032908

                                                                            Saint Petersburg to Gulfport, FL

Saturday March 29, 2008

     1:05pm  I woke up about ten minutes ago. I crashed out hard. Last night was awesome. I hung out with Nikki all night last night. She's a cute hippie with dreadlocks. I got to sit outside with her in her loveseat and just hold her. We talked about so much. I told her all my stories. We were going to work at six or seven in the morning, but I was tired. Nikki and I crashed out around five in the morning. Nobody was very sure that my help would be needed. Last time they called the boss he said I should just show up just in case, to check if they needed me, so I said forget it. Nikki and Billy left me sleeping at her house. I just woke up. There's a huge mountain of dirty dishes and I want to clean before I leave.

     3:07pm  I finished cleaning. I washed all of those dirty dishes and even cleaned the kitchen. Swept too. I don't know where this house is. Some suburb. I'm walking away now and I don't even see the address for the house. It's right next to 4027, to the left of it. Now I'm going to walk to this festival. I don't even know where that is. I'm all late.

                   I really liked that dready girl last night, Nikki. She's cute as hell, twenty years old.

     3:10pm  I'm walking to 5th Avenue and turning right. I still don't know where I am. If I see somebody I will ask for directions downtown.

     3:18pm  I walked to 36th Street. I'm going to go hit up the Subway.

                   Nevermind. There's a long line. I'm going to keep walking.

     3:29pm  Walking in front of the St. Petersburg High School.

     3:35pm  I came to the bus stop at 22nd and 5th Avenue. I found a whole cigarette on the ground. I'm going to smoke it.

     3:38pm  Leaving. I smoked that cigarette.

                   I stayed up all night talking with Nikki. She loved my stories. Her youth and energy kept me awake.

     3:41pm  Walked underneath N I375.

                   I found a piece of paper on the ground that says, "Harmony or beauty of sound, pleasing effect on ear."

                   Another piece of paper from the same collection, I guess. "Implied or indirect reference to something assumed to be known by reader(like event)."

     3:46pm  I turned right underneath the bridge. I'm on 4th Avenue now. 16th Street and 4th Avenue. I'm going to turn right on 16th. I hope there's a restaurant pretty soon. I'm hungry.

                   Turning on Central Avenue. I'm going to stop at the Roman Gardens and see about breakfast. It's not that far.

                   Ahh, maybe it is too far. I'm going to keep walking towards downtown. I'm not that hungry. Well, I am hungry, but I'll get some food somehow.

                   I cut through to the Greyhound Station. I'm walking on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. N Street now. I think the water is this way.

                   I zigzagged through some field and took a piss. I'm going to turn right on 4th Avenue N. I'm walking down 8th, I think.

     4:20pm  Magic number. I'm coming up on the water finally. I've just been asking people to point me to the water. I don't know where the festival is. I see tents right here, so maybe that's it.

                   It's weird. I didn't even know where this place was and the random turns I took walking led me straight to it.

     4:25pm  Hmm, this isn't a festival. It's a big car show. Maybe this is it. I'm going to ask around for the smoothie stand.

                   I'm proudly sporting my shirt.

     4:29pm  I'm walking around this car show. I don't think this is the right festival, but I'm still walking around looking for the smoothie stand. Some guy just walked up with a camera and said he liked my shirt and if he could film me. Document me, please, I told him. I gave him my website.

                   The Mercury Racing guys stopped me to take my picture too. Hell yeah.

     4:50pm  DJ, at the hotdog stand here is hooking me up. I appreciate it, brother. Everybody gets credit, thanks. I was hungry and I didn't know where I was going to eat.

                   I'm walking up Central now. I smoked a cigarette. I'm going to walk up to Roman Gardens and see if Chef Paege is working and she'll hook me up. I just had a hotdog, but I'm still hungry.

     5:15pm  Passing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street again.

     5:22pm  Mike, who's barbequing in front of Ferg's Bar and Grill is hooking me up with some rice. I appreciate it, brother. Everybody gets credit, man. Thanks a lot.

                   Sweet, see, I had seen that guy barbequing when I was walking downtown earlier. When I was getting close to Ferg's again I remembered the pit and crossed the street so I could walk by him. Right when I walked up to him he asked me, "What's going on, brother?" I said hello and asked him if he could hook me up for the cause, look at my shirt. He quickly gave me some rice. I'm going to sit down and eat it.

                   Whoa, that's more than just rice. It's got chicken in it too. Yummy. I took a picture of it.

     5:29pm  I sat down on a bench in front of the big dome and I'm going to keep walking. I'm still going to stop at the Roman Gardens, but just to get water. It's some damn good chicken and rice. I only ate a third of it. I'll save the rest for later.

     5:49pm  I stopped at Roman Gardens and saw my friend Paege. I went inside and asked her if I could get some water and she said "The problems that exist in the world today cannot be solved by the level of thinking that created them."

                   I went inside and saw my friend Paege. I asked her if I could get some water and she said sure Victor, help yourself. I ended up helping her move these big fifty pound metal drink cylinders. No problem, always glad to be of service, I told her. I told her, "I would've hit you up for free food, but I just got hooked up at Ferg's."

                   Paege totally remembered my name. When I walked in she was all, "Hey, how's it going, Victor?"

     5:53pm  I went out and smoked a cigarette and now I'm leaving. I'm going to walk to the bus terminal and see if I can get a courtesy ride to Gulfport.

     6:07pm  I didn't tell you I already got to the terminal and I'm waiting for the bus, the 79. Please love, grant me a courtesy ride.

     6:15pm  The greedy ass driving the 79 won't give me a ride. Nobody wants world peace! Like I say, I will walk it if I have to.

     6:24pm  I walked Central all the way to 36th Street. I'm going to zigzag over to Gulfport. I think it's to the left.

     6:33pm  4301 whatever street this is. This black dude outside the house saw my shirt and complimented me on it. He showed me his little plants he has growing outside. I asked him if he would smoke a brother out for the cause, but he said he didn't have any dry. I gave him my website.

                   Walking down 5th Avenue S passing 44th Street. Five more blocks to 49th.

     6:45pm  Turning left on 49th.

     7:04pm  Coming up on the Wachovia. Hell yeah, I am almost there. I had another long day at the office today. I told the bus driver that I would walk it if I had to. I sure as hell did.

                    Nikki

Next day..