Szlzezezpz (or, Sleep)

It's not even 04:00.

Okay, it's one thang to be all "high on life," folx... but this "4 hrs. sleep, then wide awake" shit is for the birds, and it'll eventually get me killed if I don't put my foot down, and refuse to get on that death machine (bad moto' scooter) until I'm well-rested.*

No -- my trip home from the Coco** Sunday night was completely unremarkable. I'm just making a point for safety. Don't worry -- I will be careful, careful, careful. That's why I've vowed not to leave the house (on the scooter, anyway) today until I get another four hours of sleep. Until I feel sleepy again, I'll see if I can't get a neighbor to open up a WiFi connection in exchange for a Tasty-Freez, or a PC house call.*** :)

I took it slow and easy, partly because it was colder 'n fuck out, and the slower you go, the warmer you stay. ;) The other reason was that I was trying to explore a more southerly route to/from my 'hood than the Clifton Avenue corridor, and I found one (click image above for the big, readable map)... I did have to jet up Charlotte for about four blocks, in the Charlotte @ White Bridge area. S'ok -- that's a major intersection, and traffic at ~23:00 Sunday was pretty light, and easy to be cautious. A cop pulled up beside me at the light at that intersection (the west precinct is nearby on Charlotte), rolled down his window, laughing. "Little cold for that, isn't it?" he asked. I said, "Yeah, but it beats the hell out of walkin'! It's not so bad for ten-minute stretches." He just smirked, rolled his eyes, shook his head, and rolled the window back up. Typical cop. I was just glad he didn't wanna fuck with me, 'cause technically, I'm not fully reinstated until the insurance on the scooter is paid and proven to the TN Dept. of Safety. The retired cop here in the condos said that generally, scooters are below the cops' radar, unless you're doing something really stupid (no helmet or tags, for example), or they have a report of someone in the area that's up to no good, riding one. He said if he were me, he'd get the tags, and keep 'em up-to-date, but not insure it until I got a citation. :) Judges always dismiss those if you bring the proof-of-insurance coverage to court, so... the retired cop makes a lot of sense! He's pretty cool, too... got a big-ass gun vault in his living room. And he has a cat! Strikes me as a bit house-proud, though... his place is decked out and decorated better than I'd expect a retired cop's condo to be. :)

I dropped into the 24-hour Walgreen's on the northwest corner of that intersection, as that's as good as any spot to re-insert myself into the neighborhood surface streets, via Miles Edward O'Brien Avenue. Plus, the ends of my fingers were numb from the cold (yeah, I have some gloves... but I need some better 'uns).

I went in to warm up, and to pick up a few more Swipes™, but since I had the mobile office on my back, I thought "Hey, I can use their computer-based photo kiosk to suck a Photoshopped JPEG file off my MMC card (already put there at the Coco) to print out signage for my Swipes™ hucksterism..." Well, I was sooo cold, I just left my Speed Racer helmet on, and walked in. A pretty lady was stocking the tech shelves near the kiosk, and came over, as I was getting ready to print my signs: "Ooh! Can I see your bike?" Heh. ;)

Cynthia was apparently a motorcycle mama. I hated to disappoint her, telling her the "hawg" I was riding was more guinea pig than hog, but she was sweet and funny, and we had a nice chat. Long story made short, she took my altered HCA card, and is going to put in a word for me with the manager for a part-time, evening/weekend/short-notice-fill-in spot in the photo lab (which is also open 24/7). She said they always need someone, especially at night... the night manager has to train to operate it, because they have trouble finding people who'll do it, long-term, other than on day shift. I'm their huckleberry! I'm five minutes away by scooter... to quote The Great Samuel L., playing the role of Jules Winfield, "Sheee-it, knee-GROW! That's ALL you HAD to say!" :) And, point in my favor: They won't have to do a lot of training with me... I'm familiar with PC-based photo printing equipment, and they have a kickass, ultra-mod setup -- their machine requires no mixing of chemicals, even. Just plug in these 3-gallon cartridges, calibrate, and rawk awn.

Why not cover all contingencies? See, even with the good ideers about self-employment, I'm not going to count on that to win the day (even though I suspect that's the route to my eventual crazy happiness). I just saw on the morning news that Vanderbilt's having a job fair today, so I'm-o stop in on that, too. It'll give me an excuse to put on some duds... gee, I wonder if I still remember how to tie a tie... ;)

So... okay! More Karmic Ledger 411 from the 37209, dawg:

You investors in Curly & Jeffraham, Inc. should be seeing your dividend checks real soon. Now please -- don't give me any shit. I know y'all haven't been sending me money that you can't afford to send, but really... some of you have gone waaay deep in the Help Dept. (I've had a few people who've sent over $1000... one, in one swell foop! OMFSM!). I'm gonna e-mail the major stockholders before IDing them -- y'all know who most of 'em are, but I don't want to embarrass or expose any confidences, y'see. Simply put, there's just no way I can't repay y'all and still feel good about myself. So, please... no arguments. "Paying it forward" is cool, an' all, but I also wanna pay all of these big chunks back, okay? Tena understands. :) If you sent me $20, and you didn't get a Curly DVD, remind me, and I'll send one out and (if you're jiggy), I'll be willing to call it even. Anyone who's sent more than that, and haven't gotten a DVD, slap the shit out of me. Please -- bring it to my immediate attention, and I'll send you what I can, as I can.

And, all y'all have to get in line behind my landlord, of course -- he's the majority stockholder in C&J, Inc., but some of you are getting mighty close to a friendly takeover... ;)

If y'all get stubborn (Dr. Shouty-Crackers, who's afraid of a 'ittle postcard, I point in YOUR direction!), I'll insist that you attend a future Gnashvegan mini-Eschacon, and that you allow me to treat you as far as my funds will allow. Deal?

And, for anyone who has checks in the mail, or whatever... from Election Day forward, I'll need your explicit promise to not fight my paying you back. Otherwise, I'll have to turn ya down, even if it means missing a meal.

To be honest, I could use a micro-cash infusion, 'cause I took a big hit registering the scooter, paying the taxes on it, and doing the license reinstatement... but I'm hoping that the landlord will hold the title on the scooter for 30 days, and that some techie and/or Swipes™ cash will roll in fast enough to head off any crises situations. Yes, I re-prioritized this list and spent a big part of November's rent on the scooter/license issue, but it seemed prudent, given that the key to my near-future steady income is dependable, cheap (even cheaper than MTA) and on-demand transportation; the scooter definitely provides all that. Also, I have food, Curly has food... I have a few bux... I just don't have much inventory of Swipes™ (and none of the lanyards), so... if anyone should want to partner...

You'd have to agree to first-priority payback w/vig ("Get your shy runnin' right!" -- I mean for me to agree to it, it'd have to be 10%/month, at least), but if that works for you, let me know. We're talking about a maximum of a couple hundred bux, here, to buy up these thingies for resale. I know I can go downtown during lunchtime, and sell the livin' shit out of these thangs, but I wanna prove that, first, on a small scale, so keep in mind that even $50 will buy a dozen. I'm going to see if I can't get a dozen of them, and a dozen lanyards... if I can sell all of them in two hours, I'll know I have a winner of an idea. Worst case scenario, all my four-eyed buds will have an early Christmas prezzie. :)

Also... Walgreen's can do up professional, photo-quality calendars, using my photos and mad Photoshop skillz... anyone wanna commit to buying one, if they're reasonably priced? Of course, I'd have a preview for ya to see, ahead of time... let me see what they want to print these up. I could probably even incorporate your favorite Curly photos, in a creative montage... whaddya think?

More to come...

* It's now 08:30, and I did go back to sleep for a little more than two more hours, and I feel reasonably alert after a cup of coffee, but not rested. I'll head in, call it an early day. I have to return a book to the library, get a haircut (else be resigned to hopeless helmet head), and check into a few thangs, online (@ library -- short, quick trip).

** Yes, I'm pluggin' the shit out of Cafe Coco, 'cause everyone I've met there has been so unbelievably cool, and so flamingly leftie (or neutral), so I want to keep them in your minds as a place you HAVE to go when you come to visit. You'll like it. Very bohemian! You've seen the photos. C'mon. It's my midtown office. :)

*** I called Comcast last week, full of contrition, apologizing for ditching them with a balance on my account. I was laughed at! The nice Comcast lady said that it happens all the time, and not to worry -- I only owe them $120, anyway. She said they don't even send amounts that small to collection, and that I could get service again anytime after paying up... which I plan to do (pay them, that is... maybe a few bux/month, unless things really take right off), but I think Lisa the HOA lady will hook me up with WiFi Real Soon Now, permanently, in exchange for designing and running the HOA web.
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