Tag Archives: Bill

She Came in Through the Bathroom Window

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Well today has been quite an interesting day. Interesting enough that I am not going to write about last night. It started out with Bill leaving the apartment at around 5:00 this morning.

He was driving a bus to Atlantic City. Bus driving is his passion and he has a gig working for a company based out of Garfield NJ. I vaguely remember Bill kissing me goodbye and me telling him to be careful.

I was fast asleep by the time the apartment door closed.

Woke up around 9:00 and showered, had some coffee and then headed out into the cold damp morning for the paper and some bagels. Spoke with Julio. He called me and asked if I would be available between 2 & 4 o’clock this afternoon.

I said sure and since I was headed out I asked if he wanted any bagels. He said no for himself but asked for a plain bagel for Stine and a cinnamon raisin bagel for Alexander. Not a problem.

The usual canary face behind the counter at the bagel shop. I was online behind the Jesus guy. Jesus guy is an acid fried casualty from the 1970’s, and went to school with Martin Kelly so he probably graduated from high school in 1978.

I’ve never seen Jesus guy inside before, and here I was right behind him. The bagel shop owner saw Jesus guy on line and asked what he wanted, then signaled for him to wait outside and someone would bring him a cup of coffee.

Jesus guy doesn’t ask for money, he just stands and stares all day long.

I got my bagels and headed to the supermarket, then stopped by Julio & Stine’s apartment. Julio asked Alexander where is John and Alexander pointed at me with a big smile on his face.

I gave him a Chewbacca holler, which made him laugh. I’m also known as Chewbacca thanks to Julio.

Stine, Julio and I made plans for me to come down while Alexander napped around 1:00. About 15 minutes later, back in my apartment, Julio calls. Stine would like me to come down around 12:45. No problem for me.

I was there on time, as Julio and Stine got ready to go to a wake a few blocks away. I brought a few issues of the New Yorker to read since I am now behind a few weeks.

Who knew I used to read so much while commuting?

Alexander was fast asleep, and the apartment was quiet enough that I could hear him breathing while I read. Of course a few times when I couldn’t hear him, I went in and checked to make sure.

Stine made it back and left Julio at the funeral parlor. The wake was for a relative of Julio’s. Of course Alexander was wide awake a few minutes after Stine came back.

Well in that nether land between sleep and being awake at least. I made my way upstairs again and got ready to head out. I was going to check out the Hoboken Artist’s Studio Tour again.

Only 2 artists I wanted to see, Hiro Takeshita and Tim Daly. I spoke to Annemarie on the phone as I headed towards 2nd Street & Madison Street. Earl had seen MGMT last night in San Francisco and had a great time she reported.

I also had a cigar, which went out all by itself as I walked u the stairs of the first apartment building I lived in, back in 1984. Hiro buzzed me in and asked ‘Who is it?’ I yelled up ‘Konnichi Wa, it’s John.’

He was very happy to see me and showed me his latest artwork. Had a really good time visiting him. He remarked that it was so cold and damp, that he hadn’t had many visitors.

Bill and I went to his exhibition at the Hoboken Historical Museum and he told me he sold all the works in the show, which was good news. Had a couple of glasses of wine with Hiro.

He saw I had a cigar and said I could smoke it, he didn’t mind and enjoyed the smell of the cigar. So I lit it up again and a few visitors stopped by. One seemed enthusiastic about Hiro’s work (which I posted on Facebook) and I hope he wasn’t talking through his hat.

I exchanged info with Hiro and made plans to stay in contact. He said he was going to give me an artwork for Christmas, which was embarrassingly generous. I stammered and he insisted.

We left it at that as I headed over to Tim Daly’s studio. I went in the back entrance at the Neumann Leather Building where Tim’s studio is and found myself in a totally different building.

I did see Jean Paul Picard’s photography. I didn’t take any pictures since I didn’t feel comfortable doing so. I thought it would be odd taking pictures of a photographer’s work with the photographer himself so close by.

Nice work though. He has a show coming up at the Hoboken Historical Museum next month so that’s something to look forward to. Jean Paul pointed me in the direction of Tim Daly’s studio in the building next door.

I passed by some rock group/performance artists outside doing something but since it was cold and damp I kept on truckin’.

Made the way to the 5th floor studio and saw a neighboring artist, Tim Heins whose work was a lot of fun. Tim Heins seemed like a lot of fun as he and 2 other people were packing up a piece of art to go.

I took a few snapshots, and someone asked if they were for a newspaper or magazine. I explained that they were for my blog, of which a few people read, maybe 6 that I know of, including Kap in Australia. Hi Kap.

Made it into Tim Daly’s studio where Tim’s wife Sheilah was sitting on the couch talking. I kissed her hello and looked around. I love Tim’s work. I wish I could afford it. It’s cool that I can’t, gives me something to aim towards, some art to buy if and when I win that lottery.

I met Mike Longo who also has a current show at the Hoboken Historical Museum. I know his brother Pat from McSwells and he’s also a friend of my brother Frank. Some talk between Mike and myself.

I told him I enjoyed his show and I really did. If I didn’t I wouldn’t have brought it up at all. I can’t lie about things I don’t like so I’d rather not talk about it at all.

Took some pictures of Tim’s stuff and wandered around for a while, having a giggle with Sheilah and 2 other guys who’s names I can’t remember. No good with new names lately. It was almost Seinfeld like, talking about people with nicknames we gave them like Cave Man and Pixie Spiky.

It was a good time but the tour was closing down so I said goodbye and headed out. I did stop at another studio neighbor of Tim’s, a gent named Santiago Cohen.

It was a familiar name and when I saw him I recognized him as a customer from the video store I worked at almost 20 years ago. A name like Santiago Cohen isn’t that common or easily forgettable.

I told him I remembered him from the video store and he used to come in with his son. Well his son is now taller as Santiago gestured with his hand, and probably 25 years old now I reckon.

A few times today I told people about the blog, how I write at least 500 words a day, and that it’s generally a personal thing, my observations and occasional (!) rants. I joked that if I stub my toe in the morning I try to figure out how to get 500 words out of it.

Of course I haven’t done that.

Yet.

But the day wasn’t over. In the middle of the tour I got a call from Julio. Turns out he left his keys in Stine’s handbag and the handbag was in their apartment and could I buzz them in the building?

I told him I was in the Neumann Leather Building. He said OK, I could see them later when I get home, that they would just go to Julio’s aunt’s house and wait.

As I walked up Washington Street on the way home, I knew I was in Julio’s aunt’s neighborhood so I called him. He said I could just leave the keys under the mat outside their apartment.

So I did that and came home and struggled with the uploading of the tour pictures into Facebook on Bill’s Mac. A little while later, the buzzer buzzes. It’s Stine with Alexander.

A few minutes after that, Stine knocks on the door with the baby in her arms. Those aren’t the right keys. I could have sworn they were, I’ve been carrying them around for years now. But they weren’t.

I went down there and tried them thinking that maybe Stine didn’t know how to get into her apartment and I did.

Then I had them come upstairs and wait in my not baby proofed apartment. Alexander was of course all over the place with Stine directly behind him. Luckily the apartment wasn’t as bad as it was when Annemarie stopped by over the summer.

But still compared to Stine’s Scandinavian sense of order it’s a friggin’ pigsty.

I played the guitar for Alexander, D/A/E chords singing ‘Alexander’ over and over. He loved it and rocked in the chair. He is so like his father. With a more civil tongue.

Julio showed up from the funeral home, dressed in his funereal best. He was going to have to climb down the fire escape and in through his bathroom window.

In the dark. In the drizzle. In his funeral suit.

Stine worried that he was going to slip and fall and I hoped he would at least yell if that happened so we’d know he didn’t make it. Still, I kept playing guitar for Alexander’s enjoyment.

Finally someone likes my guitar playing! And he’s 18 months old!

Julio phoned, letting me know that he was in so Stine and Julio went down, Stine thanking me profusely for the shelter. I asked Alexander for a high five and I got 2 of them from his excited self.

But wait, that’s not all. After all that I get a call from Bill. Remember him? The guy from the beginning of the story?

He was driving on the parkway, and wasn’t sure if he would make it back to catch the 10:00 train back to Hoboken from Garfield. He asked if I could call my niece Corinne and ask if she could drive him back to Hoboken if he missed the train.

I called Corinne and she said she would help him out. I also told her that there was $20.00 in it for her.

It’s almost 10:00 now and I have no idea what’s going on, but I’m fine with that.

All the pictures have been uploaded on Facebook.

cut and paste if the link doesn’t work
http://www.facebook.com/johnozed?ref=name#/album.php?aid=38010&id=1037999596&ref=mf

after 1880 words written and many toes stubbed I am too tired to upload the photos from Bill’s Mac to this here blog.

So Far Around the Bend

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I do legitimately worry for Obama’s safety. Perhaps there are rabid elements of the right wing that will attempt something and I certainly hope not. But watching Bill Maher tonight I was struck by a thought.

It didn’t actually hurt by the way.

Chris Matthews and Martin O’Malley both said regarding Don’t Ask Don’t Tell that Obama will overturn it in due time. And that’s what I feel as well. But the thought that struck was that perhaps subconsciously, people feel that Obama won’t live long, and want him to get things done before a tragic, horrible ending.

There’s that JFK thing too. And that guy walking into Jim Mastro’s store telling him to get a gun since the revolution will be occurring soon enough.

Or is it because we, perhaps exclusively Americans, are impatient? Everything is so fast and of the instant, that we get impatient when something that didn’t exist 20 years ago (like cellphones) doesn’t work as fast as it should.

Louis CK has a YouTube clip that’s been going around that’s about that same thing. It’s pretty funny. I’m sure it’s a stretch. Is Obama the first post-Internet President?

I wrote that last night after the initial post. I felt compelled to write that. Funnily enough, almost 24 hours later I’m not embarrassed as I am sometimes, after writing in a pique of righteousness.

Last night before Bill Maher, and before the last inning or so of the Yankee game which Bill watched, I watched Marathon Man. Hadn’t seen it in a while.

Still a good movie, Laurence Olivier is great of course. The ‘Is it safe’ scene still makes one’s skin crawl.

For me, one of the most affecting scenes occurs on 47th Street in the Diamond District of Manhattan. Christian Szell is trying to get some diamonds appraised and is spotted by two former inmates from Auschwitz.

I so wanted them to exact their revenge on ‘the white angel’ as Szell was known then. But he gets away after slicing the throat of one of the survivors.

Dustin Hoffman did an decent job pushing 40 and playing a 20 something graduate student. It’s a good movie, but not a great movie. Definitely of it’s time.

Stayed up for a while after that, finally going to bed around 1:00. Woke up as Bill was getting ready to go see his mom and his aunt. Both have Alzheimer’s and need to have someone watch them at all times.
Today was Bill’s turn.

I got out of bed soon after that, went out and bought the paper and came home to a nice breakfast. Still a gray day outside.

Around noon I walked over to Tunes and bought the first record by the Feelies, Crazy Rhythms. My friend Andy who used to do the sound at McSwells while I spun records next to him recorded and mixed 2 live tracks that are available for download.

But since I don’t have my own computer I will wait to download that stuff. It’s still a very good record. I like it more now that I did when it first came out. There are bits that were used in Susan Siedelman’s Smithereens and hearing those tracks can remind me of that very downbeat movie.

I was thinking about going to Queens to take part in the march protesting the beating and hospitalization of Jack Price. But being cold and rainy put me off, plus I am a little burnt out on the activism lately.

I’ll still get involved but I needed some ‘me’ time. I’ve been fighting the morons online for the past week or so. I’d be useless if I didn’t recharge my batteries and the past few days have been a bear for me and I don’t mean ‘bear’ in a good way.

And I’m more wolf than bear anyhow. I do hope it was a good turn out.

I did hang out with Meghan Taylor, the funniest girl alive and her daughter Ruby and their dog, Doon. A restoration of my flagging spirits.

We sat at a café here in Hoboken, the Frozen Monkey outside having coffee and sharing a brownie. Couldn’t sit inside since we had the dog.

Meghan is one of those friends who can tell something is wrong with me by just hearing it in my voice when I answered the phone. Pedro and Julio are the same. I’m fortunate to have good people like that in my life.

Ruby is always fun to be around and it was a pleasure to wander around Hoboken. I had Doon on the leash and I enjoyed running with him for a bit. Meghan said it was a boy and his dog and I guess I’m still a boy at heart, even at 47.

Stopped by the Guitar Bar where Meghan’s husband Jim Mastro was minding the store, sans uptight redneck revolutionaries. Meghan gave me a ride back towards my apartment, and I got out at Church Square Park where I got a call from Julio who of course spied me as I was walking home.

I did an about face and hung out with him and his adorable Superboy, Alexander on the swing set. The boy is simply amazing.

I didn’t see my brothers or my sister’s kids growing up the way I see Alexander and I am filled with wonder and hope for humanity when I see how he progresses through life.

My heart fills with joy when I see him, but then again I don’t have to deal with the messy stuff that Julio and Stine have to deal with.

It started to drizzle and so we headed home, Julio on Alexander’s left side and me on the right, doing the 1-2-3 lift off every couple of feet to Alexander’s obvious delight. I remember being in the middle all those years ago and was mighty glad to be part of the action with Alexander.

Though the day started and ended with gray clouds, being with good friends like Meghan and Julio and their kids definitely were the brightest spot in my life that I was sorely missing the past few days.