What’s for Dinner? | johnozed

I just got home from work, and it was a weird day all around. Lots of rain again as I started my way to the bus stop. Different driver, a student driver, showed up early so I got on since I got a text from my neighbor Deborah on the fourth floor on Wednesday saying that the driver did not show up for the 10:30 bus.

I didn’t want to take any chances so I got on board. He was driving under the watchful eye of a supervisor and since he was early, I was early. Had enough time to run an errand or two before heading into the cigar shop.

The brain dead Bradley was behind the counter wheezing and burping as he always does. Calvin was interviewing someone in the man cave for a part time position. It went well apparently since Calvin hired him. He’s supposed to start in June and he’s in his fifties so that will make him the eldest employee in the cigar shack.

I didn’t have a chance to meet him, but if he passed Calvin’s muster then he should be alright. Calvin confided to me that he wasn’t too keen on hiring a previous former employee and seems to harbor some regrets about it.

Since it was constantly raining outside that meant the man cave was filling up by early afternoon. A dry drunk came in and promptly made a corner of the man cave all his own. Legs spread open, moving tables and ashtrays just so he could be comfortable. He was a schmuck but easily ignored, quite like the brain dead Bradley who every time I look at him, it’s getting easier to see right through him.

It was certainly 180° from working with Thomas. That was a pleasure, sharp, funny and easy to get along with. Calvin can see this too. He feels that I am better with people whereas the brain dead Bradley works better with inanimate objects. I suppose most inanimate objects would get along with other inanimate objects.

After the brain dead Bradley left for the night, Calvin set about clearing out Marcus’ stuff and putting the office into order. Tomorrow it’s the brain dead Bradley, Thomas and myself. Thomas will more than likely be the bridge between.

Today, I heard from that company I interviewed with 4 times, they were just letting me know that they’re still interviewing and would let me know soon enough. Their email was rife with typos. I would also like to thank everyone who asked for a copy of the bio I wrote yesterday, I hope you all received the email with the document attached. Feedback is always appreciated.

The guy I wrote it for certainly enjoyed it, he edited it somewhat but overall he was happy with it. A few more drafts should be worked on somewhere down the line. In case the world ends tomorrow as expected by so many Christianists, I am not sure whether or not I will be posting.

I hope to take part in some looting with various Facebook friends. I plan on being at the Apple store since I would really like an iPhone and maybe an iPad. The iPhone has that application which can tell you the name of the song you might be hearing and that could come in handy for me.

And there is also the Eno application, Bliss I believe it is called, some generative music. I played with the Sseyo/Koan program that Eno had/promoted a long time ago and I can only guess that the seeds I planted back then are growing wild somewhere in cyber space.

yes, someone left a cake out in the rain.

It’s a Monday and my knee hurts a bit. Going to ice it up in a few. Some dipshit will probably say I’m whining or maybe even faking it since the dipshit knows so much, but you know what? I don’t give a shit what the dipshit thinks, though it does give me a reason to write words and gets me that much closer to the daily tally of at least 500 words so to that dipshit or perhaps dipshits some sort of thanks should be given. Perhaps some time, but not now.

Yesterday was a day off from work as well as a day off from writing though I did post some photos of my mother for Mother’s Day. Technically I don’t think it counts. It was a productive day, laundry done, newspaper and bagels and groceries purchased. So much to do in such little time but I did most everything I planned to do including cleaning the bath tub.

And while doing laundry I noticed that my socks needed to be replaced. I walked over to the light rail and rode the train to the Newport Mall. Made my way through the mall and found the sock store which has the thick and thin, over the calf socks that I really prefer for $3.00 a pair. Nice deal and I bought half a dozen.

Then I remembered I needed some new cereal bowls and hoped that Kohl’s would have them and they did, which made going to Target (and breaking the boycott) unnecessary. A nice walk home from the mall, along the waterfront enjoying a cigar was very enjoyable. I came home a few hours later and made myself a nice supper and prepared to stay in for the evening.

I thought about going out and sitting on the stoop but by that time I had removed my sneakers and had my slippers on. After watching President Barack Obama on 60 Minutes I was planning on watching the Simpsons but instead answered a phone call from Bill. He had a rental car which he used to drive his mother to church yesterday morning and had it until this morning.

Bill also had 150 miles he could use and wanted to know if I wanted to go for a ride. I thought a ride would be nice and out of the ordinary and put the sneakers, then headed down the stairs. I got in the car with Bill and since I was calling the shots, we headed up to Weehawken, driving past Jane Street, my old stomping grounds.

It was a brief drive by and so I suggested heading onto Route 3 to Route 17. We got off the highway in Wood Ridge and drove down Hackensack Avenue to Valley Road to the Boulevard. At the circle we swung around and headed past Wright’s Village, Lodi Lanes towards Felician College.

Bill knew the area somewhat since he sometimes drives a bus around there. We ended Lodi through the ass end and drove up South Main Street, past Immaculate Conception High School for girls, through the heart of Lodi and onto Union Street since I wanted to show Bill where I used to go to church as well as my grammar school, St. Francis de Sales.

Lots of cars in the playground which led me to believe it was bingo night. I also pointed out the fence that I clung to when I was in kindergarten, screaming while nuns were horizontally pulling me from my legs and feet as I wailed and wondered aloud ‘why my mother was leaving me there.’

Off St. Joseph’s Boulevard to Church Street, past the Little League field and onto Main Street again. There used to be a dive bar at the corner of Church and Main Streets but no more. I pointed out where the heavy flooding occurs at what used to be Panama’s a greasy spoon.

Bill was getting hungry and pizza was not an option for once so after heading up Trudy Drive and onto Riverview Avenue, past the old homestead we went down Gunther Avenue and back onto Main Street once again, making a left into Saddle Brook to go to the diner.

It was refurbished once again. Once it was a typical 1950’s diner, rectangular with rounded edges, then into something else in the 1970’s, now it had an interior that resembled Planet Hollywood. I pointed out the VFW Post 3484 across from the diner, showing Bill where I used to play with other children of alcoholic parents and also where I first started smoking, though that may have also been the Lodi Boys Club.

I shouldn’t have been surprised by the fact that most everything on the menu was $2.00 cheaper than Manhattan and about $1.00 cheaper than it is in Hoboken. It was a decent meal and I picked up the tab since Bill was doing all the driving. A nice ride back to Hoboken, rather quick since we weren’t sightseeing my old haunts, instead taking Route 80 to the Turnpike where I also pointed out as we drove by places where I used to have illicit sexual encounters.

We were home soon enough, Bill once again proving himself to be an able driver. Slept really well last night and woke up to today being an alright day. The brain dead Bradley was out and it was Thomas and Calvin and myself running the show.

Time flew very fast and before I knew it, I was on the subway heading back to the bus terminal. The usual bus driver was back from vacation and I was able to explain to the worried driver the latest news with regards to Hyman Gross.

The only celebrity I saw today was the kid who plays ‘Lip’ on Shameless. I didn’t say anything to him. I did have a brief visit from Audra an old friend of Annemarie’s. It was good to see her and she certainly looked good.

That’s about it. Hope you mothers had a good day.