"Q & A.........As Opposed To ---T & A, S & M, B & D, A & P, B & E, Or S & L...."

Good Afternoon;

Yesterday I never even turned on the laptop at Jenn's or stopped at the library while I was out. I just was not in the mood to write anything for the most part, and when I was things were not conducive to asking to use the laptop. At times the tension in the air both open and suppressed felt like the charged atmosphere outside as the barometer dropped and the humidity rose in the prelude to the coming thunderstorms.

I had spent the night on Monday so I cold be able to wash up before my Tuesday morning appointment with the doctor for the State physical examination for the S.S.I. claim. My new caseworker Shelly picked me up at the entrance to the apartment complex and we drove over to Park Heights Ave. and Labyrinth Rd. (across the street from the apartment we used to live in), and I saw the doctor and had a very brief exam and question and answer session with him. I mentioned that we had met before when I was seeking a legitimate source of supply for my buprenorphine, and that he said he was not interested in me as a patient because he was not a provider under the the P.A.C. program, which was the only insurance I had, and did not want to chance a cash relationship due to my being homeless, but he did not remember. In any case I was out of there in less than 30 minutes and after we talked and I signed and dated the worksheet/schedule, Shelly dropped me back at Jenn's.

Since it was so early I decided to jump right on the metro to Mondawmin Mall and go to Penn Optical for my vision referral...exam and glasses...as they are a walk in store. Well............I walked in and the lights are dimmed to near darkness and there is one girl sitting there with a clipboard who tell me that the next time they will be open is August 10th, and do I want an appointment then or later. I think I'll just get the referral changed to another one of there outlets, since there are 8 other stores in Baltimore or the immediate vicinity. So it was back on the train and over to the Giant near Jenn's where I picked up some lovely fresh mis-priced cube steaks at a huge discount and went back to Jenn's and marinated them in Montreal Seasoning's Smoky Mesquite BBQ mix and later coated them with flour, egg and Panko breadcrumbs.....yeah boy!!! Chicken Fried Steaks!!!!

Edward lost his first tooth yesterday and his strange little brain came up with the idea of a "Tooth Fairy Feast"...(Your guess is as good as mine?????.......LOL), that consisted of Mashed Potatoes, Peas, Pizza, Oranges, & 'Round Cheese'-[the little wax wrapped BabyBel brand cheeses], of which he eats only the Pizza, (if it not too saucy..then I have to either squeeze out the sauce and blot it with a paper towel, or lift off the cheese and do the same).....he is so weird when it comes to food, nothing at all like Rachel was or is, a budding gourmand...lol, even his 2 yer old sister tries and like s more than he does, if he was my kid he would either learn to like or at least eat one hell of a lot more items....or miss one hell of a lot of meals!!

Anyway Tom had taken him to the Giant to get the items for the feast and picked up some of the Bob Evans Side Dishes Mashed potatoes, which went awesome with the CFS!, and he ate the peas...eeccchhhh, and canned ones at that....barf!!!.....LOL!

As I finished packing my clean laundry after showering, I had 30 minutes to kill before I had to leave to catch the bus up to Pikesville so I turned on the Weather Channel to see what the week ahead looked like. As soon as I did so...Beeep---Beeep---BEEEPP!!!!! Severe Thunderstorm Watches and Warnings for Baltimore!!!!!...And of course just as I tried to get out to the bus stop before they hit...Wham/Bam/Boooooom!! I asked Jenn if she minded running me up in the car when things lessened in intensity and she said she could do that. A few minutes later she came back and said she really did not feel like going out after all and I could spend the night instead of tonight, (I am watching the kids this afternoon and evening), I asked Tom if he was sure and he said yeah...but, I still felt that tension that we started off this post with. When the rain stopped (at least for a while) about 10:25 pm. I grabbed my bags and said see ya later and trotted, (figuratively....lol), down and caught the 10:32 pm. bus....and got trapped in the bus shelter at Old Court Rd. when I got off by another cloudburst, and OMG did that shelter stink!! It was like the inside of a really old and nasty bong!! Someone had been smoking weed right before I got there and had scraped and smeared resin all over the place, and when the rain water and the normal street funk and urine smell combined.......you can imagine the foulness of the aroma....but don't bother, you'll only make yourself sick...just take my word for it....LOL!

The shed, when I finally got into it was no longer like a sauna...it was steam bath! The drop in temperature was pretty rapid though once I opened the door and the wind blew through. The roof is warping more and more and what were once drips are now torrents, luckily still about 15 inches beyond my feet and diverted...somewhat, lol...to--down--and--through the walls to the outside...mostly, lol...by the Rube Goldberg arrangement of metal shelving and flattened cardboard boxes.

I got to sleep the first time about Midnight, woke up to a fine spray of water on my leg from the reflected drips, rearranged the cardboard in that area and went back to sleep until 6:30 am. and dozed in and out until I got up at 9:30 am., went to the Giant and came here. It's 2:30 now and I'm heading over to Jenn's around 3:30-4:00 pm. so I'll see you tomorrow.

Here are excerpts from my correspondence that I could not get to copy amnd paste on Monday:

So Hello again,

I saw the post on the bottom about the Beggar bags.... if a stranger walked up to you and handed you a grocery store bag full of stuff what would you wish was in there (other than copious amounts of money)?

HI;

I guess some things that need no refrigeration, and can be eaten cold or hot, and can be resealed if not a single serve item. Also either easy open pop-tops on cans or an inexpensive can opener included. Things such as peanut butter, squeeze botttles of jam, (lasts better than jelly); spaghetti, ravioli, etc., (not the nasty sweet kids stuff, but that is my personal taste...lol); crackers (in a box rather than a bag to prevent crumbling), or Pringles, (same reason); tuna, spam, vienna sausages, cans same as above, or those foil pouches; fruit or applesauce in single serve cans or plastic bowls; fresh fruit that is not too ripe or soft, (and not too much at one time for reasons of spoilage or insects); cookies, snack cakes such as Little Debbies, (or store brands); rolls rather than a loaf of soft smashable bread, canned or bottled juices, drinks or sodas, (V8 type things are a nice change of pace); candy that is less prone to melting or crushing. Some plastic knives, forks, and spoons, some napkins or towels, moist towelettes, salt, pepper, mayo, ketchup, mustard, hot sauce, etc. packs, (all these items can be saved from your visits to carry outs). These are some ideas to consider, as you walk through a food store just think: "storage, weight, spoilage". Of course homemade items are usually welcome as long as you do not make the folks feel as if they are being used as garbage disposals, smaller throwaway containers or ziploc baggies are best.
One thing that add a nice touch is to include a personal note of some sort, a simple human to human contact can do as much to feed the soul as all the food you may give. If you are helping any individual on a semi-regular basis, you may get a feel as to what else may help, socks, soap, toothpaste, razors...etc. these are things everyone needs and most people do not think that we on the street really do buy, (yeah there are junkies and crackheads who will scam you, but observation and your gut feeling will usually guide you, and a little bit of faith can go a long way and do a lot of good.
I think the thing that bothered me most about the 'beggar bags' was the cold commercialism and the feeling of sterile 'do-gooderness'...(my word....lol), about it. No personal effort or thought involved, and it is to make the giver feel all warm and fuzzy about themself not the recipient so much.

Later,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Dave