She's the devil in disguise, you can see it in her eyes

The weekend comes to a close, I listen to Brian Eno's Appollo, and I write. I was fairly active the last couple of days. The weather was nicer than it's been in a while and I made it a point to be outdoors as often as I could.

During the week, I was listening to a Ducan Trussell podcast in which he talked about his experience with charity. He had come across a video that shared an effective way to give to the homeless. The idea was to fill a back pack with food items and other necessities and give it to a homeless person. This could be done for under twenty dollars.

I decided I would try it out. It's one thing to talk about giving, but to actually do it is another thing. 

I woke up yesterday and walked into Davis Sq., hoping the Goodwill would have some backpacks (the video stressed it should be a used one to reduce the likelihood of it being stolen) to sell. They had a few, much to my pleasure, and for under ten smackers I bought one along with a scarf and winter cap, which I took care to make sure matched.

I walked over to the Dollar Store and and got the rest of what I needed. I bought a roll of toilet paper, a bottle of aspirin, a three pack of juice boxes, a can of beans, a can of Vienna sausages, peanut butter (the most crucial item, according to the video, because of the protein), a tuna and cracker combo pack, two bars of soap, and maybe one or two things. The video was right: the whole thing cost under twenty dollars.

I'll tell you, the experience of picking stuff out, knowing it could really help someone, felt great. On my way home, I called Spira and suggested we take Missy for a walk somewhere and on the way drop off the back pack. She suggested we go to Fresh Pond in Cambridge, which was fine with me because I knew some homeless people congregated at the Rte 2/Rte 16 junction by Alewife which is nearby.

It worked out well. At a red light, a homeless vet was holding a sign asking for money. I grabbed the back pack, got out of the car and approached him. I shook his hand and gave him the back pack, telling him I hoped it would help. He thanked me and I got back into the car. The light was still red so we got to see him peek into the bag. The smile that appeared on his face was amazing. I was so moved I teared up. As we drove by him, he waved to us, still smiling.

I plan on doing this once a month. Maybe I'll have other people join me. It felt so good doing this and it was so easy. The ego, of course, interpreted the experience it's own way, which is pretty much this: "I am such a good person, everyone should know this!". I acknowledge its presence, it's all I can do. Greater than the ego's interpretation was the feeling of right action, of being truly alive, of giving. What a feeling!
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Fresh Pond was heavy with people and dogs. We met a chihuaha named Gigolo that was bundled up in a blanket in a stroller. He was a cool dude. He got out and hung out with us for a spell. Gigolo's owner, an older woman, told us about the dog brothels in Denmark that she read about on Facebook. This was followed by several minutes of apologizing for bringing the subject up. It wasn't a big deal but it did put an image in our minds that wasn't exactly favorable.

After our walk,we went to this cool Turkish joint called Sofra for lunch. Great atmosphere, great food. I got a sausage, orange, olive wrap that was pretty tasty. We had a chocolate cookie for dessert that was so moist and fluffy, I almost passed out eating it.

Today I practiced yoga and went into Porter Sq for groceries. I walked over to Cambridge Naturals after the grocery store and talked with the pretty cashier about some of the nice houses in Cambridge. Sometimes I assume strangers don't get a good first impression of me; today with the cashier was no different. But guess what? She chatted me up. If we had a few more minutes together, who knows. It wasn't a good time for conversations, though, with customers waiting to make their purchases and all.

Back at  home, Spira called. She needed me to pick her up from an auto body shop near Watertown (after dropping me off yesterday, her car started having trouble accelerating). I drove her home and went inside for a bit to to say hello to Missy D, or Princess Baby Girl, as I've been been calling her lately.

Amanda called me late this afternoon asking if wanted to see American Hustle with her in Woburn. It didn't work out but we'll get together this week hopefully. 

Ok, time to go. I might watch the rest of Silence of The Lambs, something I started late last night, or I might  do other stuff. Who knows.

Buh bye