Category Archives: the day after yesterday

Three Girl Rhumba

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Still ill. Last night was low key as expected. Just lay about the apartment, Bill came home carrying juice and concerned about me. There are moments when I feel just a little bit out of it, then there are moments when I can’t make sense of anything. Watched TV, avoided O & RM to Bill’s chagrin. Did watch the Daily Show and Colbert Report but wasn’t paying much attention.

Reading the latest Uncut magazine, good article on Bob Dylan, specifically about the albums from Oh Mercy to Love and Theft, his last studio record which came out on September 11, 2001. Talk about bad timing, it’s like the release for Phil Spector’s Christmas Album which came out on November 22, 1963. At least that’s the folklore.

Dylan’s new record in the bootleg series is outtakes from Oh Mercy to Love and Theft, and if you’ve read Dylan’s autobiography, Chronicles Volume One, a portion of that book is about the Oh Mercy sessions in New Orleans. Being in the state that I’m in reading is not as easy since my concentration is not what it usually is.

I did feel somewhat better when I went to sleep and slept fairly well though I did hit Bill once or twice during the night. I really don’t think it’s malicious, he’s just there, in the way of my nocturnal arm swinging. Perhaps I have restless arm syndrome. It is disconcerting.

I woke up at 6:00 and got myself together and went to work. I felt relatively ok. Bus was mighty crowded this morning. Saw Casey who asked the woman sitting next to me to exchange seats which she did. Casey asked how I was doing and I told him I was a bit ill after shaking his hand which made him feel like he was going to be sick. I lent him my bottle of Purel.

We talked about politics which no one on the bus talks about. No one on the bus talks about anything really. On the bus there’s this guy that I used to see with his wife when I worked at a video store on Washington Street years ago.

I know he recognizes me and I certainly recognize him but we don’t say anything to each other since it’s been about 17 years since I worked there and the store is no more. I only brought him up because once Casey and I hit the bus terminal Casey takes the subway across town and I walk, and this morning as I was crossing Park Avenue and 49th street- there was the video store guy, so he takes the subway as well but if he’s at Park Avenue the same time as I am then I make good timing while walking.

It has to be a major event for me to take the subway. Either a massive storm or I am feeling sick will get me underground.

The office was empty when I came in. Greg Stevens came in soon after me and we talked. Apparently Esteban, the last of the stooges was let go yesterday making the head count 4. He’s still going to be on staff some how, any projects that come up, he will be called in on. I had to distribute the payroll, 4 checks.

I checked the paperwork and found that I’m the only one getting paid. The officers of the company Vivek, Greg Stevens and Tom Chin are not. I guess they’re making a living out of investing in the company but there’s not much of a living to be made.

There are deals and contracts that are waiting to be completed but the companies involved aren’t sending any money our way and they’re much like my company- we’re squeezing every last cent we have. It’s not good and from what Greg Stevens told me, we probably won’t be around for 2009.

I chatted briefly with Vinnie from Wanker Banker which was swallowed up by the Big Canadian Financial Institution and he told me they let a lot of people go yesterday. So he’s scared for his job.

It’s like this all over the city, all over the country no doubt, maybe even the world. Still Greg reassured me that I should be alright, even though they still might have to cut my hours which is understandable. Not fun, but understandable nonetheless. It’s better to have some kind of job than no job at all.

But it is weird, like 10 Little Indians. And then there were 4….

PS- Just saw Julio who is sick as well. Turns out this bug is courtesy of Stine! So I guess it should last for another day or two.

Oh yeah, don’t forget the debate tonight!
Here’s a clip courtesy of Rand from the Kirby Museum

Something In The Water (Does Not Compute)

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The madness continues. My company seems to be treading water, and I was busy today dealing with real estate agents. Two sets of agents, both with different agendas. Apparently there is a database of companies in Manhattan that has information on leases.

My company’s lease expires February 2010. For the past 5 months different agents have called or shown up with offers on finding the company a space to move to on March 2010. Of course with the way the economy is we can’t even say that we would be around by the end of the month much less in a year and a half thereabouts.

One of my problems is that that either never call and just show up, or they call constantly. I do my best to field the calls but eventually they wear me down and I consent to meet with them. Todays visitor was in his second year and he had his manager with him who just wouldn’t shut up. The manager was cute though and clearly the dominant of the two.

I did my best to be engaged and engaging even though they interrupted my lunch. They were the ones looking forward to March 2010. While I was meeting with these two, Vivek and Tom Chin were showing the vacant spaces in our office to sub-sublet, going so far as to walk into the conference room where I was meeting the first two.

Of course being Realtors they each recognized the other. After I got rid of the two I was with I was summoned into Vivek’s office. Vivek was sitting with the other Realtor. The other realtor’s name is Claus. Claus is a bit swishy and when I met him a few weeks ago I thought he was gay and that was our common ground.

A few weeks later at another meeting he mentioned his wife which through me for a loop since the guy just seemed so not straight. You never can tell, though of course he could very well be gay and so ashamed that he lives a lie which in 21st century Manhattan doesn’t make sense.

I reassured Claus that the other Realtor was there for the end of the lease, offering to help us find a new space should we need it. The way things are right now we don’t need that much space. Claus offered to run interference in case I get overwhelmed from the unending phone calls, just to tell them Claus Fischer is our agent now and all inquiries should be done through him.

It is certainly turning into a melancholy space to work in.

Last night was good. Juan came by to watch the debate and since Bill was on the way we paused until he got home. I was participating in a live blog on Hoboken411. I participated for the vice presidential debate and enjoyed it somewhat and I think the guy who runs Hoboken411 enjoyed my comments.

He said so last night and stated that my comments would go up automatically without his approval. That was cool, I felt part of the ‘scene’. Then I noticed whatever I tried to post wasn’t making it online.

I mentioned it in private to the moderator and he said he needed to approve them, which meant they had to be approved. I sat there and read what these other people were posting, stupid pro-McCain nonsense. Really stupid stuff without an iota of wit or intelligence so I dropped out of that Obama bashing blogging. It did piss me off though. Whether or not I give it another try next week, we shall see.

Bill’s mother was released from the hospital today and he’s been told that she can’t be alone anymore. That’s a totally different story that’s not mine to tell.

“…my fellow Prisoners…”