Of course the power's out

40th day sober. I got over an hour's practice in last night, and went to sleep around 6AM. When I woke up, of course the power was out, because as anyone knows, in the end times, the power's always going out. 

So I didn't have to worry about checking Ebay. I heated water on the butane stove using a tea pot and washed up and shaved etc., and took off at about 2. 

First I rode down Hedding, a route I'd not taken for at least a year so it was interesting to see places I'd not seen for a while. Those flat fields before I got to Coleman are now not just a homeless camping area but an actual homeless town. Lots of RVs and cars and some tents, but actual 1930s style shanties are all over. If they can just let them stay there long-term, they'll eventually self-govern to the point of keeping the place clean, and bad actors getting the cement overshoes treatment and being disappeared into Alviso Slough. 

I went over to Park Avenue Music, and looked around quite a bit. I didn't see any books I wanted, and they didn't have a Bach 6A mouthpiece (although they do have a 5A for $58 or so) or a single mouthpiece brush outside of a kit, but they did sell me 4 actual Yamaha spit valve corks for $5 which appear to be actual cork but a *lot* firmer than the ones I'd bought on Amazon. Like they might last a while. 

Next I rode over to the laptop place and locked the bike right out front. There was a zombie talking to itself endlessly, just standing there next to the door, but looked unlikely to do much else, so I took the laptop and went in. I checked the laptop in, and how they do it is, they do a "free" diagnostic to see if it's really the hard drive, then will call me and let me know what they can do and for how much. 

I went back out and the zombie was gone, and there was a sort of tallish, angular looking white guy, the kind of guy who looks like he belongs on some TV commercial selling "wine spritzers" to high schoolers. He had a dirty rag mop in his hand and said, "It's a zoo out here isn't it?" I kind of assented and asked him if he was visiting the area (with his dirty mop?) and he was out here from Pensacola, Florida, to "do work on the buildings here". (I'd guess the work involves little more technical than dirty floors.)

He then went on about how it's not like that at all where he lives, not at all. People don't do any graffiti or act up in any way, "Because it's run by conservatives".  He'd stepped in it then, because I proceeded to tell him what I think of conservatives and their attempted coup and my dismal chances to get a shot at any of the main players, not least the Rump himself, however much the oath I swore when I went into the Army requires me to take a shot if I can. He stared to backpedal, "That was never supposed to happen" he said, stepping back a bit. "No, you voted for this, you wanted this, this is what the Republican party is about now" and started to take off. "That's what liberals always do; run away" he said and I turned on him and told him I'm not a liberal, I'm a Marxist-Leninist-Maoist, and we're all for the proper treatment of criminals, shoot them in the back of the head and charge their families for the bullet. 

Then I really did take off but it might have been fun to hang around. Ask him if the economy's so great out in Sarasota, Florida, then why's he out here in California mopping bum cum off of flophouse floors? Bet he's got/had the house and the 2.4 children and all 2.4 of 'em hate him, and of course he's divorced (all these old white guys are) and so on. Is he mopping floors at the other end of the country from his home to pay child support or to support his mail-order Asian child-wife, or por que no los dos? It truly warms my heart to know his kind are dying out. 

The next stop was the food court place on 1st to use the bathroom then over to Da Kao for some yellow chicken curry. I ate that over at the college and I turned out to be close enough to the music building to hear someone doing long tones on some brass instrument. 

After eating I looked at the time - 4:07 whoops! My appointment at the bank was for 4. I rode over there and probably got there at 4:20 or so, and went right in. I asked if they're still requiring appointments or if it's just open now and it's just open now. So I'll keep going at the same time but not have to mess around with their web page making an appointment. 

Then there was some surprise as the teller told me to look out the front and there was a zombie taking a piss on the palm tree out front. "That's the only water that tree's going to get for months" I observed. I told her how in Paris at least for a while they had these sort of outdoor urinal things so people would have a place to go, and if a city doesn't have something like that, then this is what you get. He could have pissed in their ATM (or on my bike) so the palm tree getting it is about the best that can happen. 

Done at the bank, I went over to Nijiya for some shopping. Blondie was there and asked what was for dinner tonight and I started to say I was not sure because I'd had a big lunch (the curry) but I told him how, last night, I wanted a "cool" dinner so I made some cole slaw and had a couple of hard-boiled eggs which I found to be really tasty with some "seasoned pepper" and la-yu chili oil. 

I got back here and the power was back on. It still took about a half hour of messing around to get back online, but that might just be how it's going to be from here on out.