Tag Archives: Busking

The Right Stuff

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Holy Thursday Batman! That’s what today is on the 4:30 Movie. The Robe and the Matching Slippers. Blessed art thou who weareth the slippers.

I just got back from some busking. Played for about 90 minutes until my arm cramped up. You’d think my arm would be used to repetitive motion, I mean I even shaved my palms and wear corrective lenses. I made $1.77.

Didn’t do any singing, just strum strum strum. I played Love Shack, Hercules, Good Lovin’, All My Loving, Please Please Me, So It Goes, Whatever Gets You Through the Night, Surrender, Take Your Mama, Brown Eyed Girl, Peggy Sue, The Letter, Half a World Away and a little bit of Mr. Tambourine Man and a slightly askew version of Fourth Time Around. Also 2000 Miles.

It’s a good thing I didn’t sing, especially with 2000 Miles being a Christmas song of sorts. But the chords have a nice progression. Stopped by the Guitar Bar and firmed up plans with Jim Mastro for Saturday morning.

He asked if I had anything planned to say and I told him I didn’t because I don’t. Jim was very supportive of my busking and recommended having the guitar case open to collect bills and change.

I had a phone call from Pedro who prefers Riker’s Island to home. Cabin fever pitch. He was heading into Manhattan and asked me to join him. So now, I’m home and called him to make sure since last time he said that, I went into the city and was unable to contact him.

I didn’t mind, I was able to go to JR Cigars and pick up some cigars anyhow. This time, I’ll just stay in Hoboken and see if he calls before I do anything. Annemarie planted that idea in my head, to make sure Pedro would be around. I was hoping he would be, not just to hang out with him but to also pick up the latest Mojo and Uncut.

Got another US Census form in the mail. I got one a few weeks ago and duly mailed it in. Now here it is again. I marked Bill as my unmarried partner. If I fill it out again, maybe I will mark him as my husband.

Crazy cannabis free dreams again last night. One involved living back in Lodi with two terriers named Jackie and Jibby. Frank and Elaine were living in the Iwanicki house next door and I could hear Elaine and my niece Corinne have a heated discussion about something. There were also some ominous overtones with regards to something in the backyard of 13 Riverview.

And Starlings. Did you know Starlings aren’t native to North America and that someone imported them with the concept of having all the birds mentioned in Shakespeare living in North America? And now the Starlings are taking over the Sparrows? I read that somewhere. Bad idea, not fully thought through.

The other dream took place in Manhattan where I was pedaling a Pedi Cab on Seventh Avenue then lending it to Rachel Maddow for the opening of City Boys, a musical about Cowboys in Manhattan.

I was also wearing a cowboy hat and my former coworker Sarah Pierson was in the dream as well, and I took her on a bicycle tour of Hoboken. Strange dreams indeed.

Other than all that, it’s been a beautiful day. I heard from the Hudson Reporter about a letter I wrote supporting the bibliothèque. Just confirming that I was who I said I was.

I always need to confirm that, if not to other people then to myself.

And twice I’ve been in the supermarket and both times I’ve heard The Right Stuff by New Kids on the Block and I found myself singing along.

WTF?

I am who I say I am

I am who I say I am

I Blew Up The United States

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Here we are on a Tuesday. Another gray day. Not as rainy as yesterday but still it’s misty. I made it outside though. Nice for a walk. Last night I filled out the Census form while Bill slept.

Checked off the Puerto Rican and Black boxes for Bill. Went Albino Chinese for myself. Just to tweak the system you see. A little fun, a little socialist skulduggery never hurt anyone, or never put anyone in front of a death panel.

After I filled out the Census I played guitar. Eight Days a Week actually. Fun to play. My friend Lois offered to busk with me sometime, she playing the violin and perhaps accompanying me on vocals.

Sounds like a plan and it sounds like I should get a solid repertoire of maybe 10 songs I can play solidly. All My Loving, Please Please Me and So It Goes are just a few. And Hercules by Elton John. That makes 5 songs. 6 including The Lion Sleeps Tonight.

There is also Surrender by Cheap Trick, Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues by Bob Dylan (Boob to his friends) and Tracks of My Tears by the Miracles need some tightening up. I’m sure I can write one or two other songs myself just so that I can have some originals going on.

I watched Lolita and of course it was very good. Peter Sellers, oh Peter Sellers. Such a genius, such a troubled man. The whole movie is great but really gets kicked up a notch when Sellers is on screen.

I returned Lolita to the socialist institution and took out Taking Woodstock by Ang Lee. That got terrible reviews. I want to see what’s so terrible about it since Ang Lee generally makes top notch movies.

Also Sleeper by Woody Allen. That piqued my interest after reading an article on cryogenics in the New Yorker. Also to see if the song ‘Rebels are we, born to be free/Just like the fish that swim in the sea’ is sung. It’s also in Bananas and I’m pretty sure it is, but I just want to make sure.

I also picked up Doubt, starring Phillip whatshisname and Meryl Streep. I heard it was a laugh riot, the feel good film of the year and the car chases are supposed to be excellent.

I keep trying to get Black Dynamite but as BCCLS keeps telling me it’s too new. And only 2 libraries have it, Englewood and Upper Saddle River. Perhaps by next year I’ll get a chance. And here in NJ as well as around the country I’m sure, the libraries are in danger of closing.

Right now in Hoboken the library is open 7 days a week. Perhaps if they closed on Sundays they could save some money. But closing the library beyond that would be a big mistake. I am there almost every day and I have seen traffic increase week after week.

I plan on writing a letter to the Hoboken Reporter and letting them know what I think.

I wrote that shaking my fist to the sky.

Just had a very good dinner. Some pasta and a meat sauce made by Stine. She gave me the sauce a week or so ago, and it was frozen like a brick. Now it’s thawed out and edible. Quite good, but then again Stine is one of the best cooks who’s food I have ever eaten.

Can’t wait for the weather to improve. Looking forward to bringing my guitar out and playing and also just to walk around Hoboken and enjoy a cigar.

And very happy birthday wishes to my niece Meghan who is 29 today! Woo hoo!

Meghan and her husband Rob.

Meghan and her husband Rob.