Gut Shabbos

After Ken left last night, I was exhausted. I'd been charging hard from Thursday evening on until 6AM, slept and as soon as I woke up I was on the bike, dashing around delivering packages and shopping.

All I felt like doing at all, was nothing. So I just watched stuff on YouTube, drank, and eventually went to bed.

I woke up at 3 in the afternoon. I checked Ebay - no emergencies - and fixed up delicious chicory coffee etc., and checked the weather report and radar map. Rain's coming but it was really beautiful out there, and I decided I'd find some reasons to ride at least as far as Japantown.

I gathered up some books and jazz magazines to donate to the little free library on 6th, bagged up some trash, and started out.

First stop was to gather some malva seeds while things are dry out there, because I might want to plant some when the rains start again. Next I got as far as a dumpster by a flooring place where I got a lot of thin 'foam sheet' which is excellent for packing.

I rode over to J-town and put the trash in a trash can, then went over to the little free library and neatened it up and put my books and magazines in. And took out a book on semantics called "Drive Yourself Sane" which looks really interesting.

I'd done what I'd set out to do, but didn't feel like going back yet, so I decided I'll follow 6th street all the way and see how far it goes downtown (it goes to one edge of the city hall/university complex). I saw the Lee's Sandwiches and thought, Hey I'll get some boiled peanuts. I went in and they either don't sell them any more, or at least didn't have them that day. I started eyeing the chicken-on-rice, beef, etc plates they had all ready made. "Those are two-for-one today" the lady said. So I got two, one with two kinds of chicken on it and one with chicken and fried egg, and a bottle of water. I put the one I wanted to eat in my top bike bag, and with the plate lunch and bottle of water in the bag the lady gave me, started looking for someone in need of a meal. There was a crazy lady ranting and crying and walking along, who didn't seem to notice I was even there as I tried to get her attention. I rode up the street, and pretty soon saw an older guy sitting on the cement sort of "lawn edge" the little lawns there have, with a backpack on his back. "Hey, ya hungry?" I called out, and he was, and we both settled in to eat, sitting about 10 feet apart.

I'd forgotten how good Lee's makes their stuff, and the guy was extremely grateful and liked the food too. The houses we sat in front of are student houses so nobody bothered us, talking and eating and myself tossing chicken bones into the flowers at the base of a tree. It was really fucking glorious. The weather was nice, the food was good, the grass perfect for wiping my hands on, etc. The guy told me he's not homeless but lives right around there, but has to pay $300 a week. In other words, he's paying about $1300 a month for what may be a bunk bed or something because if you've got a decent place to live, you're not hanging out on the street with your backpack. He gets work here and there, and has savings. I told him about my situation, which is exceedingly lucky.

We finished eating and I dumped most of my rice at the base of the tree for the friendly woodland creatures, and we parted. I decided to ride around a bit more. I rode by Bike Express in case there was a dumpster with bike tubes, but no luck. I stopped by Dakao thinking maybe I'll get my boiled peanuts after all, but they'd just closed. I talked a bit with a homeless Asian guy hanging out in their parking lot (was going to buy him a sandwich) but no luck for us. I was going to give him a few dollars but another homeless person looking pretty zombie-fied came up and I wished the first guy well and got out of there.

I stopped by Haberdasher to see about a beer, but they had crap beers, and beers like Pliny that they wanted far too much for. I decided to follow 7th street from the university to J-town since that would be new territory for me. I rode along, looking at the unfamiliar houses, and someone had artichoke plants out front, covered with artichokes. A bit past their prime, but the smaller ones looked a bit "younger" so I took a bunch of those, amounting to a bit over a pound.

When I got to J-town I stopped by Jack's but they looked closed. I decided that being a bar they'd charge me bar price for a can of Guinness so decided I'd find those two little liquor stores that face each other from their respective corners, and rode down 4th, trying to find them.

Near the school, there was a guy standing on the edge of the street, playing a guitar. I circled around and said it's too bad I don't have my trumpet with me. He said that's a good thing and we had a laugh. I said I have to work on my "Free Bird" anyway.  I then rode on toward Hedding, then circled around and back to the guitar guy, and asked him where the liquor stores are. He said the two are over on Empire, and then there's one on Taylor and 3rd. I thanked him and rode off.

I wasn't going to go all the way over to Empire, so I went to Taylor and 3rd and it was good old TAK Market. I used to go there years ago when I was paying $20 a night a room in the ghetto part of San Jose and often stopped in for a 40. It's changed owners apparently, and is like a Library Of Congress of micro brews. One of Ken's sons and I went through a great deal of trouble to go to a place in Mountain View that had lots of different beers, and TAK has 'em beat by a mile. Of course I just got a pint of Lagunitas but they have things like "Spaceballs: The Beer". The gals running the place are really nice too.

I rode back here, checking "my" veggie dumpster and it wasn't put out so today's foraging "income" was a bit over a lb of artichokes. When I was taking them, a nice couple came by and said they let them just grow every year, and they just go to flower. That's interesting because while I may take some more, going to flower means I can save some seeds.

The reason I desperately needed beer was that Uncle Yu's spicy fish balls are good, but it's conditional. They're good with beer.

Riding home, I reflected that once it was dark on Friday, I'd just come back and then when Ken came over we didn't do any work, just sat and talked. I think he was considering moving this big machine we've sold to his truck, but I said rain's coming through and it'd be better to do it on Tuesday. Then I'd just lazed around, slept, and when I got up really didn't do any work, or even cook if you don't count brewing coffee. I'd done something like of like observing shabbos. Nowhere near a real one, because I'd carried things, bought, harvested, etc. but something akin to it.

I did two Amazon buys today. One is a Mora Knives "companion" which is supposed to be just a darned good knife, maybe a modern counterpart to my beloved Ka-Bar that I had when I was 12. The  other is another bike light, because my headlight gave out. They have a sort of snap on the bottom, and after so many on-off cycles it just wears out. The light's still fine, and I put yellow tape on it and will use it as another flashlight. So I ordered another one of those - I have a new spare ready to go, and besides ordering one on Amazon, I might buy one or the headlight/tail light set from Bike Express because they're local, and I want to get a set of tires/tubes/rim bands for the bike trailer, and another patch kit.

I've also got my savings up to $1000 now which is a nice round number. I'll have to hold off on cash-stashing for a while though, until after I've paid my taxes.

Now that I know where the guy with the guitar hangs out, I really should take my cornet with me. I didn't go into any stores other than Lee's today, and carrying my cornet in the cheezy little gig bag I got with it would be easy. I could have tooted a few tunes around City Hall and other places where people are spaced far apart. 

Dinner was a bowl of guacamole I made because one of the avocados I had needed to be used right away. I got them from Whole Foods a week ago. I'll have to eat the other two tomorrow and maybe the next day if not both tomorrow too. I expect to be rained in tomorrow and probably Monday also, so that  I may pack things tomorrow I won't physically take them to the post office etc until Tuesday.