Homeless Update

It's been nearly two months since I last posted anything on here. A lot has been going on so I will try and catch you up in small segments.

Storage Unit...It appears that a few other people have been living in their storage units at my complex, but they have also been discovered and kicked out. I continue to watch my self and try my best to keep my time there limited to the off hours, but not always easy to do as business continues to move forward and I do need to get into the unit durring the day at times.

My routine at the unit is as follows: I am up and out of there by 8:30 AM to avoid the staff coming to work by 9 AM. I head to the gym to work out and shower and to this day, that was one of my best moves I made when this happened. The gym is just about a ¼ mile away, so I can easly walk to it. Once done, I then return to the unit without my gym bag as I leave it at the gym for later.

At the unit, I then collect my backpack and head out to use a computer and to just be out of there. I try not to come back until 3 to drop off the backpack and then to head back to the gym to kill some more time. I will come back to the unit by 5 and chill out until 6 when they leave. Usually, I will walk up to the grocery store and get something to eat that I can cook in my microwave. This time killer helps as usually I can streatch it out till 6 pm or later, their quitting time.

Once back in, I can then use my main PC to do some work which is not always easy. I am usually so tired of walking around...trying to be gone from their...that all I want to do is relax and get some sleep so I can start my day all over again.

Sunday is the only day that the staff is not there, and that is when I try to accomplish more, especially taking my laundry to get washed at the laundriet near by. I still empty out my piss jug about every other day late at night when I hope no one is around. Don't need to be caught doing that and trying to explain it.

That's pretty much the basics of my routine that I have settled into.

Update & Panhandlers

Howdy;

It’s been a bit since my last posting which is good in a way.  I’m still alive, though I have developed another cough due to chemicals that are in the storage unit building.  I will work feverously to get rid of it as I always do.

The lady I had previously wrote about has not said anything about me to the staff and as I found out from her last week, there are about 3 other people on the property that are also doing the same thing as I am.  What is also interesting is during one of my soup kitchen outings, I overheard a conversation about the same subject.  Apparently, the homeless are sharing information on what locations are the cheapest to rent and the easiest to live in.  That is comforting in one aspect, as they have a place to go to as I do, but extremely sad at the same time.  I know that I am not the first to consider doing this, and I doubt I will be the last, but for this to be happening to so many more is just so wrong.  Facilities are packed solid every night and more and more people are being forced out onto the streets every day.

While the media may promote good economic news right now, the reality is, it will take years of recovery to get people off the streets and back into homes.  For a lot of people, they don’t have years, let alone months or days.

This brings me to another subject that I feel I must say something about; Panhandlers.  While American hearts go out to the homeless, and that is a great thing to have happen, there are too many people who take advantage of that goodness.

Panhandlers are those types of people for the most part that choose not to work, choose not to live in a shelter or some other facility for they know that by standing out on the street corner holding up a sign that indicates their desperate flight, they will make a good chunk of change.  Reports have it from a mere $20 dollars a day up to the hundreds depending on what corner you have and how well you ‘work’ it.

In the mean time, a majority of them will use that money to buy food, drugs and alcohol.  Not one of them will save it and try to use it for something else that may help them get off the streets.  They are content being on the streets and don’t want to change.

The problem with this process is that those people who think they are helping out are really not helping at all.  They are actually allowing for the continuation of a bad habit.  The money that is collected by panhandlers would actually make a world of difference in the community by giving the money to programs that work with the homeless.  Imagine this, in Austin on a given day there are about 40 panhandlers on street corners.  If each one earns $20 per day that is about $800 dollars in one day.  Multiply that out by 365 days that is a total of $292,000 per year.   That is enough money to build a new facility for housing, feed thousands of people, etc.  Money that would go much further if organizations had it then it would for those panhandlers that would immediately spend it on waste or lose it.

So the next time you have the urge to give change to someone on the street, DON’T!  Instead, go home and write out a check to a charity group, even if it is only a $1.00 check.  It all helps those that really need it the most.

Life goes on…I go on.

Wishing you a Wonderful New Year

 2012 is now upon us and depending on who you listen to, 2012 will be our last year of existence as we know it.   The Mayan’s whose calendar system has been the most accurate in history simply says that on December 21, 2012 their calendar cycle ends and a new one begins.  I am leaning towards that line of thought.

Each New Years day begins a year full of opportunity and hope and this one is no different.  We are going through many changes and challenges as seen in 2011.  Do your best to keep fear at bay so you can enjoy all the wonders this New Year will offer you, even when it seems to be your darkest hour.  Allow your hope, faith and love to guide you this year through your journey.

While you may not know where your journey is taking you, know that there is a purpose for the journey and know without a doubt you will be a better person for it.

May you and your loved ones all have a Wonderful Life in 2012.

3 Month's of Homelessness

I am past the three month mark on becoming homeless and it’s been an interesting time for me on many levels.  Overall, I good learning experience and one full of information that I can use in my writings when I finally get a chance to write again.  I’ve meet many interesting people along the way, homeless and not homeless that have taught me a few things as well.

Today, I meet a fellow storage unit renter who lost her home in the Bastrop fires last September.  What she has left is in three storage units here and she is working hard to reduce it down to two units to help save money.  Most of what she has was given to her after the fire through donations; she has very little left of personal items.  I know her feeling of lost as I have been there once before.

The only concern I have is that she ‘believes’ that I am living in my storage unit and she does know that I run the extension cord out my door.  She too wants to do the same so that she can use her PC and try to get her life back on track.  I’m concerned that she will say something or be careless about using the electricity during business hours, the time that I make a point not to.  I just don’t want any additional reason or suspicion to come down on me and my use of the unit.  Right now, I just can’t lose the use of it.  I also can’t deny her the use of what I am using for she too needs it to some extent, though she has a motel room that she is calling home for now that FEMA is paying for.  I wish I had that…lol

All I can do is sit back and watch what happens, and trust that it will all work out for both of us.

Life goes on…I go on

Eyeglasses & Judgement

Recently I was able to get my new eyeglasses and what a challenge that was.  I first had to go through the medical department for a full exam before they would qualify me for the eyewear.  Once qualified, I then had to go through the eye doctor for a prescription, which is always good to do.  Prescriptions should be done at least once a year, especially for my age group.  Up to this point, everything went smooth and pleasant.

Once I had my new prescription, I went to a retailer that was on the approved list for accepting the coupon for glasses.  It was here that things became a bit more troublesome.  The coupon was good for $65.00 worth of eyewear.  Thus, very cheap glasses were all I could get.  Anything over ten dollars I would have to pay for, ok, that sounds fair.  However, it was the additional charges that they didn’t tell you about.  For example, the fact I had to have bifocals added $5.00, and then add in the type of prescription I had was another $10.  If I wanted a warranty, no line bifocals, plastic thinner lenses, etc., it kept adding up.  By the time they were done with all the extras, the glasses would have cost me the same as if I was paying for them myself, over $300.  What was the point of the coupon?

But that was only part of the issue.  It was how I was treated that really bothered me.  I get the fact everyone wants to make money, so the extra charges and hidden fees I understood, though I did not like them.  It was the change in attitude that I got when I showed them my coupon.  From being nice and friendly to cold and rude in the flash of an eyelid.  I was amazed by this clear act of judgment and dislike towards me because I needed some financial help with my eyewear.  It was clear that I did not look, act or smell homeless, so their nice person treatment at first was understandable.  I was a customer that was acting like I wanted to spend money.  But once that coupon was shown, I was no longer that customer but some weird thing.

Now before I go any further, I have said before that I am no saint.  I have made quick judgments on my fellow homeless people now and before I was homeless, it’s a natural state we all go through.  Until I understand why they are homeless, I pull out of my mind a thousand thoughts from past experience.  Maybe that was the case with this one sales person, maybe not.  Regardless, the fact remained that someone, even if it was not me, was paying the bill for some eyewear from her store.  A customer should be treated with respect until they give you a reason not to be and even then it’s best to treat them with respect until they have left your business or space.

I left that day defeated for not getting my glasses. I didn’t have the money to pay for any extras at all.  I choose to come back to the store another day when I would hopefully have the money.  Thankfully, my dad sent me some Christmas money that covered a couple of basics that were necessary to have.  I got my new pair of glasses that were sold to me by a different sales lady who was much more helpful and friendly to me then the first.  A total, I spent $54 on a pair of glasses, while the total bill was over $110.  I’m happy to have a new pair of eyewear, especially since my last pair was over 6 years old.  It’s nice to see things more clearly now.

Life goes on…I go on.

12-8-11 Homeless Update

During the past few weeks I have been arranging for some medical aid. Has a homeless person and one with no personal income, I qualify for a local program that gives me access to very basic medical services, and I do mean very basic services.

Once I received appro9val, I then attempted to schedule my first doctor’s appointment.  This exam would do the basic review of your current and past medical history and would put you into the system so that it would be easier to get dental and eye care services as well.

When I called a couple of locations close to me, I was advised that there would be no appointment scheduled until late March, April or maybe even May and this was at the end of November when I called.  Three to five months of waiting for an exam, no telling how long I would have to wait for treatment.  I didn’t make any appo99ntments at the time as I was completely disgusted at the situation.  Where were our tax dollars going to?  The answer is simple, other patients.  The system is simply maxed out and barely working as it is due to the increasing amount of homelessness, new people added to the poverty levels and more and more people who simply cannot afford any medical insurance at all.  The greed of corporations and of doctors continues to push medical service out of reach for the average American, screw the poor.

After I waited a couple of days, I made another call to a different location and was shocked by the fact that they had an opening in just a few days.  I took it without hesitation!

When I arrived at this location, I was surprised at how clean and new it was and at how empty the waiting room was as well.  I found out it was one of the newer locations to have opened up, thus not many people knew about it yet.  A blessing for me.

The staff was friendly and very competent which an extra benefit to me was. My exam was uneventful so far.  Good health as expected, minus the sinus issues.  Because of this exam, I was able to get my voucher for an eye exam and glasses, which I defiantly needed.  My glasses are over six years old and my contacts are expired.  I need new eye wear!  It will not be what I want or what I am use to, but it will be good solid vision and that’s what is important.  I have an appointment scheduled soon, so hopefully within a week I will have my new glasses.

What should be noted is that the system is broke. I was lucky to get an appointment as early as I had.  The frustration I felt on trying to get an appointment is what everyone feels who is homeless and because of this, they give up.  A few will go to an emergency room knowing that they will get treated one way or another.  Thus the country hospital emergency rooms become over loaded and congested, which then creates more issues for those true emergencies that come in.

It’s the large number of peop0le who give up on trying to get medical care and suffer with their condition until it goes away, or they die from it.  While they suffer with it, they may also be spreading the disease or illness that they have which also adds to the medical overload.  Those that die from their illness because they didn’t get medical care is the true shame of what is happening, they are dyeing when they shouldn’t be.

What I have written is nothing new.  It’s been going on for 20 plus years and most likely even longer than that.  It is for you as a reader of this that may not fully understand as it is not happening to you; it’s happening to the writer, therefore there is little to no connection to you.  It’s just words on a computer.

What angers me the most is how our political leaders continue to ignore what’s going on.  Based on their actions and lack of actions our country is in a complete mess financially.  With our current election cycle, we will hear a lot of lip service to please us, but after the elections are over, I seriously doubt anything will be done to correct it.  The continued bickering between the two parties creates more and more antagonism that creates more road blacks then it does compromise.  What will it take to get them to remember who they work for; the American people, not their party.

Will millions of Americans have to die in one year for them to get their act together?  I pray to God that is not the case.

But it is clear, something has to change and fast.  Being homeless is the equivalent of a death sentence and even worst then that.  At least on death row you have shelter and three meals a day.  Being homeless you are lucky for shelter and one meal a day.  You are almost certainly guaranteed a slow agonizing death.

12-1-11 Update

Howdy;

Ok, I've got to vent, so bare with me.

This morning I was checking my emails and saw an email from one of my authors who did something they had absolutely NO right to do.  They were not trying to help me, only themselves and now it has cost ME to loose up to $2,500.  What the F....!!!!

First off, why couldn't this person be patient and allow for the process to run its course?  Why couldn't this person contact me first before they did what he did?  Finally, he had brought the issue up to me and I told him I would take care of it, which I was and which there was much more to what was going on then he was aware of, so why didn't he just back off and let me take care of it?

I get that we want our books to do well, but at what cost?  This stunt has set me back again and I'm so tired of it.  He's the 4th author who thinks they know how to run my business with absolute no respect for what I am doing.  I'm over it.  I advised him that he had until December 10th to buy out his contract and I advised him how much it would cost, which was a very low price for what it would cost him in court for this screw up of his.

I want to be VERY clear here, I am not homeless by choice!  I want to live in a house or an apt that is mine, that I can enjoy the comforts that my authors are currently enjoying.  I ended up being homeless because I believe in my business and in my authors works enough to put myself on the back burner to help make sure that their books get sold.  Not because I enjoy sleeping in a storage unit or on a park bench!

When this type of crap happens, it doesn't just effect me, it effects every other author that works with me and it's not fair to them or to myself!  Yes, if you haven't gathered by now I am SUPPER PISSED!  It's shit like this that added to me loosing $100,000 and I will NOT put up with it anymore.

With that said...

Life goes on...I go on.