A jam packed day with a little turbulence

Today was a wild experience. A number of things happened which trickle into tomorrow, so some of this will be about new years eve day.

Ancient City Poets

This was the third time I've performed here. The last time was almost a year and a half ago when I became real. This time I planned. I was going to say something vulnerable and I wrote a poem specifically because I was going to perform.

I read Amongst the Waves and Sorrow with a preface.

In preparing my preface I realized something. I am not bad at vulnerability. Van life taught me so much about resiliance. I am not generally capable of holding myself together. I can be vulnerable at the right time with the right people. My body may not like being vulnerable, but I know how to push through it all.

It felt good to say those things and be that clear about it. I also grew fonder of the poem Sorrow. I really like it.

I got a fist bump and nice words afterwards and a strange conversation outside. The morning after at a coffee shop, someone recognized me from the poetry reading and complimented me. I told him I play my violin so maybe he'll see me tonight. I got two cards because of the poetry reading.

Street performing

I setup shop in arguably on of the best spots downtown. Only ten minutes in or so and I had mad ten dollars. A drummer showed up asking when I would leave, but then asked if we could play together. I was into it. Never played with a drummer before. So I played mostly video game music.

We drew crowds. Fantastically, Mike Tyson's Punch Out got us the biggest applause. WHAT? Are you serious? I don't really get it. But hey, we made 37 dollars in about a half hour or so. He gave me 20. I left to rest and eat.

I stumbled over to my favorite spot. The end of Saint George street. It is very intimate and loads of people pass to go to the parking garages. I doubld my money there.

Some interesting things happened:

1. A younger woman stopped with a polaroid camera. Turns out she left the picture in my case. That was a nitfty gesture!
2. A woman recorded me for a moment, dropped some money and asked me to play happy birthday. I totally nailed it with double stops and thinking the words in my head.
3. A woman and I made nice eye contact one moment and ten seconds later she comes back to ask what I was playing. She also plays the violin but with effects pedals and performs in other settings. She is only two hours away, on my path, and willing to hang out when I get there!
4. Some girls started dancing in front of me almost celtic like.

The morning after

I felt really good after all that success so I stopped by a local place to get drinks. I went there because I know some people who work there. I drank a bit more than I should have so when I got to the van I passed out with a light on! Couple that with a dying batter and alternator issues and the battery was dead by morning.

I had someone hooked up to me for 30 minutes, no good. I read the voltage of my battery after and it read 0.4v haha.

I am safe where I parked and a friend will hlep me tomorrow. Then I will focus on replacing the alternator geeze.