Category Archives: WTF

I See Red

Jesus Christ what a crazy day this has been. First off, since May 2007 I have been receiving harassing calls from an Asian woman who claims I have lied to her and betrayed her.

She usually fills my voice mailbox with messages preventing any legitimate messages from being recording. All the messages are in another language and they starting out in broken English- whispering weeping and usually increase in volume winding up with her screaming and sobbing.

Usually I’ve just erased them. The phone service we use claim they couldn’t help me unless I changed my number (which can’t be done since my number is the main number) or go to the police.

I figured the NYPD has better things to do, but I found out later this afternoon that if I get a police report from the NYPD I can submit that to the phone service who will send it to Verizon (who control most of the land lines in Manhattan) and they could block these calls. No one told me that earlier.

In the meantime, I asked that my phone be forwarded to the fax machine until Monday. I tried it myself but couldn’t so I schedule it to be done at 2PM this afternoon after I had left for the holiday weekend.

At 3PM I checked and expected to hear a fax machine, instead I heard my own voicemail. The psycho didn’t call. Other methods I have used in the past to discourage this woman calling was to digitally record her messages, load them into my iTunes and then play them back as an outgoing messages.

Some Asian woman screaming and crying about how she’s not a celebrity and everyone stares at her when she goes shopping. I can honestly say I don’t know anything about what the hell she is ranting about.

I should also add that I did meet her last year. She showed up in my office, asking to see John Ozed. The receptionist tells me and I go out and introduce myself and she says I am not John Ozed, that someone as put me up to being John Ozed.

Apparently somehow she got my name and work address and has called me almost every day since then. I know it’s odd but that is how it happened.

I live such an interesting life.

Then Bill asks me to pick up some shoes from the shoemaker and some dry cleaning. I go to the shoemaker and hand in the ticket to some Hoboken born and raised inbred. Old geezer paisan. He can’t find it.

Younger Latino worker asks when the shoes were dropped off, I tell him I’m doing someone a favor, and to look at the ticket. Turns out Bill dropped off the shoes October 30. Today is November 26.

They look and look. They ask me what size shoe, what type of shoe and the shoe’s color. I call Bill, he says size 12, penny loafer and they’re black. They can’t read the ticket. I suggest sending it to a pharmacist so they could read it. They didn’t get the joke.

Geezer paisan says some remark about me going to a pharmacist. I ignore him. 20 minutes they find the shoes and start putting on the toe and heel savers. Almost a month to do the job and here they are putting the savers on.

The kid behind the counter takes some money off the bill and wishes me a Happy Thanksgiving but I just take the shoes and I leave.

I call Bill, telling him that I couldn’t believe it took them almost a month to do the job. The Geezer is outside and hears me and says, ‘Yeah so what? It took a month.’ I tell him to mind his own business. He doesn’t like the sound of that, and warns me to watch it.

I tell him to shut the fuck up. He again warns me and I tell him to drop dead.

I get the dry cleaning and come home and feel bad about the kid who wished me a Happy Thanksgiving. I call the store and ask for the Latino kid behind the counter. It turns out he answered the phone.

He asks who’s calling and I tell him I was in the store and they couldn’t find the shoes at first, and anyway ‘you wished me a Happy Thanksgiving and I ignored you and that was wrong’.

I wish him a Happy Thanksgiving and tell him that I like the work that they do there, but if the geezer is there next time I won’t be coming in. He says he understands and says, Happy Thanksgiving my friend.

I just saw Rand and Lisa outside and then Julio and Stine with Alexander. Rand and Lisa headed home and I went upstairs with the family unit. Had a few glasses of wine, told them the story I just wrote and watched Alexander teethe.

Alexander restored my faith in humanity so all is well. A few glasses of wine helped also.

Tomorrow, the trip to Beacon NY with Bill and his mother via MetroNorth to have Thanksgiving dinner with Bill’s cousin and his family.

This was written once again on Bill’s Mac since my computer is at Rand’s with a new hard drive I bought this afternoon being repaired and installed.

Why Dontcha

It’s a Tuesday and it’s gotten mighty cold. Had to break out the winter hat and gloves. Spent some time last night looking for them actually. I found a pair of gloves that I found 15 years ago which was nice, and a hat I bought last winter. It’s all good though. I enjoyed the cold. Cuts down on the sweating that I do.

I am a bit worried about Harpy who seems despondent despite his callous demeanor. He’s losing his job and it’s actually a job he liked. I advised him to go out on a positive note rather than making a scene. That was something I learned from Miriam when I was being dismissed from Arista Records the first time.

Obviously it worked since I was asked back for a project a few months after that. It’s best to leave that way since it’s the last thing they will remember. I think things will turn out well employment wise for Harpy. If anyone here knows of a need for a part time bookkeeper, contact me at this blog. Look at me, posting jobs wanted on my blog.

Last night was O & RM hosted by the Legion of Substitute O & RM’s. Some guy sitting in for O. Doesn’t have the same bellowing tone as O so he couldn’t hold my attention for long so I wound up watching Girl Talk videos on YouTube. RM was hosted by Arianna Huffington so that was interesting but not interesting enough so it was more Girl Talk for me.

Then I watched Heroes which was good. A lot of online reports were about how lame last night’s episode was but I thought it was alright. Not WTF alright, but it satisfied the comic book guy within me.

Just got off the phone with my brother Brian who is currently in his own personal hell. I love Brian, he is truly one of the genuine nice guys on the planet and they don’t make them like him anymore. I can’t get into what he’s going through but he has my full support on whatever it is he has to do or needs to do.

He’s a hard worker, and puts food on the table and clothes on the back of his wife and kids, as well as a roof over their heads. He’s doing an admirable job in the face of tremendous difficulty.

Our father would have definitely handled things differently. Not saying that the way our father raised us was the best way, but we didn’t do anything bad when we were growing up, mainly out of fear of dad.

I think if I was in Brian’s shoes I would probably be looking for my father’s book on life with one hand and the back of the other hand swinging in the air. But it’s not my place and it’s not my problem and I can only stand on the sidelines and be there for Brian should he ever need my help or an ear to listen.

Most of the time when Brian and I were growing up we were at each other’s throats most of the time. Now we’re good friends. Can’t talk politics or sports (though my talking sports with Brian would probably get him laughing) but we can talk music and we share a mutual like of various artists like Bruce, Nick Lowe, The Fabs etc.

I truly love Brian and I want for him only the very best and that he gets through this situation with a peaceful and intelligent resolution for all concerned.

Love you Briando.