Day 28
final day
Woke up early. And it's raining. Dammit. So I go back to sleep, get up 90 minutes later, and head out. And, as I predicted, I finish three and a half hours later. Was about to head home but my nineteen year old boss calls me and sends me a new partially-completed area to canvas. Only about half a dozen addresses remain, and I complete them in twenty minutes or so. Big fancy houses with ugly modern sculptures in the yards.
So I'm done, I guess. Now what?
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Day 27
Day 27
I thought I'd finish today but I give up around five in the afternon. I will be done if four hours tomorrow. Everyone seems extra suspicious of me today, like their White Person Sense is tingling. Two women and a rottweiler, sitting on the porch, smiling and asking me what's up—they seem friendly but you can sense a weird dislike for me behind their eyes. “We called the neighborhood watch,” they tell me, “just being careful.” Later I see a rat skeleton on a fresh green lawn. When I got to the end of the street, the last house of the day, the lady was super-nice, offering me soda or water. A nice break from the women with the rottweiler. Will be done tomorrow.
I thought I'd finish today but I give up around five in the afternon. I will be done if four hours tomorrow. Everyone seems extra suspicious of me today, like their White Person Sense is tingling. Two women and a rottweiler, sitting on the porch, smiling and asking me what's up—they seem friendly but you can sense a weird dislike for me behind their eyes. “We called the neighborhood watch,” they tell me, “just being careful.” Later I see a rat skeleton on a fresh green lawn. When I got to the end of the street, the last house of the day, the lady was super-nice, offering me soda or water. A nice break from the women with the rottweiler. Will be done tomorrow.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Day 26
Day 26
Left home at 9:30 and started kicking ass. My hand-held computer (or HHC) started acting funky, which is annoying. But alas. I was looking for an address, and in front of a house there were two older dudes (in their 40s?) and a young kid maybe ten years old. I asked the address. “Not sure,” one of the men said. “Do you live here?” I asked the other guy and in unison, indicating the kid, they said “He does.” “What's your address?” one of them asked the kid. Kid: “I don't know no address!” No idea who these two dudes were in relation to the kid, or why the three of them were hanging out and chilling together. When I passed by 90 minutes later the three of them were still there.
Left home at 9:30 and started kicking ass. My hand-held computer (or HHC) started acting funky, which is annoying. But alas. I was looking for an address, and in front of a house there were two older dudes (in their 40s?) and a young kid maybe ten years old. I asked the address. “Not sure,” one of the men said. “Do you live here?” I asked the other guy and in unison, indicating the kid, they said “He does.” “What's your address?” one of them asked the kid. Kid: “I don't know no address!” No idea who these two dudes were in relation to the kid, or why the three of them were hanging out and chilling together. When I passed by 90 minutes later the three of them were still there.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Day 25
Day 25
Again with the sort-of-late start. Almost nine in the morning before I left the house. Ah well. Over the weekend I decided fuck it—I'm gonna knock this shit out by Tuesday at the latest. But of course three hours out it started raining like hell. And so I came home. I saw this young kid, maybe ten or eleven, throwing rocks at his teenage brother. Not sure if they were playing or not. I heard him say “you want a war?” I had my ipod on, so I'm not sure, but he might have called me cracker.
Again with the sort-of-late start. Almost nine in the morning before I left the house. Ah well. Over the weekend I decided fuck it—I'm gonna knock this shit out by Tuesday at the latest. But of course three hours out it started raining like hell. And so I came home. I saw this young kid, maybe ten or eleven, throwing rocks at his teenage brother. Not sure if they were playing or not. I heard him say “you want a war?” I had my ipod on, so I'm not sure, but he might have called me cracker.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Day 24
Day 24
We are basically through with our job. In theory this sucks, but because they didn't pay us our first paycheck for two weeks, I'll get paid through the end of May. Hopefully. I've decided to work five hours a day until I'm done. Even with me dragging ass, I expect this will take three days at most. And then—finally—a vacation.
We are basically through with our job. In theory this sucks, but because they didn't pay us our first paycheck for two weeks, I'll get paid through the end of May. Hopefully. I've decided to work five hours a day until I'm done. Even with me dragging ass, I expect this will take three days at most. And then—finally—a vacation.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Day 23
Day 23
Today continues the trend of boring, slow-ass days. I'm listening to lots of talk radio, which I'm pretty sure is giving me some kind of cancer. It's seriously the audible equivalent of chewing on tinfoil. I am almost certain that Sean Hannity is clinically retarded.
Everybody in these shitty, garbage-strewn neighborhoods drives like a crazy person. I see a couple of donks dragracing down a residential street, both of them throwing up huge waves of water in their wakes. There's a man wearing a straw hat drinking out of a paper bag at ten in the morning. A little kid with a rake waks up to me while I'm sitting in my car (something about me sitting in my car seems to attract people like nothing else).
“You got something I can do for five or ten dollars? He asks me.
“Not today. I'm working right now.” He is silent for a moment, and does not leave.
“You got it?”
“Got what?”
“Five or ten dollars?” Seriously?
“No.”
“You got any change?”
Today continues the trend of boring, slow-ass days. I'm listening to lots of talk radio, which I'm pretty sure is giving me some kind of cancer. It's seriously the audible equivalent of chewing on tinfoil. I am almost certain that Sean Hannity is clinically retarded.
Everybody in these shitty, garbage-strewn neighborhoods drives like a crazy person. I see a couple of donks dragracing down a residential street, both of them throwing up huge waves of water in their wakes. There's a man wearing a straw hat drinking out of a paper bag at ten in the morning. A little kid with a rake waks up to me while I'm sitting in my car (something about me sitting in my car seems to attract people like nothing else).
“You got something I can do for five or ten dollars? He asks me.
“Not today. I'm working right now.” He is silent for a moment, and does not leave.
“You got it?”
“Got what?”
“Five or ten dollars?” Seriously?
“No.”
“You got any change?”
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Day 22
Day 22
Again, I get up early and head out for work. Less than five minutes from the house it begins raining and so I'm forced to head home. A few hours later I have lunch and then head back out. I'm looking around for some addresses and wind up talking to a very helpful gentleman who points out to me where a couple of homes have been demolished. I thank him and move on up the street. Later I see him out in front of his house doing some kind of weird kung-fu/tai chi moves. Very strange.
Again, I get up early and head out for work. Less than five minutes from the house it begins raining and so I'm forced to head home. A few hours later I have lunch and then head back out. I'm looking around for some addresses and wind up talking to a very helpful gentleman who points out to me where a couple of homes have been demolished. I thank him and move on up the street. Later I see him out in front of his house doing some kind of weird kung-fu/tai chi moves. Very strange.
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