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personal

Got a nickel and dinner at Bistango

Seeing yet more friends


Since I’m talking about self-medicating with food and friends, there was a group of my buddies that all got together to donate to Alison that I had been meaning to see for a while. So I invited them all over for dinner last week.

Spent a full day making pulled pork tacos three ways: Mexican, Japanese, and Chinese.

Him: Churros? Do we want churros?
Me: Why do you bother asking questions you already know the answer for?
Him: I need validation.

They’re a private bunch so no pics. But the food and the company were killer.

In a similar vein, a college buddy had a birthday at Rice and Gold downtown, so I dashed off to see him for just an hour or so. I arrived a sweaty mess but got a hug from everyone anyway. Poor bastards.

Broke down when walked in I saw my friend’s wife. The last time I saw her was with Alison.

Her: How are you doing these days?
Me: About what you’d expect. Drinking less. Womanizing more. My usual song-and-dance.
Her: You look good – you’ve lost weight.
Me: I’ve been doing intermittent fasting. (thinking) And abject depression. I don’t recommend the latter.

Met a young couple there that threw a fundraiser for Alison at their restaurant. The wife sat down with me and was really sweet.

Me: Thank you for everything you did for Alison.
Her: (waving her hand) It was nothing.
Me: (shaking head) No, it was something. It was definitely something.

On that note, both Bistango and Nickel and Diner went far out of their way for my family so I wanted you to know about them.

If you’re looking for places with great food to eat in the city, consider going to one of those two restaurants and support some great people that supported me.

There are most stories I need to tell you. But I need to start my day.

And, I suppose, restart my life, again.

Me: I think we should talk.
Gradgirl: OK.

Location: back at my desk
Mood: fuzzy
Music: I’ll give you my best side, tell you all my best lies

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personal

How many times have you called 911?

Last night was something new


How many times have you called 911 in your life?

I’ve done it twice. The first was a when I was in my office in Times Square and I saw sparks and smoke on a construction site where the Ernst & Young building is now. That turned out to be nothing.

The second time was last night. Just after midnight, heard a woman screaming, “Call 911!” and then just general screaming.

Because of how the acoustics work in our apartment, I ran out to my living room thinking it was my wife but it was someone just outside my door on the street.

Went outside and there was a woman whose face was covered – just covered – in bright red blood. I ran back inside and called 911 on my cell phone.

I’d like to pause for a second to note that I was transferred to the local NYC 911 dispatch pretty quickly; good to know that the system works.

With them on the phone, I dashed back out and saw that a small crowd had gathered.

The injured woman was lying on the wet ground and someone had balled up a towel under her head for a pillow. A man, wearing only boxers and a jacket draped around his shoulder, was applying pressure to what looked like her left eye. Two women were leaning over and comforting her, as was a tenant of my building.

She had stopped screaming and instead murmured, “You’re all so nice.”

After I got off the phone with 911, a young lady came up to me and said she called also. We figured out that an icicle from the neighboring building had dropped off and either hit her eye or cut into her scalp while walking the dog.

For years, I’ve been telling people to be careful about the icicles that grow next door. First time I ever saw someone hit by one.

After the ambulance took her away, got into bed to try to get some sleep.

Hope she’s ok. What a way to start off the new year.

On the plus side, it’s nice to know that there are some good souls in the world.

On the street where I live, anyway.

Wife: That was scary.
Me: It was. But it’s nice to know that people want to help.

Location: computer, back at work
Mood: tired
Music: When the storm cut you to the bone, there was always shelter
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personal

Chris Gethard and being kind for no reason

It’s easy to be cruel for no reason; it’s just as easy to be kind

Actually, that same day I saw the foozball table from my last entry, I was in Chinatown earlier. Was starving so I popped into a dive that had 20 dumplings for $4. That was great. Not so great was the fact that I went to the gym not more than 20 minutes later.

Me: I don’t feel so hot.
Him: Do you think it mighta been the 20 dumplings you just ate?
Me: (thinking) Nah…
Him: (knees me in stomach)
Me: C’mon!

———-

As you know, I was very fat as a kid.

5′ 3″ 185 pounds fat. 44 inch waist at 13 years old fat. Hella fat.

Then at 15, lost all the weight and – comparatively speaking to what I used to look like – looked pretty good. Was also a lot smarter than most people my age due to the fact I had zero friends and studied all the time.

So I was thin, smart, and not so bad looking. Combined with years of getting bullied, I became just a rotten teenager. Arrogant and mean. And I was that way for a while. But that’s a story for another time.

In any case, I see what happened to me as the interwebs as that on a massive, global scale. Where the powerless and nobodies can become superstars. And it’s cliched how quickly people can become cruel for no reason when given the opportunity.

It wasn’t until much later in life that I realized that anyone can be unkind; that’s easy. Ellen DeGeneres said that most comedy is based on getting a laugh at someone else’s expense. Think that’s true.

A reader once wrote me that he thought my blog was the most “un-ranty” one he reads. Suppose that’s because, I realized that I got lucky in life. And my comedy, if any, is at my expense.

Anywho, I bring this all up cause my brother just sent me a link to a comedian named Chris Gethard who wrote a long, heart-felt message to an anonymous fan that felt suicidal. I enjoyed it for a number of reasons – one of which is that it talks about suicide, which I think more people should do. The other of which is that it was kind.

Say it all the time: Thank goodness for the good souls.

Location: a yellow bed
Mood: still crazy busy
Music: cannot reach a pen for me to draw the line
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