Raphael Saadiq | johnozed

What a fucking day it’s been. Ugh. It started out with me sleeping a little later than usual. About 11 minutes later. I knew it was 11 minutes. Made a big difference. Everything is more crowded, and busier than what I am used to.

I did not like it at all, but made the most of it listening to Konk! which made it to my playlist finally. That pseudo Latin 1980’s East Village dance groove made a nice walk across town.

Got to the office about 25 minutes late and to my surprise no one was in. I was glad at that fact. Allowed me to take my time in setting things up. Soon people came in and everything hummed along nicely. No one said anything about how they had left the office early yesterday leaving me holding the bag. I didn’t bring it up and neither did anyone else.

At one point I had to run an errand which I was glad to do. I brought along my trusty camera and took some pics. As I was crossing Lexington Avenue I spotted some who looked recently familiar. Prior to the errand I was reading AM New York, one of the 2 free newspapers given away at most subway stops for free.

The other is the Metro but Metro doesn’t have dependable people at the stations so I didn’t get one of those. Their both good reading during a morning, how you say….evacuation.

So I am at Lexington and 50th Street, still an intense police presence since Bush Co is still in town. I spot a guy wearing a hat and sunglasses and crocs. Normally I find crocs offputting but I made an exception since I had a feeling I had seen this guy before.

I decided to take a chance since we were both walking up Lexington Avenue and with him I said slight yet loud enough for him to hear, ‘Loudon’. He stopped and turned around. I wonder what he thought when he saw me, in a navy blue pinstriped suit with a light blue tie and light blue cuff links.

I say that because there were a lot of gents like myself dressed in such attire, meaning Secret Service and NYPD Detectives. Of course I am neither but he wouldn’t know that. Perhaps I’ll wind up in one of his stories. Anyway I said I was a fan, didn’t mention Rufus or Martha, deciding to let him have some John time for himself.

I told him that I was just reading about him in the paper. He asked which one and I told him, but held back on what was going on while I read about him. I mentioned that an upcoming show sounded cool. In December he’s playing in Tarrytown with the Roches, another group that hits a soft spot for me.

I was off on the errand but before I left I asked if I could take his picture and he said yes, so here’s a picture of Loudon Wainwright III.

Work was weird when I got back to the office, I didn’t know it then but it seems that the renting of the office is now something that other people are involved in. I wasn’t bringing in the results they wanted, but then again I was trawling on Craigslist whereas they know a few people with the money to rent an office in midtown. I don’t mind that at all.

After work I decided to take a train downtown and check out Oliver Sacks who was giving a free lecture at Cooper Union. I stopped by Farfetched where Harpy was next to Susan. Had a glass of sparkling wine and picked some birthday cards and had a good time with the two of them. An interesting chemistry between the 3 of us.

Back on the street I walked over to Cooper Union and found a daunting line wrapped around the Cooper Union. I turned back, popped into Farfetched again and then I was on my way, walking up Fifth Avenue enjoying a Padron and listening to Raphael Saadiq’s new album.

Got to the Path train and found that I missed 3 of Bill’s calls. I was nervous and considered getting back up to the street to see what was the matter. I was worried that things may have taken a turn for the worse regarding his mother.

I decided to head back to Hoboken and check once I got up to the street again. I checked the voicemail that Bill left and it wasn’t as bad as I imagined. His mother did have a stroke though, affecting her speech center and with a paralysis on the left side.

She’ll be in the hospital for a while, then the varies therapies that are required. And she’s disoriented with being in the hospital as a patient when she was a nurse for a number of years.

Now I’m home with Bill and special guest, Juan. We’re all pretty tired.

8:00PM and I finally feel awake. Last night was different. Home by myself most of the night, Bill asked that I get his amplifier, keyboard and keyboard stand ready for him to take to Harlem. He’s starting a jazz combo with someone he works with. I did all that, moved the big ass amplifier and out it in the hall, got the keyboard in a carry bag and dusted off the keyboard stand.

Bill came home and started playing the keyboard with an extension cord leading into the hallway so the whole building got to hear Bill’s doodling on the keys. I don’t know how it sounded on the floors below us, but here it was loud, louder than Keith Olbermann. When Rachel Maddow came on I had to request that Bill turn it down. Bill moved the amplifier downstairs then went out and got a Zip Car.

I carried the keyboard and the stand downstairs when he showed up with the car. Then I was back to doing whatever it was that I was doing. He came home an hour later and was in a weird state of mind. I just went to bed. It was cooler out and no more need for the air conditioner. I don’t know what time Bill went to bed, but he did wake me up while looking for the comforter.

The comforter did help though, but it was an uneasy night of sleeping for me. Since I gave up drinking soda I’ve been drinking a lot of cranberry juice which meant a few stops to the loo. Woke up at 6:00, Bill still in bed. He was going to work, but not at his usual time which in turn set my morning routine askew.

Of course he got out of bed and started getting his clothes ready as I was trying to get dressed which did not help my state of mind. I was only a few minutes late and tried to read the New Yorker while trying to stay awake. Made it across town listening to some heavy Dub music from Tappa Zukie. I love Dub, but I guess it wasn’t the high energy that I actually required.

Got to the office, one of our subtenants asked me if I smelled cigarette smoke. I mentioned that I smoked but he said it smelled before I came in. He was there at 6:30. I wandered around and sure enough it smelled like cigarettes, especially in Vivek, the managing directors office. I told Vivek when he came in that it smelled like his buddy’s cigarettes.

Not the Gauloises like I smoke but dried out, chemically treated Marlboro Lights. It turned out I was right, it was his buddy. We’re trying to get Vivek’s buddy out of the office since he’s been squatting in an office and he doesn’t contribute anything or pay rent. That’s now my task to kick him out and perhaps put him in a cubicle which I’m sure he’s not going to go for.

I also sold my ticket for My Bloody Valentine (MBV) through Craigslist. I listed it yesterday and there were quite a few others selling or trading tickets. I got three inquiries yesterday and a few today. The first contact from yesterday didn’t respond to an email, so I went to number two who yesterday seemed interested.

This morning, she didn’t respond to a couple of emails until later when she told me she got a ticket already. So I went to number three and arranged to meet him downtown by Union Square. Got there with no problem, stationed myself outside the Virgin Mega Store. John Hunter showed up a few minutes later and we chatted briefly about MBV.

I explained that I had seen MBV in 1991 and they were great but it promised to be the same show since there really isn’t anything new released. I guess it’s a show for those who missed them the first time around. My excuse for not going was that there was no one to go with. He was a nice guy and chuckled when I gave him a pair of foam ear plugs.

I went into Virgin and bought the new Raphael Saadiq cd since the free download from FYE was bogus. It was in an ad in the Village Voice, go to FYE enter the code and you get a free download of the album. Well it didn’t work on Wednesday or Thursday and today FYE said I exhausted my downloads when I didn’t get any.

Small potatoes I know, and I preferred to have a hard copy anyhow. And it’s a really good record, worth checking out if you’re interested in what’s going on in today’s R&B. It’s a little retro but contemporary. If you’re so inclined and if you have better luck that I did, got to the FYE website and check digital downloads, the code in raphaelsaadiq.

McCrazy is still a fucking asshole by the way. Blaming Obama for the current crisis, when Obama was calling for regulations while McCrazy was all for deregulations. I really hope people aren’t stupid and remember this come November. McCrazy to his credit, for an old man he certainly has a raging hard on for the presidency and will do or say anything to get there. If he’s this dangerous now, how bad will he be should he get elected?

McCain + Palin = McPain.

Anyway, here’s some pics of today’s New Yorkers.
Smiley Suit