Cigar Shack | johnozed

Man it certainly has been a weird day. For me to notice the weirdness it has to be really weird. It started off ‘normally’ enough with Bill kissing me good bye for the day. I told him ‘good night’ and went back to sleep for another hour.

Then I puttered about, making breakfast, showering, shaving and checking emails. Off to the bus for me, calling Bill on my smartphone. No hands free available, so it was a bit of a juggle but I managed to convey my thoughts and feelings and love to Bill’s voicemail.

Of course when leaving the message, Bill calls and I basically said what I said on the voicemail. My regular bus driver should be back from vacation next week so the commute into the city should be back to how it usually is. Plus I like being called ‘Chief’ when I board. He’s a nice guy and it makes a difference when commuting.

Got near the cigar shack and I got myself an iced coffee. I talked to Bill again before heading in. I thought I would be working with Jerry Vale and Calvin but Thomas was in today as well. A schedule change since he had jury duty earlier in the week. It was a pleasant surprise but things were a bit off kilter and I should have noticed that right from the start.

According to Thomas, it was nearly unbearable working with Bradley yesterday. I was out and so was Jerry Vale so it was personable Thomas and unsocial Bradley. Bradley could suck the life out of most any situation and he’s been more off than on lately.

It was difficult trying to start up a conversation with Thomas most of the day, he apparently was still upset with something that happened yesterday. Things got better after I went to lunch and when Thomas got back from his lunch break.

There was a bit of a palaver in the man cave today. A young student at a nearby campus hangs out for an hour or so each day, dressed like he just raided Mitt Romney’s wardrobe and he loves the sound of his own voice, weighing in on so many topics.

He just turned 21 but in many ways he’s a conservative 71. Today the topic was about the young women who were pepper sprayed by Inspector Thomas Bologna. There was a police officer in the room, off duty and in civvies who’s generally a nice guy.

The young old man stated that the women who were barricaded off should have left when the police told them to leave. I had to point out to the slicked hair young old man that they couldn’t leave since they were BARRICADED in, then pepper sprayed.

I mentioned later to Thomas that I so wanted to punch the young old man in the face and Thomas mentioned that most everyone does after a few minutes spent in the man cave with the young old man. Oh how I would love to see him get his comeuppance.

The day finally ended and it was an uneventful ride home, or at least I think it was uneventful, so enraptured with my smartphone, tracking my every move on Google Latitude. And also talking to my nephew as he watched Robert Plant and the Band of Joy at the Not Strictly Bluegrass Festival in San Francisco and wishing him a very happy birthday.

Also I am sending birthday wishes to Christina Miro, my dear friend Lovely Rita and the super smart Thaler.

Well I just got home and I also just got a smartphone. I don’t necessarily feel any smarter and in fact I found myself being one of ‘those people’, walking around with the device in my hand and nearly oblivious to everything.

And even writing this I am distracted by the smartphone. Too much information and not enough skill at accessing the information. Now the smartphone is connected to the computer, trying to figure out some way to connect.

In other news, it was a strange day at the cigar shack. Calvin was out, Thomas and Bradley were in. Thomas was great as usual, Bradley was a fucking bitch, as usual. Such a moody guy and he seems to thrive on being moody.

I was that way when I was a twenty something, nihilistic most of the time, but I grew out of it, with some assistance from loving friends and family. Apparently Bradley does not having loving friends or family and so we have the bitch that was in today.

It’s strange he can be really funny when he is on, and when he is off he is absolutely a horrible person to work with. I seem to recall him saying that former co-workers down south had similar difficulty working with him and here he is today, proving them right.

Thomas on the other hand is a pleasure to work with and I know I’ve said it before but he really is a good salesman. Puts just about everyone else in the shade, except for Calvin of course, who’s been doing this cigar shack retail gig for a long time.

There’s a commercial on TV lately, some guy talking to the camera saying that ‘You’re not the type of guy to work in an office. Maybe you should look into mechanics or HVAC’ or words to that effect. I usually run into the room saying ‘No, wait! I am an office guy and have no place in automotive mechanics or working in the world of HVAC!’

Unfortunately I am not the target audience for that ad, Lincoln Technical Schools or APEX or some other technical school.

Today Jimmy Seltzer came into the cigar shack, good to see him and his purchase raised my quota to second place, a couple of hundred behind Thomas and a few hundred ahead of Bradley. Jimmy is such a good guy, says I could use his house in the Hamptons anytime I’d like, even when he and his wife are not there.

Alas I don’t think I have the time or the means to get out there right now, but the offer is certainly appreciated. Jimmy Seltzer also mentioned that the entry I posted a couple of weeks ago should be expanded into a full story, perhaps even a book. He made a suggestion as to how to do it and I paid heed to his sage advice.

Now with just a few words to go, my smartphone is singing its siren song imploring me to give it attention. It’s almost like I have a Tamagotchi!