Day 7 of Drinking Again
Last night, I was feeling kind of depressed, as I walked down Royal Street, towards Lilly's pad.
I had less than 5 bucks in my pocket, and would have to walk past Christina Friis, and the 200 dollars that she was probably accumulating, and then past Tanya and Dorise, and the 200 dollars that they would accumulate during the 15 minutes that I might stop and listen to couple songs.
I wonder how many tips they lose out upon because of people thinking that their one dollar isn't even going to cause a ripple; like people who don't vote, thinking the same thing.
30 Dollar Thursday
I was playing a guitar with the wrong strings on it; rigged up to the best of my abilities, to compensate.
I, for the 2nd day straight, had lost track of time and missed the closing of the music store.
I am using a low E string in the A string slot, tuned up 3 half steps, which makes it like a tightrope, with the other 5 strings tuned down 2 half steps, which makes them loose and twangy and a challenge to keep in tune.
12 Dollar Wednesday
Wednesday night, I had tried to play the thing with all the strings tuned way down, and it was so radically off that I had trouble finding the first note of songs that were familiar to me. I noticed more than one tourist pause and reach for his wallet, only to change his mind and walk on.
Amped Up Johnny
As I was walking back to the street car, I ran into Johnny B. who, speaking a mile a minute asked me if he could crash at my place. He offered me a deal of a Roland Street Cube amp, in exchange for letting him stay the maximum (for each guest) of 10 nights.
I started to tell him about the restriction that I had encountered when trying to get Howard in, that one night, when he was turned away because he didn't have a Louisiana ID.
Johnny cut me off mid sentence and told me that he was very familiar with "Unity housing," and basically insinuated that I was in the process of giving him some bullshit excuse to deny his request.
He said that he knew all about Unity housing, and that if I didn't want him to stay there to just tell him so.
I could have taken offense to that, but I walked on, thinking that the reason that he was in his predicament, was probably related to him talking a mile a minute and jumping to knee jerk conclusions about supposed friend's motives, out of paranoia.
He had told me, when I was on about my 16th day sober, that that was ironic, considering that he was on about "a 6 day bender."
In his case, I believe that means crystal meth; which has him singing and playing like a madman for 8 to 10 hours at a time; talking a mile a minute in between songs to tourists, about his past exploits, to include the CD's that he has recorded, the houses that he has bought, and, of course, touring with John Mayer.
I told him that I would talk to the building manager; and that, in my opinion some of the security people are jealous of us disabled veterans getting free places to stay and are looking for i's not dotted and t's not crossed; and any excuse to deny someone access.
This is a different place than the "Unity housing" which Johnny had become so familiar with.
\I will talk to him tonight, perhaps about a 7 day stay in exchange for the amp, and not the maximum of 10.
And I will be observing him closely for signs that he may be looking for a free place to stay so he can pour all his busking money into extending his "bender."
He was ready to fight someone on the cable car last week after the person made a comment when Johnny was taking a few extra seconds to drag his guitar and his (2 at the time, including the one he wants to trade) amplifiers onto the street car.
"Oh, you got some important place to go; you in a hurry? Sorry to delay you," said Johnny snidely.
Then, when the guy said something denigrating about street performers, Johnny, noting the uniform the guy was wearing, came back with "I guess I'm not talented enough to be a waiter!" That was funny, I admit.
But, the point is, Johnny is definitely an "alpha" type of person, who seems to expect to be venerated based upon his past achievements; and, like some other meth users that I have known; has a very short fuse when coming down and cranky. No fuse, really, just a bit of powder spilling out of the end.....
I had less than 5 bucks in my pocket, and would have to walk past Christina Friis, and the 200 dollars that she was probably accumulating, and then past Tanya and Dorise, and the 200 dollars that they would accumulate during the 15 minutes that I might stop and listen to couple songs.
I wonder how many tips they lose out upon because of people thinking that their one dollar isn't even going to cause a ripple; like people who don't vote, thinking the same thing.
30 Dollar Thursday
I was playing a guitar with the wrong strings on it; rigged up to the best of my abilities, to compensate.
I, for the 2nd day straight, had lost track of time and missed the closing of the music store.
I am using a low E string in the A string slot, tuned up 3 half steps, which makes it like a tightrope, with the other 5 strings tuned down 2 half steps, which makes them loose and twangy and a challenge to keep in tune.
12 Dollar Wednesday
Wednesday night, I had tried to play the thing with all the strings tuned way down, and it was so radically off that I had trouble finding the first note of songs that were familiar to me. I noticed more than one tourist pause and reach for his wallet, only to change his mind and walk on.
Amped Up Johnny
As I was walking back to the street car, I ran into Johnny B. who, speaking a mile a minute asked me if he could crash at my place. He offered me a deal of a Roland Street Cube amp, in exchange for letting him stay the maximum (for each guest) of 10 nights.
I started to tell him about the restriction that I had encountered when trying to get Howard in, that one night, when he was turned away because he didn't have a Louisiana ID.
Johnny cut me off mid sentence and told me that he was very familiar with "Unity housing," and basically insinuated that I was in the process of giving him some bullshit excuse to deny his request.
He said that he knew all about Unity housing, and that if I didn't want him to stay there to just tell him so.
I could have taken offense to that, but I walked on, thinking that the reason that he was in his predicament, was probably related to him talking a mile a minute and jumping to knee jerk conclusions about supposed friend's motives, out of paranoia.
He had told me, when I was on about my 16th day sober, that that was ironic, considering that he was on about "a 6 day bender."
In his case, I believe that means crystal meth; which has him singing and playing like a madman for 8 to 10 hours at a time; talking a mile a minute in between songs to tourists, about his past exploits, to include the CD's that he has recorded, the houses that he has bought, and, of course, touring with John Mayer.
I told him that I would talk to the building manager; and that, in my opinion some of the security people are jealous of us disabled veterans getting free places to stay and are looking for i's not dotted and t's not crossed; and any excuse to deny someone access.
This is a different place than the "Unity housing" which Johnny had become so familiar with.
\I will talk to him tonight, perhaps about a 7 day stay in exchange for the amp, and not the maximum of 10.
And I will be observing him closely for signs that he may be looking for a free place to stay so he can pour all his busking money into extending his "bender."
He was ready to fight someone on the cable car last week after the person made a comment when Johnny was taking a few extra seconds to drag his guitar and his (2 at the time, including the one he wants to trade) amplifiers onto the street car.
"Oh, you got some important place to go; you in a hurry? Sorry to delay you," said Johnny snidely.
Then, when the guy said something denigrating about street performers, Johnny, noting the uniform the guy was wearing, came back with "I guess I'm not talented enough to be a waiter!" That was funny, I admit.
But, the point is, Johnny is definitely an "alpha" type of person, who seems to expect to be venerated based upon his past achievements; and, like some other meth users that I have known; has a very short fuse when coming down and cranky. No fuse, really, just a bit of powder spilling out of the end.....
I'd avoid that guy like the plague! Don't let him near your place!!
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