July 4th 2016

July 4th Happy Independence Day

I wake up on the couch but Shawn and Anna are asleep so I decide to go back to bed. When I do see Shawn and Anna getting up I guess it's time to start the day even though I don't want to get out of the fluffy awesomeness of this couch.

We head off down the road and Shawn and Anna stop at the nearby 711 to use the bathroom. Shawn gets five bucks from someone and heads back in to buy a drink. Then I remember my gatorade I bought the other night and I'm about to go in to see if I can trade it for a cold one but Shawn offers to check since he said he just had a good experience with the cashier. However, he comes out with the same warm gatorade. He tells me the guy said if I bought it today I could but wouldn't do it otherwise. Seriously what kind of bull is that you can return stuff anywhere for at least a week, if not 30 days, check the expiration date it's still good. I consider going in to argue my case but it's too early for this. I just go ahead and drink it warm as we walk away.

Sean and Anna are getting picked up by Anna's grandfather today to spend the fourth with Anna's family. They use my phone to call him before we say our goodbyes and split up. They head over to Walmart while I go back to my favorite 711 in the area despite their belief that the manager there is an asshole who will probably make me leave, since I do prefer to be my own judge on matters like that.

July 4th part two

I head over to sevs and grab myself two bananas and a donut, the hobo rockstar special, as well as an Arizona since I don't have any cash for a coffee.

I head outside and entertain the customers until about 1130. I need five dollars to take the train to Hollywood to meet up with a friend for a new years drink. I make three pretty quickly and then someone gives me two dollars and tells me to get a coffee. Well I would have what I need but if someone gives me money for a specific purpose, I spend it for that purpose. So I head in and get a coffee. Good thing he told me to get that coffee because now I can sing much better.

I decide to start my set over from the beginning and towards the end of my set I see my brother from the day before, the one who paid for my coffee, he gives me two dollars and tells me to get myself a coffee. I tell him i just had some so I'll use it for food, he says that's cool. By the time I'm done here I have about ten dollars, that's train fare and lunch, most excellent. I finish up by recording America the Beautiful to wish everyone a Happy Fourth of July then it time to move on.

July 4th part 3

On my way to the train station I see a restaurant called Michael's Cafe 2 and I think I remember eating here. I know I at least stopped here because I see the same man with a camera shooting pictures or maybe video. I remember talking to him last time and hope that it happens again.

I park the TARDIS and head inside to take a look at the menu, too expensive for me. I head outside and take a seat on the bench to rest up a bit and play a couple songs. I remember that last time I got in the way of the man's shots and this is why we ended up talking. However this time I sat out of the way. I'm about to put myself in the way to recreate the event but as I'm getting up I see the man walk over to his car and as he opens the door he asks if I'm any good, I say kinda and he just gets in the car, shit I think that was an important one too, oh well that's the way this cookie crumbles.

July 4th part IV

Down the block from Michael's I see a taco bell and decide to stop here for a bite, a charge, and to catch up on my writing. I remember stopping here last time and I already know I'm going to be here until about three.

I enter the doors and locate quite a few outlets in the wall. As I'm putting my guitar in a seat however i notice that at the bar seats they have outlets built in staring you right in the face. I go with this because the wall outlets are low to the ground and the tables are rather high, I don't think the phone would reach the table and even if it did there'd be a greater risk of the phone falling. Funny thing about this taco bell, the inside is identical to the one I am currently in.

I spend the next few hours catching up on my writing and by the time I'm done it's 245. I head outside and smoke a cigarette then play a short set, just the Am and C songs. Then I finish with America the Beautiful.

While I'm playing a girl gives me a dollar, then later as she's leaving gives me a few more. The second time she seems upset, like she feels bad for me almost crying and this leaves me thinking. Was she moved by my song or am I singing so badly she feels bad for me.

While singing lately when I hit certain notes I've been noticing like an earpopping thing going on and I was interpreting this to mean that I was hitting the right note perfectly. However something hasn't been feeling right about some of the notes I've been hitting, maybe I only get the earpopping when I hit certain notes perfectly but now I've been making myself hit these notes when I should be singing a different one. I decide I'm going to need to do a test.

July 4th part five

I pass by a place called the Rand Eye Institute and decide to record Eye Cannot See in front of the sign. I listen to it as I walk away and it doesn't sound that great. When I get to the corner i see the building towering over me with the name in huge letters up above. I decide to do a reshoot here and sing it more relaxed and like I used to, not how I've been forcing my self to lately, trying to keep the earpop notes. After a few tries I finally get the camera positioned so that you can see the entire name of the place and I rock out. I head off towards the train station as I listen to this version, it sounds a million times better.

July 4th part 6

I continue on down the road and I pass a shopping center and on the sign I see a place called Hawaii TA I think I remember something about this place, maybe I get a drink here. However after checking the lot I don't see the place, maybe I did the same thing last time.

I continue towards the train tracks and make the left. I try following the signs for the tri rail but they keep pointing into a construction area but this seems familiar as well and I remember I just have to go around.

When I get to the train station all of the ticket machines are down, at least all the cash machines. I even check the machines on the other side. For some reason some machines take cash and credit but others only accept credit card, it almost screams to me if you don't have a credit card you have to suffer and wait for the one machine while the better people who have credit cards can use whichever machine they want. I remember this happening last time and I almost took it as a sign that I shouldn't get on the train, I even turned around and left but a few blocks away I realized that it means a free ride. This time I already know it means a free ride.

The train warning goes off just as I'm heading back to the right side and I run to get over there.

The pompano station is very short and you only have access to two cars. I go over to the door with the bike storage area and oh no there are already three bikes there, well I'm getting onto this train and seeing my friend so I wrestle my cart onto the train and position it as best I can so as not to block the way too much.

A short while later a train worker comes over to me and says he would have me move to another car but all the cars are packed with bikes and he should have me get off but he wishes me a happy fourth and tells me just to make sure people can get through. Thank you sir. This seems familiar as well and I wonder how I would have gotten my bike and trailer on here. Then I remember that I could fold the bike right alongside the trailer and it wouldn't take up much more room than my current setup, I was probably on a slightly earlier train as well and was able to put my bike into one of the bike racks.

At the next stop someone gets off with one of the bikes and after a little dancing around he gets out and I get my cart positioned much better.

A couple stops later another man gets off with his bike and the people who were standing next to me find seats so I'm able to get my cart set up so it's not blocking the way at all. There are lines on the floor indicating the pathway which shouldn't have stuff there and it just barely crosses it.

A little while later a ticket checker shows up and I tell her I got on at pompano, the machines were down she tells me to be careful nobody walks into my stick and moves on.

Finally I make it back to Hollywood.

July 4th part VII

After getting off the train I try contacting my friend but no answer. I decide to start heading towards Young's circle and then the beach assuming he's at a hotel down that way but when I get a few blocks something tells me to turn around.

I walk back past the train station and at the bus stop there I see all these duckies and I love duckies, thank you, boy am I glad I came this way. I know Glenn said bread is no good for them, but it makes them so happy and I have nothing else to share and it's also the fourth of July so I break out the bread I have.

The ducks see me digging in my pack and they already know what's up. They start crowding around my cart. I wonder if they will eat out of my hand and I hold out a piece of bread, the biggest one isn't scared and strikes, he gets the bread but I also get a nasty duck bite, good thing they don't have teeth. I spend a good deal of time feeding the ducks and making sure that they all get a fare share. The other ducks are a little less aggressive than the first one and grab the food without snapping down on my hands. I have to keep that first duck away as I feed some of the smaller duckies. It's a little confusing because there are two large ducks that look similar and one bites with wild abandon while the other is much more gentle and more than once I thought I was dealing with the gentle one only to find a ducks beak clamp on my hand.

Like all good things this too must end. I still have more bread and consider feeding it to them but I don't want to overdo it they each must've had at least a whole slice if not more. I say my goodbyes and wish my duckie friends a happy fourth.

July 4th part eight

After my duckie adventure I figure I should start heading in my friend's direction but something tells me to enter this park next to the station. I walk through it seeing lizards running all around and figure I must have died and gone to heaven. Duckies and now lizards it's almost too good to be true. I say hi to all the lizards as I pass, wishing them a happy fourth of July, I'm so happy.

As I continue thru the park I pass a children's playground and consider stopping to play a few songs but my throat is too dry, I need a drink.

Further down I see a skatepark and I remember playing over there and making a few friends. I consider heading there now but first I want to get a drink.

I continue out of the park and see a shopping center on the other side with a Family Dollar and a Bravo Supermarket. In case you don't know how I feel about family dollar, while usually I'm all for anything family I find this name deceiving, it leaves one with the impression that it is a dollar store and you go there only to be disappointed by a regular store. So needless to say I go to Bravo.

I park my cart and as I do I remember being here and playing some guitar, I also remember being told to leave. I decide to check if I'm right but first a drink.

They have dollar Arizonas and I buy one then head outside and start playing.

I get through a few songs with security right at my back and people are handing me dollars. Maybe I was wrong about this place, but in the middle of Hey Mary here he comes to tell me to leave.

I relocate on the sidewalk at the other side of the lot and scream the next few songs to get rid of some anger, then I move over to the parking lot entrance realizing that's probably a better place.

As I resume singing I regret screaming those few songs because now I'm having trouble singing the rest of my set but I sing through all my songs despite it.

While I'm playing I see a man at the Chinese food place nearby. I already know we're going to meet and spend some time together at some point. What do ya know, mid set I see him approaching me and we talk a bit. He works as a delivery man for the Chinese place, don't see that too often, actually I don't think I've ever seen anybody working for a Chinese food place that wasn't chinese except the last time I went through this. He has to get back to work but he tells me to rock on.

I finish up my set and I remember that I eat at this chinese food place, but it's also getting late and I want to head over to the skatepark hoping I didn't miss meeting my new friends over there already. Did I do both last time maybe I'm behind schedule without the bike. So do I grab some Chinese or do I head back to the skatepark to meet my new friends? Well, I choose friends over food and head over to the skatepark.

July 4th part 9

On my way to the skate park I see a drive thru convenience store that says they accept EBT so I stop there to grab a drink but they recently changed owners and the new guy doesn't accept EBT. Well that sucks.

I continue down to the skatepark and take a seat at a bench. I start playing and am a bit nervous when I begin but that goes away as I see people giving me thumbs up and nodding in my direction.

At one point I'm joined by a couple skaters who listen to me play. When I feel my throat getting a bit dry I take a break and introduce myself. Their names are Ashen and Los and I tell them a bit about my life and adventures. Ashen tells me he's never been anywhere else but Michigan, which is where he's from and he wants to do more traveling. He also tells me a bit about his family life and I tell him of mine.

Before I head off we smoke and Bullshit a bit but then I get a message from my friend saying he'll be at Young's Circle at 9. I head out around 840 thinking I'm not that far away but I end up taking a slight detour in the wrong direction and it takes me about an hour somehow to get to the circle.

July 4th part X

On the walk to the circle I hear fireworks going off all over the place, but I can't see any, the buildings are in the way. Something tells me to turn down a block and when I do I get a beautiful show of fireworks exploding straight ahead of me way down the room, thanks again. It turns out I walked the wrong way here and have to turn around but I think it was worth it.

I get to Young's Circle and hit my friend up but don't hear anything back. I'm about to walk around the circle when something tells me to walk through the center of the circle. I take a seat and as I'm tuning up and about to start playing I hear a lady yelling you can't do that here there are children here, I'm going to get the police, do you want me to have the police come here. I think she's talking to me, my act is very kid friendly, so after a few times of asking her if she's talking to me and just hearing her yell more I decided just to play anyway. As I play I find out there were people down the pathway behind me, I guess they were smoking or something.

A few songs in I'm joined by a pair of young men. One of them asks to play my guitar and he starts to but his friend says they need to get going. So he hands me back the guitar and says he'll head back this way when they're done. He also asks if he can play if I see him then. I tell him no problem as his friend says you can always ask, the worst he can say is no.

My friend never gets back to me but I am joined by another man. He gives guitar lessons over at guitar center. After i play a song or two he asks to play, I'm kinda thankful for a break, I've been playing all day, it'll be nice to hear someone else play. I sort of regret that decision however, not that I didn't enjoy his playing, it was actually an interesting medley of many different song snippets, a sort of musical journey through time, but he just keeps at it for so long to the point it gets boring and repetitive. While he's playing a park worker shows up and tells us that the park is closing, we have to go.

As I'm heading out I see a group right next to us, it doesn't look like they have to leave. I wonder if one of them is my friend but I check a photo on facebook and I don't think so although one of the girls looks a bit like his wife. I probably should have at least asked, the worst they could say is no and maybe I could have made some new friends. I do have a vague recollection of spending time with this group here, but as I consider talking to them guitar teacher decides to head off with me.

We end up sitting at a bench on the outside of the circle and my companion for the evening asks if we're allowed to be here with the park closed. I point inward and say as far as I'm concerned that is the park and this ring around it is the sidewalk and unless someone of authority tells me I'm wrong I'm going to treat it that way, the worst that's going to happen is they'll tell me to leave.

We sit here for a bit, trading off songs and we both make a buck. He keeps doing the same long drawn out kind of thing sometimes throwing a new song into the mix but mostly playing a lot of the same snippets he included the first time. I get tired while he's playing and start dozing off, I wake up to him telling me he's going to head off. I tell him goodnight and we go our separate ways

July 4th part eleven

I head off with the intention of finding a place to sleep but on the way I get a second wind. I decide to stop and play a short set on the corner by PRL where I met Maria. Its out of earshot of the place that plays the Bob Marley music all the time so that I'm not screwing up their music, it seems like a good spot to play.

I play a short set and a few people that walk by tell me to keep up the good work. I even pick up a dollar or two. When I get through all the Am and C songs I can tell my throat is getting dry and my singing is slipping so I decide to make it a short set and decide to just play the hits so I finish with One Call, My Mind Is Moved and Pot Pie. Then I head off.

I consider stopping by PRL but it doesn't look like Sarah is working so I continue on.

As I walk I'm a bit undecided about whether I should call it a night or stop somewhere for a drink. I check my phone and it's one now, most bars close here at two so I figure it's not worth it. Then a short while later I consider stopping somewhere but I don't see anyplace that seems good so I just head off.

I know a good spot down by the library circle through a hole in a fence by a field and I decide to head there.

When I get to the spot it seems like it will be difficult to get the TARDIS through the hole so I head around the block to see if I can get in on the other side of the field. On the way as I'm heading down an alley I see a car stopped. As I approach it pulls away and drives past me. When I get to the spot it was stopped at I find a dollar, why thank you, God bless. I continue down and find a cut through to the block I'm trying to get to. I keep on and when I get to the field I discover that there is a fence on this side as well, it didn't look like there was from the other side, oh well, guess I gotta head back and squeeze through the hole.

I return to the hole and am able to fit the TARDIS through, I just have to take my bamboo pole out first. I figure I can just camp right here since there are bushes that will give me cover, but they aren't that thick so I decide to explore the rest of the lot. I see a thicket of bushes to my left and check those out first, but it looks like it is already somebody's spot because I see a blanket laid out on the ground so I leave it be. Then I check the bushes on the other side, by where I'm at but a little bit further down, along the wall of the building that is next door, but there is no clearing behind them. Looks like I'll just stay where I'm at. I'm thirsty so I drink the rest of the flat cola I've got that I had gotten from the nice people at TY park a couple weeks ago. Then I drift off to dreamland.

Later dudes