Drama, Just not on TV!

OMG, everyday there is Drama among the homeless. Today it was a 300# black dude in a wheel chair against another black guy over a free sandwich that the 300# wanted, but didn't get. They were going to go at it outside, with knives, but a Security Guy was there and he calmed them down.

Usually it is the crack-whore skanky women who are moaning and bitching about stuff...at 6:30 AM ! they would all make good ex-wives!

Today I tried collecting cans for deposit money......I walked about 20 blocks, in two different directions, and got three cans, @ 5 Cents/can ! Uh Huh. About as good as the $1.85 I got panhandling over three hours. but I did find a nice area of town to look for a studio, lots of older "Vintage" buildings. Very cool.

The homeless have now been banned from the student union at the college, but are allowed in the Library. Oh well. I am at the public library downtown as I type.

It is a beautiful, sunny, 65F day and very nice here, vs the last time I was in that "Vintage Apartment area. It was about the third day I was in town, no umbrella and leaking shoes, and it poured rain "cats and dogs". But at that time I still had some cash. I have been cashless since October 1 st. Oh well.

The Insane, The bad, and the Ugly!

OK, 2 out of 10 homeless are bonkers! They talk to themselves and argue with pigeons. And I mean long convoluted discussions about things like time travel, lawyers, politics, history (according to them), etc. Wow!

Then about 4/10 smell....like crap or garbage or all things that stink! Come on, whats being poor and homeless got to do with being dirty? All the places offer free showers (soap, shampoo, etc.)...there are tons of free clothes. ( Don't do laundry, since I have no money, I get free clean clothes! Today I had a shower and put on all new clean clothes. I put the old ones on the dumpster to "recycle"!

I previously mentioned many homeless look like TV or movie stars like Martin Lawrence or Jack Black......well then there are the "ugly", and I mean scary ugly people you don't want to look at while eating or see in a dark alley. Whoa Nelly!

Then there is the pack rats....people with so much crap they fill a stolen shopping cart, bike trailer, or the biggest backpack ever made! Many have those little luggage carts or shopping carts that are filled to the gills with crap! I arrived with a medium tote and a backpack. Within a few days, I ditched the tote and a lot of crap...now I am down to my backpack and blankets, and I am tired of dragging the blankets around. Nothing says "homeless" like carrying a sleeping bag or blankets roll!

Still no word on my "bookstore" rehire, a mere formality...NOT! I have been here one month to the day, and if I don't get the job, I may go elsewhere.

OD........Oh My!

Yesterday there was an OD in the bathroom at PSU. Cops, emergency workers out the gazoo! Funny how students and the homeless have no place to live, but all carry cell phones and can buy drugs!

Did I mention they are also stupid? They ask if you want some "shake & bake", what ever the hell that is, right on the the street. What happend to the rule of thumb, "Only buy from people you know?" No wonder at least 25% have done time!

Unfortunately, many of the social programs are geared toward helping alchoholics and drug addicts! So if you don't use, your abused by the system.

After sleeping outside, in cold clear air, three nights without blankets in 40F weather, I hope the buttwipe that stole my bedroll was warm, I finally got two blankets and a ground pad yesterday.....it was a small improvement, I guess I need more blankets! I need a friggen -10F sleeping bag! At least it's not raining or snowing!

Flush Again!

Wow, I almsot froze last night...35F and windy! At least there was no snow! Need a damn bag, -10F at least...LOL

This AM, a benevolent soul left me $2! Very nice of him!

Almost time for lunch, trip to the PO, and numerous "errands".

I'll never be warm again...my hands are freezing, brrrrrrrrrr!

Not as much "DRAMA" last night and today. Got a new coat, a nice Pendleton Herringbone! Very warm indeed.

Drama on the Street

Wow, police dragging "suspects" off streetcars! Yesterday, two wack jobs with a bike, huge trailer full of crap get on the train. The other guy was a 300# fatso in a wheelchair. Another old man (homeless) gets on in a wheelchair and can't fit because of the bike/trailer.......so this wack job wearing a women's hat, starts swearing at the old man, and some of the passengers start booing and cussing the guy out for saying, "F**K You" to someone in a wheelchair.

Then on the way home another woman starts up swearing at cop cars and flipping people off outside the trolley. I said, "Am I the only person who took their meds today?" LOL

COPS!

OK, too much excitement on the streetcar Saturday night. Some crazed and disheveled street guy was yelling about lawyers etc. The streetcar didn't move, doors stayed open, then three cops with pistols drawn are screaming at this guy to drop his bags and get on the ground......they tazered him! He was flopping around like a fish!

I guess before I got on, he was talking about a gun and shooting everyone. Uh huh.

Found a few other places to eat, good food too! I am thinking of actually going into a shelter for a few days to get out of the weather and actually sleep in a bed!

Although this entire week is supposed to be sunny and warm in the high 60's.....the warmest it's been in three weeks!

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

Rain, rain, rain...all night, all day! Bah! Next week.....sunny!

At 5:00 AM, some butt wipe is standing at my doorway staring at me. I asked him if there was a problem? He says, no just walking by......I told him to keep walking!

No mail yet, and no new debit card. I am trapped until at least next week. This PM will see about my application for my bookstore job.

Found a sporting goods store yesterday, looking for gear...sleeping bag, tent, and a bigger pack....all for about $100. Cheaper than rent and utilities!

The things I miss most about not having money or a place? Beer and TV!

Another Day in Paradise

Getting more screwed by the day! The bank wouldn't transfer the money to Pay Pal, yet charged me NSF...twice @$35 each for the attempt.

Now I probably can't get money even if/when I get my replacement card. It's been four days since I reapplied for my job and have heard nothing. I'll call them after the store opens. Wow, it's amazing how much worse things can get.

Last night it rained, but I was "safe" in my doorway, but forgot about the dance club, where it must have been "Hip-Hop" night with all the blacks who got into two fights, and set off a burgler alam in a closed store.........45 minutes it rang, no cops ever showed up!

I am thinking of bailing to Tacoma or Seattle, but don't have any money.........a nickle, bah! I hope I get my replacement card by Saturday.

Punks and Slackers Everywhere!

OMG, if I thought there were a lot of homeless, there are as many or more Punks and Slackers! They live for weed...seem to be mostly dropouts and homeless, they dress weird and ruin panhandling for us all!

I thought there were a lot in Colorado Springs.......could never understand why schools let them dress like that........no way in Michigan, where you can't wear hoodies or camo!

If I don't get my bookstore job back this week, I am outa here as soon as I get my debit card back!

OK, 12" of snow tonight in the Cascades, above 3500 feet elevation.....waaaaaaaaaaaaa! I need a tent and sleeping bag good to zero F degrees!

Currently raining...rain projected for next five days! Bah!

The Two Week Mark

My damn cane was stolen!

OK, it was sunny for four days in a row! now that I have arrived...the climate will change and the economy will become toast!

I applied for a job today, changed my mailing address, ate three lunches (hey, they were good!)

I rode the train to a new area yesterday that I was never in......kinda yuppie, but nice!

I have a plan...if I don't get this job, I am going "camping" and go to the coast! Work my way south to San Francisco, or North to Alaska! It's pretty mild here in the winter... Azaleas will bloom soon and some guy told me his Lemon tree is giving fruit! Uh huh!

Where is Big Foot?

OK there are a lot of characters and daily dramas among the homeless! Many have dogs...see pic, some are pregnant. Mental patients abound, nasty hookers, lots of druggies and alcoholics, one guy has cancer, many are vets...(our country doesn't help vets??), and several look remarkably like TV/Movie stars. One guy looks like Jack Black, I call him "Stinky", a couple of others look like bit actors I've seen, one looks exactly like Howard Stern!

I tried "pan handling", the last couple of days..lots of competition...I was told I dressed "too good", didn't look homeless! In three hours I got only $1.85.

Of course being an MBA dropout, I put $20 for a steak dinner and a grey goose martini on my sign, another about needing $10+ for investment in mutual funds. an old black guy gives me crap... says how long you been here? I tell him three hours...he asks my take...I tell him. He says you can make more at minimum wage........well duh! That's why I asked for $20.........why stand there all day taking in nickles and dimes?

Sleeping in the Cold and Damp!

My home is your front porch!

Dang it was cold and raining last night, now I have a cold and the beginning of a sore throat! I got a new blanket, but need a "0F" sleeping bag which I can buy if I ever get pay pal to release my deposit of 5 days ago!

Oh, and yesterday I got a cane! This keeps me from tipping over, since my arthritus squeezing my spinal cord is effecting my balance a little! I thought maybe it would help me cross the street in traffic........NOT!

The sun came out today, for a while, and I saw blue sky for the first time in two weeks!

This is starting to sort of suck, I can't leave broke and without camp gear........I can't buy a bus ticket without money. Dang it! At least I can get food and shelter during the day.

Have I mentioned that this entire town and college campus pretty much closes down at 9:30 PM? I have never heard of a college town or major city that did not have at least a 24 hr Starbucks! (They all close at 10 pm!) No Perkins or Village Inn's either.....strange, very strange!

Tuesday 10-9-07

OK, got a shower this morning, some clean new "free" clothes, ate a great meal...tonight? Dinner and a movie...free! I also got a new coat and some new socks.

Last night it was fairly mild, about 50F. At 2:30 AM, I got rousted by security. I wandered two blocks away and found a great spot! Road rules....do not camp in government buildings, apartment blocks, banks or other fancy large high-rise office buildings...all have 24/7 roving security and cameras! I try for the smaller offices, darker, less traveled streets and vacant! No way in hell am I going into "Old town" where 90% of the whores, drug dealers , and homeless live! Last night for example I was two blocks from the Hilton Hotel, in the nice area of town. It seems you can survive on zero income...if you sleep in doorways, get cloths from charity, and eat in soup kitchens. One guy told me he had been doing it for 10 years! Problem is no beer, eating out, etc.

So far I have seen transvestites, drug dealers, whores, psychos (I mean screaming, violent, psychos!) blacks, whites, Hispanics! Diversity at it's finest....duh!

WOW.....Things Really Can Get Worse !

Hmmmmm, just when I thought maybe I hit bottom, sleeping outside in doorways at 45F, wet from walking in the rain with leaky shoes, running out of money, and getting hungry.........what happens? I lost my ATM card.....caled the ATM owner..."Oh, we don't return lost cards, we destroy them!" Uh huh. So now I have $1.29 to my name.

I made a nice sign and attached it to my backpack.

Help!
Age=59
Education=BA, M.Ed
Homeless
Unemployed
Broke
Stranded & Need $110 for bus fare
"Priceless"
Also am Hungry

I'll see what happens. There are even less services and no shelter for homeless in this town. It's worse than Colorado Springs!

On top of that I explored a cool neighborhood yesterday, full of older apartment buildings lke that one I lived in in Ft. Collins........my kind of style. Oh, well.

I am "HERE"!

Yeah, I am here......1400 miles from Colorado, in a state to be un-named. It's different. I am not sure what I am doing yet. I've checked out some places for jobs. Housing is expensive. I'd be homeless in Colorado too, since I didn't have the money for the "rent" at the old hotel. Oh well, all I need is a little cabin or studio apartment........I miss cooking and need a stove! Running water and indoor plumbing..optional...LOL!

Last Post from Colorado Springs

I am going on a "walkabout". I have had it with this suck hole called Colorado and my past. I have severed all ties with my "family", thrown in the trash 59 years worth of documents, papers, even my diplomas..........none of that ever got my a thing. Screw it I am starting over without any ties to my past except memories, which I would erase also, if I could. The next time I post, I'll be "there".

It's an adventure and a journey. Good luck to those I leave behind!

Thoughts While Sitting.............countdown to Armageddon

I ate brunch at the shelter Sunday........delicious as always. As I was leaving I saw this homeless guy, long beard, long hair...dirty and disheveled, pushing a stroller with two beautiful little girls of about two years old......both curly haired, one blonde and one red. They seemed to have missed brunch.

I walked about 59 yards thinking how hungry two little girls were, living on the street and almost cried at the unfairness. I had $10 left to my name and decided to give it to them for food. Really.

I started to talk to the parents, mom having come back by then. The father ignored me, the girls played in the dirt at the side of the Goodyear Store. I asked if they had missed breakfast....the father, said no they had gone to the front of the line. I asked if they were twins and told the mom they were very cute. The parents seemed to be more concerned about getting out a cigarette, and seemed to be “OK”. I kept my $10....my last money for two weeks.

As I waited for the crossing light at the corner and young mom tuned the corner with her young child in a car seat........she was driving a new BMW. Uh huh.

SURVIVAL

"I do not know with what weapons World War III will be fought,
but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones."
(Albert Einstein)

One of my great interests is “survival”, chiefly of WW III........nuclear, biological, and chemical warfare. I wrote several papers concerning NBC war in college majoring in Political Science, (BA 1972).

I have read many fiction and non-fiction books on the subject, and viewed many, many flicks concerning “Judgment day”. Below is a list of flicks and books I have seen and/or read and recommend.

Terrorism/WWIII/Survival Films:

Red Dawn - 1984
Black Sunday - 1976
Deadly Outbreak - 1996
The Satan Bug - 1965
Outbreak - 1995
Arlington Road - 1999

The Siege - 1998
The Peacemaker - 1997
Under Siege - 1992
Navy Seals - 1990
Death Before Dishonor - 1987
Invasion USA – 1985
The Day After


There are also many books that concern the subject, including:

“Farnam's Freehold”, Robert Heinline
“The Survivalist” series, Jerry Ahern
:Malevil”, Robert Merle
“Alas Babylon”, Pat Franks”
“Lucifers Hammer”, Larry Niven
“Shiva Decending”, Gregory Benford
“Warday”, Whitely Striber
“Earth Abides” (1949!)

Here is a huge web site with many more: http://www.emptyworld.info/book_index.html



Things to Know
· Flash to Bang
· Nuclear Weapons Facts
· Radiation Effects
· CNN.com - 9/11 commission full report - Jul 22, 2004
· FEMA: Preparation Guidelines
· Shelter Manufactures Links Page
· City on fire
· The Medical Implications of Nuclear War (1986)
· Nuclear Attack, Not As Scary As You May Think

Important information:

Nuclear Survival and Radiation http://www.ki4u.com/free_book/s73p903.htm

Dangers http://www.sasisyphus.com/

Communities http://www.webpal.org/list.htm

Radiation http://www.ratical.com/radiation/NRBE/NRadBioEffects.html

More: http://www.pro-resources.net/

Emergency Supplies & Survival Gear







The Office of Homeland Security and the American Red Cross are just two agencies that recommend everyone have an emergency “Kit” on standby for emergencies from tornados, floods, storms, terrorism, etc. They are relatively simple and inexpensive....they may save your life. You have life insurance and car insurance.......why not personal insurance with a 72 hour “kit”?

I started mine three days before “Y2K”..........I had a difficult time finding propane stoves, batteries, water, etc. Watch TV when a hurricane hits Florida....such supplies disappear in hours. It only makes sense to get yours now! You can always eat the food and drink the water.....good for “turnover” amd keeping supplies fresh.

Red Cross: http://www.redcross.org/services/disaster/0,1082,0_500_,00.html

Home Security: http://www.nitro-pak.com/

Emergency Supplies: http://www.beprepared.com/

More Info: http://www.alpinesurvival.com/

Wow, I could be camping! Forever!

My paycheck from which 100% was the rent on my “classic hotel room” was eaten by the bank for fees! Depending on how much remained........too little to pay rent......... I was going to leave Colorado......by foot. Uh huh.

I checked out sleeping bags, backpacks, trail tents, etc. Everything is on clearance and I could have used what I have plus the new stuff for about $150. I was going to take the bus to the western most side of Colorado Springs, and start climbing Pikes Peak......14,000+ feet, Friday 8/31, at about noon.
I should have been on top by now! Probably dodging mountain lions, bears, coyotes, and rattlesnakes until I reached tree line.

I was going to Cripple Creek, 9500+ feet?, camp out and see if I could get a job in the Casinos to generate some cash.

Plan B, was to buy the gear above, take the bus to Ft. Collins for $37 and head west.......I know some caves back toward the divide........or take the gambling shuttle to Cripple Creek for $25, with $20 cash back

However, since the classic hotel is at least 1/3 empty, the benevolent manager let me stay and write a post dated check for the rent, so I am good till I get paid again 9/14. I am getting extra hours and am able to work both malls, which saves me about and hour each way in travel time, two days a week.

I have sold all my CD's and DVD's for cash. Still have my golf clubs to pawn, and realized I can make an extra $150+ per month donating Plasma, which is where I am going on Tuesday.

It's all just another day in Paradise!

It gets better everyday....not!

OK, still live downtown in the "classic hotel". The damn park across the street is having a "Jesus Freak" music concert all afternoon...can't even hear my TV it's so loud!

But when I went for coffee this morning I saw this weird dog crossing the street........it was a fox! It was just walking down the sidewalk, stopped in the shade and laid down on the cement. People walked by it and it just sat there, until they realized what it was, then they jumped out of their skin. At least it wasn't a bear or mountain lion, which people have told me also come into town! Uh huh.

I'll admit it I am getting "twitchy" and may just go 100% homeless. Even though I don't have much crap, I have too much to carry. Let the purge begin.