$136 Saturday

 I was up all night getting 30 things ready to list, but got a practice session done, too. 

Zombiful but productive evening

 I got up at the usual time. I'd been up all night listing things, and was finally so tired I went to bed. 

I actually woke up a bit before 3, due to an ice cream cart going by with the person ringing their little bell so loudly it actually woke me up. I fell back asleep then my alarm clock woke me up. 

I had breakfast and cleaned up a bit and I was out of here at 4. 

I went to the bank and deposited my pay check and my numbers and their numbers agree, so that's good. Then I went to Whole Foods to park the bike, use the loo, and buy a couple of beef sticks. 

If I'd been busking today, I'd have some competition. First there was one of the same zombesses from last week, a gal who has a regulation nearly unreadable sign, and sit her bony ass on the bike racks themselves, and looks down at the ground a lot. I guess it's an act that pays. 

And, although this is on the other side of where I'd be, out by the bus stop, there was another act on. An older, fat, gal sleeping on one of the benches except not really sleeping but squirming around and groaning theatrically. 

Today's mission was to, after depositing my check which I'd done, go to the 99 Ranch market in Mountain View, then on the way back visit Mega Mart and Han Kook, both Korean markets and the last one where I get clear packing tape from. 

While on the bus, I thought a bit and realized I could go one stop more and go to West Valley Music and buy some "Chop Saver" since the tube of it the manager there gave me has utterly disappeared. Now that I've bought another, there's a small chance the first one might re-appear. I've decided I like good old cheap Blistex I can get for a bit more than a dollar a tube at Walmart or Walgreens or a number of places. It's easy to obtain and easy to replace. But maybe "Chop Saver" is really really good for some reason. 

Then I walked back from West Valley Music to 99 Ranch. I walked through the In-N-Out Burger parking lot because that's how you get there, and it was amazing how busy the place was. I used to go there all the time. And they have an armed guard at the door now. I even exclaimed my surprise out loud, and the guy just smiled. A bit further on I saw the reason for the guard: a zombie staggering around, clad in a blanket, headed toward the In-N-Out. 

I hoped this 99 Ranch carried Ibumie brand "Penand White Curry Mee" which I really love, and can't replicate using red curry paste and my own seasonings plus I always get it too salty when I try to make my own seasoning combination for a bowl of soup. And, they had it! I got bags of 4 packages each and some spicy peanuts. 

Now to do something about the bulk, because I sure don't eat the noodles these days. I sat at a convenient table with a chair by the front of 99 Ranch and opened each package, taking out the curry paste, seasoning, and creamer. I put those in a bag I'd taken from the veggie dept. 

Now I had a 99 Ranch paper bag full of 12 packages of noodles without seasoning. I saw a 99 Ranch worker digging through the nearby trash can with more enthusiasm than a worker usually shows, and figured he was digging on his own behalf. So I handed over the paper bag, and instead of taking it, he dumped it all out into the trash, crumpled up the bag, and tossed that on top! 

Well, then. What I should have done, as the worker had then hurried off, would have been to have retrieved the bag, put the noodle packs back in it, and taken it with me to give to someone, but I didn't, As I walked toward the In-N-Out again, there was the zombie again, that had seemed to be headed in a definite direction before, but was actually just meandering around. Maybe getting handed a bag full of noodles to munch on would have had it doing that, and then settling down to whatever sleep zombies get, instead of wandering around. 

I got to the bus stop and saw a rail-thin old guy on a bike meandering through and called out to him. He came over and I described where the noodles are, but in the end he didn't want them, but "I hate to see food wasted!" I agreed, and we talked a bit. He's from Tennessee, and we talked about various places that toss things out and he told me about how, back in Tennessee, he and his "old lady" lived near a small shopping mall and "We ate like kings". I'm guessing the guy probably came out here in the 1960s or 70s for one of the electronics jobs there used to be, then the jobs ended and here he remains. 

The bus I got onto had all kinds of characters on it, and a fair amount of weird shit going on, and I was glad to get off at Lawrence. I didn't even say "Thank you" when I got off, which is the custom here. 

I walked over to Han Kook market and they had 8 rolls of tape so that's what I got. And a can of "Boss" coffee. The lady at the checkout wanted to see what was in the Whole Foods cloth bad I had in the cart, tied closed, so I said, "Sure, sure, no problem!" and got out the Chop Saver, with reciept, and the peanuts, with receipt, and ... and that was enough for her. 

I got back to the Lawrence stop just as the #522 was pulling out, Oh well. There was a guy at the stop hanging out with his bike and a Gatorade bottle in his hand with something in it. He was a laugh-y joke-y guy. So we laughed and joked and I said I was going to be disappointed if he didn't have vodka or tequila in that bottle. The #22 bus came and he stayed behind so maybe he was waiting for someone. 

I had my can of coffee on the bus since I was getting tired, and got off across from Whole Foods and other than using the bathroom, just passed on through to my bike and got going. It was about 8:30 and the Amazon place closes at 9, so I figured I'd go by and see if I can find any bubble mailers. 

I did, obtaining 3. Then I just rode home.  

Forgetting things

 Ken came by last night an hour earlier than usual  That's OK though, I had the place in pretty good shape and didn't have things piled all over. We talked about things and he'd brought pizza (a small one that he said had cost him about $20, ouch) and I had a few slices, ate the toppings only of course. 

I got my check so that's good, and could have taken it to the bank today but didn't. Instead when I got up I packed things and got them to the post office and FedEx. 

I also had taken the bunch of Payday candy bars I had, put 'em in a bag, and left them by the door of the small office sort of space that the local lunch truck operators have set up as an eating area. Those guys, and their clientele, always have scads of kids and kids like candy bars so ... 

Except I mentioned this to Ken and he said, "I like payday bars" and I said I could go get them and he said not all of them, but "some" so I said "give me a minute" and hopped on the bike and went over and got 24 of the candy bars and brought them back. 

Although he'd come by at 9:30 instead of his usual 10:30, he managed to stay here until midnight. Highlights include his getting involved doing updates on his phone, and for a good long while not really being "here" since he was so intent on his phone. Finally I started to wonder, and he showed me the games he'd been playing on X (X as in Twitter? X.com?) so that was weird. 

After a bit more talking etc left, and I was  picking up his used cup from the soda I'd given him etc., and there was his phone. He wasn't gone for long, and soon I heard his truck pulling in. I took it out to him and said, "I didn't thing you'd take long". 

Once Ken had left the 2nd time I spent the rest of the night taking things apart that I wanted to get out of here. I left a lot of scrap metal and parts and stuff out front, and Lo and behold, when I left for the post office everything was gone. 

So when I came back, I noted that the box of circuit boards and aluminum pieces I'd left out by the main road was still there, so I actually took that back to put out in front here since it's the same kind of stuff they just took. Plus I put about 12 boxes of heavy-ass drawer slides that are not worth that much and a pain to ship, out and those went quick. 

 

 

San Jose or Basel? Decisions, decisions...

 u/michaelmoby on Reddit (too bad I can't post links on this) put up a pretty good post, having experience in both places, for Basel, Switzerland, being easier and cheaper to live than San Jose. Yes, including supermarket prices for food. 

This does not surprise me. The cheapest place I've lived has been Hawaii, followed by Colorado, Arizona, and then finally Southern California and taking the top, most expensive slot, here where I am in the Bay Area. 

I was up all night packing things to get caught up and then getting 20 things ready to list. There's a hell of a lot of stuff here that just won't sell, or will sell after a few years for a super low price. But open the things up and take them apart and there will be IC's, other components, gold-plated parts, etc. 

It means more work for me, taking things apart, but that's actually kind of fun and it's easier to ship small things than large ones, and it especially stings packing a medium or large thing knowing it's only for $5 or $10 profit if that. 

I got the stuff to FedEx and the post office, got stuff at 99 Ranch and H Mart, relaxed with a can of coffee and some nuts brought from home, and looked for my homeless pal. He wasn't there. Oh well I'll have another chance to find him tomorrow as I'll be on the same route, delivering packages. 

 

Working the system

 I was up doing stuff, then went to bed, then woke up and ... did more stuff. Ho, hum. I was up around 3, packed some things, and got going at my usual time around 6. I just had post office things so I went there, dropped the packages off, then headed to 99 Ranch. 

I got a big package of boiled peanuts (having those available is almost like being back in Hawaii although of course the ones in Hawaii are better) and some cilantro. 

I went to H Mart next for a can of coffee, and settled down to eat my peanuts and drink my coffee. And people-watch of course haha. 

When I was done I started to leave, and then as  I was riding past, realized my homeless Asian guy acquaintance kind of "lives" in front of the bagel shop now. I had 5 Payday candy bars with me because with so many on hand, I'd decided I'd try to give away 5 a day. 

We talked about things... he's tried applying for work at H Mart and McDonald's as well as other places I'd guess. I said the economy is terrible right now and he might consider going into business for himself. I went through what it would take to get started on Ebay and as I was telling the guy about that, I realized that even for people with homes, it's too hard for most. 

Then I started to think of other things, like being a handyman. I said all these little shops have people working there who will pay a few bucks for someone to do a job they hate, like taking out the trash cans and cleaning them, picking up trash in the parking lot, cleaning the windows and the fingerprints off of the door, etc. 

He doesn't have a smart phone right now (writing this, what happened to the one he had, that I gave him a charger for?) and I said I have some old tablets in the shop that aren't selling, so I'll try to dig them out and see if they're any good and if so, take them off of Ebay and give them to him. And I said I'll see what kind of resources there are around here and print the information out. 

So here I am back here, and I've already got a very strong impression that if you've got the skills and gumption to get out of homelessness, you're probably not going to be homeless in the first place. The place I've chosen to tell this guy about has a neat web page but it can't really be printed out. I wrote out some information about it on an index card, and fortunately it's got an easy to find address, just xxx N. First St. just north of the college. 

I mean, it's hard to just be a regular person. Being at work on time, budgeting, handling all the bills, in most cases owning and operating a car because in the US you're not a person without a car, keeping your place maintained and clothing and appearance in general, and having a "good personality" so your neighbors don't hate you, etc. 

Well, being homeless is harder than this. Unless you're willing to shift 100% to a "vagabond" or "hobo" lifestyle, you'll be in a hole you can't get out of. 

Going vagabond or "hobo" means being in a different hole, but at least it's generally considered a more fun hole. Panhandling shamelessly, giving much less of a damn about looks and perhaps hygiene, getting by on an iffy diet, perhaps being a drunk, etc. It's not a game for the old or even middle-aged. You're going back to the "dead by 40" life humans lived a couple thousand years ago. 

Anyway, I'll give the guy the index card and probably some more candy bars, tomorrow. 

 

Windy to less-windy Sunday

 I got out of here a bit after 4. I started in busking at the Sunnyvale Whole Foods at 6:20 so I figured I'd just call it 6:30 and play until 8. 

The wind was still strong so I resigned myself to playing in the parking structure. It was slow, what what else to do? I was playing this song that's from some anime or another that we learned in the shakuhachi class, and some Asian people going by started to sing along. I asked them if they knew what it was, and to them it's "A Japanese song; we're from Taiwan" so I really need to dig through my shakuhachi stuff and see if it have the sheet music because that will have the name or what anime it's from written on it. 

Later, a group of 6 boomers were charmed as hell with my "Autumn Leaves" and hung around to listen, and clapped when I was done. They tipped a whole $3 which is a lot for boomers since in their day that was the down payment for a new Ford Fairlane, or a house. 

It was finally 7:30 and the wind seemed to have died down. I decided to play the last half-hour up on the sidewalk and see how that goes. It went pretty well in that I got the odd tip, then a guy came up and I think put in a $10 after I'd played "Morning Has Broken" by Cat Stevens, and I'd said it's by Cat Stevens who was huge until he adopted Islam and the US music industry disowned him.

We got talking about busking and things, and I described how I'd played at the Christmas Marker in Mountain View, the only time I'd seen other buskers, with myself playing on the South end of Castro Street from the main market, and all the other buskers turning out to be at the North end, all with guitars and amps. 

Finally the guy got out another $20 and said I should treat myself (I'd mentioned "treating myself" by taking the train instead of the bus) and we said, "See you later" and I packed up. And while I was packed up and counting the money so I'd have a number in my head to record when I got home, a guy came up and handed me a $10, "Here you go buddy" and I thanked him. 

So I'd made $77 and that was $40 of it at least, in the last half hour up at street level.  

I walked over to Baraka Market and got olives and my yogurt drink. walked to the bus stop and got on a #22 back to my "home" Whole Foods. I put $20 on my clipper card which will take care of bus fares for the next week or two, got some nuts, etc. I also gave a dollar to a bum who asked, while I was putting things away in my bike bags. He said, cheerfully, "Someone already bought me a beer!", holding up a tall can. "Steel Reserve, that'll get the job done!" I said. 

I rode home and, crossing Santa Clara to get to the entry to San Pedro Square I had to stop abruptly to let someone walk past, and while I was stopped I noticed that a dark lump in a corner by a planter was emitting music. 

It turned out to be a guy playing some pretty cool guitar grooves, left-handed no less. I got out a dollar and gave it to him, and said he needs some lights so people can see him, and that I'd only noticed him because I'd had to stop to let someone past. Also that he really should try playing at the Whole Foods on the Alameda. 

Then maybe 10 yards further on, I was riding along and a group of people called out to me, asking if I had a match or a lighter. "I think I have a lighter," I said, "People are always dropping 'em and I pick 'em up". I dug around in the bike bag and found one and handed it over. That solved their emergency, the lighting of a spliff it seemed. They gave it back and I tried to get them to keep it but they were insistent. At least I know it works now. 

The rest of the ride home was nice and boring.  

Haha I take a look at Reddit and people are bitching about the high gas/diesel prices they voted for, due to the failing war with Iran they voted for. Why, the last time I paid $7 or more for gas was back in Arizona in 2008, when hmmm ... yes, that's right, a Republican was in charge. Funny how that works. 

 

Celebrating the fall of the Twin Towers

 ... is what the small-hats were doing yesterday. Their New Year's day, "Rosh Hashana" which is why 9/11 was done on ... 9/11. 

Fortunately more people are waking up to this. 

I photo'd up 20 things but was just too tired to list them, got some practice in which went surprisingly well considered I hadn't practiced all week, and went to bed. 

I woke up a bit before noon, halfway fell back to sleep and woke up again around 2. Sounds like but it's very early on my old schedule. 

I got out of here around 4:15 and was at the Sunnyvale Whole Foods at a quarter after 6. It was really windy. I started out playing out where the wind was, but it took a while to get even a first dollar. I went into the parking garage and it was stuffy, but I made a few more dollars. I tried out in the wind a couple more times but tips were super slow and it was the first time I actually worried about the money being blown out of the tip box so I just went back down into the parking structure and stayed there. 

It turned out kinda OK though. The funniest part was the old guy smiling and praising my playing. I'd been playing "Frank Sinatra" by Cake. When 8:00 rolled around I was ready to quit as it had been kind of wearing. High notes were working well for me though and now I'm a bit better at playing "Frank Sinatra" by Cake. 

I was mostly packed up and was counting the money so I'd have a figure in my head I could write down the the little book I use to keep track of such things, when a fat gal with a couple of other people with her came up with some money in her hand. "You're not playing ...." she said. "Nope! I'm packing up for the day!" was my chipper reply. She pulled the money back and walked away to catch up with her friends, who were likely headed to In-N-Out Burger or maybe Jamba Juice for one of these 1500-calorie health drinks. 

"That's an interesting take on things" I said to her broad back as she retreated. It's certainly a first. Having someone see that I'm done for the day, hand m the tip they've have put in the tip box, isn't unusual. They'd already made the decision to tip me, and it's a matter of, "here's the money I'd have given you earlier except I didn't have change/was in a hurry/wanted to get my shopping done first/etc." I've had people hand me money after I've packed up and was inside the store doing some shopping, myself. So this was kind of comical. 

I had a nice boring bus ride back to my "home" Whole Foods, bought a couple of things, had a nice boring ride back here, and did a count up. I'd made $59, had $1 in my wallet to start out, and amazingly still had $49. The cheese and can of tuna I'd bought at Whole Foods had been $8, and my yogurt drink from Baraka Market had been $3, and sure enough I came home with $49. 

And 72 "Payday" candy bars. I'm not sure what I'll do with at least $100 worth of candy bars, certainly not eat them. I guess I'll donate them here and there.