Tag Archives: Juan

Sister Midnight

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Well Saturday came and here it is. Turned out to be nice weather after a day and night of rain. Watched the TV last night, chatted with Juan before that. He made some suggestion about going out, I plead poverty. He lost his cellphone and doesn’t have internet where he’s been living at school. He did have a sketch of a plan to come up and visit his mother in Union City, so I told him to give me a call if he was in the area.

By 11:30 I was having difficulty staying awake so I went to bed, only to be woken by the buzzer at midnight. It was Juan looking to hang out. I was almost asleep and had to turn him down which sucked, but perhaps if I had gotten a phone call I would have made an effort. But he didn’t so I went back to sleep.

Then the phone rang and it was Bill calling to wish me a good night as well as tell me the latest tale of woe with regards to looking after his mother. I tried to reassure him that he should get some sleep and it might be better in the morning. When we spoke this morning things hadn’t gotten any better but they didn’t get any worse either. Poor Bill, at wit’s end. His mother can’t be left alone yet Bill has to get on with his day to day routine somehow.

I did my Saturday morning routine and shocked at what used to be cheaper a month or so ago has nearly doubled in price. Everything is getting more expensive. Even bagels which I now butter myself at home, thank you very much. Did the laundry, read the papers had breakfast. I also watched the Fantastic Four: The Rise of the Silver Surfer.

If you were a fan of the Fantastic Four like I was and knew the Silver Surfer saga you will be disappointed. A real must to avoid. Stick to the comic books. I still want to see Iron Man though, which would probably be the first time I listen to a Black Sabbath song with out the urge to leave the room.

Decided to head into the city after that. Took the Path train in and got off at Christopher Street which I hadn’t done in a long time, not in a year maybe. Walked around neighborhoods that were very different years ago. Favorite stores gone, even Washington Square Park is being redone. I think they were re-centering the fountain that used to be in the middle, a little off of center, which added to the charm but the new powers that be decided it must be aligned with something so now a good portion of the park has been dug up, behind fences and unaccessible. The Bottom Line is gone, Tower Records is gone, and we all know CBGB’s is gone too, and Washington Square isn’t the same. .

Sheridan Square/Christopher Street

Sixth Avenue and West 4th Street

Washington Square Park

The former Bottom Line

formerly Tower Records

Lafayette Street and Fourth Avenue

I walked up Lafayette Street, overhearing a conversation on Leslie Van Houten, one of the Manson Girls. Walked up to 110 Fourth Avenue which is where the best god damned card shop in Manhattan is, known as Farfetched. Farfetched is owned by Susan Zappone and Lois Marsilio, 2 old friends of Harpy’s that I’ve known about 10 years now. Farfetched is a fascinating store full of knick knacks and do dads and the occasional whatnot. Harpy was working with Susan and the atmosphere was full of happiness and good music. The customers were plenty and in need of a lot of attention, excepting the steadfast customers who have been shopping at Farfetched since 1945. I believe Harry Truman bought himself a picture frame on a whistle stop tour of Manhattan in 1947. Either Truman or Eisenhower, I don’t know, I could be wrong on that count.

Harpy and Susan at Farfetched

I then walked around a bit, chatted with Annemarie on the phone too near cell phone dead zones and avoided the recently infested with bed bugs, Union Square. I walked up Park Avenue, puffing on a Padron and listening to the B-52’s Funplex which gets better each time I play it and I’ve been playing it once a day at least.

Walked up to 33rd Street so I could finish my cigar and get a seat on the Path train back to Hoboken. An uneventful ride with me reading ‘God is Not Great’ by Christopher Hitchens. Hoboken was busy, people walking up and down the boulevard and shopping. Since tomorrow is Mother’s Day, the card and gift shops were busy, which explains the busyness of Farfetched.

Pretty Pretty

Abstraction

Good doggy

Cement crib

Pigeon frenzy

Got a call from Julio, he was out shopping for Mother’s day gifts and I shopped with him for a bit. Of course we hit the card and gift shops and after spending time in Farfetched I headed out to the street to wait. I ran into Steve Pierson a former executive director from my Wanker Banker days. He was with his wife Stacy and their darling daughter of 20 months, Abby. Steve is a nice guy, he grabbed my arm as I was headed out to wait and got my attention. He and Stacy moved to Hoboken a few years ago. He’s a really nice guy, a bit right wing but I don’t hold it against him.

Looks great in a suit and tie though, really woof. I did have a chemically fueled discussion over cigars and drinks (I was fueled he wasn’t) at a holiday party a few years ago. About Bush. He was for him, and guess who wasn’t? I think I’ve been proven right, but it didn’t come up. They left and I wished Steve’s wife a happy Mother’s Day.

Julio bought all the proper things for Mother’s Day, presents for his wife who’s a new mom, a card from their son for Mother’s day and as well as for his grandmother, Julio’s mom. Julio told me he was going to be an uncle, his sister Maria is having twins. Baby crazy I tell you. None for me thanks.

Pimpin’ ain’t easy

Robots

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Last night was cool. Juan was in town again and he stopped by and we hung out. Good to have him around again if only for a few hours. Gets lonely on the 5th floor sometimes. He’s such a good guy. We hung out watched some telly, then watched End of The Century: The Story of the Ramones I don’t think I had shown that to Juan. Johnny Ramone was a dick. A task master and they probably would not be as successful as they had gotten if it weren’t for him but still a dick nonetheless.

At 8:00 we switched over to The Simpsons which was funny as usual and King of the Hill will was also funny. Juan left at 9:00 after eating some reheated leftovers which smelled and looked better than they were the first time around. Juan split, needing to get back to school before the expected rains, I watched Michael Clayton which was better than I expected, but then again, there was George Clooney, looking good as a fix it guy at a big law firm. He makes most everything better.

After that I went to bed, slept really well. Certainly did not want to get out of bed this morning, all was gray and rainy. Still somehow I got it together a bit later than usual and was at the bus stop soon enough. Different sort of commuter on the bus at 7:30 than there is twenty minutes earlier. I read last weeks New Yorker as was the woman sitting in front of me. She was a few pages ahead, and I fought the competitive urge.

Got to the office around 8:30, checked my email. Tom Chin wrote that he was ill and was going to work from home. I was glad about that. Made the gray day almost bearable. Some work would be nice to do as well but it is slow again. And it is only Monday. Padma is leaving this week and it’s sad to see her go, but there is not enough money coming in to justify her research. I’ve been helping her clean out her office so that’s been keeping me somewhat busy. Left work around 4:00, most everyone else left already.

Drizzly walk across town, back on the bus, no interior lights working, leaving me to look out the window in the Lincoln Tunnel. It’s pouring now, I’m not going out again today, in for the night. Even if it was dry I would more than likely be in for the night. Bill has a gig playing piano for his friend Rome Neal. Bill was feeling tired from sleeping on the couch in his mother’s apartment and the weather didn’t help matters much. He took off today and I suggested he eat some bananas to give him some energy and chase them blues away somewhat.

I’m also planning a gate sale of my crap in June. Rand and Lois are having their gate sales the same day so we’ll all be referring gate sale shoppers to each other in case the shoppers aren’t happy with what we each might have for sale. I know I have a lot of crap, I just got to figure out what to keep and what to sell. That’s about it for now. Hello to Betty Colatrella and once again to bhikkhu who may be a Buddhist monk. “Know truth as truth and untruth as untruth but do not tell John Ozed who you are.” Or maybe not.

Here’s some Telly.