It’s been quite an extraordinary 72 hours. Mike came over on Saturday which is going to be a thing, Mike comes over and watches TV with me and Bill. There was a plan to watch a movie, ‘Nobody’ starring Bob Odenkirk. It’s funny and violent. We’ve watched it before Bill & I, and obviously liked it enough to want to watch it again. Or at least I thought.

I never brought it up to Bill and I did ask Mike if he had seen it. There has been a long-standing attempt to watch The Sandman on Netflix, going so far as one night to have the credits appear before being sidetracked by a deep conversation.

The Sandman was a possibility once again Saturday night when I went in a totally different direction and put Ted Lasso on. Bill and I love the three-season show very much. I wasn’t sure Mike would have gotten into it but he was game. We binged the whole first season, with conversation sidetracking occurring for a few minutes.

During one of those sidetracks, Mike explained something that happened to him in the past which the episode of Ted Lasso we were watching triggered a memory. Mike was incredibly moved by what he saw as Bill and I listened to his tale and reassured him that he was in a safe space and that he could say anything to us.

Bill and I were taken aback by the emotional depth that Mike was swimming in. I’ll get more into it some other time as it is really Mike’s story to tell and I would not betray his confidence. Needless to say, Mike enjoyed the first season and we have plans to binge the second season this coming Saturday, with the third, and final season being binged the following week.

Now I have put up a Post-It to remind me, with a possible viewing of The Bear, which Bill and I tried to watch, we got as far as episode 1, and after that, we looked for something else to watch. Another possibility is that The Bear is filmed in Chicago and that is where Mike is from. So we’re willing to have a go at it again with Mike this time, offering possible commentary on the scenes of the Windy City.

Bill was off to bed and Mike was asleep on the couch which has magically reappeared once again. I was soon fast asleep again. Bill was up and saw Mike out, like a parent seeing his kid out the door on his way to school. It left Mike with a good way to start his day.

Sunday was out of the ordinary, a Powers family reunion in Bordentown. My cousin Neil and his wife Linda, host a pizza party each February. This was the third or fourth reunion I attended, each time with Bill and my brother Brian.

His wife Karen couldn’t make it and my other sister-in-law, Elaine joined us. She was left out of previous reunions for some reason and I asked Neil to include her in the text messages, which he did. It was an early ride to Bordentown, earlier than previous reunions.

The whole thing seemed to start at Noon and I didn’t know that before as we usually met around Noon to go to Bordentown. There is the reason why my family is renowned for its tardiness and the reason I always try to get to wherever it is I am going, early. A lot of pizza was had and reconnected with my first cousins mainly since I rarely remember who the second cousins are, and forget about their friends.

My brother Brian is better at remembering those people better than me. The ride home was pleasant, Brian playing Beatle tunes at my request. Bill is a member of SAG/AFTRA so we watched the SAG awards.

Last Sunday we watched 6 hours of the 50th Anniversary of Saturday Night Live which we liked. This past Sunday night was 4 hours of the SAG awards. Then once again Bill was off to bed. I spoke with Mike on the phone after that, Mike expressing his love for me and Bill, his two Dads.

I would’ve had uninterrupted sleep if it wasn’t for the Pepsi Colas I drank in the afternoon. Pepsi Cola, my kryptonite.

Today was the day of stress. On the plus side, Bill arranged some of his containers which started to lean precariously over the head of the couch where Mike generally sleeps. He was stressed with his bank and his own employment situation. My employment situation was a scheduled phone interview at 3:30.

The twist to that was that I applied for a position that was basic and there was an awfully similar position with the same company that paid more money. I waited in front of my computer looking at the phone at 3:31. 3:35. 3:45.

Then I got an email from the interviewer saying that they tried to call me but it went to voicemail. I emailed that I was here waiting for the call. I offered to call them. This was a situation that resembled a call from another interviewer who tried to call me and the call went to voicemail. My offer to call them fell on blind eyes.

I contacted my phone carrier who had me jump through many hoops, ultimately resetting and updating my phone service. The only way I could find out if the reset and update worked is if a person not in my contact list calls. And I have no way to contact someone since if I did they were in my contacts already.

Another phone interview invitation arrived and I replied affirmatively. Bill had me give them his number as a backup in case the reset update doesn’t take. So Saturday and Sunday were good days, but today was not at all. Now Bill and I are watching Homicide: Life on the Street to relax. It’s what we do.

A full night of uninterrupted sleep. A dream where I was at Rockaway Beach, where I had never been before. It resembled Orchard Beach where I had been once. Walking a distance from the blanket where I think my family was, situated to the ocean.

It involved a lot of walking past lagoons and tidal pools where other people were recreating, I walked under a highway overpass just looking for the ocean which could not be found. Eventually, I turned back and got lost trying to find out where I was.

Nothing was familiar and it seemed like a town down the shore that I had dreamt of a few weeks ago. It started to get more and more urban as I walked, the greenery turning into a city of sorts. The dream might have had a subplot where my brother was writing his version of a Dick Tracy comic strip which ran parallel to another Dick Tracy comic strip, offering two perspectives of the same story.

Then I woke up with Bill telling me the boil water advisory had been lifted which was very good news to wake up to. We had been boiling water since Monday and today was Friday. It had been stressful and humid with four pots of water boiling the day away. So things are back to normal.

There was news yesterday about how L’Orange Merde and his ilk were cutting the victim compensation fund which was the main part of working at Bratty McGrotty. If that really happens that might mean the whole raison d’etre for Bratty McGrotty will probably clean house since there would be no more claims processed, no more clients to sign up, and therefore no reason to have 200 millennials to work for Bratty McGrotty. I just texted Daisy who was told things would be delayed.

That was the other day. Yesterday was spent hanging out with Mike at his crib. Bill was off to the city to do things and I had nothing to do. Mike was lonely, I was lonely so we spent time together. It was different than previous times but it was still good. I came home in time to make dinner for Bill and myself.

It was good though I was home before Bill and kept holding back on making the food until he showed up. Mainly letting the water boil and then cool off since he wasn’t home yet. It wasn’t the best dinner but it wasn’t the worst either.

A little while after that, I got a phone call from Mike who was in pain due to a bad wisdom tooth. I told him a list of easy methods to ease the pain. He didn’t have anything in his flat except for some booze so he trekked off to the corner stores and got what he could.

I called him a few times after that but there was no answer. I was worried and I finally spoke to him this morning. A Tylenol PM knocked him out and when I expressed my worry he was annoyed telling me that I carry my emotions on my shoulders. I will try not to make that mistake again.

When a friend calls me telling me that they’re in pain, I’ll just let it go and speak with them the next time if there is a next time. What’s the point of worrying?

Mike is expected over today, to hang out with me and Bill. Earlier than usual but I am not worried. Being concerned is a waste of time. I did have an odd dream this morning. I was with Karyn Kuhl and Charlie Nieland and members of the Clash. The Clash were doing a show at the Meadowlands, with a reanimated Joe Strummer. Every conversation was whispered.

I walked with Charlie to the guest list area, where the guy holding the list couldn’t be bothered so he gave us the list to see if we were on it. Charlie was, I wasn’t so I slinked off. I wandered through the crowd losing bits of my clothing as I tried to call a rideshare.

I wound up by a gas station and stood on top of a pallet of Pepsi trying to negotiate something. I jumped off the pallet and wound up totally naked. I would have to go through the crowd looking for my clothes. I have no idea what happened next since I woke up.

It was another night of uninterrupted sleep.