Sunday, July 31, 2011

"Change Of Place ..................... Change Of Pace"

Good Morning;

Well I woke up early on Saturday very hot and with a slight case of stomach distress and headed over to the Giant in a hurry to use the restroom. Even though it was a good bit cooler and drier yesterday the wood of the shed holds the heat like a sauna, and up here in the 'dry end' there are no convenient holes in the wall for ventilation, (unless there are gale force winds), so this third of the shed holds in my body heat as well.
I headed down to the library after making my coffee and got on the computers there, I'm spoiled...I couldn't remember all my passwords at first, I've gotten so used to Chrome doing it for me......lol. I e-mailed Jenn about stopping by to pick up the deli I left in her fridge by accident and she said to come down when Tom left to drop the grandmonsters off at her Mom's and I could shower too. This was a very appreciated surprise because I really needed to take some time to do some work on my feet, the hot weather and especially the humidity causing the damn jungle rot to flare up on Friday. I was able to slather on the anti-fungal cream and let my feet air out without having to immediately put socks and shoes on.
Foot issues are a very common problem among many homeless people who do not get adequate opportunity to wash their feet and have enough clean socks to run the full course of treatment with the medicines they are given. It becomes a repetitive cycle and whether it is a bacterial or fungal infection it becomes resistant to the standard meds. And this is not even considering the 'normal' drying and cracking from need of moisturizing etc.

After I bathed, I scavenged her fridge and had some loaded potato skins for lunch and gathered up the package of lunch meat, and the frozen breakfast sandwich and bagels I had in her freezer, filled a couple bottles of water and headed out to the bus about 4:30 pm. after I called and talked to Rachel. Shes had already been to the pool, so maybe Sunday or Monday I'll meet her at her mother's house and we'll go swimming, or possibly she'll come over to Jenn's and we can spend some 'Daddy-Daughter' time there without anyone else home. The early closing of the Mt. Washington coffee shop is a pain in the butt, logistics-wise, it is close to Rachel and someplace we feel comfortable hanging out on those loooow budget days.....(like now)!

Since the Mt. Washington Starbucks was closed I headed up to the one in Owings Mills I used to frequent, at St. Thomas Shopping Center, because it is a single bus ride and because Jenn gave me a couple bucks for coffee and with the registered gift card, my refills are free so I can sit for hours. I saw a couple of old faces among the customers coming in and out, and the barrista who was the shift supervisor, John, remembered me from the Pikesville store which closed up, which was 'my' Starbucks. We ended up knowing a whole bunch of the same folks as I asked about other and former employees.
I want to express my thanks to both him and Ashley, (another one!) for their generosity when it came to the marked out items which were going into the trash after they grabbed what they desired. Now, even without refrigeration, I have food for Sunday and at least bagels for Monday, if I end up hanging out at Jenn's tomorrow while they all go to Monkton to Tom's mother's house I can extend the sandwiches to Monday too in her freezer while I'm there. That will keep them cool enough in my insulated Giant bag until Monday afternoon.
The weather tonight is beautiful, warm and dry, a perfect summer night that has unleashed a flood of memories....89% of which are pleasant ones..........lol. I left St. Thomas....(NOT the Virgin Island paradise)....(don't I wish I was there....I'd not be leaving anytime soon....lol)....just before close and walked to the bus stop. The bus went by as I was not quite to the stop, and I was not about to dodge traffic and run even the ten yards to the stop with my bags and a drink in my hand, so I sat on the bench until the next one came, (early), at 9:30 pm. I got off at the library and sat outside and read and used their wifi, and ate one of the new Bistro Boxes from Starbucks I ended up with,
'Fruit & Cheese', with Apples, Cheddar, Brie, Gouda, Almonds & Crasins, and 9 Grain Crackers...tasty and a little bit more in content than the one it replaced, but No Grapes?!?, Sacrilege!
I went over to the Giant to use the restroom about 11:15 pm.
{and cheated myself out of some cash through an 'out of court' settlement of a potential lawsuit! There was a big puddle of soapy water in front of the butcher's display case that had leaked out after it had been sprayed down. With the floor color the same as the puddle I did not notice it and almost 'ass-planted' my self, catching my balance at the last minute after some quite comedic arm flailing and slipping and sliding, [think Charlie Chaplin or The 3 Stooges......."ai-yai-yai-yai-yai-yai-yaiiiiiiii....whoooop whooop whooooop"----SLAM!..................lol], then slapping into the glass case window, face first. I didn't hit the floor and did not even think of it until after I went and found the acting manager and told her about it. As the words "I damn near fell....." came out of my mouth I had 'V-8 Moment' and thought 'Damn....I coulda had a suit case', my face must have shown it because she laughed and said...."Too honest for your own good, huh Dave?....."
Just my luck....................lol!
After that I sat outside the First Watch Cafe and read for a while then walked to the shed and locked my stuff inside while I went to the gas station to use the bathroom, (the Giant having closed by now, it being 12:30 am.), and say hello to Daniel. But as we started to chat a particularly loud, large, noxious, obnoxious, noisy, noisome, annoying asshole and gambling addict who comes in regularly to play the Racetrax lottery game showed up, so I left and came in here to write.

The shed is a bit warm, but not unbearable, and I am going to see if sleep is on the program tonight. If not immediately forthcoming I think I'll lock my bags in here and ride the buses through the city, through the 'hoods, just observing people. The brick rowhouses here in Baltimore will still be exuding the stored heat of the past 2 weeks, and oozing people out the doors, on the stoops, and to the corners. But tempers will be calmer and attitudes less aggressive and violent...(hopefully?).

Anyway, I'm done for now
If I go cruisin' I may be back with more, if not..................

Later..................................Dave

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