arrowwhiskers

Today has possibly been the best day I've had since coming to Tucson <3

I woke up wicked late (like...I fell asleep at 4.30AM and woke up at like 1PM...late.) And it was all clouuuudy and stormy and I didn't want to go anywhere, but I decided I really needed peanut butter. So I forced myself out to the co-op again and bought some bananas and peanut butter and the weather was NOT rainy, it was pretty gorgeous actually. And I walked down to the little bookstore and got some postcards ehehe ;)

As I was walking along 4th, I saw a muscular, middle aged black man walking down the street wearing nothing but boots and a long flowy skirt. It was awesome, and I wanted to take a photo but I figured that'd be rude. After I bought my groceries and some coffee, I found a shady wall to sit on and collect myself before biking home, and he was walking back down the street the other way. He seemed to have acquired a white basketball jersey this time. As he walked by, he asked how I was doing, and I said okay, and he sat down, and we started up a conversation.

He was actually a really cool dude. He said that he came from Philadelphia originally, but that he'd been all over--up and down the east coast from Canada to Tampa, FL and he'd crossed the country countless times. When I told him I was from Boston, he said that he'd lived there, too--and that he had often pitched a tent in an ex-girlfriend's yard who lived in Watertown. He also said that his favorite place was Canada--that he loved Montreal and Ottawa and Toronto and would hitchhike up from Philadelphia when the winter season broke into spring. He told me that back then it was like the same place as America--back when you didn't need a passport to go and when you woke up there it was just like being in the US, except sometimes people spoke French.

He asked me how I liked Tucson and I was surprised how honest it felt when I told him I did like it. We shared appreciation of the mountains and weather and he said that a lot of people here are really chill, which from what I can tell, is rather true. He told me that he first came to Tucson because he and his girlfriend were crossing the country in a trailer, selling tie-dye shirts and such, and the camper broke down on the outskirts of the city on the way to California. He was told by a guy that he should move his trailer down to 4th street and see some musical shows...and then he realized that it was January and gorgeous weather--and he's been spending a lot of time here ever since. Finally, I took my leave and he introduced himself as Garland. He was a cool dude. It was a good conversation.

When I got back, Maria and Mario invited me over to their house that is basically in the mountainy place (it's so cool), and I met their friends Kaydee and Julia who are all really nice! I finally got to see Across the Universe (had been meaning to forever) and it was full of win. It had been raining and thunderstorming the entire time we were watching, so on the way home Mario blasted music and drove through terrifying puddles. It was sort of way more fun than it should have been, considering that it was likely really effing dangerous. Tucson is way more interesting when you have a car and can actually go places within it...which convinces me that I should probably try to learn to drive but I don't know where to start, hm. As it is, being in a car without any adults is a brand-new concept, and it's ridiculously fun. Especially in a place like Tucson. Yaaaay, friends. <3

This entry is RIDICULOUSLY long holy crap. Anyway, basically. Tucson = chill, friends = win. Tomorrow I'm hopefully gonna go check out the rock gym, too! Yay. The end.