The Silence Club and N.L. meet the same Bakersfield bum - By N.L. Belardes
The new Silence Club video is definitely worth a look. I get a cameo and so does Black Dog. The funniest part is not that The Silence Club invites a bum to the show. What cracks me up is that very morning (Saturday) I was out on a bike ride and the pedal snapped off my bike as I was going downhill on Chester Avenue near 34th Street. I was headed to the Kern River Recreational Path. Well, OK, that part was funny, but that's not what I meant...
I ended up in the parking lot of the burger joint on the corner of 34th and Chester. After a little while the very same bum in The Silence Club video walked up to me and said, "You found it!"
"Oh yeah?" I had attached the pedal and pedal arm back on the bike but couldn't tighten the bolt even though I tried with a rock, caveman style.
"You found your pedal. Oh man I saw you. I used to have a bike. But they stole it."
"Oh man. Sucks."
"You should go across the street and have them fix it," he pointed to a car body paint garage.
"Nah. I'll just take it to the bike shop."
"OK, well I'll see ya," he said, staring at my bike.
"Later, man..."
Who would have thought the same bum would be less kind to Aaron on the same day?
watch:
Read more...
I ended up in the parking lot of the burger joint on the corner of 34th and Chester. After a little while the very same bum in The Silence Club video walked up to me and said, "You found it!"
"Oh yeah?" I had attached the pedal and pedal arm back on the bike but couldn't tighten the bolt even though I tried with a rock, caveman style.
"You found your pedal. Oh man I saw you. I used to have a bike. But they stole it."
"Oh man. Sucks."
"You should go across the street and have them fix it," he pointed to a car body paint garage.
"Nah. I'll just take it to the bike shop."
"OK, well I'll see ya," he said, staring at my bike.
"Later, man..."
Who would have thought the same bum would be less kind to Aaron on the same day?
watch:
Read more...
Labels: Bakersfield, blog, bum, homeless, news, show, St. Patty's Day, The Silence Club, transient
This entry was posted by N.L. Belardes, on
Tuesday, March 20, 2007.
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How crazy. That sucka is prejudice of green hair.
I think it's in Chapter 2, Section 101.3.1,of the Dumpster Diver's Handbook, which reads: " Under no circumstance or situation thereof, does said Diver take his/her attention, or physical presence off "claimed" trash treasure, when approached by another, human or otherwise.
Chapter 3 deals with how to start conversations with strangers and pick up on tonal discourse in deciding whether to walk away or ask for monetary help. Also, how to keep conversations brief when strangers approach the Diver.
This guy has studied his Handbook well!
Maybe he lost his handbook and was looking for it. I gotta see one of these things...
The first rule of the Divers Handbook is ask no questions.
you'd be rude too if earlier in the day you tried to be friendly to some asshole novelist/blogger who didn't give you the time of day (but more importantly... monetary compensation) even after you were trying to help him out with friendly info. on how to fix his bike. :)
What I actually think he was thinkin' was for me to give him my bike, since it was broken and all...
He was very polite to me though.
Maybe he was eyeing the bike because it looked strangley familiar... :)
I think I should find that guy and interview him. Learn his ways of who to and who to not judge. "guy with bike might have money" "guy without bike and green hair, go away"
I guess ALL we can do it be grateful that for whatever reasons, we've all managed to adapt to life JUST enough to function in society, and not be homeless.
Obviously, most homeless people have some serious mental illnesses to contend with. I guess the rest of us are just the lucky ones.
Anyways I can't care too much, or spend too much time contemplating what leads a man to be homeless, or I start to dwell on it....then pretty soon I find myself angry at "God". All I can say is, if there IS a God, we're all screwed cause I seriously doubt he likes to see us happy. I think God is a bee, and misery his nectar..
Ok now I'll take my negative attitude back down to the basement....
* John B.
John B. You took this fun blog post and brought in a heavy dose of reality. Bum, homeless, transient, mentally ill. Could be any of us.
I lived in a car once.
I shared a studio with two other people and my two kids in a Tav Cam once.
I was in hiding.
Wasn't pretty. If I hadn't had kids, living in my car would have been a much better option. No rat size cockroaches crawling on you while you sleep. And no cat sized rats to fight with over the last tortilla.
Yeah you know that old Chris Farley skit where he keeps yellin "or you'll be livin in a VAN, down by the RIVER!!!..."
I actually lived in my truck once....down by the river....
And sorry for bein a Debby Downer on your blog... I've actually been dwellin on the topic since the other night, when this drug addicted homeless lady tried to sell me a handbag at gas station, I realized instantly that I could care less about her and just wanted to leave. It's a complicated, cruel ass world eh?
-John B.
It doesn't count that you lived in a car once because it was a huge car. More like a boat. A house boat. If only it had a shower.
Yes, it was like a boat, and there were two of us. And it was an adventurous time.
God's unhappy?...mental illness?...we're the lucky ones?
Well, I'm sure there are physically and mentally challenged homeless people. But there are also some physically and mentally FIT homeless people out there too. ALOT!
Most Dumpster Divers are meticulous in their collections. Great organizational skills too...you ever see some of those bikes they ride or carts they push? With all that stuff placed and draped on them? How do they get all those bags of cans and bottles balanced so perfectly?
They understand trash collection days, delivery days for businesses,free soup days,etc. They also know weights/measurements and monetary values, 'cause they're pretty darn good with their bartering and recycling! So memory and calculational skills are working properly too.
They eat less than normal people in America, and walk more too! So maybe they're healthier.
They pick up trash and don't pollute with cars...hmm...dang!...I guess we can't blame them for this global warming!
I blame the Dorito Banditos for global warming. They seem to emmit lotza dangerous gases after their many lunching adventures.
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