031308

                                                                                                              Tampa, FL

Thursday March 13, 2008

     7:09am  I woke up at seven, about ten minutes ago. I got a full eight hours of sleep. I slept great. It was just awesome how I ended up meeting that girl who showed me where to squat. See, I had gone to look for that weed under the staircase. I couldn't find it, so I walked to the Greyhound station. The girl who was outside ended up not waiting for a bus and being homeless in Downtown Tampa. She brought me to where lots of homeless people crash, at First United Methodist Church. I took a picture of the plaque. Anyway, I'm going to go see what happens this morning.

                   Raymond

                   Tampa

     7:29am  Doyle is going to show me where I can score breakfast.

     8:31am  Let's see, I woke up and talked to the homebums. I walked up to the tranfer center and took a shit. My tapes about to run out.

     9:09am  I made my way back to the plaza by the police station.

                   It's Thursday March 13. I am in Tampa, Florida. I just switched out tapes. I have a whole half a tape to tape on, seven days. I just finished up the second side. I only brought two ninety-minute tapes with me from San Antonio, so here we go.

     10:53am  I walked back to the transit center and took a piss. I was directed close to the Salvation Army and I got a meal ticket for eleven thirty. I am thinking about just skipping town. Right now I am having a good presentation with this other black homeless girl. She wouldn't let me take her picture. I was way past the spirit's part with her and her boyfriend got mad and told me to keep the conversation short.

                     I've got about half an hour to wait for food.

                     Oh yeah, I never mentioned. I was able to buy a little nugget of weed for a dollar. This guy hooked me up. Weed turns the peace machine on, so I'm glad I found a listener.

                     That was Will I took a picture of. He liked my story a lot. In the end he said it was a pleasure meeting me.

     11:51am  The nice people here at the Trinity Cafe are serving this awesome meal. I want to take pictures of the quotes on the wall.

     11:58am  I left the bum-feed. That was a great feeding. Almost as good as that one in Madison, Wisconsin I went to. I'm going to sit down somewhere and smoke some weed.

                     Damn, I forgot to get the quotes inside. They had an excellent Dorothy Day quote.

     12:45pm  Mark hooked up Katrina with a cigarette. She appreciates it, Mark. Everybody gets credit, thanks. Katrina is that girl I met last night who showed me where to crash. Anyway, Katrina just gave me a dollar fifty because I gave her fifty cents last night. That's bus fare. I'm going to ride the bus to a university and see if I can type there. I doubt it though. UATC, whatever that is.

     3:24pm  At the bum-feed I scored a book. Mexico by David Mitchener. It's a novel, so it's fiction.

     4:24pm  I just rode the bus to the university transfer center. I'm going to walk to the school and find the library. I'm hungry.

     4:35pm  I am at the corner of Fletcher Avenue and Bruce B. Downs Boulevard. I am over here by USF. University of South Florida. I'll take a picture.

     4:39pm  The greedy asses at Burger King told me no.

                   They told me no at the gyros place next door too.

     4:44pm  The greedy asses at Subway told me no too. "Oh, we don't have anything."

                   Two no's in a row. It's all a number's game.

                   Whoa, Malena's Mexican Restaurant. I'm going to eat. Just watch.

     4:49pm  Jessica en Malena's me esta dando comida. Te lo agradezco, señorita. Todo el mundo recibe credito, gracias.

                   Third time is a charm. Jessica is one beautiful girl. I should've taken her picture. She even told me, "Bien viaje." Have a good a good trip.

     5:22pm  I was walking down Fletcher and I saw a taqueria! Hell yeah, I ate good. She gave me four tacos. I took a picture of them. I should've taken a picture of her. Right now I am walking back to the college to see if I can type there. I really doubt it, but I'm going to try anyway.

                   Maybe I'll go to the Walmart and tell my story if I can't type.

     5:47pm  I went in the Moffit Cancer building here. I gave out my website a couple of times to people walking around. Somebody told me there was a library on the second floor. I saw a nurse walking around and asked her for the library. She wasn't sure, but I gave her my website. I didn't tell her what it's about. I asked the guy at the information desk and he gave me directions. Told me it was on the other side of the pond.

     5:58pm  I stopped and played with this squirrel with my stick, like I do with the squirrels in Travis Park in San Antonio. I'm still looking for the library. I took a picture of the squirrel.

     6:01pm  Found the library.

     6:05pm  Sweet, access granted. I can use the computers all I want.

     7:59pm  I am finished up at the library.

     8:06pm  I am walking away from the library. I couldn't use Windows Notepad on the computer I was on because of some restrictions on the computer. It had MS Word, but only the viewer so I couldn't type anything. So I just had a good email session. I emailed this girl Courtney who lives in Bradenton telling her I was going to be in the area pretty soon. Hopefully she will reply. She didn't last time I emailed her. Over by the taqueria I scored at I saw a Domino's. I'm going to go ask them if they have any mistakes. Then I'll see if I can get a courtesy ride back downtown. If not I saw some woods next to the transfer center I can crash in, I hope. I don't know.

                   Man, the government has everybody so distracted. All the conversations I overhear are about cars and money and bullshit.

     8:31pm  I just walked to Bruce B. Downs and Fletcher. I'm going to go hit up the Dominos.

                   They told me no at the Dominos. Let me try Arby's. Hmm, there's a Bruno's Pizza across the street.

                   Salem's Gyros and Subs. There's Arby's, there's Dairy Queen, McDonald's.

                   The greedy asses at Salem's told me no. I told them I was just testing them anyway. Everybody gets credit.

     8:45pm  They told me no at Arby's too.

                   Westshore Pizza. Hmm, they're open.

     8:47pm  They gave me the old manager is not here excuse. I was just testing you anyway. Dairy Queen next.

                   Dairy Queen is a little busy. I'm going to stand out here and smoke a cigarette and take a hit of weed.

                   I'm not going to hit up the DQ. There's a big line. Maybe later. I'm going to go hit up Popeye's on the other side.

     8:56pm  I scored at Popeye's! Nice Gary is hooking me up. I appreciate it, brother. Everybody gets credit, thanks. Gary asked me, "You didn't try Churches?" I told him not yet. I thanked him and gave him my website. I told him it was about world peace through marijuana. He smiled and said, "That's what's up." I'm going to go to the transfer center and see if I can get a courtesy ride downtown.

     9:07pm  The nice bus driver is hooking me up with a ride downtown. I appreciate it, man. Everybody gets credit. Thanks a lot.

     9:53pm  Downtown.

     10:28pm  I've already made my camp at the church. I'm sleeping over by my friends Mack and Katrina over on the side of the church behind these bushes. I'm going to bed.

                     I got two pieces of chicken and a biscuit from Popeye's. I waited until now to eat so I won't be hungry in my sleep.

     10:43pm  I secured all my belongings to my stick and I've got my stick under my legs, so nobody is taking my stuff tonight. Anyway, I'm going to sleep. I'm going to go to the school again tomorrow.

Next day..