Tag Archives: Smoke

Crazy About Love

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Well it’s Monday again. Hoboken was semi deserted yesterday, my guess is that a lot of people were off visiting their mothers. It was a gloomy and windy day and I didn’t do much of anything.

Last night Bill was home after spending the day with his mother. He was back I time to catch The Pacific which was of course quite intense. One more episode next week, which involves the Marines coming home to the lives they left behind and that will be that.

Bill and I watched Treme after that, which carried over the feeling from The Pacific that something terrible was about to happen. Can’t change gears so easily after such intensity. Treme was good too. Excellent cast and we will watch basically anything that Khandi Alexander is in.

Last night I lent my guitar to Mike Cecchini. Nice guy, I know he’ll take care of it. He kept calling it ‘she’, but I think it’s a ‘he’. Hung out with him for a few minutes on my front steps. I’ll probably go and catch his set at Louise & Jerry’s tonight, to hear him and to also hear my guitar.

I’m always playing the guitar and can’t really tell how it sounds even though people have told me it sounds good. Me. Going out. On a Monday night. What am I nuts? Mike’s paying for the pints since I’m doing him the favor.

I also invited Mike and his girlfriend to the party in July. He might get up and play a song or two. So far for that I have Lily & Tim, two of the Street Corner Mourners and Jon & Deena, two former Cucumbers. It could turn into a hootenanny.

I really miss my guitar. Last night I looked up Dreadlock Holiday by 10cc and wanted to play it, but…

I neglected to write about Smoke. I know I wrote about my disdain, but actually there is a redeeming part to the movie. Specifically the last five minutes or so. Auggie’s story of finding the wallet of some kid who stole from his cigar store.

He decides to go to the address in the wallet on Christmas day and finds an old blind woman living there. It turns out she is the shoplifter’s grandmother. He tells the story and during the credits it’s acted out by Harvey Keitel and Clarice Taylor.

It’s so sweet and with Tom Waits ‘Innocent When You Dream’ playing it’s tear inducing and almost makes you forget the rest of the movie.

This afternoon I watched Down to Earth on cable which was a movie Bill & I saw when we first started going out. It’s basically Chris Rock’s remake of Heaven Can Wait which was a remake of Here Comes Mister Jordan.

It’s a cute movie, not too shabby and has a few giggles in it. It was a good date movie and still easy to watch years later.

A visit to the bibliothèque was in order. I returned Smoke, Black Dynamite which was funny and very short, Rufus Wainwright: Milwaukee At Last! And No Wave, a book about the No Wave scene of Lower Manhattan from 1977-1980 by Thurston Moore and Byron Coley.

No Wave was a good book, though I would have used a larger typeface. The Rufus Wainwright CD was good as well. It also had a DVD of the live concert as well as some extras of some songs from the Montreux Jazz festival and a short bit of Rufus and his band backstage practicing some Italian operas for a wedding I guess they were hired to play. That was beautiful.

I was also able to get from the bibliothèque the boxed set of the Beatles mono albums which is everything up to the White Album, though the singles are also available on the Past Masters double CD, included and also in Mono.

I heard from the restaurant that Bill and I went to on Saturday. They read what I wrote to them in an email and they were very apologetic. They said the tip was generous and the server was quite happy about it. Why she went from hot to cold so fast could not be explained, especially since the server said she was happy about the tip.

Both Bill & I noticed her sudden change though and the gent on the phone told us to give a call when we come back in again and mention his name or the hostess’ name and we will have our meal comped. That was nice of them. I told Bill and he was thrilled.

So that’s about it on this end. Fairly busy. Can’t wait to get my guitar again tonight. Me miss him.

Support your library!

From Smoke:

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Crazy to Exist

Well here we find ourselves on May 9. It’s a Sunday. Just got back from a short walk around Hoboken on a chilly and windy afternoon.

Once again I find myself not wanting to write and once again I find myself writing. Nothing else to do. Too cold to play guitar by the river.

Tonight I am lending my guitar to Mike Cecchini. He’s a musician who lives down my street, a friend of Rand’s. He has a gig tomorrow and needs a guitar to practice on.

Specifically an acoustic guitar. He asked and I figured he’s a nice enough guy so I said yes. He’s supposed to give me a call later to pick it up.

Last night Bill and I watched Saturday Night Live, hosted by Betty White. It was really one of the best episodes in a long time. She held her own with the help of some former cast members, Tina Fey, Rachel Dratch, Amy Poehler, Molly Shannon, Ana Gestheyer and Maya Rudolph.

Not much of the current cast was prominently featured. The digital short was hilarious as well. It probably got the highest ratings in a long time. Is it because of Facebook?

It was Facebook which seems to have gotten Betty White to host the show and a lot of my Facebook friends were watching the 88 ½ year old actress do a pretty good job of it.

Jay Z was the musical guest and I have to say, I really don’t get Jay Z’s style. Just not the kind of rap that I like. Of course I seem to be out of step with most people since Jay Z is quite a successful rapper and entrepreneur. I just don’t get it.

It was a good ending to a good day spent with Bill. We decided to just stay home last night, forgoing the party that we were invited to by Lois who was actually invited. We did think about going but Bill was awfully tired.

Today I watched Smoke which I had seen before and gotten from the bibliothèque. I had forgotten how much I don’t care for the movie. It does seem to be a cool indie movie, but I can’t get past the broad Brooklyn accents. And I really don’t care for the characters. Not very sympathetic.

Now I’m watching the Matrix which I’ve also seen before. I know I’d seen it in the movies, and it was OK then. One movie was enough. Three movies was too much. Good special effects carry the movie.

Too many people really saw a lot into it, a lot more than I saw or cared to see. But it’s good mindless entertainment and it’s too windy and cold out to do much of anything so I might as well stay in an watch a shoot ’em up movie.

Anytime Joe Pantoliano appears in anything, you know he’s going to be the bad guy. I knew that when I first saw the poster for the Matrix. And I’d be worried if the fate of the world depended on Keanu Reeves shoulders.

Remember, if you’re being shot at, do a cartwheel. A lesson learned I hope.
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