322nd day sober. Yesterday went really well except for one thing. I was up early enough that I had time to prepare and list 10 things and not small things either, pack everything that had sold, and take it to the post office and FedEx.
Then, when I got back, I actually believed Amazon's line about the package with the trumpet gig bag being in by 9, and rode downtown. It was not there. Now it's excepted, well, "Contact us if it's not in by Wednesday".
There are two factors that actually make me want to go out busking this weekend though, even if it's only with the cornet which I'm having trouble with. One is, it's forecast to rain so I might dodge that but if it's anything like swap meets, people might be a lot more generous if it's almost raining. And, Ken's supposed to come by "this weekend" and rope me into more work which I want to avoid.
Downtown on a Friday night as things are now was interesting. It was very un-busy. The few places doing well had crowds and lots of alcohol. Because of all the zombies, it seemed the only people going out where those who could get a crowd of friends together, and being drunk helped make the dystopia bearable.
There were no people ambling around in ones and twos because of course the zombies made that too dangerous. And you don't see older people out and around these days, or people with children much. A crowd of "bros" might just take it into their heads to kick a zombie into their 2nd death and the zombies seem to realize it so that's what I saw: groups of "bros" with a few gals fit enough to run to safety while said "bros" dealt with any troubles from the undead.
Goodness knows I had enough trouble with them, myself. I'd be on one street, and a given zombie, making garbled sounds unique to that zombie so I know it was the same one, would get too close (10 meters is about as close as I'll let one get) and I'll ride a street over and around, and come back up the next street and there's that same damn zombie again, trying in its dim way to get close enough to eat my brains.
Or on my way home, there was a fat zombie on a bike which passed me (this is something the zombie movies get wrong in that the ones that are not too far gone can ride bikes) and I took a left at San Pedro Square and past the old post office and there was that same damn zombie again, just ahead of me. How did that even happen? That spooked me a bit and after riding slowly to let the zombie get well ahead, I went North on 1st, riding fast now, and up through Japantown (dead except for 7 Bamboo, a get drunk and sing karaoke place) and home.
San Pedro Square had a live band noising it up and a small crowd around the band, and was dead otherwise. The other end had some kind of canned music going so it was, you might say, un-buskable.
But before that, and after finding my package was not in, I went over to Whole Foods. The petition guy was out front, and there were hardly any customers going in and out. It was 8PM by now and amazing how dead it was.
The petition guy was in a heated discussion with a black guy. Something about Africa. Since the petition guy thinks he's Left and is actually far-right, he'd probably said something very bigoted and the black guy was not about to let that go past him. I went in and got a few things and when I came out the discussion was still on.
I felt bad for the black guy, who may not have been familiar with the saying about not arguing with an idiot. The point, with far-rightists, is not to be correct but to *make* their version of reality real by insisting on it, over and over again, and bludgeoning anyone who differs.
So while it makes no sense that a pizza parlor with no basement is keeping child slaves in their basement, or that Jews, simultaneously less creative and weaker than "Aryans" and also criminal masterminds with more physical vigor, are plotting to run the world, ask any Republican or "Conservative" in this cursed country about these things and they'll not only insist they're true but also insist you believe them also. And soon to be doing so at the point of a gun.
All I could do was repeatedly smile and nod at the black guy, behind the petition guy's back, to show I knew he was in the right. I hope he has the sense and the wherewithal to get out of here before the place goes full-on Turner Diaries and it's too late.
I got back here had some dinner, did the octaves practice for a while, and went to bed a bit after 2.
I woke up at 11, which is fine it being a Saturday. I had my nuts and coffee and vitamins and dithered around a bit, and checked the radar map and there was rain coming in. Soon it was pouring outside and even when that squall had passed over, it kept sprinkling/raining and stayed wet and cold. Good day to stay in.
I'm also glad to see the rain because at that trash enclosure, the one Crazy Chrissie hassled me over, there's been one of those medium sized coolers on wheels full of water and trash. No one's dared to mess with the thing, but I've got about everything else cleaned up in that enclosure and it was next on my list. I tipped the water out and it smelt like the bums have been using it as a toilet. Yuck! I managed to not get a drop on me and got it into the dumpster OK so now it's gone. Frankly I hope they have cameras on the area so they can see who's leaving the place better than they found it.
I sorted out the latest haul of over-the-counter medicine in little packets from the medical place. First I pulled out all the ones that are this somewhat pricey decongestant Ken's wife uses. And I took out the aspirin ones for myself. Then I put the rest in three gallon zipper bags to put in the three little free libraries I always visit.
Then I cooked up some miso soup with chashu and sliced fried tofu and seaweed and stuff, and that was good. Chashu's pretty expensive but it's awfully tasty.
Then I sorted out my stash of lots of different bags of band-aids I've accumulated over the last couple-few years and put those into three smaller bags to donate also. I get a kick out of scrounging stuff, and then it's fun to donate it (or, as I kind of see it, exchange it for books) so it's a pretty good hobby.
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