Tag Archives: The Pacific

For All We Know

It’s a Monday again. I don’t mind. Less people on the streets, less people wandering around the Hoboken waterfront. Worked out fine for me. Last night I watched The Pacific and though there wasn’t much violence last night, it really hit home hardest out of all of the episodes.

Last night was all about the surviving Marines coming home after the war. No one maimed or seriously injured, but most of these Marines had internal damages to their minds. It was last night where I started to recognize most of these soldiers as the type that would be sitting around the U shaped bar at the VFW in twenty or thirty years.

There were a few scenes that brought the lump to the throat, specifically John Basilone’s widow visiting her late husband’s family for the first time. Not many of those soldiers left, as was noted in the end credits. The actors were listed and then the person they played and their history followed.

Treme was good too. I do have the occasional problem with Steve Zahn though. Some episodes he’s good and other episodes he’s not so good. I don’t know how many episodes are left but I’ll keep watching more than likely.

Stayed up late and watched Burn After Reading by the Coen brothers. Not the best from the Coens, but better than most. A few surprising twists in it. Don’t know if I would recommend it. This afternoon I was out by Pier A, strumming my guitar. Made a quarter.

It was encouraging.

I thought the Art Hams or something resembling pork products were supposed to be doing something in May up in Hamilton NY but that doesn’t seem to be in the works. At least not if I’m included.

Occasionally, some people make plans and I show an interest then it’s all hush hush until after the fact.

And some people always coming up with some plans, “A movie! A CD! And I want you, John to be in on it!” and when I say I would be in on it, I ask when and where and I will be there, I never hear anything about it again.

“A part for you John, where you wear a suit and tie and you smoke a cigar. Think you can do it?” I reply positively, even offer some more ideas to the project at hand, when seem to go over well then nothing is said until after the fact and if I then mention my ignorance I sometimes hear that I knew all about it.

Like playing in Hamilton, which is probably now, two people and a trombone doing who the fuck knows if it hasn’t happened already. It’s happened before, hearing afterward about two friends playing right up the street from me at an open mike. Turtle club anyone?

A while back I was somewhere with someone who told me about a project they had just completed. I asked why didn’t I know about it and they insisted that I did know about it. It’s just as well. I do my thing and they can do whatever.

I suppose my request to do the voice of a radio DJ has fallen by the wayside. I may have been replaced, that is if that project still exists. Once again, besides the initial idea presented to me and my interest in doing whatever is asked, I’ve heard nothing. Perhaps a fourth party or someone else will tell me all about it.

And also the Last Sunday of the Month Shakespeare reading seems to be no more. It was a good idea while it lasted and it was fun. But there are no more brunches at Maxwells and I’m not too keen on participating in the process in someone’s kitchen.

from last week.

from last week.


Next day, 5.18.10 a new attitude. Not so bitter and resentful.

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.

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From Smoke:

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