The Real Copper Top Copy

I bought some batteries yesterday walking through the park at the corner of Mt Pleasant and Columbia Rd. Two guys were walking towards me. One had two big packs of batteries in his hand. "Are they having a sale on batteries somewhere?" I asked. He handed the DUELCELLs to me and said, "Give me $5 for both." His friend gave me a bag and said, "Make sure you put them in that bag before you get out of this park." Two 16-packs for $5, not a bad price. I thought I could use them in my flash ... not enough power. They work, but they work like old batteries and it takes the flash a while to warm up. Tonight I was walking through Meridian Park. I like to cut through there every once in a while in hopes that I stumble across a body or something in the labyrinth of stairs. Tonight I was walking up the steps and someone at the top looked at me and stopped. I thought they were selling drugs and said, "I'm cool. I don't need anything." They waited anyway and said hello. I continued to walk up the steps and another dude was urinating or something in a doorway at the next flight. I kept walking. When I got to the top I had to take in the beautiful, panorama of D.C. I looked down and saw the urination man taking a path out through the park wall. I looked down the steps and the other guy was walking up spitting every other step. He said hello again and asked me if I knew what went on in this park. I said I guess some drug dealing and probably some muggings. He said that I was right about the activities and added in more or less words that he was a male prostitute also. Then he turned around and said, "The people." And suddenly I saw about four people in different areas of the park walking toward us. "They are the zombies walking toward me," he said. I didn't want to get in the way of any of the man's business ventures so I said, "Take care, I gotta get going." As I was leaving the park I found a broken CD walkman sitting by the steps. The low-juice batteries I bought are perfect for it.



Scuffle at the Bus Stop

Today I was waiting for the bus making designs in the snow with my feet. I was standing on the crowded sidewalk in front of 7-Eleven. I heard a scuffle. I turned around and saw a kid getting hit in the face. About three other kids were hitting at him and they were trailed by maybe four others. I got my camera out as soon as I could but all I managed was the gang of high schoolers fleeing the scene. One of them yelled, "Hey, that #@#@s got a camera. Beat his @&&!" I thought it was funny. I used foul language to tell him I would most definitely hurt him, and they all proceeded with their initial retreat. They should have waited for the bus because it pulled up right after that. We passed them less than a block away.