43 Dollar Early Monday Morning

There is a steadiness to the money, at least. With the numbers, and types, of tourists walking through the 9 and 10 hundred blocks of Bourbon Street, the tips seem to have trickled in at around $13 an hour.

I just got back from making 43 bucks playing from about 12:50 AM, until about 4 AM.

But, I couldn't play at the Lilly Pad because Lafitt's Blacksmith Shop Tavern had a sound system blaring.

So, I moved down to across the street from the Quartermaster, which is blessedly more quiet. It is also residential, but my volume has not drawn any complaints, in the few times that I have played there.

At about 3 AM, I noticed no loud sound coming from the direction of the bar, and so I moved back down to the Lilly Pad where I probably made the last 13 bucks in the last hour that I played.

I noticed more than one heavyset black lady limping her way past and saying: "I just want to get back to the hotel."
It amazes me as a person who, at 57 years old, rides a bike about 6 miles each day, that there are people who tire out from walking maybe a total of a mile. That kind of puts the whole "life expectancy" figure in a different perspective; I mean, to see women in their late 20's, who are overweight and exerted from having walked the 10 blocks of Bourbon Street and then back.

What do I know, though, maybe both of the women I had seen tonight had been twerking up a storm in some club, and that is why they just wanted to get back to the hotel and take weight off their feet...

So, I put $31 on my green American Express Serve card (the one that waives the monthly fee whenever I have less than a 5 dollar balance) and now, I could buy either; an ounce of kratom ($9.09); a Suzuki Folkmaster harmonica ($20.99); or add a gigabyte of data to my plan ($10) so I can blog.

A part of me wants to just do none of the above; to let the money sit on the card and then open myself to the muse; maybe think of some thing that I can afford which would improve my experience of life the most.

OK

I have thought about it, and realized that I have no food.

Good thing I didn't just send off for a harmonica; I'm going to have to buy food. Darn.