ONE WEEK HOMELESS

January 5, 2018. My last time to hang out with North before the seismic shift of moving and not seeing him everyday for the first time in our lives. We go out to the store for an errand and get diverted to the Wild Orchid Thai restaurant to get Thai style fried rice. We share a big order of chicken fried rice. North looks stunning in the look he's come up with over the last year. As usual I'm so proud of what he comes with himself. If this all sounds boring, just a post about going out for fried rice with my son, just know its the most exciting riveting post in my view. My son North is the best time I can have. We say our byes. No one cries. I start crying right now typing this.

Today is the day I initiate the dialog with my ex about moving to Las Vegas. She asks "when?" in a low key way online, then comes a torrent of messages entirely opposed to the idea. I'm just asking for a number -how many days till North can begin attending an after school program, replacing my after school time with him. I get no such answer till the end of the day. What I get are many messages shaming me for the Vegas idea. I even get the quaint and timeless epithet of "you suck". All the while this torrent of online textual hostility is coming in a hooker goes into melt down. She can't talk in a manner anyone can understand anyway -a speech pattern that is rocket fast and mushed up- and in her current throes of contentious screaming and sobbing the speech is made remarkably worse. I'm getting pummeled by female anger on two fronts, in two mediums. At least the hooker is aiming her bile and anger at everyone, online the anger is only meant for m

January 2, 2018 and I've just been offered assistance on relocating to Las Vegas Nevada. So much starts spinning at this point, I send out messages confirming with my friend confirming if she really wants me there. I start talking to North about me living in Vegas, and how close I'll be and we can still see each other with a short airplane flight. Back at the shelter, the half-brother of the Wilson sisters (the band Heart) - so he claims and also claimed to be a great drummer and had drummed with Def Leppard, I don't know if the Def Leppard comment was bragging or complaining - comes up to me and says "I saw what you did m***th**cker" What? "Yeah, I saw you pet my dog" he says shaking in anger "that's my service animal, don't touch him he's not here for fun". Well this dude is the least handicapped of anyone in the place except me. Poor dog, it lives without any affection, which it sorely needs. I wonder if this guy is homeles

January 2, 2018 I wake up with a mix of drug addict hookers, drug addicts, drunks, mentally disturbed people and one seven foot tall twentysomething black guy who talks like a sitcom version of a black gangbanger. Oranges and hard boiled eggs are served, and I'm thinking wow this is healthy. A note on healthy, up to this moment I've been eating extremely healthy, the only exception being the pizza the night before. The shelter boots us at 6:30 am. The staff need time to clean up and they leave the premises themselves, these shelters are hosted at area churches, and agreements with the church and surrounding area homeowners have dictated the homeless must get at least a block away at 6:30 AM. This is very typical for most shelters, including the Benedict House in Bremerton. There is a place to go at 9 AM , God's Little Acre, but for now it is 31 degrees and I want to find a place to keep warm and check things online. So I make my way to Fred Meyer. Once there I'm d

The day that supposed to be so comforting starts out in the outer reaches of uncomfortable. My best friend's wife is evoking all kinds of drama and causing psychic harm all around. It's just full tilt tense as we head off to church. My mind and body register the bad start for the day. We get to the meeting house and services started. Usual sacrament service started things, and then a few people spoke including my friend. We went on to a "gospel essentials" class that I had like somewhat before. Keep in mind this is LDS gospel essentials, so entirely off from your run of the mill Protestant gospel basics. Let's all slow down here and let me announce for all you science and secular people, I am more like you.  I am hardcore about evolution, for a dose of my hearty embrace of it see this post . This blog entry is extremely different for me. Brother Magneson leads the class, I've liked his style and thoughtfulness in the previous times I've attended.

On December 30th I'll be out of my old apartment and on the streets or at least a friend's couch. In preparation I've secured a bunk in the Benedict House, a men's shelter in Bremerton Washington. Bremerton is an hour ferry ride from Seattle. It was once a major naval port, but that was years ago, now the still huge and operating Naval Ship Yard is the city's main employer, but the glory days and stability of major naval presence are over, and the city thrives in maintenance mode. The downtown is actually a great choice for a condo for a person working in downtown Seattle. I chose Bremerton because of a support network of close friend's in town and it just seemed like an easier place to plunge into the world of housing support. It is a thoroughly weird moment. I have borrowed my ex's car to take my son North to visit my best friend's. North's best friends are the three brothers at the their home. We've been staying there over the weekend fo