You know what I did last night after work? I had dinner with my friends!

[L to R: Bob, Walter, Jay, Tom & "Sally"]
(Sally's camera shy)
(file photo)

What a great night of conversation, drink and great food. I put on my adventurous hat last night and ordered an ostrich burger!

Bob ate an ostrich burger!
(Actual photo)
(Idea for photo: Jay Johnson)

I don't mind telling you that I liked it. Finally, a new meat for me to devour! I've been eating regular meat all these years like a sucker! BRING ON THE OSTRICH!

So, I leave the restaurant to go home and the PATH train is WAY out of my way (4 long blocks). I make it halfway there and just said screw it, the PATH's going to be crazy anyway, I'll just cut this walk in half and take the E to the Port Authority. But I only know how to get there by going back up to 7th Ave and that's what I did. I think I added 30 minutes to my trip by doing that. I've only been here for ten years, I'll figure it out someday, right? Oh, and did I mention that it was crazy cold here last night. Thank goodness I had a light jacket.

Thursday morning was pretty productive for me. I hit the bank and got a hair cut before I got to work. I like getting haircuts from the barbers in the Subway -- all business, no bulls%#t. He held up the mirror so I could see the back right of my head and I gave him the thumbs up. When he held up the mirror so I could see the back left, I didn't give him the thumbs up and he said, "hey, where's my thumbs up?!" I told him I was paying attention to my bald spot. He said, "That's not my fault." Ha ha. Oh barber humor.

That's it! I'm not going to Ohio this weekend to see my nephew with the broken leg. I can't justify the driving, plus, I'm not sure what I'd really be able to do. I'll send him something in the mail and give him a call. There, my good Uncle status is still intact.

Have a great weekend!

Best,

Bob

Bad news out of Ohio yesterday. The smallest Borden, Max, was playing around with his brothers/sister, he was dancing, did some kind of split and he broke his leg! It was a high break, the femur, I believe. Here's a photo:

Ouch!
(80% of Max is in a cast!)

He just turned four. Damn, I feel bad for the little guy, not to mention everyone else that has to take care of him (I don't think he can move on his own). I'm on the fence about driving back this weekend to see him. But there's nothing I can do to help him. I don't know. Get well soon Max, I'm thinking about you.

I had a lovely dinner with my friend Tiffany last night.

Tiffany
(file photo)

We ate Indian food and just had a fun time. The evening ended with my yelling in her car that yes, there is sour cream in Tuna Casserole! This is what 30 somethings talk about -- don't ever get old. Anyway, I was right, there is sour cream in tuna casserole. We were talking about the families we each may have someday and trying to expose our kids to as much as possible. She brought up how her mom made cubed steak a lot and how that didn't really broaden her horizons. This was all very light hearted, of course. Then I brought up that every now and then my Mom would try to slip a casserole by us. My Dad hated casseroles and I hated them because they were creamy, gooey globs of mystery meat, usually held together with sour cream. She knew I didn't like sour cream, she always said, "you can't even taste it!" BUT I COULD TASTE IT MOM -- I COULD TASTE IT! Holy crap, I think I need to see a shrink, I just had a breakthrough.

Mom, I LOVE YOU! (Trust me, I HAD to say that)

OK, that's it!

Hugs,

Bob

Did you happen to catch the coverage of Hurricane Rita Saturday night? Reporters were flailing around in the wind/rain, it just struck me as being very stupid. Why are they risking their lives? We know it's raining, we know destruction is moments away...what's the point?! It's like watching the 11 o'clock news and the reporter is doing a stand up in front of a building that was robbed...6 hours ago! I'm not sure what my point is...I just think there's too much coverage. I heard a reporter the other day say 'we've been so busy with the hurricanes so now let's check in on Iraq.' Too many Geraldo's, too many celebrities, too much Bulls@#t!

Time for a new feature to bobborden.com, I call it: Bob's Fall Fashion Preview! You'll be saying "frisbee anyone" in this stylish ensemble:

Bob's playing hard in his Karate Ringer Tee, Navy Blue Plaid Button Down Shirt and Vintage-Fit Cargo Pants

How about this shirt, can you say 'high style?'

Bob's ready for anything in his Vintage-Fit Patterned Button-Front Shirt

You're going to want to study hard with this fashion statement:

Bob's hitting the books in his Burgundy Glow Plaid Button Down Shirt

You'll want to make beautiful music with Bob in this fashion tour de force:

Bob's singing a sweet tune in his Loose Castro Jeans, Shadow-Graphic Tee with Green Patterned Vintage-Fit Shirt

That was fun...It was also an hour of my life that I'll never get back! The book I'm holding in my hand in the third photo is Richard Russo's Empire Falls. I bought it in an airport back in 2002 and I haven't read one single page. Now I'm watching it on HBO. I can't tell you how many books I've bought and never read. 2002! That's just sad. I wonder what period of my life I'll enjoy reading -- Damn you MTV, Pac-Man & Atari!!!

That's it! Have a great day.

Best,

Bob

OK, I'm back! You know what I did with my day off yesterday? I did my laundry and went to the A & P -- how boring am I?! But yesterday was all about chilling out and relaxing. I must have had 40 pounds of dirty clothes. Excuse me for a second...YAWN! OK, I'm back.

Time for a celebrity sighting! I was at the airport a few days ago and ran into Robert Redford at the baggage claim. I didn't want to be a stooge and bother the man, so I took this distant photo of his hat instead:

The yellow blob is Robert Redford!

When you see a celebrity in everyday life, it's always better to check yourself because odds are he hears, "I loved you in 3 Days of the Condor" 80 times in a given day. The man's getting his luggage, be respectful of his privacy. But that's just me. And yes, I know I seem like a hypocrite because taking a photo is the very definition of not giving someone their privacy but you know, I have a website to fill, ha ha!

That's enough for today. Have a good one.

Sincerely,

Bob

I had an amazing weekend but I won't be able to talk about it until November (fingers crossed)...maybe you'll get to SEE what I did then. I'm taking a diary day off since I have nothing to talk about. Have a nice day. I'll be back on Tuesday.


Sincerely,

Bob

You know I'm in show business, right? Any person in 'the biz' worth his salt has a headshot. When I was auditioning for commercial work (5 years ago) I went out on my own (always a bad idea) and found a guy to take my photos. The guy's studio...was in his studio, as in studio apartment. Needless to say, my headshots looked like crap on a stick. Fast forward five years...I'm back on the tube with Late Show and I have a couple of Guiding Light appearance under my belt -- time for a new head shot so I can get more work. I credit my bosses Justin & Eric for the idea. I was put in touch with CBS' guy, John. John's famous for his work and he's a hell of a nice guy. His 60 Minutes shoot got canceled, I was able to go over and get my photo taken. It was crazy to think that his afternoon went from 60 Minutes to Bob, ha ha. I'm a lucky sum bitch, don't think I don't realize that.

Anyway, the point of that last paragraph is this:



Pretty damn good, if I do say so myself. I'm going to send them out next week. But until then, If you have a TV show and you need an actor, drop me a line.

Remember when I made that pledge to quit going to the casino for a year? Well, my birthday's in October and they just sent me a gift of seventy slot dollars. And there's another promotion where I can get $100 more -- that's 170 slot dollars! I don't want to hurt Mr. Borgata's feelings by turning down his generous offer. No one said temptation was easy. I can't stay on a diet, I don't see how the hell I'm going to curb this addiction. Speaking of The Borgata...Uncle Ron, your bottle opener is in the mail...I swear!

That's it -- Have a great weekend! Here's to hoping that Rita doesn't know where the hell to go and heads back to sea!

Best,

Bob

History Lesson Part 1.

Back in the day, when the internet was just coming of age, Late Show took a giant cyber-leap forward by having their own section on AOL. The guys that handled the business end, Walter & Jay, were kind enough to ask me for my input on my very own section and for a while there, I answered questions from Late Show fans in something we called, Bob's Mailcart. It was fun for a while but towards the end, I felt like the questions and answers were repeating themselves. At that same time, the Worldwide Web was where the money was & the site moved from AOL to the WWW and I didn't make the move with it. Walter sent me an old link yesterday (to tease me) and I just felt like sharing, you could say that this is the idea for bobborden.com....kind of (not really). Enjoy this glimpse into the past:

Bob's Mailcart
(1/6/97)

DEAR BOB,
CAN YOU EAT A BURRITO IN EVERY TACO BELL IN MANHATTAN?
JOEG 79

Dear JoeG 79,
Yeah, I guess I can.

Thank you for enjoying the "Late Show."
Your LS pal,
Bob

BOB,
IS DAVE NICE OR IS HE MORE TACITURN AND QUIET?
EDINNOCENZ

Dear EDinnocenz,
No, Dave is a very nice man but that's not why I'm responding to your letter. I'm responding to your letter because I've never seen or heard the word "taciturn." According to Merriam-Webster, taciturn means "not inclined to talk." I learned something new and actually felt a spark of curiosity in my brain. Thank you, EDinnocenz. Thank you for your letter and thank you for your knowledge of the English language.

Your Late Show pal,
Bob

HI THERE BOB BORDEN...MAILBOY :-)
I AM HANDICAPPED AND PRETTY MUCH CONFINED TO A WHEELCHAIR. HAVE YOU HANDICAPPED SEATING? I WOULD LOVE NOTHING MORE THAN TO SEE DAVE, LIVE IN THE STUDIO. THANKS A LOT :-) HAPPY 1997.
DONTZA (Donna Marie)

Dear Dontza,
Yes, the Ed Sullivan Theater is equipped for the handicapped. If you want to sit in your chair or sit in a chair in the theater, it's your choice. Just ask a CBS page and he/she will be very happy to accommodate you. Great question, thanks.
Your Late Show pal,
Bob

DEAR BOB,
DO YOU HAVE ANY HIDDEN TALENTS THAT YOU HAVE BEEN HIDING?
AMY PAINTS

Dear Amy Paints,
Hidden talents? I can play the trumpet. I can sort mail like a whip. I can drive extremely long distances without going to the bathroom.... Sorry, that may have been more information than you wanted. Thank you for enjoying the "Late Show."
Your Late Show pal,
Bob

BOB,
LIKE THE WORLD IS ROUND BUT FLAT ON THE SURFACE. WHY?
TOAD111111

Dear TOAD111111,
Well, I'm not exactly Mr. Science. However, after researching in Compton's Living Encyclopedia, I found this excerpt that you may find interesting:
"The mass of the Earth has been found to be 6.587 X 10 to the power of 21 tons (5.976 X 10 to the power of 24 kilograms). In numerals this would read 6 sextillion, 587 quintillion tons. Scientists measure the Earth's mass by means of a very delicate laboratory experiment. They place heavy lead weights of carefully measured mass near each other in an apparatus that measures the force of the gravitational attraction between them.
According to Newton's law of gravitation, the force of gravity is proportional to the products of the two masses involved. The force of the Earth's gravity on the experimental mass is easily measured. It is simply the weight of the mass itself. The force of gravity between two known masses in the laboratory can be measured in the experiment. The only missing factor is the mass of the Earth, which can easily be determined by comparison.
Scientists can calculate the Earth's volume because they know the shape of the Earth. They divide the mass of the Earth by the volume, which gives the average density of the material in the Earth as 3.2 ounces per cubic inch (5.5 grams per cubic centimeter).
This average value increases all the material from the surface of the Earth down to the center of the Earth. But not all of the material in the Earth has the same density. Most of the material on the continents is only about half as dense as this average value. The density of the material at the center of the Earth is still somewhat uncertain, but the best evidence available shows that it is about three times the average density of the Earth."

Thanks for your letter.
Your Late Show pal,
Bob

----That wasn't so bad for 1997...right? That's it -- have a kickin' day!

Best,

Bob

Just when I thought I had a hold of my spending, I went and bought something I didn't really need but damn, it's cool! My friend Tom purchased an ipod nano last week and was telling me he scratched it up already, he was pretty disappointed. I, always looking out for a sweet deal, offered to buy it from him -- a win-win deal, if you will. He gets a new ipod, I get a used ipod, with a few scratches, for a discount price. It's SO small, has a color screen that displays the CD cover art, damn, it's cool.

Bob's nano

Shoutout to Tom for a smooth business transaction. This is my third used ipod (two are from Tom), they're great, Apple makes great stuff. But they don't pay my bills, I just got excited over a new piece of technology.

Now, I have to watch my spending. If you have something to sell, STAY AWAY FROM ME!

I'm cutting it short today because I spent most of my night loading songs on the nano, ha ha. I love music.

The winner of yesterday's bottle opener contest is...wow, can this be right? It's my Uncle Ron! WOW, way to go! See, relatives of mine really do win on bobborden.com -- tell your friends!

Best,

Bob

I just bought some new clothes via the internet. Old Navy has some good stuff at great prices. I was wearing a shirt this weekend that was just so old, it made me feel self-conscious. So much so that when I got home, I threw it in the trash -- I felt like a very poor rock star. I'm not a fan of buying clothes but once in a while, you have to make an effort.

So, what gives? 3 comments yesterday for a Monday diary? GIVE IT UP! I AIN'T DOING THIS FOR MY HEALTH!! Maybe you'd like to win something? I can dig that, I'm down. Send me an e-mail (Link is to your left) and you may be the proud winner of this:

A Borgata bottle opener!

Sure I lost big this past weekend but I was still thinking about the people. It cost $6.95, attaches to your fridge with the included magnet and looks good with any decor. E-mail now!

File this next thought under 'odd' or under 'too much information,' either way is correct. Friday morning I'm having a dream that I'm talking to a Russian prostitute. Now, to be 100% honest, we weren't doing anything in my dream but talking (figures, even my dreams are sexless!). I wake up and my clock radio is on some channel where a Russian woman is talking. How weird/cool is that? Prostitutes, am I right?

Hmmmmmm...here's what I'm thinking right now, 'Should I delete that last paragraph? It's not too late.' Ha ha! What the hell! Maybe this will be a new direction for my site. BobBorden.com: After Dark -- ha ha!

That's it!

Best,

Bob

Friday, my day off, I was true to my word and was on the road to Atlantic City by 11 AM. Hopes were high as I was driving down to get rich! But alas...Atlantic City rode me hard and put me away wet. I just couldn't get a run going on BJ or slots to save my life. I won't tell you how much I lost because that's none of your business. But I will tell you that before I left, I stopped off at the bar to have a cheesesteak with my "comp" dollars. They call it a cheesesteak, I call it:

The $400 cheesesteak

Ha ha, I went a LONG way for that one. I got it out of my system and I know you won't believe me but I made a promise to myself to take a year off of going to the casino. 362 more days to go! Ha ha. I will continue to play the lotto but I'm done with gaming for a while. On the drive back I was amazed at all the stupid drivers out there, it really seems bad. I wonder if it's just me?

At one point I looked down at my odometer and noticed that I had 2112 miles on my car. I couldn't believe it! -- that only happens once in a car's lifetime. If I knew a woman that got that reference, I'd be married by now.

Saturday morning, I woke up at 4 AM, I fell asleep on my sofa, of course. I went to bed and woke up at 1 PM!! I couldn't believe it. I decided to try to save the day by doing laundry. There's one new thing I've been doing lately while waiting for my clothes:

Ms. Pac Man!

Ms. Pac Man is classic video gaming at its best. The Ms. Pac Man at the laundry mat is set so you can outrun the ghosts, it's like Ms. Pac Man's on crack.

Saturday night I watched City of Ghosts, directed/starred Matt Dillon. It was pretty good.

Sunday I woke up around 10. The only plan I had was to buy some new headphones and a plant. Sounds simple but driving around here is just nuts sometimes. Traffic is just too much. I need to find another area to explore. I got the headphones at Best Buy and let me tell you, that place is just a madhouse. I counted 4 different types of music playing at the same time, I don't get headaches but I was starting to get one! I checked out and (I think I said this before) the cashier hands me a HUGE receipt for ONE item!

WHY?

Is that really necessary?

I stop off at Wal-Mart to buy a house plant, that's another crazy place. Whatever. I get back to Hoboken, walk around and see this:

Really?

Someone getting married checked off the box marked "Cinderella Wedding" -- ha ha. At first I thought, oh my, how sweet. Kidding, my first thought was I hope that thing drops into the Hudson. But then I changed my mind and thought, to each his own but WOW, how cheesy does it get?!

I think that's enough for a Monday. Hey, here's my new plant:

Philodendron oxycardium
(I call him Phil)

I like it. Have a great day!

Best,

Bob

Looking back on this week, I had some ups and some downs. But the 'ups' were really up, so that helped. Wednesday, not only does the Guiding Light air my clip on their show, it airs on the Late Show too and I got to introduce it with Dave! I was on cloud nine all night! Then, Thursday rolls around and I'm just Bob again...the only bright spot Thursday was when Justin's daughter Emily, came to work. I was playing with Emily for a few minutes and then had to take a phone call...when I came back, this is what I saw:

Emily's giving Bob the
high hat!

I didn't know the kid could talk, let alone write! Anyway, I reported the kid to security and she won't be in the building again. I mean, it is kind of an office distraction...yeah, I'm in the right on this one.

In other news, I figured out how to win the lottery. Mega Millions draws their numbers around 11 PM, at that time, I write the numbers down. Then I call one of my confederates in California, give him/her the numbers and have them play those numbers...because of the time change, bingo, I can "pick" the winning numbers in time for their 11 PM drawing. Amazing? Amazing that I'm the first person to think of this. The same plan may be used for sporting events. Something to think about.

It's Emmy weekend! A lot of my friends are making the trek out west but I'm staying behind because the red eye flight Sunday night would mean no sleep and that doesn't work for me. I wish the show well, of course. I'm taking today off since no one will be around and I'm going to take the wheels to Atlantic City! Always a fun drive down...the drive back almost always depends on how well I did, ha ha.

That's it! Have a great weekend!

Best,

Bob

Cool day yesterday! I was as surprised as anyone that I made it on last night because you just never know. I was pretty relaxed and I think not thinking about it helped.

{L to R}: Bob, David Andrew Macdonald

Working with the nice folks at Guiding Light, man, it's just so great. For the 'Delivery Guy' role, I probably went over my lines a thousand times. Then when you get on their set, you start to think that maybe you don't know the lines at all -- then the camera roles and you know the lines, like they're part of you, it's a weird feeling, it's a rush. And the actor I worked with, David Andrew Macdonald, while he plays a bad guy on the show, he couldn't have been nicer to me. Great fun all the way around. Thanks again Guiding Light, thanks to Dave and thanks to my bosses, Justin & Eric!

That was my first Late Show appearance in Hi Def, while that's cool, two things come to mind, 1. Get back on the diet and 2. Get back on the diet. Ha ha, get it, number one and two are the same thing. I think I'm going to go to Atlantic City on Friday. It's almost 1 AM and I'm still wired. But I must go to bed.

That's it! Have a great day.

Sincerely,

Bob

WATCH LATE SHOW TONIGHT!!!!!! I'M ON WITH MY GUIDING LIGHT CLIP (AFTER THE FIRST COMMERCIAL BREAK) -- TELL YOUR FRIENDS!!!!!!

NOT SO SUBLIMINAL MESSAGE #1: CHECK YOUR LOCAL LISTINGS, I'M ON GUIDING LIGHT TODAY!!!!

So, I get my ipod nano last night and I don't know? It just doesn't seem THAT small...

Nano?

After I got off the phone with customer service, I fell asleep on my sofa. I slept straight through until 7 AM, wow. But I was really tired after a pretty busy day. I may just move my bed into my living room and cut out the middle man.

NOT SO SUBLIMINAL MESSAGE #2: CHECK YOUR LOCAL LISTINGS, I'M ON GUIDING LIGHT TODAY!!!! I PLAY THE PART OF 'Delivery guy.'

After reading the 'Tom' section of yesterday's diary, my friend Walter sent me this instant message: "WK5150 (11:25:14 AM): ah...fyi, i made that DVD copy for Tom...where's my shout out, bitch?!?" WOW -- a little harsh and uncalled for!


Walter
(File photo)

But whatever, maybe Walter has a point. So, in addition to yesterday's People of the Week, I'd like to add Walter's name to the Person of the Week tally-- way to go Walter!

I just thought of something, if Walter gets a Person of the Week nod for basically doing nothing (pushing a button)...I might as well name Steve Jobs (Of Apple computers, that's how the DVD got burned) and Akio Morita (One of the founders of Sony, their blank DVDs were used) to the list as well. If you're still counting/give a s@&t, that's 5 people on the Person of the Week board. Note to self: No more Person of the Week awards, I have a headache.

NOT SO SUBLIMINAL MESSAGE #3: GUIDING LIGHT GUIDING LIGHT TODAY GUIDING LIGHT GUIDING LIGHT GUIDING LIGHT BOB GUIDING LIGHT GUIDING LIGHT WATCH GUIDING LIGHT TODAY DELIVERY GUY GUIDING LIGHT GUIDING LIGHT GUIDING LIGHT GUIDING LIGHT CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS GUIDING LIGHT BOB GUIDING LIGHT GUIDING LIGHT GUIDING LIGHT GUIDING LIGHT GUIDING LIGHT BOB

That's it! Have a great day!

Hugs,

Bob

I'm sitting in my office last week, working, when I recieve an e-mail with a topic line that reads: "YOU were the hot topic at the bridal shower!" I don't know anyone having a bridal shower so I was one click from sending this e-mail to the old trash can...then something hit me...something told me to open this e-mail. I opened it up and it was from a lovely lady in Indiana, Leslie Webber. Well, Leslie can spin quite the yarn, she told me wonderful stories about women giving gifts, finger sandwiches and dip that would make Martha Stewart green with envy. Then she told me that during the shower, the topic came up that one of the bridal shower guests is going to the Emmy Awards with a Late Show staffer (not me). When Leslie heard this, she shouted, "Oh my God! You might get to meet Bob Borden!"

They're talking about me!

Ha ha, how cool is that?! I'm not going to the Emmy Awards this year, so I won't get to meet Leslie's friend. But man, I was so happy to be the topic of conversation for ten minutes, by ten lovely ladies, I wanted to share it with the world...THE WORLD! For being a swell person and for sharing this great story, I'm naming Leslie, Bob's Person of the Week! Thanks Leslie!

A little later in that very same week, I'm sitting in my office and my friend Tom walks in, Tom says, "Hey, you like The Clash, right?"

Tom
Well, you know the answer to that question. Then he gives me this super-cool DVD of The Clash, it's a bootleg of a lot of their TV appearances -- it's so cool! Stuff I never would have seen otherwise. This was an out-of-the-blue gesture of kindness and for that, I'm naming Tom, Bob's Person of the Week! Thanks Tom!

At this stage in the diary, I'm sure you're asking yourself, "How can there be two 'People of the Week'?" The answer's simple: It's TWO for TUESDAY! Come on, this isn't my first day!

That's about it for today. I LOVE the new Coldplay CD. At first I thought, 'Eh' but I've been listening to it a lot and it's really good.

Tivo/VCR Alert: I'M ON 'GUIDING LIGHT' THIS WEDNESDAY! I play the part of 'Delivery Guy' -- TELL YOUR FRIENDS!!!

Have a great day!

Best,

Bob

As I write today's diary at 9:07 (Sunday night), I wish I could start over so I could actually do something! "SIGH!"

Friday night I chilled out in front of the tube. I chilled out so much that I fell asleep on my sofa, woke up at 4 AM, then went to bed and I woke up around 10:30 to my Mom leaving a message on my phone machine. "Get up, I know you're sleeping...what'd you do, go out drinking again?" This went on for a while, long enough for me to wake up and walk to the sofa.

And so begins Saturday morning. I gathered up the laundry and got that out of the way. On the walk up, I remember getting angry because I had no plan on how to spend my weekend...it was a weird feeling, even for me. With the wash in, I called my friend Tiffany, she was showing an apartment in the area and I wanted to check it out. 3 bedrooms, two baths, two parking spots: 950k. I won't be buying anytime soon, ha ha. But I did sign the book, ha ha.

After laundry, I drove over to the A & P, hit Target and drove home. At Target I picked up The Machinist. Christian Bale (you know him as Batman) stars as...oh who cares, for this role, he lost SO much weight, wow, it was hard to watch.

Christian Bale

But that said, it was a pretty good flick. Afterwards, I fell asleep on the sofa again! I woke up at 5AM, listened to Coldplay and then went to bed. I woke up around 11.

The start of football season was a few hours away. I was torn between signing up for the football package again or going to a local bar that caters to Steelers fans. I did neither. I can't justify the money, not to mention the lost time spent in front of my TV every Sunday. As far as going to a bar, I know I'd drink too much and ruin my whole day. So I ended up doing nothing. Doing nothing, doing nothing, doing nothing. I did clean my apartment around 5:00. I like cleaning, so that was good and the Steelers won, that was good.

This weekend was a lesson learned. There will be a plan in place for next weekend.

That's it. Have a great day!

TIVO alert: Unless something weird happens on their end, I should be on Guiding Light this Wednesday! Tell your friends.

Best,

Bob

I opened Monday's diary with this line: "I just spent the last 20 minutes looking up used ukuleles on Ebay." By Thursday afternoon, I was playing a ukulele thanks to Jo McElroy!

Thank you JO!

This ukulele is only hours old and I just love it! I already bought a pitch pipe to tune it, a book to learn songs and some new strings. Thank you so much to bobborden.com reader Jo McElroy from Oklahoma! So very nice of you! At first I thought some punk kids were having fun with me but you're the real deal. I know you don't want anything but I have, HAVE to send you something. You name it, I'll try. Damn nice. Take note all you other freeloaders! This train ain't for free anymore!

On a normal day, my luck would have ended there but I had plans to meet up with my friend Laura after work. We had drinks a few months ago...so why not drinks again?! The place; Court Street. They're known for great food and for great wine. But we only went there for the second part, ha ha. We shared some wine and then we met up with her friends:

[L to R] Bryan, Eileen & Laura

It's always nice to meet good people. I was proud of myself for not freaking out and walking out the service entrance, ha ha (I'm not a people person).

That's it! Have a freakin' awesome weekend! Thanks again Jo!

Stay Beautiful,

Bob

"F@#k, F@#k, F@#k!" is what I said when I opened up my mailbox to a jury duty summons last night. Then I thought about my civic pride for a second and everything was OK. Actually, I lied...I just stood there next to my mailbox and said, "F@#k, F@#k, F@#k!" again.

The only good part about this is that I went through this a few years back so it's not foreign to me. As of today, I was called twice in 10 years, and 3 times overall. I have yet to sit on a jury. It's not until October so, whatever. Remind me not to vote anymore.

Damn, Glengarry Glen Ross is on the tube right now...It just started, I may have to watch this, I always catch it from the middle and miss the Alec Baldwin part...he's so good in this.

Alec Baldwin

OK, I'm watching this. Have a great day!

Best,

Bob

There's a Nissan commercial airing right now with a very catchy song, 'Can't Wait One Minute More' by CiV.

Good stuff.

This song came out in 1995! I know this because I own that record! I knew I was ahead of my time. Or maybe CiV was ahead of their time? Props to Nissan for having great taste in music! (reader's note: I drive a Honda, they don't need songs, they just make great cars, ha ha.) If only corporate America would pick up the phone and give Slayer a call, well, that'd be something.

OPEN LETTER to my brother George, I left CiV there after I burned it, you should check it out, they have very catchy songs. Also, what was the name of that Anthrax CD you were playing? CLOSE LETTER.

I have to make a public apology (again) to my friend Chris in Nebraska. Chris and Colleen (wife) had a kid (I forget the kid's name...'Apple?') a while ago and I STILL haven't sent anything...I feel like a 100% total turd. I'm not sure why I'm dragging my feet on this one...Oh man, I just changed songs on my ipod from CiV to Slayer -- sweet butter! I have to see them live some day! Oh, sorry, the Chris thing -- oooo, I JUST THOUGHT OF A GOOD GIFT! Parenting magazines! Wow, isn't that good?

The lotto is up to $150 million bucks! Holy crap, that'd be some sweet loot! After splitting it with my friend Walter (we have a deal), I'd figure out a way to have the first solid gold website. Something to look forward to.

Stay beautiful --

Bob

Remember yesterday when I said I was going to save the good details from my weekend for today because of the holiday? Well, I may have exaggerated a little…Ummm, a lot. It’s not that I didn’t have a good weekend, I’m just not sure waiting a day helps anyone, holiday or not. But the good news is that I may be receiving a ukulele from a bobborden.com reader who read yesterday's short diary– now that’s how the internet should work, you say you want something and some nice soul offers it up! I really wish I had my own apartment in Hoboken or Manhattan…probably won’t work as well as the ukulele, damn. Anyway, my weekend started off…

Friday night the plan was to help my friends Walter and “Sally” move some stuff. The stuff was on the big side and they needed the 22-inch pythons.

22-inch pythons?

I was more than happy to help. Before I knew it, I was in a moving van, going to the Hamptons…that’s right, The Hamptons, playground to the rich and famous. This trip was for business but it’s great fun hanging out with people you care about.

Saturday night, I was back in Hoboken. I watched The Brown Bunny on DVD. Roger Ebert said this about The Brown Bunny, “It was the worst film in the history of the festival (Cannes).” Ha ha -- But that was before the director, producer, editor and actor (all the same person), Vincent Gallo, edited 26 minutes out of the 118 minute film and now, it’s not so bad. I thought it was different and that it could have been better. The end of the film, the raw emotion (and I’m not talking about the infamous scene that I can’t write about here), I just wish that emotion were throughout the film. Not for kids, not for a lot of adults. Say what you will, the guy’s pretty talented – see Buffalo ’66.

Sunday I woke up around 9:30, got a shower and headed off to do my laundry. Nothing to report there. I drove over to the A & P around 1:30. I went to Target first to look at their DVDs. They had 'The Cooler' for $9.44. I thought to myself, 'damn, I missed this the first time around and $9.44 is a sweet price, maybe I should get it?' Then I thought, 'you know, I just got HBO, maybe I'll see it there?' Well, guess what? I got home, turned on the tube and it was playing on HBO -- no joke! It was crazy. Always go with your gut. Later, I walked around Hoboken a little and didn't do much after that. This old town was pretty empty this weekend due to the holiday.

Monday, work as usual. Getting to work wasn't so bad...coming home is a whole other story. Now, as I tell this story, please keep in mind that I'm aware of the human tragedy in New Orleans and elsewhere. Any trivia I write about myself just seems like, well, trivia. So, that said, I got out around 8:45 and headed to the subway. All public transportation is running on a holiday schedule and that means everything is crazy slow. Knowing that, I take the first train that comes. I took the D down to the PATH train. I get down there and it was just crazy! On holidays the Jersey City train and Hoboken train are one, this means more people but last night it meant people stacked across the whole platform. It was crazy! So crazy that I said, screw this and I headed over to the Port Authority. I did this by taking the D train uptown to the E train going downtown. Sound confusing? I'm sure there's some 'Z' train that I don't know about that's a straight shot from the PATH station to the bus station but what can you do? I waited about 15 minutes for the bus, I ended up getting back to Hoboken around 10:15!! It was crazy. But I got to pay the bills.

Have you seen that show on TLC, Miami Ink? Damn show makes me want to get some ink. I think I talked about getting a tat years ago. It's on the short list, along with winning the lotto and driving a motorcycle.

That's pretty good for a Tuesday...if I do say so myself.

Stay beautiful,

Bob

I just spent the last 20 minutes looking up used ukuleles on Ebay.

Cool.

Hey, it's Labor Day! Why waste a good diary entry if there's no one to read it (As I'm sure everyone's kicking it with friends/family)?

So, we'll catch up on Tuesday.

Have a good one!

Bob

Over vacation I watched a few James Bond films. I never thought about it before but it just kind of hit me that Roger Moore is my favorite 007.

I'm talking about Bond,
James Bond

In the 80's I had no clue there was another Bond. My Bond had the best toys and a sweet Lotus. I thought Roger played it perfectly, the right mix of style/humor/action. The films of late seemed a little too serious/silly and the humor seemed forced. But hey, that's just me.

If you're wondering where today's Bobcast is, you'd be right to do so because it isn't here. I thought about them and I just don't feel the love for them anymore. I'll still do them every now and then but only when they're special. So for now, no Bobcasts.

Instead, how about a photo of my friend Walter on safari in Africa?

[L to R} Walter, Guide

The safari guy was on The Amazing Race. You know what I said when I heard that? I said, 'Small world.' True story. What, that photo's not good enough? How about this:



Come on, I'm holding a giant lollypop! Give it up!

Ah, there's no pleasing you people. Have a great weekend/holiday. I'll be back on Monday with more stuff!

Best,

Bob

I just don't know what to say about the south now. My thoughts/prayers are positive but it's so hard for me to comprehend what's going on. That said, I'm going to move on to my daily trivia but I have to say, I feel slightly guilty for any "problems" I may have. For example:

So I get home last night, turn on the tube and my Directv doesn't turn on. In my world, this is a MAJOR problem. I turn it on from the base and figured out that it's my remote and not the unit itself that's busted. I replace the batteries, hit all the buttons, nothing. OK, I put the batteries in the wrong way, my fault. I put the batteries in the right way and nothing. I turn off the unit to reset the machine, this takes about ten minutes, I wait...and wait. It comes back on and the remote still doesn't work! Now I'm thinking the batteries aren't making contact with the metal thing...so I pull out the metal spiral thing so it will make contact. Nothing. I'm seconds away from making a phone call and then I noticed the tiny switch on the remote that reads: "Satellite/TV." Guess where the switch was? That's right, it was on 'TV!' Whew! After all that, there was nothing on. Such is life.

My friend Pam read yesterday's diary and wanted to share this photo with everybody:

[L to R] Pam, snake

How cool is that? I know two people that have photos of snakes around their necks...what are the odds? I may be crossing a line but the Pam photo is a little sexy.

OK, That's it! I'm cutting it short because I have a feeling everyone's gone for the long weekend. Hey, it's September! Wow.

Best,

Bob