I have had a week off work so far and I have another week to go. I went to Katoomba Monday and Wednesday of this week to organise some trades for small jobs next week. On Friday I picked up a flu which got a bit annoying Friday night, I still had a lot of energy though and went out painting Saturday morning. I also painted Thursday in the inner west which was a good day, on Friday night I went on a big walk with my youngest. 

This morning I had some Chinese herbs and also this afternoon with lots of tea when I got home. Last night I was in and out of fever dreams but as the night wore on I felt a little bit better bit by bit. Today I met a local in the area I painted. It is really sad that a lot of young people get addicted to hard drugs and then battle their way through the culture of violence. Some young people get addicted to heroin at fourteen then go in and out of various addictions for most of their lives.

I know some of the people from the area but then you will meet someone who tells you something about them that makes you realise it is bad news. People come in and out of jail as well and it seems like they can’t get away from the street culture and negative lifestyles. The guy today looked like he had recently copped a bashing which he had, he had had his knee smashed a few years before. His fingers were fractured and his jaw had been fractured. He was good at drawing and had a good illustrative style.

I told him I just kept out of the scene and left hectic stuff behind decades ago to live a peaceful chill life but I guess I have always had some opportunities. Going to art school was my first opportunity, this young guy was a registered house painter and I would launch myself into that and try to get out of the Maroubra area for one while doing a trade. Some parts of Maroubra are so hectic and I rarely go to the area anyway because I know what goes on.

Yet you have all of your friends, your crew and all of that within reach but then people turn on you, they set you up over a girl or your ex-girlfriend gets you bashed. All I want to do is drink tea and some days I wonder why I am still painting walls, although they are legal but graffiti culture can be such a gateway into every other gateway. All the gates just lead to the same places and maybe I will throw aerosol culture in soon because I want to be captain zen.