Category Archives: STFU

Aatavu Chanda

Leave a reply

There is drama. There is always drama. Whether or not the drama stems from the overweight woman sitting a few feet from your desk or the guy who runs the restaurant where you do bookkeeping or if you work for the Susquehanna Investment Group, there is drama no matter where you work.

And there is drama in the cigar shop. I can’t say I am participant in the drama, just some bloke sitting in the cheap seats. Raymond has filled me in on the drama from his point of view, how I have to watch what Marcus and Calvin are up to, especially with the hours I work.

The law is if you work over 40 hours you get paid time and a half. If you’re a resident of New York State, you have to work 44 hours. Since I live in Hoboken, therefore out of state, it’s 40 hours. I figure that if the payroll is done via ADP or Paychex, those companies know the law and I should be paid accordingly.

Of course I won’t know what happens until I get my paycheck on the 21st. I did tell Calvin yesterday about the fact that I was on time and waiting outside the shop when he was 15 minutes late. I don’t want to be marked as late when I was actually on time.

He said he was going to send a note about that. He also didn’t think I was working that day, which is strange since he’s the one who makes the schedule.

Calvin went home last night at the end of his shift, complaining of a scratchy throat. I was supposed to work with Calvin, Don and Sean who is a part timer. I was on time again this morning and after signing in, Sean came up to me to tell me that Calvin called in sick.

So it was just me, Don and Sean. Don is warming up to me, but he’s basically an introvert. Sean is a 19 year old father, crazy cute and studying Criminal Justice at John Jay College which is a block or two away from the shop.

It was certainly laid back today and it probably would not have been if Calvin made it in. Things got done, at a more relaxed pace. The day started out slow enough, we had the World Cup on in the cigar lounge but no one showed up to watch.

In fact, Sean and I smoked cigars during lunch while the US & UK soccer teams met with a tie score, 1-1. The cigar I smoked was a Padron 1964 Annivarsario Exclusivo, It was probably the best cigar I ever smoked.

It was cool hanging out with Sean. He’s a hip hop kid and pretty funny. I played the playlist I made the other day and Neil Young’s Harvest Moon came on. He started making jokes about hillbilly music once he heard the harmonica. I don’t think he ever hear or heard of Neil Young until today.

Midway through the cigar I had to get up and use the bathroom and when I got up, I felt a little dizzy from the cigar. In fact when I went back to work after lunch, I was pretty much buzzed.

Sean’s drama is that he does a lot of work at the shop, the walk in humidor is his domain and he’s quite knowledgeable about cigars as well. But with all his work, he doesn’t get a commission since he’s a part time worker. I would give him a reduced commission for all that he does. He had Don’s ear, but no sympathy from Don.

But that’s how this cigar shop operates. No official 15 minute breaks for an 8 hour shift, no sitting down on the job. It’s not like Farfetched with a stool to sit on for a minute or two while you work. Life was surely easier when I was unemployed and only had my own drama to deal with.

But here I am in the thick of it. A broke ass bloke in the cheap seats watching the drama unfold. Thanks to Led Zeppelin I walked down to the bus terminal in about 15 minutes. When Rock & Roll started I was inside headed to the gate with minutes to spare.

I noticed fingerprints on the glass partitions and felt a compulsion to clean them like I do at the shop. I resisted and read an issue of the New Yorker from a few weeks ago.

Apparently I can write after working the late shift, but once again I won’t post until tomorrow.

And now it’s tomorrow. Just got back from a walk around Hoboken. Ran into Juan Melli, super nice guy, does PR for City Hall here in Hoboken. They closed off Sinatra Drive like they used to in the 1980’s. Quite nice, not too crowded.

I was bemoaning the fact that they don’t close the drive along the river anymore, but here it was, the first day they had it closed to traffic until 6:00 PM. It’s where I met Juan who was riding his bike. Had a nice chat with him about the state of affairs in Hoboken and the sticky politics and a certain blogger who’s a creep.

It started with just a few drops when he headed north and I went south, and now it’s steadily raining. Bill is napping and I have to wake him up in a minute. He drove to Atlantic City on Friday and Saturday night and today is the first time I’ve seen him since Friday morning.

Looking forward to watching the season premiere of True Blood tonight, and I have to record it for my sister who will be here in less that a month. That’s about all I have to say for last night and today.

The obligatory Empire State Building shot



Sinatra Drive/River Road- closed to traffic


Near where I work


Some items I sell


Napping Bill


Photo by Juan Melli

Oh yeah, before all the drama I bought some bus tickets from a machine in the bus terminal. When I reached in for the tickets I found 2 Sacagawea dollar coins. Not bad at all.

For All We Know

Leave a reply

It’s a Monday again. I don’t mind. Less people on the streets, less people wandering around the Hoboken waterfront. Worked out fine for me. Last night I watched The Pacific and though there wasn’t much violence last night, it really hit home hardest out of all of the episodes.

Last night was all about the surviving Marines coming home after the war. No one maimed or seriously injured, but most of these Marines had internal damages to their minds. It was last night where I started to recognize most of these soldiers as the type that would be sitting around the U shaped bar at the VFW in twenty or thirty years.

There were a few scenes that brought the lump to the throat, specifically John Basilone’s widow visiting her late husband’s family for the first time. Not many of those soldiers left, as was noted in the end credits. The actors were listed and then the person they played and their history followed.

Treme was good too. I do have the occasional problem with Steve Zahn though. Some episodes he’s good and other episodes he’s not so good. I don’t know how many episodes are left but I’ll keep watching more than likely.

Stayed up late and watched Burn After Reading by the Coen brothers. Not the best from the Coens, but better than most. A few surprising twists in it. Don’t know if I would recommend it. This afternoon I was out by Pier A, strumming my guitar. Made a quarter.

It was encouraging.

I thought the Art Hams or something resembling pork products were supposed to be doing something in May up in Hamilton NY but that doesn’t seem to be in the works. At least not if I’m included.

Occasionally, some people make plans and I show an interest then it’s all hush hush until after the fact.

And some people always coming up with some plans, “A movie! A CD! And I want you, John to be in on it!” and when I say I would be in on it, I ask when and where and I will be there, I never hear anything about it again.

“A part for you John, where you wear a suit and tie and you smoke a cigar. Think you can do it?” I reply positively, even offer some more ideas to the project at hand, when seem to go over well then nothing is said until after the fact and if I then mention my ignorance I sometimes hear that I knew all about it.

Like playing in Hamilton, which is probably now, two people and a trombone doing who the fuck knows if it hasn’t happened already. It’s happened before, hearing afterward about two friends playing right up the street from me at an open mike. Turtle club anyone?

A while back I was somewhere with someone who told me about a project they had just completed. I asked why didn’t I know about it and they insisted that I did know about it. It’s just as well. I do my thing and they can do whatever.

I suppose my request to do the voice of a radio DJ has fallen by the wayside. I may have been replaced, that is if that project still exists. Once again, besides the initial idea presented to me and my interest in doing whatever is asked, I’ve heard nothing. Perhaps a fourth party or someone else will tell me all about it.

And also the Last Sunday of the Month Shakespeare reading seems to be no more. It was a good idea while it lasted and it was fun. But there are no more brunches at Maxwells and I’m not too keen on participating in the process in someone’s kitchen.

from last week.

from last week.


Next day, 5.18.10 a new attitude. Not so bitter and resentful.