The day off was wonderful. I got up around 6, called into work & used my raspy voice to leave a voicemail (no one picked up the phone of course), and then had a shower. Got dressed and went to Intelligentsia for coffee, cheese danish, and a bit of writing. Came back home for a bit. Went to the store and bought a huge bottle of rum for tomorrow’s party punch, and got a haircut. Back home again, surfing online too long. Then doing laundry and lunch. Then to the gym. Then a shower at home, and sitting on the couch in the wonderful afternoon sunshine reading “Impossible Vacation” by Spalding Gray. It’s a really gripping book, funny and sad, and all the more sad because of his death.

Andy came home and we had dinner (burritos) and then we watched “Play It Again, Sam.” That put us in a Bogie mood, and it was still early, so I dashed to Specialty and rented “Marked Woman.” It was great! Tough as nails. Pretty brutal too. Bette Davis’ kid sister gets pushed down a flight of stairs by a gangster and breaks her neck, and then her corpse ends up floating in the river.

Tomorrow is the b-day party! We won’t have a huge turnout (maybe 12 people) but then again, we almost never do. Not quite sure why. Our parties are always fun. A few people already had plans, which is understandable. 8.30pm it “kicks” off, big bowl of rum punch with plenty of snacks. Andy insists on cleaning the whole apartment top to bottom before then. That’s never made sense to me. I mean, the place is gonna get plenty dishelved over the course of the party anyway.

Party music selections will be important as well. One CD in the changer will be the all 1974 music CD Andy put together (he was born in ’74). I have not yet asked him what other music he wants to play. I fear that question may bring out his obsessive/compulsive side.