Venatus
Well-known member
"the road to success is paved with sheep" - Ingvald Havskjold
so there i was, waiting for my luck to go through, for a better day. research had finally reached a dead end and i was tired of sitting around and pretending like i was makin progress towards my endeavors so i decided id venture out to san francisco by whatever means necessary. i wanted to practice my travel skills, and while some of you may say oh "ehh its not a skill" may i remind you that practice makes perfect.
now of course there are always limits to a persons luck, it was luck that got me there and luck that got me back. now i dont seem like anyone, espceially a person who you would buy a train ticket for, but some fedora wearing college douche decided to perform his act of charity to look impressive to his slab of meat (thats all she was to him) and that got me the ticket i needed to not get harassed on the train to SF. it was a long bus ride before that, and i knew id still have a long ways to go, so i managed to scrap up food and drink, water (which i did NOT get enough of) cookies that i payed waaaaay too much money for and a monster energy drink for if i decided to pull an all nighter. i also bought 5 cans of herring because smelly fish is good to eat on the go.
anyways i managed to make it downtown, got of the caltrain ad took the lightrail, i wanted to look like i had payed or at least had the money to, so i used my dead clipper card and got on, well stupid of me i didnt realize the fucking lightrail was at its last stop and so it pulled me into the tram station with some random chick. the tram driver (grubby old fart) came out from his office and was like " you guys shouldnt have gotten on- now you have to wait and stay on." so me and this woman stayed on while the driver turned the train around. i was bored and decided to talk to the girl i had the ill fortune of being stuck with.
she was elegant and slender, healthy and intelligent looking. she told me about her work in france as a smalltown highschool teacher. she knew even less about san francisco than i did, coming to visit her friend in new years, she seemed to like me, despite who i was and how i looked, so i shared a bit of my old life with her as the train took us out into the city.
eventually the train stopped, and we parted ways. i emerged from the tunnels and through an underground mall all the way to a great expansive urban landscape. the street was crowded and full of all kinds of people, most of them took no notice to me as i made my way around. i had no idea where to go, but i wanted to see the golden gate park, so i went to this lame looking wretch and asked him which way to the golden gate park, a question id be asking alot of people along the way. he pointed me towards a bus stop that would take me to haight street and from there to the park, and being the fool he was told me it would be a 20 minute walk. well i didnt trust him and went and asked another bum, some scraggly tweeker named ryan, gave him some cookies and he sent me off in the right direction. i got on the bus to haight street sneaking in through the back, and rode all the way there, giving some punk girl and her dog some fish along the way. i got off the bus at some random part of the park after missing the first stop near the entrance and proceeded to wander in the dark with a knife in my sleeve expecting to encounter some crazy homebums or whatever might await me. i kept my wits about me, walking slowly and quietly in the dark.
as i wandered the park i heard screams and laughter. i came closer and found it to be the "40 olympics" hosted and ran by a bunch of drunken college students. it was boring so i went on and wandered until i was at the park center, where they had a giant xmas tree lit up and the traffic was dreadful. i found an old man there pushing a baby stroller, he had a huge bump on his head, and called himself jay by the way. i gave him one of my throwing knives and he showed me his own weapon. it was a nasty looking hook, like a pirates, except meaner and blunter. he told me about how some guy jumped him and gave him that bump on his head. jay mentioned a homeless camp that i could sleep at "with warm fires" and being the idiot i was i wanted to go see the ocean at the end o the park first. he pointed me in the right direction, and so i set off on my way beginning one of the most exausting walks ive ever made. i trekked past partygoers and druggies, past bums and rouges and drunkards. i wandered through thick brambles and dark roads and almost got sprayed by skunks more than once but eventually i made it to the ocean.
i celebrated on my sore feet awed by the looming mouth of the storm that seemed to be roaring at the shore. the clouds where void black, venta black almost and i could feel the cold winds of the sea. well after all of that i wanted to find a place to rest, but being as ill adapted as i was i chose to press on, i couldnt fall asleep anywhere i found out, as the cold would take me in my sleep and id wake up freezing, so i made the long walk in the cold dark of night on my painfully sore feet all the way back through the park, to here jay had been, to try to find the homeless camp "with warm fires" he was long gone and i chose to sleep on a bench for an hour.
i woke up shivering, and i had to shake the warmth back into myself and get back on my feet. some random hobo came across the street, yelling something at someone past me, im glad i woke up when i did, i may have been robbed in my sleep if i hadnt. so i contined to wander about, now out of water and tired as hell, i made the mistake of not bringing enough of anything. but this is a lesson i would have to learn anyways. i came to a gas station and found a bum drinking water there. the station was closed of course but he was drining water out of a hose, i filled up my bottles with some and continued on my way. i walked along the pan handle hoping for a stroke of luck.
i was walking when a guy took notice to me and asked me what was going on. i told him i was out looking for a camp to sleep at for the night, he was really creepy, always trying to get close to me as we spoke. he told me he was waiting for his freind who had just turned 30. i cracked some lame age jokes to hide my growing discomfort- he was coming closer to me no matter how much i backed away, speaking in a deep soft voice. he told me to go back to haight street and look there for some homeless folk, and before i was on my way he asked me if i was bi or gay, told him i was straight, and it kinda made sense at that point. he was just looking for some booty to take home for the night.
he pointed me in the right direction and soon i found some sketchy ass gutter punk looking fellows. there was 3 of them. a bald guy always making odd jokes and talikng about movies ive never heard of expecting me to know. he thought i sounded like a radio personality or whatever. there was another guy wearing patched up tights and funny dress shoes, kinda reminded me of an oversized elf. and one other guy wearing a ragged leather jacket and carrying a lighter like it was a scepter. i talked with them for a while, but then this dirty grubby 20 something came along. this half dreaded junkie was bragging about a phone he managed to steal from some guy he beat the shit out of (long story). anyways gtg- to be continued
so there i was, waiting for my luck to go through, for a better day. research had finally reached a dead end and i was tired of sitting around and pretending like i was makin progress towards my endeavors so i decided id venture out to san francisco by whatever means necessary. i wanted to practice my travel skills, and while some of you may say oh "ehh its not a skill" may i remind you that practice makes perfect.
now of course there are always limits to a persons luck, it was luck that got me there and luck that got me back. now i dont seem like anyone, espceially a person who you would buy a train ticket for, but some fedora wearing college douche decided to perform his act of charity to look impressive to his slab of meat (thats all she was to him) and that got me the ticket i needed to not get harassed on the train to SF. it was a long bus ride before that, and i knew id still have a long ways to go, so i managed to scrap up food and drink, water (which i did NOT get enough of) cookies that i payed waaaaay too much money for and a monster energy drink for if i decided to pull an all nighter. i also bought 5 cans of herring because smelly fish is good to eat on the go.
anyways i managed to make it downtown, got of the caltrain ad took the lightrail, i wanted to look like i had payed or at least had the money to, so i used my dead clipper card and got on, well stupid of me i didnt realize the fucking lightrail was at its last stop and so it pulled me into the tram station with some random chick. the tram driver (grubby old fart) came out from his office and was like " you guys shouldnt have gotten on- now you have to wait and stay on." so me and this woman stayed on while the driver turned the train around. i was bored and decided to talk to the girl i had the ill fortune of being stuck with.
she was elegant and slender, healthy and intelligent looking. she told me about her work in france as a smalltown highschool teacher. she knew even less about san francisco than i did, coming to visit her friend in new years, she seemed to like me, despite who i was and how i looked, so i shared a bit of my old life with her as the train took us out into the city.
eventually the train stopped, and we parted ways. i emerged from the tunnels and through an underground mall all the way to a great expansive urban landscape. the street was crowded and full of all kinds of people, most of them took no notice to me as i made my way around. i had no idea where to go, but i wanted to see the golden gate park, so i went to this lame looking wretch and asked him which way to the golden gate park, a question id be asking alot of people along the way. he pointed me towards a bus stop that would take me to haight street and from there to the park, and being the fool he was told me it would be a 20 minute walk. well i didnt trust him and went and asked another bum, some scraggly tweeker named ryan, gave him some cookies and he sent me off in the right direction. i got on the bus to haight street sneaking in through the back, and rode all the way there, giving some punk girl and her dog some fish along the way. i got off the bus at some random part of the park after missing the first stop near the entrance and proceeded to wander in the dark with a knife in my sleeve expecting to encounter some crazy homebums or whatever might await me. i kept my wits about me, walking slowly and quietly in the dark.
as i wandered the park i heard screams and laughter. i came closer and found it to be the "40 olympics" hosted and ran by a bunch of drunken college students. it was boring so i went on and wandered until i was at the park center, where they had a giant xmas tree lit up and the traffic was dreadful. i found an old man there pushing a baby stroller, he had a huge bump on his head, and called himself jay by the way. i gave him one of my throwing knives and he showed me his own weapon. it was a nasty looking hook, like a pirates, except meaner and blunter. he told me about how some guy jumped him and gave him that bump on his head. jay mentioned a homeless camp that i could sleep at "with warm fires" and being the idiot i was i wanted to go see the ocean at the end o the park first. he pointed me in the right direction, and so i set off on my way beginning one of the most exausting walks ive ever made. i trekked past partygoers and druggies, past bums and rouges and drunkards. i wandered through thick brambles and dark roads and almost got sprayed by skunks more than once but eventually i made it to the ocean.
i celebrated on my sore feet awed by the looming mouth of the storm that seemed to be roaring at the shore. the clouds where void black, venta black almost and i could feel the cold winds of the sea. well after all of that i wanted to find a place to rest, but being as ill adapted as i was i chose to press on, i couldnt fall asleep anywhere i found out, as the cold would take me in my sleep and id wake up freezing, so i made the long walk in the cold dark of night on my painfully sore feet all the way back through the park, to here jay had been, to try to find the homeless camp "with warm fires" he was long gone and i chose to sleep on a bench for an hour.
i woke up shivering, and i had to shake the warmth back into myself and get back on my feet. some random hobo came across the street, yelling something at someone past me, im glad i woke up when i did, i may have been robbed in my sleep if i hadnt. so i contined to wander about, now out of water and tired as hell, i made the mistake of not bringing enough of anything. but this is a lesson i would have to learn anyways. i came to a gas station and found a bum drinking water there. the station was closed of course but he was drining water out of a hose, i filled up my bottles with some and continued on my way. i walked along the pan handle hoping for a stroke of luck.
i was walking when a guy took notice to me and asked me what was going on. i told him i was out looking for a camp to sleep at for the night, he was really creepy, always trying to get close to me as we spoke. he told me he was waiting for his freind who had just turned 30. i cracked some lame age jokes to hide my growing discomfort- he was coming closer to me no matter how much i backed away, speaking in a deep soft voice. he told me to go back to haight street and look there for some homeless folk, and before i was on my way he asked me if i was bi or gay, told him i was straight, and it kinda made sense at that point. he was just looking for some booty to take home for the night.
he pointed me in the right direction and soon i found some sketchy ass gutter punk looking fellows. there was 3 of them. a bald guy always making odd jokes and talikng about movies ive never heard of expecting me to know. he thought i sounded like a radio personality or whatever. there was another guy wearing patched up tights and funny dress shoes, kinda reminded me of an oversized elf. and one other guy wearing a ragged leather jacket and carrying a lighter like it was a scepter. i talked with them for a while, but then this dirty grubby 20 something came along. this half dreaded junkie was bragging about a phone he managed to steal from some guy he beat the shit out of (long story). anyways gtg- to be continued
