Tag Archives: Cigar Bar

I Could Have Danced All Night

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Wow I am super tired. Been a long day. Not as successful a sales day as I would have liked, or as management would have liked. A few tire kickers who asked if they could get a deal. I suppose it doesn’t hurt to ask, but no, there are no deals to be had.

If you can honestly look at a $2900.00 pen or $760.00 cufflinks, then you can probably afford to pay the actual price. We don’t haggle at the cigar shop.

Last night I went to the cigar bar with the Bradley and his cousin. The Bradley and I have been getting along just fine lately and last night we had a few laughs. Neither one of us wanted to go to the cigar bar, too damn cold out and each of us wanted to go to our homes.

But the pressure was on and we felt obligated to at least make an appearance. The three of us headed to the cigar bar 15 minutes away. We were directed to a special area where Marcus and Calvin were as well as some monied customers. The kind of customers who don’t haggle.

Immediately Marcus had a bottle of old Cuban rum as well as snifters. He poured some run for the three of us, and Calvin appeared giving us cigars. Calvin was a bit wobbly and slurred his words as did Marcus, but not as bad as Calvin.

Both of them expressed gratitude with the fact that the Bradley and I showed up after working all day, saying that it was so very important that we were there. The Bradley, his cousin and I mainly stayed to ourselves and watched most of the guests talking and getting ready to head out into the cold.

Once some people left we were able sit in their now vacant chairs and chatted about how the music that was playing sounded a lot like my iPod. The Clash, The Rolling Stones were heard among others. If I would have heard the Slits or the Fall or even Pylon I would have thought that someone stole my iPod.

We discussed the merits of Tom Petty and soon Marcus reappeared and poured some more rum. I tried to beg off, asking for water instead, but was sort of browbeaten by Marcus who insisted that you couldn’t have a proper toast with water, so I gave in.

After an hour and three snifters of rum for me, I finished my cigar and announced my exit. It was now 11:30 and I did want to get home. Calvin, slurring and a bit unsteady saw my plan and decided to join me. I doffed my hat and coat and Calvin did his own.

The frigid air sobered Calvin up as we walked towards the subway. I walked him to the subway stairs just to make sure he got there alright and then headed towards the bus terminal. A different crowd, and less people waiting for that midnight bus. Mainly men traveling at that hour.

I got home by 12:30, Bill fast asleep in bed. I was glad I wrote before I left the store, and now I am dismayed to find that I was able to write over 500 words in about 25 minutes, but here I am struggling now.

Well I wasn’t as tired as I am now when I wrote last night, and despite being in the store I had less distractions than I do at home. Hardly anyone comes into the store during the last hour and a half, certainly no customers that haggle.

Now I am over 600 words. I could write about how Marcus drunkenly told the Bradley his rule of life. Don’t buy anything new. No new cars, no new houses and no new watches. Most of my co-workers have a fascination for fancy schmancy watches.

I’m not one of them.

I Have Confidence

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9:06PM, at the cigar store. Richard Lloyd, former Television guitarist as well as onetime guitarist for the Health and Happiness Show stopped by with Sheilah to complain about his DuPont lighter. I tried to help him, but thought it best if he used his celebrity and wrote to DuPont directly regarding his lighter problems. Sheilah does his dirty work as she said, and will likely be the one to write the email. I did get a chance to play his Gibson acoustic guitar which was quite nice.

The reason I am writing this right now is the fact that I will probably get home until later than my usual time. There is a cigar shop function at the Russian Tea Room, followed by cigars at a Cigar Bar, located right around the corner from the Russian Tea Room. I did my best to promote the dinner and cigar party after and hoped that was all that would be required of me.

But no, Calvin asked me and the Bradley if we were going to the cigar bar afterward. Both of us tried to beg off the situation but found ourselves cornered. Calvin who will be there of course, is also opening up the store tomorrow, and if he can do it, why can’t we? Well the fact that it’s 20 something degrees outside and I live on the mainland did not account for much. The Bradley lives in Queens and he’s off tomorrow so there is really no excuse for him, if there ever was.

The Bradley and I have been getting along fine. Fine enough that I bought him a chicken sandwich tonight. Right now the plan is to go, show up, not neccessarily checking our coats, do a walk around and head out once again. We’ll see how that goes. Ideally, I just want to go home and spend time with Bill. If it weren’t 20 degrees out I might feel differently, but it is and I don’t.

Writing this right now at work isn’t so bad. Less to do once I get home. It’s so damn cold out and it’s no fun. Right now, a DJ Mix from March 1987 by me is playing. I recorded the night I was DJing when Speed the Plough was playing and my brother Frank was in the band at the time. It’s not a bad mix. It starts off with Rise by Public Image Ltd, then goes to South Africa then to The Clash with Tymon Dogg playing Lose This Skin from Sandinista. I seem to remember Catherine Cloud being impressed with the mix.

It’s way better than anything Martini Basher might have in mind. In fact I think Martini Basher might be running for the position of Mayor of Bala Cynwyd. It makes sense doncha think? Now there is 40 minutes left to be here at the shop. Technically the doors are locked at 10:00 for the holidays and if I do everything correctly, and things go smoothly I am usually out by 10:10. But tonight with an appearance at the cigar bar that all falls by the wayside.

But look at this, I have written 529 words in less than a half hour. Ain’t that special? No writing tonight when I get home. One less key to type. 543 words, yay!