Week One

Oh yes, it's Friday afternoon, classes are done for the week, and it's time for the weekend. It's been an interesting week, too, and I've met some cool people.

Since I don't have a cooking area in my van yet, I'm eating out, and always on the lookout for deals on cheap food. Of course, since I've lived in this city for a while, I already know where a lot of it is -- the happy hour tacos, the wing night, the five dollar pizza night, the dollar fried rice -- but Wednesday night I discovered a local bar has started offering one dollar tacos every day until 11 pm. And are they some good tacos! Big tacos with your choice of beef or chicken, hard or soft shell, loaded with fixin's, and served with literally a box full of a variety of different hot sauces. Delicious, and I can fill up for three dollars. The problem is, I go in figuring I'll just get some tacos and a beer and then leave, but inevitably I meet some interesting characters and one beer turns into six.

Last night I found myself sitting at the bar next to another nomad, a squatter named Russell, who welcomed me to the club. Russell looks like he fights every day. He's an amiable guy who smiles a lot, but his smile reveals just how many teeth he's had knocked out. He was also sporting a half-healed black eye and a cut on his face when I saw him. Definitely a punk kid from way back, he talked about the old days when this part of town was filled with hardcore kids and dive bars, a far cry from the way it is now, with all the rich folks moving in and setting up shops selling gourmet doggie treats. We drank for a while and he gave me some pointers about being homeless in the area, then I racked out in my van for the night.

I really feel like I'm entering into a new world here. I'm adapting to the new lifestyle. I hope to get some work done to the van this weekend. The first thing I need is blackout curtains. I'm spending too much money going to bars and coffee shops to read my textbooks because I can't have a light in the van without attracting attention. A sink and counter would be nice, too, so I can brush my teeth and wash my face in the morning, and have a place to set my camp stove to cook.