082604

 

     Colorado Springs, CO

Thursday August 26, 2004

     6:40am  I just woke up on the side of this hill. Man, it's a beautiful view. It's awesome. I wish I had a camera. I need to write down a list of things I need to get done today.

     7:05am  I woke up like maybe fifteen minutes ago. It's beautiful up there. Last night I was walking around a long time looking for a place to crash on this hill. I couldn't find a level spot. It was all weeds and stuff. I didn't want to sleep on the grass. Bugs and stuff. Finally, I stumbled onto a cardboard box I could unfold and sleep on top of. I found me this little area where I had this awesome view. I wish I would've had a camera.

                   I have stuff to do. I wrote down a list. I have to go to the Salvation Army and take a shower. I have to go to Goodwill and find another falsa blanket or a sweater. I have room in my backpack for another layer. I just thought of something again right now. Damnit, I forgot.

                  Oh yeah, I have to buy a camera.

     7:25am  I walked North to the Diamond Shamrock. I was just standing in front taking my layers off. I wasn't asking for shit. Before I knew it, the guy who works here comes out and tells me, "If you need some place to rest, there's a bench over there." I told him, "I'm just taking some layers off. I'll be out of here when I'm done. I'm not asking for anything." He goes, "Well, this is private property." I go, "Well, then call the fucking cops. Complaining won't do shit. Do something. Actions speak louder than words. God-damn."

     7:35am  That dumbass manager Hal. I wasn't doing anything. I was just taking my layers off, it's hot. He came out and told me it was private property and that I had to leave. It's a public business. I wasn't asking for anything. He told me I had to go change at the park bench close by. I told him, "I can do what I need to do right here. I'm not doing anything wrong. This is a public business." He told me, "If you can't understand, I'm going to call the police over here to explain it to you." I told him, "Well, do what the fuck you need to do, man. Like I said, complaining won't do shit. Do something already." I told him, "Thanks for making my book so interesting, Hal."

                   The hill I crashed at was over by Uintah and Mesa. There's a big water tower.

     8:08pm  I walked downhill a couple blocks and had me a great presentation with Officer Whitmore. I walked up to him to ask him directions and he said, "Oh, you were at the Diamond Shamrock earlier, right? When he told you to leave, you should've left." I told him, "I wasn't doing anything. I was taking my layers off because it was warming up." Officer Whitmore said, "Oh, he said you were asking for money." I told him, "He was lying. I wasn't asking for shit." Then I told him, "Hey, can I tell you a really interesting story? I just want you to listen." He listened to the whole thing. When I got to the part where I ask him if he's willing to listen, he told me to keep going. When I asked him what he thought would happen if all the world leaders got together and smoked some weed, he smiled real big. They didn't call them peace pipes for nothing, haha. What a good morning I am having. The cop gave me directions too.

     8:40pm  I stopped at some corner to take the batteries out of my bag because I thought my recorder wasn't recording. It turned out that it still was. Then the bus pulled up and I asked him, "Hey, can I get a courtesy ride into town? I can walk it if I have to." He told me to just cross the street and catch the free shuttle into town.

     9:00am  I walked to these kids in Acacia Park. These street kids walking. Two girls and a guy. I hit them up for my story and they just ignored me. I yelled, "Have you always been that ignorant? Thanks for proving me right."

     9:07am  I had a pretty good presentation with these kids sitting down. This other guy studying for school told me, "I'm trying to read my chemistry book here." I told him, "I'm trying to save the world here. I have an audience. I have two people listening to me here. If you want, there's other benches in the park." Then the kids told me, "Actually, we have to go to school pretty soon." I said, "Well, in that case, since my audience has to go, I will stop." I got to ask them to do me the two favors and told them, "Thanks again for listening to me." Then I turned to the guy studying chemistry and told him, "And thank you for proving me right."

     9:20am  Julie hooked me up with a cigarette on Tejon.

     9:25am  Mike is suggesting I check out Immortal Technique on the Internet.

     9:38am  I talked to this one lady walking down the street. She told me, "I'm a hippie at heart." She wouldn't listen to me, though. She said she needed something to eat. That if I was still here when she came back that she would hear my story. Whatever, ignorance is bliss, I told her.

     9:40am  I asked this one girl if I could tell her my story and she agreed. As soon as I said the world's greatest problem was ignorance she told me she had to be on her way and left.

     10:09am  Adam just hooked me up with a cigarette and listened to my whole story. Thank you, brother. Everybody gets credit.

     10:30am  Matt and Adam out here listened to my whole story. Well, I got tons of stories. I told them I needed to get a camera and Matt hooked me up with a five dollar bill. I appreciate it, brother.

     10:40am  We came over to Adam's cool hippie van. Adam's in highschool. He's got a cool hippie death machine. We are at Shooks Run Park and we're smoking out in the van. Thanks for the burn, brother.

     10:48am  Matt is giving me some thoughts on human nature. He's writing a book himself. He's got seven chapters so far. Email it to me and I'll put it on my website.

                     Matt: "Hope and love is what makes us live for so long, like that's the reason we fight when we become so old. I believe that hope makes you live to the next day. You either hope you're going to be rich. You hope you find someone to be with and fall in love. You have hope. And then love, if you didn't have love, then what would you have? You would not want to live because the love of someone and the love for something else is the only thing that keeps you alive. That and hope. That's it."

     11:04am  The coolest thing. These kids took me to this soup kitchen. There's a big line of people waiting to get food. They said I could take a shower here somewhere. Cool, cool, cool.

                     Dude, it's so awesome how I ran into the high school kids here. They hooked me up big time. They told me they believed in me. They brought me to the right place too. I'm going to go stand in line.

                     Oh yeah, they got me high too.

     11:10am  They only have showers on certain days and today isn't one of them. They told me about some community center on Weber and Bijou so I'm walking there. It's only three blocks away, I think. I don't know. I kind of don't want to tell people my story here.

     11:15am  Alicia gave me a cigarette in Acacia Park. I appreciate it.

     11:20am  I just had this marvelous presentation with this Swedish girl. She listened to the whole thing. I asked her if I could keep going and she said, "Yeah, yeah." When I asked her to do me the two favors she told me, "I don't think you're crazy."

                     Oh yeah, and I ended up giving the cigarette back to her, because I already had two behind my ears. I had forgotten.

     11:48am  I walked to the ESM place on Weber and Bijou. I wonder what ESM stands for.

                     Ecumenical Social Ministries.

     12:38pm  The nice people at ESM are going to hook me up with a shower. I appreciate it, guys. Everybody gets credit.

     12:54pm  I came over to this ESM place and they're letting me take a shower. I had to take a number and wait. This is some religious place. I told the lady working that I was a journalist and a long-distance walker. I told them, "I am going to bring the truth out of hiding and educate the masses." She probably thinks I'm all crazy.

     1:40pm  I'm all nice and clean. I took a shower. I talked to this one scatter-brained girl. She was a heroin addict. She's twenty years old and has a four year old son. I was telling her my story. I'm all clean, I feel great. I'm going to walk to the park and tell my story some more.

     1:54pm  Stephanie and Bob hooked me up with a cigarette at Mexican grill. I appreciate it, guys. Everybody gets credit, thanks.

     3:38pm  They gave me some bullshit excuse at the Subway about having to talk to the owner.

     4:05pm  Amy at Jose Muldoon's is hooking me up with some gasoline for my stomach. Everybody gets credit, thanks.

     4:07pm  I scored some chips. Big whoop. Man, everybody working at that Mexican restaurant was white. What sacrilege. No Mexican people at a Mexican restaurant. Exactly what is this world coming to?

     5:02pm  Julie not only listened to my story, she gave me a cigarette too. I appreciate it, Julie.

     5:07pm  Just had another good presentation.

     6:10pm  I came over to the Espresso Bar and Matt hooked me up with a cigarette. I appreciate it, Matt. Everybody gets credit.

     6:20pm  I can't understand the name of the person who just gave me a sandwich. Sorry. You know who you are.

     6:25pm  I was sitting here hanging out at the coffee shop. I just got hooked up with a nugget by John. I appreciate it, brother.

     7:00pm  Ian hooked me up with a cigarette at the Espresso shop. Everybody gets credit, thanks.

     7:08pm  Joey hooked me up with a rollie. I'm trying to tell these guys my story.

     7:34pm  I just had this awesome presentation with this couple that just walked by. The girl told me she was on a similar path as me. She started talking about all this chakra stuff and I Am presence. I remember Geba telling me about the I Am stuff back in Arcata last year. She told me that we are reaching critical mass soon. I gotta look this stuff up on the Internet.

                   She told me that I was doing a good job. I know I am.

     7:48pm  These people walked by and I asked them if I could tell them a really interesting story and they said, "You've already talked to me today." I told them, "I'm sorry, I forgot. Hey, nobody's perfect."

     8:00pm  I was telling Jessica my story. She doesn't have time to listen to my whole story. What was your email address? RobotArobix@hotmail.com

     9:32pm  I'm sitting here next to this car close to the coffee shop. It has all these bumper stickers. There's some funny ones. This one says, "What's wrong with a waiting period before publishing a newspaper? The government can check your facts." "Hang up and drive." I like that one. "Jesus is coming, look busy." Haha. "Failure is not an option...it already comes bundled with the software." "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the weaponry to make the difference."

                   Here's a great one. It says, "I'm not lost. I am exploring."

                   "Of course the constitution has its flaws, but it's a lot better than what we have now."

                   I don't know what this means. "www.jwrtfm.com"

                   "The meek will not inherit the earth. The lawyers challenged God's will and had it overturned."

                   "I don't know. I don't care. That's why they put me in charge."

                   The Bill of Rights went too far. They should have stopped with "And Congress shall make no law."

                   "The dream is alive."

                   "Unbuckle the bible belt."

                   "The rest drank from the fountain of knowledge. You gargled!"

                   "God, protect us from your followers."

                   "To err is human. To forgive is against company policy."

                   "Gun control isn't about guns. It's about control."

                   "Earth first. We can strip-mine the other planets later."

                   "The computer is your friend. Trust the computer."

                   "Made in America by lazy, illiterate American workers. Tested in Japan."

                   "Put politicians in their place. Landfills."

                   "Power corrupts. Isn't that what it's for?"

     10:04am  Adam walked by and he gave me and some other guy a cigarette. I appreciate it, brother. Everybody gets credit, thanks.

Next day..