Hail, fellow - well wet!

 I was up around 3, with my headache pretty bad. I had a mug of water and then one of tea, couple aspirins, and loaded the bike up. 

It was a record load, 2 Whole Foods bags hanging off each handlebar and the saddlebags full of small bubble mailers. It was all post office stuff as the plan was to make the post office run first, then come back and pack this big heavy beastie of a thing and take that and the other FedEx stuff to FedEx. 

Coming back from the post office I went into H Mart for some soju and a can of Mr. Brown. There's this beggar, I think mentally disabled, who hangs out there all the time now, bugging people for money. I told the security guard about this ... person .. and the guard went out front and stood around, not chasing the beggar off but at least keeping the hustling from happening. 

I drank my Mr. Brown on the lee side of the California Fish place, out of the wind. It was real hat and gloves weather out there. 

I got back here and packed some fluidics connectors a guy wanted quick - he said he can't even get them from the manufacturer for something like 2-3 months so he really wanted these. He paid enough shipping that I could send it 2nd day air and we'd still make a nice profit on the shipping. So that's what I did. 

While I was packing the big beastie thing, I heard a clatter outside. It was hail. So it stormed and hailed for a while and I finished my packing and then put everything in plastic bags. I rode out around 6 maybe, maybe closer to 6:30, and the storm had passed but it was really wet now, with lots of standing water. 

The damned beggar was still in front of H Mart, bothering people. I ran in for a bottle of makgeolli and said something more to the guard, then took the several boxes I had to FedEx. I loaded up a cart they lent me. 

I was out onto Brokaw Road when my phone rang. I ducked back into the parking lot and answered it, it was Ken. FedEx had called him and said one of the packages is actually UPS. Oops! I went back over and picked up the package, and went over to the UPS that's on the other side of Oakland Road. It was 7:00 now and that UPS closes at 6:30. Some Indian guys were standing around outside, working their phones. I started to tell them about places downtown, and one of the guys said there's a UPS at the Doubletree hotel that closes at 7:30. "Thanks!" I said, "There's no way I'll make that so I'll just do it tomorrow". 

But I had a look at the time when I got to Fry's Electronics, and it was 7:03. I could make this, I decided. I'd just been to the Doubletree and remembered seeing a UPS place there. 

So I rode on over, they were open, and I dropped off the box. Then I wandered around trying to find this sushi place but was one street over. I'd never been on this part of Skyport Drive and followed it around, wondering if it connects with First. 

I passed by a red lit-up sign saying VIC'S. And I thought I'd seen tables outside in the passage way this VIC'S would be in, so I circled around and it turned out to be an Ike's Sandwiches. I've lived here for 10 years and never eaten at an Ike's so, time to try it out. 

Since my eyesight is not too good I had trouble reading the hand-painted menu on the wall and asked theme for a paper menu - no go. So I asked if they had any sandwiches with pastrami in them and the guy suggested a "Paul Ruben" so I had that. 

With tip that sandwich was a little over $17, but wow what a sandwich. By this time I was so tired and hungry, with all the packing and riding and cold weather. I joked with the guy about how some people follow the "OMAD" or One Meal A Day diet and "sometimes the one-meal-a-day is compulsory". 

But really, That sarnie is probably just about a day's calories, and I could get by on a one of those a day and a couple of eggs or something for breakfast and that would be spending $20 a day or $300 a month. It's pretty do-able. Not saying I'm gonna do it, but if I were an office worker around there it'd be a pretty solid plan. 

I got back out on the road and found it did connect with First, I stopped for some boxes here and there (rained on once but will dry out OK) and got back here. Thanks FedEx for telling Ken who could tell me that I'd dropped off the wrong package so promptly! Thanks nice Indian guys! Thanks Doubletree for being awesome and having a UPS! Thanks Ike's! 

Yes I did practice old Nori No Miyama last night and I think I'm improving. That shakuhachi class is the one little ray of sunshine in my life right now. I not only practiced the song but did a lot of noodling around, which is a good thing to do also. I can do at least the first part of "Iron Man". I can do "Iron Man" on trumpet after all, that song is rad. 

I've got our Ebay sales, a sort of 30-day running average they keep, above 10 grand. As I've noted, I think 6 grand is what it takes just to keep the place running and it's only anything over that that's profit for Ken. 

Ken will be here tomorrow night and for some reason, the landlord wants to come over and talk to us, mainly to Ken. That is ... not good news as far as I'm concerned, but Ken says the landlord said something about an end-of-year gift or present or something. 

I think two more years of working at this place is about all I can stand, and I hope I can be ready to jet to Hawaii ahead of time. 

But just to keep things interesting, I emailed Monty Levinson and asked him if he takes apprentices. Do I want to live in the wilds of Willits? I pretty much doubt it, but I want to see what he says. A rented room and a bike are all I'd need, or buy a van and kit it out to live in and park at Monty's place or something. The guy's one of the best shakuhachi makers on the planet.