NOLA journal entry 2 - 2/23/22 or "a boy could dream of" or "Self, you gotta get on one of those muddafuckas"

Today, man, today. Well first let me start w/ last night and how I slept. I had quite the violent dream. Someone in it was pestering me and so I gave them a big boot to the face. In doing so I kicked the FUCK out of the arm of the couch I was sleeping on. It made such a loud noise that I woke myself u[ and prayed that I didn't wake Em up in the next room. I set no alarm and woke back up around 10 or 11am. Took a shower, changed--actually wait lemme back up. I had a war with the damn shower knobs--no matter which way I turned any three of them the water came out limp and flaccid. I usually make it a habit to ask my keepers the best shower practices, tips and such but as Lorn was out and Em was still asleep I couldn't. Oh, this happened after I took a shit by the way. It was a forced-shit, which normally isn't how my morning shits work but I wanted to empty my stomach to make room for all the yummy food I'd eat today. However, jokes on me, as I write this (now 8pm) I haven't eaten anything the entire day except for a $2.50 medium Tiger Blood + Watermelon snoball from Icecream 504m which was a cute, slender, shotgun looking place with a fun lawn up front w/ color chairs, tables, table-umbrellas, a nice older black man and a dark brown cat he gingerly played with as it lay on its back. This was all after I went clothes shopping--You see I needed a different tee, numerous ones actually. I only ended up getting one however because the shirts were more expensive than I thought they'd be. It was a consignment shop GLUE on Oak Street--which is walking distance but man did I end up getting far from home. Anyways the shirt I bought is a pale tan tee that has New Orleans in a nice, neat, sharp design on the front and back. It looks good on me. It cost $25 and I also found some Redvelvet colored swim trunks for like $13 I wore them out the store, the old rocker gentleman who worked there so graciously let me do so. His name is Jeff Nelson, he has cool hair, a Saints tattoo on his throat (amongst other tats such as "504" on his knuckles), an eyebrow piercing, and very pleasant demeanor. He's from Pittsburgh but moved to New Orleans in 2002. He's got a wife (who was born here) and four kids who were born here. From what  I understand his tour ended or something stopped and [he had] to drive here (2 or 3am he said). He walked the streets guitar on back and immediately had folks callin out to him to jam. The people here are mad friendly. They understand what living's about. He loved it and stayed. When Robert Plant came to town in 2013 he got to play guitar for the show, what better thing could a guy who's fav band had been Led Zeppelin since a boy could dream of. We shook hands. I didn't get to buy a shirt from Peaches record shop today as I spent an obscene amount of time in More Fun comics which is right next door to GLUE. I stumbled upon several familiar issues of Silver Surfer which made me smile a goddamn wholesome movie-like grin if I must say. I bought myself an issues. Additionally I bought issues for Vlaad, Tro, and Fonlon. Fonlon got a Doctor Strange comic cuz the eponymous hero was fighting a baddie named Kyllian in the issue I chose. Why? Cuz that's Fon's middle name, spelled differently of course. Vlaad got a Spiderman issue with Green Goblin on it & Tro got a Star Wars issue W/ all the OG heroes on the cover (Chewbacca of course included). I'd passed a bookstore earlier and figured there was going to be a place I'd get Moe's gift. However by that point I didnt have enough money on me for any of the books I thought would suit him. One philosophy pamphlet (essentially), was like $17, the others were in a similar price range. I left and walked in a heat that fortunately wasn't oppressive, nonetheless I got that snoball mentioned earlier and further depleted my cash. Unfortunate as, just a few blocks up in the general direction of home was both a Dat Dog (a second one, Freret Street) and Mr. Tequila, home of the mothafuckin black + gold burrito that I'd had put extra flame emojis next to in my list of shit to eat down here. It was $13, I only had like $7. I made my way back home, not making so much as a dent in the distance between where I was and where I needed to be (home--where I could re-up my money). Curse these little old legs! At some point very late, and not too long ago I did end up making a dent, but I had a long way to go and as I walked streetcars passed by on the median and I said to myself I said "Self, you gotta get on one of those muddafuckas" But I didnt know where they stopped. Then I noticed a lady standing in the median (next to a non-descript pole!) She and I were to get on the same car, we waited and talked. I told her I just so happened to be here for Mardi Gras. She, a resident, probably born + raised given her lovely, charming accent hadn't been to any parades or "functions" for years as she's always had work during the parades. There was no Mardi Gras last year, the Mayor, a black lady wouldn't have that go down. Janine(?) lost her father, brother, and I think either sister or friend due to COVID. I gave condolences. The Zulus, who I learned are not Mardi Gras Indians, lost several members to COVID as well. The remaining members will be back at it "hopefully stayin' safe" again this coming Tuesday under the bridge. What bridge? I didn't ask as I loved hearing her speak and didn't want to stilt what she had to say. We shook hands. She helped me get on the streetcar, which was manned by an accommodating black gentleman. I say accommodating as my bills were too wrinkled for the machine and as I got off @ my stop and insisted on giving him and his friend, a lady who made sure we were stopping @ the correct stop, he and she insisted back that no money was necessary. As I walked up the stairs to Em + Lorn's I texted triumphantly to numerous people that I'd gotten home all alone, but not w/o help, on my first streetcar--sending pics and video and allat as evidence.