Cigar | johnozed

It’s Thursday again and it’s a bit drizzly outside right now. I only say that since I tied up the newspapers and left them at the curb and that’s when I noticed the drizzle. Last night, a quiet night again. No raucous nights anymore. All very quiet and I’m fine with that.

Spoke with Bill on the phone last night and I think I bummed him out somewhat. Either I did or he’s coming down with a cold. I prefer the cold, not for health reasons but rather to ease my mind and free it of guilt. It’s a cold. I know this since I am presently on the phone with him. Runny nose, scratchy throat are his symptoms.

I restored the factory settings on the iPod, effectively wiping out 7000 tracks. Been reloading the iPod and I am up to over 5000 tracks. This is the point when I look for a favorite song while walking around then I realize that it hasn’t been reloaded. That will probably happen a few weeks from now.

Also the tedious anal retentive part where I restore an album like XTC’s Drums and Wires to the original vinyl track listing rather than the revised listing on the cd. Yes, I am that anal when it comes to music.

Have to make sure all of Grace Jones is there and most but not all of the 6 disc Beatles Anthology. I also collect all the downloads of let’s say, the Police, maybe 8 tracks which I re-edit and re-label as C.O.P.S. instead of the different titles from the albums they were originally on.

I recorded the Elvis Costello talk show on Sundance Channel called Spectacles. His first guest for the whole show was Elton John. Elton was responsible for me getting into Elvis Costello 30 effin years ago.

I remember (more anal retentiveness) listening to WPIX FM and they announced that Elton had received an award in the UK naming him the Artist of the Year. Elton supposedly refused the award since it was in one of his ‘retirement’ years and announced the award should go to Elvis Costello who to me was that guy who looked like the child of Buddy Holly and Woody Allen.

Elton has great taste in music though and also inadvertently turned me onto Massive Attack. I haven’t watched the show yet so who knows what the hell they talked about.

I did win a pass online to see a taping with Elvis and Rufus Wainwright. 20 years ago I would have been there, but it was at the Apollo Theater and it was scheduled 3 hours after I left work and finding something to do for a few hours paled when I thought about just going home, so I didn’t go. No regrets though.

I woke up earlier than I have the past few days and was out the door just as Matt Lauer started running his mouth. As I turned the corner onto 6th Street I noticed I left my wallet at home so I had to climb 4 flights of stairs for it so I probably missed Casey Chasm.

Bus ride was uneventful and once again I was disdainful of the other riders. As I was crossing Eighth Avenue in the city I had to walk with my fellow commuters into oncoming traffic since a flat bed truck had blocked the pedestrian walkway.

It was reassuring to see 2 traffic cops having a nice little chat while a few dozen people faced impending vehicular homicide. It was more of the same, some really dumb people always in my way.

I did run an errand and wound up meeting up with Vinny of Wanker Banker days as well as Dave G and Renee who still work there. Some catching up, who’s where, who’s looking, who’s about to lose their job. It was all good though.

Walked with Dave G as he was on a hunt for smoothies. It was good catching up with good people like that. Seems long ago that I worked with them though it was less than two years.

Walked across town, enjoying a cigar and got on a bus where I was joined by Casey Chasm. More catching up. It was good to see him. He’s a good egg man and I am the walrus, goo goo g’joob.

It’s certainly not a good time to be working in the financial world. Unfortunately I work in the financial world. Fortunately I don’t make enough to be worried about but things do change. What I have to my advantage is the fact that the people I work for are hopelessly inept and can’t do much for themselves.

That’s where I come in, making coffee, filing, distributing mail, making sure things are tidy and ready to go as well as knowing who to call when something goes wrong. It’s really easy to do but like I said, they’re inept. Total deja vu feeling, even writing about the deja vu was deja vu like.

Thank you Mr. Reagan and your cronies for the deregulation of banks. May you rot in the ground you wrinkled fuck.

So after eating last night I felt a lot better, and even sat on the stoop reading Alan Bennett’s Untold Stories. He finally touched upon Dudley Moore and Peter Cook. Dudley had insecurity to deal with, Peter had major alcoholism. Alan Bennett felt that part of Dudley’s insecurity was from the fact that he wasn’t a writer.

An entertainer, an actor, a jazz pianist but not a writer. He wasn’t a funny guy it seemed. Thanks to the movies he became more famous but it didn’t really help matters much.

Bill showed up as I sat outside enjoying a Padron. He was tired and carrying groceries that were perishable so he made it upstairs while I sat and read and puffed on my cigar.

Got a phone call from my sister in law Elaine last night. Initially I thought it was a belated birthday call but no it was bad news. My brother Frank had a seizure on Saturday night and was rushed off to Hackensack Hospital. By the time he got to the emergency room he was relatively normal and Frank and Elaine were back home at 4:00AM.

He last had a seizure in April. It seems stress might be or is a major factor in this situation, but what could be done about stress? I know there are many things that could be done regarding stress, but we’re talking about my brother and for him a lot of things are a chore.

Things such as taking a walk is a chore. As much alike as we are (and we are) things like that, walking, riding a bicycle are just some of the things that make up the difference between us. I called Annemarie and Brian and left messages for them.

Eventually they both called me back and I told them the news. Frank was home today and I spoke to him briefly and I could hear how annoyed he was with all this, the seizure and the medications.

Last night Roda came over. I had invited him a few weeks ago to come over and watch True Blood anytime he’d like. Last night he liked to come over and I couldn’t say no, nor did I want to. He’s always good company and it’s great he and Bill get along so well.

It was a rather low key affair, the two of them on the couch, me sitting where it seems I always sit, close to the computer. He stayed for Entourage then split, before heading down the stairs, telling me that he was going to be a father again, this time they’re having a girl.

I didn’t ask who the mother was, thinking it was Elly the mother of his son Logan. I’m sure I’ll find out eventually and how does one ask that question anyhow?

Tonight Bill and I are going to an art show at McSwells. It’s a show for the artists in the Neumann Leather building on Observer Highway. They’re in danger of losing their space, what maybe the last frontier from the artsy bohemian days of the late seventies, early eighties when I came into the Hoboken picture.

Bill’s having a nap right now, so there is a good chance that he won’t make it. I was surprised when he said he’d go with me this afternoon, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t want to go after napping.

Here are today’s New Yorkers.