Blog Goes Into Orbit

• I Pounce Upon Laptop Deal

The Toshiba Satellite laptop, which is on sale at Radio Shack, for $148 bucks (60% off) is a deal which I think that I need to pounce upon,

as, a quick of e-bay, has shown me that the very same computer is being bid up to well over 200 bucks, on average, and one specimen is currently priced at the $329, which Radio Shack was selling it for, before reducing it 60%.
The deal would have been a done one, and I would already be composing this post upon the thing, if it weren't for a couple of minor issues, the first being that I had a...
10 Dollar Sunday
There just weren't many tourists, and the ones which I did see were kind of identical in their manner of attire -a lot of long sleeved shirts of understated tones, nothing vivid; and homogenous in their manner of speaking -a lot of hushed undertones, as if not wishing to offend anyone by allowing to be overheard the sober and honest observation which they were making in reference to anyone.
I suspected a tour group from somewhere, on a very limited budget;  possibly Christian, of an understated and non offensive sect, perhaps, but on a limited budget....right after Jazzfest, but before anything else major commences is a GREAT time to see New Orleans on a budget!!! As long as you avoid frivolities like throwing tips to street musicians, you can spend a couple nights and see the city at cut rates!...
They were apparently of one mind against tipping me. 
I could detect in their body language almost a resolve to not come into my vicinity, as if they had already had a discussion upon how they were going to handle the onslaught of unclean skeezers and scammers with their come-ons and their signs (...I heard they make a middle class income just sitting there holding the "broke and hungry" thing...). 
And their guitars, banjos, drums, whatever.
An Exemplary Tourist
"Don't go over there", seemed to be saying (in hushed tones) one who was probably the father of the 17 year old whom he had discreetly (but not so much that I hadn't seen) grasped the shirt sleeve of and conveyed past me.
I had been in the middle of a pretty good jam, and could see a bit of wonderment and enthusiasm in the kids face (perhaps a musician himself?) before his progress was thus arrested, restrained by a net of cotton fabric of understated tones and with smart, if any, stripes upon it.
These were pretty much of the norm, Sunday night.
Then, one man put a 10 dollar bill next to the 3 in between the sharks, which were mine. 
It was irritating to have had a 10 dollar night on a day upon which I would spend about 17...it would mean tapping into the "3%" jar a bit, in order to get the laptop, which will be available "while supplies last," at that price.
Afterthought On Paternal Instincts
If the father thinks that his son is less likely to chose to embark upon the highly speculative career of street musicianship if physically kept from witnessing it up close, where he might be closer to being impressed, and might purpose in his heart to become one some day, I wish that father luck.
Myself At 19

First Photo Using Laptops Camera

My father tried to steer me likewise:
The sensible man procures the security of a good job with a good company with plenty of benefits and then busts out nice expensive music stuff on the weekends and goes nuts a little (why not, you earned it?) and vents his angst, gets out his frustrations, gives his creative muse voice, liberates his soul through tapping into something larger than all of us...but mostly just has fun...uses music as an "outlet." 

"Why can't it just be and outlet?" asked dad. God rest his soul.

Well, I re-framed that as: "Yes, most will be "sensible," as you put it and take the "road more traveled" secured through the venue which you mentioned; but the artist will have trouble "going nuts," if he is literally doing so at; and because of; that job, and he is going to suffer angst, and feel pathetic, from not being able to make his beautiful new Les Paul Guitar scream out his frustrations because he doesn't playing it all day every day, picking it up every time the creative muse wants voice. He only jams on weekends (like the golfer who goes out and shoots an 88 every Saturday) and doesn't have as much fun (taking off his cleats and socks; rolling up his trouser legs and wading into the pond to retrieve his ball) as he imagined he was going to, when imagining himself ripping through a cool solo...

"Son, just don't end up living with rats under a wharf; that's all; and don't tell me that I didn't caution you..."

"Aw, come on, dad, have some faith in me!"

34 Dollar Saturday
A Time To Spend
The 34 dollar Saturday came upon a day when I had spent about 27 of it, beginning with a trip to Wal-Mart on the ($2.50 round trip) bus, where I purchased bananas, candles, mouthwash, toothpaste and 2 energy drinks, equal to $10.33.
I then got off back in the quarter right by the (how convenient) Colorado Green Tobacco dealer ($5), bought a pack of American Spirit ($5.70) cigarettes and a ($1.08) pack of blunt wraps; and, by the time I sat down at the Lilly spot; was almost 25 bucks in the hole.
I only took short breaks to go to the bathroom, and probably played about 3 hours, scooping excess bills into my pack every half hour or so; breaking it back down to 4 dollar and a little change. 
Food Costs Hampering Me
My food stamp card had run out with 8 days left in the month, and I have been laboring against expenses like honey and oatmeal and raisins, bananas, coconut milk, instant coffee, instant potatoes and olive oil, plus plenty of gallons of water...
I have a "healthy" diet now (still have not drank in 27 days, nor added red meat to my diet) which just cannot be come by for free at the (2 bologna sandwiches, a doughnut and a cup of lemonade) homeless shelter.
There is a vegan group which appears in a certain park, but only once a week, for 2 hours on Tuesday afternoons.
I Buy The Toshiba, Anyways
I went and bought the Toshiba Satellite laptop, despite the current economical climate, and am in Starbucks blogging upon it right now. If you see this, then I guess it works.
I gave the guy 64 one dollar bills, 14 five dollar bills, with one 10 and one 20. It was a wad of cash that
I figured that I was ultimately going to get the thing, as it just offers too many functions to me.
I can spend all day on a blog story, if I want to;  
Hardship #2: No Food Money
I tried to use my food stamp card this morning, and discovered that it had a zero* balance. 
*It was actually 13 cents, which told me that the money never came in and wasn't stolen stolen by my friends whom I sometimes sell food to, and who know my pin. (I have better friends than that, at least).

Now, I must trudge off to the food stamp office as soon as possible, to find out if they sent a letter which I never answered (they are famous for that -I was in their office where I re-applied online, and was told that everything was fine; it was fine last month; but they are prone to send letters with such exultation of trivia, such as "You recently completed an application online; is this true? Please respond by (yesterdays date here) or your account will be closed."
I figure that I will be here until 9 p.m., when Starbucks closes, and then will go out and busk a bit -try to defray the 170 bucks that I am going to end up spending today. 
I was really looking forward to stocking up on food items, learning last month that it would behoove me to purchase an entire months supply of certain things, especially when they are on sale (as silly as the idea seems, of carrying 50 energy drinks in my backpack from Wal-Mart to where I could hide them near my sleeping spot, at a cost of about 80 dollars; That would save me about 28 bucks for the month; I need to think the same way about things like olive oil by the gallon...).
Satellite Era Begins
It is now 2:39 a.m., Tuesday morning. I am at the casino, doing this on the laptop, using the battery, which was "fully charged," during the hour and a half that I first plugged in at Starbucks, across Canal Street from the Radio Shack where I had plunked down $163 and change for it.
I was at the Lilly spot by about 9:30 p.m., and played for about 2 and a quarter hours to a sparse crowd which seemed to have a few holdouts from the cheapskates of yesterday.
I got a 20 dollar bill from someone, which will put me in the right direction towards recovering from the money which I spent today.
I will leave here, check Rouses Market for food (I bought instant potatoes and a can of lima beans as a backup) and then be under the dock by about 3:45 a.m. where I will sit up and read Charles Dickens and sip coffee and eventually sleep, and then make sure I make it to the food stamp office tomorrow, to figure out why they cut me off this time and to remedy it; I just hope it won't take 7 days for them to turn the card back on.
These food expenses are supplanting alcohol as the millstone around my neck, financially.
Then, I intend to put a lot of energy into this blog...