Weather Hinders Efforts
I got to the dock too late this morning to go under.
It was about 6 a.m., and, as I approached I saw the silhouette of a head, sitting dead center on the second deck; which moved as if to keep me in sight as I started to go out of its view.
That spot would be where a security guard would sit in order to have a panoramic view of the dock; and I decided not to risk going under. I plugged my cellphone into an outlet near the Coke machine and acted as if I was charging it and texting someone; waiting to see if the person was just taking a cigarette break and would go back inside the boat.
I theorized that it was indeed a security person whose job it probably is to watch from that spot throughout the night, and who probably parks herself there about an hour before the day shift is due to clock in, so that they; and any early arrivals would see her at her post upon arriving and wouldn't be able to refute that she had indeed sat there all night.
This was inconvenient for me as, the temperature would reach the 90's and there would be a brief rain shower in the afternoon; both factors making sleeping at the sign spot difficult.
The dock is at least 5 degrees cooler, being in the shade and by the river; and is rain proof.
And so, I couldn't sleep through most of the day. I sat up and read the newspaper for a while, and then wound up going to the air conditioned library for about 3 hours on this computer, mostly working on a Facebook project that I am in the middle of.
Returning to the sign spot at about 2 p.m., I figured that I might be able to grab 7 hours of sleep and then be at the Lilly spot by 9:30 p.m.
Then came the rain storm, driving me to the cover of the Saenger Theatre overhang across the street to wait it out.
I wound up sleeping on and off from about 5 until after midnight.
I got to the Lilly spot and set up a little after one in the morning, played for about an hour, and made 12 dollars.
My "money" song was "Big River," by Johnny Cash (or Merle Haggard, I forget).
Day 5 of Fast Complete
I have been on the fast and haven't drank alcohol for 5 day now, and it has improved my ability to play music. I think I use both sides of my brain when I am sober, as opposed to only one side when drunk and stoned.
It occurred to me that I don't really have to worry about money as long as I am sober, as I walked down Bourbon Street, past all the drunk people, who seemed to sense that I wasn't on their wavelength and left me alone.
Looking Askance At Skeezer
I walked past "Just a girl and her dog trying to survive" who was holding that very sign which must be more than a year old now. She was actually turning her head left and right and making sad puppy eyes at every passing tourist, but looked away from me. She knows that I know that she is a dog skeezer. I sometimes wish that the IRS would nail her for back taxes on years of skeezing -pay up or sit in debtors prison for a couple years. But, in that case, I suppose they could get me for a few thousand bucks, too. Then we would be just a girl and a guy trying to survive in debtors prison.
I just can't adopt the attitude, expounded by Anna the Polish violinist that, if tourists are "stupid" enough to believe the sign and give you money, then do it; and do it with no pangs of guilt at all.
Maybe I have been conditioned from being a chess player to "Never make a move counting upon your opponent to make a mistake or miss something that you are able to see.
Now it s 3:30 and I will try harder to get under the dock by being there within the hour; regardless of who shows up and wants to chat with me here until sunrise, unless it is Elvis Costello or the ghost of Charles Dickens who comes along.
Now, I am off to download a few e-books to put in my "Reading Room" folder, and some sheet music to put in my "Music Studio" folder and then I might go quickly to Facebook to see if I can find some people from my distant past that I think about every now and then...
I got to the dock too late this morning to go under.
It was about 6 a.m., and, as I approached I saw the silhouette of a head, sitting dead center on the second deck; which moved as if to keep me in sight as I started to go out of its view.
That spot would be where a security guard would sit in order to have a panoramic view of the dock; and I decided not to risk going under. I plugged my cellphone into an outlet near the Coke machine and acted as if I was charging it and texting someone; waiting to see if the person was just taking a cigarette break and would go back inside the boat.
I theorized that it was indeed a security person whose job it probably is to watch from that spot throughout the night, and who probably parks herself there about an hour before the day shift is due to clock in, so that they; and any early arrivals would see her at her post upon arriving and wouldn't be able to refute that she had indeed sat there all night.
This was inconvenient for me as, the temperature would reach the 90's and there would be a brief rain shower in the afternoon; both factors making sleeping at the sign spot difficult.
The dock is at least 5 degrees cooler, being in the shade and by the river; and is rain proof.
And so, I couldn't sleep through most of the day. I sat up and read the newspaper for a while, and then wound up going to the air conditioned library for about 3 hours on this computer, mostly working on a Facebook project that I am in the middle of.
Returning to the sign spot at about 2 p.m., I figured that I might be able to grab 7 hours of sleep and then be at the Lilly spot by 9:30 p.m.
Then came the rain storm, driving me to the cover of the Saenger Theatre overhang across the street to wait it out.
I wound up sleeping on and off from about 5 until after midnight.
I got to the Lilly spot and set up a little after one in the morning, played for about an hour, and made 12 dollars.
My "money" song was "Big River," by Johnny Cash (or Merle Haggard, I forget).
Day 5 of Fast Complete
I have been on the fast and haven't drank alcohol for 5 day now, and it has improved my ability to play music. I think I use both sides of my brain when I am sober, as opposed to only one side when drunk and stoned.
It occurred to me that I don't really have to worry about money as long as I am sober, as I walked down Bourbon Street, past all the drunk people, who seemed to sense that I wasn't on their wavelength and left me alone.
Looking Askance At Skeezer
I walked past "Just a girl and her dog trying to survive" who was holding that very sign which must be more than a year old now. She was actually turning her head left and right and making sad puppy eyes at every passing tourist, but looked away from me. She knows that I know that she is a dog skeezer. I sometimes wish that the IRS would nail her for back taxes on years of skeezing -pay up or sit in debtors prison for a couple years. But, in that case, I suppose they could get me for a few thousand bucks, too. Then we would be just a girl and a guy trying to survive in debtors prison.
I just can't adopt the attitude, expounded by Anna the Polish violinist that, if tourists are "stupid" enough to believe the sign and give you money, then do it; and do it with no pangs of guilt at all.
Maybe I have been conditioned from being a chess player to "Never make a move counting upon your opponent to make a mistake or miss something that you are able to see.
Now it s 3:30 and I will try harder to get under the dock by being there within the hour; regardless of who shows up and wants to chat with me here until sunrise, unless it is Elvis Costello or the ghost of Charles Dickens who comes along.
Now, I am off to download a few e-books to put in my "Reading Room" folder, and some sheet music to put in my "Music Studio" folder and then I might go quickly to Facebook to see if I can find some people from my distant past that I think about every now and then...
Debtor's prison went away in the 1850s, it was news to me too.
ReplyDeleteSome states have something like debtor's prison, owe the lumberyard $200 for some wood and off to prison you go until you've paid it off at $20 a day or some damn thing. But the IRS doesn't sent people off to debtor's prison.
I paid no income tax for last year. I *did* pay into Social Security and Medicare, essentially. It would have been a hair over $1000 but with the earned income tax credit, it was a bit under $500.
Next time, though, I'd better have about $1000 on hand because I anticipate making about 10 grand and that means the tax will be a bit more and the earned income tax credit less.
But no one's even keeping track of skeezers, so don't worry. I only filed to get onto Obamacare and because I got a 1099 form.