On the beach

[one of those jerks]

in Moro Bay California.

Waiting for a job on a fishing boat, sleeping on the beach working in a fish packing plant when the boats came in with fish.

Spending my time in the library and walking the streets. One day I discovered a huge chess board laid out in the town square. Chess pieces must have been 3 feet high.

Met some people from the chess club who invited me to their club.

They were going out to the big prison in San Louis Obispo to play chess with the prisoners and asked me to come along.

I played a dude called "Cowboy" I captured his queen early in the game. I could see he was hurting, this was important to him. I started feeling nauseous and lost the game. Which made him very happy. He was telling everyone "I lost my queen but I still won."

I am so happy I lost that game. I did not toss it. He won fair and square.

But Crazy Mike would have been pissed at me.

He would tell me "You can't stand success"

On Mt Olympus
the gods are all too human.