050305

 

San Antonio, TX

Tuesday May 3, 2005

     12:21pm  Finally leaving house.

     12:38pm  I walked to the Citgo and I'm waiting for the 610. I got the idea that I want to make a T-shirt that says, "The lottery is for people who are bad at math." My old architect boss Chris Austin told me that a long time ago.

     12:47pm  I was scanning everywhere for a cigarette in front of the Citgo. I didn't find one, so I walked towards the bus stop. I saw this guy outside the Church's Chicken and I asked him if he had a spare cigarette. A. Garcia hooked me up. I appreciate it, brother.

     12:52pm  There's the 610. I paid with a dollar. I need to remind myself that I need to find my old 2004 list of all the cities I went to. It's in my mission box somewhere. I'm going to go back to that tattoo shop and see if the guy can print me out another copy.

     1:05pm  The 610 got to the Walmart and had a small wait. Just then I decided I'd go to Ingram Mall and see if they sold Nalgenes there anywhere. I hopped off the 610, thinking I would ride the 609 to Ingram. Just then, the 610 going in the other direction pulled up and it occurred to me it was going to Ingram Mall too. I got on that one.

     1:26pm  I just had me a marvelous presentation with this girl Melissa on the bus. Her friend Joseph didn't listen. Well, his ears perked up when I said, "As far as marijuana goes . ." Melissa told me about her curandera grandmother and how she didn't work for money and got by just fine. Melissa didn't have time to hear the odyssey.

                   Just behold the synchronicity in me getting to tell Melissa my story. How I changed my mind at the last minute to go to Ingram to see if they sell Nalgenes anywhere there. I had been thinking about not buying a bottle because I still had the one liter Deja Blue drinking water bottle I found it at Fiesta. It's more convenient than the Nalgene because of the drinking spout and it goes perfectly in my cargo shorts pocket, but I have a ten dollar bill in my pocket and nothing to do. I should be re-supplying for this year's odyssey I'm taking soon. I might as well go buy the bottle. I need to maintain my uniform and appearance. I need to stay consistent. I am a professional.

                   Also, I'll get thirty dollars tomorrow from plasma, which I can get a new tape recorder with.

                   Oh yeah, my mom told me she would give me twenty six dollars to get my tooth pulled. That can be Thursday's project.

     1:52pm  We arrived at Ingram. Mr. Perez hooked me up with a transfer. I appreciate it, sir.

     2:06pm  Damnit, I walked around Ingram Mall for a little bit. I asked and there are absolutely no hiking stores at Ingram Mall. That sucks. One would think there would be one there somewhere.

     2:11pm  I was getting some great publicity in Ingram today. Everyone was doing double takes when they saw me and my goofy stick. I walked to one of the entrances to the mall. I walked by some jewelry store and immediately this dude sitting at a desk in the back gives me the peace sign. Hehe, he already knew who I was. He was one of the guys I told my story to a while back and they gave me cigarettes. I remembered I was all shocked that they worked at a jewelry store. I remembered one of them telling them I had made their day. Let me look it up(1-31-04, 1:10pm).

     2:22pm  I walked to Villa Maria's, the taqueria at Ingram where they've hooked me up before(1-31-04, 9:59am and 2-3-05, 10:45am). I paid a dollar and got a taco.

     2:31pm  With taco in tow, I walked to the Ingram Park and Ride and took a piss in the bathroom.

     2:42pm  I was thinking where else I could buy the Nalgene at, besides Whole Earth Provisions in the Quarry Mall, where I've bought it before. I wanted to check out North Star Mall. It's like one of the best malls in San Antonio. I was almost sure they would have a hiking or camping store there. I could've taken the 534, through Medical Center all the way to North Star, or I could catch the looper bus which would be much faster. At the last minute I decided to get on the looper, the 550. Immediately after boarding and paying fare, this kid in the back recognizes me and yells out. It was Will, from Scream Magazine. This guy I had told my story to a while back and he had given me his card and I was supposed to call him. His number is 645-0367. Right now he told me about some allergy study he was in. Where he'd get paid like five hundred dollars. He asked me if I wanted to come and I said sure. I changed my mind when he told me it was a six week study. I don't have six weeks to spare. My ship-date is June 14th, just like every year. Will also showed me a cordless tattoo gun he invented. He also told me about some other inventions of his. He showed me some paperwork for a patent and stuff. Will seemed highly intelligent, talking to me about inventing stuff and so on. It seems he's just trying to use his smarts to make money, which isn't too smart at all. I told him all I knew was that I didn't know anything. Will even told me about a hovercraft skateboard he was working on. Like the ones in Back to the Future. He was all getting into the details of the propulsion and steering systems. I just told him, "If you invent that thing it's going to kill someone eventually. It sounds dangerous." I wasn't too sure if I wanted to go to North Star Mall anymore. After all, I didn't know for sure if they sold Nalgenes. Will signaled for a stop in front of Crossroads Mall. He told me he was going to that place where they did the allergy study. He told me they had other studies there that weren't six weeks long. In playing with the idea to find out I got off when Will did. I didn't have a transfer or nothing. He was going to Medical Center, which is the direction I didn't want to go at the time. I told him, "If the bus driver doesn't give me a courtesy ride, I'll go the North Star and check if they sell Nalgenes. The bus driver will be my deciding factor."

     3:08pm  Lopez told me no on the 604.

     3:15pm  I walked to Crossroads Park and Ride. Then I though I might as well catch the 505 to the Quarry Mall and go buy my bottle.

     3:18pm  John gave me a cigarette at the park and ride. I appreciate it, brother. Everybody gets credit, thanks.

     3:28pm  At Crossroads I ran into the gay dude I met with Alex that one day(4-21-05, 3:34pm). When we went and smoked weed at that camp by Wurzbach/Babcock. He told me Alex was in jail for stealing a purse. He also gave me some change for bus fare, seventy five cents. When the 505 pulled up at Crossroads I got on asked Garza if he would let me ride for seventy five cents. He said, "It's eighty cents." I just walked on the bus anyway and didn't say anything.

     3:53pm  I had a great presentation with these black kids in the back of the bus. I'm at the Quarry Mall now.

     4:07pm  I went to Whole Earth Provisions, which is at the base of one of the big smokestacks and bought me a green Nalgene bottle for $10.75.

     4:23pm  I left the Quarry Mall and turned left going down some street past St. Luke's Episcopal Church and School.

     4:28pm  I stopped and watched some baseball game. The Alamo Heights Mules.

     4:46pm  I just walked under some highway and entered the city limits of Olmos Park on Divine Street.

     4:52pm  I came up to the Olmos Dam and took a picture.

     5:03pm  I sat down and smoked a cigarette by the dam. I took a couple hits of weed and enjoyed the beautiful scenery. I wish I had a girl with me. I am just loving this!

     5:10pm  I took another picture.

     5:15pm  I ended up on Crescent Avenue and Claiborne Way.

     5:31pm  I've been walking down Patterson Avenue. I stopped and switched out a tennis ball on my stick.

     5:34pm  I'm at the HEB. I'm going to go bum a cigarette.

                   Nobody gave me a cigarette.

     5:43pm  Walking down Broadway. Remember to add to my index, "It's not that I want to make everybody like me. Wouldn't this world be boring if everyone were the same? I am trying to give everyone the freedom to be themselves. Follow me. I have the power."

     6:01pm  Walking in front of the Kiddie Park.

     6:07pm  There's downtown. I took a picture of The Tower of Americas at Avenue B.

     6:14pm  Right before the old Butterkrust building two black dudes pointed at my walking stick and told me, "You said fuck the bus," and laughed. I told them, "No, the bus is your friend." I told them my mission-objectives. Their bus came right after I said I was going to get marijuana legalized. They were all smiles. Right then Tom recognized me. We came over behind the Brackenridge Park sign and I smoked him out. He invited me to walk over to some bookstore with him.

     6:42pm  I smoked with Tom and walked with him a little. Suddenly I changed my mind about walking with Tom. Right when we passed the baseball field in the park, some kid hit a foul ball over the fence and I went and got it. I handed it to some black dude and said thanks. I told him I was always glad to be of service and he laughed. Oh yeah, Tom gave me two cigarettes and told me my story inspired him. Shit, I have to go back and get his number.

     6:54pm  I was walking back in the direction me and Tom had been walking. I look across the street and what do I see? A place called Psychic Visions. Hehe, the open sign is turned on. Showtime.

     6:58pm  Haha, the pretty psychic girl wouldn't listen to me. She told me poverty was the world's greatest problem. Damnit, I forgot to tell her the spirits part.

                   I had a great presentation with this Mormon kid named Robert. Well, I think he was Mormon. While I was talking to him Tom walked by again and gave me his number(1-956-572-2395). Oh yeah, I put on my show for Robert right in front of the psychic place!

     7:29pm  I walked to the Diamond Shamrock for water and to see if I could bum a cigarette.

     7:36pm  This girl walked by and said hi. When she came back outside I hit her up for my story. She told me I had already talked to her before. Her name was Rachel.

     7:40pm  I walked to Sam's Burger Joint across the street. Open-mic is tomorrow at 9:30.

     7:52pm  Cops are Satan's henchmen . . . and they don't even know it.

     7:54pm  Be sure to include, "Success may be a numbers game, but money doesn't have to count," in my index.

     8:05pm  I walked all the way to Travis Park.

     12:12am  The weirdest thing. Earlier when I got to the park I saw this girl sitting at a bench with a big bag. She had a peculiar scar on her forehead very similar to mine. Turns out she's been in a car accident too. She's had two head injuries. Her name is Diana, just like my sister. She just got into town from Mathis, TX(close to Brownsville). I immediately took a liking to her. She wasn't sure where she was going to crash. I suggested Bill's front porch on Dallas Street. At first she was real hesitant saying she would crash in front of the Travis Park church. After a while we started walking over by the church and it started raining. She really didn't feel like walking and even contemplated sleeping on a bus bench with a covering. I eventually was able to talk her into walking over to Bill's and she loved it there. We lay down and I asked her if it would be highly inappropriate of me to put my arm around her. She said yes. I'm going to bed now.

Next day..