Archive for December, 2011

Sunrise, sunset

December 29, 2011

Hello everyone,
I’ve been thinking back to Tony’s experience of Christmas. I don’t remember Tony being hungry as Christmas Eve would set in. Far from it. Many individuals, restaurants, cafes and other shops were reliably generous. But he often had nowhere to go. And so he’d end up gathering together with other street people who also had nowhere to go. Later, he might sit on the steps of Margi’s Pharmacy at the corner of Roncesvalles and Howard Park, waiting for the sun to come up or perhaps waiting for it to set.

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How about that weather?

December 21, 2011

Hi all,
Were Tony and I to chat today, the subject of the relatively balmy weather would have almost certainly arisen, as in this hypothetical conversation.

PHILIP
“So how are you liking global warming so far?”

TONY
“I don’t think it’s been this nice on the first day of winter since [insert distant year].”

PHILIP
“Do you think it’s getting warmer, generally speaking?”

TONY
“Sometimes, but it depends on the weather, if you know what I mean.” [I think Tony would flash his excellent smile at this point.]

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Smiles all around

December 12, 2011

PHILIP
How come your Elmo doll is so important to you? I think he’s almost the only thing you own except your clothes, no offense.

TONY
“Well seeing kids smile makes me smile and Elmo makes the kids smile. So it all works out.”

PHILIP
“So do you actually identify with Elmo in any way?”

TONY
“Phil, I think only someone who had a dad and granddad who were shrinks could ask me that question.”

 

(The photo is from our post of Nov. 1 2010.)

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Trying to help

December 7, 2011

TONY
“Didn’t your mother teach you to excuse yourself when you burped and there were other folks there?”

PHILIP
“Maybe, what’s it to you?”

TONY
“Just checking. ”

PHILIP
“All right, she did.”

TONY
“So … ”

PHILIP
“So, excuuuse me.”

TONY
“Now that’s better.”

PHILIP
“Can we not discuss this anymore?”

TONY
“C’mon Phil, I’m just trying to help you with your manners.”

PHILIP
“Thank you for your help, Mr. Clemens.”

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Coming home

December 4, 2011

I had this discussion with Tony earlier this year:

PHILIP
“If you could do any job in the world, what would you want to do?”

TONY
“Oh that’s easy, I’d be a limo driver.”

PHILIP
“But you were a limo driver, weren’t you?”

TONY
“Well, my life wasn’t always this bad, you know.”

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Friends in need

December 2, 2011

PHILIP
“What do you remember about being a kid?”

TONY
“I was a fun kid, you know. I had friends and I had a good lot of them. Things were different then.”

PHILIP
“You’ve still got lots of friends …”

TONY
“Well maybe I have lots of friends now but its different when you’re a kid, you know. You can just have fun. Nowerdays when your a grownup, people need your help, and mostly I can’t give them what they want but at least I can smile and tell them ‘hello’ or ‘have a nice day’ or something. That perks people up, most of them anyways.”

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