JOURNAL ENTRY 09/06/09. Read straight through, then read again and refer to notes.
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Last night: wrote a blog entry, worked on Facebook event, tweeted about final night.
This morning: had 45 minute interview with that social media thing. I don’t really understand what it was all about.
Load truck #213 [note 1]
While rinsing out coffee pot Jumping Truck Guy [note 2] was washing his truck. Banging around. Asked him what’s up and he seemed really out of sorts, maybe tweaked on something. He told me this girlfriend is having an abortion today and she doesn’t want him with her at the clinic. Hearing that made me want to puke, out of sympathy. He went on to tell me that some days, alone in his truck, he shuts the windows and screams. “My head tells me it’s for the best- I can’t afford the kid I already have- but my heart doesn’t care about that.” When he drove off his skin was white as this notebook paper. [note 3]
Generator is dead so I started it with the charger. [note 4] Off to work.
17th and 3rd. Generator dies around 1:50pm. Call Horse [note 5], both numbers, no answer, going back to depot.
Depot - Hot Nick [note 6] and I top off generator oil, restart it with charger. Again. Back to Union Square.
17th and 2nd. Generator cut out again. 3:50ish. BACK TO DEPOT AGAIN.
Call Horse. Again. Both numbers. No answer. Must be at the brothel. [Note 7]
Call Tommy [note 8] and leave truck.
4:51pm on G train. [note 9] Bummer of a way to be wrapping things up, let’s hope Th and Fri are better!!
Back in Washington Heights, get a message from Horse. “I see the truck in front of the depot, I hope everything is ok.” Seems like he watches the security camera feeds while he’s banging but doesn’t check his voicemail. Interesting.
Make fried chicken, corn, and biscuits then watch Tropic Thunder. Doing better.
10:30pm Tommy calls, he’s on speakerphone. “What is your truck called? Who is your boss?” I have no idea wtf he’s doing, just that he’s fucked up and laughing so I play along. [note 10]
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Note 1
Of the trucks I used that first summer, which probably totals 7 or 8, truck 213 was one of the worst. It wasn’t tall enough inside for me to stand up straight so after an hour at work my back was just screaming. The generator, when it ran- you discover in this journal entry that it couldn’t be relied upon- was deafening and barely put out any power. Unless it was cold and windy I’d have to leave the doors to the generator, the entire back of the truck really, wide open and with the doors tethered with greasy bungee cords. If I didn’t leave the doors open and the noisy, filthy generator exposed to fresh air it would overheat and the power inside the truck would dip so low that the AC would run warm and the ice cream machine wouldn’t freeze the soft-serve mix. Another guy who used 213 dealt weed along his route in the Bronx and I was always finding baggies of shake (the pot stems and leaves kind of shake, not milkshake) hidden under the cartons of rainbow and chocolate sprinkles. I also found a (still wrapped) condom and one time he left behind an aluminum softball bat. God knows what or who he was using that on.
Note 2
Jumping Truck Guy would make his truck… jump. Hop, like a lowrider with a hydraulic suspension. Shit would go flying EVERYWHERE and the inside of his truck looked exactly like the disaster you’d expect. He loved how it made people laugh and he enjoyed getting a few seconds of attention for it. This was the only time I really talked to him about anything at all.
Note 3
I don’t remember the guy’s face but I clearly remember the color he was that morning. Pantone 11-0105.
Note 4
The “charger” I’m talking about is a rechargeable battery powered thing that I would keep plugged into the generator, so that when the generator eventually died it I’d be able to jump it. Talk about circular logic… using the running generator to charge the “charger” to start the dead generator. Sorry but I can’t make it make sense.
Note 5
”Horse” was the nickname of one of my bosses. He was one of the two Tommy the Greeks that owned our trucks but he was known exclusively as Horse.
Note 6
”Hot Nick” was a buff Greek guy who was highly easy on the eyes and did well with his customers at Bryant Park. He had one of the few trucks I would have almost considered having an ice cream from because while the other trucks were filthy, he cleaned his with a toothbrush. If you want an ice cream from a truck look at the driver. If he looks like he details his car you’re probably safe.
Note 7
Legend had it that the bosses spent afternoons at a brothel in Koreatown.
Note 8
This is the other Tommy the Greek, the one who wasn’t Horse. This one was referred to as “Tommy the Retard” and boy was he a train wreck! Nice guy if he’s on your side, absolutely terrifying if you’re not aligned with him. I learned to like working with Tommy and I think the feeling was mutual.
Note 9
If you’re not familiar with the New York City subway system, the G train only runs in Brooklyn. It was one of three completely different subway lines I would have to take to and from Greenpoint (the G, L, and A or C) and it felt like the end of the world when dragging duffel bags of toppings, signs, and extra shoes. Yeah, I started taking back-up pairs of shoes along but not because of vanity. A few times I had a pump tube in the ice cream machine split open and start spraying ice cream mix all over me. I got soaked from the knees down and by the end of the day my sneakers were curdled. This made me appreciate why so many chefs wear Crocs and I eventually got myself some proper non-stick non-absorbent kitchen shoes.
Note 10
I liked when the bosses would drunk-dial me. This time around Tommy was obviously at a noisy club and I didn’t have a clue what he was doing by questioning me but he was in a great mood- and I was still awake. Several times they called me in the middle of the night; I tried to pick up those calls too, though, because whatever they wanted was sure to be amusing. I forgot all about this occurrence and was pissed that I left Tommy’s motivation a mystery but thankfully the answer shows up in the following day’s entry. Posting that soon.