Sad Humanity

Last night I was almost asleep around 11pm. I heard someone yelling outside, followed by loud bangs. I woke up to make sure some drunk dude wasn't beating up the BattleWagon. I lucked out. He was just beating on the bus stop. Intrigued, I went to the kitchen, the room with the non-screened window, drank some water, and watched this guy. I debated in my head whether or not I should inform Denver's finest that a loud, obviously intoxicated public nuisance was waking up decent people in the middle of the night. The yelling continued. The punching continued. He repeatedly stumbled off the curb and onto Lincoln Street, a busy artery serving Denver's downtown. I watched as he yelled obscenities at cars, making gestures with his hand indicating he was going to shoot himself in the head. He peed all over the bench at the bus stop, and shortly thereafter, I saw a white Crown Vic with a light bar slowly make its way down the alley across the parking lot from where this gentleman was making his presence known. Slowly, the officer made his way to first street, where he circled around and, followed by another cruiser, engaged the flashy lights and crawled up to the bus stop. Two patrol cars. Two patrol officers. One drunk and angry young man. The officers got out and approached him. I couldn't hear the conversation, but I watched as they talked to him, checking the bag he was carrying and frisking his body for possible threats to their safety. The conversation wasn't all to loud. At one point, I heard an officer say they had called a big, white taxi to come pick him up. Minutes later, what looked like an animal control car pulled up. The young man began yelling again, as two more officers got out of the paddy wagon. The now four officers set off to put this guy in a compartment in the passenger side of the truck feet first. His feet connected with the outside of the truck and he resisted. The two patrol officers then took him head first into the truck and somehow forced the door closed. The man, now in custody, began yelling even more fervently and kicking the closed door loudly, forcefully. Mission accomplished. Another drunk, angry, and violent jerk off the streets. The paddy wagon drove off, and the patrol cars sped off after it. I got to see a live episode of "Cops". I got to see a sad commentary on humanity and the state of things. I slept well last night, but awoke with an oddly conflicting view of what I had seen the night before, both thankful for the people serving and protecting everyone else around, yet disappointed that some people just don't get it. However, for me, today will be a better day, better than it was for a troubled young man yesterday.

Another Monday

This past weekend I drove most of the way to my friend Todd's house in a little town called Turret, Colorado. I got stuck on the snow-packed roads, and he saved the BattleWagon from a fate worse than death: tickets from the Chaffee County Sheriff. I parked on the side of the road, and he drove the rest of the way to his place, where we caught up, listened to some music, treated some back pain, and burnt some spaghetti on his fireplace. His sanctuary is a beautiful log cabin overlooking the Arkansas River Valley just north of Salida. From what I understand, it's off-grid and self-sustaining. I would love to he able to emulate this in my own life at some point.

Meanwhile, I feel it best to move into the van again at some point. I think I'll shoot for June or July. HomeBase is great, but it has really just inspired me to be lazy lately, and that laziness has kept me from some serious adventures. However, it's great to stay in and eat good food and watch good movies. I did make a red chili that was incredibly delicious. I suppose there are perks, too.