In My Hands Again

Today will be an exciting day.

I have friends flying in from Florida. J, B & E. They sound like a new kind of alcohol. A bourbon perhaps. Let's call them J, Breaking and Entering. I was to call J early in the morning to see if we could hook up by noon. I got up pretty early that morning, around Four in the AM and hopped into the shower. I prepped and preened and forgot to shave. I hit the bed again to catch up on some more sleep before facing the day.

rise much later, and get my gear. It's time to hit the bricks. Igor is getting ready to head out and he leaves with me. He implores me to go with him to Think Coffee, but I decline. I have friends to meet at the Astor Place Starbucks. I'll have to hang out around there today. He didn't pick that up at all, although I know he heard me. "Alright then, I'll save you a seat," he replies.

I continue to walk off. He'll get the point when he finds that I don't grace the door.

I head on and make it to Starbucks and hit my favorite seat. The Eye of God, and jack in to the Internet. I get busy on...well you know what...blogging, and then I called J. for a noon meet. She answered and let me know that she'll meet up with me at noon, at the cube in Astor Place. Since the meet was an hour and a half from now, I decided to return to the box and have a shave.

Upon entering I heard Mike Murder's voice. He called me over when he saw me and we retired to my bed where he sat and he told me about his time in REHAB.

He never made it to REHAB. When he went through intake they made a call to the sanitarium that he was kept in for nine months and they told the administrators of REHAB that he was a multiple suicide watch. So instead of going upstate for twenty eight, he was instead locked up in the PSYCH ward. Once there they put him on morphine, which made him sick and depressed. With the combination of his surroundings, the drugs and the depression he took a broken pencil to his wrists. It was at this point that the administrators of the psych ward listened to his demands. He wanted off the morphine and he wanted out. He was not supposed to be here but rather REHAB! In a few days they had weaned him off morphine and released him. When he came back to the box, the Techs wanted to test him for drugs. He tells them that he has been on a morphine drip for the past couple of days and that it will show up in his bloodstream. But this was no excuse for them. If he tested positive for drugs he would have to go downstairs to DETOX. This was why he was having a problem getting into population last night.

But now he was exuberant and full of new determination. His plan was now coming into focus. Social Security was kicking in and he was going to use it to get a room somewhere and get out of the madness that is the Box. Between then and now, he was going to take me out on a day on the town where we can get wasted beyond recognition.

I thank him, and then went to hack off the beard about my chin and cheeks, until I was cleaned and polished. Now I was at least presentable.

From the Box I headed to the Cube and waited for J, who showed up shortly thereafter. We headed cross town to an Indian restaurant where we had lunch, and I got to try some new cuisine.

I had a great time talking to J. There wasn't a subject that we could not cover. From the restaurant we headed to Ground Zero, to wonder why THERE IS STILL NOTHING THERE!! After all these years it's still just a fucking hole in the ground. I've been three years almost from working around there and it looks exactly the same as it did when I left. There isn't even the framework for another building. It's still just a hole. Just a hole. I don't think J was much impressed by it. I also didn't run into my old workmates, which I normally do when I'm down there. Which was good, because I then didn't have to explain what I have been up to these past few years.

J and I headed back up and across town to OTTO's head. Our new bartender came late, but who cared! She was such a sweetheart! She was so good that we overlooked her coming late and she even let us run a little overtime to squeeze in one last poet. 'Nessa did an excellent job as usual with her feature, but with her talent, who would have expected any less. She was amazing as usual. And Oz and I did our project with her which came off pretty good, if I should say. Oz is a skilled guitarist, and it showed in his delivery. It was all good.

Breaking and Entering arrived in the middle of the show and the three of them seemed to enjoy themselves while there. Afterward OBSIDIAN landed on them like a ton of bricks, turning on the charm. He was indeed in rare form and kept everything more lively than I could. Instead I commiserated with Oz and 'Nessa on future projects and the show and how it went.

When Otto's emptied out, the five of us, J, B&E, OBSIDIAN and myself headed over to the Fat Cat for a few drinks. J and I excused ourselves for a minute to get a pizza dinner. I found that I had much in common with her as to our outlook, and her life is so interesting. J is a great conversationalist and everything seemed to flow.

The night was clipped short by my curfew. I had to bid my farewells and head across town to the Box. I was unusually tired from the SHOUT OUT and the walking about the city with J. Also the few beers that I had seemed to hit harder than normal. My body ached as if I went several rounds with a kick boxer. This is not good. I lie down only to have Angel approach me with a new laptop. He found this one in pretty good condition too. It just has one problem, the powercord. I know nothing about Apple Powerbooks so I wish him well and close my eyes to call it a night.

It's been a very long day.

Hobobob