Tag Archives: Cigars

Foreground

It’s back to work for me again! Of course I could have used an hour more of sleep but that’s just not how things work out.

Last night Bill and I watched Into the Storm, a bio-pic of Winston and Clementine Churchill. It was good but I started thinking that the Churchill bio-pic a year or so ago starring Albert Finney and Vanessa Redgrave was a little bit better.

What can I say? I just like Vanessa Redgrave that much.

Len Cariou as Franklin Delano Roosevelt was a nice touch. Bill enjoyed it. He told me so as he headed off to bed as I watched the news and of course spaced out on the weather report. Bill and I sat on the stoop before the bio-pic and smoked cigars, very Churchillian.

We seem to have landed in a spot where we both really enjoy each others company. I guess if you’re in a relationship you know how it goes. Sometimes your partner drives you up the wall. Not lately though.

We’ve been there for each other and simply enjoyed walking around Hoboken or Central Park.

He was out of the apartment as I was getting out of bed this morning. The forecast today was that it was going to be warm so I dressed casual. I headed into the city, reading the New Yorker.

The bus got crowded fast despite a few coach buses following each other quite closely. I made it into the office a little after 9:00 which is the way they want things to be.

Of course things were busy. I made myself a cup of coffee and found there was very little milk left.

That meant I had to head out and get milk which I did. Then when I came back and was about to make a second pot of coffee for the office I found there was no more coffee. So it was out for me again.

Lately Vivek and Sanjay are so secretive, or more likely, absentminded about telling me what is going on. It was a surprise to see that one of the big wigs from Kent, Washington was in as well as the French Spaniard.

Both were in to see me and engage me in a meeting. That was an unwelcome surprise for myself and for them as I told them I had way too much to do this morning to sit down and talk.

Eventually I made it back and I did have their meeting and it went well.

They all seemed to like what I had to say, despite the fact that I had no idea what it was I was saying. It was a very Chauncey Gardiner moment.

‘As long as the roots are intact, all will be well in the garden.’

The Washington state big wig went off with Vivek and Sanjay to Parsipanny and I was left with the French Spaniard. Pierre is what I’ll call him and he was a nice guy, very easy to get along with. We talked about the design of the still incomplete website and he’s they guy who’s going to get that together.

It’s odd that someone has to fly up from Florida to discuss these things with me as well as sit in on a phone call with a potential client yet Vivek and Sanjay and even the now invisible Abby could never find the time to do the same.

Obviously if I need to talk with someone about this, I need to call long distance rather than talk to those guys sitting about twenty feet away from me.

Yesterday as I walked home from sitting by the river and before smoking cigars with Bill on the front steps, I stopped by Tunes and picked up Grizzly Bear’s latest CD, Veckatimest. It’s pretty good, and enjoyable.

None of the songs are as good as Grizzly Bear’s Deep Blue Sea on the Dark Was The Night double CD Red Hot compilation, but a few of them come close.

Not really something that moves you along as you walk around midtown Manhattan. More like something you can listen to sitting still and get a lot out of it.

I recommend it.

Carpetbaggers

Last night was a pretty good night. After I wrote, I got myself together and headed into the city while most everyone at the Path station was heading away from the city.

I had the New Yorker to read as did another rider a few seats down. I tried to see what issue he was up to, but couldn’t tell except I knew it was recent since it had the iPhone advertisement on the back cover.

Got off at 14th Street and headed west, passing the vacuum cleaner store at 131 west 14th Street and took note since they’re about the only accessible vacuum cleaner store for me. And since I’m now vacuuming the hallway in my apartment building, it’s good to know.

I walked over to Eighth Avenue and 20th Street where Bill’s friend Fred was waiting outside with a friend of his, Lila. The whole get together was to celebrate Fred’s birthday which was a few days ago. Bill joined us a moment later and we ordered drinks, they had margarita’s, I had Corona’s.

Then I had possibly the best burrito I have ever had in my life. I usually eat chicken, but since it seems all I eat lately is chicken I decided to have a burrito with hanger steak.

It wasn’t Tex-Mex or Cal-Mex, and it was definitely a ‘modern’ presentation. All I know is I did not focus on anything else while I was eating it.

Oh it was sooo good.

Lila left before dinner was over, having other things to do. After dinner we walked up to 23rd Street where we saw Wolverine. It was underwhelming. I’m getting tired of the high resolution fight scenes where you really can see anything that’s going on.

It’s not even that fancy an effect. And the movie didn’t have that coherent a plot. And no cigar smoking either. It seems cigar smoking is only done by villains these days since smoking is verboten.

We stayed until the very end since there was an open door for a sequel or for another movie. We saw the set up for Dead Pool who I never heard of until this movie, played by Ryan Reynolds aka Mr. Scarlett Johansen.

That’s one way to get a head.

We parted ways at the Path train, Fred going his way and Bill and I heading back to Hoboken. And Hoboken was hopping since it was a Friday night after all.

Near the bars were groups of twenty somethings trying to figure out where the next party was, or else lurking in doorways furtively smoking cigarettes.

I don’t think Hoboken has always been a party town, more like it happened in the past 15 years or so when the gentrification was complete.

Now it’s election season in Hoboken. I keep running into an independent candidate, a handsome guy who’s name I won’t print here since he probably Google’s his name everyday.

Ah fuck it, Chris Carbine is his name.

He always catches me and always ready with a handshake. I’m polite and try not to lead him on.

I did visit his website and when I saw that he held a rally on Pier A on April 15, he asked people to bring tea bags. I always have my tea bag ready but I don’t think that was what he meant. He’s a tea bagger and not the fun kind.

And that cost him my vote.

Republican or Libertarian, no vote from me. Sorry Chris.

The election is in a few days and in Hoboken it’s getting feverish and dirty. And there still is an enormous tax levy.

I haven’t made up my mind on who to vote for, for mayor. It will be a woman, I know that much.

Voting in Hoboken for the Mayoral election always requires a shower afterwards.

Listening to River Deep, Mountain High by Ike & Tina Turner. Still an amazing song hundreds of years later.

Hoboken

Hoboken

Bill Shavin'

Bill Shavin'