Julio | johnozed

A day off. Didn’t want to back to work with a bunch of people, miserable from a holiday weekend. Plenty of time for that tomorrow. It was an authorized day off, but still an occasional feeling of guilt and apprehension. It passed. Today was a scorcher though and since they’ve been working in the street on the water pipe coming into my building, I had no water.

I did ask Bill to wake me up when he was leaving so that I’d be able to take a shower before they shut off the water. The No Parking sign was posted in front of my building over the weekend and the hours posted were from 8AM to 4PM. That’s when I figured they’d be shutting off the water, but it was actually 11AM.

I did my thing, went out for the papers, fed the birds. Did some work on my computer. The wireless connection kept kicking me off. It was easier than I thought it would be, all I had to do was tighten the antenna on the back of the tower. I was surprised and happy and sweaty.

Last night Juan came over before he headed back to Trenton. We watched Weeds and then watched Buena Vista Social Club, which I hadn’t seen in a few years. Juan had never seen it before. He has the advantage of not needing the subtitles. I explained that I saw it 5 times in the theaters, getting misty at the end with the late Ibrahim Ferrer walking around midtown Manhattan.

I saw it with Annemarie, Julio and Bill on separate occasions and twice on my own. That was when living was cheap in Weehawken and movie going was cheaper, cheap enough to see the same movie 5 times. I think while I was in the throes of Buena Vista Social Club mania, that’s when I started wearing suits.

I explained to Juan that I guess I usually dressed like the musicians I’ve been listening to. Wearing the red, gold and green when I was deep into reggae, and generally indie rock throughout most of my adult life. The musicians from Buena Vista Social Club were generally snazzy dressers, and since that was basically all I listened to for a while that is how I started to dress. Couldn’t get the Cuban cigars though but I prefer Padron cigars from Nicaragua anyhow.

I also started looking for a job with benefits and figured wearing a suit and tie would get me those benefits and a better job. It worked. It also helps that I have a fetish for wearing a suit and tie. I prefer men in suits and ties too. Some guys are leather queens, I’m a pinstripe queen I guess. What can I say?

I dragged Julio to a few shows back then when the various members of BVSC were touring in Manhattan. We saw Compay Segundo at Town Hall, Ibrahim Ferrer and Ruben Gonzales at the Beacon Theater and Orlando Cachaito Lopez at BB King’s Nightclub.

Cachaito was originally scheduled to play a sold out show on September 14, 2001, but things being what they were then it rescheduled for a later date and Julio, Bill and I saw the sold out show with about 15 other people in attendance.

Each time I went to those shows, I was dressed to the nines. Julio, jeans and t-shirt, and a terribly loud orange down vest. Go figure.

Juan said he enjoyed BVSC and for me it flew by faster than I remembered. Juan left a little while after that. Now Bill and I have water again, and it’s at the same pressure it was a few months ago which is quite good.

Back to work tomorrow, which according to the weather soothsayers, will be a scorcher again.

Outside my building today

The ditch at the foot of my stoop

The tools

Columbus Park, Hoboken 2:00PM

Well it’s been an odd week certainly. Me being sick the first two or three days was out of the ordinary. I feel like I’m 100% better. Talked with Harpy on the phone (which resembled listening to talk radio) about body temperatures. I think my average temperature is in the 97 degree range which means I’m cool most of the time. I always knew that deep down, my being chill, well it was in the blood all along. You can stop laughing whenever you’d like.

Bill spent the night at his mother’s apartment last night. So I was alone which was ok. Nothing on TV at all, and Olbermann and the Daily Show and The Colbert Report eats up the evening. I’ve prepared a cd of pictures of Alexander Lopez. That kid just makes me smile. He’s going to be something else when he grows up, and I’m glad I’m an uncle of sorts.

Tomorrow is Julio’s birthday. He turns 40. Tomorrow is also Bill’s mother’s birthday, she turns 85. Today was so slow at work that I was able to catch a crosstown bus and go to the box office to pick up the Xanadu tickets for Bill’s birthday.

I walked back across town and stopped in the soon to be shuttered Virgin Mega Store in Times Square. I got the new B-52’s for Julio as well as a decent Elvis Presley 3 disc collection from the UK for 10.00. Elvis is always a giggle between Julio and myself.

Got a nice salad for lunch and after that, with my work being done for the day I left the office at 2PM after putting in six hours. I expect next week to be slow again but I only have to work 3 days (like this week).

I was taking off this upcoming Monday, thinking and dreading that Bill and I would be in the Gay Pride parade on Sunday but things being what they are with his mom, and the fact that we wouldn’t be marching (or rather walking) down Fifth Avenue until 2PM, we wouldn’t be finished until 5:00 if things went smoothly.

I was asked to come in since the office would be empty on Monday so I switched my day to Thursday, July 3. So I’ll be off from Thursday until the following Tuesday. I took July 7 off as well. Tomorrow Stine has planned a surprise luncheon for Julio’s birthday at Charrito’s which used to be Ricco’s, an Italian restaurant on Washington Street at 1:00, followed by cake on Pier A if the weather is permitting. Sunday is the first anniversary of Meghan and Rob’s wedding and they’re having a BBQ on Sunday afternoon.

Not making the BBQ on time was also a factor in deciding to forgo the Pride parade. It’s all good so far. Back on my feet relatively, work was slow yet productive and now I’m home writing this. I slept like a rock last night and hope for more of the same tonight. That’s it for now, anything else I’ll let you know.

Here are some pictures from this afternoon.

Panels from the AIDS quilt in Saks Fifth Avenue windows