August 10, Sunday afternoon -- Reading Edward L. Beach

On the Embarcadero, not far from the Ferry Building

Reading Submarine!: The Classic Account of Undersea Combat in World War II, by Edward L. Beach. Someone passing by gave it to him.

What he likes--The Return of the King, by J.R.R. Tolkien was a pretty good book. He also likes war history books.

If he were to write a book, it would begin in 1010 BC around the Caspian Sea where everyone came from, spread out around the world, and end here. California, he said, is the last empire. What he explained was this: most people here do not have blood in their bodies. It's like, "hey, dude what's your blood type?" They're clones and want to take over.

He's waiting for the military to come and institute martial law and bail us all out. He is the emperor of the world--that's his family name, Empier. It's just that someone else is wearing his crown. Who? He doesn't know. Maybe the pope.

On his cart--three month old apple trees, lettuce, pepper, and tomato plants, which he grew from seeds a friend gave him. He's selling them for $3 a piece. I got one that I need to repot in something the size of the buckets on the side of his cart.

Have you read anything that encompasses the entire history of the world?