Good morning Everybody!
It's cool and comfortable here in southeast Baltimore. Yesterday I was wrong about the humidity returning. It was not bad yesterday and is predicted to be even better today. I thought for sure with the temperatures rising back into the mid to upper 80s the humidity would be rising as well. Not very often a Baltimorean can say "its hot, but it's a dry heat", maybe today will be one of those rare days.
When I returned from walking my wife to her car earlier this morning I thought I would also be retrieving a full recycle bin from the curb, but it was empty! I got home from work yesterday a little after 8pm and they still had not emptied my recycle bin. They usually work late on recycle pick up days, but never that late. Way to go guys! My sanitation service is top notch.
On my way home form work I stopped at a Sav-a-Lot grocery store. We needed bananas, green bananas to be precise, it's a diabetic thing. As usual I did a complete recon of the store looking for deals and found a few. The best one was, T-bone steaks for $3.69/pound, "how about that sports fans?!" I picked out a dozen big beauties to cook on the charcoal grill Monday, stop by if your hungry, I got more than we need. These T-bones could easily be passed off as USDA Choice, they are marbled beautifully.
Doing these evening blocks for Amazon is working out great for me. Yesterday I had 17 stops, the day before 13 stops. Each day was less than an hours worth of work and got paid 3 hours for each day. I average 20 stops/hour, working at my new leisurely pace. Working in the evening I get to see a lot more people. The majority of the residents of west Baltimore, where I was yesterday, are very nice.
Even the "hoppers" on the corners are nice to me. The key is to look them in the eye and say hello, or as I usually say to them "what's up fellas?" Respect goes a long way. The reality is the people involved in the drug trade are nothing to worry about, unless you get caught in the cross fire. They don't want anything minor to draw attention to them and disrupt their business.
I guess I should define hoppers. They are young people, under 18, who are... sales clerks? They are the ones who are at the point of sale for dealers. Minors don't face hard time if caught. They don't make much money, maybe $10/hour, but there are not many opportunities in that part of west Baltimore, everybody has to eat. The dealers usually feed them when they are working, that's better than some other jobs.
The hardcore addicts are another story. They are illogical and unpredictable. They know to be cool around the dealers, but if you happen on them alone, anything goes. I have a natural deterrent, addicts are looking for "soft targets" at 6'8" 290lbs I don't look like a soft target. Some people think carrying a gun is a solution, it's not. If the addicts see a gun they will conspire with each other to ambush the person carrying the gun. Guns bring top dollar and are the fastest item you can sell on the streets. Hardcore addicts can have habits costing up to $1000/day, they can be desperate to avoid being "dope sick". If you carry a gun on the streets of Baltimore, keep it concealed well or be ready to take a blow to the back of your head and shot 3-4 drug addicts afterwards.
On to better things.
I have some things to do at my desk in my office/train-room/playpen, but I'm making a pit stop on the couch. The pit stop will probably become a nap.
Have a great day Everybody, God Bless Us Everyone!
