Back at the Cigar Shack. It’s a Monday for everyone, for me it’s like a Friday since I have Tuesday & Wednesday which is quite nice I think. Yesterday was the inventory day at the Cigar Shack. I came home exhausted on Saturday night and finished up what I had started writing earlier in the day.

I took a Melatonin and soon fell asleep a little after midnight. Bill was still working, filling ticket orders for sporting events in the metropolitan area. He came home at 4:00 in the morning and at 5:15 he was standing above me asking me what time did I want to wake up. I said 5:00 and he told me it was 5:15.

I sat bolt upright in bed and immediately had a tantrum. Hitting the bed with my hands on each side of my body yelling ‘No No No!’ Still I got out of bed and showered, made some cereal and had some coffee. Bill went to bed after making sure I was awake and he gave me the number for a cab company so I could get a ride to the Path train.

No buses on Sundays in Hoboken until 7:00 which is when I was expected to be at the cigar shack. I got on the train thinking that I might be able to close my eyes for at least a few minutes but the coffee I had prevented that. I got off the Path and caught another train uptown.

I got off that train at the proper station and wandered around bleary eyed and limping. Too many staircases. Too damn early. I also took a Naproxen which sort of zoned me out. I was headed to get some coffee when I heard someone say I was walking like a pimp. It was Calvin. He was going to Starbucks and I was headed elsewhere.

The day wasn’t as bad as I expected. Things went smoothly since the store was prepped all week for the inventory and the Bradley and I put the finishing touch on everything on Saturday night. There were about 20 people in the store all counting and recounting and thanks to the prep work it went very easily.

I was beat though, from the Naproxen and from getting up early. I counted everything correctly though, at least I think I did. No mistakes, no corrections. Marcus brought in donuts and coffee and that is what I sustained myself with.

Where Marcus usually ordered pizza for everyone, this year it was every man for himself. Most of the bean counters went home by then while Thomas and the Bradley got their food. I wasn’t sure what to do since all I had was a stomach full of coffee and donuts.

Calvin made a point to tell me that the store will have to be put back together after lunch. Then Calvin went out to get his lunch. Marcus was still running around, making sure everything was counted and recounted correctly.

Then Marcus turned to me and asked if I closed the store the night before. I told him that I had and then he said I was free to go home. I asked if he was sure about that since I would take him up on it and he said he was sure, shaking my hand and thanking me for everything. Nice to hear.

I got my stuff and started to head out when in walks Calvin, asking me if I was going to get my lunch. Marcus told him that I was going home since I had closed the store the night before. If looks could kill, Calvin would have had me dead right there and then. But I didn’t ask to go home early, I was offered an early leave and I took it.

Had a fun phone call with Annemarie while waiting for the bus and I then came home and slept for about 45 minutes, not enough really but it helped. Bill and I watched TV before heading to bed. I expected Calvin to say something to me today about my departure yesterday but he didn’t say anything.

Still his method is usually bringing it up at a later date, when I will be totally unprepared for it.

******* 12:04AM
I met Anthony Weiner today. Forgot to write that. Nice guy, handsome and asked me my name as he shook my hand.

Back to work today after a good night’s sleep. Still not feeling all that great but the relationship between Bill and myself is stronger than ever. I really do love him so and apparently I said a few of the right things to say to him when I got home on Sunday night.

I wish I can remember what they were, but until I do I’ll just play along. Last night’s sleep was quite good, had a few dreams one involving Macca, the other involving being almost killed by a crane when it dropped whatever it was that was being suspended.

In the dream I was laying on the ground looking up and realizing that it was going to fall, I moved a few feet out of the way before it came crashing down. Any dream interpretations are welcome.

I’m pretty sure standing around for 9 hours a day is doing some damage to my leg. I just sat in the man cave with my leg elevated somewhat and now it feels better. Still tonight, I won’t walk down to the bus terminal, I’ll give it up to the MTA along with my $2.25.

Listening to David Byrne’s The Catherine Wheel right now at the cigar shack and also right now I am in third sales wise.

Cassandra Wilson came into the store today. When she came in I wondered to myself if that was Cassandra Wilson and then Calvin asked her if she was who he thought she was and when she answered that she was and I was surprised to have been correct.

No jazz queer me, but Thomas who is a jazz queer had no idea who she was. She was nice and sat in the man cave, smoking cigarillos and talking with the men folk.

I was incredibly anxious about going into work today since I called in sick. Probably since I hadn’t followed the mythical corporate handbook previously, I felt they would have said something about how I dialed the phone, or the way I left a 45 second voice mail.

But no, nothing was said. In fact Marcus has the same symptoms as I did. And so did Pedro who had chicken wings to my chicken fingers on Sunday afternoon.

Does this have anything to do with the solar storms, the earthquakes, or maybe because some Christianists have predicted the world to end next month? I have to make to Thursday, my next day off as well as a meeting I am taking in the building where the Coneheads flew off from in the late 1970’s.

I doubt I will be in the same spot as Margaret Bourke White in her iconic photograph from way back when. Just about an hour left in my day here in the cigar shack. It can’t end soon enough.

I am going to try to make that 9:42 bus and ride with Bill & Hyman. That means sneaking out a little early but I really don’t care, which is the wrong attitude to have but it’s all that I got.

I caught the bus with Hyman, Bill was unable to catch the bus. He was missed.