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We walked for about 4 miles to the neighborhood of Pilsen in Chicago. There was a Y in that location that was just outside yard limits. In the middle of that Y were cottonwood trees and bushes. We made camp there and found one of the hills had weed growing, fully flowered and purple from the cold nights. I love Cannabis and I smoke the hell out of it but when I was an Engineer I was subject to random testing so I just had to let it be. We met Moss in that Y, he was a long time friend of Tony's. He wasn't subject to random testing and he enjoyed the free herb. I didn't like Chicago much but I didn't stay long enough to give it a chance. I met up with Todd and Shaye who I mentioned in the previous parts, they lived in Chicago now and I stayed on their couch one night and two down at the Y with Moss. Tony stayed at his parents house and after a few days I decided I'd catch a train down to New Orleans by myself.
That's a whole other story in itself, to be told some other day. When I arrived in New Orleans I called Alynda Lee who I mentioned previously. Her and Barnabus met me on Decatur street and we went to Alynda's house on Bergundy in the Bywater. I stayed with her a couple weeks and then I stayed with Barnabus down the street for another few weeks. In that time I spent everything I had on booze. I became a lush in that time, and ended up throwing my career away right there. I decided it was better for me anyway, that job took most of my life away with the hours they'd work us were inhumane. I eventually decided I needed to come back to Fresno and figure out where to start picking up the pieces. I have two kids and a wife here, a wife who should have given up on me long ago. She's a soldier and I don't mean armed forces but she's a soldier for sure.
I got back home, sold my 64 nova and tried to establish something for us. She was working in accounting and the kids needed someone in the day to take them to school and such so I became a stay at home dad. I haven't worked since mid fall 2007 when I left for Chicago. I was fired from the RxR for "AWOL". I rode to Roseville to appear at my investigation in a grainer from Fresno. They must have gotten word from the employees I had told my stories to because when I walked into that room with the audio recording devices on, the mics on the desks in front of us they asked me right out the gate "How did you get here today Mr. Lupo?" I responded "A train". The manager then asked "What kind of train Mr. Lupo?" I started to answer him and he rudely interrupted me with an even stupider question “you know the difference between a freight train and a passenger train don't you Mr. Lupo?” I then realized exactly what he was getting at and thought, wait a fucking minute here. I'm being charged with absent without leave not fucking around in boxcars, what the fuck is this about man?
So I said pretty much just that, less the mention of boxcars as I didn't want to give them any information they might not have already had. They realized it wasn't appropriate to the charges and there's no double jeopardy so the manager asked the tapes be stopped and those segments removed. They ended the trial on the firm instructions "If the arbitrators who listen to these tapes deem you in the wrong and you're terminated, you DO realize you can no longer appear on RxR property or ride freight trains right?" I looked at my union local chairman and asked "are we done here?" he said “Yes Mr. Lupo, we're done here” I walked out. I got on the computer since my log in had not been taken from me yet, it would take some weeks for the arbitrators to listen to the hearing so I had access. I looked up southbound trains and I found my train in the rock pile tracks.
I Rode that train back to Fresno and I haven't ridden one since but it's never left me and I know I will again soon. My kids take a lot of my time currently but it wont always be that way. I'd like to visit my friends up in Black Butte, I'd like to see the east coast for the first time. I'd like to get into Canada and maybe even Mexico. I don't really have a bang up closing statement or conclusion to deliver here. It just sorta peters out and I'm sorry for that. I hope you're all doing well and I hope to see those of you I've met in that Roseville jungle again and even those I haven't met yet, hopefully someday I will get the chance. Till then, be safe.
Jason Lupo.
That's a whole other story in itself, to be told some other day. When I arrived in New Orleans I called Alynda Lee who I mentioned previously. Her and Barnabus met me on Decatur street and we went to Alynda's house on Bergundy in the Bywater. I stayed with her a couple weeks and then I stayed with Barnabus down the street for another few weeks. In that time I spent everything I had on booze. I became a lush in that time, and ended up throwing my career away right there. I decided it was better for me anyway, that job took most of my life away with the hours they'd work us were inhumane. I eventually decided I needed to come back to Fresno and figure out where to start picking up the pieces. I have two kids and a wife here, a wife who should have given up on me long ago. She's a soldier and I don't mean armed forces but she's a soldier for sure.
I got back home, sold my 64 nova and tried to establish something for us. She was working in accounting and the kids needed someone in the day to take them to school and such so I became a stay at home dad. I haven't worked since mid fall 2007 when I left for Chicago. I was fired from the RxR for "AWOL". I rode to Roseville to appear at my investigation in a grainer from Fresno. They must have gotten word from the employees I had told my stories to because when I walked into that room with the audio recording devices on, the mics on the desks in front of us they asked me right out the gate "How did you get here today Mr. Lupo?" I responded "A train". The manager then asked "What kind of train Mr. Lupo?" I started to answer him and he rudely interrupted me with an even stupider question “you know the difference between a freight train and a passenger train don't you Mr. Lupo?” I then realized exactly what he was getting at and thought, wait a fucking minute here. I'm being charged with absent without leave not fucking around in boxcars, what the fuck is this about man?
So I said pretty much just that, less the mention of boxcars as I didn't want to give them any information they might not have already had. They realized it wasn't appropriate to the charges and there's no double jeopardy so the manager asked the tapes be stopped and those segments removed. They ended the trial on the firm instructions "If the arbitrators who listen to these tapes deem you in the wrong and you're terminated, you DO realize you can no longer appear on RxR property or ride freight trains right?" I looked at my union local chairman and asked "are we done here?" he said “Yes Mr. Lupo, we're done here” I walked out. I got on the computer since my log in had not been taken from me yet, it would take some weeks for the arbitrators to listen to the hearing so I had access. I looked up southbound trains and I found my train in the rock pile tracks.
I Rode that train back to Fresno and I haven't ridden one since but it's never left me and I know I will again soon. My kids take a lot of my time currently but it wont always be that way. I'd like to visit my friends up in Black Butte, I'd like to see the east coast for the first time. I'd like to get into Canada and maybe even Mexico. I don't really have a bang up closing statement or conclusion to deliver here. It just sorta peters out and I'm sorry for that. I hope you're all doing well and I hope to see those of you I've met in that Roseville jungle again and even those I haven't met yet, hopefully someday I will get the chance. Till then, be safe.
Jason Lupo.
