031908

                                                                                                              Tampa, FL

Wednesday March 19, 2008

     7:37am  I got seven and a half hours of sleep. I went to bed at midnight last night. I got to crash on his huge couch.

     8:33am  We were able to collect some resin and we had a good wake and bake. Matt and I are on his front porch smoking a cigarette. Do you have any thoughts on anything, Matt? Matt: "Yeah, I just want to say that Maya Angelou said to be careful when a naked person gives you a shirt. I think that can go along with the mentality of living on the road. That's good advice to follow. Make sure somebody has some clothes before they give you shit."

     9:49am  I have a marvelous update to make. The Liberator is hosted at the college in Tampa! Matt has a laundry closet right outside his door that I can use to stash my heavy pack in during the day. This way I can be free and have a secure stash spot close to the college and I can get all my stuff typed up! Hell yeah, I can walk around and tell my story. Man, we got all high this morning too. Wake and bake.

                   Oh yeah, Matt gave me five dollars too! I can buy some cigarettes.

                   Welcome to Tampa, Victor. Screw downtown. Matt's apartments are The Oaks and his is 101. That's where my bag is at.

                   101, just like the highway.

     9:56am  I just walked 42nd up to Fletcher, turning left.

     10:02am  Walking down USF Palm towards the library.

     10:06am  I am still walking through the college. I took a picture of the sidewalk here where it says, "Smoke Pot." Nice. The signs are everywhere. I am still looking for the library. Man, this place is huge.

     10:09am  I got on USF Holly, about to pass USF Laurel. I think the library is this way. I don't know.

     10:20am  I walked by the Life Science building and I took a picture. That's where I keep getting directed to.

     10:26am  At long-last I am at the library. I'm hungry.

     10:39am  Danny hooked me up with a cigarette in front of the library.

     10:59am  Rawad from Lebanon hooked me up with a cigarette in front of the library. I appreciate it, brother. Everybody gets credit, thanks.

                     Be sure to add a link about the Gutenberg Project on my website.

     12:42am  Matt just hooked me up with an American Spirit in front of the library. I appreciate it, brother. Everybody gets credit, man. Thanks a lot.

     12:48am  I am already like on the 28th of last month in my typing. I came outside and smoked a cigarette and bought me a honeybun from the vending machine, because Matt gave me five bucks this morning. I had one for breakfast when I first got here too. Six hundred calories, I think. I bought another one. I'm going to go look for tennis balls right now. Hell yeah, I'm coming to college. I'm all walking around with my walking stick and everyone is staring at me. I'm going to go get some tennis balls. Tap the resources. Fuck the system!

                     Dude, I scored me a shitload of tennis balls out of the trashcans in the courts. Hell yeah, I've got a backpack full now. I'm going to go back to the library and keep typing. I got stung by a bee on my right shoulder when I was digging through the trashcans.

                     Oh yeah, earlier before I went to get tennis balls I ran into Grant who signed my guestbook. Him and his girlfriend Nicole signed it. They liked my website.

     1:20pm  All the terminals were being used at the library. I'm going to go to the Life Science building and see if I can type there.

     1:29pm  I just got directed to the SCA building, to the lab there. I'm going to check that out.

     1:33pm  I found the computer lab, but they don't have any headphones so I can't do my typing there. I'm going to go back to the library and wait for an empty terminal.

     3:15pm  I scored a total of fourteen tennis balls today. I just counted them.

     3:24pm  I took another meal break. I ate this cheese ciabatta bread that Matt had hooked me up with last night. I forgot I had it in my bag. I also ate the rest of this big round bread I scored at The Shop where I took a shower at. Right now I'm going to walk to the store and buy a pouch of cigarettes.

                   Dude, I walked Fowler all the way to Bruce B. Downs. A long ass way. Like a couple miles. I'm going to go in the BP and buy some Buglers.

     3:45pm  The BP didn't sell Buglers. I'm going to go in the CVS across the street. I know they sell them there because they sell them at the one downtown.

     3:51pm  Walking back.

     4:09pm  At long-last I am back at the library.

     4:15pm  I smoked a cigarette outside and I'm going to go and type some more.

     5:41pm  I came outside. I'm real tired and sleepy. I am tired of typing. I typed a hell of a lot today. All day long. I am already on March first in my typing.

     7:39pm  I finished my typing for today. I had a long day of typing. I'm going to walk back to Matt's apartment and get my bag. I'm still a little hung up about Chasity. I know it's her phone number. I know it was her who answered the phone that night. I did a reverse phone number lookup and it came up with her name. Chasity S Rafferty. I'd have to pay money if I wanted to get her address. She lives either in Clearwater or Brandon. I don't know. Clearwater is not that far either. I want to catch up on my typing first, but they don't have Frontpage so I can't make my html files. I'm just going to get my typing done and go somewhere else.

     8:01pm  I walked the wrong way on Fletcher and I have to walk all the way back. I saw 50th and kept walking and came up on 52nd. So I have to go all the way back. Fuck a duck.

     8:05pm  Right now I'm walking back on Fletcher. I was at the 50th Street stoplight. I've been walking the middle of the road, the median. Right now at the light this guy in a truck asked me, "Hey, are you just walking for exercise?" I told him yeah, check out my website.

     8:13pm  Passing 46th Street.

     8:19pm  I stopped and took a piss in some corner at 42nd and Fletcher. I'm going to walk to my bag. Hopefully Matt is home. Hopefully he'll smoke me out. I want to go get high.

     8:27pm  I found his apartments, The Oaks. I'm looking for apartment 101.

     8:28pm  I found it and Matt's not home, that sucks.

     8:44pm  I sat down and smoked a cigarette in front of his apartment. I put all my new tennis balls in my pack. I'm going to walk and try to get some food.

     8:54pm  I'm almost up to Fletcher again. I walked by this Mormon church and I might have found a place to camp. Badass, like half a mile away from Matt's apartments.

     9:07pm  I just walked up to the light at Bruce B. Downs. I'm going to go hit up some restaurants. 

     9:15pm  I'm going to go hit up Church's. Last time when I scored at Popeye's the manger had asked me, "Have you asked Church's for some gas?" Hopefully I'll score.

     9:17pm  The greedy ass at the Church's told me no.

                   Haha, I just logged that in front of his face and told him everybody gets credit. I'll go back to Popeye's. They know me there.

     9:20pm  The Popeye's told me no too. He said, "I've already hooked you up."

                   Krystal, I wonder what that is. I'm going to go check that out.

     9:31pm  The greedy asses at the Krystal won't give me food either. NOBODY wants world peace!

     9:32pm  Sweet, there's an El Pueblo Chico, but they're closed. A Mexican restaurant. Mental-note. Let me go see who else I can hit up.

     9:46pm  Pepe at Bruno's Pizza is hooking me up with two big slices.

     9:47pm  That was perfect. Right when I was walking back I decided to hit up Bruno's. I had walked by it earlier and dismissed it. I was considering going to Walmart and buying some Ramen noodles. Then I walked by Bruno's. It's a drivethrough pizza place. Not a chain store or anything. I walked in and asked Pepe if he had any mistakes. He quickly turned around and gave me a couple big slices. Awesome.

     10:18pm  I am so lost. It happens every time on this campus. I am trying to find the library. I'm just going any which way. I had to jump the fence at the Shriner's Hospital. I'm still carrying those two slices. One almost fell out of the box. I'm just going to go back to my bag at Matt's. I have to find out which way Fletcher is now. I think I turn right on Bruce B. Downs.

     10:46pm  I found 42nd at last and I came to the Bull Market. Jamie, the beautiful cashier here was nice enough to let me fill up my liter bottle with fruit punch for only sixty five cents. I appreciate it, Jamie.

     10:51pm  I made it all the way back. Man, I got so lost tonight. I was going everywhere. I ended up behind the Shriners Hospital and had to jump the fence. I just came back all the way to Matt's and he's not home. I'm going to scout around for a place to camp. I'm going to sit down and eat first. I walked a shitload today.

     11:20pm  I sat down in front of Matt's and ate my pizza, my two slices. Man, I don't know what time he's going to be home tonight. I thought I should probably walk around and see if there's any woods behind this place. I did and there's none. There's other apartments on the other side of the fence. I might go crash behind that church. People might see me walk back there and shit and call the cops on me. I thought I'd load up and start walking away. When I opened the door to the laundry closet I found a note on my pack from Matt. It's marked 10:01pm. It says, "Brother, I got off work not too long ago. I'll be back here before midnight. I went to a friend's place. If you need a place to crash expect me home around that time. I hope typing went well for you today. I'll see you shortly. Your pal, Matt. 813-731-2460 is my number." Maybe I'll give him a call.

     11:46pm  I am still waiting for Matt to come home. Maybe I'll try and tell some neighbors my story.

     12:50am  Matt finally came home and let me inside. I'm going to bed. Umm, I mean, I'm going to couch.

Next day..