071704

 

Truth or Consequences, NM

Saturday July 17, 2004

     8:35am  I woke up around half an hour ago. I have misplaced my mission bag. I don't know where it is. My really important blue Adidas bag. It has all my tapes in it that I need to type up my book. I remember setting it down in the grass somewhere, I think. Now I can't find it. Oh man. I really hope it turns up.

     11:34am  I am finally making another entry. I had a really distressing morning. I thought I lost my mission bag. I was all freaking out. I finally found it.

                     I went and sat in the river and took a bath. I started piling up a little ridge of rocks between the fire-pit and the big log.

     12:22pm  Metzer here at White Automotive hooked me up with a cigarette. I appreciate it.

     12:37pm  We came back into town. Jeff and I. Jeff is washing his death machine. At the shop in front of the bowling alley.

     1:20pm  We left IGA. We got some food with Jeff's food-stamps. Thanks, Uncle Sam. We're going to go over to Ralph Edwards park and eat our lunch. Hopefully somebody will smoke us out.

     1:56pm  A screw came off of my glasses so I asked Jeff to stop at this eye doctor's. I waited to talk to the optician guy and showed him my glasses. He looked at them, walked into another room and returned with my glasses fixed. With a new screw. I asked him if I owed him anything and he said a dollar. Then he asked me how I was getting around and I said I was walking. He quickly told me, "Don't worry about the dollar." His name is Richard.

                   At the Hewett's Optical here in T or C. Dr. B.G. Hewett M.D.

     1:58pm  We came to the library. I'm going to check my email.

     2:48pm  I am over at the Ralph Edwards park. I am alone again, hooray. Jeff dropped me off. I don't know about Jeff.

     3:13pm  At the park I started telling these two girls my story. Jay comes up to me and says, "I hear you mentioned weed. Want a hit?" The universe provides, thanks.

     3:32pm  I just had a great presentation with this girl.

     3:38pm  I stopped by Steve's house again. The guy who lives next to the quilt shop. That I met when I first got to T or C. He directed me to the river where I had met Tim. When I knocked I heard him yell, "Who is it?" I told him it was Victor. He comes out and first thing he asks me is, "Do you have a cigarette?" I told him, "No, I was going to see if you had one. If not, I was going to go on a snipe hunt." Steve didn't seem to pleased with me being there so I told him, "I guess I will keep looking for one. If I come across two, I'll bring back one." I'm going to go walk to the tree on the riverfront where I met Tim.

                   Oh yeah, I left my boots at the camp. I sacrificed them. I said screw it. I have been lugging them with me on this entire trip and have only worn them one time. When I did, they hurt my feet. I'll get new boots when I get them.

     4:00pm  I was walking close to the riverfront and saw all these balloons hanging from the trees. I walked up to the people just to see if I could bum a smoke. I end up getting invited to the party! I walked over there and it's a going-away party.

                   I had started telling this guy who came up to me my platform when he tells me, "Oh, there is someone here who wants to meet you and hear your story. She said she's heard about you." I came over and met Electra and she's listening to my story. I asked her where she had seen me before and she said she hasn't. That her friend had told her there was some guy writing a book on T or C.

     4:05pm  I forgot to log this before, but Electra gave me a cigarette.

                   Cool, she gave me another one!

                   Hehe, a carton of eggs just went by on the Rio Grande.

                   Electra has this cool Snuffalapogus pipe. It looks like a foot. I wish I had pictures left.

     4:39pm  Not only is Electra listening to my story, but she hooked me up with some weed also. Thank you, Electra.

     5:17pm  Jim hooked me up with a cigarette. Everybody gets credit, thanks.

     5:56pm  "If you ever go to Silver City, go to CTS Cleaners and talk to Jamie Welch. She's a tall blonde. Tell her that you met her crazy mother in T or C." Hmm, thanks for the destination. I might just go to Silver City now. I was planning on going North, but maybe not.

                    Jamie's mom told me that if I was the adventurous type I would walk through the Black Range to get to Silver City. That seems to be the scenic route. Instead of going south all the way to Hatch or Las Cruces. That is exactly what I'll do.

     6:08pm  Karen just gave me a cigarette. I appreciate it.

     6:42pm  I was just about to leave the river when Jerry the Animal offers me a beer. The universe provides.

     7:04pm  Man, I had some great presentations at that party. I am leaving now, because other people are leaving. Something weird happened. This young girl Shoshanna. She was a bit weird. She appropriated my blue watery bracelet that the kids in Sundance Apartments in San Antonio gave me before I left(3-16-04, 10:02pm). Anyway, she asked about it and I took my bracelet off and showed it to her. She was all, "That's an awesome bracelet." She really liked it a lot and put it on. At first I thought, "Maybe I should give it to her." Then I decided I would give it to her if she let me tell her my story. Since Electra kicked me down some weed, I told Shoshanna, "Hey, let's go smoke a joint." Shoshanna is twenty one. There was another guy who smoked with us. I started telling her my story and got through a lot. After a while she flips out and starts talking some nonsense. I thought, "Screw this, she doesn't deserve my bracelet." I went up to her and told her, "That bracelet is part of my acquired-uniform." She took it off and gave it back to me. Anyway, when I was ready to leave, I go up to the truck she's in just to say bye. Then her dad starts yelling at me, "Hey, get away from my truck!" I told him I didn't do anything and just backed up. Then I thought, "Hmm, maybe Shoshanna got angry that I took the bracelet back and told her dad.

                    At that party I told my story a hell of a lot. They even took pictures of me. Perfect. I am going to walk to the park and see if anybody is there.

                    Maybe her dad was mad at me because I took back the bracelet. Screw that, she just appropriated it. The little I have I like. That bracelet really is an integral part of my uniform.

                    Oh yeah, and this dude hooked me up with some water. He had a water bottle in his trunk. It sucks that I didn't get his name, but he knows who he is.

                    At the river I got a new destination. This lady told me I should go to Silver City. She even told me to go talk to her tall blonde daughter and tell her that her crazy mother sent me.

     7:45pm  I started walking 25 south and all of a sudden I hear someone yell, "Victor, Victor." It was Animal and Electra. They're stopping at some bar and they invited me. I was about to walk out of town, but I got sucked back in. Electra was all, "Do you want some water, Victor?" So, I'm not going to assume they're going to buy me a drink. Anyway, I am not going to start walking just yet.

                    Oh, and Jerry the Animal stopped and gave me a hit of weed.

                    Good thing I got hooked up with those tennis balls, but they wear out quick. I am on my last one.

     7:54pm  I left that bar. I hate bars. I am now walking to 25 South.

     7:57pm  Oh man, I'm walking down South Broadway. I look up and dude, the sky looks so beautiful. The sun is perfectly behind the clouds, with all the rays emanating from it. Oh man, I should never have taken my last picture.

     8:05pm  Misty, who's car I just walked past and she gave me a cigarette. I hit her up for my story, but she had to go. Thanks anyway, Misty.

     8:10pm  I forgot. I came into this Mexican restaurant to see if they would hook me up with some food. The manager wasn't there. The girl working told me, "Let me go talk to husband, the cook." She's going to see what she can hook me up with. Awesome. Perfect. Man, I was about to leave.

     8:12pm  Rene, here at the Hacienda hooked me up with some gasoline for my stomach. I'm getting a fat burrito.

                   Y Ermina me dio un lighter para el camino.

                    I see a quote on the wall I want to get. It says, "Too often in today's world people are impersonal, uncaring, unwillingly to take the simple step of making others feel comfortable and eat ease." This lady in La Hacienda restaurant in Truth or Consequences makes you "family the minute you walk in the door."

                    That's John S. Flannery

     8:30pm  I'm taking off walking. I got some food in me. That's cool. I am going to conserve. I'm going to walk until I get hungry.

     8:37pm  Oh yeah, I ended up walking in the wrong direction. When I realized I needed to turn around I turned around and saw a young, pretty girl walking on the other side of the street. I walked up to her and hit her up for a story. Her boyfriend came and picked her up, so I didn't get to. I didn't let her go until I asked her to think I was crazy and doubt me.

                   Man, I've planted the seed so good in this town.

     8:42pm  The tennis ball on my stick just wore through.

     9:03pm  I walked all the way over to the Shell station where you get on the highway. I saw a sign that said left to Caballo. I'm not sure. I'm going to see if I can get a ride here. Oh yeah, right before I got here I found a good snipe on the ground. Then, when I walk up I see a whole pack of cigarettes on the floor! An almost brand new pack of Legett's. It even has matches. I am ready to go. I am ready to travel. Let's see if I can get a ride. I'm going to eat my dinner first. My badass burrito.

     9:22pm  I ran into Jeremiah. He was the one that gave me and Tim a ride when we were looking for weed that one day(7-13-04, 12:25pm). I told Jeremiah, "I have a little traveling weed, but nothing to smoke it out of. Don't suppose you could spare a pipe?" He hooked me up with a cool metal pipe. I appreciate it, brother. I'll pay you back by saving the world. Sounds fair?

     9:35pm  I thought I was going to take off walking, but Jeremiah offered to me to crash in his car or something for the night. At his mom's.  That way I can take off walking tomorrow morning on a full night's rest. I appreciate it, brother. He said I could score me a shower and play Nintendo 64. Farewell to Victor.

     11:15pm  I was telling this hip lady, Gail, Jeremiah's mother my story and she offers me a jacket. Blue and black, like my uniform. I'm going to need it in The Black Range. I have been equipped once more.

Next day..