7-31-01
Fate of the Skylark, sounds like a bad heavy metal song. What am I saying, there are no bad heavy metal songs. Rock N' Roll forever!!!! Anyway, I've been hoping that the show would need a car to smash up for an undetermined comedy piece but it's not going to happen. I'm going to donate the car to charity. I won't get any immediate cash gratification but I can write that sucker off. I got home last night and watched Junkyard Wars. Speaking of junkyards, you know what came up in conversation yesterday? The late, great wrestler, JunkYard Dog! I always enjoyed his performances. Speaking of great performances, Sunday night, I caught the last song of a live concert by the late Jeff Buckley. Wow, what a great song/performance. I'm going to pick up that live CD today. Also last night, I moved the Skylark for the last time. It's funny how attached we get to things. Sunday night I ironed all my shirts for the week. I only mention that because it's an unusual occurrence. I also mention that because by the time I got to work yesterday and today - I look like one big wrinkle. Such is life rafiki. Rafiki means friend in Swahili. I was talking to my friend and longtime BobBorden.com reader, Pam, yesterday. We both agreed on how lovely the weather has been. Great sleeping weather. Mmmmmmmmm, sleep. That's it. Enjoy your day.

7-30-01
Friday night I got a haircut at Super Cuts. They can cut a mean head of hair! I got home, ate some dinner and finished T2. Saturday I reacquainted myself with the intricate details of the stick shift. I did pretty well except for pulling out in front of a few people. I drove to Nutley, NJ to do my laundry. On my way, I looked over and in the eastbound lanes there was a huge traffic jam. I finished my laundry and the highway was still crazy. So, I looked in the bookstore for about a half-hour. Came out, still a jam. I looked around in a sporting goods store, still a jam. I said to myself, screw this, I'm not going to spend my Saturday stuck in traffic. So I went to the movies. I saw Made. That's a pretty good movie -- A little darker than Swingers but still very entertaining. Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs was in it and he was surprisingly good. I left the theatre and finally, no traffic. On my way home I stopped off at the old big and tall store. I bought this cool Hawaiian shirt. Now, after I got it home and washed it, I'm not so sure that it's that cool -- Story of my life. Saturday night was weird, I was up until 3 am. Oh, my friends saw Planet of the Apes and as I predicted, they had very mixed reviews -- Most of them not good. Hollywood, I'm not buying into your prepackaged hits! I'd rather see a small film like Made; than sit through some big Hollywood rehash of a classic made over 30 years ago! Are you listening Hollywood? ARE YOU LISTENING? AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!! Sunday I went to the A & P and in the parking lot this car rolls up and a guy yells out, "I'll fix that fender for $80!" I waved him off. That happened to me once with my Skylark. It has to be a scam, right? It just didn't feel right. I'd be like if a dentist came up to you and said, "I can cap that tooth for $65." -- Too good to be true. Sunday night I made one of those prepackaged dinners -- The kind where you add the chicken and broccoli. Well, I might as well have had a salt lick for dinner. It was so nasty! So, that was my weekend - almost no human contact. It's going to take me awhile to get going today. Be real.

7-27-01
What a beautiful day! I was looking at the clear blue sky this morning at the bus stop and I just said to myself, what a clear blue sky. The humidity was gone; a cool breeze was in the air - just a lovely day. I got home last night and that movie Dave was on. I watched a little of that but was really in the mood for Terminator 2: Judgment Day. So I slapped that sucker in the old DVD player and DAMN! That's still a great movie! The T-1000 is liquid metal, do you have any idea what that means? That's one of the few sequels that is better than the original. The best part is I fell asleep halfway through so I can finish it tonight. I'm going to do absolutely nothing this weekend. If it's like this tomorrow I'll probably just put on the old Walkman and walk around. You know what I totally forgot to mention? This week on my message board I asked the question, How do you beat the heat? I laughed out loud at Ben Katz's reply, he wrote back - "Double team Alonzo Mourning and contain Tim Hardaway..." Very funny, thanks Ben Katz - you got me. So I think that's it for another week. Time for Bob's Friday Cliffhangers:

Will Bob meet the woman of his dreams?

Can Bob get through a movie without falling asleep?

Will Guns N' Roses ever put out another album?!!!

Will "Planet of the Apes" live up to the hype?

Blah Blah Blah - Have a good one.

7-26-01
I went out last night - on a Wednesday night! I went out with my friend Helen and her sister Jenny. We were celebrating Helen's completion of the NY BAR exam. Congratulations again Helen, it's over! She has to wait until the end of November to get the results back, that's nuts! But what do I know -- I'm no lawyer. We hung out and Jenny played pool. She asked me to play doubles with her but I haven't played in over a year. So she got this guy, Vinnie, to be her partner. She asked Vinnie, "Are you any good?" And without hesitation Vinnie said something like, "I'm the best." Anyway, it turned out that Vinnie sucked eggs and they lost. He was a nice guy though. Fun night. Before I forget, on the subway this morning - In the corner seat there was a washcloth. YUK! I LOVE NY comes to mind. The lone washcloth, sounds like my next short film. We'll follow the life of a washcloth - that's disgusting, ha ha. Yesterday I made an appointment to get my car tuned up. I'm getting the deluxe tune up. And that involves getting the engine and I quote, "Tuned to Nissan specifications." Who would have thought that in the year 2001 I'd own a car that had specifications? I love that! I think that's it for today. It's raining in New York and in my heart. Here's my Question of the Day: How good was the film Jackie Brown? I wish that were out on DVD. Have a good one. Stay Gold.

7-25-01
I'm not sure but I think I went for a walk when I got home last night. I'm parking my Skylark across town until I figure out what to do with it. So, I'm walking to the car and it felt like exercise. As you know from my diary I usually get home and watch TV. It was a nice change of pace to get some fresh, albeit hot, air. Did I use "albeit" properly? When I got back home I watched The Deer Hunter on Bravo. I said it before and I'll say it again -- disturbing film. Man, it's hot! That's it for today -- nothing is going on. Feel free to post your answer to the Question of the Day on my message board. Today's Question: How do you beat the heat? Lame question. Have a good day.

7-24-01
Hello! Are you looking forward to the Planet of the Apes? My friends are going to go see it on Friday. I refuse to go because I feel that the original Planet of the Apes was just a classic. It didn't need to be remade. Its just Hollywood cashing in and it makes me sick! I don't want to see a shot by shot remake of Psycho because Psycho is just about as good as it gets! Hollywood, are you listening?! I'm not buying it anymore! What ever happened to modern classic films like They Live and Purple Rain? My friends are going to go see this movie on Friday and I'll bet anything it doesn't meet their expectations. Hollywood, you got them but you don't have me. I'm not falling for your sugar coated celluloid dreams anymore! If you ever, ever make a retread of Easy Rider, I'm going to freak! Are you listening Hollywood, ARE YOU LISTENING? AAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!! Internet Acting, thank you, thank you very much. If you haven't figured it out by now, I got nothing today. I had a Steak-um sandwich for lunch on Sunday, is that anything? Hello? I WAS HERE ALL ALONG!!!!!!!!!! It's hot.

7-23-01
Friday night I got off work and made the journey home. I picked up some mint chocolate chip ice cream and a lovely burrito - just the way I like it - no sour cream and no salad. I get home; turn on the lights and nothing. I checked my breaker box and everything was cool except for the no power thing. So I call PSE&G and say, "I got no power." A few months ago when my new neighbor moved in they turned off my power because he gave the wrong apartment number. To correct that mistake PSE&G set up a new account for me - a new account that apparently doesn't exist. PSE&G loves to turn off my power! It was just a frustrating night. I'm ready to kick it with dinner and a movie and I got nothing. I did find out one thing from this experience - electricity good. Saturday I got my "new" car inspected. It passed - thank you very much. I took the car out for a drive. I did better on the hills this weekend. I did my laundry and waited around to go out to dinner in the city. Two of my friends had birthdays this week. It was a good dinner/good time. Sunday, I woke up and went to the A&P. Cat food was on sale - I love that. I had plans to go to dinner with Tiffany at Dave and Deirdre's house. Now, to get some history on Dave and Deirdre you should really go back to my diary entry from 1/8/01. These are the nice people that invited me into their home and I thanked them by throwing up on myself in their living room. So, as yesterday wore on, I started to get cold feet. I came up with this great plan to take a nap. If I'm asleep, I can't really be blamed for missing dinner - this is how I think, pretty scary stuff. I woke up around seven and called Tiffany's machine to say I'm sorry that I missed dinner, I over slept. Which was the absolute truth. As it turns out, we weren't going until 8. Damn! So we go over, this was the first time I've seen them since January. It turned out to be a fun evening. I brought a bottle of Sprite to insure that there wouldn't be a repeat performance. They made this great dinner! I want to say thanks to Dave and Deirdre for being so cool about letting me back into their home. Scott made this kick butt pear thing with fresh cream and blueberries on it. I also got to meet Dave and Deirdre's friend Laura. Just a great evening with great people. And I didn't vomit on anyone, including myself! Sweet. That's it - Have a great day.

7-20-01
I'm going to make this short today. The weekend is here! I'm going to have dinner with friends, drive my car, walk around, go to the store, do my laundry, get my car inspected, finish a book, relax, talk on the phone, clean my apartment and maybe rearrange some furniture. Walking up the subway stairs this morning I heard one woman say to another woman, "TGIF." I couldn't believe it - I didn't think people actually said that! I said it before but it was always a joke. Different strokes for different folks I guess. Have a great one, talk to you on Monday. Study Tip #42: Get some fresh air, you've been inside too long:)

7-19-01
I don't know where you stand politically and to be honest, I don't care. All I know is this: I got a letter from the IRS yesterday saying that come this August, George W. Bush is setting me up with three hundred bones! $300!!!! Thanks brother! That was the best news I had all day. I can have a great vacation for $300 or I could buy $300 worth of fireworks and celebrate this great land where money talks and bulls**t walks! Am I right people?! I heard about the tax break but thought by the time it gets to me, I'll probably end up paying them again. I love it when a plan comes together. Didn't they used to say that on the A-Team? All I know I learned from TV. Have you checked out my message board this week? It's crazy! Diane and Ernie are in some kind of disagreement. It's caused quite a bit of commotion! I love it because I feel that my message board is a sounding board for society - A marketplace of thoughts, ideas and dreams. If you agree or disagree with Ernie or Diane you have the power to voice your opinion - without using your real name. Now that's the America way! What up America, I'm in your face and I'm not going anywhere! I've been think about have auctions on BobBorden.com. I want to sell fake Hollywood movie props. Indiana Jones' whip, that license plate that fell out of the shark in Jaws and Eddie Murphy's hat he wore in The Golden Child. I can't get sued for selling stuff that I'm saying isn't real, right? Right? Hmmmmmm, I'll sleep on it. Note to self: I have to get back on my diet. I'm going to start this Sunday. OK that's it! Study hard!

7-18-01
Got home last night and started to watch Woody Allen's Take the Money and Run. I got up, laid down on my bed for a second and the next thing I knew, it was 3:30 am. That was my night. I totally screwed myself out of a night's relaxation. I got up, the TV was on, the a/c was on, the lights and my glasses were nowhere to be found. So, I got nothing today. Except for this: On the bus this morning the guy in front of me smelled of cheap cologne and cigarettes. Probably the nicest guy in the world but I had to endure that smell for close to 45 minutes, so the heck with him! Have a good one!

7-17-01
I fell asleep on my sofa again last night! That's kind of sad because that's the only exciting thing that's happened to me in the last 24 hours. How good was The Police? That's some good stuff. I love a good CD. I'm in the process of doing something I should do more of, walking you say? Ha ha, no. I'm reading a book -- Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris. He was on our show not too long ago and he read from his book. Anyway, I read this book on and off, depending on how quiet it is in the hood. I read a story Sunday night called You Can't Kill The Rooster. It's just about the funniest thing I've ever read. I was laughing out loud! I'm sure I'm the last guy in America to check it out but just in case I'm not, you should pick up a copy. I probably like The Police so much because they had such a clean, crisp sound. The guitar was natural. And I love a good musical trio. Don't even get me started on Rush. I think I'm going to take up the bass. I've said before how much I love the guitar but I could never seem to grasp it. Maybe my mind doesn't work that way. Or maybe I just suck, ha ha. Anyway, getting back to the trio thing. I always thought Prince would benefit from that set up. He's wicked on the guitar. Just strip it down and let's see what happens. Tell the Doctor to hit the showers for one night. I like Sting but his stuff sounds so over produced at times -- Although he does do a sick solo version of Message in a Bottle. Well, if you read today's diary up to this point, God bless you because it just seems like a grab bag of crap. I had to move my car from one side of the street to the other this morning. That's usually a process of driving around the block until you find something. Just as I was going around for the second time, this car pulled out a left a huge spot. It's the little things. I can't believe I'm driving a stick shift; I'm so excited! Much love, have a good one.

7-16-01
Who had a lovely weekend? That's right, I did. Friday night, I was sleepy and just fell asleep on my sofa. Saturday, I woke up and put the new plates on the car. I drove it over to the auto parts store and put some new wipers on. That's the extent of my mechanical abilities. I can't change my own oil but I can change a wiper like a Son of a Bitch! After that, I cleaned my apartment. I like a clean apartment. Saturday night I had dinner with Helen and her friend Juslaine. Helen and I met in Hoboken about a month ago and while I can't speak for her, I think it's safe to say that we enjoy spending time together. Anyway, we had a great dinner to celebrate Helen's birthday. The three of us just talked and laughed the whole night. Helen suggested that we go back to my place to watch This is Spinal Tap. What a great idea - every scene in that movie makes me laugh. Towards the end of the movie I looked over and they were asleep! Such is life. I guess 3 am is a little late to watch a movie. Happy Birthday Helen! Sunday, I took the car out to go to a laundromat. There's a hill/onramp going to 495. Moving cars in front of me and behind me. I didn't stall out or anything but I need to practice on hills. I'm not used to that feeling of going backwards. It was great out on the highway -- Sunroof open, windows down, kicking it in 5th at 70 mph. Life is good! That was the first time I had the car in 5th gear. On my way back home, I drove past my Skylark. I couldn't help to feel a little sad. Then I turned up the radio and forgot all about it, ha ha. Also on Sunday, I talked to Helen on the phone. We live a block away from each other. When a motorcycle or something loud drives past I can warn Helen, "Here comes a motorcycle." And a second later it will drive past her. It's pretty cool. After about three loud motorcycles I had an idea. We both put our phones down and I yelled out my window, "HELEN!" And she heard me! How cool is that? This morning I did what may qualify as a good deed. I was getting off the bus and noticed a neatly wrapped Wall Street Journal. It had a man's name on it and the man who was sitting close to the found paper was getting off the bus, I yelled, "Mark!" No response. I ran, OK, walked quickly down the stairs and held the paper up to the guy and said, "Mark?" He said, "Oh cool, thanks!" I love to help people. That story reminded me of another story. A few years back Walter and I saw Pearl Jam at Madison Square Garden. On the way up the escalator people were so excited to see the show they'd yell, "Pearl Jam!" And the people on the escalators above would yell back. After that died down, I yelled, "PJ!!!!" I got nothing back, you could hear a pin drop. I love that story. OK, that's it for today. How was your weekend? Let me know on my message board. Have a good one!

7-13-01
There are good weeks and there are bad weeks; this was a good week. My "new" car, of course, and the Late Show was nominated for five Emmy Awards! I was excited for everyone. Jerry Foley, director, who's just a great guy -- congratulations to him! My bosses, Justin and Eric Stangel and all the writers I work with/for -- Very exciting. I don't have much today. I got the title for my car today. So, this weekend, I'm going to cruise my guts out. I'll be honest, I had a big/great dinner last night and I'm a little off my game this morning. I'll leave a message on my board later today, maybe. Have a great weekend.

7-12-01
The whole clutch thing was slow going at first but with Walter's guidance and gentle touch, soon, was driving a stick shift. We started off in a parking lot. Getting going is the hardest thing to grasp -- working the clutch and gas. I didn't think I was going to get it at first -- neither did Walter. Finally I just said F*** It, stop thinking about it and just do it! From that point it just got easier and easier. We started the lesson at 9:30. By 11:30, I was driving in Manhattan! How's that for a road test! Thanks Walter! I still have to practice but at least that uncertainty is gone, I CAN DO IT!!!! I also want to thank Steve and Lis again for a great transaction - I love that car! I'm cutting it short today because I have some stuff to do. Have a great day!

7-11-01
It's official! I'm the proud owner of a 1989 Nissan 240sx coupe. 106,000 miles, power sunroof, windows, mirrors and it has a/c!!!!!!!! The best part of this whole transaction was that I bought it off a nice couple - not a dealer. I love it when you meet someone and right away you know they're good people. Steve and Lis (pronounced - Liz), thank you very much for a great transaction! Everything just clicked. Now, here's the thing that I'm a little worried about, it's a 5-speed and I can't drive a 5-speed. So why did I get it? It's always been a fantasy to be able to shift those gears. I'd watch Steve McQueen shift in Bullitt and say to myself - damn that's cool. Then the reality set in that I drive a Skylark and then I'd go eat a bag of chips. Walter is going to show me the ropes tonight, I'm eager to learn! If you know of anyone that needs a Skylark for cheap, in the NY/NJ area, drop me a line. Wow, I'm excited! I had my '89 Skylark since day one. A lot of good times with that ride, college, work, vacations, kicking it on the turnpike. I'm going to miss her. Screw it, I'm going to ask Walter if he'll drive it off a cliff for me, ha ha. It got me here from Ohio; it's not that bad. I went to bed last night reading the owner's manual. OK, that's it, I'm too excited to write about anything else today. Be real, have a great day! One more thing, the first song I'm going to play in my new ride is Bob Seger's Against the Wind.

7-10-01
I watched Peggy Sue Got Married on Bravo last night -- Very entertaining movie. OK, I have a major announcement to make. I haven't dotted the "I's" or crossed the "T's" yet but I bought a used car yesterday. I'm not ready to give out anymore information than that because I don't want to jinx myself. I'm very excited - it just feels right. I'll have more information on it tomorrow. I want to say thanks to Audrey. She left a message on my board yesterday saying something like it will happen when the time is right. She was right. I drove myself crazy last week for nothing. Now, I have another problem - I have two cars! When it rains, it pours - am I right? Busy first day at work yesterday -- a lot of running around. I enjoyed it because I just sat on my butt when I was in Ohio. In Ohio you drive everywhere and when I'm here, you basically have to walk. When I got back in Hoboken I took a long walk so I would be ready for the Monday morning commute. It was a smart move. I had soup for lunch yesterday. Mushroom barley, very good and surprisingly filling. I feel like that scene in The Jerk, where he gets excited because he got his name in the phone book. He says something like; "Things are going to start happening to me now." And the very next scene a sniper picks his name out of the phone book. Wait, I don't really feel like that. That was a mistake. I feel very optimistic right now. What is in store for Bob Borden? It makes you think. Well, it makes me think. Be real - have a great day!

7-9-01
Welcome back! My vacation was all about finding a used car. I put myself under so much stress; I may have learned another one of life's lessons and that is - take it easy. As I'm writing this I'm listening to the Motley Crue Live CD, oh my, is this great stuff! Here's a list of cars I test drove and my thoughts on that car:

'99 Saturn (4 door)
I didn't like it. It felt like an econo box. For the price they were asking it should have been a little more solid.

'99 Ford Contour
Nope. There was just something odd about it. It had a v6 but came off like an old man's car.

'99 Dodge Neon
uk. The automatic transmission is only a 3 speed! You get up to highway speed and you're waiting for it to kick in but it can't because again, only 3 gears.

'99 Honda Civic
was close to getting this car but with 5 years of payments staring me in the face and knowing it's going to get damaged on the Hoboken streets, I couldn't do it.

'01 Kia Rio
I really liked this car. It was cute and it drove well. I probably would have bought it because it was brand new. But again, a new car in these parts isn't such a good idea.

All of these cars had something mine doesn't - air conditioning. Oh how I miss the sweet, sweet feel of conditioned air. Now, I'm on the hunt for something mechanically reliable and cosmetically challenged. I stopped worrying about cars long enough to enjoy 4th of July. I hung out with my nephews all day. I love them but damn if they don't make me tired. My brother George bought fireworks. I didn't feel like lighting them. I thought I out grew it. Then I lit a pack of firecrackers. I ended up lighting all of my brother's stuff. It was great! Our yard was solid smoke. OK, that's enough for the first day back. Have a great day and take it easy.