Category Archives: the day after yesterday

The Hardest Part

3 Replies

Just had a nap. A little longer than I hoped. I asked Bill to give me a call when he was leaving the office but I don’t think he did. So instead of waking up at 5:30, I woke up at 6:45. Not so bad.

Today has been a day of wearing a suit and tie and pounding the pavement. Got up at 7:45 this morning for an interview at 11:00 at the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle. I puttered around this morning, having coffee.

Even watched the Today show, grateful that Matt Lauer was nowhere to be seen. After showering I trimmed my goatee a bit, it was looking a little weedy. Had breakfast, and checked my emails and at 9:30 headed out to catch the bus.

Same types of people waiting for the bus, of course none of them put out their hands to signal the driver to stop, so I did and the bus stopped where I stood. I was surprised they had an easy pay machine like they have at certain stores next to the fare box. My how things change within a few months.

I was early enough and wandered around the Time Warner Center which is basically a high end shopping mall under an office building. Spoke to Bill who told me to break a leg. He also called the interview, an audition.

I got to the office building, showed my ID at the lobby desk then instructed to a room off to the side to have my shoulder bag scanned in an x-ray machine. Then I rode up to some very nice offices.

The company I was interviewing with is a screening company, meaning they see me first then recommend me to the actual company. And if I pass the background check, which I should, then there should be no problem.

It’s all up to the company. Not naming the company right now on this blog, but they did receive bail out money and are no longer an investment bank, they’re an actual bank thanks to the Federal Reserve. The original job I applied for was an office manager but since I only oversaw 20 people and not the 150 plus they had hoped for, a receptionist position was suggested and I readily agreed.

Can’t be too choosy.

The first person I met, Barbara was very nice and of course I was all about the eye contact. Wisely I took a Xanax before the interview so any edginess was gone. The interview went well, Barbara telling me that that the company had 5 offices in Manhattan which were going to be consolidated into one building and that they also had an office in Jersey City which will remain.

I told her getting into Manhattan was no big deal and that the Jersey City office would be within walking distance. She didn’t know that Hoboken and Jersey City were right next to each other. I even asked pertinent questions afterward.

I usually draw a blank at that and wind up saying, in an attempt to compliment them by saying they had answered all my questions during the interview. Barbara went to see if someone named Nick would be available to see me and I sat in a very nice conference room overlooking Columbus Circle and Central Park.

Nick came in and I resumed eye contact, answering all his questions and hopefully making a good impression. It was over soon enough and I’d like to think I made a good impression and that it went well. If I get the job I would start right away.

I went outside, called Bill and told him and of course, Bill was quite supportive. Since I was in the city I decided to walk around a bit.

Even though I knew Paul McCartney was probably in England, I walked by Eastman and Eastman. You never know, right. But no Macca was to be seen. I then walked over to 65 east 55th Street and gave a former co-worker Vinnie a call.

Vinnie was going to lunch and came down a few minute early. It was great to see him, he and his family are doing well. It was good to see Vinnie. I put him down as a reference and gave him the heads up. He was soon headed to lunch with his colleagues and I was on my way. I decided to walk over to my former job to see Greg Stevens.

I wasn’t sure if he was in but he was. Since the company he worked for is in Los Angeles, they don’t get into their offices until 9:00PST so he now comes into his office around noon.

Once again he was having some problems with the computer and I was able to help him out, once again telling him to step away from his computer so I could sit at his desk and do a few things like close some tabs on his browser which might have been slowing things down.

He’s a good guy. He may need my help next month when he leaves the former office and moves to a smaller space. Also saw some other people, the other tenants in the office. They were happy to see me, remarking that it looked like I lost some weight.

I’m sure I did, don’t know how much I lost but looking at the picture I posted last night of Bill and myself protesting in Times Square last weekend I really do look a bit thinner. Even the shirt I wore today, sized 17.5/35 was not as snug around the neck as it used to be.

That’s a good thing. Walked down to the Path train, following my old route and read the November 2 issue of the New Yorker. That’s how far behind I am.

I’d really like a job, if only to catch up with the New Yorker.

tw center

Burn Down the Mission

Leave a reply

Ugh, so tired. Been a good day though. Mainly spent by myself. Whatever manic high I was on the past couple of days has faded along with the sun on this autumn evening. Ooh, how poetic.

Last night Bill was driving off to Atlantic City again, so I was home alone. Following my sister’s advice, I looked up some holiday songs to play. Had an idea, that since I made $3.00 yesterday, if I can play some holiday songs during the holiday season, I might make some more money. Maybe $5.00 next time.

I looked up Jingle Bells, Jingle Bell Rock, Sleigh Ride, Winter Wonderland all of which were OK. But the song I was more interested in was 2000 Miles by the Pretenders. I love Chrissie Hynde’s voice and in my head I can approximate her vocal stylings and I wouldn’t change the pronouns.

I’d sing, “He’s gone, 2000 miles/It’s very far” and be happy with it. Any eyebrows raised by the fact that a guy is singing about missing another guy wouldn’t be my problem. The fact that it’s easy to play is a definite plus. I practiced that for a while.

Also reacquainted myself with the Rolling Stones Wild Horses, as well as Bob Marley’s Jamming. No TV really last night, mostly listening to music. Saturday Night Live was a repeat and I didn’t want to watch Shakira again for some reason.

I did watch Live from the Artists Den which had Aimee Mann on. To my chagrin I enjoyed her performance. I suppose since she’s put Till Tuesday behind her, I can too. It was live at a church somewhere in Los Angeles.

After that I went to bed and the dream I remember was me being a good friend of Belle Du Jour, or rather Billie Piper from Diary of a Call Girl. She was fun to hang around with and it was an interesting and erotically charged dream.

Nothing happened, just sexuality was in the air. One big bloke was definitely into me and I was feeling the same way but one or two anti-Semitic comments from him put the kibosh on whatever was going to happen.

Some disappointing things happened last night, both involving Facebook. One person who I suggested something to, did not take my suggestion under consideration which made me think whatever it is they’re planning will only go so far. Damn cannabis clear thinking!

Another Facebook contact, did not get a joke I made and took it too seriously which made me think that this person I thought was cool at one point is really a big jerk. Too bad I didn’t know it earlier, having known this person for about 20 years or so makes me want to wash my hands of their project and walk away.

Not terribly anxious about the thing that they have planned either and wish it was behind me already. But that’s life.

Bill came home this morning around 11:00 and went to bed. I told him I might be gone by the time he wakes up and he was fine with that. I decided to go out and play by Pier A again around 12:30.

I had no idea whether Tim or Tariq would be around and they weren’t. I was armed with new songs to play and gladly set myself up in the sunshine and played from 1:00 to about 3:45.

2000 Miles was enjoyable and I sang it a bit, which was fun. Not too loud though. As the sun went west, I went south a few benches to stay in the sun and out of the shadow of the buildings. I played the hell out of Maybe I’m Amazed, so much so that my arm locked up a bit.

Easily shook it off though and played open chords until I felt comfortable to play barre chords again.

At one point, a shabby couple came up to me, both wearing plastic rosary beads around their dirty necks. The woman asked if she could strum my guitar a bit and being a nice guy I said sure. She did a little doodle on the guitar, played for less than a minute and gave the guitar back.

They walked off and I started to play again, but couldn’t play a complete song without making a mistake. The woman, Linda was the succubus’ name, stole my Mojo. Horrifying!

It was getting cold out and I was back in the shadow of the buildings but I would give up until I can play a song without any major mistakes. It took a while but I was eventually able to play Wild Horses at a slower tempo.

I didn’t make any money today and was ignored by most everyone that walked by this afternoon. I was fine with that though. That’s the thing about busking, sometimes there’s money, sometimes there isn’t.

Maybe Saturday is a better day, with people giving away their change to various churches and other superstitious institutions that they get dressed up for and attend on a Sunday. I’m very annoyed with the news this morning that NJ catholic churches were announcing their fight against same sex marriage.

After reading about how for the past 30 plus years the child sexual abuse that has been going on in Ireland and covered up by both the church and the Irish government, I can’t help but think these bastards in gowns are using same sex marriage as a boogeyman to distract people from the fact that children have been routinely raped and sodomized by this world wide ring of pedophiles.

I think Sinead O’Connor was right. Fight the real enemy.