Plenty of whining going around lately.

[WileEcoyote]

Maybe it is time to be grateful for what we've got left.

Anyone remember me? Came back to D/U just barely over two years ago. Just after being forced out of my Sonoma County apartment due to a dead beat room mate. Couldn't evict her as the system is kind of gamed against men*.

You can evict a tenant but a female room mate in a share rental can always cry wolf to the Sheriff's office. I'd have beaten it of course except only after spending up to 72 hours in the slammer.

Fighting it would have been futile as my former room mate's unwillingness to pay for rent or food had drained my accounts to near zero. So it seemed cheaper and easier to just leave.

Left most my belongings in storage there in Santa Rosa (which went into default and sold later at auction) and came back to live on the streets of San Francisco out of my car. I'd done this before. Stayed on various streets in unregistered cars deftly avoiding police and authorities. Homelessness is a crime punishable by being forced into "shelters" and giving up your pets. I have two loving dogs and wasn't about to leave them behind.

"Habitation in vehicles prohibited and subject to fine/jail"

Started seeing these signs soon after Gavin Newsom was elected Mayor. Ain't saying it's his fault as he seems like at least a decent mayor. But the signs were installed soon after the start of his first term in office. That's a fact.

I worked sporadically in construction watching the Bush recession lower my billable hours rates and reduce available projects.

Showering was tricky at first. Went to my a storage space daily. Buying and bringing in five gallon jugs of water at coin operated dispensers. Then heating the shower in a three gallon pot every evening. Catching the water rolling off my body in a small plastic box used for mixing cement mortar. Each Sunday I would drag the waste water down to the storm drain in an area where the security cameras at the storage area couldn't see me pouring out the gray water. Numbers 1's and 2's I disposed of at vacant Porta-Potties. Or sometimes on the lawns of wealthy homeowners up in Saint Francis Woods (very exclusive area). Good sport!

Told no one of my condition save for one friend. At first parked in the parking lot of Seton Hospital in Daly City almost seven months until rousted out by the pigs. Daly City has the most corrupt police dept. in Northern California. You'd never guess that the town just south of San Francisco would have all these skin-headed, Nazi trash pricks. But they do.

Yet during over a year and a half I was never arrested for homelessness or anything else. Nor had my dogs taken away. Last Sept. I did have my truck taken away due to a registration issue (Daly City thugs), but a good friend loaned me a car since then.

During this time I also continued playing music professionally though the paying gigs were few and far between.

We have a very small apartment now. Since mid summer that is. Thanks to people like Ted Kennedy I was able to "game the system" a tad through food stamps and a weak weak monthly supplement. Social services demands I see them practically every other month so it isn't like a truly "Free lunch". They're just looking for ways to eliminate people from their roles. I still have to work under the table some and we BARELY squeaked by with the rent yesterday on the first but we (dogs and me) made. And I expect we will.

Things that helped:

Attending local protestant church. Staying involved in their community.
Five finger discounts at food stores. (only caught once not prosecuted).
Food banks.
Frugal nature, and most important of all

I really don't need much. Got my dogs, the respect of my musical colleagues and my grown kids.

So when i hear of someone losing their huge six figure income and house foreclosure I can relate, but my own situation has been much more severe. And yet I'm happy.

It could have been worse. Almost was. Don't know what the future holds but I'm ready for it. Ain't like me and the dogs haven't gone through hard times before.




*Don't believe me?

I am a good Liberal Democrat. If you want to know how I treat women please speak to my daughter, a Cal graduate and nursing student. Also a good Liberal Democrat. Only she's a lot more educated than me.

I am telling you that the system can be rigged against any given man at any time. If a woman wants to play it that is, and my former room mate was more than willing to smear me. Crocodile tears and all that horseshit...

[Blue-Jay]

1. "Anyone remember me?"

Umm... no.

[WileEcoyote]

2. Cute pic

[opihimoimoi]

3. I remember ...velcome home man...guitar? Horn? Drums? Quartro?

whads your beat?

[WileEcoyote]

4. hmm, I'd like to state the answer

'cept I believe my original post could be inferred as possibly indicating some questionably legal matters.

And I do show up on a web page somewhere. Also, I'm not a D/U donor so I don't believe I can use the private message function. Or if I can I haven't figured out how to use it.

[Freedom4me]

5. Good post

Agreed...

Money is a means to an end. I've been the happiest when ive had friends/family near, regardless of my bank account. I always try to live well below my means. I can sleep better at night (even though my neighbor is sleeping on a $3000 tempur pedic bed hes paying off)

Its the people and your attitude that matters in life.
Things are hard now...just embrace what you have and share the positive outlook.

[proteus_lives]

6. Many people get through hard times without stealing.