Sign of the Times

CLOWNING AROUND IN JAMAICA PLAIN
So, this weekend, Captain Tippy Yunnan (aka Ron) decided that he wanted to become a clown. Ideally, he wanted to be a clown at our moving sale. So, Friday night after work, he headed down to Jake's Joke Shop on Tremont Street. Just as he was arriving there at 5:30, the proprietor, was pulling down the gate and locking up shop. Tippy told him, "You have to let me in. It's an emergency." The man asked him what exactly the emergency was...Tippy explained that he just needed a clown costume. Apparently, the store owner did not feel that the matter was that pressing or urgent and told him that he would have to come back the next morning. He did and arrived at our sale as a clown mid-afternoon. Later that night, we went down to the bar with Poppo the Clown. Poppo was a big hit with one girl who insisted on buying him a drink because she "thought he looked so sad and wanted to make him feel better." Poppo also sang a rendition of "I've Got You, Babe" with Beth at Karaoke that night. The next day, Poppo walked up and down South Street with the megaphone announcing the "giant liquidation going on right now at 224 South Street." Surprisingly enough, we actually got some more business because of him. Unfortunately, though, Poppo was also the victim of some "anti-clown" agression. At one point, a car pulled up next to him as he was walking down the street, and the passenger threw a lit cigarette butt at him. Further proving that clowns do continue to face discrimination and violence...