051703

 

San Antonio, TX

Saturday May 17, 2003

                     Last night I asked Lauren if she wanted to go hiking with me. I wanted to show her OP Schnabel and stuff. She said sure. I woke up this morning and smoked a cigarette. By the time I was finished with my cigarette Lauren woke up. She took a shower and got ready for our hike today. We walked to Fredericksburg and I told Lauren that we should probably try and score some food from a restaurant to fuel up for my walk. She was all giddy, she had kind of dared me to show her how today. We walked into this Mexican Restaurant first, but the girl said she had to wait for the manager to come back. I told her thanks anyway and hit up BJ's Tacos next door. I told the manager, "Hi, me and my friend here are long distance walkers. We're going on a ten mile hike today. I don't suppose you can donate any gasoline to our stomachs?" The manager smiled and asked me what I wanted. I told her to surprise us. A few minutes later she handed me a bag with some tacos in it. Let's go to the bus stop and eat.

     10:40am  Okay, today is the next morning. The seventeenth. Lauren and I walked up to Fredericksburg and she's going to go hiking with me today. We just went into BJ's and got hooked up and we're just waiting for the bus eating our tacos.

     11:47am  Lauren and I are in Medical Center. We had brought some weed from home and I told Lauren, "Let's go smoke somewhere. I know just the spot." We walked over to Wurzbach Tower and hit my one-hitter, more than once. Right now we are in front of the Bank of America Building and while we were walking to the gas station I made it a point to stop by the bank, sit down under the big oak tree in the grass, and get high at the bank.

     12:14pm  Well that sucks. Lauren and I were smoking under the big tree at the bank. We started walking back to the buses and all of a sudden I see the 604 pass. Shit, that's the bus that we need to be on to go to Prue Road and it comes every hour. I took off sprinting and Lauren started running to. She ran in front of me and I stopped running after a while, thinking that if she caught up to the bus she would tell him to wait. By the time we were at the transfer center it was gone. Shit. I had some other options to get to Prue Road. The 603 came in forty five minutes, so maybe we'll catch that.
                     Just then, I spotted these hip looking chicks on this bench. I told Lauren, "Hold on, I'm going to invite those chicks hiking with us." I walked up to the girls and said hello. I asked them if they wanted to go hiking with me and Lauren and we'd smoke them out. This one girl smiled real big and said, "We would, but we are going to the XGames downtown at the Alamodome. It's free." I did a double-take, "No shit, it's free?" They told me it was going on all day. I told them I just might see them there and gave them the peace sign. I walked back to Lauren and asked her, "Hey, do you want to go to the XGames downtown?" Lauren flipped, "Is it free?" I told her yeah and she was stoked. Wow, just think. If we had caught that bus we would've missed the XGames. Everything happens for a reason. 

                     Lauren and I rode the bus all the way to the Alamodome. It was rad. We walked underneath the highway and had to go through a security-check. Before we got there I put my Swiss army knife in my Adidas bag. I thought they might give me shit about my walking staff, too. Lauren and I walked through this maze of barriers and got up to the gimps with the metal detector. They passed it over the pockets on my cargo shorts and it went off. I had a chain in there and I pulled out the stuff in it. I always carry three Sharpie markers in my pocket and they said I couldn't bring those in there. That sucks. They wouldn't have found them if I didn't pull them out. I asked the lady if I could get them back when I left and she told me yes, that she would put them aside.
                     Then they had a problem with my water bottle. I told Lauren that I was going to walk back and find a place to stash my things. They let me out so I wouldn't have to walk through the maze again and I walked up to these Porto-potties they had. I was looking around them for a place to stash my shit. I got frustrated and said screw it. I was going to walk back, find Lauren and tell her that I didn't want to go to the XGames without my water bottle. I walked back through the maze and told the people, "So are you saying I can't go in with this water bottle?" They told me, "You can, but you have to empty it first." Oh is that all I have to do? I smiled and poured out the water. I walked around and found Lauren. They didn't give me any problem with my staff. Excellent. This is a big San Antonio event. There are lots of young people here. This is perfect publicity for me. Man, I'm going to make myself famous. As I was walking by the crowds at the outside booths, I noticed everyone giving me a weird look. I looked like a total hippie with my rainbow beanie and walking staff. Excellent.
                     Lauren and I even sat next to this wall and loaded up my one-hitter. She got all paranoid so we took turns hitting it in the bathroom. We were having some good, free fun. The best kind. Now, they had this big wall that people could climb. I assumed there was a charge for it, so at first I didn't go check it out. I ask Lauren, "I wonder how much it costs to climb that wall." Lauren told me, "I think it's free." We walked over to it and sure-enough. It was free. Badass. Lauren and I got in line and waited for like twenty minutes. When it was finally our turn, we stepped into harnesses, they clipped the cord to us and the rest was up to us. Man, me being six-six really helped me climb that wall. I just shot up it. When you get to the top you're supposed to press a button and a bell goes off. When I got to the top, I pressed my button and was able to swing over to the other side and press the other button. Hehe, I was showing off big time. I finally pushed off and flew down to the ground. Wow, that was fun.

                     We went inside and watched the people on the freestyle bikes practice on the ramps. They were doing badass tricks. Like flips in the air and shit. As we are sitting there among the hundreds of people in the Alamadome this girl comes up to me. Hey! It's the chick that told us about the XGames earlier. She said she was able to spot me out of the crowd because of the rainbow beanie, hehe. She came up to me and asked me, "Hey, will you pretend to be my uncle so I can get a temporary tattoo outside? It's stupid. Just because I'm seventeen and I need a guardian with me to do it." I told her of course I could help her out. Lauren and I moved to where the girls were sitting.
                     After about thirty minutes I got bored. I looked at the schedule and they freestyle bikers were going to practice for a whole other hour. I asked Lauren, "Hey, do you want to go?" She shrugged and said sure. She was bored, too. I leaned over and told the girls that we were going to go. They said okay, and got up. We would leave after I helped her with the tattoo. We all walked outside to the booth and I filled out the guardian paperwork. I told those chicks bye and they gave me the peace sign.

                     Lauren and I walked back under the highway and all the way to Travis Park. Hmm, what were we going to do about bus fare. Lauren went off bumming change, but only got like fifty cents in dimes and nickels. Just then, this bus had pulled up to Travis Park and the driver was lowering down the ramp to let some guy in a wheelchair off. She was this cute black lady and she smiled at me when I made eye-contact. Lauren was wanting to move and I told her to hold on. After the guy in the wheelchair got off, I stepped inside the bus and told the driver, "Hi ma'am. Me and my friend just got back from the XGames and we spent all our money. I don't suppose you could hook us up with a couple transfers so we can catch the 92 home." The lady said, "Do you have fifteen cents(how much transfers cost after you pay full fare). I asked her, "If I did you would give me a transfer?" She said yeah, so I told her to hold on and went up to Lauren. I told her, "Hey, this cool bus driver is going to sell us transfers. Give me thirty cents." She did and I went back to the bus and made the exchange. Badass. I thanked the driver lots. Ha, mobilized by generosity once more.

                     We rode the 92 back to West Avenue and walked to Zai's mom's house. Zai had worked the graveyard shift last night. That's why he didn't come with us. He was sleeping. He was awake when we got home and we told him how much fun we had. He was all, "I thought you two were going hiking." I told him, "So did I. Cool shit happened though." He was glad we had a good time.

                     Well anyway, I'm going to end up crashing here tonight. I'm going to help Zai put his van together. It's so badass that he's going to California in that. I really, really want to go with them, but I have a court date on the 22nd and I might be put on probation. Zai has a court date too and he's going to skip his probation with this trip, what a coinky-dink. Dude, they're going to the Rainbow Gathering in California. I gotta go. I have to go. I really have to go. Fuck the system. I'm going anyway. They can come looking for me.

                     Umm, I got a little confused and started typing from memory. We went to the XGames at twelve thirty five, not earlier. I'll figure it out later, but here's what I recorded from there.

     1:32pm  I'm over here downtown with Lauren. She made this crazy friend at the bus stop. This fifty four year old dude who we have invited to the XGames with us, since it's free. I told them, "Listen, if all three of us got separated at the XGames, would we all get home ok?" They all said yes. I'm thinking about talking to Lauren about ditching this lunatic. Hmm, I might end up just ditching them both, hehe. Just kidding Lauren.
                   While all three of us were walking to the Alamadome, I told the guy, "Hey brother. I promised Lauren's boyfriend I would show her a great free day. You're kind of cramping my style. When we get to the XGames I want you to go your own separate way. Cool? No offense, dude."

     2:35pm  I just got two free tickets to the finals. I had made it a point to get us stoned before we went inside the Alamodome to see the XGames. I had contemplated hitting it by this wall we sat in front of and smoked cigarettes at. Too many people were walking by, so I opted not to. Lauren and I walked inside and I went in the men's restroom and told her to wait. I told her I was going to go in a stall, take a hit and load another one for her. Then she could go take a hit in the woman's restroom. We executed my plan perfectly. Mission accomplished. We were high at the XGames.

                   Haha, while I was waiting for Lauren I saw some guy walk out of the woman's restroom. All oblivious. I walked up to him and said, "Haha, you just came out of the lady's restroom, look," and I pointed. He turned around and said, "Oh my god, I just did." He chuckled and I gave him the peace sign.

     3:10pm  Okay, I looked at the schedules we have and noticed the bikes are going to practice all the way until four. That's all it's going to be for another hour. Just practice. I suggested to Lauren that since that's all it was going to be for a whole hour, that we should go smoke a cigarette or two.

                   We came outside to smoke a cigarette and we saw all these kids climbing a big wall. I was thinking they charged for it, but when I came up I noticed they were letting people do this for free. So, we are both in line now waiting to climb the wall. It'll be fun.

     3:35pm  I just got done climbing the mountain. I hauled ass up there too. Bam, bam, bam. I rung the bell and came back down. It's probably like a forty foot tower. Lauren went up there, too.

     4:45pm  We are now leaving the XGames.

     5:22pm  We walked all the way over to Travis Park and I wondered, "Hmm, what are we going to do about bus fare?" I told this bus driver lady that I had spent all my money at the XGames at the Alamadome. I don't suppose you can hook me up with a transfer?" She told me, "You got fifteen cents?" I told her no. She said, "Well, if you give me fifteen cents I'll give you a transfer." So I went and asked Lauren for some change and she gave me thirty cents. The nice driver let me have two. Badass! We got bus fare! Excellent.

     5:55pm  We got off the bus by Fredericksburg and Zarzamora. We are going to walk to Zai's house.

     7:08pm  I just walked all the way to the HEB on West Avenue. Right when I walked up to the stop I saw a bus pull up. Sweet. It's the 96. I can ride that to West Telemarketing where maybe I can catch the 91 and go to Carlos' house.

                   Asia hooked me up with a bag of chips at the Subway at West.

     7:41pm  God damnit. I was over here at West Telemarketing and with the payphone I called my mom. I let it ring four times and hung up before the answering machine came on, so I wouldn't lose my change. I did that like three or four times because sometimes my mom's too lazy to find the cordless and just figures she'll call back from the Caller ID when she finds it. Anyway, she never answered. Hmm, I thought, "Who the hell can I call for a ride?" I can't call Andrea. She's out of town. I can't call Bob's. I tried. I called like three times and let it ring, but he didn't answer either. Hmm, oh yeah. What about my old friend Brian Moreno who's come pick me up a couple times before in the past. What is his number? I know I have it in my old pocket calendar. Let me check. I spent like fifteen minutes looking for his number in my book. I finally found it and I called the number. It rang like twice and this automated machine came on. I hung up quick, but not fast enough to save my change. Damn, that sucks. I guess I'll go back to the smoking cabana, bum a cigarette and try to get a ride.

     8:40pm  I went to the police station to borrow the phone.

     9:10pm  At West I saw some guy walking out to his car in the parking lot. I got up and intercepted him and asked him if he'd give me a ride over to Babcock. He dropped me off at the gas station on the corner of Prue and Babcock. I thanked him and told him to drive carefully. I had asked him if a ride all the way to my mom's was within the realm of possibility, but he said no. He had shit to do.
                   Hmm, so I might just have to walk all the way home. I'm hungry. It's going to suck. I need to fuel up for my walk home. Sweet, there's a Papa John's right there! I can score there, I hope. I talked to the manager, this cool girl. I gave her my rap and told her it was a five mile walk home. She ends up hooking me up with like seventy five percent of a pizza. This really yummy chicken pizza. I cross the street with the pizza and sit down at a table at the Chevron. I see some guy when I walk up smoking a cigarette. I asked him, "Hey brother, I don't suppose you could spare a cigarette? I'll give you some of this pizza." He told me, "Nah, I don't want any pizza. I just ate, but you can have a cigarette, man." So I got my after-meal smoke. Cool.

     9:50pm  I've decided to walk all the way home. I took off walking down Prue Road. I am now cutting through the woods in the park. Five mile hike.

     10:30pm  I just got to the Exxon on Bandera. Going to bum a cigarette.

     11:00pm  I called my mom from the Exxon and she still didn't answer. All of a sudden one of the girls who knows me that works at the Exxon comes out. I forgot her name. She tells me that the other cashier wanted to talk to me. I walk in and the cashier asks me, "What's your name?" I tell her Victor and she tells me my mom had just called. I used their phone and called my mom. I told her, "Hey mom, if you aren't willing to come get me at the Exxon, I'm going to crash up in the platform in the tree at OP Schnabel. I've had some very tiring days and I don't want to walk all the way home." She starts complaining about something and I cut her off, "Listen, I'm just telling you my options if you can't come get me. I'll be okay either way." So my mom told me no. I was about to lay a massive guilt trip on her, but right then this girl who I had asked for a ride right before then came into the gas station and told me that she could give me a ride. Perfect timing. I told my mom, "These boots are made for walking," and hung up on her, hehe.

                   I got home and crashed out quick.

Next day..