Mondo Bungle

Be patient with me because I hate typing, but I do like writing. Physically though it sucks. I might write an entry now.

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innerspaceboy

I just checked out your journal for the first time for my morning read before work. Instantly got sucked in and read it from start to finish. Great stuff, and I'm looking forward to more!

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Mondo Bungle

god damn it I guess

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Mondo Bungle

July 15

I woke up to someone trying to open the door, I jolted up and had to pack everything quickly. The sun was up and in full force, I guess I got more sleep indoors. All the clothes I'd hung around the room to dry had barely done so, most of it was still very damp. I hurriedly rolled up all the garments, shoved them into my bag haphazardly. Then I rolled up the sleeping bag I slept in and left in under the bench in here, rolled mine up (slightly drier than everything else), gathered my packs and stumbled out the door to the slightly brisk morning air of Utah. It was quite sunny as well, warm in the light and cool in the shade. Someone had been trying to get in twice while I was packing up, but looking around I didn't see anyone, no one waiting to slip in. Must have given up and left. Some guys gathered around to start a morning shift of work. Armed with lawnmowers, they finished their cigarettes and began their rounds. Before they did I asked what time it was. Eight thirty, they told me. The cashier from the store in town said he'd come in around nine, and drive me back if I was still here. I didn't want to leave right now, and would really like to find a laundromat to dry these clothes. So I waited, listening to the same songs I'd been for a while now on my 4 GB mp3 player.

He rolled up no later than promised, not that I had any reason to be impatient. Stopped, got out, and greeted me. "Do you still want a ride back into town?"

"Yeah. Actually if there's a laundromat anywhere I'd wanna go there to dry these clothes, didn't do much last night."

"Alright." He said. "We'll leave in a minute." A girl, probably younger than me by a few years, stepped out of the passenger seat.

"You can sit here." She said and walked around to the other side. I didn't want to have to stuff my wet and smelly bags in the back seat next to her but I guess that's what we're doing. The guy (I don't think I ever caught his name) started talking to the people mowing the grass, looks like he happens to be in charge here. After a few minutes he came back and we'd set off. He asked the girl if she just wanted to stay here, so I assumed they'd be coming back. She declined.

We made our way back into town, it was about a ten minute drive, if that. He dropped me off at the laundromat, just about a block away from the gas station at the beginning of town. I'd head in here and start my day drying my clothes, I think it was still before ten. He drove off with the obligatory "take it easy".

I was alone in here and maybe two machines were in use. I opened up a drier and packed it with clothes. Put in some change for I can't remember how long and started the cycle. While waiting I walked to the store for anything breakfast-y to eat. It was right around the corner from the laundromat. I bought a breakfast burrito and some orange juice for cheap and went back to my clothes. I threw away the food I had after it got ruined in the river, and what people gave me since had to be prepared. I didn't worry that much. I hadn't been worrying much at all since falling asleep in the rest room. It was an awful scene but that storm was over. I sat here nodding off in the laundromat while my clothes spun around in the drier. After it finished a first time, the clothes hadn't gotten as dry as I'd prefer, granted I had them in there for not that long at all. I dropped some more change that I had an abundance of for one more time around. I finished my breakfast and feel into a deeper sleep while other patrons shuffled in and out. The drier finished a second time and everything was dry, at least as dry as they were gonna get right now, I didn't want to wait anymore. There was an odd garment or two that retained a slight dampness but I didn't care. I rolled everything back into my bag and left the building. It was early and I didn't know what to do, where to go. I walked down the main street to get a feel for this small town and what it had to offer, which was not much.

I found a quaint library that looked more like a home than anything else. I went in for a little bit to complain to my friends about how I hate everything and how it is all terrible and stuff like that, the usual. I wasn't here long though. I left and walked back down the way I came, I bought I Pepsi from a small food store because I'd been craving a nice, cold, and bubbly drink. I got some non-perishable snacks here too, to keep in my bags for when I felt the need. I walked the length of this street one way and back and eventually came back to the entrance of town. Well, I guess I'll get back on the road. I walked up the street a bit, still within sight of the gas station and the Subway. This was a long ramp to get onto the highway, but if I went all the way up there I'd have nowhere for people to pull off and they'd all be going to fast already anyway. The traffic here wasn't very busy but I'd grown impartial to waiting.

Two people had stopped, asking where I was going. I knew the highway would split eventually down the road and I was trying to stay on the side going towards Wyoming. The two people that stopped were going the other way. That would become a pet peeve if I hadn't mentioned that before. I was here for probably an hour when a truck pulling a trailer stopped down the road, and a passenger motioned me over. It was three young looking gentlemen, asking where I was going. "I'm trying to get into Colorado, like, the Denver area I guess." I said.

"We're on our way to Rawlins right now. Are you going through there?"

"Where's that?" I asked. The passenger brought up a map on his smart phone. Rawlins, Wyoming, about 250 miles from where we were, right on the way to Cheyenne, where I planned on stopping before going south into Colorado. "Yeah, that'd be great." I said cheerfully.

"Let's go, man." I tossed my bags in the truck bed and got in the back seat. We all introduced ourselves and left on our way.

"Why are you going to Denver, you have friends there?"

"Uh, no, not right now." I said. "I don't have much reason honestly." They laughed. The driver turned up the radio and we made it deep onto the highway, for the most part it was a quiet drive. Occasionally they'd talk amongst each other. We drove for two hours before stopping into a large seeming town. We parked in a Walmart parking lot beside a gas station and all got out.

"We're in Rock Springs right now." The driver told me. "We're dropping this trailer off here and going to start a job in Rawlins." We waited here while negotiations to drop the trailer were made by phone. Eventually we'd drive around looking for an ATM. It wasn't too long before we lost the trailer and got driving again. We stopped in a small town a few miles away that I forget the name of, as we forgot to get gas in Rock Springs. I bought another beverage.

We drove probably another half hour and made it to Rawlins, it was like four o clock now, so somewhere my sense of time got mixed up. It's not too late though so it didn't matter much. They treated me to some pizza here in town and let me go at a travel stop. I was right on the edge of town and I went back to the highway to keep going instead of venturing inward. No reason, there's really no reason any other time that I do though, to be be frank.

I was waiting on the road for longer than usual. It had just started to get darker before I was picked up. A man in a sedan pulled over, said he wanted to stop some time ago after passing me before, then turned around, ended up having to circle a few miles around the whole town, and I was still here.

"I'm a conversationalist." He said after I got in the car. "I'll drive you as far as you want but you gotta be able to hold a conversation, I drive around everywhere, it's my job, and it gets boring."

"I do what I can." I said. "I'm not just gonna not reply to something you say." He laughed and said alright.

"Where are you going anyway?"

"How far are you going?"

"I'm going all the way to Pittsburgh tonight and I'll take you anywhere in between."

"Well I was just trying to get to Cheyenne tonight actually." Although with the opportunity arisen I'd been momentarily tempted to go as far as possible, but probably not, at the same time. I wasn't having the best time so far, but whatever.

"That's do-able." He said. "We'll pass through there before too late."

It was a hundred or so miles to Cheyenne and I think we'd make it in less than two hours. This guy had a fair amount of interesting stories to share. Most of the way there we discussed UFOs and other odd things. He told me of some of his own sightings of unexplained things in the sky.

"I remember back in high school, walking home at night after a football game, I saw the most peculiar light hovering above me. Not far, mind you, yet it also didn't seem very close. A pink-ish orb, no bigger than the footballs they were playing with earlier. Hovering a little bit further above the streetlights at a steady pace. I didn't know what to think of it. There were some band kids walking a ways ahead of me and the thing zipped past them and soon disappeared into the sky. I sped up a bit, asked if any of them saw it, but they all shook their heads. The next day at school, one of them came up to me. 'I didn't want to say anything last night, I was still too weirded out and no one else noticed anything so they'd probably think I was crazy, but I saw it.' Sure enough, he described a pink, hovering orb, same distance above us, same size, the same thing I'd seen without me describing it myself. We don't know what that was, but damn, it was odd. Things happen though. Things pass."

It was before nine when we pulled up to the outskirts of Cheyenne. He pulled off and let me out under a street light. "Well here ya go, hope you keep going safely." He drove off right into the heart of town while I was out here on the side of the highway, guess he figured I would want to try to keep going out here instead of taking me into town. So I tried to do that, for a bit, but no luck, and it was getting late now. I started to walk towards the town. I didn't have a very good path, pedestrians aren't really supposed to be out here. I trudged through some tall grass away from the road but still following it. Now I came to a creek that I definitely had no desire to cross. I walked up an incline back to the road that lead over the water, but with no room to walk on. Making my way here I managed to step both feet completely in the cold water. At the top on the bridge I sat and took my shoes and socks off hoping they'd dry some as I was tired of wet feet. I ate some canned peaches I remember I had. I really love peaches, canned or otherwise. I put my still wet footwear back on anyway, hopped over the railing when I saw an opportunity, and quickly walked across the bridge. On the other side I hopped back over and made it into town on an easier path.

I came to a travel hub, two stations not for from each other. It was about eleven, but I didn't give up on looking for a ride, as there were a lot of people pulling in here traveling through the night. I made a sign for Boulder, which was a ways south. I didn't have any luck. An old woman recognized the sign, said she was short on gas at the moment but going into Denver, and that if she could make it she'd drive me there. That never fell through. I sat outside for an hour, she was still out, told me I could go inside and wait where it was warm. I went into the travel stop, found a waiting room with television and seating. I decided to stop for tonight. I ended up falling into an uncomfortable sleep in a booth with my bags. Waking up occasionally throughout the night as truckers and the like passed through to watch some TV. Morning can't come soon enough in times like this.

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Mondo Bungle

I'm gonna do what this guy did except my journal will be awesomer

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Mondo Bungle

July 16

Never a fan of the earliest light of the sun, dawn would soon break and I would already be exhausted. I hate the mornings, always have. But as time passes on my trek, I develop both a deeper scorn and appreciation. When you are nowhere, the sun rises and wakes you up rather immediately. In that, you're granted with more time in this day to put into something productive.

As the sky was completely illuminated now, I would decide to rest no longer and carry on. My muscles are stiff from the bench, and walking is hard to do already, keeping my eyes open at all is hard already. Even though I'd not traveled that far, I was far enough along to figure that giving up or pressing on would be the same. I stepped into the morning air and sat outside this truck stop with the same sign that read "Boulder". I was unfathomably tired and struggled to stay awake over here. Eventually I'd be asked to leave, as usual. But there was another stop right across the street, I migrated there and hoped for better luck. Still nodding out at least every other minute.

Not much would happen in the time I was waiting until I finally had someone offer me a ride. I don't quite remember how long it was, but long enough to not discourage me and avoid being hassled. An older woman quietly told me she was driving to Fort Collins directly south, and not far from Boulder. So I joined her.

In the short time it's been, I have come to be completely tired of the usual routine of getting a ride. I answer the exact same questions, always the exact same way. By now it's incredibly tedious. But I suppose it isn't that hard to do, just gets old quickly.

The ride south was relatively short, it wasn't long before reaching Fort Collins. It looked like a comfortable college town here. I'd be dropped off somewhere in town, being a stranger here I wouldn't really know. I did ask if she knew where the library was, but she wasn't too sure with her answer. So I'd have to start the wandering. There was an absurd homeless population in the area I was, including a park with just about its entire surface area covered in sleeping bags and tents.

I walked for a long time before I'd make it to what I assumed was the downtown area, very busy and recreational here. The library would be found later, just a bit out of downtown. I'd spend most of my day there, without really realizing it.

It seemed like there was a public piano on every block here, and I thought that was pretty cool. I spent more time playing, even though I'd never so much as sat in front of a piano before. But it had me entertained. As afternoon progressed, I went back downtown to observe the bustle, maybe find something for myself to do. One area in particular was heavily populated, with street performers and pedestrians alike. I sat at a table in the middle of the area by myself, watching the other people having a ball with anything at their disposal. Just sitting here, it soon grew dark, and I'd accomplished nothing. But what had I to accomplish anyway? I sat here in cogitation and observance, and within me my stomach would start to fill with sorrow. Everyone here, surrounded by so much pleasure, and I'm just a bystander, that pleasure was not a part of my life. Because I was alone, and just too damn introverted to change that. I would sit here, looking around for hours while it kept getting darker and the populace got more wild and inebriated, Fort Collins night life was setting in. I stayed though, still watching.

Oddly enough I would actually soon try to make someone's acquaintance. Though the traffic in the area started to dwindle, a young man with a guitar and a sign was sitting on a bench about twenty feet away. I went over to him and said "This is a pretty happening spot, huh?"

"What?" Of course I failed my first try, and repeated myself. "Yeah, it really is." He began. "I thought it would be a great place to try and make some money. I'm on an adventure right now and everything helps."

"I'm on an adventure too." I said.

"Well mine is more of a legitimate thing, I'm going far." I may not have been going far anymore but who was he to assume?

"Yeah, I've only been gone for two weeks or less I think." He changed the subject.

"I got a twenty from this guy so I thing I should start going back to the park now since it's getting dark. I'm pretty stoked though since I can go buy a sack now." I didn't necessarily endorse that, but to each his own. He walked away without a farewell.

Now I was here, almost alone. Everyone else was gone, but I still remained in that same spot. I had my poem sign in case anyone wanted to donate for one. An old couple walked by and started up conversation. More Jesus freaks trying to save my sinner's soul or whatever. I asked if they wanted a poem and what about. "How about, our Lord. Jesus Christ." The old woman said. I sighed internally and croaked out a response.

"Alright." I had to make up some kinda Jesus bull**** on the spot and managed to very quickly. Though I have no recollection at all of what I wrote. The lady handed me three dollars and would leave me with some more god ****.

"If you are in need, please remember that you can ask our Lord for anything. He will always grant it."

"I'll try." I said as the couple walked away. It was pretty late now I thought, maybe I should wander some more. I didn't want to go back to the park with all the other bums even though that was most likely the spot they'd direct you to. I prefer to be alone out here when I sleep. Alone and unseen. Before anything, though, I got back behind a piano and played for a few more hours. How the time passed like that, I don't know.

A completely visibly trashed woman sat beside me on the bench while I stopped playing. "Why are you playing so quiet?" She slurred.

"Well I don't really know how to play. I'm just screwing around."

"Can you play any songs?"

"Uh, no, I don't know how to play."

"You should learn this." she placed her fingers on the keys but never struck a note, wasted. "Why are you here?"

"I dunno where else to go, I just got in town today."

"Are you a drifter? Did you run away?"

"I guess. It's not really a big deal though, I've been fine."

"Do you know where you are going tonight?"

"Not yet."

"Oh you can stay at my house, I hate people in need."

"It's fine, really." I said.

"No, you're coming back." She stumbled to her feet and led me to a man who I presumed was her boyfriend or husband. "This is a drifter and he has nowhere to go so he'll be staying with us tonight." The man's expression became immediately stern. Clearly he was upset about that, not even being consulted in this decision, and even more so since she already pretty much guaranteed it. Words were exchanged in private before they called for a cab to get home. Both were in no condition to drive.

Their house was a few miles away into another town, or whatever you'd called it. I was greeted by several large dogs upon entering. This woman who'd invited me would be passed out almost instantly, leaving me with the man. His demeanor perplexed me, because he seemed to be supportive and not so much to pry, but everything he said was spoken in a very misleading way. "So what's your story?" He'd ask, it sounded very condescending. I explained what's going on, nothing I haven't said or wrote before. He told me about friends of his doing the same thing, and how much he admired them. All still with a negative tone. "You can take a shower if you want, man." He gathered some things for me to do so and led me to a bathroom. "I'm sure you just want to go to sleep right? Well I'll throw some stuff on the couch out there, when you're done, just leave all the shower stuff in here. I'm pretty beat too, so I think I'm just gonna crash. When you're done just go out and lie on the couch."

My shower didn't last long as I already feel awkward in a stranger's bathroom, and hate to seem like I'm using so much water. After I was done and walked back to the living room, all the lights were turned out and the couch was ready for me to dive in, with pillows and blankets. Once again the usual thoughts began to swirl in the darkness of a stranger's home. They let me stay, and yet I can't shake the feeling of a burden. I couldn't shake this feeling I've had during the whole journey, the feeling that I still don't belong anywhere out here. The always underlying discomfort of day to day life that has plagued me for so long. When I am never content in any place, simply being alive feels so unappealing. It's a very depressing way to feel. But if I was uncomfortable everywhere, I guess I should maintain constant motion. So tomorrow I'd set out again, and I'd all but stopped caring about the names of any towns or anyone there. I just had to keep going.

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The Batlord

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Mondo Bungle

There isn't that much left, in all honesty. I'm already so bad at finishing anything but I'm changing that

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grindy

Awesome.

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A smell of petroleum prevails throughout.

Mondo Bungle

Everyone in the household was up and about before me, which was natural I guess since I'm a late riser as it is, but I felt weirder about it being on the couch of three (I discovered they had a roommate that morning) near perfect strangers. There was Violent Femmes music pumping into the living room and the crackling of frying breakfastry. I got up passively and kinda just stared at the ceiling until being acknowledged.

"Did you sleep okay?" The woman asked, who was much more pleasant a conservationist without the alcoholic slur that had retarded her the night before. I said sure or something to that effect. I wasn't offered any of the breakfast that was being made, but I'm not one for breakfast anyway. The man (both names are lost as of now) didn't make his appearance for a while, but when he did we were almost immediately out on the road and a new day of travel was officially underway. I told them I'd be fine getting dropped off pretty much where they found me originally. The drive was scenically fresh in the morning light, marked by Overkill on the speakers. I guess they had cool music taste. Conversation was light but much more fluent and pleasant than the previous night. They dropped me off back at the piano, right where I was before, without much in the way of goodbyes aside from "Goodbye." I watched them drive off to wherever they were driving off to, thinking about how heavy my overly heavy load truly was, but unwilling to part with anything. At least I was on the main street in town, simple enough to travel on, and I did so slowly. Slower as the days passed. I felt like a new pound was added onto my back with every few steps, and I was getting tired of it quickly. I truly regret packing as much as I did, especially considering the fact that it's now all gone from my life forever, all my sweet ass shirts. The best part about that is that I wore one shirt the majority of the trip, while reluctantly and admittedly stupidly lugging around a whole closet full. My jaunt down the main road of Fort Collins was marked by many stops for resting my weary soles and a few times even nodding out into microsleep, a major element of the journey on the whole was tiredness and impatience. I passed through Colorado State University, which had an awesome and spacious campus, of course my university experience was slim and this was a big one. My longest unscheduled nap came here, under some tree, just as a light rain started to fall.

I walked for who knows how long, in fact I walked completely out of Fort Collins into some neighboring town, the kind of town so close to another town that it may as well be the same town. But it had a different name and different population so I can say walked to a whole new city for walker cred. It did take a long time, as I'd been walking since before noon and arrived in this new municipality some time around dusk. So this day was marked mainly by this longish but completely straight stretch. The place really just seemed like the outskirts of Fort Collins. I sat at a gas station there for a good minute seeing if maybe I could get driven further down the line, but the entire day was uneventful and downright unlucky, as the light but still existent mist continued on through the evening, through the entire night. I wandered more aimlessly then usual throughout the sparse area, finding myself in a worse predicament than I had been in terms of sleeping, but I did find a wide open park area not far from that gas station where I unrolled my sleeping bag under a tree just sufficient enough to keep me dry from the rain. It was most likely not that late by this time, but I wasn't in any position to care, as the entire day of walking and nothing else took a heavy toll.

(sorry if this seems like a rushed entry but it really wasn't that much of a day)

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