090609

                                                                                                             Missoula, MT

Sunday September 6, 2009

     6:56am  Getting up. My lean-to and under it.  View from where I camped.

                   See, yesterday at the Salcido Drop-In Center I took a nap on one of the couches they have at the entrance.  Well, when I woke up somebody had stolen my walking stick!  The nerve.  Anyway, I went to Reefer Beach this morning and cut a willow tree down and cut all the branches off and now I have a badass stick.  Way better than the old one.

     9:33am  Ahh, I've had a good morning. Right next to where I camp some other street kids crash. They gave me a cigarette. I didn't tell them my story because they are drinking beer. I'm going to walk into town now. The town is going to be dead since it's Sunday.

     10:51am  I came to the drop-in center. Only one out of the three computers available here is able to detect my USB drive. I played a little tetrinet.

                     Listener, more listeners

     3:42pm  Barry was nice enough to give me a cigarette on the corner of Main and Higgins.
                  
                   Awesome presentation right now with Barry. That guy was all smiles.

     4:04pm  Joe, from San Antonio, he gave me a cigarette. I appreciate it, bro.

     5:11pm  Awesome presentation with this couple. I took their picture.

                   What did you think of my story? Girl: "It was awesome. It was very inspirational."

                   That couple had huge smiles on their face during the whole thing at the table in front of the Pita Pit. They were all excited saying right and yes and exactly to every single point I made.

                   That was just awesome. I walked by the Pita Pit and this guy and his friends smiled at me. I hit him up for my website and he ended up pulling out a havethisbook.com paper out of his pocket. I assumed I had already given it to him and apologized telling him, "I'm a bit obsessed, I know." I had forgotten that at a good presentation I had earlier this one guy asked me if I had any more slips of paper, that he wanted to pass them out for me. I gave him a good chunk, like twenty of them and it seems like he had given this guy and his four friends one. I asked them if they wanted to hear my story and all five of them said yes. They were all ears and loved my presentation.

                   I'm bored and there's nothing to do. I'm going to walk to the Holiday convenience store and get some more ice in my bag.

                   M Mountain, for Missoula

                   L Mountain, for Lolo

     7:47pm  I walked all the way to the gas station on the other side of the bridge on Higgins. I haven't explored more. This is a college town after all. I assume the college is further on Higgins. I should explore more soon.

     8:39pm  I just left the gas station. I hung out in front of there for a long time. They let me get ice and I took on the project of shaving my new stick. Oh, I never told you. I went to Reefer Beach earlier and cut a new stick. Anyway, I realized I was making quite a mess of wood shavings. I even thought of after I was done to go inside and ask to borrow a broom. While I was shaving it I noticed an employee looking at the window at the shavings on the ground. He opened the door and asked me, "Umm, do you need a broom?" I told him that was exactly what I needed, but after I finished. I cleaned up my mess when I was done then I looked in my wallet and found a five dollar bill in it! I thought I only had one dollar. I can't remember where I got that. I bought some snacks, but I shouldn't have because there's a taqueria right next door, Cafe Sano. I should've hit them up. I'm so stupid, I could've spent that five bucks on weed. The gas station isn't that far from the beach. It's Sunday night and I got food. I'm going to go make my camp on the beach again. I was getting some great publicity in front of the gas station. All these college kids were seeing me. I gave out my website a lot.

     9:01pm  Sweet, I just found me a hit of weed! I was going to walk to camp, but fuck, I didn't have a cigarette for after I eat my burrito at camp. I was walking around on the sidewalk looking for snipes. Right in front of this skateboard shop I thought I saw a filterless cigarette butt. I bent down and picked it up only to find that was a little crutch, a little piece of cardboard some people put at the end of their joint to make it hit better. I thought, "Nobody puts a crutch in a tobacco cigarette." I took it apart and there was a little hit of weed left! Awesome.

                   I love this paragraph from Into the Wild:

                   "I have lived through much, and now I think I have found what is needed for happiness. A quiet secluded life in the country, with the possibility of being useful to people to whom it is easy to do good, and who are not accustomed to have it done to them; then work which one hopes may be of some use; then rest, nature, books, music, love for one's neighbor—such is my idea of happiness. And then, on top of all that, you for a mate, and children, perhaps—what more can the heart of a man desire?"

     10:26pm  I ate my whole burrito. I've got a honeybun for the morning. I read my book. I am almost done with Into the Wild. It's been a great book. I'm going to crash out now. I'm at the same spot I crashed out at last night, but without the tarp. I don't think it rained last night anyway. I don't care if I get busted. The gutterpunks are crashed right around the corner. There's power in numbers. I'm going to go to bed now. I already brushed my teeth. Wait, I still have to do mouthwash.

Next day..