"Another bogus and annoying holiday!"

Since early 94, I find that all holidays are just a huge inconvenience.  I've barely celebrated a single one.  I began worrying about Saturday's upcoming holiday well in advance.  (Columbus Day)

Early a.m.  I had 2 long convos/debates with the bus drivers.   we were trying to figure out what would be opened and what would be closed.  I can see cars parked at one of the libraries but that doesn't mean they aren't there for another reason.  Why are there cars at the bank?  How can a bak be opened on a fed. holiday?

The  driver said," well the schools are opened but the libraries are probably closed! " (I had to ride around on the bus to figure out what is open and what is closed)

Since I'm living hand to mouth and working 7 days a week -  a holiday is nothing more then one more day where you can't work on bettering your circumstances.

"Application for subsidized housing"

I have filled out a myriad of these over the past 12 years.  This is the second time I've filled this particular one out.  I was just alerted that they never processed the one I filled out in 7/2011 because it was "Incomplete"

A joke really considering the unrealistic questions that are asked that few homeless person could answer in their entirety.  I even attached a 4 page attachment; that I had copied right out of my journals indicating the 30 some addresses I had in a four year period!

I've been asked to do this appl again; here it is

Please enclse your application, a letter from your doc explaining your disability (i don't have a doctor there are no doctors in Mountain Town

a copy of your i.d.

a letter verifying you are homeless

a letter from your counselor

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

date
name
dob
ssn

are you homeless
current living situation
how many times have you been homeless in 4 years
what are your disabilities
do you have mental illness
how serious?

do you abuse substances
do you have a counselor
how many hospitalizations in the past year
do you have felonies
what is your income
ssi?
tanf?
food stamps?

emergency contact
family name
contact phone #
address
last name
first name
relationship dob
ethnicity
gender
disabilities
highest level of education (there are 8 slots i presume to list every family member situation)

background info

what is your current living situation
how long have you been there
are you homeless
how long
zip code of last "permanent address"
how many times have you been homeless in the last 4 years
what keeps your family from stable housing
what events occured to get your family in your current siutation
describe your support system
why are you seeking shelter?

a. homeless
b. overcrowded
c. domestic violence
d. unsafe condtions
e. other
f. how has your family survived

what is your family's greatest strengths
what have you done to improve your situation
have you been in an emergency or transitional shelter program before
which one
how long
why did you move

did you ever live in section 8
where
how long
what was it like
why did you move out


education

what is the highest grade level you completed
your partner?
do you have specialized skills?
your partner?
list every job you've had
are any of your family members over 18 and currently enrolled in school or any education training?
which one?

ATTENTION READERS.  MY FINGERS HURT FROM TYPING.  THIS IS JUST THE FIRST 2 PAGES OF THE APPLICATION-THERE ARE 3 MORE PAGES LIKE THIS!  I WILL TYPE OUT THE REST OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS!

"I met a best selling author last night!"

At the last minute I was given a comp. ticket to go see a Baltimore memoirist/author speak about  his book, and how he grew up on and survived Baltimore's streets.  After the talk, I went up to the mic. and in front of 700 people I told him my story in 2 minutes and what he and I have in common.  Exciting for both of us!

That's Soul Dancing - James Brown, Michael Jackson, Black Dance Creations

Trying again to post this, it might get removed!

"A shout out to my readers"

From 9/21 to 10/4  you visited me from:

U.S.
Canada
Vietnam
India
Germany
Brussels
Turkey
Hawaii
Finland
Syria
and the
United Kingdom

Welcome, and keep coming back!

"One flew over the cuckoo's nest/i am technically alive"

So on 9/10; when an employee at "Motel Bed Bug" heard me telling a potential customer about the infestation I was told to leave immediately.  I had 5 hours to get packed up and get out.  I was forced to go to another motel that is run by a rat of a manager and owner who claims she likes to help the poor transition to a better life.  I know from past experience though that she has made lots of peoples lives even worse.

I called up a cab company and explained to the dispatcher my situation in great detail.  How many items I have that I'm disabled and need help and al that.  He assured me all is well.

When "Frank" the cabbie arrived I motioned for him to come to the second floor.  He shook his head no!  I had my stuff moved to the sidewalk.  He screamed up at me "If you think I'm helping you move those items you have another thing coming!"  The guy was scary and this process took a long time.  He kept the meter running AND he charged me a moving fee.  It ended up costing 60 dollars to move 2 shopping carts worth of things a mile and a half away.

When he found out the motel "bed bug" had bed bugs he said "Get your shit out of my van RIGHT NOW!"  A motel 6 employee told him that "they aren't actually bed bugs"  He agreed to take me to "rat inn"

On the way he said "you are so rude expecting this."  I told him that the dispatcher had agreed in advance blah blah.  This is a new cab company and i do plan to tell the manager about his performance.

Readers, I could write 10 pages for every day of my life; so I'll give  a little today and a little later.

In the 11 days i was at "rat inn" the owner praised me for being such a hard worker, then evicted me with no notice and threatened to "donate all of my belongings to a flea market!"

She said "well you'll just have to move to los angelos" today!  What?  This woman is crazy.  I knew in the back of my mind that if I found myself suddenly with no shelter, I would show up at the psychiatric hospital and tell them that "If I have to sleep on the street tonight, I am going to take my life"  After a 3 hour intake where they told me they weren't letting me stay there, they eventually felt like it would be a bad idea to not take me.

So, I slept 12 hours in 2 weeks.  What a book!  You will not believe what hapened there............................

They decided to wait and release me on my pay day, but I am still homeless with no promise of shelter after 10/6 at noon.

There is plenty more to come.

Eagles - In The City

In the last 2 weeks I have been hearing the following lyrics in my head having no idea which song they came from!

here's what i had in my head "city streets don't have much pity, when your down that's where you will stay"

i had to put the phrase into youtube to find the artist!