Tag Archives: Heroes

(Gloryhallastoopid) Pin the Tail on the Funky

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“$700 billion dollars, a staggering number, but only a part of the cost of the failed Bush economic policies to our country, policies that were built on budget recklessness. When President Bush took office, he inherited President Clinton’s surpluses. Four years in a row — budget surpluses, on a trajectory of $5.6 trillion dollars in surplus. And with his reckless economic policies, within two years, he had turned that around. And now, eight years later, the foundation of that fiscal irresponsibility, combined with an “anything goes” economic policy, has taken us to where we are today.” That is basically what Nancy Pelosi said that upset the oh so delicate republicants.

As expected Olbermann and Rachel Maddow said all the things that Bill and I agree with. I did have a plan to go to McSwells and meet up with Thaler Pekar and give her, or lend her Naomi Klein’s book No Logo. But with my general mood yesterday all I wanted to do was go home. I’m sure she would understand. I requested Naomi Klein’s latest book The Shock Doctrine from the library so I should get that in a day or two.

Since the economic miasma yesterday it seems to be quite a popular book. After the Olbermann/Maddow shows Bill and I watched Heroes which was excellent once again. Bill went to bed and I soon followed. Woke up at 6:30 with Bill asking if I was going to work today. Apparently I didn’t hear the alarm clock and slept right through it. It felt good though.

I lumbered around the apartment, trying to avoid Bill. Two big guys weighing over 200 pounds can be troublesome. I jumped in the shower, Bill made some coffee for me then he was out the door. I once again soon followed. He caught an earlier bus, I was on a later bus. No Casey on this bus.

Finished the New Yorker from last week and since I finished Alan Bennett’s Untold Stories I knew I wouldn’t have anything to read on my ride back. I made a mental note to have something to read, but misplaced it somewhere on my mental desk.

Got to the office, the auditor was sitting on the floor with her lap top. She was nice, asked me a lot of questions about Hoboken. She too is also a bit nervous on the economy right now, and she’s more entrenched in the financial world than I am. She works for a government department that audits investment banks, as does her husband.

She was enjoyable to talk to, a definite change from the average auditor who generally lack personality and don’t talk to anyone. Perhaps with my being warm and outgoing, it could lend itself to a favorable rating from the audit. Who knows? Perhaps she and her husband will find an apartment in Hoboken and we’ll cross paths again.

Today was payday and with the dire warnings yesterday about small businesses not able to meet their payroll, I checked my account online. My heart stopped when I saw the same amount as yesterday. It seemed that the direct deposit did not go through.

I checked with Tom Chin who said that the payroll had gone through with no problem, he showed me my account as well as everyone else’s, and it’s true the payroll did go through and I do make a lot less than everyone else. I’m not complaining. I’m comfortable with my salary.

I checked again online with my bank and sure enough, there was my direct deposit. The bank had some glitch with it’s online services. Talk about bad timing.

The morning was going by smoothly when the bell rang. I went to see who it was and there was a guy in a nice suit with two other people. A real estate agent, asking for Jonathan. I told him the name was John and I didn’t have any record of an appointment to see the space. He also mentioned Vivek’s name and I went and asked Vivek to see if he knew anything about it.

Vivek said he didn’t and gave me the go ahead to brush the guy off. I went back to the now flustered agent and told him it was a bad time and gave him my card to make an appointment. He checked his iPhone and he was visibly nervous, with shaking hands. His clients were understanding and perhaps a little bit miffed but they left.

Vivek then walked up to me to ask how it went and that was when he remembered that they did have an appointment. I gave him the agents card and hopefully he apologized but he more than likely blamed the whole thing on me. I hate dealing with the real estate office space situation.

Had a nice Padron on my walk across town, no change for the homeless guy who nonetheless said my suit looked sharp. I’ll take a compliment from anyone, no proof of residency required.

Happy birthdays to Rita, Thaler and my nephew Earl who is now 18!!! Yikes!

Alien Jam

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Last night was cool, mellow. Watched Olbermann and Rachel Maddow which was as good as usual. Taped Heroes which had it’s season premier last night. I of course, being a former comic book geek was hooked anew. But it was a two hour episode or rather two one hour episodes shown back to back. I watched Rachel Maddow and taped Heroes and watched the first hour.

Still don’t know how the second episode went, but I have a week to watch it. Bill was in bed fast asleep when I joined him and before I knew it he was kissing me goodbye once again. I got out of bed and showered. Forgot to shave but then again it takes a few days to notice, though I can feel it growing.

Last night I bought two songs from iTunes by Konk!, one of my favorite bands from the 1980’s. I was surprised to see it on iTunes, but there it was. I bought them, and loaded it into my iPod, making a playlist so I could find it fast or so I thought. I was disappointed to not find it this morning. I got over it and wound up listening to solo songs by the Fabs instead, which was great of course, but not that pseudo Latin dance stuff from the East Village that I was looking forward to.

On the bus I got a video message from Bill, being silly and screaming and shouting that he loved me which was fun to get on a crowded bus. Then I got a phone call. It was Bill and not as silly as he was a minute before. He told me his mother had a stroke last night and he was on the way to the hospital.

To say that sucked would be an understatement. He was understandably stressed and continued to be so throughout the day when he would phone with updates. It was thought it was a seizure but seems to be a stroke, slight paralysis on one side of his other’s face among other symptoms. I couldn’t get away from work and even if I could what could I do?

Work itself was intense, not so much for what was going on inside the office, but rather from what was going on outside. Bush was in town, staying at the Waldorf Astoria right around the block from my office and most of the neighborhood was on lock down.

Total street closures, snipers on rooftops, helicopters flying low over head and quite a fleet of vehicles one of which was the dummy vehicle, with the rest being decoys. Cops everywhere and Secret Service, some of them dressed oh so nicely.

Work was quiet again, the only thing I heard was Vivek indignant yet laughing at the way the Senate was questioning Paulson. Vivek thinks Paulson should get all the money to do what he will. Vivek is the managing director of the company and of course he wants his company to stay afloat, which puts me in a weird position, I want to work and I want oversight on this bail out. Questions asked.

Then around 2:00 Vivek and Greg Stevens went out saying they probably wouldn’t be back, leaving me all alone in the office. Esteban, the lone stooge, left early after a doctor’s appointment and Tom Chin never came in after saying he would be in by noon. I stayed until 4:30 and walked across town enjoying a Padron listening Radiohead, In Rainbows. Haven’t played it in a while.

Got the bus back, picked up a ticket at Tunes for my brother Frank’s friend for The Bird and The Bee at McSwells in a week or so. Then I ran into Thaler who is really sweet. I’ve known Thaler for a long time and we have a few mutual friends. And she and her husband Tom who’s equally nice used to live next to Chaz and Kathe when they were together and living in Hoboken.

She’s a lot more political minded than I am and has been a vocal supporter for women’s rights. She looked really good as well and we had a really good talk about the current political scene. She has some good insight on a lot of things that I’m too tired to get into right now.

I started tonight’s entry on my own computer which crapped out again, low wireless connection. Finished on Bill’s laptop which has a good wireless connection. Also didn’t want a cranky call from he who must not be named about ‘why is the blog so late tonight?’