Never a Dull Moment

I keep saying that someone should bring a reality camera to 17th street and shoot a series.  I swear:  It is SO colorful.  Between the new crop of psychiatrically impaired people that like to make 17th Street their hang out (Security!) and the traffic that the Pot Club attracts (not to mention the stuff I can't talk about), this little tree-lined block of Downtown Oakland is a slice of life that would make for some great tv.  The restaurants, retailers, hairstylists, and yes, even the psychics on 17th bring a spectrum of the working class to the well heeled and it's kinda cool to just sit outside sometimes on a sunny day and watch the world go by.  Folks fighting about parking spaces, horns blaring, cars driving too fast, tattoo guys hanging outside smoking cigarettes, and the occasional pimped out Mack Daddy strolling down the street in his lime green ensemble make this 2 lane stretch of land Oakland's mini-version of Venice Beach.  For me, last week was eventful, as always.  A group of 5 girls showed up in the store and stole some stuff; I almost started a fire in the wastebasket; the property manager for the building thought he had permission to yell at me and treat me disrespectfully (and found out what a big mistake that was); and someone (from the City?) is finally making an attempt to care for the trees on 17th Street and there is now mulch at the base of the trees.  (I'd like to think my b*tching & groaning had something to do with it, but I can't confirm it.)  I'm telling you:  There is never a dull moment...