Berkeley, CA
Saturday December 13, 2003
1:27am I just had a rude awakening. Some cop woke everybody up. They told us no sleeping. I don't know where I'm going to sleep now.
Man, this sucks so much. I need a full night's sleep so my leg will get better. Damnit, why did that cop have to come mess with us at 1:30 in the morning? We're not doing anything. It's raining outside. God-damnit.
2:08am I walked up to the Lutheran Church again. I'm going to crash here. There's some other brother already crashed.
3:40am Man, I'm so pissed off. I'm all worried and shit. I wish I could cry. That would make me feel better. I can't. This sucks. The cop woke me up earlier and I walked all the way over to the Lutheran Church. There was another dude there. I put my poncho down and laid on top of it. I'm all cold. Damnit, I wish I was back in San Antonio. I wish my leg didn't hurt. I gotta worry about the whole STD thing. I wish I would've done so many things differently. This sucks. I'm hungry. I wish I was back home. I'm hoping the Traveler's Aid place is open tomorrow on Saturday. I didn't get enough sleep to rest my leg. I don't know what I'm going to do. I got tired of just laying there on the cold concrete. I'm going to walk over to the Free Box and see if there are any other layers I can use. God-damnit, this sucks so much. I just want to get out of here. Berkeley isn't that cool anymore.
What a terrible night I had. Some black guy in People's Park ripped me off selling me some fake ass mushrooms. I'm so stupid. He gave me a piece of paper and told me they were mushroom hits. I should have known better.
I just want to shrivel up and die. I feel like such a failure. Such a hypocrite. I feel like I am letting the whole world down. I'm terrible.
4:37am I'm out here on Telegraph. I smoked a couple guys out with this shitty stuff I got. Man, I don't know what I'm going to do. I don't know if Traveler's Aid is open today. I want to get a courtesy ride to the Traveler's Aid place.
5:46am I am still outside waiting for the bus. I don't know what time it gets here.
5:47am The bus driver wouldn't let me on. This pisses me off. He was all, "It's $1.50."
6:14am Another bus finally came and the driver gave me a courtesy ride. Nice driver. I think she's hooked me up before.
6:30am I am in Oakland. She dropped me off on 13th Street and I gotta find 16th where the place is. I'm going to go see if they're open.
Let me read the sign,"The program of Traveler's Aid Society of Alameda County Incorporated. Hours - Monday through Friday, 9-4. Damnit..
6:53am Driver 324 on the 40L is giving me a courtesy ride back to Berkeley.
7:14am I just got dropped off on Bancroft right in front of the school. I need to take a shit.
8:46am Let's see, what's happened? I went and ate breakfast at the church. It was good. I'm full. I'm looking around for a box. I need to make my sign. It's Saturday. There's a big Christmas fair going on, or something. Lots of people. I can gather email addresses and try to get bus fare.
8:57am Sergei, who works for the fair, gave me a cigarette. Thank you.
9:40am I just finished writing up my sign. It's pretty simple. All it says is, "On my way to save the world. ASK ME HOW." That's it.
9:56am I have one email address so far.
10:29am Smoke gave me a cigarette.
10:50am Oh yeah, I just ran into Pixie again(7-29-03, 6:40pm, 8-6-03, 6:45pm, 8-10-03, 3:55pm, 12-11-03, 5:11pm). I asked her if she asked her cousin if I could get a ride. She said, "No, we don't know where the car is or when we're going to leave."
11:15am Nate gave me a whole dollar. I appreciate it, Nate.
11:23am Charles was generous enough to give me a whole dollar. I appreciate it, Charles.
11:51am Brandon, who recognized me from last time gave me some change.
11:53am I just took a picture of my sign.
1:26pm I got smoked out by some black dudes. This brother and sister, John and Jennifer listened to my whole story. Thank you, guys. Somebody's gotta do it.
1:27pm Mark just handed me a five dollar bill. I appreciate it, brother.
1:47pm Dude, I've just discovered a great way to spange. In Arcata some guy gave me a twenty dollar bill when I used this technique and earlier today and Thursday some guy gave me twenty dollars too. All I have to do is ask for spare change for a bus ticket. Honesty is the best policy.
1:51pm Mark gave me a whole dollar. I appreciate it, brother.
Cool, this guy Mike gave me fifty cents.
1:55pm Eric gave me some change. I appreciate it, brother.
This sign is working great!
2:37pm I just had this run-in with this girl. She had told me she'd give me some change if I told her how I was going to save the world. She said that she and her friend were planning on doing that too, saving the world. I told her all my stuff and she agreed with me at first. But then she started interrupting me and walked into Cody's Bookstore. She didn't even give me her email address. No contact info at all. I hope I see her when she comes out.
2:41pm These people just handed me some French fries. I appreciate it, guys. I was hungry.
2:57pm Noki gave me some change. He's from Japan.
3:20pm My sign blew away and Tai ran and got it for me. I appreciate it.
3:42pm Man, I just had a badass presentation with this one girl. She seriously told me, "You're awesome! You're my hero, man." She was telling me she totally supported me. Man, I talked her ear off. I told her my odyssey story and my head injuries story. She loved it.
3:45pm Igor was nice enough to give me a cigarette.
Oh yeah, that girl from earlier's email address is phoebe_beebee@yahoo.com and the dude after that was z3ries8@hotmail.com
Marie was nice enough to come bring me some food. I appreciate it, Marie.
3:47pm Josh was nice enough to give me a dollar and change. I appreciate it, brother.
That guy is les_murphey@sbcglobal.net
3:54pm I was talking to Soda again. His email is darth_soda@yahoo.com.
4:02pm Thomas was nice enough to give me a cigarette. I appreciate it, brother.
Mmmm, Marie gave me a badass sandwich. It's got ham and cheese and lettuce. It even had pineapple in it.
4:24pm Maggie has labeled me. What am I? She said, "You're Victor. I think you are an Anarcho-Syndicalist. I looked it up online:
Principles of Revolutionary Syndicalism
Adopted December 1922 by the Berlin Congress
of the International Workers' Association
(Extracts)
i. Revolutionary Syndicalism, basing itself on the class struggle,
seeks to establish the unity and solidarity of all manual and
intellectual workers into economic organisations fighting for the
abolition of both the wage system and the State. Neither the State
nor political parties can achieve the economic organisation and
emancipation of labour.
ii. Revolutionary Syndicalism maintains that economic and social
monopolies must be replaced by free, self-managing federations of
agricultural and industrial workers united in a system of councils.
iii. The twofold task of Revolutionary Syndicalism is to carry on the
struggle for economic, social and intellectual improvement in the
existing society, and to achieve independent self-managed production
and distribution by taking possession of the earth and the means of
production. Instead of the State and political parties, the economic
organisation of labour. Instead of government over people, the
administration of things.
iv. Revolutionary Syndicalism is based on the principles of
federalism, free agreement and grassroots organisation from the base
upwards into local, district, regional and international federations
united by shared aspirations and common interests. Under federalism,
each unit enjoys full autonomy and independence in its own sphere,
while enjoying all the advantages of association.
v. Revolutionary Syndicalism rejects nationalism, the religion of the
State and all arbitrary frontiers, recognising only the self-rule of
natural communities freely enjoying their own way of life, constantly
enriched by the benefits of free association with other federated
communities.
vi. Revolutionary Syndicalism, basing itself on economic direct
action, supports all struggles not in contradition with its
principles - the abolition of economic monopoly and the domination of
the State. The means of direct action are the strike, the boycott,
the sit-in, and other forms of direct action developed by workers in
the course of their struggles leading to labour's most effective
weapon, the General Strike, prelude to Social Revolution.
Maggie also recommended I check out http://infoshop.org/
"Anarchy and anarchism on the web? Infoshop.org has lots of
information of interest to anarchists, anti-authoritarians, and other
activists. Put some anarchy into your life today and learn why
anarchists are trying to create a more anarchist society. This is a
cooperative effort. If you or your project wants to participate or
contribute materials, get in touch!"
4:37pm Susan was nice enough to give me some change. I appreciate it, Susan.
Make it a point to read Robert Anton Wilson. http://www.rawilson.com/main.shtml
5:00pm Linda gave me a whole dollar. I appreciate it, Linda.
5:20pm David hooked me up with some change. I appreciate it, David.
5:21pm Trung hooked me up with some change. I appreciate it, brother.
5:48pm Mike gave me a whole dollar. I appreciate it, Mike.
Mike offered to tell me a little story. He said, "In the ancient East there is a story about a man who was planting a date tree. When you plant date trees you'll never get to enjoy them. Only your children will, because it takes eighty years for them to flower. So, the sultan came by in disguise and said, "Old man, why are you planting this date tree? You will never enjoy the fruit." He said, "I am planting it for my grandchildren." The sultan went over and gave him a gold durham. The man says, "Behold old sultan, not even in the ground and the tree has already produced it's first crop." The sultan gives him another gold durham. Then the man says, "Behold old Sultan, not even in the ground and already it has produced two crops for one year." The Sultan was very impressed."
Mike: "Now, you are quite correct on the generosity thing and that's why I'm giving you that(that dollar). You should check out the book Journey to the Ancestral Self by Tamarack Song published in 1994. Basically he talks about how all indigenous cultures have survived without money. He talks about the basis of how they work.
I would note also that www.solari.com talks about a similar model. It is possible to live without money. Money is simply one form of energy and we can reflect the energy in another form.
No, you're not crazy, my friend. You're one of the few prophets and we need to have you out there doing what you're doing. The key point here is that all successful people share one thing, persistence. They are persistent. Every single great idea came about by a certain process. The first was ignoring it. The second was ridiculing it. The third was attacking it. The fourth really was the younger generation growing up with it and accepting it as part of the natural course of things.
May I suggest to you that generosity does work. It's part of the gift-economy. It works very well. I live in the gift-economy as much as I can. The fact is that the gift-economy is the only way you can realistically deal with the problems you speak of. It's absolutely true. Because it has already been proven over tens of thousands of years. That's the way nature works. The gift-economy."
Mike's email address is MPatterson@fastmail.ca
Whoa, when Mike left he gave me three more dollars and told me not to give up on the mission. Badass.
6:02pm Jess just gave me a whole dollar. I appreciate it, brother.
Man, I'm getting some major believers tonight. Shweet.
6:11pm Dana gave me some change. I appreciate it, Dana.
6:29pm Alexis just hooked me up with like half a joint. Badass. Some gasoline for my mind.
6:30pm Roberta gave me a dollar. Thanks a lot, Roberta.
Be sure to check out Hopping Freight Trains in America. It's a guidebook.
Cool, this older dude Don just gave me some change. Some older dude with grey hair.
7:02pm Ien just gave me some change for the cause.
7:19pm I am retiring for the day. Man, what a stupendous day I've had. I don't know if I made so much money, but I really progressed on my mission. I talked to so many people today. So many people agreed with me. It was awesome. I came to take a piss and count my change at Cody's. Shit, someone is in the guy's restroom. Maybe the women's is unlocked. I should probably go in there and take a piss. I gotta go bad.
I have twenty nine bills and ten dollars in quarters. I've got thirty nine dollars. Not bad.
7:45pm I walked up to the Willard Pool and checked their hours for showers. On Saturdays they are open 8am to 9:15. Tomorrow they're open 9:30am to 10:45pm. So I have to come back tomorrow at 9:30am. That's what I'll do.
8:07pm Man, what a glorious day I have had. It started out all shitty. I went to Oakland this morning and the place was closed. Things got so much better later in the day though. I could fly my sign on Telegraph forever . . or until we have world peace.
9:13pm I just took a picture of Willow.
10:25pm Soda is showing me a place to squat. That's cool. Oh yeah, earlier some dude, when I was hanging out at Hate Camp for pizza, this dude told me, "Man, I don't even know you but there's a big beam of light around you. You're a prophet." Whoa, that's so cool. I hadn't even explained my stuff to him yet.
That place where Soda showed me to squat is on Channing Road across the street from the parking garage with the tennis court on top.
10:45pm Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that after standing up all day and spanging and flying my sign, my leg doesn't hurt that much anymore. I can walk normally now. It sucks, because now my feet hurt from standing so long, but my leg's ok. That's so weird. Probably because I was stretching it a lot. I found a good stretch for it that would alleviate it pretty good. Okay, Soda showed me a couple places to squat. I'm going to go bum a cigarette and then find a place to sleep.
10:56pm Matt just gave me a cigarette in front of Blake's. I appreciate it, brother.
11:19pm I came over to this little laundry room Soda showed me earlier. I'm going to crash in here and hope no one does their laundry in the middle of the night. I'm going to cross my fingers.
11:23pm Well, I guess I'm not crashing in there. I lay down. I was all cramped and my knees were bent. I locked the door and just laid down, uncomfortably. All of a sudden, I heard someone trying to turn the doorknob. I got up and when I walked outside nobody was there, so I just grabbed my shit and I'm outta there. Where am I going to go?
11:32pm Man, all the squats that Soda showed me are out of the question. I had gone to another squat in between these two houses, but I noticed a window open. I went to this one building where he said I could squat on the roof, but when I walked up, these cars pulled up. I'm just going to go back to the Lutheran Church, all the way up the hill.
Damnit, it's almost midnight now. I need to get some sleep.
12:06pm Sam hooked me up with a cigarette. I appreciate it, brother. Everybody gets credit in my game.
12:08pm David Holdane stopped me on the sidewalk. He noticed me flying my sign earlier and he asked me how I was going to save the world. I shot him a couple of my scripts and he's going to write an article in the Los Angeles Times Magazine. Probably February or March edition.
12:36pm David gave me a dollar! Badass.
1:03am Whoa, I had a badass session with David. He's like a reporter and he's going to write an article about me! I talked his ear off. He told me it felt like he was reliving his youth talking to me. He was all getting nostalgic with Telegraph and Berkeley.
2:40am I just woke up. It's freezing. Man, I'm never going to get to sleep.
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