Cigar Shack | johnozed

Something is happening but you don’t know what it is, do you Mr. Jones? Yes, Ballad of a Thin Man is playing at the cigar shack right now. It’s been a decent day, working alongside Thomas and Bradley. All of us in good moods so jokes and laughs were had throughout the day.

Not a bad day after all. Of course the tally could be better Sally, but it is a holiday weekend after all. Regulars have fled the city, people in Brooklyn have fled from the West Indian Day parade on Monday.

Tomorrow is Brazil day in midtown which is usually a fun thing to attend, but crazy crowded. So crowded that sometimes if you want to walk up Sixth Avenue, you have to walk up Fifth Avenue instead. I thought about it but then I thought again. Tomorrow is a day off so I have my doubts about attending. Perhaps if there was someone to go with, but with Bill driving tomorrow I think I will be staying on the western shores of the mighty Hudson River.

The day started out nicely, Bill was up and out hours before I stirred. I vaguely remember a kiss goodbye. Been having dreams that I actually remember lately, one dream involved my regret in not going to the bibliotheque with Roda, another dream had me in a cafeteria with my father and an old coworker from the Maxwells era, awkward introductions back and forth, considering one of those characters was dead.

Now it’s a little over a half an hour left. Thomas is closing so that means I get to go home a full 15 minutes earlier. Both he and I will be off tomorrow, due to return on Minday, Labor Day, working alongside Jerry Vale.

I am sick of tattoos. I know a few friends have them and have had them for years, but lately, it’s like an explosion, whole arms covered in ink by those who apparently did not consider what they will look like in 20 years.

Perhaps if I was in my twenties these days, and did not know any better I too would be inked way too much. When I was in my twenties I did not even consider the fact that I would be alive at 48 years, and here I am. Neck tattoos, I mean really. I just don’t get it. But that’s them and not me and not my concern, it’s just that I see so many of them it’s offputting. Live and let live I suppose.

I might take whatever train pulls into the station tonight. Lots of construction going on at the bus terminal on the way in, so the Path might be a viable option. I will throw the dice in the air and let the metro cards fall where they will.

It seems like a nice evening out anyhow, and a walk from the Path train to home should be nice, unless the other trains pull in first and if that’s the case well I will cross that bridge, or in this case- tunnel, when I get to it.

And the Path train turned out to be the way I got back to the mainland. A nice walk home, talking to Julio who invited me over next weekend when his in laws fly back to Europe. I mentioned that I never see them anymore and that is what prompted the invite.

I may just do that but of course I will have to reconnect next weekend. I will be working next Saturday and Sunday but since I get out early on Sunday that just might be the day. It would be nice to see Julio & Stine and of course, Alexander.

Fare thee well, Film Center Cafe

Thank Zeus it’s Thursday! I have off tomorrow which I think is a good thing. I would not have minded having off today after last night’s glass blowing demonstration. That and a few Stella Artois made my head ache a bit this morning. Thomas counted me having 5 bottles, I counted 4.

In either case, Advil was my rescue. The bus showed up like it was supposed to today, and after I got on the bus, a few stops later coming on board was my friend Lois’ husband, Fred. Fred’s a really nice guy, very chatty and he engaged me in a decent chat about his job and my job.

We both work retail you see, though he works in Hoboken and I have to commute every work day into the city whereas Fred can walk. He was off to satisfy his comic book addiction and I was off to find the sky, or rather the subway.

By the time I got into the cigar shack I was fine, headache was minimized. Calvin and Thomas and me today, all recovering from the glass blowing demonstration. I was home around midnight, Thomas made it home around the same time and Calvin, well Calvin did not get home until about 2:00AM. Well at least that’s what Calvin told me.

The cigar shack was not busy at all and here I was working with two money makers. There was work left over from yesterday, work that could not be completed last night since Jerry Vale, Bradley, Thomas and I were due at the glass blowing demonstration and could not be late.

So since Jerry Vale and Bradley were out today, it fell to Thomas to pick up Jerry Vale’s work and I finished what I could not start last night. My work was the general stuff that I’ve been doing for a few months now so I was able to knock it out without much consternation. That freed me up to do some work, interacting with people and I was able to get a few things done that needed to be done.

Lunch was nice, sitting by the park once again and enjoying a cigar while I read the latest New York magazine, a double issue all about 9/11. And reading that certainly brought back memories of that day, and also the days leading up to it, specifically my friend Donna’s birthday the night before at a restaurant at 43rd and 10th Avenue.

Crazy rain storm as Bill and I huddled under my umbrella as we walked to the bus terminal. I was headed to Weehawken and Bill was headed to Stuyvesant Town where he was living with his parents. Looking back those were the last hours of a type of innocence never to be regained.

I returned the library book, Starting Over, all about John & Yoko’s Double Fantasy album. the book was bumming me out since I knew how it would end. Here I am again, reading all about 9/11, remembering that I too, helped out and volunteered at a restaurant on Canal Street, feeding rescue and recovery workers from the World Trade Center site.

I’m too invested in the magazine article to stop reading it now. For those who have the weekend off, I hope you have a good weekend. For those who are working I hope it is profitable and enjoyable. For those in between, whatever.

♫ he’s a lonely little fat and balding man, never could do what I can ♪