Midnight Drummers

I went out for a bike ride tonight, I went up Guadalupe to campus, and then meandered back down south. When I crossed the Lamar foot bridge, I saw a big crowd gathered around several drummers. I sat on my bike nearby and watched for a while. One guy came up and told me my bike had "really good lines", and that the guy who made the frame "practically invented bicycles, man, he's, like, a god".

Then later, a bald kid who looked to be 20 or so, came up to me and said "Hey man, how's it going? My name is Angel, and I'm gonna give you a prophecy. Like, a prophecy, and, you see all those buildings, man? All those people, they're like, zombies, man, all they do day after day is work and sleep. This right here, man, this is life. This is freedom, man."

I told him I was one of the zombies, and it wasn't that bad, it was just a different lifestyle choice. He said "Hey, I'm not condemning, man. I'm one of them too. I work. I'm a model. They tell me to do stuff, like, and I just have to do it. And I do, I'm such a tool. But at least I know what freedom really is, ya know?"

Then the guy who liked my bike told me that the people at the far end of the bridge looked suspicious, and he thought they might be cops. "You have to keep an eye out. Those cops are the scum of the earth, man, they're vicious, evil bloodthirsty thugs. They just kill people all the time, and you don't hear about it because the newspapers are scared to print it. They like to bust us up, but it's no big deal as long as you're watching, and you keep an eye out. They ain't too fast."

I said I'd certainly keep an eye out, and wished him luck. "Right on, brother." And the drumming wasn't half bad, either!

I always find really interesting stuff when I'm out on my bike (at least in the summer!). I'm going to have to stop leaving the house without a camera.