Tag Archives: Julio + Stine = Alexander

Let’s All Chant

So here we are, it’s a Saturday. It’s been snowing for the past hour or so. Big wet flakes, not sticking, just turning to water once they hit the ground.

Last night was spent partly down at Julio & Stine’s apartment. I wanted to spend time with Alexander before they flew off to Denmark this afternoon. I brought my guitar and did my best to plat Give a Little Bit by Supertramp. I do love that song. Classic pop. That and Take the Long Way Home are two of my favorite Supertramp songs.

Oh yeah, Even in the Quietest Moments and Lover Boy. OK, I have a few favorite Supertramp songs. In fact their songs would be on a mix tape compilation in case I’m ever on that desert island. Never get tired of those songs, though they certainly dropped the ball after Breakfast in America.

Anyway, Alexander did his little Alexander dance to my guitar playing. He also got a kick out of my picking some notes when I played Please Please Me, which Julio and I sang while Stine printed out their airline tickets.

I encouraged Alexander to strum my guitar as I fingered some notes. He loved the pick also and even though Julio and Stine felt bad when he dropped the pick in the hole, it was not big deal. Just a few shakes and it was out again.

It fell to the floor and Alexander picked it up and gave it to me. After each song I would play, Alexander would clap his hands and say ‘Again?’ and I would play a different tune, like Me & Julio Down By The Schoolyard which Julio couldn’t help but singalong to.

My mother would always say Me & Julio Down By The Schoolyard whenever she would ask about Julio.

It was a fine time. Alexander was up way later than usual and eventually Stine had to put him to bed, after reading him a story. Julio and I sat at the kitchen table, drinking Galician wine which was quite nice.

Also sort of broke my rule of not eating after 7:00 at night and had 2 slices of pizza that they had ordered. Came upstairs, Bill was finishing watching 3 hours of Lawn Hors d’œuvre, and soon went to bed. I stayed up, watched the Simpsons followed by Craig Ferguson before I finally turned in myself.

Bill was up before I was this morning, attempting to rediscover the couch which was buried under so much of his stuff mainly. Some items were mine, but the majority were his. It was a bit of a pain of the ass to make room for Juan on the couch the other night, which is why I told Bill to get Juan to move into the bed once Bill was leaving for work.

I did have a plan to go to the Man Ray exhibit today. Texted Rand about it the other day but never heard anything so I was content to go solo. I was all set to go and made it out to the street. My plan was to take the subway to 96th Street and after the visit to the Jewish Museum, enjoy a stroll down Fifth Avenue, smoke a cigar and listen to some music on the iPod.

But when I got to street level in Hoboken I thought it was too cold and wet to do that and opted to return to the apartment where it was nice and cozy. The exhibit is on until March 2010 so I have time, but do plan an attempt next week, with the same agenda.

Bill was off doing theater things this afternoon so I watched Charlie Chaplin’s The Kid which was just precious. Jackie Coogan and Chaplin’s relationship is just so special, that almost 100 years later really makes you misty.

I thought about showing it to Julio, but he’d probably turn into a puddle with Alexander en route to Denmark. Still, it’s a sweet movie. Chaplin was certainly something, easy to see how he became the first big movie star.

The biographical picture about Chaplin starring Robert Downey Jr. is worth seeing as well. So if you can’t get one, watch the other if possible.

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That’s Alright, Mama

It’s Friday which is a good day for the employed, and yet another day for those who aren’t. No hard feelings here though. I get disgruntled that places that were fairly free of people when the weather is nice are crowded on weekends since the employed come out in droves. I suppose they’re entitled.

Last night Juan came over at a decent hour, he, Bill and I watched The Office and 30 Rock. Well Juan made it for 30 Rock. Both were hilarious, 30 Rock won the funny prize due the High Definition gimmick. It was a good hang.

Juan made connections with some of his friends so he flew the coop around 11:00, after Bill had gone to sleep. I stayed up until maybe 1:00, getting caught up in Craig Ferguson again. He’s so much funnier that Jimmy Fallon.

Whereas Jimmy Fallon struggles with the script and cue cards, coming off as wooden, Craig Ferguson seems to go off the top of his head with usually hilarious results. After that, bedtime for me. Slept really well.

Interesting thing, when Bill left and when I opened my eyes intermittently everything was tinted emerald green. I’d blink and it would go away. Just something interesting. Woke up and walked around Hoboken a bit.

A stop at Radio Shack to see about a cable for the iPods that I’ll be using at the benefit on December 13. Carson, the DJ said they would have it but as it turned out Radio Shack didn’t. I rushed home because my new, free cellphone was due to arrive via UPS. I made it in time for the phone to be delivered an hour later.

It was a nice enough day to go out and play guitar so I headed out to Pier A, after dropping off the loaner phone at the T Mobile store. It was a bit colder than I expected and only stayed out there for about 45 minutes.

Juan called at that time, as I was packing up. He was in Union City after coming back from Hackensack Hospital for a full body scan. Now he was doing laundry which I set about doing once I got back to the apartment.

While I was doing my laundry I called Juan while his clothes were drying for what turned out to be quite a funny phone call, almost an hour long. Very black humor topped with Juan’s mockney Cockney. But that had to end as I was soon off to meet up with Bill at an optician/hearing center.

He was having his ears checked out and I decided to check out some frames. My present pair of glasses fell apart the other morning and that was a lot of fun, trying to reassemble them without being able to see properly, but I somehow managed to get the screw in the hole via tweezers. It was a sight to see, if only I could see.

Would have made a good YouTube video I’m sure. I did find a nice pair of Ray Bans at a decent price which Bill said looked good on my face. He took a picture so I could see for myself and I think he was right. One of these days I’m going to get a new prescription.

Now I’m just hanging out with Bill, waiting to hear from Julio, who’s supposed to call when Alexander comes home. I just want to see him before Stine & Alexander fly off to Denmark tomorrow.

That’s it for the night. Just hanging out. Plain and simple like a pimple. And both Bill & I are are happy with that.

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