Tag Archives: Rand + Lisa

I See Red

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Jesus Christ what a crazy day this has been. First off, since May 2007 I have been receiving harassing calls from an Asian woman who claims I have lied to her and betrayed her.

She usually fills my voice mailbox with messages preventing any legitimate messages from being recording. All the messages are in another language and they starting out in broken English- whispering weeping and usually increase in volume winding up with her screaming and sobbing.

Usually I’ve just erased them. The phone service we use claim they couldn’t help me unless I changed my number (which can’t be done since my number is the main number) or go to the police.

I figured the NYPD has better things to do, but I found out later this afternoon that if I get a police report from the NYPD I can submit that to the phone service who will send it to Verizon (who control most of the land lines in Manhattan) and they could block these calls. No one told me that earlier.

In the meantime, I asked that my phone be forwarded to the fax machine until Monday. I tried it myself but couldn’t so I schedule it to be done at 2PM this afternoon after I had left for the holiday weekend.

At 3PM I checked and expected to hear a fax machine, instead I heard my own voicemail. The psycho didn’t call. Other methods I have used in the past to discourage this woman calling was to digitally record her messages, load them into my iTunes and then play them back as an outgoing messages.

Some Asian woman screaming and crying about how she’s not a celebrity and everyone stares at her when she goes shopping. I can honestly say I don’t know anything about what the hell she is ranting about.

I should also add that I did meet her last year. She showed up in my office, asking to see John Ozed. The receptionist tells me and I go out and introduce myself and she says I am not John Ozed, that someone as put me up to being John Ozed.

Apparently somehow she got my name and work address and has called me almost every day since then. I know it’s odd but that is how it happened.

I live such an interesting life.

Then Bill asks me to pick up some shoes from the shoemaker and some dry cleaning. I go to the shoemaker and hand in the ticket to some Hoboken born and raised inbred. Old geezer paisan. He can’t find it.

Younger Latino worker asks when the shoes were dropped off, I tell him I’m doing someone a favor, and to look at the ticket. Turns out Bill dropped off the shoes October 30. Today is November 26.

They look and look. They ask me what size shoe, what type of shoe and the shoe’s color. I call Bill, he says size 12, penny loafer and they’re black. They can’t read the ticket. I suggest sending it to a pharmacist so they could read it. They didn’t get the joke.

Geezer paisan says some remark about me going to a pharmacist. I ignore him. 20 minutes they find the shoes and start putting on the toe and heel savers. Almost a month to do the job and here they are putting the savers on.

The kid behind the counter takes some money off the bill and wishes me a Happy Thanksgiving but I just take the shoes and I leave.

I call Bill, telling him that I couldn’t believe it took them almost a month to do the job. The Geezer is outside and hears me and says, ‘Yeah so what? It took a month.’ I tell him to mind his own business. He doesn’t like the sound of that, and warns me to watch it.

I tell him to shut the fuck up. He again warns me and I tell him to drop dead.

I get the dry cleaning and come home and feel bad about the kid who wished me a Happy Thanksgiving. I call the store and ask for the Latino kid behind the counter. It turns out he answered the phone.

He asks who’s calling and I tell him I was in the store and they couldn’t find the shoes at first, and anyway ‘you wished me a Happy Thanksgiving and I ignored you and that was wrong’.

I wish him a Happy Thanksgiving and tell him that I like the work that they do there, but if the geezer is there next time I won’t be coming in. He says he understands and says, Happy Thanksgiving my friend.

I just saw Rand and Lisa outside and then Julio and Stine with Alexander. Rand and Lisa headed home and I went upstairs with the family unit. Had a few glasses of wine, told them the story I just wrote and watched Alexander teethe.

Alexander restored my faith in humanity so all is well. A few glasses of wine helped also.

Tomorrow, the trip to Beacon NY with Bill and his mother via MetroNorth to have Thanksgiving dinner with Bill’s cousin and his family.

This was written once again on Bill’s Mac since my computer is at Rand’s with a new hard drive I bought this afternoon being repaired and installed.

Every Kinda People

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Well it’s Sunday night. No feeling of dread, the feeling that I had better get my homework done. No spending the afternoon training with the Junior Rifle Squad, no going with my brother Brian to pick up a pie from Lodi Pizza. All is well though the pizza idea is a pretty good one.

But no, I just ate dinner. Or was it supper? Which one is later? Dinner or supper? My family used to eat dinner/supper around 2:00 in the afternoon on Sundays and then have the pizza later around 8:00. It was always a treat to have pizza on Sunday nights, something to look forward to.

No pizza for me, maybe some organic dark chocolate with raspberries instead. Once I open it, it has to be devoured. It rarely lasts through the night.

Last night was a pretty good time with Excer. I’ve known Excer for about 20 years and he is the only person I know named Excer. He’s a good guy and plays keys for Conjunto Imagen. I met him initially though Pedro when we were both working at 2 Park Avenue for Rupert Murdoch. It didn’t go well.

Excer pulled up in his red Honda and Pedro was in the front seat and I was in the back. We were all sharing a spliff in the parked car. It was the 1980’s so things were a bit lax as regards to law enforcement.

On the sidewalk 2 guys were walking up Park Avenue, they were a bit on the swish side which of course didn’t bother me since it’s the swish guys that are the bravest. But it bothered Excer enough to make a comment. I took that as my cue to go back in to the office, leaving Pedro and Excer in the car.

From what I heard, Pedro gave Excer an earful about how uncool it was for him to say what he said about the gay guys. Excer didn’t think he was that wrong at the time until Pedro told him that I was gay. This is one of the reasons I love Pedro so much. He honestly cares for me and looks out for me like that.

Eventually Excer came around and we became good friends, which is why we were hanging out last night at a bar called Kabin on Second Avenue. Kabin was a decent bar, great Happy Hour. One freebie for every drink purchased. Excer and I drank some Stella Artois before heading over to BBQ for some mediocre hamburgers.

Then instead of going out for more beers, I decided to head on home, Excer kindly dropping me off at the 9th Street Path station. I slept ok, Saturday Night Live was a repeat and I didn’t want to watch Kings of Leon again.

Woke up with the sun beaming on my face at 8:00. Went out and did my thing, and came home and made breakfast. Rand and Lisa were going to be at the McSwells flea market and I was planning on making an appearance until Bill called and asked if I could help him move his late father’s documents to a shredder truck that was going to be at Stuyvesant Town.

I took the Path once again into the city. Twice in one weekend is an accomplishment. After helping Bill, we sat and talked and looked at photos of Bill and his parents as well as his sister who died when she was just a child before Bill was born. Bill was such a handsome lad when he was growing up. What happened? Just kidding of course.

Portrait of Bill playing piano 1990, by William Vila Sr.

Had a Padron as I walked from 14th Street and Avenue C to 32nd Street and Sixth Avenue and listened to a playlist that I’ve been compiling while reading the latest Mojo and Uncut music magazines. Just made the train before it pulled out and was in Hoboken in 20 minutes.

Called Rand to see if the flea market was still going on but I missed the whole thing as they were packing up. And now I’m here at the beginning of tonight’s entry.

One more thing, Bill and I will be protesting against the church of latter day Twits at the Manhattan mormon Headquarters at 65th and Broadway at 6:30 on Wednesday night. Hope to see you there.