The Beatles Yellow Submarine

Back to work today after a night of not so good sleeping. Nothing major but did not want to wake up when I woke up at 9:30. Bill kissed me goodbye 3 hours before and after that I slept the sleep I should have slept.

I got out of bed and puttered about, glad to be going in later actually. Won’t be opening the store for the rest of the year. I was on Washington Street waiting for the bus at 11:15 and caught the 11:15 bus. I had enough time and decided to head uptown on the train and go to another Borders bookstore.

I phoned them last night and they said they had the Beatles Yellow Submarine 3D poster and would leave it waiting for me at the register. I took the train to the Wanker Banker Putnam Lovell NBF neighborhood where I used to work and hoped I wouldn’t run into anyone I knew.

I lucked out since I did not see anyone I knew. I walked into Borders and went to the register and was given the poster I asked for. I even got a free customer card from Borders which is supposed to give me deals and whatnot.

I thought I would take the bus across town but there was no bus to be found. For me, it was shank’s mare. I didn’t mind but as I got closer to the cigar shop I found that my t-shirt was soaking wet from sweat.

I dressed a wee bit too appropriately for the cold. I knew it wouldn’t be a good idea to wear a wet t-shirt, especially since I was not going to be in any wet t-shirt contests, or at least did not know of any that may have been scheduled.

I went to Duane Reade about bought a pack of t-shirts and when I got to the cigar shop, I changed t-shirts. Felt a lot better and a lot drier after that. It was Marcus and Calvin in the shop as well as a few customers in the back that don’t particularly care for Marcus nor Calvin. I know this since the customers tell me so.

Still I didn’t mind much. Marcus was soon out of the store on his way to who knows where and Calvin was his usual self, ending most of his sentences with a nervous laugh. A new guy started on Wednesday, Vince, who used to work part time at another cigar store in Manhattan until they decided to fire all the part timers.

So we took him on. He’s a nice dresser and so I felt compelled to step up my game. I dressed as impeccably as I could and according to Bill who stopped by later in the day, I looked great. ‘Bangin” he said, quoting those girls on the street from 15 years ago.

The day ended with Vince and myself closing the shop, Calvin leaving around 8:30. I sent Vince on his way at 10:00 since he would have hung out talking while I manically closed the shop. I was out in 10 minutes.

Soon I was out in the night, in the cold, listening to the Smiths. Six songs in 18 minutes, 34 seconds. Made it in time to catch that 10:30 bus where I sat and read about Freddie Mercury and how he started Queen. Nice read.

Back to work tomorrow and Sunday. Off Monday which isn’t so bad, is it?

A day off. A cold day off. Slept really well, slept until 10:00. It felt great, like my body has adjusted itself to the time frame that I am used to. I intended to get up earlier, but things being what they are, and it being so cold out, sleeping in seemed the way to go.

After I had gotten up I had some coffee before running out to the supermarket. Got a few items, picked up some dry cleaning and then came home and had a nice breakfast. I was soon headed out the door, on the way to the Path train.

I stopped by the Guitar Bar where I picked up some slippers Annemarie had sent (‘quite nice and comfortable’ he wrote while typing).

A customer, or rather some one who hangs out at the cigar shop, is a photographer by the name of Ray Bangs. He had some photographs hanging in a store in Soho and today was supposed to be the last date for their exhibition. I decided to check it out and made my way down to Soho after getting off the Path train at Ninth Street.

It was blustery as I walked through Washington Square, down LaGuardia Place to West Broadway. There weren’t that many people out, possibly because it was chilly, possibly because the stores in Soho are quite pricey. It hasn’t been the fun place to visit like it was 25 years ago.

I loved going gallery hopping in Soho back in the day, now it’s all high end shops and very little art. I walked over to Greene Street and found Ray Bangs photographs hanging in an Italian furniture shop. It was nice to see them hanging on the wall and I also thought the furniture was wonderful. All white, almost minimal.

I then walked around the corner and checked out the Morrison Hotel which is sort of a gallery for Rock and Roll photographs. It was OK, nothing I really hadn’t seen before. I walked over to Canal Street (where there is now a Sheraton Hotel?) and hopped on an uptown train.

I was headed to Chelsea and couldn’t make up my mind whether to get off at 14th Street or 23rd Street. I opted for 14th Street and walked over to 10th Avenue to 21st Street. I indulged myself in a little herbilization before checking out some art.

I enjoyed Mimi Smith’s show at the Anna Kustera gallery. I didn’t know of her work before but enjoyed the show a lot. Certainly a lot more than the Robert Rauschenberg show a few doors down at the Gagosian gallery.

That was my main reason to go to Chelsea and I was dismayed at the fact that photographs were not allowed. In fact I was tailed by a security guard to make sure I didn’t take any pictures. I walked in there thinking it would be a nice way to spend some time and take some pictures while warming up, but the atmosphere was so oppressive that after a brief walk through I headed back out into the cold, where it was warmer.

I did ask the girl at the front desk about the banning of photgraphy and she said it was because of copyright issues. I then asked if the copyright problem was from the estate of Robert Rauschenberg or the gallery, and she said it was the estate.

I walked up to 25th Street to check out some more galleries but didn’t find anything that knocked me out. I walked up to 33rd and 7th Avenue, to the Borders bookstore. There’s a Borders near where I work and a week or so ago I was in there, and saw a nice 3D poster of the Beatles n Yellow Submarine.

I thought about buying it for Alexander, but when I went to buy it the other day it was no longer in the store. A salesman helped me and told me that I could pick it up at a few Borders stores in Manhattan and 33rd Street and 7th Avenue was one that he mentioned.

I walked to where the posters were, and once again I couldn’t find the Yellow Submarine poster. I asked a salesman who was of no help at all. I was hoping to get the poster to Alexander before he and his mom, Stine flew off to Denmark this Saturday, but now it seems unlikely.

Right now I am on hold with Borders at Park Avenue and 57th Street, thought I would call before actually showing up. 5 minutes is my limit for being on hold, so I hung up. I called again and spoke to a young man who said they had it and he would leave it for me at the register downstairs, so I wouldn’t have to go upstairs.

I’m glad to be home, nice and toasty in my new slippers. Bill is at his company’s holiday party. Bill will have his one Guinness and dance up a storm. I get to be the one who gives him a great big hug and kiss when he gets home.

Scott Buck?