Tag Archives: Cigar Shop

I Dream of You

I suppose it’s working retail that really tires me out. Dealing with people, standing around for 10 hours a day and not really going anywhere just walking around in circles will do that to you. Today was a day just like that.

Running around in circles. A lot of that today. Slept alright last night, my neck has been bothering me lately. Mainly it is from the pillows doing whatever it is that they want at night and for the past 2 nights I had a crink in my neck.

I was careful last night, doing my best to make sure that I would have much of a problem today. It worked somewhat, not much pain throughout the day. Still every now and then there would be a little twinge but not as bad as it had been.

I met Eliot Spitzer yesterday. he didn’t come into the cigar shop, but was walking by. I stepped outside and said hello, mentioning the mutual friend we had in common, a fantastic woman named Audra.

Audra went to school with my sister Annemarie and that’s how I knew her. And she was at the shindig that Bill and I had in July at Maxwells. He lit up when I mentioned Audra’s name and I later sent an email to Audra saying that I met the former Governor. Nice guy, shorter than I expected.

No bold face names like that today, except Don S. I left the cigar shop today to have lunch. It’s been warm enough, in the 40 degree range but the sidewalks are crap and the curbs and corners are lakes and ponds full of slush. Not much one can do about that.

Still it was good to get out of the store if only for an hour. Calvin still can’t understand why anyone would want to leave the cigar shop on their lunch hour. For him it would be difficult to come back inside. It is for me, but I realize it’s my duty, my job and someone is usually waiting for me to come back so they could take their lunch hour.

There is no news regarding Hyman Gross yet. Bill hasn’t heard anything and I doubt if Bill or myself were listed as a contact in case of emergency. We can only hope that no news is good news.

Tomorrow is New Year’s Eve. Bill and I will likely have dinner at Arthur’s Steakhouse in Hoboken, a short stroll around Hoboken, smoking cigars, going home for a spell before heading over to Rand & Lisa’s for their New Year’s Eve open house.

It’s what we’ve been doing for the past 10 years and if Rand & Lisa are willing we’ll probably be doing the same thing for the next 10 years.

Calvin did mention hanging out for a little while after work, to enjoy some nice cigars for the end of the year. He said Sean and the Bradley were into it, so basically I was cornered. I don’t mind. We’re closing the cigar shop at 5:00 so I hope to be home by 7:00. At least that’s the plan so far.

Don’t know if I’ll be writing tomorrow. Do you?




I Don’t Stand A Ghost Of A Chance With You

New day, new documents. Using Google Docs at the moment. Got burned by Microsoft Word last night and after 3 or 4 burns, decided to use good old Google. I thought I would have the whole Microsoft Office thing in the new computer, I am using Windows 7 now, no longer an XP kind of guy.

Maybe I do, I just have to find it, and who has the time when there are pictures of who knows what being sent to me continuously in my email.

It was back to work for me today and it wasn’t half bad. Perhaps the good feeling of the holidays are still upon us, good will and all that. It was me and Calvin most of the day with Sean coming in followed by the one known now as Fred.

I like Fred, he’s a nice guy but man can he talk your ear off. It’s OK though, it’s certainly better than the moody shenanigans that the Bradley played a few months ago. It wasn’t too busy and I was able to actually sit in the back room and enjoy a cigar after having something to eat for lunch.

It was a good cigar but stronger than I remembered when I last smoked it over the summer. It made me a bit woozy afterwards but I soon recovered. Calvin was having a discussion with a screenwriter when I finished lunch and he introduced me as a writer as well before Calvin went off to do something else.

The screenwriter bloke and I hit it off somewhat well, discussing various methods of writing. I explained how I write at least 500 words a day and though some of it might not be worthwhile, I still have a decent collection of writing and in that collection there are probably a few choice lines or phrases that I could use at anytime.

I also explained that I was good at dialogue, mentioning how 20 years ago I collaborated on a script with John Bruce who called me a few days later, telling me that my writing made him cry, it was that good.

Perhaps I am rose tinting the past, but that’s how I remember it, getting a phone call from Mr. Bruce at the video store where I worked at the time, or maybe Mr. Bruce showed up to tell me.

It was back to the earlier schedule tonight, closing the store at 9:00. I didn’t rush down to the bus terminal, it was too messy streets filled with cold slush and it’s quite slippery out too. No Hyman Gross either.

Last night Bill called me. he had gotten off the bus a few stops earlier than usual, he was worried about Hyman Gross. Neither of us had heard from or seen Hyman in a while so Bill decided to knock on his door.

When he got off the bus he saw a Hoboken Emergency Services Unit nearby and thought it best if he told them what was up. They drove Bill to Hyman’s apartment where a neighbor mentioned that they hadn’t seen Hyman in a while.

The Emergency Services person did some detective work and found out that Hyman was in Massachusetts near his family, in a hospital. We still don’t know where exactly, or what put him in the hospital but the Emergency Services person took Bill’s information and told Bill they would be in touch with him if there hear anything else.

That is just one reason why I love Bill. Doing something like that, in the cold, checking in on a senior citizen who just happens to be a friend.

Two more days of work for me, then two days off. A weekend. On a weekend. Who would have thought?