Escape from Coronavirus Lockdown

I’m preparing for the bike ride. Got some equipment from Amazon. Now all I need is a bike. This will be a solo mission. I did a long bike trip years ago from Miami to Chicago, so I know what to expect. It’s a completely different lifestyle from the normal “living in a home” life. When you’re on the road, you’re outside 24 hours a day and have to deal with whatever mother nature throws your way. In Florida now it’s hot and humid and sunny. Also you go days without showering so you wake up all hot, sweaty, and sticky. But the silver lining is the unique experiences, great camping spots, and the constant exercise. You will lose weight for sure.

Typical Days

Normal days on quarantine is chill at home, bbq, and drink and smoke…sleep…..to do it all again the next day. But enough of that. I decided to leave and do something adventurous. Going to bike to Daytona Beach. I searched on Craigslist and Offer Up for bikes. I got lucky and found a gem: a German bike and it came with a back bike rack, saddle bags, tools, speedometer, lights in front and back that are powered by the pedals, extra inner tubes, 2 locks, the whole 9. It cost 400 dollars and it was a deal!

The Trip Begins

On my way to Daytona Beach to visit Jess and Billy, old friends from Miami Beach. I’ve been biking for 4 days now.  During the trip, I almost lost my wallet and my drone, but dodged both those bullets. I’m camping where nobody is allowed because of the corona virus, so I got it all to myself. Such virgin beauty. Been filming when I can. Stopping then flying the drone. Charging my electronics and getting enough wi-fi to upload videos is an issue that I have to learn to deal with. Today I went to a public park because I heard they have outlets outside. I saw three guys, maybe homeless, charging their stuff there. I edit the videos bar sitting on the ground, then pack up and go to a public library, sit in front of the building to connect to the wi-fi. Man, not easy.

The Bikeride

Everyday I’ve been waking up at 6 am. Back at home I was sleeping in everyday. But now my sleep cycle is determined by the sun, which is immutable. It’s a difficult lifestyle that forces you to be very productive, so hell yeah.
Last night I got a full 8 hours of sleep. It’s been ages since that has happened. I took a picture of me sitting on the ledge of a tall bridge, like those Instagram photos that lead to death. My feet were danglin’ high above the ground as I kept balance. That’ll be the last time I do that.

Uploading Videos

Today I rolled into Coco Beach, hometown of World Champion surfer, Kelly Slater. It’s beachy and touristy, but dead now because of the corona virus. I search and find a power outlet. It’s on the outside wall of a bar and grill. I sit town next to it which places me at a table in their outdoor eating area. I charge my computer, telephone, drone battery, and extra battery. And edit the 4th episode. Just after I exported the movie a police officer rolls up and tells me I have to leave. I politely say sorry and tell him I’m leaving. Then I bike under the blazing sun over town to the public library. I set up near the front door with my laptop and start the upload. A lady comes out the front door and tells me I have to leave because people still come up to the door to drop off or pick up books. I say I didn’t know and that I’m sorry. She says,”You can still get wifi on the benches up front.” At first she was a little mean but when I immediately said sorry and began leaving, she lightened up.

Reached Destination

I came to Daytona Beach to visit my friends Jess and Billy. It’s awesome here. They let me stay in a room which is next to the pool and the pool is next to the beach. My days are lazy but doing nothing also means I’m recuperating. My left hand is numb from gripping the handle bars for so many hours and my knees feel painful when I squat. But I’m eager to start riding again. The lifestyle on the road is exhilerating. Ride all day and camp at night keeps your mind and body occupied. You can’t be stressed out. And you’re getting exercise. My skinny legs are getting bigger. And when you’re on the road you’re always seeing something new and fresh so your mind is constantly stimulated.

Conclusion:

Lone solitary activities can be beneficial to the mind, soul and body.

Visiting Kelly
So many people staying indoors and not taking advantage of this world and time off, therefore, I’m flying to San Antonio today. A close friend told me that he wasn’t happy that I was making the trip. I tried to reason with him to essentially rationalize the low probability of getting it while visiting my brother, plus the fact that we can’t hide in our homes, and that we have to go out someday. The point is that I tried to convince him to my belief. He then cut me off and said, “I knew this was going to happen. I shouldn’t have brought it up.” I knew that I had lost him. Perhaps lost the conversation, too. In retrospect and I should’ve just listened to him and acknowledged what he said. I didn’t have to reason with him or change his mind.

Lesson Learned
Well, back to the conversation. I simply shut up. I figured stop digging myself a hole. Lesson learned. I felt strange and uncomfortable after the conversation, but this is how I feel when I ruffles feathers, that’s why I try to not rock the boat. Just be agreeable and fly under the radar. But you know what? Successful men in business an socially and men able to reach their goals are not always agreeable men, but men who speak up, voice their opinions, and ruffle feathers.

Great Trip in Texas
I’ve been at my brother’s for a week and it’s been wonderful. Working around his property everyday, and doing some drone flying. Not smoking. I’ve decided to stay a little longer, though. I’m glad I did. We built a fire pit.

Future Plans
I’m think of riding my bike north to Daytona Beach. It would be a 300 mile ride. So if I do 30 miles the first day then increase each day it would be about a week to get up there. I did this route in 2007 and it took me about 6 days to get to Orlando. Eventually I rode all the way to Chicago. This is kinda a big deal. When you ride all day from sun up to sun down, your body changes and you change, too. Staying here at home is not healthy for me. We’re always having a BBQ or having friends over and I’m drinking and smoking a lot. And not having that much fun. Gotta take advantage of this free time.

Conclusion

Find out what the majority is doing, then do the opposite.

Good Morning Covid-19

Well, the latest big news is the Coronavirus. This is like nothing we’ve seen before. We’ve seen diseases come and go, but we haven’t seen this type of reaction. Bar and restaurants are closed. Beaches, hotels, stores are deserted. I’m outa a job. Filed for unemployment. Don’t know what’s next.

The Short Film

When it began, the Big Quarantine, I was in St. Petersburg visiting, Oppi, an ol’ friend, and his girlfriend Thu. They live together in an apt on the water. I had so much fun up there. I went there mainly to film his cat for the short film “La Petit Sink”, which is a parody on old French black and white films. His cat is Bellini and really likes humans. He slept next to me every night I was there.

Fishing!

But let me tell you that more fun than that was the fishing. So we took his raft out and tied up under a bridge where the bay meets the open ocean, at famous John’s Pass. The fish were biting and we caught a bunch of fish, 15, but threw them all back. And then a bunch of dolphins were all around our raft. They never left!, because there was so much fish. Oppie had a fish on and we thought, “Oh, another fish.” and Thu and I continued talking. More than once Oppie said, “No really, I got a fish.” From the way he was struggling I could tell it was a big fish. Then suddenly, “I see it!” Thu screamed. She said it was big and dark and round. Oppie continued reeling it in under duress. Then his line broke. I turned around and saw that a few boats were parked behind us and many people with cameras. They all let out a groan in unison. We groaned too. We caught 15 fish that day and threw them all back. All back?! What were we thinking! We should’ve kept at least one.

It’s 5 o’clock somewhere

The next day we went to a bayside park (more like a nature area next to the road) that’s known as The Redneck Riviera. Each person or persons had a spot to back their car up to the water and chill. We dropped acid and rafted. We saw a dolphin and a hug manatee pass right under us. It was almost as big as our raft and moving slow. We would have never known it was passing if I hadn’t barely seen it. And we caught a catfish. The acid at first gave us an upset stomach, then it turned into a relaxing body high. We were laughing hysterically talking about life. I haven’t laughed that hard since I was getting stoned with fellow teachers in Harbin, China.

Conclusion

Now I’m back in Miami. Spending a lot of time at the apartment and going out everyday to fly the drone. And we’ve been bbq-ing and drinking at night.
We don’t know how long it’ll last. I’m thinking of taking a road trip somewhere. People are nervous. I, on the other hand, think everything will be fine. You can only run away from a mother nature for so long.

Droning at John’s Pass

Doh, Drone!

I crashed my drone. I was flying crazy. I impacted a cruise ship, or it impacted my drone. $1400 down into the oceans depths. When I knew it was over, my heart was beating so fast. It was like losing a child. Lesson learned: don’t take risks. I hate that lesson.

Dad

My Dad came to visit: We had such a good time. The first night me, Giovanni, and my Dad went out to SugarCane Bar and Grill, had a few drinks and rapped about life. My Dad really enjoyed Giovanni’s company, and me him. It was all good we had a ball of a conversation. Then to The Sylvester, introduced him to my coworkers, and played foosball. We had a lot to drink. The next day me and Dad went to the Everglades, went on a boat ride. I even dozed off on the airboat. Saw lot’s of gators. Then we returned into town in Miami. I figured I’d find a place to eat. I chose this place that’s a Dominican and Japanese infusion place. We walked thru the parking lot and there were two groups of guys with their gals barking at each other looking to take it to the next level of diplomacy: physical contact. Then we approached the front door. It was like 7pm on Sunday and this place was popping! There was like a smoke machine in the place, people were dancing, and there was a DJ. So I said to my Dad, “I’m just not feeling it.” We then went to a quiet Thai place up north on Biscayne Blvd and 80th.

Work Issues

We fuckin ran out of Ice on a Friday Nigh! And I was kinda guilty. It’s a Friday night and the Ice in the Ice making machine is getting low, so I decided to tell my supervisor but it got busy so it slipped my mind. Then suddenly I saw Rani, supervisor, getting angry with another supervisor, Derek, saying, “How did nobody notice that it was off!” I was thrilled to admit that I had seen it was approaching empty and I didn’t alert anyone. Shit sandwich, if you will.
Magaya Commercial

My roommate, Giovanni, finished the commercial for his company that he’s a videographer for. I acted in it. Here it is below. Much respect and admiration for casting me. And it was a paid gig. I love acting so I was thrilled. Blessings.

Conclusion:

Family is better than material.

Trips to Tucson, Mom

I just got back from Tucson. I was there to visit my Mom. She’s almost like an invalid. She can barely do anything. Even talk. I wonder how much of her brain is functioning normally. Possibly her brain is normal but her physical body is almost non functional. And seeing all this reminds me of my own destiny. Everyone’s destiny. I’ve gotten used to it. We went out both nights I was there. Two different restaurants that serve sushi, because she has no teeth and can’t chew. Luckily she loves sushi. I love it, too. I wanted to see my Aunt Mimi while there, but she was under the weather. She likes to drink so maybe she was just hung over. Flew my drone a few times. In random places above the city and above the party part of town, 4th street. Things have changed, for sure. But I still recognize a lot. For example Che’s Lounge, a bar I use to frequent, is still open.

“She works hard for a livin’ so you better treat her right”

Everybody treats me well at work. They look up to me, but I haven’t tried to make this happen. All I try is to work hard and earn my paycheck. But all this praise has been heaped on me and they think I’m a great worker and all the while I tend to think that I don’t do enough and that I may be fired any day. This negative perception spurs me to work harder. Not only are all the our numeral stuff conected psychologically with all many of politics, but we work in a party environment. This leads me to believe that I can take this skill higher to other rhelms, other work places. I could be a manager and manage personalities and egos.

Long Shifts

Just worked a long shift, an 11 hour shift. I was supposed to work 3 to 12, nine hours, but the other barback called in sick so I worked a double, so to speak. And we were in the weeds from hour 5pm on. It was tough, but I enjoyed it. Surprisingly at my 46 years, I never run out of energy. And the work spurs me to have more energy and go harder. I see lots of good-looking people drinking and having fun, but I’m too dialed in on work to have fun with them.

Evolving along with Roommate

Me and my roommate, ol’ Gio, had a “Meeting of The Minds” meeting on the 15th. He suggested that we do it at “Base Camp” which I was happy he suggested this. Base Camp is a new spot, about an acre of land in Little Haiti, on which are a few food trucks, stages, art exhibits, a lawn, chill spots, two bars, and a giant chess board and bathrooms. At Base Camp we went to the “Sultan’s Tent” A chill spot with lots of cushions. Honestly, it’s fabulous and it’s so good we should have to pay money to even sit there. This meeting we talked about Goals and to hold each other accountable. So I prepared a ‘power point’ presentation. It was a hit. Here’s a screenshot.

Conclusion:
Man, I’m still positive that there’s some success around the corner. And romance!

Drone shots

Saga of Headphones

I wrote that earlier I had gone to my company’s “Friends’ Day outing.” It was at the Standard Resort Hotel. It’s on the bay and it’s one of the swankiest places in Miami. Celebrities and Professional athletes can be seen here on the reg. I saw a few when I worked there. So all of us Sylvester workers were there with the boss. A friends day. When we left I discovered that I did not have my headphones. My Apple ear pods, specifically. Everyone has them and they’re the white ones. So after, we met up at another establishment, Batch Bar and Grill. We all were sitting at a long table, I said,”Has anyone seen my headphones?” Nick replied, “Those were yours!?” He then told me the story: Laz, a brother of one of our bartenders, Chris, who is a good friend of mine, was leaving and Nick saw them on the chair and I asked him if there were his. He looked at them. Kinda was like “uuuuu?” Then he said that they were his, “You can contact him.” I did. I sent him a message and he messaged me back that he’d return them. Cool, right? Still don’t have my headphones. So, I have written them off, but I’m still going to repeatedly try to get them back. Like a social experiment on human influence.

Rejection Letter

I just got an e-mail. A rejection letter. A while back I applied for the Federal Job, Diplomatic Courier. I felt like it would be great for a rootless rolling stone like myself. Always moving. Having no family would be acceptable. Like, I have nothing. Now another rejection. Ok, back to the drawing board. Gotta figure something out. Like, how to I succeed? I work so hard. People admire my hard attitude at work and they compliment me on how hard I work. True. And why do I do it? Why do I come in early to work and stay late? Working off the clock just a bit? Cause nobody believes in me. My job right now doesn’t pay much and the hours are long and very physical, but at least this company and the management believed in me! How do I reach success without resorting to a life of crime? The letter with a big paragraph letting me down easy like a relationship that ended. Fuck. Like, I can’t get hired anywhere except in the Service Industry as a barback or a server? Damn, what’s a nigga gotta do? Like, what the fuck?

Film Maker I am

Oh well, it looks like a gotta go film more. Drum up work or create my own content and try to sell it. Damn, I’m gunna have to work for a living! LOL. Well, I got a good film buddy as my roommate, Giovanni. This guy is animal on the camera or lights, and his editing skills are unmatched with anyone I’ve ever encountered. I’m in a golden window of film making. I have him, Stazio, and Richard. And further out, Neal, in the Bull-Pen, so to speak. Neal is a natural as an actor and always willing to help out behind the camera. My lease is out in 8 months, and at that point, I’m making a move to another country, maybe Spain, so I really want to film a major project with my buddies here. That project is Joker Inc.

Super Bowl

Super Bowl just passed. It took place here in Miami. My work, The Sylvester, hosted a viewing party. We’re definetely not a Sports bar so we had a lot of difficultly at the beginning. But everything smoothed out. But it was a madhouse at one point. All the customers started ordering a bunch at the beginning because it was free food for all, if they’d paid the price. And they got testy because the multitude of TV’s were function on point. Some were out of sync and some weren’t even on. Yet, we dealt with it like troopers. A few us tossed back a few shots. Our really were in the weeds and were a little snappy.

Conclusion

Focus more and work more intelligently, not just harder.

Drone

I found an incredible place to drone. The Port of Miami. There are a bunch of islands and boats scooting around, plus buildings and cranes. I’ve been putting music that I’m currently listening to my drone videos. On this one I have Steely Dan’s “Deacon Blues” A classico!

Le Petit Sink

In addition to the drone videos I’ve been working an a short comedy written by my old friend Oppie, who lives in St. Petersburg, Florida and a friend of his Quinton. We filmed it over a course of a day last time I was up there. It’s a spoof on an old black and white French film. It’s about 3 guys looking at a sink. So far the reviews have been promising. We arranged to have a guy do the music for it. Actually he’s not a random, he helped us film it. A cool cat named Andrew. We used his house for a few shots and he operated the camera, too. We saw that he had a little music studio and musical instruments so we invited him to make the music. He said sure. Now we’re still waiting. In the meantime I put music to the short film. The latest version is below.

Conclusion

Drone me to music.

Life

Life is good. I’m working 5 to 6 days at The Sylvester so money isn’t an issue. But free time is.

Sex Code
I’m listening to an audio book called “Sex Code.” The book is written by Mario Luna, a Spaniard, and it’s opening my eyes and mind to human behavior all around me. It’s all about the psychology behind the differences between men and women regarding our sexual behavior. It speaks of how the two sexes go about courtship differently. And even though the audio book is in technical Spanish with a lot of scientific terminology, I understand it! Which astonishes me after all these years. And the author speaks abstractly and in what-if’s, so it uses some verb tenses that are considered advanced Spanish.

Night Crawling

I’ve been going on bike rides through the Midtown and Wynwood neighborhoods, close to where I live. I always take my drone with me just in case there’s an unexpected event to drone. Wynwood has night spots that are open late, so there’s always action when I pass there around 2 or 3am. This is what I was doing when I got accosted by the police. Gotta watch out for them and shady characters on the streets.

Closer to filming Joker Inc.

I’ve written a few scripts but have yet to film one. I’m just not satisfied with them. I don’t think they’re funny enough. My latest creation is Joker Inc. It’s about behind the scenes at the office of the Joker’s organization. I’ve written about 5 short sitcoms.

Nlite Podcast

Below is drone footage of my friend Grant’s store called Nlite in Wynwood. We filmed his podcast there, which will be out soon.

Conclusion

I just got to make art and say let the chips fall where they may!

Handcuffed and stuffed

One random night I rode my bike south about 15 blocks and flew my drone…..night flying, around tall buildings. I then proceeded to a 7-11 nearby and rode by two cop cars. They had been waiting to turn for awhile. Suddenly the cop in the front screams at me to stop and orders me against the wall. He handcuffs me and starts interrogating me. Asked me where I rode from him. “Over there” I pointed west. He barks, “Why are you lying to me!” “I’m telling the truth!” I said. Yeah, they got a report that someone matching my description was causing trouble so they collared me. This happens from time to time. It happened in Miami Beach awhile back. That’s life when there are criminals that look like you.

The Footage

The following is what I shot before being apprehended by Miami’s finest. I thought somebody had called the cops on me. But that wasn’t it. Some guy on a bicycle was doing some bad things apparently.

Conclusion
Be prepared for criminal and state attacks at all times. We’re all vulnerable.

My buddy Agustin has some friends who were a semi-famous punk rock band in Madrid in the 70’s and they’re getting the band back together. And they’d like a video to go along with their new single. So Agustin asked me if’d I’d like to film it, since these guys now live here in Miami. I would and I charged them 350 dollars. We filmed at various locations. The first was on a jetty at sunrise in Bal Harbour. It was gorgeous. I bought a new drone the day before. The drone shots were superb.

My Body Taking a Beating

I’ve been working like a horse at The Sylvester. I worked two consecutive back-to-back 13 hour shifts. And the day prior to that I was working and walking taking glasses back to the bar when I stepped on a pillow that had fallen on the floor. I slipped like it was a banana peel in a cartoon. I hella banged my foot on the hard floor in order to not hit my face. After that I work my tail off on a painful foot. I was limping. And the next two days, Friday and Saturday, my helper called out sick, so it’s been rough.

Partying into 2020

Just finished the New Year’s shift. It was a blast but hard work. We busted-out 200 champagne glasses, not plastic, at midnight to the patrons. It was all private parties so it was open bar for everyone.  A madhouse. So add that to the already mountain of glassware piling up that we have to clean with one rather slow dishwasher. We don’t serve plastic. Because we’re not that type of bar. People pay to be here and drink with class. So we give them glass, even if it’s for them to sip one semi-gulp of Prosecco.

Conclusion

Work hard to cover up your deficiencies.