Last night I made sure to have all the things packed that had to go out today, so at least I'd get those out. I woke up at around 3, and packed four more small things and took off at 4.
The drop-offs went fine, and I went to H Mart for some shopping. I got a number of things and loaded the bike up, then went back in thinking I'd get some sort of a snack. Well, first between my first go around and this second one, I had 2 gyoza samples and 3 marinated beef samples, and along with the snack I got a can of Mr. Brown black coffee so I had that out front before leaving so I was pretty well set up. Fed and caffeinated.
I got right back here, unloaded things, and went back out with the bike trailer and step-stool and hit up the medical place again, where I found a couple of things. That was OK though, the trip was worth it.
Then, before being in for the night, I looked in the one dumpster on the other side of the building that's closest, and found a big Nordstrom's bag full of clothes. I sniffed them - there are two kinds of clothes-donators; one kind donates them rather than both with washing them, and the other kind will wash them and fold them neatly. These were donated by the 2nd kind. So I grabbed that bag and put it back in here to sort out later.
Then I took a large bag here that held an old, no-name "custom made" wetsuit of Ken's from the 1970s that he wanted me to sell or donate. I decided to donate it - to a trash can. So I took that out and checked the *other* dumpster, and found tons and tons of neat mechanical fixtures and gears and stuff like that, all new. So I laid the wetsuit on top of the dumpster because it's a bunch of motorcycle and race-car guys around there and maybe one of them will use it, and loaded the bag up with gears and fittings and neat mechanical things that can be put on Ebay, and so I think I made a good trade. I'd not have found that stuff if I didn't take the wetsuit there, so to me it's a trade.
Finally I was ready to be in for the night and sat down to enjoy my snack - these little crabs that are fried whole that they sell at H Mart. They're delicious and pretty much eating ze bugs. Bugs and beer, it's hard to beat.
On NPR they did an interview with a couple who do music in a 1940s style, like Nat King Cole and Johnny Mercer. They really had the sound down pat. At one point the guy talked about busking in the New York City subways. At first there was no cell phone coverage down there, it was this one place where people weren't under the thrall of their cell phones. People would listen to him, and maybe for 2-3 songs, then decide, he thought, "How can I *not* give this guy some money?" The songs he sang connected with people, with the breakup they were going through or the new job they just got, or whatever was going on with their lives. Then cellular service "came in" and that's when he "went out".
I wonder if this is a good part of why I've done so well busking at Whole Foods? The segment of the population that goes in and buys groceries in person isn't the same one that sleepwalks around, captivated by their phones. If I could only get up in the morning, I could try busking at farmer's markets as well. I don't think there are a lot of phone-starers at those.
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