I may not busk this weekend

 All that packing and working with those heavy parts and the 4 bike rides hauling them up to FedEx trying to make good time getting them there, really wore me out. 

Ken came by last night, we talked, he brought me a burger because a good American will always make sure a fellow American never goes without eating beef daily, etc. I got my pay check, dated for Friday. 

I went to bed pretty soon (about 2 hours) after Ken left. I slept a good bit, woke up about noon, then went back to sleep and had a weird dream about setting up another shop in Texas of all places, not some "hip" place like Austin, but some small town that's a part of Houston? Asking someone in the dream, it was part of the Houston complex. There were two big used book stores on the same street, a classical guitar studio, some nondescript businesses on either side of the building I was to make my new "home" etc. 

I think the point of the dream was that just about anywhere else would have more "culture" than San Jose, California.

The dream was quite realistic, I went to pee and could not (thank goodness!) and I thought about the $500 or so I was spending on the hotel I was at while  I was spending all my time at the new place, and I was going to explore the neighborhood for restaurants as I was getting hungry and regardless of it being dark, I was hungry for some breakfast. Then I woke up, haha. 

Wow I'm really sore and have to pack some multi-item packages. 

Oh, and the small-hats are up to their usual tricks, this latest being a faked attempted airplane hijacking or downing, funny how it's timed to theoretically boost support for "Trumpstein". 

The thing is, I woke up really sore and want to stay caught up on shipping, and I have not only not practiced the last couple of days but even I'm getting tired of the stuff I've been playing and want to work on some new pieces. So I dunno if I'll get out busking at all this weekend. 

It's funny, Ken makes a bunch of money (I see the Ebay messages and he just got a bit under 4 grand into his bank account) and I get sore, miss out on a weekend's busking so that's $150-$200 loss. 

And when I told Ken about this big deal that made him so much money and how it might solve some money problems for him, he just said "It will" and really didn't show much enthusiasm, forget about appreciation for my work. 

Lighting out of here on my birthday next year is going to feel SO good!  

I took one large box (a $200 sale) with 4 transformer cores in it to FedEx, and the rest of the stuff to the post office. I didn't need anything at 99 Ranch so I just went back to H Mart. I'm still really tired and was open to something easy to digest for dinner. I checked on the sushi situation since after 7, according to a sign that was up, it's 1/2 price. If there was another "Alaska roll" I was going to get it. There wasn't, and the sign was gone. 

I just got some coffee they have on sale, and was going to get a can of sugar-free Red Bull, one of the large cans, thinking I'll drink half and maybe save half for later. As I passed the milk, the can leapt out of my hand, rolled along the floor ahead of me, and wedged itself under the cooler. I cussed good and loud of course, and went back but that was the last large can of sugar-free Red Bull. They have a dedicated Red Bull cooler with a bunch of different flavors, but that the large cans of sugar-free were down to one, tells me that's the best deal and least obnoxious flavor. So I just got the coffee. 

I found a good load of packing stuff on the way back, and got the 2nd of the large Akro-Bin type bins from the dumpster outside Trackonomy. I'm getting to like them, not least because unlike the other hot rod shops, they apparently keep it on the track, hence their name. There are no screeching tires, revving engines, and such nonsense around their place. 

Oh, and it's funny, Ken called on the phone because he tried to log into Ebay but couldn't because Ebay can't handle the concept that a company might consist of more than one person, and that more than one person might be checking the account. He was wondering where this big amount of money was... 

I said I'd gotten the message that he has about $3800 coming to his bank, and said that when Ebay pitches a fit, I often just go away for a while and then come back and everything's fine. 

So a bit afterward he called back and said he'd been able to get in, and has $3700 coming, but it may take 1-3 days. I said he might have to wait over the weekend. The more you need it, the longer you have to wait for your $3600 dolls but the $3500 is sure to show up on Monday, or certainly by Tuesday the $3400 will land in his bank account .... it's just simple Ebay finances! 

Ebay - you'll never work harder for $3. 

 

 

 

 

Biggest order ever

 I was up all night, into 8AM, packing 8 boxes that were all one order. Ken was making about 5 grand, after shipping, shipping overage refund, taxes, Ebay fees, etc., on it. It's the biggest order I've ever handled and it might be Ken's biggest too. 

So after a very arduous night packing the things, I considered taking them to FedEx - it would take 4 trips - in the morning because once the early commuter rush is over, it's pretty relaxed. But that seemed to me like the thinking of a pilot with "get there itis" and decided I needed some sleep. 

My headache was kicking my ass and I could not sleep, and eventually got up and swallowed some aspirin with some coffee and once that kicked in, was able to sleep. 

I woke up at 4 and got out of here at 5. That was a real workout, as if getting the things out of the warehouse area and cleaning them, testing them, packing them, etc. hadn't been. 

On the last trip I was able to relax a bit as I found myself ahead of schedule by a comfortable amount. I delivered the last two boxes to FedEx, then went to H Mart where I got some "Alaska Roll" sushi for half price since it was after 7, and a cucumber. I had cold coffee with me. 

I sat in front and had my sushi and coffee, then followed my usual route to look for packing stuff and other goodies. I found a bit of each. I'm too tired right now to sort through the goodies, haha. 

I might go right to bed and get more sleep as soon as Ken's gone this evening, assuming he shows up, which he's been pretty good about lately. 

Practice? What's that? This is why I'm looking forward so much to getting the hell out of here. 

I *did* watch some videos last night about "lip trills" which are like lip slurs but ... faster. Like when you want to show off and go from a low note, "breeeet!" up to a high one. For extra points just as fast back down. It turns out those are a good practice tool, so I will have to work on them. 

 

 

Practicing practice, practically speaking

 After doing stuff (packing) last night I got a practice session in. 

I remember years ago when I started a practice session, when I was fresh I could play high notes and then once I got a little tired, they were gone and not coming back. 

Now, yes I can often play mad high notes when I'm fresh but often I'm having trouble with high notes and keep at it and I get better at them as the practice session continues. I think this is a sign of increasing endurance, built up over years, of muscles that are not normally consciously controlled or coordinated in the ways they are in trumpet playing. 

And often I'll have a practice session that kind of goes like shit, but I keep it up and get a good session in, and then the next one I'm playing well. 

It's going to be very different when I'm home and trumpet playing, along with receiving my Social Security check, will be my main job. 

I packed the small things that had sold overnight, because I have 16 big things, all alike, all to send to one buyer, and I wanted all the small stuff out of the way. Tonight will be spent getting 16 of the things together, testing and cleaning them, then determining if I'm going to ship them two or three to a box, and packing them to go to FedEx tomorrow. It will take at least 3 trips to get them all over there to FedEx I think. 

I took off with my small things, and on Zanker Road got passed by a velomobile! It was really cool. There's no way I could have caught up with it to get a closer look, but I hope the guy's having a great time and stays safe because needless to say, it's very low to the ground and while he has a couple of blinking red lights on the back on the tallest part, some of the drivers of those big stupid trucks can't even see normal sedans. The velomobile headed North to what I call "Dilbertville", the part of this town with actual tech companies, manicured lawns, etc. 

Basically, in San Jose, North of Brokaw Road is where the tech companies are, and South of it is where most of the city is, and where "innovation" means having a bar next door to a metal recycling place so the bums can drink up the money they worked hard for all night, right away. 

When I got to FedEx, I saw, in the way of strange vehicles, one of those new Tesla cabs. It looks just as dumb as the photos show, all gold and I'm surprised the tires aren't painted gold too. I didn't see if anyone got out or got in, as I was intent on my FedEx business and also on helping a guy who had a wide load of packages and it took me and another guy to hold both doors open for him. When I came out the thing was gone. 

 

 

"The kind of cars Americans want to buy"

 I woke up at 3 and first mistake: turning on the radio. It turns out Pedonald is dictating that care mileage standards go back a decade or three, to theoretically lower the price of "the kind of cars Americans want to buy". 

Well, Americans want to buy the biggest, ugliest, street tanks they can get their hands on and damn the mileage. On the radio they talked through how the theoretical $1300 cheaper price will be offset by the cost of fuel over the lifetime of the car, but since Americans think short-term only, that won't matter. 

Plus, it's not just the kind of cars Americans want to buy, but the kind of cars the manufacturers want to sell, and that means adding a shit-ton of idiotic features almost no one wants, that are non-negotiable. They'll plump up the price and the actually useful ones will be by subscription anyway. 

It also shifts the balance toward gasoline-powered cars as opposed to electric cars. So the pedo-in-chief's best butt buddy, fElon Muskrat, is getting the same treatment anyone gets who thinks the old pedo is their friend.

The $7500 tax rebate for buying an electric car, almost always a Tesla, goes away. As I'm out riding around, surrounded by Teslas, I've been reasoning to myself that they're a rational decision and that I'd probably drive one too if I were a tech worker for a company that lets me charge up for free, and who got paid $7500 to buy the thing. 

This all makes sense looking through the lens of Conservative idiocy. Global warming, becoming more and more evident, is considered a belief system or myth. Private industry is considered to be the ultimate guardian of truth. 

The real truth is, the free world, the non-American world, is putting in more public transit, electric bikes from China are taking more cars off the road than anything these days, and civilized countries like China are working on getting away from gasoline vehicles altogether.  

I got 10 small things packed so, no need for the trailer. I'll sure need it tomorrow. I got over to the post office, did some shopping in 99 Ranch, then headed over to H Mart where I had some boiled peanuts and iced coffee  I brought from home. 

Then I started on my "finding stuff" route on the way back here. I found a few neat little boxes behind the gym, and at one point a guy pulled up in a Tesla.  I thought maybe it was to hassle me for some busybody reason or another, but it turned out the guy was throwing something into the big dumpsters in the enclosure (that I never mess with). I was curious what he was throwing out, and as conversation, I said, "What're you throwing out? Bodies?. 

The guy came back with "I wish!". 

I laughed it off but wow. You have to be at least a little bit of a psychopath to buy a Tesla and still drive it these days. But really? He wishes he was tossing away bodies? Like, maybe he's always aspired to be a serial killer but just never got up the guts to go through with it? 

 

$70 Sunday

 I got to the Sunnyvale Whole Foods a little bit earlier this time, and it not only felt slow, it was slow. Maybe it's the time of the month vs. when people get paid, or the cooler weather or something. 

I played a bit out on the sidewalk, then moved down into the parking garage for about 1/2 hour, then went back up onto the sidewalk when Whole Foods turned on their outdoor lights. I think people were having trouble seeing me. 

I'm also thinking that I might change to playing on Friday and Saturday instead of Saturday and Sunday. I think it will pay better, plus that will leave Sunday to pack the orders that come in over the weekend and be ready to ship them out on Monday. 

I really tried my best and tried to "mean" each song, and in the end I only made $1 less than yesterday which I'm taking as a victory because it's still above the $40 an hour that seems to be kind of normal. 

 

$71 Saturday

 I'd prepared and listed 30 things, and got 15 of them listed last night, and got some practice in. I really need to practice every day. 

I left here at 4:30 which means I got to the Sunnyvale Whole Foods at 6:30. It felt slow because it was kind of slow. It's getting dark earlier, and the crowd was different. There were gaggles of families coming through periodically, probably going to/from a movie at the theater. And lots of Asians going in and out; last night had been a moon/harvest festival and maybe they were getting regular stuff now that the festival was done. 

I got a ton of $1 bills, 36 of them to be exact. And three $5's and one lone $20. There was a skinny kid who kept sort of circulating around, and when he saw I was watching him, would go away and then a bit later, come back. So at one point I stopped to stack up the money and stash it away. I'll have to watch out for him tomorrow too, I guess. 

And at one point a weird Indian guy came up and kept looking right at me and smiling, while doing this weird stuff with some bills, a $1 a $5 and a $20, like maybe he was trying to get them into a roll with the $1 on the outside or something. I was in the middle of a song and kept playing, and when he left I looked and he hadn't dropped a thing. So I'll have to watch out for him too. If he comes back I'll just stop playing and get out the pepper spray. And I'll have to get into the habit of putting not just $20s but $10s etc. anything larger than a $5, away. 

I also, at one point, had a young Chinese couple with a cute little kid, get into my rendition of "Eentsy Weentsy Spider", so much so that they, as far as I could tell, went inside to shop and left the kid with me. Great. So now I'm a babysitting service. I contemplated packing up real quick and disappearing, but after several minutes the kid's mom re-appeared and collected him.  

Because of the long pause while I stashed my money to protect it from the kid, I stayed and played past 8, until 8:20. That 20 minutes got me an extra $9.  I'd made $71 in total. 

 

Bums will steal anything, part 4534534759572935

 In short, they stole an old B.O. smelling shirt from me. 

I got up at 3 thanks to my alarm clock, had one thing packed that had to go, some stuff to donate like the coffee on sale that turns out to taste like dishwater, and I brought a long-sleeved sort of waffle-weave shirt I've had for something like 10 years now, and in need of a wash, frankly. That was for when it cooled down later in the day. 

I went to the bank and deposited my pay check, all the numbers agreed, all good.

I rode back downtown and picked up 3-4 bubble mailers at the Amazon place, then rode along the Paseo De San Antonio and realized that walking along side me was Leroy, the sax player. So we had a good old hang-out time, catching up on things, while we walked to the long-closed Johnny Rockets and he set up. 

I told him about my two Whole Foods locations, and that honestly, people like the *tone* one is playing with, and generally have no idea what the song is. I've quizzed 'em, after getting a tip and gushing praise, asked, "OK what was I just playing?" and they have no idea.  It's all about the tone. 

 Then I went to Sakura Market and got a package of coffee, a single sugar-free Lipovitan,  and since I'd bought one of their small T-shirts which might be a bit too small after it gets washed, got a Medium one. I'd have a nice new T-shirt to wear over the weekend, out busking. 

I rode down to Walmart and locked the bike up at Big-5 as usual. I had one old Whole Foods bag with the bubble mailers in it, tied to one handlebar, and took one in with me. I had $34 on me and another $8 in change in my change bag, which I forget to take in with me and realized this once I was inside. So, no extras. 

I got T.P. paper towels, some pepitas, some Farmer John sausages, just normal stuff and it came to $30 so that was perfect. I got that all bagged up and walked back to the bike. 

The first thing I noticed was that the Whole Foods bag I'd had tied to the handlebars was now lying on the sidewalk, handles still tied in a knot, though. The bubble mailers were still in it. In the bags, my new T-shirt and my old long-sleeve waffle weave thing, complete with a lil' B.O., were gone. And in the other pannier, there was a goofy little bike cable with combination lock thing. Like a bum had taken the shirts, and left this near-toy thing as a sort of payment. I tossed that on the sidewalk, packed things away, and assessed the damage. 

They hadn't taken the change bag with $8 in change in it, and bums love change! They hadn't taken the really nice flashlight that was in there either. They hadn't taken the package of coffee because using that would mean having hot water, and a regular cup, etc., things a bum, which exists by hand-to-mouth, sort of like a dog but with hands. Maybe the best comparison is a squirrel. They've got little hands but can't cook or prepare things, or open cans, or really do anything in the way of food preparation. 

Well shit, I thought, it could have been worse. I rode back downtown, right back to Sakura and bought another one of the same T-shirt because I had wanted one. 

I checked in with Leroy again who was making tips,  and we talked about the crazy things we've seen bums do. It's good to see he's making tips because downtown is so dead. What's funny is, he never heard about the real reason the Walgreens got closed, about the security guard shooting and killing a guy, or was it the other way around? In any case, there was a death and that was it for Walgreens downtown. 'You can look it up!" I said. 

On my way home I stopped at Nijiya and got a package of shrimp that was $7.50 or so and used the change to pay for that. I had shrimp soup for dinner and it was good.