030708

                                                                                                              Madison to Live Oak, FL

Friday March 7, 2008
                  
     6:04am  I woke up at six with seven hours of sleep. Dude, last night it friggin' monsooned! It was drenching hardcore. Needless to say, I take nothing for granted. Last night was really cool. Right when I started stressing about the impending rain, see, I had checked the forecast on the internet a the library and found out there was a hundred percent chance of rain the next day. I was all stressing out wondering where I was going to crash. I walked in front of the Winn-Dixie and stood there with my shirt. I wanted to spend like half an hour talking to people. I had one good presentation with this Peruvian lady and this guy. I walked over to the Pizza Hut hoping they would hook me up. At first she said no, but then she gave me some breadsticks. Then I was walking, I don't know, I was going to walk into town. All of a sudden I see some kid crossing the street in front of the Winn-Dixie with a backpack and long hair. I hit him up for my story. He had told me he had all the time in the world, but he wouldn't listen to me at all. At every interruption I would tell him that's why I asked you if you were willing to listen. I'm trying to tell you my story. He said something like, "Oh, but I have things to say and if I don't say them now I'm going to forget them." I told him forget it, here's my website. Then I asked him if he knew where there was a dry campspot anywhere. He took me to this skatepark where there's this covered gazebo in the back I could crash underneath. I crashed on the side of it not facing everything else. Around three thirty I got woken up by cops. Three or four of them. They were cool with me crashing there. They said they were just checking it out for graffiti taggers. They said I was cool, that it was going to pour. They were cool with it, so I got my sleep, seven hours. The sun comes up soon, like in an hour or something. I don't know what I'm going to do today. I wish I had some weed.

                   Do you see how I was magically transported to a dry spot last night? Everything happens for a reason.

     6:52am  I found some projects to kill time for the sun to come up. There's just tons of graffiti out here all over this gazebo by the skatepark. The cops woke me up this morning and they told me they thought there was somebody back here writing on stuff. I can totally see where they would get that idea. This place is all tagged up. Sooo, this morning I woke up a tagged the picnic table with WORLD PEACE THROUGH MARIJUANA and havethisbook.com. I took a picture of it. I mean, I might as well. There's some pretty stupid graffiti already. Like a girl with a camel toe. Mine is good graffiti.

                   Perfect tool for subversion. Ha, I like that phrase.

     7:57am  I just got done doing my morning ritual in the Winn-Dixie bathroom. They have big stalls with a sink and everything. I took a shit, brushed my teeth, used some mouthwash and I'm going to get me some water out of the fountain. Fill up my bottle.

     8:11am  I just walked across the street from the Winn-Dixie and I'm going to go to the college and type at the library some more. They opened at eight 'o clock. It's so awesome that they are already open. I had a quarter, so I bought me a Ramen cake. I'm going to eat.

                   Oh yeah, yesterday when I got hooked up at Ken's BBQ I came and ate at this gazebo. I had left my ice tea here and it's still here. I'm going to drink it. I'm going to eat breakfast.

     8:37pm  I'm in the library about to get to work.

     12:37pm  I got hungry so I walked back across the street. I'm going to buy me another Ramen cake. That's all I've had to eat today. I'm going to eat it and smoke a cigarette. I am already on Valentine's Day in my typing. February fourteenth.

     12:55am  I ate my Ramen. I've been emailing Kim back and forth. She's my friend. Kim from Panama City. I see these two kids talking about bullshit in the library. I'm going to go hit them up for my story. Let's see if they're ignorant or not.

                   I just had an excellent presentation with Dana and Candice. They listened to me good. Odyssey and everything. They liked it.

     4:04pm  I am leaving the library. I had a full day of typing. I'm going to go try and go do laundry. I have three bucks. I'm going to go find the laundromat now. It's still raining like crazy.

     4:11pm  I came to the laundromat and I ran into Nathan Marini again who hooked me up with some money last night which I am doing laundry with. He's here with his roommate washing his clothes. He recommends that when I am in West Virginia to look up who? Nappy at Purple School, cool.

     5:25pm  Leon, el amigo que hice en la laundromat, me acaba de dar cinco dolares. Te lo agradezco, Leon. Todo el mundo recibe credito, gracias. Yo tenia hambre, gracias.

     5:45pm  Hell yeah, I made friends with this Mexican dude. I talked to him in Spanish. I told him how I was living off of Ramen noodles and he volunteered me a five dollar bill. That's awesome. Afterwards I was looking through my pack and I gave him those leather gloves I had found the other day on the side of Highway 90. He's a good man. He wouldn't let me take his picture though. Hell yeah, I'm going to eat! That's awesome.

     5:55pm  I just finished all of my laundry. I'm going to go eat now.

                   It's cool how I saw that Nathan guy who hooked me up with five bucks last night. With those five bucks I bought some tobacco and with the three bucks left over I did laundry. Madison has one shitty laundromat. They had no soap vending machine, they had no change machine. It sucked hardcore. When I got there Nathan's roommate let me have some detergent, so I had enough quarters to get all my clothes dry.

     6:21pm  I finished eating at McDonald's. I'm outside smoking a cigarette. I'm wearing my backup shirt. The one that doesn't have a space between world and peace.

     6:22pm  This black dude just gave me a dollar. He walked out of the McDonald's and I was outside smoking. He saw my shirt and asked me if I wanted a donation. I said sure. That I accept donations. I just don't expect them. I love surprises.

                   I logged his generosity and offered him my website and he refused it, "I'm straight, I'm straight."

     7:06pm  I walked all the way over to the Winn-Dixie and I just realized I left my water bottle at the McDonald's, so I'm walking back. It finally stopped raining so I took my raincoat off and shit. I'm friggin' bored. I have nothing to do. It's only seven 'o clock. I'm going back to get my water bottle. I might as well just start walking 90 East. The library is going to be closed until Sunday and it opens at one thirty then, so fuck that. I've got nothing to do in this town so I'm going to try and get out of here. Maybe I can find a place to crash on the way out there. I hope it doesn't rain again.

     7:30pm  I retrieved my bottle. It was right where I left it, on the ashtray leaning on the window. It's valuable to me because it has one of those nozzles I scored at that garage sale in Panama City. I've got two dollars. I'm going to try and skip town tonight even though it's not smart. Maybe I'll find a good spot to crash while I'm walking. Maybe I'll go to a gas station and ask people for rides. I don't know.

                   Cool, there's a Jiffy food store like a block from the McDonald's. I'm going to stand out in front of there. It's still early.

     7:49pm  Man, I'm getting my ride out of town already. Clay is being nice enough to give me a ride. I had gone in and bought a cake of Ramen and I started telling the cashier my story. In between customers of course. Clay walks in and sees my shirt and smiles. I ask him if he's going East and he says he would take me to I10. He smoked me out with some badass weed, but there was nothing at I10/Hwy 90. I asked him if there was a gas station nearby and he told me he'd take me to Live Oak. Badaboom, badabing, It's a beautiful thing. Clay had even told me, "I don't usually give people rides, but you seemed cool. I had a feeling about you." He listened to my story great too. Thank you so much, Clay.
                  
     8:23pm  I just landed in Live Oak at another Jiffy food store. That was just awesome how I got out of Madison. Thank you, Love. Thank you, Love. I'm so happy. And I got smoked out! Clay had this little spark-plug pipe and he let me smoke some Madison County homegrown. Man, I thought this place was dry. Sweet, there's these kids at this store and I'm going to tell them my story. Hell yeah.

                   It's only eight twenty four. Hell yeah. Madison County, I give you props. I've been treated so well in Madison County. I walked into Madison County all the way from Monticello. Bam, I scored all these resources right at the edge of town. Pizza Hut hooked me up with a pizza. I ate and got to camp out behind it. The next morning I wake up and there's a friggin' community college across the street! I got a shitload of typing done. Towards the end I said screw it. The library was going to be closed tomorrow. That was my sign to leave. I was living off of Ramen. I bought an extra cake at the Jiffy in Madison for forty cents. I got a lot of typing done. I had a full day of typing today. I'm on the side of the tape I need to finish typing up. I had internet access the whole time. It was just awesome. I got hooked up everywhere. I even scored at Ken's BBQ in front of the Winn-Dixie. "I'll give you a sandwich," he said. Then I scored a ride out of town and got smoked out with some Madison County homegrown! Now I'm going to go inside and tell these girls my story. They're staring at me talking into my recorder right now. I'm going to go in there and tell these girls what I'm doing.

     9:01pm  Man, Madison County has treated me badass. I'm all stoned off some homegrown. Beautiful Jaclyne was one of the girls watching me record myself from inside. I went in there and stood looking around for a second. The cashier girl seemed to busy for my story, so I hit up Jaclyne who was just sitting down by the front door. She listened to my story great. My whole Odyssey and she just hooked me up with a cigarette. I appreciate it, sister. Everybody gets credit, thanks.

     10:07pm  Holy shit. What a magical adventure I am on. That beautiful girl Jaclyne. She just disappeared. I don't know where she went. I got so high. She smoked me out rowdy. I was telling her my Odyssey and I took a smokebreak outside. When I go back inside Jacylne asks me if I wanted to go for a ride. I knew what that meant. We drove around in her car and got super baked for like half an hour then we drove back. I got to leave my heavy pack at the gas station. Jaclyne was a total angel. What a nice welcome to Live Oak I have had. It's drizzling. I should put my rain poncho on. Screw it. It's not raining that bad.

                   They told me I couldn't loiter at the Jiffy. I was just hanging out. I've been telling my story like crazy tonight. What a crazy ride I went on with Jaclyne.

                   That was just twisted weird. Do you see how I forgot my water bottle on purpose? I had walked all the way to the Winn-Dixie, like a mile away and I said screw it, that water bottle is worth going back to get. I knew where I had left it. On the ashtray. It was raining and I was getting hot so I walked to the Winn-Dixie and took my rainsuit off in front. I was going to walk all the way back to the McDonald's to get my bottle. I thought I was going to sleep at the skatepark again. Then I thought screw this town, I don't need to crash here. The library is closed tomorrow so I can't use the computer at all. That's a sure-ass sign to leave town. I'm going to get out of town tonight. I totally manifested it. I went to the Jiffy and started telling the black girl cashier my story. Before you know it bam, I get teleported to Live Oak! First Clay was going to take me to I10, then he brought me to Live Oak. Clay was my ticket out of town. I'm out of Madison, but still in Madison County.

                   Oh yeah, and right now at the gas station, right before this lady told me I had to leave because the cops would mess with me, this guy saw me and said, "Didn't I see you in Madison at the Winn-Dixie? You were wearing a big green rainsuit. I want to know what you're doing. I seem to be following you." Bam, recognized. What a crazy ride I've had tonight. I am having so much fun.

                   I've got an extra McChicken in my bag. I had two dollars left. It was cool that guy gave me a dollar donation earlier. At the Jiffy in Live Oak I decided I deserved some ice cream. I bought a big jumbo cone and ate it outside. Now I am walking into town. Supposedly two miles.

                   Right now I was driving around with Jaclyne. I couldn't believe I was driving around with this girl I had just met. She even told me she was a massage therapist. I told her, "I don't believe you. Prove it. I did just walk thirty miles in one day hauling sixty pounds. It's for a good cause." She told me she would think about it. And she just disappeared without saying goodbye, but she'll see me again. I'm everywhere. I'm going to walk into Live Oak and spread the word here.

                   I am such a professional. I am so proud of how I have evolved. I'm in great shape and on top of my game. But, I worry about this cold-sore. I've had cold-sores before, but I knew that the next cold-sore I got would make me worry I had Herpes. The whole Clea incident in Rolla, Missouri. I need to go get checked. It's about time. It's been four months. It's been long enough to know for sure. Maybe I'll get checked in Tampa, or something. Some big city.

     10:30pm  I took a water drinking pause and I just realized I left my little red flashlight in Jaclyne's car. That sucks. Good thing I have a backup one that Kim gave me in Panama City.

     10:33pm  Just crossed the Live Oak City Limits.

                     I took a big long pause to waterproof myself. It stopped raining right after I did it.

     10:56pm  I'm not tired at all. It's still drizzling hard. I'm walking into town and I walked by the Sunshine Inn. I noticed a waterproof recess that I could go stand in. I came in here and I'm eating my McChicken sandwich. I'll smoke a cigarette and then I'll keep walking.

     11:14pm  I took a pretty long break underneath the covering. I ate and smoked a cigarette. I waterproofed all my stuff. It's raining a little harder now. I don't know where I'm going to crash. Hopefully the opportunity will present itself. I just have to keep walking.

     11:17pm  Passing Walker Avenue.

     12:03am  About ten minutes ago I already secured my squat. I saw a church on Main Street and I walked around it, but didn't find any concealed areas. I saw a cross on a building not that far away and found another church, some Ebanezer one. No luck there, either. They had a carport in the back, but I would have to jump the fence, so forget it. All of a sudden I walk around this baseball field that had barbwire fencing and next to this wall I saw there was a little covering that sticks out over these bushes. It was all dry underneath. I am already situated in my spot. I'll take pictures in the morning. Oh yeah, and right across the street is a police truck, but I'm not scared.

Next day..