Baltimore

Dodgers stunk.
Went to the lost city cafe after the game. Great place, cool surroundings and terrific food. However, never tell the owner you REALLY like spicy food. I will pay for it tomorrow.
I'm at the motel 6 in the part of town a local called, the shit hole. Actually pretty cool. Coffeehouses, good pizza and an art school. And only one corner with hookers. This area is apparently coming back.
Got up to take a piss and saw remnants of flashing red lights in the window above the toilet.
Looked out of the door and two police crown vics pulled over a city bus. Ahh.. The city.
Moving hotels tomorrow. I doubt the right side of town will be as colorful.
Baltimore. You know how to have a good time.

power

I usually do a post after I get home from a trip. Looking back and feeling the transition. I really should have because the relaxed glow I had after the trip lasted all of 72 hours once I got back to work. 

Before I left for my trip the dealer I bought my car from called me. The sales guy told me the dealer was looking for used cars to shore up their position and wanted to know if I was interested. I was not. 

He told me he could at least tell me what my car was worth and that it would just take a few minutes and at least I would know. 

I am well aware of the psychology and manipulation that takes place on a car lot but I like cars and Scion has a new car that I was interested in driving. In my youth I would take a small amount of joy in taking a test drive in a car I could never afford by lying my ass of in a convincing manner by playing on the desperation of some sales slave. 

The last time I was on a car lot, it was a struggle and I didn't make a perfect play but I did better than I had done in, well, ever. 

I felt like after you win a bit in a casino... and you want to go back...just to see.... just to see what would happen. 

So car guy calls today. My day off. I'm watching a movie. He wants to know if I'm free. I either do my laundry or test drive a new car. I don't care what I smell like (today) so I meet up at 4:00PM.

I take the drive in the new car. Very nice. Low to the ground. Nice power but automatic and no sunroof. This car was $28,000, plus tax and etc. Nice to look at but I'm enjoying being out of debt. 

A new replacement for my car would be about $22,000. HA! for me to go for that I would have to get $18,000 for my car when I paid about $20K for it 3 years ago. 

So, I'm in the little room. Sales guy takes my reg and my keys to get my estimate and the work starts. What would it take to get you to buy today? You like the car, right? Your car is old this one is new....we all know the drill. 

I ask sales guy how much he thinks my car is worth.

Brow furls.

He taps his pen on a pad.

6? 8?

In my mind....*8! $8000!!!

In the little plastic chair, I turn up my lip but I don't move. He's doing his job trying to get me to give away my car and screw me as hard as he can with a new one. No harm, no foul. We are all adults I know how this is supposed to go and I'm not interested in a new car anyway. 

8, no. I say. 

What were you thinking of?

Hmm, I slumped in the little plastic chair and relaxed my butt cheeks so I could think. 

15 or 16, I say.

In my mind, to come up with $6K for a new car that has more power and set up better might, MIGHT, be a decent compromise to make, but I am not interested in a new car. 

So, I say 15 or 16 and I'm pretty sure by the expression on car guys face he suffered a momentary urination event. 

He says, as they always do....Let me get the manager on this. 

So I sit, alone, in the little room, in the plastic chair, five minutes longer than my patience should allow when sales guy and manager guy come in the room. 

Manager guy is slick, cocky. So I hear you want to trade your car for a new one. 

No, I say. And I explained the path that led me here. 

Well, he says, you're here. You've already made the decision. 

Now, when people tell me what I'm thinking and what I'm going to do it pisses me off. So he's working  from a bad spot now. 

In fact, He continued, statistics say that when someone comes on a car lot within three days they buy a car. 

This statistic sounded like bullshit to me but to reenforce my position I was sure not to buy a car because of my long history of dragging down the curve. 

Then, it starts....

If I gave you $11,000 today would you make a deal....

No I say...

11.5

No I say...

12

12.5

No I say...

14...

$14000! In this moment I remembered because he was looking at me every time he wrote a number. He was watching my reaction. 

This is the same guy that tried to juke me on my last car when I traded it in. Oh fuck, this was going to be good. 

Numbers were clicking slowly higher...

I will spare the intermediate steps. 

The duel ended when I refused.....

$17,000!

He got up an said, You're not ready... in polite disgust. 

Oh fuck, what a moment. 

I might have gotten up to $18,000 but then another manager would have came up to try and bring it down and who has that kind of time. 

I'm kind of exhausted. My car is running fine. Dirty but ok and I'm going to keep it but fuck I got to drive a new car and ruin a sales managers day. 

I'm having a black lemonade and relaxing. 

Laundry can wait. 

Paris

Landed yesterday. Walked around but the day was shot.
Days like today I'm glad I came by myself. Shit happens and I don't know how to handle it bit if I had to behave around someone else might be a problem.
I found a lady to do some work on my journal so I had to leave it with her. I'm never with out it and I'm finding stuff everywhere to paste in it or write about and now its out of my hands so I feel off balance.
Went to the museum. Very cool place but full, full, full of people.
Picked up my bag to change hotels. I'm tired, hungry and the iPod is running out of juice. Directions say its just off of the metro station.
Cool except the us consulate is just off the metro station.
Then it starts to rain. Then the strap on my bag breaks and I'm looking in the lonely planet for the hotel .
Half of me is pissed but the other half loves this shit. The worse it gets the better I feel when it's over. Getting to the other side is satisfying. Most people want to relax on vacation, I don't mind a turd on the lawn on occasion.
I'm beat.
Pick up the journal tomorrow and get ready for the plane.
This trip is almost done

48

Tie, shoes, slacks.
Couldn't sleep waiting for the table to open.
Got to the casino and roulette and blackjack were full. The crap table, empty, dark on the outside near the back corner . Pit boss says the table will open at ten, on five minutes .
I sit at the slots watching for the crew to get there. Out of the back a door opens and a dozen starched white shirts with legs empty into the room.
The actual casino room is divided into two. One room mainly slots and the main room for tables with some slots to absorb some of the space.
The roulette etc, the main tables are under canopy of eight crystal chandeliers. Vaulted ceiling in gold and green. A classic of what I would imagine a European reception room would be but better because it's a casino.
Three white shirts and a suit make it to the table and set up.
I'm worried there will be a crowd of douchebags ( I purposely leave myself out of this count ) or a bad crew. So many things can fuck up the table for me but it's Just me. No one. No one is interested on the table except me.
The crew is curious about the game they are calling but not into it.
I'm very lucky! They speak English . I had been practicing French for the numbers and le gran rouge but I'm glad I didn't have to break it out.
The stick guy is six foot something with stubble for hair. He pushed the dice. Amber dice on green felt. I pick two, roll 3 and 2. Bet. And I hit my five. Payouts are the same as Vegas but single odds back.
Dice out. Point is six. I make it. I make a five and I'm out.
The stick is calling six when I roll a five. He's calling seven out when it's the come out. His head is not on the game but it's just me so I help him. And I'm talk Ing with the dealers about payouts and odds. It's cool. The dice turn but it's ok.
Two college guys come up. One is a player his buddy knows nothing so we teach the rules to the buddy.
Dice are up and down. I'm putting winnings in my pocket and I feel some in there but I have to keep digging to keep the game going.
Eventually it's me and the player. And the dice cool off. Not cold but cool.
The player leaves.
I keep going.
Five. Make it.
Six. Make it.
Six. Make it.
I'm betting minimum. I could be winning. I'm up.
So I think. What did I come here for?
I rolled. I won.i played my game and won.
Over the arch is a gold blue and white enamel faced clock.
At 10:52pm, I walked out up 93 euro.
I'm having coffee in the lounge with my winnings.
Not a bad birthday.

Arles

I watched "Lust for Life" with Kirk Douglas years ago. It's still a favorite of mine. Watch it if you have the time.
Parts of it were shot in Arles at the van gogh sites. Now I'm here.
I wandered the streets. I meant to hit all the van gogh sites but I just wandered. Two days. Narrow streets. Wooden shutters and stone streets. Roman theaters and tiny cafes. I forgot why I really came and sank into this place.
It's off season so there are no crowds for anything.
The thing I knew would be here but wasn't prepared for was the wind. It feels like a giant is standing over the land and swiping past everything. It shoots through the streets. It blasts through the squares. It's like a person that keeps turning up around every corner.
I have to come back. Arles is small and could be done in a day but to feel it, really, it needs more.
Bullfights in the roman arena. That must be something.
Booked my train for tomorrow.
48 is coming, and I'm ready.

South

The snow turned to ice on the sidewalks overnight. Checked out of the hotel and checked my steps slowly to the metro station.

My sneakers were a bad choice. Feet wet and three times I was nearly ass over teakettle in the street.

Two stops on the metro and I'm at the station. The wrong station. Through the snow...slush...ice...feet wet ... I get to the right station.

Agent gets me on the first train south.

Two hours in the sun hits me for the first time in weeks.fuuuuuucccckkk...how I missed it.

I have music on random. French countryside with zeppelin, muddy waters and chuck berry in my head. I'm nearly embarrassed how good these moment is.

Nearing Avignon....

Cold

I left Copenhagen as it started to turn cold and it's catching up to me here.
I looked our of the window and it rained overnight.
My nose is stuffed and my eyes hurt. I had a bowl of onion soup yesterday but it was not enough to ward off the cold.
I walked all day yesterday from my hotel to the louve to cafes and the subway.
The size of the city is amazing again in contrast with Copenhagen terrific.
Changing hotels again. See a different part of the city.
Tomorrow moving on.