnegie Club, or it may be at the shop. Drinks and cigars are in order. I’d prefer the Carnegie Club, but for Don Birch it would be a hassle. I’m the one who lives out of state, on the mainland. He lives in Washington Heights.

In any event, I’d rather not, but I must so that’s where I will be. I don’t know if I’ll be writing or when I will be writing if I do. So that remains to be seen I guess.

Tonight’s walk from the shop was courtesy of Talking Heads, More Songs About Buildings & Food. From Thank You for Sending Me an Angel to The Girls Want to Be with the Girls. 15 minutes and 19 seconds.

Last night’s walk was from a Led Zeppelin playlist, from Good Times Bad Times to Misty Mountain Hop, 4 songs in 15 minutes, 58 seconds. And a thanks is in order to Gary Nelson for reading and commenting on this misbegotten blog.

The Doppleganger of Bobby Zimet


The woman was talking loudly behind me in French.

I’ll Give You All Night to Stop

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It’s been a lovely Saturday afternoon. A lovely day all around. Last night wasn’t so bad either. I just watched TV, saw the 2nd Kids in the Hall episode on IFC. Forgot about the first. Just as funny as they used to be. They age just like us!

I watched the Soup last night, so I guess it was mainly all about comedy and laughter. Does anyone remember laughter?

I went to bed around 12:45 but was unable to sleep. After 20 minutes I got out of bed, telling the air conditioner, the fans, the pillows and most of all the bed that I was leaving the room and that when I came back I had better be asleep.

Yes, I talk to objects all the time. I hesitate to call them inanimate. I’ve actually done that all my life.

After about a half hour of checking emails and responding to Kevin Crud’s comments I went back to the bedroom where the appliances and the bed were waiting for me and within minutes I was asleep. Slept really well and woke up around 10:00.

Oh it was so nice to sleep in on a Saturday morning. It’s really something special. As I was making coffee Bill walked through the door laden with dry cleaning. I told him I would have picked them up for him and he said he texted me.

He did. I didn’t know it until after the fact. I soon went out for bagels and the paper, and picked up my own dry cleaning. After a nice breakfast, I did my own laundry and after 2 washes I decided to go out. Another stop at the dry cleaners with 2 shirts I had left behind.

Then I headed over to the bibliothèque to drop the Love & Rockets compilation but absentmindedly left it at home. I took the light rail over to the Newport Mall and looked at Rockports in Macy’s.

It was a mess and pandemonium. And they didn’t have the Rockports I had seen online. I did have my 3:00 phone call with Annemarie though.

We both agreed that what happened at the Swell Season show in California was truly a horrible, horrible thing. I feel so bad for the Swell Season. In case you didn’t know the Swell Season is a band featuring the man & woman from the charming Irish indie film, Once.

I went into Justin’s and bought two pair of lavender socks. And then went next door and bought a few pair of OTC TNT’s. No shoes, but had socks. Had a nice walk home, past Bobby Risotto’s building. Didn’t know it was his birthday until I got home.

Bill was awake from his nap and was getting ready to drive a bus back to Atlantic City. Before he went out he asked me to drop some shirts and a tie at the dry cleaners, making it 3 visits to Cary’s today.

On the way there I ran into Rand and Lisa coming back from the supermarket. A nice chat with a few laughs was had. A quick jaunt to the supermarket for myself, and now I am back home.

The Dark Knight is playing behind me. I am going out tonight, to Joe’s Pub to see Adele Bertei, backed by the Raybeats with Gail Ann Dorsey on bass. I’m excited. I hardly ever go out these days.

I doubt I will write tomorrow, but I might add a post script to this here entry when I come back tonight. But I am not guaranteeing anything.

Have a good night.

“First they came for the Supermen, and I didn’t say anything since I wasn’t a Superman…”
Post Script 1
I got back from the show at Joe’s Pub about an hour. There are some pics and some videos but I’m having some difficulty with the programs to edit them. Adele Bertei was first up, opening the show. The Raybeats and Gail Ann Dorsey came on to silence. I started a round of applause.

I think they did Slaughter on 10th Avenue, I’m not sure. It was a song like that from a 1950-60’s detective show or film noir. Then Adele Bertei came out and sang Shakin’ All Over. They did mainly covers, Sam & Dave Wrap It Up, The Marvellettes The Hunter Gets Captured by the Game, James Brown There Was A Time and a handful of other songs. They played for about 45 minutes and came back for one encore.

I saw Pat Irwin from the Raybeats and told him what a fun show it was. I asked if the Raybeats were getting together again and he said it was unlikely. Pat’s other band Command V is playing on Wednesday but I doubt I could make it.

I didn’t stay for the headliner and I was back in Hoboken by 10:40 and that’s about it. A nice early night.

Jody Harris with Adele Bertei


Pat, Jody & Don- Raybeats with Gail Ann Dorsey

Post Script 2
It’s Sunday. Not doing the 500 word thing, but I am bending the rules. They’re my rules and I will bend them as I see fit. I really had a good time last night. I went by myself. I posted on Facebook a few times that I was going, and even wrote about it here on this blog. So it was really no secret what I was doing.

I got off at Christopher Street which I hadn’t done in a while and checked out a few shops on the way. Shops that a certain someone would have more than likely been freaked out about. I’ve gone to these shops with Pedro so it’s not so much a gay thing, since Pedro is as straight as Six O’clock.

After that I meandered over to Washington Square Park where I watched the crowd watching the acrobatic performers. Had a little cigar as I sat there, taking it all in and getting a wee bit damp from the fountains by my back.

Started to head towards Lafayette Street, walking along west 4th Street. Been a while since I’d been around there. Bottom Line gone. Tower Records gone. Dojo is still there though. Not much of a line outside Joe’s Pub. I was behind 2 lesbians who were there to see the headliner, Bettina Koster. They asked if I was there to see Bettina and I said no, I was there to see Adele Bertei. They seemed unimpressed.

Soon I was inside and turned down an offer of a table with it’s 2 drink minimum and $12.00 food order minimum. I opted for the bar which was not crowded. Had a nice sight line too. A few minutes later, out come Pat, Jody and Don with Gail Ann Dorsey. Followed by Adele Bertei.

It was a good set, but way too short. I left after their set, not staying for Bettina Koster. A quick walk back to the Path train on Ninth Street and I was back in Hoboken.

It would not have been done this way if I had gone with someone else. I was accountable to no one but myself. It was no secret. All one would have to do is read my Facebook status, like Dave Bell did, or this blog.

I had a good day today, just fartin’ around. Raining on and off. Finally was able to upload the videos which are below. I don’t regret going and I don’t regret not calling anyone up to tell them what I was doing. Some people are upset by this but I can think of two events where I went with someone and it went so badly, hurt feelings abounded.

With all of the fun and relative calm this weekend, it’s surprising that a 3 minute 42 second phone call came thisclose to ruining the good time that I had. Je Ne Regrette Rien.