Some ease from my pains

 By the time Ken came by last night, at around 10, I actually felt good. My stomach was better, no headache, etc. I cleaned and vacuumed and was all ready when he came by. I got my check and we had a good ol' talk as usual, and I'd already listed my things for the day. 

Still, after that hard day with my stomach and forcing myself to work with the pain, all I wanted to do was take it easy and I just watched YouTube stuff and went to bed. 

I woke up at 8, decided I could use more sleep, and went back to sleep until 10:30. I'd taken maybe 4 grams of the L-Arginine powder last night but interspersed with my dinner of cheese, olives, and cucumber slices. My stomach feels fine now. 

I packed about 7-8 things that I could just take to the post office downtown, and headed out at 4. The post office drop offs went fine, with one kind of funny incident. As I was putting my bag away and unlocking my bike to leave, a *very* obese gal rode up on a mountain bike. There's a certain type, BMI of something like 35+, safety vest, helmet, and this gal was of this type. I looked away for a split second and heard a sort of "Oomph!" and the gal was flopping down on the thin grass that has a sort of half-height curb around it. 

I called out, "Are you OK?" and "Was that on purpose or an accident?" because it was almost like maybe she was just so tired or felt dizzy or something and flopped herself down for a rest. It turned out she'd stepped into a hole that was there, with the cover missing. We jokes about needing a helmet, "And maybe shin guards" she said, looking down at one enormous shin. All was well in the end and I rode off. 

I went to the bank and did my deposit and the money came out right to the penny so that's good. I rode over to Whole Foods and since they didn't have meat loaf I decided to get "Mediterranean" stuff, which turned out to be spendy because it's by weight. I also got a near-beer but this time, when eating, I looked at the carb content and it's 16g so I think it's seltzer water from here on out, even though it costs almost as much as beer anyway. 

There'd been a "Save The Children" booth set up, and as I'd locked up the bike, the skinny guy who used to set up a table and harass people came by, they told me when he'd left that he'd just asked for a brochure. But I was thinking, it's going to be busy at Whole Foods tonight. 

Which was academic, as I planned to try out Christmas In The Park. I walked over to the light rail stop and took the Green Line to Convention Center, and walked over. First I visited the caricature guys, and now they had some works in progress, and these guys are *good*. I told them so, too. 99% of what's called "caricature" in the US is really quickie portraits, and this is what one of the guys was doing, while the other was working off of a phone picture I think, something that looked a bit more exaggerated. 

I went over by the hair salon (or where it was) where it seemed like there was the least noise, and I was by one of those ticket things where you buy tickets for the rides too. After plying 15 minutes or so, nothing.  I went over by the steak house, next to the pillar where people come flooding through on and off of the cross walk, and a Chinese guy maybe around my age put in a dollar. 

This was super slow, so I walked into the actual Christmas In The Park and to the other side, and set up where the crosswalk ends at the other side. There appeared a guy with a dog and a sign, begging, and he didn't like my being there one bit. He came over and said his family owns "all of this". I said they should write him a big check, like those big ones people get on TV when they win the Publisher's Clearning House Sweepstakes. He said they wouldn't. And he said he didn't want me there. I said no problem I was heading up the way anyway. 

I went a bit further up and found a nice little niche, and played a bit when a tall carnie-looking guy came up and said I can't be there, but there's a "Free speech area" up at the end. I said that sounded good. The guy said he hated having to tell me to move, and if it were up to him he'd not do it, he knows how it is, etc. I said I'm really not hurting for money, this is a hobby etc. 

I went up to the end, and decided to play in front of the serpent/poop statue. I played a bit and a guy in his car leaned up and asked if I can play "Cucuracha" and I worked it out and play it, and went over and said, "Now I can!". Somewhere in here I'd gotten a couple more dollars and when a lady slowed her walk a bit, I said, "Hail the giant poop!" which she thought was funny but she didn't have change and said she'll be back. 

That's when I noticed a short, dumpy (aren't they all?) Karen type hovering around and now this officious blond nubbin was right in front of me saying I have to leave. The whole area, including sidewalks, is off limits. There *is* the stage, and live musicians can buy a slot there, starting at $100. I made fun of this doing my best impression of a "New England Lockjaw" accent which somehow I doubt she found funny. I got her card, though, and amazingly its name is not Karen. Nooo, it's Debbie Degutis. Yep, one letter away from Degustis. Or Degoutis. 

I walked back over to the light rail and took it back to Diridon Station. I'd played about a half-hour's worth and made $3. 

I figured it was cold enough to have scared the lightweights off and I'd play a bit at Whole Foods before calling it a night. After all, that Mediterranean style food and the near-beer had come to just under $20 and I wanted to defray at least a bit of that. 

I got to the bike racks and sure enough there was no one that I could see. I set up and was just warming up when who should set out of the shadows but Pee-Pee Lady with her sign. I started to say something and she snarled back I should not even talk to you after you stole that butter!!! I was like, "Whaa? What butter? She seethed, "I saw you steal it, you stole butter! I saw it!" etc. I said I've never stolen butter in my life. Then she got someone interested in the tale of woe on her sign, I guess, and she talked with them, probably just trying to talk them out of some money but I thought, "Great, she's going to tell everyone that I steal butter. But then, if they think I'm stealing food, maybe this will make me get more tips because anyone stealing food is really hard up". 

So she kept up doing whatever she was doing, and I kept playing, and neither of us got anything. She finally said, in a conversational and even comradely way, "People have no money. They have no cash because they're all using cards" and I just said "Yeah" or something noncommittal. And she kept it up and I kept it up and eventually she said something again about it being slow and I said that at least I'm getting practice, because once I go home my mind will shift to my work and I won't get any practice done. 

She finally went inside, maybe to steal some butter, and now I was alone. Tips started dribbling in. I played maybe 45 more minutes, maybe more like half and hour, and I got $15 plus another $1 a guy handed me as I was packing up. I got a cucumber to go with my cheese and olives for dinner and went through Kenny's checkout stand. So I had to tell him all the particulars, and I particularly told him about my being called a butter thief. His reaction was something like "You too, eh?" 

The thing is, I've been nice to this lady, I'd given her a bunch of good marking pens which she said she really appreciated, and yet she came, out of the blue, with this false or at least delusional accusation. This seems to be an invariable law, that if you try to befriend or do any favors for street scum, they will do their best to punish you for it. Tom's found that out with that scumbag James, Ken and I found out with a scumbag named Renee who used to live in the parking lot here, and now at a store where I'm known and which I rather like, I'm being accused of being a thief. 

I have a feeling Whole Foods is right up there with Target for knowing who's stealing what, though. And I'm well-trained having grown up as a "haole" in Hawaii - I never leave a store with something without the receipt. A lot of the time, that's who's doing the stealing there, the haoles. I even remember one time, in line at Kaya's Store which was lived next door to, a haole guy ahead of me in line looked at me with a conspiratorial smile, and stuffed a bag of boiled peanuts in his shorts or something. He flat-out stole it and I was too astonished to do or say anything. 

So I'm just going to be very neutral about Pee-Pee lady and any other street scum who are around. Be nice, but noncommittal. And never give them anything.  

I rode back here, thankful for my warm hat and gloves, and got settled in for the night.