Hard luck and busted..The Village idiot of Las Vegas..

"Heh, look over there! It's the village idiot of Las Vegas." At the time, I was standing on the corner of Charleston and Durango. I was holding a sign that said.."Hard luck and busted." I also had the link to my blog displayed on the sign..I figured if I was going to panhandle, I might as well advertise my blog..Turns out, I got a lot to learn about the art of panhandling.

"This is my fucking corner, get lost asshole!" I ain't the only guy in Vegas panhandling, and it turns out I was trespassing on some prime territory.."Heh dude, I was here first." The corner I was standing on? Perfect place, stop lights, high traffic count, nice part of town..Basically, it's what every panhandler in town is looking for.."I tell you what dude, I will go find another corner to stand on." This was my first go around panhandling, and I wasn't looking for any trouble..So, I move down a block to Charleston and Buffalo..The first thing I noticed when I pulled into the corner gas station, some one had already beaten me to the punch, so I moved again..This time I was at the corner of Russell and Durango..That ended up being my spot..

The trick to panhandling? Do it fast..When a group of cars stop at the red light. Walk the middle lane with your sign..I was wearing sunglasses and a hat..I'm not particularly proud of turning to panhandling, but, I'm in between jobs, and a guy still has to eat..Besides, and this may sound weird, I kind of always wanted to try it, just to see what the reaction was..With that said, I don't make for a very good panhandler..A guy  gave me 50 cents and told me that I needed a better sign... I picked 'hard luck and busted' for my sign, because it sums up my life at this point..Turns out, panhandling isn't what it's all cracked up to be. I stood out in the scorching Las Vegas sun four hours, and only made $17.

I like to end every post of mine with a thought I'm having..Call it the village idiot thought of the day.."When I was a kid growing up in Kansas, I never thought I would be standing on a corner in Las Vegas panhandling. I've lived in Las Vegas for over 6 years, and I love this town more than anything..Hopefully, my panhandling career is short lived...I guess? At this point, it is what it is."