$1.50

 I practiced a bit last night and worked, in the end, on "El Condor Pasa" so I'd feel like I'd accomplished something - a new song. Now, my range is good enough to play it without pooping out on the high notes. 

Then I drank wine, and a little more wine, and went to bed. I get the impression I woke up around noon, looked at the clock, and decided I could sleep some more. Then  I had a dream where I was in the temple and it was a huge place, teeming with kids. Everyone had to take pains to always be good examples to the kids. I had an appointment with the rabbi, and we sat down opposite each other, barefoot and with our legs crossed, on the floor on a rug or something. I kept brushing the hair out of my eyes. How could I have hair in my eyes if I just gave myself a haircut? Then I woke up. 

It was 3:30 and I had to be out of here at 4. In that half-hour I got cleaned up, put on clean clothes, shined my shoes, got my trumpet and tip box together, bag up my trash, and luckily I had a dozen packages all ready to grab and go, to take to the post office downtown. 

I even found time to stop at Nijiya and use my change to buy a can of black coffee. I was not to touch it until I got back here, just now. 

I got to the post office and dropped the packages off, then to the bank - my accounting and theirs agreed perfectly, which is always nice. It's also nice to see my balance just above 8 grand. 

Then to Whole Foods where I got some roast beef and a "black light" beer, and sat down to eat. Except if you ask the kid at the counter for 1/4 lb of something, he'll generally give you closer to half, which can be annoying because I ended up not wanting to eat it all. I gave the last few slices to some tattooed ne'er-do-well on a bike, and he took it eagerly. More surprisingly, he went right inside with it. Did he try to return it? It was very strange and I should not do favors for scumbags. Should have left it by the trash where a crow would get it. 

I walked around inside the store, planning what I'd like to buy on my way back from today's adventure, and interestingly this seemed to attract the attention of one of the security guys. He sidled up really close and said something like "How's it going, buddy?" and I said something like "Oh, fine" and that was that. I used the loo and then headed for the train station. 

I had to work out which train was a "local" which would stop at California Avenue in Palo Alto. The train ride was kind of nice because I sat on the top level and was able to see all kinds of things, businesses, and where the bums camp, and so on. 

I got to California Avenue and walked over to Mollie Stone's, which is a health food store that had flyers at the temple about their Kosher for Passover offerings. I might buy all kinds of things, but at least I'd get a bottle or two of Kosher wine for my first Passover. 

They have a whole Kosher section, and a nice British section too. The place is huge and it's a very nice store, but their prices make Whole Foods look like Walmart. In the end I got two bottles of wine and some nifty little aluminum foil liners for candle holders and that was something like $42. 

Part of my plan was to busk in front of Mollie Stone's because about 20 years ago a busker I knew had busked there. But it was really dead so I figured Sunnyvale would be better. 

I got on the train again back to Sunnyvale and went into their Whole Foods for some food, and one of those little 4-packs of wine. I ended up getting a single, very large, chicken tender and sat in the eating area and ate that and had a little bottle of wine. I quickly realized I was in the middle of a Go club meeting/tournement. It was pretty great, everyone playing Go at all the tables except for a few, and someone at the end table teaching a few people the rules of Go. I've lived in flyover country where even playing chess can get you in some real trouble and banned from a place and here are all these people playing Go. When I was done eating and chewing gum to clean my mouth, I went to one of the guys who looked like he was in charge and said it was great to see them playing Go and were the meetings every Thursday? He said they were. 

I set up where I had the last time, by the door where people go in and out of the parking structure. And .... I got nothing, absolutely nothing. Granted, it was dark this time and the bunch of plants they have there now block the light so I was playing in a pretty dark area. 

Eventually I gave up and tried over by the other door, where people going to Target and the theater pass by. I got a few compliments, but no tips at all. 

I decided to try Murphy Street, and I did get one tip, from a gal on a bike who seemed to listen for a while and very carefully consider whether to tip. She put in $1.50 in change. I'd played in each place 15 minutes and now I had to go, to catch the 9:01 train. 

I got back to Diridon Station at about 9:30 and went right into Whole Foods and bought the things I'd considered and not bought earlier. I guess I could have put in a 4th, 15-minute slot playing there from 9:45 to close but I didn't feel like it. Likewise, while there were people walking around in San Pedro Square and possibly some tips to be had, I just rode through and straight on back here. 

Once back here I did some parking lot cleanup, got rid of stuff, and picked up what turns out to be about $1000 worth of things that I'll list tonight and that I just had to drop a quick email to Ken about. 

I had a lot of time on the ride back to think about why I made so little. It could be because people are worried about their taxes. But I think honestly it was because I was trying to busk at 8 and 9 at night, which because of the Wartime 3-Hour Shift, is like busking at midnight or even later. 8 at night in this area is the same as 11 at night in any other city. We were already The City That Goes To Bed Early a decade ago, but we're even more so now. 

I should mention that it was *at least* 80 degrees F today. It was hot as hell. Maybe the heat was unsettling; maybe it was why people didn't tip. 

And now it's almost 7AM and I have listed things on Ebay including the $1000 or so worth of stuff I found, and I won't post again until late Saturday night.