Tuesday, 10/3/23
Church bells ring at a quarter to eight in the morning. I’m anxious to get on the road and also in no hurry. I haven’t accessed my car in a few days – which feels odd. I hope Robert plant is still doing ok, and that the car doesn’t smell too bad – I may have had some clementines in there. I’ll need to repack again, and figure out what the clothing situation is for the next few days. They’re calling for rain in Helena-West Helena tomorrow. I can’t seem to catch a break with this camping and rain thing. There’s barely been a drop on the days that I’ve stayed in hotels. My knack for impeccable timing rears its head again – this is when my life begins to feel like a Charlie Brown or Born Loser comic strip. wah-wah (sad tuba).
This morning, from my San Fran news feed, I read an article about bipping (car break-ins) out in the Bay Area. It’s so common that city has been called, by some, bip city. It’s ubiquitous and there doesn’t seem to be an easy solution. When I read these news pieces, I always want more context. Have the numbers gone up (compared to five or ten years ago)? I get the sense that our media likes to paint the picture of cities as being these lawless hellscapes of random and violent crime. Painting such a picture (if things have truly gotten worse) begs the question what’s different? My gut reaction says it has something to do with the increase in economic inequality, the further deterioration of “community,” and greater access to and dependence on social media for our sense of worth. Maybe I’ll ditch the car (sell it) if I move there. My old car was broken into once in Philly – they smashed the little piece of triangle glass by the back window. It was something like $250 to get it fixed. It’s a pain in the ass, and keeping it “safe” in a secure garage can be expensive.
Monday, 10/9/23
It’s been almost a week since I started this post. Robert plant is doing well (or as well as can be expected). I’m in Memphis, TN now. I rolled into town last night after spending a few days at the King Biscuit Blues Festival in Helena, Arkansas and then the better part of yesterday at a one day blues event in Clarksdale, Mississippi. One of the first things I did when I got here was walk to the river to catch the sunset. Still amazing.
I found an inexpensive loft on Airbnb. It has a washer and dryer, is about a block from my old apartment and shares the same parking garage that I used to use. Apparently Memphis has been hit with a ton of car thefts (over 12,000 this year and up over 150% from last year). Even better than the locked garage and the washer/dryer is a real bathroom. Camping for four nights and only using porta potties for the past five days had gotten a little old. I’m pretty sure I was starting get a little funky. So technically, the first thing I did when I arrived was shower – then go watch the sunset.
Because I’m familiar with Memphis, I don’t feel the urgency to explore the city and I can use it as a base to regroup (laundry, job hunt, chill). That is assuming that my computer holds up. It’s been acting up for a few weeks – occasionally turning off or the screen going haywire. I’m pretty sure I’ll be getting a new one within the next day or two – hopefully before this one dies and I can transfer files.