Tag Archives: Path Train

Daddy’s Home

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Late start tonight. Drinks with a former co-worker, Brenda. She’s a sweetheart and we’ve been trying to meet up for drinks after work for quite a while, but things being what they are and life being what it is I usually had to back out. Tonight it all came together and we had some appetizers and some drinks and reminisced about who’s who, what’s what and things like that.

All very pleasant, she’s a luv she is. She’s still working with people I used to work with, now it’s a different company having been bought out a year or so ago. Two Stella Artois for me and I was set. We had drinks quite near Grand Central and so I walked her to the entrance and kissed her good night wishing her a safe ride home.

I decided to take the Path train home since waiting for a bus at the bus terminal can be quite tiring especially after the rush hour. Bright lights and a bunch of people I don’t want to see, or be seen by made the idea of the Path train that much more appealing.

As luck would have it a train pulled into the station and I was able to find a seat in a nearly empty car where I sat and continued reading Alan Bennett’s memoir, Untold Stories. Got off the train in no time and made a bee line so I could do a pee line in the loo in the Hoboken station.

Beautiful late summer night, I walked along the river. Couples, tourists and joggers all out and some taking pictures of the beautiful New York skyline which you can’t see if you’re in Manhattan. It’s a nice trap, how it looks so much better when you’re not in the city, then when you’re there it looks like something totally different.

Right now I’m home, Bill waited up for me to come home so he could go to bed where he is now. Rachel Maddow- we love her, is being so right on. Everything she says makes so much sense even if I did read it online a few hours ago. It just sounds so much better hearing it from her.

Last week on the bus, as I talked with Casey, he had a personal question that required the ‘I hope you don’t mind if I ask you a personal question’ line. I gave the go ahead and he asked if Bill and I ever considered having kids. I can’t speak for Bill since the subject never came up but I answered, no. I don’t want kids and overall I don’t like kids.

I love my nieces and nephews and I like my friends kids (love Alexander and Lily and Ruby etc) but no thanks, none for me. I don’t think I would be a good parent. I had parents that did their best, at least one of them did. The other saw his kids as his duty and his competition.

When Zed was alive, when he did something wrong it was difficult not to lose my temper and I wouldn’t want to inflict that on a child. Plus it’s so much responsibility, responsibility that lasts maybe for 18 years, maybe longer.

I’ve told Bill that I would love to get a cat (but he’s allergic) or a dog, but they tend to die on you and the heartbreak I felt after Zed died was near unbearable. If I could get a pet that died the day after I died, then I’d have no problem.

Now that would be an argument in favor of children. They’re supposed to outlive their parents so that would be cool with me. But no, no kids. Too much trouble and I’m selfish. I’d be a lousy parent and to my credit, I know that fact which is a lot better than some parents who are worse than I would ever be.

Thanks anyway.

Bus Dem Shut

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Just got home about an hour ago. Made a pound of pasta yesterday and I still have enough left over for tomorrow. It’s not bad. It’s the usual weekend fare, pasta, chicken with sauce. No pesto, that’s the Thursday thang.

Last night didn’t do much of anything. Wrote the blog, edited some pictures. The Olympics were on but without Bill’s enthusiasm it didn’t hold much interest for me. Today was going to be different. I was heading into the city to go to Summerstage and check out Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings.

Not a motorhead, but I thought this was worth looking at

I hopped on the bus and once in the city I decided to walk around, up to the park. I planned on walking up Park Avenue, a little out of the way because they had closed the street to traffic, leaving the streets to pedestrians and bicycles and kittens! Where they got the kittens from, I don’t know. But the last day for the street being closed was yesterday so no kittens today.

Too thin!

I bought a different cigar, a La Flor Dominicana Double Legero. All I know is that it was Dominican. I got a good deal on it and strolled up Fifth Avenue puffing away and look at all the other pedestrians and tourists roaming around in the shady side of the avenue. It wasn’t as crowded as it was yesterday. A lot less people, but still plenty of toddlers.

My cigar and a dandy…

Yesterday in an odd moment I was talking to Annemarie on the phone while in the park and I mentioned that there were so many babies, that I wondered if it was because of the blackout that I wrote about on Friday. Annemarie brought me down to earth and punctured my omnipotence. She’s good like that. Reminded me that the blackout was five years ago, not last year.

Rock people

Tree People

The line to get into Summerstage

I sat on the rock and enjoyed my cigar, no one seemed to mind, Other substances were being smoked as well. Of course there’s one in every crowd. Some guy in a white hat was sitting maybe thirty feet away from me stood up with his friend and started to walk away, but not before the guy in the white hat turned and looked at me and said, ‘We’re leaving. You’re ruined everything with your cigar. It stinks.’ I just looked at him and said ‘Bye’.

Be on the lookout

Next to where the guy in the white hat sat, was a couple. The girl said she liked the smell and the boyfriend agreed loudly enough. I thanked them and said that I though the guy in the white hat had an ugly hat. That happens from time to time, albeit rarely.

Some sort of confrontation with a guy usually. I think the last time was last year on my birthday. After lunch I decided to smoke a cigar and was walking down the street when some yutz starts screaming at me, hoping that I would die since I was smoking a cigar.

The illegal beer vendors showed up and I had myself a Heineken and grooved to the opening acts, Menahan Street Band, and Naomi Shelton & The Gospel Queens. Both were very good. Naomi Shelton was gospel of course and the Menahan Street Band were styled like the Bar-Kays from Stax. Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings were great but it could have been a little louder.

One more beer and a surreptitious puff and I had to relieve myself. Wide range of people in the park and a ton of tourists of course, all clutching tourist guide books in so many different languages. I watched an older couple, white haired probably in their late 60’s sitting on a bench taking pictures of each other.

Lot’s of toddlers climbing the rock unattended to, somewhat foolishly since the rock is riddled with broken glass in various crevices. No one got hurt. At least while I was around. Not on my watch.

Headed back to the Path train, crowded but I snagged a seat since I knew where the door was going to open. I guess that was a little bit of instant karma. I was soon home heating up some very good leftovers. Bill’s here watching the Olympics as it starts all over again tomorrow.