Bill likes to eat while watching the television in front of him. I opt for sitting at the table in the kitchen and reading while I eat, the TV set volume loud enough for me to hear it. I generally eat around 6 PM so it is usually the news I am listening to, and since I get the audio and not the video, it’s akin to listening to the radio.

When I was growing up we ate around 6 PM Monday through Friday, weekends were loosely planned. Sunday dinner was at 2:30 usually then around 7 we would have a pie from Lodi Pizza. They didn’t deliver so we had to pick it up. I remember my brother Brian going inside to get the pizza and while he was inside waiting for the pizza, he would order a slice for himself.

In the 90’s Brian was upset that our brother Frank’s family didn’t all sit at the table to eat like we did when growing up. I guess Brian made sure his family all sat at the table for dinner. I explained that maybe Frank didn’t want to do that anymore and allowed anyone to sit and eat wherever they wanted.

That seemed to give Brian the realization that one does not have to do what they were told to do when they were being brought up. Christmas Eve was the time when we all gathered at Brian’s house, his wife Karen slaving in the kitchen over a hot stove, making foods that our family would enjoy. And we did enjoy them.

Time moves on, siblings die, relatives have catastrophic illnesses and things don’t go back to doing what they used to be. That’s life. No one has picked up the Christmas Eve banner so nothing gets done and that’s alright I guess. Took a while to wrap my head around it though.

I didn’t realize how bad a catastrophic illness was until I saw the victim and learned how bad they were waylaid. When my mother was still alive we would gather in Lodi on Christmas Eve and my Mom would fry up some eggs and bacon and sausage with coffee.

Basically, it was breakfast at midnight. Drinking coffee that late didn’t affect me then, now if I have a cup at 7 PM I will have great difficulty sleeping hours later. I generally stop drinking coffee by noon to avoid these dilemmas.

Today Bill and I strolled around Hoboken, working on a personal project. We did it yesterday but our submission was rejected. We walked and wound up at Guitar Bar where we asked Mr Wonderful himself, Jim Mastro about using the 503 Social Club facility as a space where we might produce the podcast.

My former Algerian colleague Pablo Solano has a podcast on YouTube regarding comic books and the movies that are being made these days, The NerdGen Report. A friend from the social media with kissable lips, Von Harris has a podcast on Spotify, Beers, Bourbon and a Movie, and Superman’s Pal, Rand works on a weekly webcast for the Hoboken Historical Museum.

I was interviewed on the Hoboken Historical Museum chat before the pandemic and I had a good time. Bill and I discussed some things with Jim Mastro and he was most agreeable and supportive, like I have always known him to be.

Spalding Gray’s name came up and I mentioned picking up the torch and running with it. Spaces like The Performing Garage are unobtainable to us, and the germ of the idea of monologues took place in my mind at Maxwell’s which of course is no more.

I reckon podcasts have taken the place of performance spaces in this internet age and it’s up to me to join Pablo, Von, and even Rand to join the podcast pool. Things are progressing nicely I think.

A failure of discipline. Nothing earth-shattering but didn’t think of writing until it was late, too late. I had to go to bed. Annemarie, my sister spoke with her husband and her son and they both thought a podcast would be something I could be good at.

She felt that she should text me that info, adding that she feels the same way and conceded that she didn’t say it in our phone call. I texted her that it would have meant a lot if she did. Oh, the lack of support from those former denizens of Riverview Avenue. I guess all is forgiven, wounds are healing.

Bill and I went to see our friend Karyn Kuhl and the Gang at 503 Social Club, which is run by everyone’s friend and today’s birthday boy, Jim Mastro. It was a benefit for the Hoboken Shelter, so it was for a very good cause.

The compere was another friend of everyone, Jack Silbert. Debbie Schwartz opened the set with a few of her own songs, backed up on bass by Larry Heinemann. Poetry was read by some local poets and that was pleasant.

And then Karyn Kuhl and the Gang were up. A short set, maybe 8 songs, including a John Lennon cover ‘Gimme Some Truth’, and a Radiohead song, ‘Optimistic’. Karyn and the Gang were in fine form. The songs were strong and not overpowering since it was quite a small space, maybe 30 people in total. They raised over $1300 for the Shelter.

After that, a nighttime stroll to the supermarket, nighttime being 5:00 PM lately. The supermarket is different when the sun goes down. A totally different vibe. Bill and I are both homebodies lately so everything seems different to us when we’re out at night.

We finished watching The Madness starring Colman Domingo. Bill liked it a lot, and I hid my disappointment in the fact that it had nothing to do with the London 2 Tone alumni, Madness. I mean, no songs at all. And it took place mainly in Pennsylvania, perhaps one of the only states that cannot skank to anything Ska-related.

Then we watched The Diplomat which is fun and definitely lends itself to a streaming binge. But we did not binge the whole thing, just started season 2. Bill was off to bed soon after.

Online chatting with Mike was fun. I have videos that he enjoys so I sent them to him on whichever platform could handle the heavy load. Mike is moving to Jersey City, from Newark. Another step in his life.

Mike’s looking forward to having me over. He also invited Bill (through me) at a later date. Bill is playing a few songs in Jersey City, not far from Mike’s new place. The Light Rail Café on December 18 from 7:00 – 10:00 PM. I’m hoping Mike can make it.

It would be an interesting first meeting for these two. I just sent Mile the details so I guess all we have to do is wait. That’s about it for tonight I reckon.