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Dear Barbelith/ Denfeld's homeless adventures

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15:08 / 03.08.05

So far I'm doing ok. I ran into a great bit of luck the day I moved out. My younger sister gave me a car. Actually she mentioned that she was trying to get it towed to a junkyard, as it was overheating, giving her a lot of trouble, had been in a few accidents, and basically looks like shit and could break down at any second. So for now that's home.

I think I have a major advantage over most geeks in that am not very attached to belongings. I'm not a pack rat, and had no problem throwing away my comics, cds, cool little toys and trinkets, and that stupid 1950's supercomputer. Travel light. I did keep one half box of Captain America comics with a couple of Morrison trades thrown in. A duffel bag full of clothes. A trunk with paperwork stuff in it. And my bmx takes up the entire backseat of the car. Like I said, the car could die at any moment, so the bmx in the back is the escape pod.

I feel like I'm in junior high again. When not working my stupid midnight shift (new job starts full time in early September) I've just kind of wandered about the city. Parked the car, rode the bike around. I've seen a movie and read a few books since moving out. Devil's Rejects which had it's moments. Three poker books, Avengers Disassembled trade, Wu Tang manual. There's a big book store I've been hanging out at lately.

Sleep's the only real problem so far. On my night off it was easy enough to park the car in a parking lot and catch some sleep. But daytime is horrible. The most shaded place I've found so far where no one will bother me is a parking garage, and the heat is horrible. It's been upper 90's lately, so that's sucked.

No real adventures as of yet. But I'm doing ok, and feeling a lot better about this whole thing than I thought I would.

I'm typing this from a pricey internet cafe, which I have an hour or two worth of time with. The library does offer free internet, but it's fascist-o-meter filter doesn't allow me to see some of Barbelith's pages.

Hope you're all doing well. For Barbelith!

15:14 / 03.08.05

Jack! Hope you're doing okay in exile. You sound in high spirits. Glad you managed to find somewhere other than U-Haul storage to store your physical shell in.

What are you doing for sanitation (washing, showering, shaving)? How are you going number 2, Jack? HOW ARE YOU GOING NUMBER 2 JACK I MEAN SERIOUSLY

Are you eating okay?

Am I, by any chance, your mother?

Hope you catch other lucky breaks til September.

Love, luck and lollipops,
Triplets

15:18 / 03.08.05

*abashed* Dude, you are the true King. The name change was just, like, a tribute... *hides*

(Good luck, Jack. Glad you could let us know how you're getting on.)

15:22 / 03.08.05

Hey Trips!
What are you doing for sanitation (washing, showering, shaving)? How are you going number 2, Jack? HOW ARE YOU GOING NUMBER 2 JACK I MEAN SERIOUSLY
Bathroom at work. For the 2 thingie. Yuck. Not really shaving. Sporadic bird baths, with plans of 1 or 2 motel showers a week.
Are you eating okay?
I'm not starving. Mostly coffee, and 7-11 food. And Taco Bell.
Hope you catch other lucky breaks til September.
Thank you!

15:24 / 03.08.05

*abashed* Dude, you are the true King. The name change was just, like, a tribute... *hides*
I support you all the way! Thanks for the kind words Deva Superstar.

15:24 / 03.08.05

Don't listen, Jack (Denfield). She tried to take throne before your feet even warmed the earth outside.

Usurper!

Regrettable Juvenilia

15:27 / 03.08.05

I've... read a few books since moving out... Wu Tang manual

I'm less worried now than I was. Denfield, I got your back but you best still watch ya FRONT. Protons electrons always cause explosions!

15:34 / 03.08.05

Flyguy! I'm like Rza from Ghost Dog now. Just kinda roam the streets and give head nods to Forrest Whitaker lookalikes.

15:39 / 03.08.05

Wow Jack, you could wander the earth like Cain from Kung-fu or like the littlest hobo from The Littlest Hobo. You can write all about it in a book Zen and the Art of Car Maintenance.
The possibilities are endless.

Endless!

15:43 / 03.08.05

Keggers! So far my book would be pretty boring. It's actually not so bad. I feel really free right now. (speaking of which, Rob Zombie does this sequence in "Devil's Rejects" that involves what seems to be the complete Freebird song. i was like 'wow, he's gonna have the entire song play during this scene isn't he?')

15:45 / 03.08.05

W00t for Denfeld!

Have you trained any obnoxious urchins in the secrets of high magic yet?

BTW, If you have the ability to do this sort of check-in regularly, I want a series of travelogues.

15:49 / 03.08.05

Melly Mel!!
Have you trained any obnoxious urchins in the secrets of high magic yet?
Naw. I did borrow some kid's lighter though.

15:51 / 03.08.05

Yuu should have taken it. Then he would hve been delighted!

15:52 / 03.08.05

Take care all! Bedtime for Jack!

15:53 / 03.08.05

Hit the road, Jack. But make sure you come back some more, some more, some more, some mooorrrrreee...

16:00 / 03.08.05

Just kinda roam the streets and give head nods to Forrest Whittaker lookalikes

I, er, misread the above.

Now significantly less concerned than I was back there for a second. (Not that there'd be anything wrong with, y'know... but it'd ideally be in the context of a loving relationship.)

Good luck Dangermouse! Keep going!

17:04 / 03.08.05

The king has returned.

Jack, why can't your sister put you up, or (and forgive me if I've already asked this, or if its already been answered elsewhere) your parents? Oh, And try not to eat too much Taco Bell. It's not good for you.

17:49 / 03.08.05

You should come stay with me. It'll be pretty hot on the way down, though.

Less searchable M0rd4nt

17:55 / 03.08.05

Jack Dnefleth, I am in awe of your sang froid and general coolth in the face of this. You are surely the One True Jack. May all your parking spots be shady and may your trusty BMX never fail you.

18:40 / 03.08.05

Good luck out there, D'Enfield. I've been where you are. Except, you know, for the whole "Exalted Ruler" thing.

I'm sure you're up to your eyeballs in free advice right now, this guy has some good insights on how to make living on the streets work for you. One of the things he mentions, and I vouch for from my homeless days, is it's cheaper to use the shower at a gym than to rent a motel room. Plus you can use the gym to get fit or take yoga lessons.

The fact that you have a car to rest your weary bones in is a huge advantage.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

20:05 / 03.08.05

Glad to hear you're doing okay, Jack. Sounds like you're coping a lot better than I would. Yeah, keep us informed when you can!

01:06 / 04.08.05

Jack, I'da fucken bought some comics off you, man. That'd've helped.

Never mind.

Anyway, everyone misses you like fuck. Power Equality, dude.

06:10 / 04.08.05

Take care, Denny. And if you run out of smokes, you can always shred those Captain America comics and roll them in the covers from the poker books.

Keep checking in. This is, like, really beat. Man.

alejandrodelloco

16:50 / 04.08.05

Lekvar, that link is absolutely amazing.

Best tip from that, I would say, is the truck stop one. I am simply glad knowing those exist.

13:14 / 07.08.05

Hi Jack. I meant to reply to this thread back when you started it, but somehow it slipped my mind. Anyway...

"Sleep's the only real problem so far. On my night off it was easy enough to park the car in a parking lot and catch some sleep. But daytime is horrible. The most shaded place I've found so far where no one will bother me is a parking garage, and the heat is horrible. It's been upper 90's lately, so that's sucked."

I sleep in my car during the day pretty often (pm me if you want to know why), and I totally know what you're going through with the heat. I'm actually a bit jealous that you're sleeping in a parking garage. I haven't really gone to the trouble to search out good places to sleep, and obviously I need to. I'm sick of being woken up because I've lost my shade and the car is unbearably hot. Do you open all the car windows when you sleep? I do.

"I'm typing this from a pricey internet cafe, which I have an hour or two worth of time with. The library does offer free internet, but it's fascist-o-meter filter doesn't allow me to see some of Barbelith's pages."

If there are any colleges nearby, I suggest you check their libraries. I've attended 2 different colleges that had computers that you could use to go on the internet in their libraries, that anyone could use. There was no password or anything. Both of these schools had computer labs in which the computers required passwords, but the library computers were available to anyone. Neither of these schools had a "fascist-o-meter filter".

I'm glad you're doing well.

huggles.

15:03 / 07.08.05

Jack, why can't your sister put you up, or (and forgive me if I've already asked this, or if its already been answered elsewhere) your parents? Oh, And try not to eat too much Taco Bell. It's not good for you.
My sister just found a place for a flatmate and herself, and I don't want to be the bum brother who sleeps on the couch. My dad would be hugely disappointed if he knew I was homeless, plus he's kind of started a new family so I don't wanna mess up that whole structure. My mom's off in Florida and would no doubt let me live there rent free forever, but I don't really wanna move to Florida or leech off my mom.
Taco Bell is yummy and cheap.

15:06 / 07.08.05

You should come stay with me. It'll be pretty hot on the way down, though.
Grant that would be fantastic! I'm already daydreaming about how I play Jimmy Olsen to your Clark Kent, hunting down weird leads for your articles, and discovering some crazy alien artifact that could destroy the entirew world. And only Grant and Denfeld to stop it. I start my new job Monday though, and I want to give that a shot. I appreciate the offer though Grant. You're simply the best!

15:08 / 07.08.05

Jack Dnefleth, I am in awe of your sang froid and general coolth in the face of this.
Ha! You tricky teacher, you made me look up a word (words? phrase?). Sang Froid good for homelessness and poker, bad for relationships and arguing with drunk friends.

15:11 / 07.08.05

The fact that you have a car to rest your weary bones in is a huge advantage.
Hey Lek. The car is a huge advantage, and although alot of the stuff on that guy's website seemed like common sense to me, his advice to have a car, even if it doesn't run, is probably the most important. Plan to get a rec center membership this weekend I think.

15:14 / 07.08.05

Glad to hear you're doing okay, Jack. Sounds like you're coping a lot better than I would.
Thanks Stoatie! I think you would do just fine in this situation. As a matter of fact I've recently put in an order to a one St. John Allerdyce to burn your house down, just to prove how strong you are. I'm kidding. I've never even met Allerdyce.

paranoidwriter waves hello

15:15 / 07.08.05

Hey JD! I'm really glad to read your voice and see that you're relatively OK.

BTW, if I were you, I'd go to Florida (supposed to be a nice place, isn't it?). I'll bet your Mum wouldn't mind the company and if she knew of your situation she'd be well worried, non? (sorry if I'm poking my little fat one in where it isn't warranted). Also, it could argued that it's a parent's job to make sure their kids are OK (no matter how old we all get; i.e. my Mum loves looking after her kids). And you don't have to leech: you could get a nice beach-job (or something) and pay for and cook her food, etc. That typed, though I dearly love my excellent folks, if I ever moved back we'd drive eachother nuts within a fortnight (but that's us, obviously).

Anyhoo, how's Nimrod? He looked really glum the last time we saw him...

15:17 / 07.08.05

Jack, I'da fucken bought some comics off you, man. That'd've helped.
Falcon, I woulda gave them to you for free man. Just didn't really have the time to sort out giving them away and postage stuff. Just droppin' stuff and leavin' kinda mentality. I miss you too Duncan, and look forward to working on Flash: Bastards! with you.

15:19 / 07.08.05

And if you run out of smokes, you can always shred those Captain America comics and roll them in the covers from the poker books.
Dear God Sax! If we can be charged with a crim for burning the American flag, I can only imagine what could happen to me if I smoked a Captain America comic.

15:22 / 07.08.05

Hey Paranoid! I'm fine, I'm not moving in with my mother and cooking her food. Seems a bit Norman Bates to me. Oh, and last we saw Nimrod (my going away thread) was actually the 1st time Nimrod was portrayed with a smile!

15:30 / 07.08.05

So, I went ahead and went back to the old house last night. Still had a set of keys, walked in, set my phone alarm in case any cleaning workers or real estate people might stop by, and slept on the carpeted floor there for the night. Probably won't do that again, as it's too risky, and honestly my car is more comfortable as sleeping quarters. Still doing the car garage thing, and it's not so bad. Once fall hits it'll be perfect, but for now, open windows and parking in a windy section up high is working out.

Playing poker is all but impossible in an internet cafe. I can't concentrate, and the hourly charge to use the computer is basically a huge added rake to the game. It's just not worth it. Might have to get a laptop eventually.

I get a fat paycheck this Friday. And no bills or rent to pay. Hoo-ray! Figured I'd just put most of it in the bank. But then again, I'm a free man and Atlantic City is only 9 hrs or so away. Very tempting. The $5-$10 omaha8 game at the Taj is supposedly really juicy, and comparable to the 25cent/50cent game online. I'd have enough for about 2 buy ins, and it would be a fun adventure to hit Atlantic City for a day or two.

But so far so good. Sometime's I get a bit lonely, but that's ok. So far so good.

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