012704

 

San Antonio, TX

Tuesday January 27, 2004

     10:11am  The next day. Tuesday, I think. I am off the nocturnal thing. I woke up at nine this morning. I got some shit to do. I have to get in gear today and do it.

     10:39am  I got forty dollars. Hopefully, it's safe to have. I still got a lot more. I'm going to go to Walmart and buy me some gloves. I'll see if I can develop some cameras. Maybe I'll buy me a digital camera. A disposable-digital. I'll go price them at least.

     10:50am  I just realized I can't find my water bottle. Maybe I left it at Carlos' house last night. Or, my mom's dirty house might have eaten it. I couldn't have gone to bed without noticing it missing. Anyway, I'll find out later on if it's at Carlos'.

     11:03am  I'm leaving my mom's house. I'm going to walk off to the gas station and buy me a twenty ounce bottle of water. I don't have my water bottle. This sucks.

     11:18am  I came to the Citgo gas station and bought me a pack of American Spirits and a water. I'm going to stand here and smoke.

     11:55am  I just realized I left my stick at the gas station! I hope it'll be there when I get back. I have like a whole hour to find out.

     12:13pm  Man, it sucks that I left it. See, when I first went in the gas station earlier, some pretty girl walked in and she smiled at me real big. She looked at me, so I felt I had to tell her my story. She had the same kind of drawstring backpack I had. After I bought the pack of cigarettes I went outside to smoke. See, me thinking the whole time the girl was inside the store and I was going to wait for her to come out. Then, all of a sudden I see the bus pull up, the 610, and I see the girl getting on it. Oh shit, I need to get on that bus. So I ran up to it and jumped on real quick. I left my stick behind. That sucks. Well, hopefully. I'm going to make a prayer to Love. Love, please hold my stick for me while I'm gone. If not, replace it for me with another stick soon afterwards. I really need a stick. Even though I used money to get it.

                     Ahh, if it's not there maybe that will be a sign I wasn't meant to have it because I paid money for it. That's what it will be and I'll get my new stick soon. That's what I think.

     12:50pm  I'm back at the gas station and there's my stick! The spirit's got my back. On the way there I was telling the driver my whole story. She was all religious and all into it. She was doing the sign of the cross while she was driving and stuff. She doubts me, though. Just like I want her to. I talked her ear off. Before I got off I told her, "Hey, talk about me at VIA, ok?" She told me, "I will, Victor." Now, I'm going to go get my stick. There it is. Praise Love.

     12:51pm  I'm going to stop here on this bench and smoke a cigarette. Oh yeah, I was telling the driver my stuff. Hold on, what did I tell her? Hold on, I'm all stoned, hehe.

                     Oh yeah, and at the Park and Ride I talked to the security guard there. This black dude with all this white discoloration on his arms/hands. I've told him my ideas before. I had told him, "Hey man, I'm going to walk around the corner and hit my peace pipe. You want a hit?" He told me, "You know you can't do that around here." I went and walked off the property and took a hit. When I came back he was all, "Oh, are you at one with the universe now?" I told him, "That's right. My mind has been opened." He was all, "Man, you're cool. I like you."
                      Anyway, that lady on the 610 asked me, "Don't you get tired of asking people for things?" I told her, "What? Do I get tired of giving people the chance to feel good about themselves? Do I get tired of logging every occurrence and proving myself right? Man, I got nothing better to do."

     1:07pm  I have decided I'm going to walk to the tennis courts in front of Braun Station Elementary. By my old bus stop. I'm going to see if I can find a tennis ball for my stick. My balls almost out. Then, I think I'm going to walk to OP Schnabel. No, I'm going to walk to Walmart and buy me some gloves, because it's cold. I'll see what else I can get me. I brought forty dollars with me. Oh yeah, on the bus, the lady bus driver asked me, "Do you have any money on you right now?" I told her, "Yeah, I've got like forty dollars. I need to buy some stuff." She said, "Oh, I need to borrow like forty dollars. What do you think?" I told her, "Well, I don't have forty dollars to spare." She replied, "Oh, well it doesn't work both ways, huh?" I told her, "Nah, I can spare maybe like five dollars or something." She went, "Alright, give me five." I reached for my wallet and she went, "No, I'm just kidding. I was just testing you." 

                   I'm going to start telling people I'm a long-distance walker/journalist/designer. When they ask me what am I designing I'll tell them, "My own reality."

     1:26pm  I just need to find out where I am on my tape. It fell out and I wasn't sure what side it was on. I walked up almost to the tennis courts. I saw some black dude. He looked at me and told me hi. I went up to him and said, "Hey, can I tell you what I'm doing?" I told him my platform and everything. When I got to the part where I asked him if he was willing to listen he said, "No, I don't have time." I gave him the usual rebuttal, "Ahh, then just wait to hear about it when the rest of the world does. Ignorance is bliss," and walked off.
                   Just then, my fan club drove by. Those kids I told my story to in the ditch at Parkwood the other night(1-25-04, 6:25pm). They drove by, stopped and made room for me. I noticed and asked, "Hey, can I get a ride?" I just got picked up. We came to the Great Northwest. They're dropping somebody off and we're going to smoke some weed.

     1:45pm  They gave me a ride to the Walmart and I just asked this lady, "I'm looking for a pair of nice, warm, wool gloves." She looked at me and said, "I don't think we have any." Umm, this is Walmart. I can't believe they don't have the gloves.

     1:52pm  Dude, I just found a pair of gloves for like ninety three cents. I thought, "Cool, I can buy two of them. One pair to give away on a cold night." I went to the photo lab place and told the guys, "Hey, my mom told me that I could bring in my fifteen disposable cameras and you guys can scan them and put them on a CD for me. Is that true?" They told me, "Yeah, it is true." Whoa, it's only $3.68 per roll. Man, I'm looking at only forty dollars to get my cameras developed! Perfect. I don't need a digital camera. Thanks Sam.

                   Haha, everybody is giving me funny looks in the Walmart because of my walking stick.

     2:00pm  I smoked like half a cigarette. Has anybody else noticed that American Spirits last like twice as long as regular cigarettes? That's because regular cigarettes are designed to smoke faster, so you'll buy more. American Spirits have no additives, supposedly. That's why they smoke so slow. I can smoke just part of it and one cigarette can last me a good six hours or so.

                   It's so cool how earlier my fan club picked me up. Those kids I talked to in Parkwood the other night. That's so awesome.

     2:08pm  I walked down this one street, but there's no gate to the woods. I gotta walk all the way back now. I hate backtracking.

     2:20pm  I'm walking down Bandera towards the entrance of OP Schnabel. I just passed a street in this new neighborhood here. There's a street called Preservation.

 

                   I got a picture of it. That's a good street name.

                   The Oaks of French Creek. That's the neighborhood.

                   I was going to keep walking to the entrance, but I changed my mind. I'm going to walk in this neighborhood and see if there's anyone to tell my story to. I'll see if there's a ditch into the woods. Last neighborhood didn't have one, so I had to walk back out.

     2:25pm  I'm just walking around this ritzy new neighborhood. I'm just making myself known. Just walking around looking crazy. I'm hoping there's a ditch or something that connects to the woods. I need to take a piss.

                    Man, my plan is so perfect. My ideas are so great. Everybody is going to be down with it.

                    I'm at the intersection of Hetherington and some street which I can't understand what I recorded.

     2:32pm  Great, just what I was looking for. An opening into the woods. Awesome.

                   Dude, this opening just lets out back by the HEB. Over by Bandera. I went in a circle.

     2:35pm  I'm going to walk through French Creek Village now.

     2:43pm  I got to the OP Schnabel. I see this guy sitting in his car listening to his radio. I'm going to walk past him.

     2:44pm  I walked to this couple at a picnic table. I asked them, "Hey, can I tell you a really interesting story? I'm not asking for anything. I just want you to listen to me." They told me, "No, we're leaving in a couple minutes." I told them, "Alright, you can just wait to hear about it when the rest of the world does. Ignorance is bliss," and walked off.

                   They think I'm crazy, hehe.

     2:45pm  I walked up to this girl who was sitting in her car smoking a cigarette. I told her, "Hi, sister." She looked kind of familiar. She smiled at me and I asked her, "Have I talked to you before?" She goes, "Yeah, at Jim's." I told her, "Well alright. I was going to ask you if you wanted to hear a story, but you've already heard it. I'll just keep on truckin'. Peace out. I got a lot of work to do. I've got a world to save."

     2:50pm  I had a good presentation with this dude. He was dumpster diving, digging through the trash. I told him what I was doing. He had a big truck. He agreed with everything I said. Awesome.

     3:17pm  I told Pablo and Jennifer my story. They actually listened to me. Thanks a lot, guys. Pablo even volunteered me two dollars. Awesome, I didn't even ask for it. I appreciate it, brother.

     3:28pm  Man, I was just thinking that this is just awesome. I'm just walking around this park, my little forest, all these trails everywhere. I got to thinking, "Man, do you know what this park is? This place is my office. I have a bigass, multi-acre office. A natural office. I can just walk around here and talk to everyone."

     4:37pm  I went up to these guys on mountain bikes. I asked them if they wanted to hear a story. They told me to go ahead. I told them my mission objectives and asked them if they were willing to listen. One guy said, "Oh, I think I know enough. I've taught myself. We're going to keep riding." I told them ignorance was bliss.

     4:39pm  John is going to hook me up. I was sitting down by the ditch, where that big BAM! graffiti is on the rocks. I see some guy walking with a dog and I call out to him, "Wanna smoke a bowl?" He comes over real quick. It turns out to be some guy I went to middle/highschool with. I told him I was thinking about walking to the Taco Cabana and get a taco. I was hungry. John offered to give me some food.

                   Cool, John is another native of OP. He's going to show me these other cliffs. He's going to make a fire and stuff. Man, I wish I had a . . dude, are we going to pass by the Walmart? Great, I need to buy another camera.

     4:45pm  John might have a mountain bike I can borrow and I can go ride with him one day. Badass. Shit happens for a reason.

     5:32pm  I'm walking around with John. John showed me some new trails I had never been on before. Virgin woods. I love this. I'm going to explore these trails like crazy.

                   Man, I am never leaving San Antonio.

                   Sweet, the other cliffs. John is showing me this natural chimenea, this fireplace they got out here.

                   I'm going to walk to the Walmart and buy a camera and come back and take a picture of it. Hopefully it won't be dark by then.

     6:21pm  John is giving me a big tour of his woods, which will soon be mine too.

     6:37pm  I came to the Walmart to buy a new camera. I asked them if they had any digital-disposables and they told me no. They told me that was a big gimmick. That there was nothing digital about them, since you can develop regular ones and put them on CD anyway.

     6:45pm  An update, I forgot. I gotta make an update. I came to the Walmart. I went in there and bought a disposable camera. It's supposed to be a lot clearer than other ones. It was like eight dollars. I offered to buy John and I some alcohol, some Hornsby's, some draft cider, some alcoholic apple juice. Then, we're going to go back to Smokestone, where it's warm because he left the fire going(safely), and drink. Party. We'll smoke the night away.

     7:15pm  We have returned to Smokestone. The all-mighty Smokestone. It's getting dark. It's pretty much already dark. The fire is going good and we're going to eat some tuna fish crackers John snagged from his house.

     7:31pm  We are out here hanging out partying by Smokestone. The Smokestone is re-lit and going strong. Umm, oh yeah I thought I lost my pipe. I was mad. Then I saw something shining in the dark shade. I reached for it and it was right in front of my face. I hadn't remembered putting it down. Seems like I left it before we left for Walmart. It just reappeared. See, ask and thou shall receive.

     8:25pm  John and I are walking back to the Walmart. I gotta go get my pictures I left developing.

     8:51pm  Mel just hooked me up with ten cents I needed for my pictures. I appreciate it, Mel. Everybody gets credit in my game.

                   What's your address, John? 7506 Brian Cooke. I'll remember that.

     9:00pm  Man, what a glorious day. I had a fun-ass day. Me and that guy John. Some guy I knew from middle school. He's all about San Antonio too. He showed me this cool place and built a big fire.

                   I've decided I'm going to walk to my mom's house, because my feet hurt and see if she'll let me borrow her car, so I can go get my water bottle at Carlos'.

     9:05pm  Ryan is hooking me up with some change to make up the difference for my burger at the Wendy's. Awesome.

                   Sweet, I went back up to ask for water and that guy Ryan went, "Sure you don't want something else?" I told him, "Well, a soda would be cool."

     9:24pm  I walked over to the Wendy's and got me a couple bacon double cheeseburgers. That guy hooked me up with some change so I wouldn't have to break another dollar. I'm walking towards the HEB to use the courtesy phone and call my mom. Get her to come pick me up.

                   My feet ache.

     9:43pm  Damnit, the courtesy phone doesn't work. So, I came outside by the door and I'm going to ask people if I can borrow their cellphone. This dude who works there came up to me and asked me for a cigarette. I gave him an American Spirit and he told me, "I'm going to go see if I can get you a phone." He went inside.

                   That guy let me use the phone in the cosmetics department. I told him my plan and he told me good luck.

                   My mom told me to give her like thirty or forty minutes.

     10:40pm  I'm at my mom's house now. She came and picked me up. It was all business as usual at my mom's. She was all complaining, like always. I'm used to ignoring it now. Anyway, my twin sister was already home. She works at this temp agency for some apartments. At her work tonight she got a call from some realtor-sounding guy. The guy turned out to be her baby's dad! He's been a bastard absent father too. When she figured out who he was she just came out and asked him, "Hey, do you plan on seeing your kid anytime soon?" She said that he went nuts saying stuff like, "Man, I've been looking for you forever, Laura. I want to see my son." I told her, "Laura, be very careful. You and I know dad's aren't all they're cracked up to be. We should know."

                    Anyway, I came outside to smoke a cigarette and smoke some weed.

Next day..