Tag Archives: Jim Mastro

Bony Moronie

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Wow it’s chilly out today. Been in the 30’s most of the day. No way was I going out to play guitar. No way, uh uh, not me. Julio came up last night after seeing Stine and Alexander to the airport. They were en route to Copenhagen where they eventually arrived safely.

Julio was of course feeling lonely, no little guy excited to see him and I’m not the guy excited to see him anymore either. Sure it’s good to see him but it’s not like how it used to be. I told him he was welcome to come up to watch a movie on the provision that he does not criticize the shape of the apartment.

Apparently he has a problem with rectangular apartments, the rail road style even though he lives in almost the same type of apartment. I asked if he had seen Snatch, to which he asked if that was the one with Brad Pitt, where you can’t understand a word he says. It was and he didn’t want to see that again.

He’s always had a problem with seeing a movie more than once, so that meant the Dark Knight was also out of the picture. We agreed on The Lives of Others which takes place in East Berlin in 1984. I had taken it from the library a few weeks ago but wasn’t in the mood for a subtitled movie after all and returned it unwatched.

I have to say it was totally engrossing and an interesting view on East German lives while the wall was up. Bill came home midway through and it was too late for him to get into, plus he was driving a bus to Atlantic City today and had to plan his routes, so he set himself up in the kitchen while Julio and I sat in the darkened media room/living room- room where the couch and the TV are and were both taken by the film.

The film was really quite good and I can’t recommend it enough. Julio also brought up the rest of the Galician wine we had the night before in his apartment and we polished it off. When the movie was over, Julio went home and fell asleep, Bill moved into the now lit media room and continued plotting his course.

Soon he too went to bed, and I went out after not really watching Saturday Night Live to get some money to lend to Bill since he’s broke at the moment. I also chatted on Facebook with a grammar school classmate, Donna who asked if I knew if another classmate had died. Jimmy Murray did overdose a few years ago, from what my brother Brian told me. On August 21, 2011 I heard from another classmate from St. Francis de Sales that Jimmy Murray is still alive.

Brian worked with Jimmy on a job a number of years ago. Jimmy grew up faster than I did, was groping girl’s breasts in 6th grade and probably smoking weed around the same time. After 6th grade he left parochial school and went to public school which was the last I heard of him.

Donna also mentioned another classmate, Steven Bronder also passed away, likely from an overdose as well. When I went to my high school reunion for the first and only time, I ran into another former grammar school classmate Jimmy Bartoli who told me that Steven was a crackhead who was busted for lurking about the elevators in an apartment building across the street from the Lincoln School on Main Street in Lodi.

Donna made overtures about an informal reunion of my grammar school classmates after the holidays which made me think that informal meant that black tie was not required. I told her that it would be in the timing since I was presently unemployed. She remarked her boyfriend was also out of a job.

I also told Donna that I don’t drive, not because of a DUI or DWI or anything like that, just that I got burnt out on driving and after having not driven for over 20 years now, I certainly have no desire to do so again. Having been a pedestrian all these years I see how horrible drivers are these day and plus, I wasn’t that good a driver to begin with.

Donna’s still in Lodi, raising her 2 boys, one is looking at college now. She asked how long Bill and I have been together and yes, it’s been 9 years. She was impressed by that and happy that I was happy. She was OK with my being gay since her older brother was gay as well. I sort of figured that out in 1976 since all her older brother listened to was the soundtrack to A Chorus Line nonstop.

It was a fun chat and it lasted longer than I anticipated. At 1:00 I told her I needed to get ready for bed and thanked her for the chat. It should be nice to see her again. I haven’t seen her or most of our classmates for over 30 years. Maybe that was enough, maybe not. It remains to be seen.

I did have a nice walk around Hoboken today, running from health food store to health food store, pricing Stevia. Decided to forgo the Hoboken Farmboy since they were about $4.00 more. Stopped by the Guitar Boy where Jim Mastro was busy. Just saying hi and took his picture.

Tim, the teenage ace guitarist popped in. His banjo needed new strings. I asked him how many instruments did he play and he wasn’t sure so he rattled off guitar, bass, mandolin, banjo and maybe one or tow others which my older graying mind forgot.

I told him he was an inspiration and I think that made him uncomfortable. I did see him and Lily Mastro playing on video at St Peter’s Prep school and I told him how good it was. Then after wishing him a Merry Christmas I was out of there, to smoke a cigar and wander around Hoboken on my own for a little while.

When I got home, I picked out my suit and polished my shoes for an interview tomorrow morning. It was a decent day today and I hope yours was as well.

What is it?

What is it?

Mister Wonderful Jim Mastro

Mister Wonderful Jim Mastro

from Times Sq 12.2.09- courtesy of Joe Jervis/Joe.My.God.

from Times Sq 12.2.09- courtesy of Joe Jervis/Joe.My.God.

I Stand Accused

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I woke up this morning with a lyric in my head. Not going to write it down here, I wrote it on some paper, but I think it’s a decent lyric. Just a couple of lines, but it’s a start. Roam wasn’t written in a day you know.

I am still digging the fact that Mr. Wonderful Jim Mastro really fixed up my guitar. Can’t stop playing. Today I taught myself, Surrender by Cheap Trick. That is a lot of fun to play, and I don’t even mind singing about Kiss. A lot easier than I expected.

Also 2 Grizzly Bear songs, Deep Blue Sea and Two Weeks. I am really digging it and been exercising my left index finger since it’s a bit stiff. I exercise it by bending it up and down which if I did it in public, it looks like I would be telling people to ‘come here’.

I should be grateful that it’s not my middle finger, but I’m really not.

I was so excited about the guitar that when Bill came home I showed him and played Half a World Away by R.E.M. and 2000 Miles by the Pretenders. This afternoon I also played Goodbye Yellow Brick Road by Reg Dwight.

Had a good talk with Juan last night. He’s not in a good way though. Not my place to write about it since it’s not my life, and I don’t want his resentment, but like I said, it ain’t good.

Not much TV today. I watched Cash Cab, a game show set in an actual taxi in Manhattan. It’s a fun show, the cab driver is pretty silly and goofy.

Tonight I’m supposed to have a coffee with a friend of Julio’s, Lisa. She’s a sweetheart, we really enjoy each others company. She’s been working in real estate in Hoboken and I don’t recall if I wrote about this last week, but I’ve been toying with the idea of working in real estate.

My friend Vinnie says I would be great at it, a natural, and having written that, I’m pretty sure I wrote about it. I’m going to have to suggest something other than coffee since I don’t drink coffee after 12:00PM. I have enough difficulty going to sleep and caffeine would certainly do a number on me at 1:30 in the morning.

I watched Heroes last night. It’s great when you DVR it, the whole show is about 40 minutes sans commercials. And once again it was lackluster. They should pull the plug on the show. Really, make this season the last season. It’s going nowhere and not even Milo Ventimiglia could save it.

Most of the day has been playing music and listening to music. Much like when I was growing up. Music music music. I hear a song, check the chords online and start strumming away.

I’ve been meaning to write about a Facebook experience I’ve had. No, not like that. I came across someone from high school’s name and checked out his friends. I knew some of them. One of them was this kid named Brett who lived in Rochelle Park, the town next to Lodi where I grew up.

Brett was so obviously gay, I don’t know if he knew but I knew I was and my early gaydar certainly pinged on him. Not my type, he was maybe 98 pounds soaking wet and being a boy named Brett, I guess it was destiny that he would be gay.

So I’m going down this former classmate’s friend list and saw Brett’s name there. But the picture was of a roided hairy muscle bear. It was quite a mind fuck. I initially thought that Brett had his favorite porn star’s picture there, but no it was Brett.

Definitely did a number on my head. Still not my type and despite his hirsute looks and macho exterior, I am sure that when he opens his mouth to speak, it’s ‘Hello Mary’.

Another Facebook thing that popped into my head was the fact that I was so excited to make $3.00 on Saturday while busking that I wrote about it as my status. Today I thought that some of my friends from grammar school that I am friends with were probably tsk tsking when they read it, that is if they don’t hide my postings, anti catholic/religion, anti republican, pro gay stuff.

Then I realized that I’ve done perfectly well without them in my life for the past 33 years and I really don’t give a damn what they think.

Now I’m off to see Lisa after I post this.

Smell ya later.

Today is World AIDS Day. Remember those who have fallen and celebrate their brief lives.