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A Week of Birthdays, Pt 3: The Night of Churros

My old college house and old haunts

The Firecracker had met my college friends a few times before but cappy only once because he couldn’t make several of the last get-togethers.

He and I actually met before we started college – totally randomly – at a party out in Queens when we were seniors in college. Otherwise, there wasn’t really anything interesting that they told Firecracker about me back in the day.

Later, Cappy and Rick told her all about our college house setup.

Her: How many guys were in the house?
Cap: (thinking) 10?
Ricky: We gave Logan the closet.
Me: This is true. And, besides the 10 people that lived in the house, there was always someone in the living room – regardless of time or day – for some strange reason.

She also had a good story to tell him.

Her: I found his stash of snacks the other day.
Him: What?
Her: Logan keeps a box fulla snacks under his bed.
Me: In my defense, they were the backup to my emergency snacks…which she ate!
Her: You shouldn’t have left them with me!

Cappy, and architect and interior designer by trade, took my pen and sketched out our ground floor layout from memory.

It was weird seeing him draw it because I found myself remembering things about living there that I’d not thought of in some 31+ years.

Because I’d had a full basket of bread at the restaurant earlier that evening, I decided to get myself a couplea sweet mixed cocktails.

Her: You can get yourself a girlie drink.
Me: God, I do love myself a girlie drink. Doubt they have any umbrellas.

I did manage some self-control, though. Cappy ordered a ton of churros and other desserts and, as much as I wanted some, I didn’t have any.

Since my kid and the Firecracker’s kid were away, we decided to head downtown to see my buddy Fattah, who’s now a member of our Scenic Fights team.

Along the way, we came across a store that seemed to only sell churros.

Me: Dammit. I shoulda had a churro.
Her: We’ll get something later.

He was working at Verlaine and Pac had literally just ran into him that same night so I decided to see him as well just for a little fun.

Him: LOGAN!
Me: Hey man, how are you?

It was nice seeing him outside of our work. I’d been to Verlaine a few times decades ago with Rain and company. This was the first time I’d been there in at least 20 years, I gotta think.

Fattah got us a killer table and comped us two drinks.

Our waiter, Brian, was a nice young fella with two black eyes and bruises all over his face.

Me: Dude, what did the other guy look like?
Fattah: Guy(s) – he got jumped.

I’m guessing he got beat up purely because of what he was – which is a young gay man. It just boggles the mind that such a thing can happen in this day and age in NYC.

Then again, I suppose there will always be assholes around, regardless of time or geography.

There’s more but this is getting long so I’ll wrap it up in the next entry.

Location: just now, dislocating another finger on my keyboard. I’m a menace to myself.
Mood: menacing
Music: Let’s get rich and build our house on a mountain (Spotify)

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personal

A Week of Birthdays, Pt 2: Greek and Mexican

A menace to myself

Brought the kid out to NJ because it was a long weekend and rushed back because my college buddies were getting together for my buddy Rick’s birthday.

I made it back into the city too late to meet them for dinner but too early to have drinks with them so…

Me: Do you wanna have dinner together?
Her: With Logan Lo? Of course!

Right after I got COVID, the only thing I wanted was Mediterranean grilled fish and this place around the way was the closest place I could order it from so, I did.

It was a Turkish place when I first moved here and I’d eaten there once before with Alison when it was under a different name and owner, but I noticed, when I got the fish after COVID, that it was actually a different restaurant entirely.

So, since I’d never actually eaten there, and the Firecracker was in the mood for fish, off we went.

I shouldn’tve but the bread looked so good that I ate the entire bread basket – something I almost never do.

I’m telling you this because it’s relevant to my next entry.

Me: I’m still hungry.
Her: You’re always still hungry. Your friends will probably have food.
Me: This is true.

So, off we went downtown to meet up with them.

This is super blurry, sorry.

But first we were in the middle of some sort of fire emergency with firemen trying to get into this large building downtown.

We didn’t see anything but didn’t stick around to see much.

Afterward, we ended up sitting at the end of a long bar that was filled, mostly, with my college friends.

Firecracker: (to Cappy) Tell me your best Logan Lo story.
Him: (laughs, thinks) Hmmm, best Logan Lo story…

I’ll tell you more about it in the next entry.

Location: just now, dislocating another finger on my keyboard. I’m a menace to myself.
Mood: menacing
Music: call it a day, I’m stuck, just wanna give in (Spotify)

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personal

A Week of Birthdays, Pt 1: Pour House

An open book exam

While I didn’t have the best time around Columbus Circle the other day, got a chance for a do-over with the help of the NFL Player.

He invited me and my buddy Thor over for dinner at the Pour House, some place I’ve always wanted to go but never had the chance to.

I headed there after a full day of work.

Greeter: You’re the first one here. Would you like to sit at the bar?
Me: It’s good to be first, and sure.

After a bit, my buddy Thor rolled up. He’s recovering for some surgery himself; it seems the be the destiny of aging athletes.

Not soon afterward, the birthday boy came in and we all went to get settled. Turns out that he eats there regularly and the Maitre’d got us a central table with each seat having a copy of Tom Holland’s Pax: War and Peace in Rome’s Golden Age. That was a nice touch.

Me: Will there be a test? Is it open book?
Him: It’ll be multiple choice.
Me: But will it be open book?!

That’s one of my favorite bottles of rum.

Thor and I sat together but the fella on my right was one of the producers of Oppenheimer and Thor, who’s in film himself, wanted to speak to him.

Me: Let’s switch seats.
Thor: You sure?
Me: (getting up) Yeah, you talk shop. It’s fine.

Ended up chatting with the fella next to me, who was a football player at Yale and ran a real estate company. He was acquaintances with the fella that got killed by a career criminal last week.

Him: The killer had 66 prior arrests!
Me: That’s insane. (shaking head) I’m so sorry.
Him: He just had a kid too.

Thor and I are both in 8/16 intermittent fasting, which means that we eat for eight hours and fast for 16 – well, most days, anywho.

But the fella I was chatting with was on 2/22 IF, which means that he eats for TWO hours and fasts for 22.

Me: Jeez-louise, how does that work?
Him: It’s not terrible but I have to eat a lot during those 1.5-2 hours.

He ordered two appetizers – bone marrow and the steak tartar – which made sense considering he ate nuthin else all day.

Thor and I ordered the creamed spinach with bacon but the waiter told us we should share since one was probably enough for the two of us. We took his advice.

We should not have.

Thor: We need another one of these.
Me: At least!

But it was too late. The main course had arrived so we dug into that and chatted up everyone else.

We were out for a while but then dessert came, and it was a mountain of stuff.

Him: Are you having any?
Me: Looks that way. We’re in it.

Both Thor and I weren’t planning on having any, but we ate and drank enough that our defenses were down – which should be the theme for the next several entries, for reasons I’m sure you’ll figure out.

Waiter: Do you want some coffee?
Me: Yes, decaf please, with cream.
NFL Player: Oh no, never with cream.
Guest: Did he ever tell you why he never has cream in his coffee?
Me: No, but I’m assuming that he’s gonna do it now.

And he did.

Afterward, Thor and I walked back to my pad from the place because it was a beautiful night.

Him: Nice group of people – and it was great finally meeting his wife.
Me: Yeah, she’s great. They all are, really.
Him: If there’s anything [our old coach did], he did get us all together.
Me: I suppose.

Location: early today, waking up with another hangover from a night out with my college buddies
Mood: pretty fat
Music: not saying that I am a saint I just don’t want to live that way (Spotify)

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personal

Bone Spurs up the Wazoo

5 Columbus Circle

After I saw the musical with the Firecracker, we had this talk.

Her: Do you ever want to start new somewhere, Lo? Like sell this apartment and move someplace completely new.
Me: (thinking) Sometimes. But I can’t because of the kid.
Her: But you’re always running into old ghosts.
Me: I am. But sometimes – most times, really – it’s nice. Visiting my possible pasts.


Almost exactly 11 years ago, I went to an office at 5 Columbus Circle, where I met a doctor and asked him if he was a betting man.

It wasn’t my first time in that building.

But it also wasn’t my last because when I met that doc, he and I weren’t sure if I tore my ACL. During my second visit, he confirmed I did.

Went there a few more times for the ACL and then didn’t go for years.

That is, until about 2013 – I’d stopped writing the blog then because Alison and I kept losing pregnancies – when I’d gone there with Alison to see another doc for fertility issues.

That was harder than for the ACL.

And then I went there again for another specialist when Alison got sick, a couple of years after that.

Those days were the hardest of my life. Still are.

This time around, the Firecracker was concerned because my fingers have been so messed up – I can barely type some days – that she insisted that I get them checked out.

Didn’t realize where I was going until I arrived.

So, I stood outside for a few minutes, just to regain my composure and went up.

This time, not only was I in the same building again, I was in the same office – but with a different doc.

Long story short, the new doc came out, took one look at my x-rays, and whistled.

Me: So, what’s the prognosis, doc?
Him: Well, you’ve got bone spurs up the wazoo!
Me: (amused) Is that the medical term?
Him: (laughing) Not exactly…but, yeah.

He pulled up a normal looking hand and then my hand and pointed out all the differences.

Him: Now, this is what a normal hand looks like. (switches screens) This is yours. You see that there’s essentially no gap here, here, here, here…actually, just let me show you where there is a gap…
Me: OK, what am I looking at?
Him: Well, those gaps are cartilige. You’re supposed to have them between your joints. And you…don’t. And these things here (pointing at mini-horns on my fingers) these are what bone spurs are. You’ve got them everywhere. Do you know how this all happened?
Me: (sighing) Yeah, I do. A lifetime of poor life choices.

Left the doctor’s office with my head swirling.

He said that there was nuthin to do and it would only get worse as the years went on.

Him: When the pain becomes too much, we can talk about surgery. But until then, just try to wrap it often and take it easy.

What’s promised me is a future of mild-to-worsening pain.

But I suppose that’s better than the alternative.

In any case, I still think that – most times – visiting my possible pasts is a good thing.

Not always, though. Not always.

Location: early today, waking up with a hangover from a night out with the NFL Player
Mood: hard to say
Music: Acting out our old parts, let’s perform our favourite little scene (Spotify)

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personal

Living on the island

It was a huge day

The Frenchman and my friends around the way met up the other day for tacos and beers near my pad, along with the Firecracker.

Not soon afterward, we all went to the ABFF’s for dinner as well.

That’s the thing about living in Manhattan; everyone who lives here is generally pretty willing to meet up anywhere on the island for a last minute something.

Back when Alison got sick, I did a pretty deep dive into medicinal mushrooms, particularly things like Turkey Tail for anti-cancer properties.

But I also discovered that lots of culinary mushrooms have pretty impressive health benefits as well so the past year or so, I’ve been growing all types of mushrooms in the pad.

My fave is probably Lion’s Mane as it has a taste and texture similar to seafood – which you know I love – and cooks very easily.

But it’s not the easiest one to grow.

In any case, I had to stop because it turns out that fruit flies love mushrooms as well so it was a constant fight keeping them at bay.

It’s a shame – it was nice having a constant supply of fresh mushrooms to eat.

Her: (cooking) Do you have any mushrooms?
Me: Shoot I’m out.
Her: You’re out!?
Me: Yeah, I’m as surprised as you are.

Today was a huge day for me, professionally, for a number of various reasons.

Unfortunately, I can’t tell you anything about it but…yeah, it was huge.

Her: I think it would take me 20 weeks to do what you did in two.
Me: It doesn’t happen very often but it’s pretty cool when it does.

Maybe I’ll tell you about it someday.

Location: reading legal papers at my dining room table with a young woman who signed everything
Mood: pleasantly surprised
Music: just need a moment to get back down (Spotify)

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personal

Everyone needs a magic drawer

My kinda weekend

The kid and I had quite the weekend.

On Friday, he went to watch The Super Mario Brothers movie with his school – we originally didn’t have tickets but one of his friend’s mom’s, Debbie, had a spare ticket for us.

Me: AWESOME! What’s your venmo?
Her: No, don’t worry about it.
Me: You’re the worst. (laughing) But seriously, thank you so much.

Now, I was supposed to host a birthday party for Pac at Solas but NYC got the most rain it’s ever had so I had to cancel just so I could watch my basement and make sure it didn’t flood.

We had some water come in but nothing serious – a far cry from what had happened previously.

Still, I wasn’t taking any chances so I just spent the entire night watching my pipes and basement like a hawk.

The next day, the Firecracker brought her kid and mine to the Transit Museum in the morning so I could catch up on some work.

Later on that evening, we all went to the Surgeon’s pad – but the Surgeon was in Chicago so we just hung out with his wife and their two kids.

Her: Mexican? Rice and beans never disappoint 😊
Me: OK! The kid loves putting together tacos and such – basically, everything spread out and everyone puts on what they like.

So that’s what we ended up doing.

Because it was just us three adults, we spent the night just chatting, stuffing ourselves silly with tacos, and drinking everything they had.

Her: Just help yourself to anything in the [alcohol] drawer.
Firecracker: (looking at it) This is a magic drawer!
Me: Can we open the prosecco?
Her: Yes! That thing takes up so much room, enjoy it.
Me: Done!

Just between the Firecracker and me, we had:

        • An entire bottle of prosecco
        • Three 20oz cans of beer
        • Three cans of hard kombucha

We got to know the Surgeon’s wife better; she’s a professional musician and I found out that she toured with an artist that both the Firecracker and I liked.

Me: You toured with Bright Eyes!? That’s so cool.
Her: Yup! I’m actually in one of his music videos (pulls it up)
Me: That’s wild!My fave song from him is I Believe in Symmetry.
Her: You know him? That’s so great!
Firecracker: Of course! I listened to him in my emo days.

Despite the copious amounts of alcohol, we all had, we were only lightly buzzed by the time we wrapped up – which is good because several stations on our line were still closed because of the flooding.

Then, the next day, the kid went to an indoor playground in LIC with his sitter while I worked, and then I made lamb for everyone for dinner.

It was a pretty quiet weekend where the kid had a grand time, even despite all the rain – exactly what I wanted.

Massive flooding notwithstanding.

Location: a playground bench with the two boys watching Marcus Samuelsson play with his kid.
Mood: busy
Music: On silver stars I wish and wish and wish (Spotify)

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personal

Being ancient

Running into old ghosts and possible pasts

Told you once that I used to work on Times Square.

That entry was a long time ago – I had just started seeing Alison then – and when I wrote that, my working at Times Square was almost a decade before that.

Well, when I went to see that Broadway show with the Firecracker, I showed her my old office.

Me: See that building there? I worked there for years. Had a perfect view of Times Square back then. And I lived just four blocks from work. I could wake up at 9:10 for a 9:30 meeting.
Her: I’m so jealous! I can’t imagine that.

I can’t either, actually. That was almost three decades ago.

Did you know that, Cleopatra’s reign (ending 30 BCE) is closer to today, about 2,050 years, than to the construction of the pyramids, which were probably built about 2630 BCE, or 2,600 years before she started ruling Egypt?

In other words, when Cleopatra was born, the pyramids were already 2,600 years old/ancient.

In some ways, I look around the city and feel that about myself.

People think that I’m old with life experiences but they have no idea how old I actually am and how many different lives I’ve led.

Alla them here, in the Big City.

For example, while waiting in line to watch Merrily We Roll Along, I pointed out the Belasco Theatre.

Me: I took my bar review class there.
Her: Right there? In the theatre?
Me: (nodding) Yup. It was like a solid month, five days a week, for eight hours a day.

That’s the thing about living in the same place for five decades. There are old ghosts everywhere.

Everything reminds me of some possible past, whether I want it to or not.

Location: home, realizing I forgot to get the kid tickets to a show. He’ll be so bummed.
Mood: disappointed
Music: drop your drink, then they bring you more (Spotify)
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Caught “Merrily We Roll Along”

Not great

Me:
Her:
Me:
Her: That was…
Me: …not great.

The Firecracker invited me to catch Merrily We Roll Along with two of her favourite actors, Daniel Radcliffe and Jonathan Groff.

The singing by both actors – and the cast – was pretty impressive.

And that’s pretty much the best thing I can say about it.

The story itself was pretty bad, plus it went in reverse chronology, which was very annoying and confusing, finally, none of the characters were…good.

Jonathan Groff’s character was a habitual cheater and wholly unreliable.

Daniel Radcliffe’s character was stubborn and inflexible and kind of a scold.

The main female character, played by Lindsay Mendez, had an unrequited love for Groff’s character for some 20 years.

20 years!

You just felt pity for her character. There’s a lot more I wanna say about this part but I suppose I’ll wait for the next entry.

All-in-all, there was no one really worth rooting for, which was the biggest issue. It’s tough watching something for some three hours and just not caring about anyone involved.

Honestly dunno why Radcliffe and Groff even agreed to do it because the musical was panned way back in 1981 when it first came out and alla the issues that people had with it – like telling the story backward – was annoying and confusing then, annoying and confusing now.

Felt bad for the Firecracker. She’d been looking forward to the show for weeks now.

Her: This is the first time I went to a show and it was a bad.
Me: (shrugging) Well, you gotta expect the occasional dud.
Her: I guess… Did you have a good time?
Me: Of course – we had a night out, I broke my fast, and I got to spend the evening with the prettiest girl in the joint. That’s a win in my book.
Her: (smiles) Aw, Lo…

Location: helping a tenant wrap up his wet garbage in front of the pad
Mood: fat and tired
Music: Put on your best shirt, I can’t miss another night like this (Spotify)
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Obscure Facts and a Birthday Dinner

16 Million Views

Firecracker: Did you know that the guy that invented the single-rotor helicopter only flew it once and then immediately gave it to Henry Ford? It’s still in the Henry Ford Museum in Michigan now.
Me: I did not!
Her: (laughing) OK, your turn. Tell me an obscure fact.
Me: (thinking) Did you know that no shark makes a single sound? Outta like 500 species, not a single shark has an organ that is capable of making a sound of any sort.
Her: No! Who knew?

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you know that I love an obscure fact.

I’ve not been on Scenic Fights for a while because I’ve been so busy with life and travel.

But that’s gonna change soon enough because we’ve got shoots lined up for the coming weeks and I’m back filming.

You might find it strange but, in my head, I think of myself as a writer and a lawyer – amongst other things – but the world now seems to know me as a weapons guy.

The thing I find funny is that who I really am is just an obscure fact to the world at large.

Suppose that’s just how life is.

Me: Me. I knew.
Her: (rolling eyes) You are so full of yourself, Logan Lo.


Speaking of Scenic Fights, one of my videos hit 16,720,000 views.

That just blows my mind.

Went to my in-laws the other day to celebrate my mother-in-law’s birthday.

I’d never actually taken her out for her birthday, but the stars all lined up, so I got a chance to, which I’m glad I for.

Father-in-law: I’m thinking of getting a new car.
Me: Ooooh, get a black leather interior so you can leave it to me afterward.
MIL: (laughing) Why do you think you’ll get it? If anyone’s getting it, I am.
Me: That’s fine, I’ll take your car afterward.

Obviously, I’m joking. They’re such great part of the kid’s life, and mine.

Hope they stick around for a while.

Speaking of sticking around for a while, had to take the long way around at the train station for the train back home becaues it was being fixed up.

It looked pretty rough, but I found myself admiring the repair work to the old broken-down station trying to get a few more years of usefulness outta it.

I can relate.

Location: in the pouring rain, headed home to see the Firecracker
Mood: hungry, as always
Music: Terra Titanic, verloren im Meer. SOS kommt nie an (Spotify)
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Emotionally is a different matter

Intellectually, I know

My buddy Ricky stopped by my pad the other day because he was in the neighborhood…

Me: The Firecracker baked cookies, you want one?
Him: Sure! (later) Is that real milk [in the coffee]?
Me: Shoot, yes. I shoulda thought about that.

…and Bryson gave me a ring to see how I was doing. I’m guessing they read up on my mom and wanted to make sure we were all ok.

Bryson: Dude, next time, before you rent a car, gimme a call. I’m happy to pick you up and get you to your mom.
Me: Thanks, man. I appreciate that. But, what’s going on with you?
Him: Nah, man, I didn’t call to talk about me, I called to check in on you.

I’m grateful for old friends that check in with me to make sure that I’m ok.

Speaking of being ok, I’ve been seeing a therapist for some time now.

She asked me this past week the details of what happened with Alison.

Me: Oh, I thought I told you.
Her: You only told me that she died and your struggles with everything. You never told me the details.

So, I did.

About halfway through it all, I realized that she was crying. By the time I wasdone, she was pretty emotional – well, as emotional as a professional can get.

Her: (drying her eyes) That’s a lot for you to have dealt with.
Me: She dealt with more.
Her: Well, thank you for sharing with me. And you should be kinder to yourself.

Told her that I felt guilty that I was alive and got to spend alla this time with the kid and she didn’t.

She only got to hold him once.

Just writing that sentence fills me with both sadness, anger, guilt, and a bevy of other emotions I can’t fully express with my limited vocabulary.

Her: There’s useful guilt and useless guilt.
Me: (nodding) I know. Intellectually, I know. Emotionally is a different matter.

Such a different matter.

Location: In my head again for a bit
Mood: worn-down
Music: My mind, it likes replaying my regrets all night. My pain, I hide (Spotify)
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