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                                                                                                                            Chicago, IL

Wednesday October 31, 2007

     6:14am  Wow, last night I got seven and a half hours of sleep. That's awesome. I was tired last night. I was wandering around and I decided to go walk along Lake Michigan and look for a place to camp. Last night I got a little down. I kind of wanted to leave already. I was pretty frustrated that I didn't have a secure place to camp. Everything is crowded next to each other here. I hope this isn't a taste of the East Coast. I didn't have accommodations here yet. Anyway, I'm going to try and get out of town today. I am really considering going back to San Antonio. I miss San Antonio so much.

     7:58am  I'm a little down. Downtown Chicago is way too loud. I can't tell my story on the streets here. The bus drivers here are real greedy too. Seems like they have a lock-down on courtesy rides. I need to go find an intersection to go fly my sign at.
                  
     9:02am  Let's see, I never told you. Last night I walked like along Lake Michigan like an hour or so, like three miles. I found this grassy hill close to the lake where I was able to crash.

                   Anyway, this morning I woke up and I walked into town. I walked Wabash. First thing I did was go to the library, which I am at right now. It opens at nine. I'm going to make some more flyers. I totally ran out last night. I got here half an hourly early, at eight thirty. I stood over by the library entrance where the elevator for the El is and pulled out my WPTMJ sign. I didn't have flyers to give people so I just yelled, "Look it up on the internet!" Two people stopped and took a picture and gave me some change, cool.

     10:18am  I got everything I needed to do done at the library. I've got some more little papers to hand out. I need to find a corner somewhere. A busy intersection.
                    
     11:06am  Kevin hooked me up with a cigarette on Michigan. I appreciate it, brother. Everybody gets credit, thanks.

                     Shorts from a short, they call that Deuce. My friend Will told me that. Will 

 is that cool black dude who smoked me out when I first got to Chicago.

     11:51am  Rob just walked by, saw my sign and gave me a dollar. I appreciate it, brother. Everybody gets credit, thanks.

                     Sam hooked me up with a cigarette on State Street. I appreciate it, brother.

     1:51pm  Rob is hooking my friend up here Will with some change. Will didn't even give him his rap.

     2:15pm  Bob hooked me up with a cigarette right in front of the lake. Bob from Vegas.

     2:36pm  The only reason I haven't been logging so much in Chicago is because it's really loud downtown. I can't tell my story at all. I'm just passing out my website. Man, I have automatic-friends in every city I go to. I met this guy Will the first day I was here. I told you, we went and smoked a blunt by the lake. In the big crowd in downtown Chicago I ended up losing him that first day.

                     Three hundred and sixty degree panoramic movie of downtown.  

                     Today I went to the library. I followed through on making more little papers to hand out. I got a shitload. I got ten pages total covered in havethisbook.coms. I can get ten more pages free every day. I have me a shitload of flyers to pass out. I cut out two pages worth. I've totally been back in business today handing out my website and flying my sign everywhere I went, getting smiles left and right. I got hooked up with a couple bucks. Then I ran into Will again. I eventually found out his name was Will. I didn't know his name the first day. I gave him those two bucks I got today and he got us high again. It was awesome how I ran into him again. I lost him again, so I should just stayed in one spot. I knew I'd stick out. Pun intended. I ran into him again and we came to the lake to smoke some weed again. I'm all stoned. We smoked a blunt. Things are looking better in Chicago now. I was a little down earlier, but things are looking better. It's the marijuana. Marijuana is the key, remember.

                     Will: "My man Antonio from San Antonio wants me to bust a freestyle and I agreed so I'm gonna axe him like Tupac, how do you want it? Fast? Or medium? He said medium so he could understand it better. I see your move drop like cops, you already know fuck around with the kid you lose your head..."

                     Umm, I couldn't understand it at all. Will, if you ever read this email me some of your rhyme.

     2:50pm  We decided to walk away from the traffic so I could understand it better. I'm going to try and type up that rap he was saying. His freestyle. His flow. I'm sorry if I don't understand it. Alright, we're going to walk downtown. We're going to Chipotle. Going to get a burrito.

     3:14pm  I came to the Chipotle with Will. He's going to half me his burrito. I saw this kid smile at my sign when I walked in. I have been holding my sign everywhere I go walking down the streets getting great reactions left and right. I gave him my website. I put my pack down in front and stood my sign up on it. I went up to him and asked him if I could tell him my story. He offered me half of his vegetarian burrito! Thanks a lot, brother. Everybody gets credit. As long as I'm not hungry anymore. If it's good for me, even better.

     4:26pm  We walked in the Bennigan's to use the restroom. They have a scale by the door. I want to see how much my bag weighs.

                    Without my pack on it says I weigh a hundred and sixty pounds. I have my thick scarf and all my clothes on. I weigh less than that. Like one fifty five. I'm going to weigh my bag now.

                    That's awesome. My pack is only thirty five pounds. A mere thirty five pounds. That's it. I travel light.

     4:51pm  Muna, where are you from? Nepal. Can I take your picture?

 

She gave me a cigarette. I appreciate it. She's out here working for Green Peace. What was your friend's name? Joe. Joe listened to my story a minute ago.

     4:53pm  Man, Muna from Nepal is beautiful. I took her picture.

                    At first she had asked me when I walked by, "Where are you going with all that stuff?" I told her, "On my way to save the world." She gave me a high five.

     5:44pm  Hell yeah, this cool black dude stopped by and listened to my story.

 

                    He guessed the world's greatest problem. Hit the nail right on the head. He listened to my whole Odyssey, hell yeah. I took his picture. I forgot his name though. When he first walked up and saw my sign he said, "You think that'll fix it?" I told him, "No, I think love is going to fix it. This will just help." I even told him my god rationale and then his bus came.

                    Oh yeah, today I remembered I could make movies with my digital camera! I've made two today. I did a three hundred and sixty degree panoramic shot of downtown, the skyline, earlier. I also made this movie of this marionette guy who makes this puppet sing and dance.  

                    Oh yeah! I got blessed again. I came across the street and I spot a white plastic bag on the ground next to the trashcan. It was from the Grand Lux Cafe. I look inside and I find these two gourmet chicken breasts with pasta!

 

                    It was even warm still! I am so stuffed right now. It was just there on the ground next to the trashcan. Somebody left it there for me to find. That was my reward for the great presentation I had down the street with the Greenpeace people on Michigan Avenue.

     6:03pm  Fimbum hooked me up with a cigarette. I appreciate it, brother. Everybody gets credit, thanks.

                    Haha, I'm yelling at people now when they walk by and ignore me. "I know you can hear me!"

                    Stuff on page 45, good stuff. Remember, I'm reading Angels and Demons. I'm going to read this book again when I'm done with it. It's my new traveling book.

     7:51pm  Man, I bench-scored hardcore in front of the Barnes and Noble! The second time in a row tonight. I found a donut bag with a still hot hot chocolate and a big donut! Sweet! The blessings are everywhere!

     7:55pm  Omid hooked me up with a cigarette in front of the Barnes and Noble.

 

I appreciate it, brother. Everybody gets credit, thanks.

                   Barnes and Noble again.  

                   DePaul University.

     8:15pm  Ana me dio un cigaro. Te lo agradezco, Ana. Todo el mundo recibe credito, gracias. Alex es su amigo. Dijo que ya vio mi pagina.

     9:18pm  Hell yeah, I just got to tell beautiful Sarah 

 my whole Odyssey. Second Odyssey of the day, awesome. It's getting cold. I'm going to put my boots back on. I should probably walk off and go to sleep.

     9:53pm  What a great time I am having in downtown Chicago, man.

     9:54pm  Kim hooked me up with a cigarette on State Street. I appreciate it, Kim. Everybody gets credit.

     10:37pm  I had started walking Wabash to my camp and Benzo is going to smoke me out with a blunt!

     10:49pm  Wow, that dude just smoked me out hardcore. Just walking down the street. There was a reason for my getting lost earlier. I walked so much more than I had to. I was asking people, "Anyone know where the lake is?" All of a sudden I'm walking down Wabash towards my camp, all of a sudden this guy offers to smoke a blunt with me! I gave him my website. He smoked me out hardcore! I tried to tell him my story, but he had to go. He had prior-engagements.

     11:06pm  I had me a good time with Benzo. I was just thinking that I even have a dry squat for when it rains. That doctor's office I crashed underneath the first night I was here. I'll have to rewind and research where it was. I hope it doesn't rain tonight.

                    I'm over here by the Bobtail Cafe.

     11:59pm  I got here like about ten minutes ago and made my camp behind the grass. I wonder how long I'll get to crash here. It's a way long walk. I wonder how far it is.

Next day..