Home for another few days
This second trip to SB was crazy. It took us forever to leave, and then we got lost a few times on the way there. We kept calling N and C in the hotel, giving them updates about where we were, except that we had been in those places hours before.I guess that we were back for almost two weeks. During that time, N and C got more and more worried about money, and started bugging B about it ALL the time. The three of them missed at least two days of working because of all this fighting, and they also ate up all of my free time, because we were having meetings at 8pm every night.
At the SB Farmers' Market, I ran into a guy who had asked me the week before about working as a signature gatherer. I had gotten his number, but B had never called him. I got him and B hooked up, and he worked a bit. The very last thing that we did on the way out of town was get him a check. His name is Mike, he is a street artist, and when he hasn't been up all night, he has the prettiest dark blue eyes... (Zak has the prettiest bluish grey eyes.) I didn't have any time for pursuing romance, but I did daydream about it. Even to the point of figuring out how many sex partners I have had. It's good to remember the number once in a while, in case you ever have any new lovers.
Anyhow, I worked a lot, had some awesome days and some eh days. Zak is always surprised by how chipper I sound there. Yeah, I am happier dealing with 10 hour work days and lots of money coming in-- but it's because I know that the long days will not last. My body can do this, at least for a little bit.
I talked with my Ma and with Laurens on Sunday (Easter). Got the 411 and whatnot. It was a terrible day for working at the location that I chose. It was a weird weekend, because I knew that I was going to come home on Monday or Tuesday, but I didn't know how I was going to get here. Not until Monday morning, when B said that he (ie, we) would be driving back. We stopped in a few places to check out places to work. We also missed one or two places that we had wanted to look at. He was telling me long stories about his life with the Hog Farm. We found some REALLY great places to work. I may be stuck in a hotel all by myself for a few days, out in bumfuck, California next week. Should be interesting.
I also went into a Wal-Mart for the second time. Pretty amazing place, too bad they are so evil. I also have to say that the work I do with the petitions is fairly evil-- selling democracy. I'm basically like, "Please sign, so you can participate in the political process!" I saw an email somewhere last week about an "A for Anarchy" campaign. I would love to go out to the V for Vendetta movie and talk to folks about anarchy. I would love to go to supermarkets and stuff and talk to people about it, too, but it doesn't pay. I would love to have time and money to be able to go to the movies. Maybe another 24 hours in the day.
So we got home at about 11 last night (Monday night). Today I had to get up and work, and it was a stressful day because I overslept and didn't get to pick up my medication, so I didn't take it, and then after work I had to buy supplies and meet Zak for a late lunch, and then I got a flat on the way to the pharmacy (lugging my trailer with my cleaning supplies the whole time)... I called Jesse and he did the whole patching process in less than 10 minutes. It would have taken me a whole hour.
At least I got a nap in, with Zak even. :) And I got to work on Indybay and watch TV at the same time.
I got an email today about a new broadband for the car thingie. Too bad I couldn't have been a tester for that on this trip. My riseup account filled up so many times!!! And some people (sorry, Elizabeth) tried so hard to get me to do indymedia work for them...
I did the math for all the things that I could think of that I needed money for a few weeks ago, and it came out to $3500. When I got home I realized that I need to get a new monitor. I keep saying that when I get the money I will get a laptop. This is a difficult dilemma, because I love this computer and 2.5GHz still seems pretty fast. Maybe if I work enough, I can get both (bringing the total closer to $4000 and I have probably made less than half that, after expenses). Then my house could smell like plastic and give me headaches for a few weeks. I am also working to try to get money for an apartment.
What I learned today: If I continue to clean houses by bike, I will continue to be miserable. If I stop cleaning houses by bike and figure out a way to travel every few months, I will be happier.
posted by mahtin @ 11:24 PM
