Category Archives: Wonderful World Beautiful People

Rock ‘N’ Roll With Me

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Well after posting last night, I got myself ready for a night on the town with Juan. I showered and sat around and had a Guinness. He was traveling up from Trenton and was caught on the turnpike in the storm. I told him not to worry, we had plenty of time.

He showed up a little before 8:30 and after a cocktail or two we walked up to Washington Street where we managed to get a bus driver on board even though he wasn’t at a bus stop. The driver let us on briefly hectoring us and mentioning that we could all be arrested for doing such a thing.

I expressed our gratitude and apologies then headed to the seats in the back of the bus. The driver lectured another passenger at the next stop leading us to believe he was having a bad night.

We got off the bus and after finding out that the Duane Reade in the bus terminal doesn’t have an ATM we walked over to Ninth Avenue and started to walk up. Juan wanted to get there a bit faster than we were going so we hopped in a cab and rode up Tenth Avenue towards 56th Street.

It was on the border of drizzling and misty so the gamble to not bring an umbrella was ok. After getting in the queue and having my ID checked so I could have a $6.00 Budweiser. I was incredibly thirsty so that went down rather fast.

The second of two opening acts were on stage, Death Set who could have been a spoof, but I couldn’t tell. Two guitars and a drummer, playing short, loud and fast songs and in between songs an off stage DJ would play various other artists who were totally unrelated to what was going on stage. They reminded me of when the Beastie Boys were part of the hardcore scene.

They were mainly loathed for the audience wanted Girl Talk and nothing but Girl Talk. I sort of liked Death Set though. Totally unexpected as to what I thought would happen and not really my type of music.

Greg Gillis aka Girl Talk took the stage, looking a bit like Luke Wilson in The Royal Tenenbaums with the headband. Immediately the stage was set upon by audience members all dancing and singing. Soon he would be stripped down his boxers and surfing on top of the crowd.

Rolls of toilet paper was being thrown from the stage making a near multi media concert soft and fluffy. I also think there was someone in a bear suit on stage.

It was quite crowded both on stage and off, and Juan had an itch to get as close to the stage as possible. We winded our way up and it wasn’t easy, ultimately getting separated by six people. I gave up and urged him to continue his mission.

With a crowd as big and as tight as it was last night, there was bound to be shoving and jostling. I had enough of the agony and ecstasy of that after a short while and wound my way towards the back and going to the $6.00 Budweisers area where it wasn’t as crowded or packed.

Everyone was dancing and singing along. I can’t say I’d ever seen something like that. Juan eventually found me and we shared a beer and continued dancing. It was definitely a positively surreal experience. I knew most of the words, but I couldn’t remember them for the life of me so sticking with dancing was definitely the smart thing to do.

After the show, it was steadily raining. Juan and I didn’t mind much since we were wet and sweaty. After a few blocks, we did mind the rain and wound up taking a cab to Penn Station and caught the Path just as it pulled in the station. Good karma.

We walked back to the apartment and of course a block away it stopped raining. Watched Saturday Night Live as well as The Office and 30 Rock until three-ish. It was a fun experience over all, I’m glad Juan enjoyed his birthday present. He just left an hour ago after sleeping in for a long time.

I was up at noon and was out buying breakfast or rather lunch depending on what time Juan was going to wake up. We watched most of Cabaret with Michael York and Liza Minnelli on a windy and cold Sunday afternoon.

I’m a PC- Girl Talk

Thanks Rand

It seems the demonstration at city hall in Manhattan was a success as well as other demonstrations across the nation. So congratulations to all involved!

Happenstance

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I suppose it’s true, no good deed goes unpunished. Sometimes when I walk down 41st Street, I give a homeless guy some change. He calls me soldier, usually compliments me on what I’m wearing and comments on my smoking a cigar. He seems like a nice guy and I always try to give him some change when I can. This happens after work most nights.

Today work wasn’t busy at all and I tried to leave at 3:00 with Vivek’s permission. He was busy since he’s going to India tomorrow and coming back on Tuesday. But things being what they are, I didn’t leave at 3:00. I tried to but as I was headed out the door I heard my phone ring.

So I run to my desk and my jacket gets caught on the edge of the cubicle, tearing off a button off my suit jacket. No problem, even though I can’t sew to save my life I scooped up the button and put it in my pocket.

The phone call was from this crazy psycho Vietnamese chick who has been calling me most every day since May 2007. I’ll come into work and find my voice mailbox would be filled with messages in Vietnamese of this chick screaming, crying and mumbling.

Today when I answered the phone she was crying in English, which she does speak on occasion, ‘what did you do to my computer?’ I told her that I didn’t know anything about her computer and that she was a stupid bitch.

Then I headed out the door, enjoying a Padron and walking across town. Bought a refrigerator magnet of Barack Obama outside of Grand Central Station and headed to the bus terminal. As I approached the homeless guy I reached into my pocket and gave him almost a dollar in change. Make that almost a dollar, plus a button.

I didn’t realize that I gave him the button until I got into the bus terminal. I figured I’ll take the suit to the dry cleaners and have them sew a new button on. I go to the ‘new’ dry cleaner around the block, they do the cleaning on premises and they do it green, meaning environmentally safe.

I tell the gent behind the counter about the button and he looks at me and asks if I have an extra one. I told him if I had an extra one I would have brought it. I also told him it doesn’t have to be the same button, just the same size. He tells me he couldn’t do it.

I wind up walking to another dry cleaner around the block and give the same spiel. This gent tells me that he could probably match the size but it wouldn’t be the same. I tell him to just take off the other two buttons and sew three new ones which is what I could have told the first guy.

I also could have turned around and went back to the homeless guy and asked him to check his cup for a button but since it was a Friday and I was just about 100 yards from my bus I obviously decided not to. Not the end of the world after all.

Just heard from a mutual friend of mine and Pedro’s, Excer. Excer called Pedro to find out what would be going on for tomorrow, but it turns out Pedro is still sick so no Otisville this weekend. Excer mentioned next weekend but I won’t be able to go then since I’m taking Juan to see Girl Talk next Saturday for his birthday.

I am having dinner with Excer tomorrow night instead and I’ll tell him then, unless he reads this first but I find that doubtful.