020808

                                                                                   Baton Rouge to New Orleans, LA

Friday February 8, 2008

     7:30am  Wow, what a great morning I am having so far with Rachel and Kevin and their daughter Grace in their trailer. Hell yeah. These people are awesome. Everybody smokes weed! That's the key!

     7:47am  We already took off. We are on our way to Nawlins. I'm stoned and we're going to get stoneder. Umm, I don't know what else to say. I'll probably think of something when I'm typing this up. Do you guys have anything to say? Kevin: "Yeah, man. I'm Kevin and I met Victor last night and we took a drive over Lake Charles and he hung out at our house. Yeah man, I'm glad you came. I am proud to be a part of the mission that you are on because I am totally cool with that. You gave me food for thought, which is something that is priceless, you know. You're asking for nothing in return. I think that's cool as hell. I'm glad to meet you and I hope I get to see you again."

     8:26am  I just took a picture of this beautiful tree we stopped at Airline Highway and Hwy 42.

                   Group picture.

     8:29am  We are leaving. Buddy showed up with his truck and we are going to New Orleans.

                   What bridge is this? It's twelve miles long. Bonne Carre Spillway Bridge. We are only nineteen miles away from New Orleans.

     10:38am  We are driving down Carrollton Road. We are driving around the outside of The French Quarter.

     10:44am  I feel a little guilty thinking I should be describing things more. I'm tagging along with them while they do this job. Buddy and Kevin work installing Magnetite Insulating Window Covers. Their card claims that it works with your existing window, blocks noise up to ninety percent, doesn't change the look of your home and works better than expensive replacement windows. Right now I am just smoking a cigarette. Hell yeah, I've got weed. I've got forty two bucks in cash. I should go buy me another one-hitter. I'm sure I can find me a headshop easy in New Orleans. I can't wait to get to New Orleans. These guys are telling me all about how badass New Orleans is. Like all the houses in whole neighborhoods are condemned. They have a big red X with some code they used.

                    Some house.

     10:54am  I just took a picture of one of the X's they marked the houses with. On top is the date, 9-11, September 11th, which would have been two weeks after the storm. Buddy's not sure what the 186 means. He thinks that there was one person in the house and I think the number means that they were dead. I'm not sure about that. Nothing in the bottom spot, which is where they usually wrote about pets, animals. Then NE would be the branch of the service that did the actual inspection of the house.

     11:30am  I'm going to go for a stroll while they do their window-work. They parked on N. White Street. I'm going to go look for a store with a bathroom to go in. They said they'd be like an hour, so at twelve thirty I'll come back. I'm going to go try and find someone to tell my story to.

                     I'm on Grand Route Saint John. I think I see a park and basketball courts. I'm going to go stand around there with my shirt and smoke a cigarette. Maybe they have a bathroom over there.

     11:40am  I walked LaHarpe to Broad Street, turning right. I hope I don't get lost.

     12:21pm  Luckily, I found the house with Buddy's van. Hehe, Buddy kind of got freaked out because I had started telling his customer my story. I gave her my website and everything.

                     I found out that the 1-186 was who was looking at the house, not that people died.

     12:51pm  We just came to Po-boys.

     12:59pm  I'm in the French Quarter. I was just delivered here by Buddy and Kevin. I'm over here at St. Phillips and Chartres. I'll take a picture.

     2:20pm I stopped at Decatur Street and stood there with my shirt. This town is way ignorant so far. These people walked by and read my shirt. I gave them the 'ol They Didn't Call Them Peace Pipes For Nothin', and the guy got all scared. "No, thank you!" Moron thought I was asking him for something. That's right, be afraid.

                   Random pictures walking around.

     2:47pm  I asked these brothers if the cops would mess with me and my shirt. They told me, "No, do you got any?" We're walking to the river and I'm going to smoke them out. We're going to the sandbox.

                   I just took a picture of these three kids I'm telling my story to by the river. What were your names? DJ, Kelly and Andrew.

     4:13pm  Hell yeah, I went to the riverfront there and told these kids my story. Luckily, I got away from the alcoholic bums who took me to the sandbox. They wouldn't listen to me. These three other kids did though. I smoked them out. I've been smoking everybody out. I came to this street and I just took a picture of the statue of the founder. I also got one of the golden Joan of Arc statue they have.  Like the one in Portland.  I'm going to go look for the headshop and buy me a new one-hitter.

     4:19pm  I just ran into Smurf. He says he's met me in Venice Beach and San Antonio. He says the cops just beat him down for no reason.

     4:37pm  I came to the headshop and I bought me a brand new cigarette pinch-hitter. I bought me an acrylic one. They're breakable, but I don't care. I got plenty of funds. It cost four bucks more. I'm going to walk around and smoke people out now. Oh yeah, I lost the little container I had. Kevin had given me this long container and I was able to trim it. I've got a new nug jar now.

     5:53pm  Earlier I had seen this girl walking down the street with this big bag. I decided I was going to try and follow her and try to tell her my story. I haven't been doing that much story telling in New Orleans. I can't find a good corner to stand on. Anyway, I was trying to follow this girl, but I lost her.

     5:58pm  Did I tell you, I made a friend. This girl Sarah was at the corner crying because she lost her friends. I gave her a big hug and even gave her the other half of this humungous poor-boy Kevin and Buddy had gotten me earlier. I lost my marijuana! I just got hooked up with all this weed and I lost it all! After I smoked everybody out all day I lost it.

     7:37pm  Sarah and I are looking for Big Daddy's, this strip bar her friend works at. Sarah might show me a place to crash tonight, cool.

     9:26pm  I need to tell you about what's happened tonight. The night is still young. I met this girl Sarah. Another squatter girl, so I thought. At first she was standing there looking really sad because she lost her friends. I gave her a big hug and she hugged me back so good. She's such a beautiful girl. I took her picture. She was a little drunk, but I told her my story anyway. I just started taking care of her. I gave her the other half of my Po-boy. She ate it all. She was hungry. I let her borrow some layers to warm up with. All this time we've been really sweet on each other. She's going to see if I can crash where she crashes at. So we went to go wait for her friend to get off of work at some strip club. After nine 'o clock Sarah asked the dude who's house she was going to crash at if I could crash. He said I couldn't. He didn't like me at all. He took one look at me and walked away. I took a liking to Sarah. She was real cute.

                   I haven't even been passing out my website that much on Bourbon Street. Alcohol Street. Ignorant Street. A lot of people liked my shirt, but when I offered them my website they'd get all scared, "No, no, no." They think I am asking for money. I'm walking to Decatur Street now. Fuck Bourbon Street. I put my wig on too.

                   Some dude.

     9:33pm  Decatur Street was lame. I'm going to walk back to Bourbon Street, which is lame too, but at least it's crowded. There's no cars and the street is just filled up with people. I'm going to go back there. I miss Sarah already. She's 21. I totally took her under my wing. Even though I think that whole crying thing at first might have been just an act.

                     If nudity offends you...don't come in.

                     Some guy.

     10:01pm  Bryan, who works at Razoo read my shirt and hooked me up with a couple nuggets! I appreciate it, brother. Everybody gets credit, thanks. You'll be on there when I update it.

     10:59pm  Blain, who also works at Razoo just hooked me up with a little bud too!

     12:48am  Peter hooked me up with a cigarette on Bourbon Street. I appreciate it, brother. Everybody gets credit, thanks.

     2:39am  Hell yeah, I am having a badass time in New Orleans tonight. I love this place. I magically gravitated to this corner over here by Razoo bar. This awesome Irie Rasta dude Blaine. He's cool as hell. People have been hooking me up left and right tonight. Everybody is taking my picture. Oh yeah, I just ran into some guy who recognized me from Chicago! Hell yeah! He was all, "Weren't you in Chicago?"

                   Random shots of the Bourbon Street crowds.

                   Some girl               

     2:53am  Kurt just hooked me up with a dollar on Bourbon Street. I appreciate it.

     2:59am  Dan just hooked me up with a cigarette on Bourbon Street.

     4:13am  Man, I have been such a big hit on Bourbon Street tonight. So many people have taken pictures of me. I made friends with this guy Blaine. This Jamaican kid, well, I don't know if he's Jamaican, but he sounds Irie. He works at Razoo. He's calling around seeing if her can find me a place to crash. He said he would at least take me out for breakfast when he gets off at six. He was telling me, "Everything happens for a reason." When I first situated myself on that corner he told me, "You came to the right place."

                   I ran out of little papers like twice and I had to cut new ones right there on the sidewalk. I have one more sheet left of havethisbook.coms. I had printed out like five sheets at my mom's house before I left.

     4:53am  Tim just came by and volunteered me some cookies. I appreciate it, brother. Everybody gets credit. Thanks a lot.
   
     6:22am  Turns out I can't crash at Blaine's place. Then I started thinking I could've taken off to sleep a long time ago. I've got cash. I can go to a Youth Hostel. I think it's only seventeen dollars. I went to search for it and ended up on the cable car. Hopefully it's cheap.
I found the hostel. It's the Market House New Orleans International Hostel. The office opens at seven in the morning so I have to wait half an hour.

     7:06am  I am all checked in at the hostel.

     7:16am  I still haven't gone to sleep yet. I think I'm going to be able to stay tonight too. I'll find out tomorrow.

Next day..