Dear Kitty

I hope you haven't given up on me..yet. :)

I had been pretty sick the last week or so. Bacterial infection. Not fun. Had to see a doctor to get some antibiotics and get rid of it. Last Sunday was the first day I could get out and do something. So I went out over to my favorite Astoria diner simply called "CUP." I love the atmosphere there and it's a pretty big place. Service is usually great. Just the perfect place to get a nice big cup of coffee and some banana pancakes (my favorite) on a nice and sunny afternoon. There's a movie theatre right nearby and usually I do both a late breakfast and a movie, but there wasn't anything I wanted to see so I slowly strolled back home and stopped at the barber's for a cut. Monday I headed out to Queens Center Mall. This mall has gone through some heavy changes from the days I used to go as a teen. This mall was my escape for when I wanted to ditch school and hang out somewhere else (before I discovered The Village.) Well, it was either the mall or the library. I bought three dress pants, two dress shirts, socks, underthings, all for the workplace. Mostly from Macy's. There was a time where I lived for shopping for clothes, but being overweight has put an end to that. And it's not fun to see all the younger dudes all thin and floating around buying all the fun stuff while I have to waste it on work clothes. Still, I put a little thought into it and did not skimp on some sense of style. But it's not enough for the Sartorialist to notice and take a picture! haha. Besides, he wouldn't be caught dead on this side of town. He's strictly 5Th Ave, Madison Ave and Soho. Or some other fabulous city in another country. Sigh.

I have a friend at work.

I know you're all shocked so I'll wait until you recover.

She says nice things to me. Things I don't quite accept about myself cause I find them hard to believe. It's been nice. We do things sometimes outside of work. We have interest in the same things that is not easy to find in the people that I work with and possibly the only person I'll know that is right now reading the new biography on Einstein, which I'll be getting pretty soon.

The nice thing about where I work is that Battery Park is right outside our building and we headed out there for lunch today and sat and just stared out into the water where the Statue of Liberty stands. Nice breeze coming from the waters. It was almost meditative and I did not want to leave.

Going through my CDs tonight I spotted Portishead's "DUMMY" and imported it to my player. I'll be listening to this tomorrow morning on the way to work. This album came to me at a time where I was having a very difficult time with my depression. Funny reading the music rags at the time this album came out, they kept comparing it to be most "Smiths-Like." I bought the CD not knowing at all what it was going to sound like and in a day, it was in constant rotation in my apartment. So much that even my roommate began requesting it for his listening pleasure. The music of "DUMMY" spoke volumes to me at that time and I know that when I begin to listen to this album again tomorrow, I'll be riding a time warp back to that place in Tempe, Arizona, the pills and days spent in my bright and sunny room and the walks I took to and fro the clinics and health offices.

The Russian barber said nice things to me. Especially the part where he told me that I did not look my age at all. Aging Queens like to hear that sort of thing. :)

Addition:

Dear bloggers and friends who read this, I NEVER forget the nice things y'all write to me!! I have been fortunate to know some of you and those who have been very generous in sharing the music and kind thoughts!

Thank you.