Tag Archives: Bill

I Didn’t Raise My Boy To Be A Soldier

Yesterday since I was off I decided to clean up a bit around the apartment since Bill, ‘the roommate’ was at work at one of his 50,000 jobs. Bill had a very good laugh at that one by the way. Since it had cooled considerably I took the air conditioner in from the window.

No more worrying about it falling out due to hurricanes or earthquakes. Of course since I did that it had gotten quite humid so Bill and I both sweated a bit. Bill was up and out again this morning, off to work on a play that he is stage managing. It should open soon enough.

I was invited to a party by a theater company last night but since I was in Hoboken and not at work I opted not to go. Bill was into it but I think he had second thoughts since I wasn’t planning on going. If I was at work it would have been no problem, but I was off you see.

I rode the bus to work this morning, no vitamin water drinkers throwing empty bottles into the bushes near the garbage cans. I sat and looked out the window, watching random cars get pulled over by the Lincoln Tunnel since a threat alert was going on, to coincide with the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

I’m surprised they don’t pull over buses. Not that I have anything to hide, but they should take into consideration that buses are targets in hot spots like Palestine & Israel. And there were a ton of officers carrying machine guns in the bus terminal as well as on the subway. I did not take the subway but some police officer friends did tell me that.

I walked up the avenue, getting my egg sandwich and arrived early again. Calvin was manning the shop as I walked in, Jerry Vale coming in a half hour later. A pleasant enough day for me to go out and smoke a cigar and reading the New Yorker that I had to purchase since the latest issue was never delivered to the apartment.

It was the 9/11 issue. I still have the issue from 10 years ago with Art Spiegelman’s cover. I remember spending a few days in LaGrangeville visiting Harpy 10 years ago, a few days before 9/11. I probably went up on Friday and came back on Sunday. Most of the time was spent on the deck outside, reading Harpy’s collection of New Yorkers, smoking cigars and recovering from whatever we ingested the night before.

10 Years ago Bill and I went to a party for my friend Donna at a restaurant on 10th Avenue and 44th Street. Afterwards, a torrential downpour had Bill and I running to the bus terminal where we parted way, Bill off to Stuyvesant Town and me to Weehawken.

Of course neither of us had any idea what was in store for us the next day, and certainly, we were clueless as to what would happen and where we would be 10 years later. A different world. Totally.





I Didn’t Know My Own Strength

Oh my- it has been an absolutely brilliant kind of day. Rain was expected but didn’t happen. I stayed up later than expected last night, watching Something’s Gotta Give, starring Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson. It was a good flick but I had seen it before and went to sleep at the hallway point.

Not much going on otherwise. According to my roommate, I reminded him of Yvonne DeCarlo as I lay in bed when he kissed me goodbye. I made my appointed rounds this morning, dry cleaners, supermarket, newsstand. Nice chat with the cashier I call Oh Mighty Isis.

She’s too young to get the reference, but for me it reminds me of Frankie Mallia in grammar school spinning around and saying that as someone else played the role of Captain Marvel. Oh Saturday morning action shows of the 1970’s, where would we be without you?

It was a gorgeous day as I decided to sit by the river, enjoying a cigar and a cup of coffee and reading the papers. It would have been better if I was on a beach but that was not in the cards for today. If I had a car it would be a nice ride to Sandy Hook, or what’s left of Sandy Hook after Irene passed by, but since I do not have a car or a license it was not going to happen.

There is still a blue sky right now and I am thinking about an after dinner stroll so that I might enjoy that again. I received a nice package from Annemarie in Northern California, some baked goods I assume, something that I am looking forward to. I haven’t opened the box yet, I would prefer to wait until my birthday but since they might go bad or harden opening it sooner rather than later might be the way to go.

A nap was also had today and it did me a whole world of good. Heard from and communicated with a few friends via texts and received some excellent feedback with regards to a few posts that I put up on Facebook. A few laughs and a few notes of thanks were gratefully read. I have some very funny and thoughtful friends.

I just had a bottle of seltzer spray all over me. I am usually good with that but on occasion, like right now I hurriedly open in and it sprays all over me and whatever else may be nearby. I never get upset, I almost always laugh at the situation.

With a little song, a little dance, a little seltzer down your pants, I am ever the vaudevillian sometimes. All that’s missing is a spinning bowtie and a dickey.

Back to work tomorrow, Jerry Vale and Calvin. Hopefully Calvin will be in a better mood than he’s been in the past few days. It’s a weekend so perhaps like our attire, the mood will be casual. I guess I will have to wait and see.






For that Incubus and Succubus: