"So What Do You Think Of Red China?" ........"Not On A Blue Tablecloth!"

Good Afternoon;

I just got back from a leisurely late lunch with my old friend Patti, at the Golden Dragon. I have not been there for 30+ years but the same hostess/waitress sat us and served us, just like in 1976! Must be some sort of secret ancient Eastern elixir keeping her looking the same...not more than a day over 95!...LOL!

We had Shrimp Toast that was neither greasy nor burnt, and over stuffed with a wonderful filling with a custard like texture and a taste that made you close your eyes and sigh!. The Won-ton soup was wonderful, and the Shrimp in Lobster sauce, (with Black Bean Sauce), was awesome! And I don't like Chinese Food!!

Patti and I tried to get caught up and reminisce at the same time and ran out of time before we ran out of topics. Now that we are back in touch we plan to stay so, and get together sometime again...soon.

I'm back here at the library trying to figure out what to do now, I've no money so my options are limited to here or the coffee shop...and I really don't want to go out and deal with the heat....

Time's up now....so if you hear from me again today...you'll know which i chose!....lol.

Later....................Dave

" One From Column A.........And Two From Column B......"

Good Morning;

Well that storm last night did nothing but make the humidity worse. I stepped outside from Jenn's to go and catch the bus and damn near killed myself tripping over a Siamese cat that was abandoned by one of the residents of the complex who decided that they only wanted to keep their dog, so they threw the cat out and refused to lrt it back in or feed it anymore. It is a very friendly kitty, but has the habit of getting between your legs and stopping...not so bad if you can see it...but when your glasses are fogged up on both sides of the lenses and you are stepping down off a porch and are unbalanced by unevenly weighted bags over your shoulder and in your hand......let's just say that the cat has one less life and I can attest that the Gravity is working in that area!!....LOL.

I was reading the instructions I have to follow before my "Poop Chute Photo Shoot" on the 30th and I have to do the usual things such as, stop certain meds, don't eat anything after lunch on the day before, clear liquids only until the morning of the procedure....and....drink 2 (two) bottles of Magnesium Citrate the night before the "Journey To The Center Of My Arse".....Oh Happy Happy Joy Joy!. I need to make arrangements to spend the night somewhere that evening, I can't be running from the shed to the gas station and monopolizing the restroom for hours, not to mention setting new records for the '100 Yard Dash'--stiff legged and clenched version.....lol.

Of course I'm broke and get my money 4 days after I need it, so the phrase.."will you buy me a drink' has taken on a whole new meaning!

I am on my way over Jenn's to take another shower, I left their about 10:00 pm. last night, freshly bathed, and needed to shower again before the bus came at 10:30 pm., just from the heat and humidity. By this morning, when I got up at 9:00 am. the shed had gone from sauna to steam room and even my sleeping clothes felt 'moist'.

I am being taken to lunch today at one of the restaurants that was a frequent after-whatever destination for all the kids in some of the groups I used to hang out with back in and just after High School, the Golden Dragon on Liberty Road in Milford Mill. We terrorized the poor staff with bad jokes and rowdy behavior, (but they loved our money, so we were never banned...lol!).

{"Do you serve 'Mousey Tongue'?"....[Mao Tse Tong]...}

My hostess is my very first girlfriend, Patti G., circa 1973 who reached me by e-mail after her mother saw the Jewish Times with me on the cover. we stayed friend,but lost touch about 20 years ago. I am both excited and nervous about seeing her again, both because of the time that has passed and the situation I am in. It's not exactly the reunion I had pictured.

Another reason for my anxiety and hovering depression, (besides the things I whined about the other day...lol), is that I realized that the hearing that was postponed from my May court date is approaching rapidly, sometime in early August, (I hope!!!! I cannot find my paperwork!!! Sh*t..Sh*t..Sh*t!)

I was in the Giant earlier this morning and had just walked in and was preparing my coffee when a woman says hello and asks how everything is. I was still trying to get my eyes clear and get them to focus so it took a minute to register who she was. It was Rifka P. who is a friend of the 'ex', frum, and one of the few people who I met through her that I can consider a friend of mine. We had short chat and I realized as we were talking about how much the kids have grown, (she told me she now has to look up to her 13 year old son...lol), that it had been 8 years already since we had met.

I walked over to the deli counter to pick up some lunch meat and over heard a woman asking one of the cooks if she had to take a number, and when he pointed out where the dispenser was, down at the other end, she started towards it. She was using a cane, (one of two), and the shopping cart to balance and support herself so I grabbed 2 tickets and gave her the first, lower, one to save her the walk down and back. Now this i something that to my mind anyone would do as a matter of normal courtesy and common decency, (and even if someone was not handicapped I would most likely grab 2 tickets anyway, though I probably would keep the lower number for myself...lol). This woman was so amazed that I did this that she would not thanking me, it got to be embarrassing. She told me she has been shouldered aside by able bodied woman and men of all ages and races, especially on a Friday here at the Pikesville store. I'm sorry, but I don't understand how some people can be such jerks when it takes more effort to be an asshole than to do the decent thing. And I am not talking about criminals, addicts, etc., but the average everyday idiot. I don't understand it, but I am used to and expect it...just ride the bus or the subway and listen to the conversations, live and cell phone, 80% of what you'll hear is negative in some way or another. Hell, as much as I bitch and moan at times, (and I believe I have both right and reason), I'm still less miserable than some of these people who are better off as regards residence, finance, and health! The lack of gratitude and appreciation, and perspective also, runs rampant through out Baltimore. People wonder why the schools are in such bad shape, with discipline and attitude problems...with bullying of the disabled, or those who want to learn..ride the bus and listen to the parents. The prison attitude carries over onto the street and is evidenced by the dress and footwear you can see every day...pants to the mid thigh, boxers and asses hanging out.....and what says 'jail' more than walking around the mall in shower shoes with socks on!

Okayyyyyy, a bit of a tangent there...again...lol...sorry , sermons over.

I'll be back tomorrow with the details...and menu..lol, of my lunch date.

Later.............Dave

"Vanishing Act.................."

Good Evening;

Well today was just foreplay, the dirty deed will be done on Friday the 30th of July. I had some weird but welcome news though. My Hepatitis C has somehow become undetectable through the many blood tests that were run to determine the level of the virus and liver function. The liver functions came back as normal and the viral load as too low to be detected. The doctor does not know exactly how or why, but we are both pleased. The liver biopsy I had done in 2006 said it was fairly well advanced, but nothing has progressed, nor has it regenerated, it just stopped in it's tracks.

ANOTHER REASON TO BE GRATEFUL!

Back tomorrow morning..........................Dave

" Say Cheese..............Or.....What's Up, (there).....Doc?........."

Good Morning;

So....could you tell I was having a bad day yesterday?.....LOL.

It's not that anything ahs changed today, just that the cloud does not seem as thick or as heavy. I went over to the east side and spent my last $5.00 to get a 'bupe', so I have another day's buffer at least before that stressor goes full throttle.

Next week I have an appointment to get a referral to get an appointment to see someone about getting a prescription for them that will be legitimate and covered by insurance, (Medical Assistance). The glories of the system....hurry up and wait. Everyone says to me, "Oh now you have M.A., or Oh, now you've had you're State examinations...things are going your way,.... now you can get into housing...etc.", and expect immediate changes and improvements. What these well meaning folks don't seem to realize is that NOTHING happens right away, there is almost always another level of bureaucracy to ascend before concrete, discernable results are arrived at. I know this, and keep my hopes at or below a level of reasonable expectation. If I get an answer, (yes OR no), in a year...I will be pleasantly surprised, (and that is in the exopidited program!).

Well I'm off to my 'date' with the doctors for them to shove a camcorder up my butt.....LOL! Maybe there's a way to have them post some still photos here online you all can share in my fun. Hey if one of those morning TV hosts can go live with their exams, why can't I?...LOL!

I'm stopping at Jenn's to shower and make myself pretty, I better get a nice dinner or at least some flowers out of this!..ROTFLMAO!!!!

Later..........Dave

"Another Black Dawn"

Good Morning;

Well it's that time again, all the external stressors are aligned with the internal influences and the physical and mental manifestations of these pressures beating on my body and battling within my mind have cast the net of depression over me.

15 days to go and I'm out of meds & money, and I'm running low on stamps so food has become an issue. The heat and the lack of a place to be most nights is kicking the sh*t out of me. The time I am able to spend inside I am grateful for, but the drastic difference when I step outside and the realization that I am alone again, that I have no place cool to go to lay down, that for all the effort expended...nothing has really changed.....exhausts and diminishes me.

Waking up hot and feeling dirty, when I have just bathed, and more tired than when I lay down deepens the depression and instigates the ideations.

The sheer effort required to not drown in hopelessness takes almost all my strength, and physically and mentally exhausts me.

The facade of cheerfulness erodes, exposing the weaknesses and structural defects within.

I have to go now, back later........Dave

"I'd Rather Be Funny Than PC........"

Good Afternoon;

I just looked at the Sitemeter hit counter for the blog and noticed that visitor #6750 was from Pakistan...............Hmmmmm, could it be that Osama was checking in and looking for tips to decorate his cave, or some advice on Dumpster Diving from the Garbage Gourmet? You gotta admit he looks like a stereotypical gutter dwelling, sterno drinking, dirty, bat-shit crazy, rat bastard, street person!..............LOL!

(And AGAIN, I repeat..to the person who keeps writing in to piss and moan about my lack of....'political correctness', and....'sensitivity to the less fortunate'; and my 'callous disregard of, and ignorance of, the disenfranchised'......:

First-- "Lighten The F*ck Up!"---(That is what LTFU stands for, genius);

Second--"What rock have you been hiding under for the past 20 months?"

Third--Like I said in the reply to your E-mail, (which by the way was so intellectual and well written, particularly in your creative use of profanity and impossible to achieve sexual positioning for the unaccompanied),

"If you don't like what you read in the blog....don't read it anymore"

I'm not going to give you the satisfaction of publishing your comments so you can see your 'name' (?) in print, and the next batch of threats and profanity will get you blocked by Google.

Have a nice day!

Well that was fun wasn't it boys and girls, see what happens when I have too much time on my hands, and, I'm bored, and it's too hot to be outside, and there are computers free....LOL

Later.......Dave

(P.S. ......current count is now 6783 visitors)

"Eskimo Pies and The Titanic and Ice Floes............."

Good Afternoon;

Well, other than falling asleep at 10:30 pm., feeling hot and dirty but so exhausted I slept until 8:30 am., when I awoke feeling hot and dirty and sopping wet, and yes, still exhausted but having to get up and pee or get even wetter from a different source, not much is new.

It is idiot day at the Giant, (an employee's words not mine, though I will not dispute her on it!), and it seems to have spilled over to the outside...I was at the intersection of Walker Ave. and the Giant and library driveway entrances, where B G & E has the road dug up and halfway blocked off, and where some old moron was in such a hurry to make a left turn and pull into a line of cars that was unmoving so that he could block all three thoroughfares that he ran into me as I was crossing the street. I was speaking to a woman who works at the Giant who was crossing from the opposite direction and as our paths crossed the moron started to whip out between the stopped cars and I had to beat on the hood while jumping back and off to the side and he comes to a stop with his right front bumper digging into my left leg. Any further and it would have broken my knee. As you can imagine I gave him a raft of sh*t...no, a Titanic of sh*t!! He starts yelling that he "saw me talking to the lady, and thought he was clear to go"....we were already 1/2 way across the street as it were, each going in a different direction so there was at no time any point where it was clear for him to go. I told him that "I'm able to walk and talk at the same time, even while chewing gum!!", and that, "That handicap tag is supposed to be used for physical disabilities, not because you are an asshole!". He began mumbling something else and drove off to the other side of the library...where he stopped the car right in the middle of the entrance to the parking lot and the driveway to Reisterstown Rd. blocking traffic in all directions, when there were open parking spaces right next to him and sits and waits for his wife to come shuffling outside, where she then proceeds to get into an argument with him, both of them ignoring the horns and comments of the drivers of a dozen other cars they are holding up!

Damn this global warming!!....it used to be in the good old days one could put the incompetent old farts out on an ice floe for the polar bears, or orcas, or hypothermia to deal with!.....(Oh, LTFU all you PC whiners, it's a damn joke.......LOL!)

(Now just as I finished typing the above, a man comes up to the bigoted, racist, psychotic, evil old white haired (w/b)-itch, [look up the word HAG in an illustrated dictionary and you can see her exact image, or Hansel and Gretel, or just think "Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble"], and asks her if he can read the New York Times, while she is at the computer, (which she has had for about 3 hours at least while she has been on or waiting for a computer and not reading), and she says she will be "reading it in a second as soon as she gets off the computer....in 26 minutes", and then starts calling the man a hog and mumbling obscenities both aloud and under her breath when he tries to reason with her, about sharing the paper. Where's an ice floe when you need one!..(or even an ice axe, though it may take some garlic, a wooden stake, a crucifix, and a silver bullet)..I bet her report card was filled with 'Does NOT Play well With Others' !!!!!

Anyway, it is 95 degrees with a heat index of 100 degrees, and thunder boomers forecast for this afternoon. I have no idea what I am going to do today, ( I have a combined 20 minutes left on both phones, so feel free to call...especially if you have a place to stay at the beach, or a swimming pool or even a large kiddie pool and a hose...and a cold beer.....and if you have any and all of the above 'aqua-entertainment resources' & a barbecue grill and charcoal, I can bring a six pack and lunch/dinner!!....and if you are a single female and have them, we can discuss me having your baby!....LOL!!!...[hey, childbirth can't be worse than all the other physical/surgical extremes I've been through...I've already been through the equivalent of a 'C-Section'............LOL!!!!!), other than try to stay cool. (Don't mind me, it's just the heatstroke and low blood sugar and lack of caffeine affecting the remaining partially functioning brain cells I have left). I have not yet heard from Jenn about plans for tonight/tomorrow. I am not in the mood to go down to ARTScape this afternoon and chance the weather. I have not eaten yet and I did not want to pick up anything at the Giant and risk spoilage due to the heat, (I bought some lunch meat last week that had to dumped before I had a chance to eat it), so I may head back there and then right over to the Starbucks, or maybe go to Whole Foods after I get there and spend a little extra for freshness and safety, (unless I do the canned or pouched tuna route, or P B & J,...etc.).

For some reason I am having back problems recently, pain and spasms, and with the heat any walking, especially with my bag/s, aggravates it. I am low on my meds so I am trying to stretch the 'bupes' and not take an extra one unless the misery factor reaches the point where it outweighs frugality.

I'm offline for now, I'll be back at some point...maybe today, definitely tomorrow.

Later.................Dave

"Cold Blooded Critters and Heat Wave Haters.........."

Good Evening;

I am totally fed up with this stupid weather, another 2,(two), weeks of 90+ degree temperatures are forecast. 93 degrees today with a dew point in the 70's means a heat index of 99 degrees. It really sucks taking a shower then having to head back out into the humidity, 20 minutes later I'm soaking wet again. Jenn is about as thrilled as I am and has to deal with the end stages of healing of her latest tattoo on top of everything else.

This morning Jenn and I and the grand brats picked up Rachel at her mother's and we all went out to the Towson library for the 'Critter Caravans, Squeeze and Please Show'. Tortoises, snakes and lizards from small to the giant economy size that we got to touch. Rachel has seen it before so she was only excited, Ed was off the wall, and Devin was thrilled but a little bit more reserved...lol. There must have been 3 to 4 times as many kids and parents than at Pikesville for similar shows, but so much more well behaved. Just because a couple CAN have 6 or 8 kids, does not mean they should, or are qualified to parent them!

We then went to the Giant where Jenn and I took the kids in and we locked Ed and Devin in the shopping cart/kiddie car and bought the fixins for spaghetti and meat sauce and a bunch of fruit, and some frozen shrimp for shrimp salad. After we got back to the apartment and fed her kids chicken nuggets and sweet potato fries...refined palates they don't have...lol!... I made the shrimp salad for Rachel and myself, (and Jenn dived in their too), I started on the ground beef and sausage for the meat sauce. Jenn had 3/4 of a jar of RAGU, (I know, I know, but I seasoned the meats well and 'doctored' the tomato sauce), so it was a quick and dirty deal. The kids gorged on cantaloupe, grapes, watermelon, blueberries and strawberries and I showered. Rachel's mother picked her up about 5:00 pm. and after i had a bowl of spaghetti and some Key Lime pie left over from Tuesday's dinner, I split just as Tom was getting home...and ...here I am until 9:00 pm., in the A/C, when the library closes. It is too hot to travel anywhere, even if I had anywhere to be. I think I have to run over to the really bad dollar store and get some of the cheap batteries for the fan, so I can tolerate the shed tonight. It will be hot! I'll most likely sit outside until after midnight to let it cool as much as possible.

I used one of the ointments that the doctor prescribed on my legs Tuesday after I showered and the damn stuff caused the lesions to begin weeping and bleeding...that's not good! And on top of that, when I was here at the library yesterday there was an Ethiopian woman and her brood of 6 kids, each under 8 and with their own library card number, on the computers and running all over the place. Everytime I ended being assigned a computer they had just left, there would be some sort of tiny bug or fly biting at my lower legs, under the desk. I thought it was just me until some other people started talking about the same problem. And this is in Pikesville not in some shelter or soup kitchen!! I'm going to start carrying around an industrial size spray can of DEET!

I got a call from the doctor's office rescheduling my appointment with the Gastro-enterologist from the morning of the 20th to the afternoon, hell they can out it off 'til next year, I'm not that anxious about getting my very first prostate exam anyhow!!!........LOL! What's the proper protocol for that anyway? Do I bring him flowers and take him to dinner, before or after???.............LOL!!!

Okay, I guess I'm done here for now, everything else is about the same, still playing the waiting game with S.S.A. and the State DHMH. I'm slowly slipping into the downhill slide of a depressive cycle, but gradually this month. Money is down to the $10.00 level, Foodstamps are running about $50.00, prescription meds are good and I've got about 3 days of 'bupes' left. Next week on the most reasonable day, (in regards to the weather), I'm going to the East Monument Street office of JAI to see about a referral.

This weekend is ARTScape here in Baltimore, I may see about jumping on the train with Rachel and checking it again this year, there many free things to see and do, and a kids area sponsored by Target with arts and crafts.

We have been trying to get down to the Inner Harbor to the Kid's Fountain but it has been just to hot to travel by public transportation and all the walking involved. Again, maybe next week if there is a drop in the humidity at least.

I am tentatively supposed to watch the grandmonsters on Saturday morning, it is the interment of Tom's 'little brother' Nico, and I am hoping to slide in Friday evening and crash after the kids are asleep. I am so sick of this heat and the shed in these conditions, that I'll scheme and scam my way indoors almost any way I can, within limits of course. This year, the heat, even more than the cold is beating the crap out of me.....and you remember my constant editorial comments of---"Cold Weather Sucks!!!!!". One of the big things is that feeling of never really feeling clean due to the constant sheen of perspiration or salt residue on my skin.

Now, if I was at or near a beach being gently washed or even thunderously pounded by salt water waves.........well that's a different story.

One day, when Rachel is older....or is going with me.......! I at least have to get away sometime soon for a week or four before I shrivel up and die of dehydration.....adding sand and road salt to a kiddie pool just doesn't cut it! Even the margaritas don't help!.....lol.

I'm listening to a Jimmy Buffet album I've never heard before, "Buffet Hotel" from last year (2009), I don't know how I missed it.

Last night at Jenn's I watched parts of his benefit "Concert For The Gulf" from Gulf Shores, Alabama on July 11th, last night. And I saw on the news just as I was leaving Jenn's this afternoon that BP has finally capped that damn well....."About F*cking Time!!!"!

Anyway times up again, so I'll be back at some point tomorrow with another thrilling episode in the 'The Boring Life Of Dave"............

...................Later................Dave

"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

"The Old In And Out..........."

Good Evening;

Just a quick check in because Tom needs the laptop. I am heading to the State's doctor for the physical exam at 9:30 am. Tuesday morning. I monstersat tonight and am spending the night here at Jenn's.

Here is part of a correspondence I am having with a reader in Baltimore, about homelessness and some of the wants and needs of someone on the street. i will be back tomorrow afternoon.

Later.....................Dave

SH*T....I hate this damn laptop, can't copy and paste normally, it opens pages and sites on it's own....AAHHHHRRRGGGHHH...I'll copy it ayt the libary for you tomorrow..........D

"You Be The Judge....................."

Good Afternoon;

Well I'm at the Towson library because I'm stubborn today and the MTA is an organization managed by morons and staffed by simpletons.

Every bus/train/train/train/bus I have taken or tried to take so far to day has been way off schedule-(very late, not showing, and leaving early), broken or breaking down, or driven by an ignorant, inconsiderate, ignoramus....except the driver of the #8 bus from Lutherville to the library who was courteous and patient above and beyond the call of duty! It took me 2+ hours to get here, and the only reason I started out to come here was that i would get here at 1:00 pm. as they opened and roll out fairly quickly and still have most of the afternoon to find someone/something to do.

There I go making plans again.........LOL!

Well I started out on the journey and it got to the point where not only did I have too much time invested already...I just had to see how long it would take altogether.

Anyway, I'm here for at least another hour and than I guess I'll take the train and bus back to Mt. Washington to the Starbucks and sit until they close at 8:00 pm. It is a good day to sit outside in the shade and the breeze, (it would have a better day to sit outside in the sun at the beach though....lol). The lack of companionship, (other than Jenn and the kids), is starting to get to me again, both the boredom and and lack of casual entertainment and conversation, and the increasing ache for someone and something more than that. It seems to be worse on days like today where there is so much going on in town that I would like to do, but have no one to share it with. (and the side issues of money and a place to stash my bags sometimes also come into play).

Of course Sundays are and have always been a really tough day for me, on the streets and off. 'Family days' are tough on folks who have none, or who are always, and have always felt like an extra, slightly warped and weather beaten limb on the family tree. Or, when invited to share in the familial festivities of others, like the tree limb hanging over the fence from the neighbor's yard, at times it may be enmeshed in the branches of their trees, but when the wind blows and the leaves fall off, the disconnection is obvious.

No longer 'chasing the dragon', or 'driving that train' means that there is hell of a lot of time now blank in my day planner that used to be filled up rippin' and runnin' and just in travel from one side of the city and back, (and sometimes multiple trips). The combination of restlessness and homelessness can be a blessing and a curse. On one hand it adds motivation, or at least desire for change, on the other it illuminates the obstacles to any rapid or sometimes even noticeable change in status, which can feed and fuel the cycle of hopelessness which leads to the attitude of despair that can reduce a normally positive outlook to black depression.

I am not there now, but I am so familiar with the view from the edge of that abyss, I have my own keys to gateway to hell.......(lol?)!

Anyway, I'm still open to suggestions and invitations if anyone wants to hangout this afternoon or evening or tonight. It would be a good night to sit out on a deck/bar with a cold beer or a Tanqueray and Tonic (with lime)!

In fact I just may stop in at "Little Dickeys" here on York Road if there is anybody in there who looks interesting to talk to. They have a $5.00 pitcher of Natural Light special sign out front. It may not be the first choice on my beer list, but...the price works, and I'm more interested in effect today...lol!

Stop in and say hello, actually call me first, I may be gone....lol!

Later.......Dave

P.S..........Two items to respond to from e-mails I received:

1) We did not call 911 for "LC" because thye would not come in to where they live, and one is taken to the ER.

2) www.beggarbags.com , yopu be the judge.

........D.

"Real And Perceived.....Charity Begins At Home(less)................"

Good Afternoon;

What is this wet stuff falling from the sky? It rained like hell for a while early this morning.

Maryland officially went into drought status earlier this week.

The roof and walls of the shed were so dry that the tarpaper and wood had shrunk and contracted so much in places that the water poured in as if someone had stuck a hose in one of the gaps. Luckily for me it was only in places previously damned or diverted so I only got some of the residual backsplash. As the rain slowed to a gentler and more continuous rate of flow I could almost see the wood swelling and the gaps closing.

It started out near 90 degrees in there when I finally went in and lay down last night about 3:00 am., and when the rain started about 5:00 am. the temperature began steadily dropping off to around the high 70s, going back up to 82 or so by the time I got up and moving at 11:00 am.

Yesterday I left here and went over to the Starbucks for a few hours until they closed. I shaved and changed out of the shirt, socks, and jockey shorts that I had put on fresh to go to the doctors and which had acquired a patina of salt and road dust cemented together with dried perspiration and turning any straight edge or crease into either a surgical level cutting edge....or a chainsaw blade.....lol! The humidity was such that 30 seconds after leaving the A/C interior of the bus, (that could have been used as a deep freeze), the skin became beaded with that nasty oily sheen that only an East Coast summer can stimulate. After leaving there at 9:00 pm. I rode the train, (Light Rail), for a while to kill time and stay cool. I noticed a guy I had talked to a few times, also homeless and a fellow addict who was having a hard time putting together and keeping more than 6 months of clean time in a row. He was asking people for money to get cab fare for some emergency, I pulled him up and asked what was wrong.

He ''JT", told me his girlfriend was trying to kick cold turkey and seemed to be experiencing something other than normal withdrawal symptoms and he wanted to take her to a doctor they knew who was sympathetic non-judgmental and knew their history and who was flexible about payments and records, (and in their situation she, the doc, is a treasure more precious than gold, or even dope.......been there-done that!). Something told me this was not just another junkie scam, and I offered to go back to the place they had set up housekeeping under the JFX, {oh yeah, don't believe the hype that the City put out about cleaning out all the homeless folks from under the Jones Falls Expressway, they only rousted the ones who were visible to commuters and tourists downtown, there are hidden from sight pockets of people all along I-83 and the river and the Light Rail!!}, and see if I could help them out.

Well when I got there she, "LC",was a real mess and definitely in more pain and distress than just kicking. We got her up between us and navigated and negotiated the camouflaged exit/entrance and trail to their hidey hole, (which is near and similar to one I used to use back in the day when I was on the street and doing dope and the related deeds needed to acquire it and needed a place to 'go to ground' and disappear at times for various obvious reasons, back in the late 1990s, and before anyone asks, it is way too dirty, primitive and removed to be of any use at this point in my life), and got out on the main road that is only a couple hundred yards (yet a million miles) away and I flagged down a Yellow/Checker cab and used the "Free Ride" certificate that I was given by someone about 18 months ago and have been saving for an emergency. I told the cabbie where to go and had "JT" tip the guy in advance so nobody got screwed, or had thoughts they may be. We had called the doctor's service on my cell phone and she said to meet her at her offices/clinic which were somewhere in the Pigtown area. I was leary of giving my phone number to "JT", I really don't want him calling me and wasting my minutes, he's not a friend and I am not interested in cultivating a relationship. I'm not trying to sound elitist, but I can't afford to associate with addicts at that level, for both my health and sanity, and for reasons of legality and legitimacy, one incident of being with him on a day he is 'dirty' or has just 'boosted' something and I'm screwed six ways from Sunday. I gave him a buprenorphine to try to give him a start again and told them I'd check back next week.

That's one of the reasons I did not get into the shed until 3:00 am. this morning.

When I did get up the first thing I did is head over to RiteAid and drop off my new and old prescriptions. The obstructionist African pharmacist was working and started bitching and moaning that she was the only person there when I said I was going to wait as usual so I said I'll be back in an hour. It's been 3 hours and will be close to 4 hours when I finish here....wonder if it will be done by then? This is the woman who would not verify my Medical Assistance coverage as she is supposed to and Liz from Prologue had to come up and raise hell to get it straight. I'll let you know how it turns out, and if I have to write RiteAid again to complain, and I'm not the only person who has had issues with this woman either.

Okay, get this, another company is trying to make a profit on Homeless folks, under the guise of social conscience.

Thee is a company called "Beggar Bags" that makes up plastic bags with granola bars, mints or gum, Slim Jims, raisins, and sanitizing hand wipes to give out to panhandlers, beggars, and homeless folks, instead of money, that may be spent on drugs, or alcohol......or real food, medications, soap, laundry, personal care items, a toy for their kid, and every other thing that you yourself may need cash for. Why is it that only homeless people spend all their money on drugs and booze? Seems to me there are a lot more upper and middle class people getting DWIs and DUIs.

When an individual or synagogue group, or charitable organization takes it upon themselves to devote their time and effort to make up something like this or hygiene bags, or cold weather bags it is one thing. An honest desire to help, even if at times the concepts of what is needed may be skewed.

When a for profit business charges $4.99 for 4 bags with 99 cents of merchandise, it is nothing but greed wearing a phony facade of compassion!

I just don't buy the hype on their 'about us' page.

And the smugness and attitude of self appreciation that the page conveys that you'll feel just for sticking a hand out a car window with a bag of crap you yourself would not want to get, that in and of itself can be a demeaning gesture and another barrier between the 'nice' folks and those 'street people', turns my stomach.

Cookie cutter charity because, hey, they are not individuals with unique needs and actual feelings anyway, and if they are not grateful, the hell with them.

Just like on theat reality?!?....hah....show "Famous, Rich,and Homeless", when the celebrity do gooder takes a 20+ year heroin addict to an outreach/methadone center and expects him to be "cured" and "fixed" in 2 hours....................yeah...right!

Get a F*ckin' Clue!!!!

Anyway, I'm on my way to the RiteAid, and then the Giant to see what I can find reduced, on sale and discounted, that I feel like cooking, because I am heading to Jenn's for a few hours while Tom is out on a DJ job, to take a shower and eat, (and get a cup of coffee!!!) fo the first time today...(it's now 3:25 pm. and I won't get there 'til 4:30 pm....I'm getting hungry!!....LOL)

Unless I get to the Towson library tomprrow, I'll see you Monday,

Later...............Dave

"It Hurts When I Do This, Doc.........Well,.....Don't Do That!........."

Good Afternoon;

Wow! I got to the doctors' office at 11:55 am. for a 12:00 Noon appointment and had just found a place to sit down when I was called into the 'secure' area of the building, (the waiting room is sealed off behind a combination of half walls and glass windows and all glass window walls...this being Lower Park Heights, most likely bullet-proof!!...no LOL about this one!), and was being processed and validated for insurance coverage etc. when the Vital signs tech. and the Bloodwork tech. almost came to blows as to who would see me first...lol! 10 minutes later I am in the ante-room waiting to see the doctor, and 10 minutes later I am being questioned and examined by the doc!

Now this may not seem like such a big deal to most of you, but the last 3 visits entailed over 11 hours of sitting in the lobby and waiting.

Today I had to wait an extra 30 minutes or so because I was able to see the Podiatrist who is on site, without an appointment and unexpectedly and serendipitously.

My doctor , Dr. Teri Richardson, is the only reason I kept coming back here and waiting to be able to schedule an appointment, she does what is rare, especially in a busy/clinic type environment, she listens! and takes all the time needed...as di Dr. Florence Marcus the foot doc. I am at least a half a shoe size smaller and my toes no longer hurt from the excess nail growth I was unable to cut or trim myself. She used some super sharp and fine edged and pointy cutters and an electric Dremel type grinder, it may have felt a little weird, but man what a relief.

I also had confirmed that there is a major case of osteo-arthritis behind my left big toe, (one of the reasons any extended standing, walking, or climbing tears me up with either pain or exhaustion or both), to go with the degenerative joint disease.

I have referrals to a dermatologist, an optometrist, and JAIs substance abuse counselor for a referral to a program where, HOPEFULLY!!!, I can get my buprenorphine legitimately...WITHOUT!! all the hoops and hassles, and an appointment with a gastro-enterologist on Tuesday the 20th of July at 9:00 am. to see what the Hepatitis C is doing to my liver, (if it is active, inactive, dormant, increasing...etc.).

A pretty damn productive day, if I do say so myself.

I'm out of here, it is closing time...damn Fridays!!

I guess I'll head over to the Starbucks for few hours and hope their A/C is working up to snuff, since none of you out there have called with any better offers....lol.

Later...................Dave

"Old Home Week.........And, Another Myth Dispelled, One Person At A Time..............."

Good Morning;

Well the 'Bubble Lady' was okay last night, but nothing to write home about, she used dry ice 'smoke' for some of the effects and it was cute enough for the 'knee high crowd' that was there,...but...ehhhh. I have seen a guy do some really cool effects with a cigarette and a straw to inject the smoke, square bubbles, bubble sculptures, and the bubbles do not immediately fall to the floor due to the 'heavier than air' molecular weight of the CO2 .

I am on my way over to Jenn's to shower, (I woke up doing the backstroke in a pool of my own sweat this morning...lol....more on that later.), and dump my bags and then head off to the doctor to get my prescriptions refilled, (in the same neighborhood where I used to conduct a lot of 'off prescription' pharmaceutical business..lol.), and give up some blood and other bodily fluids for their collection.

I stopped into Goldbergs bagels this morning to say HI to Neil and Phil of the Jewish Times, where they have a coffee meeting each Friday, every other time I meant to, I either woke up too late, forgot until after they had left, was at Jenn's or somewhere else, or showed up and that was the week they did not meet. I just stopped in for a few minutes and as I was leaving a man steps out of the door and calls, "Dave...Dave C*****r?..", and I turn and did not recognize him, but knew his voice. It turned out to be Jeff Stern, who my dad, then myself both worked for delivering the Sunpaper about 20 years ago, (that's what I was doing when I had the near fatal car crash that broke my neck and back and started the problems that have led up to the S.S.A. claim), he looked better now than back then and we chatted for a while. He told me his wife works with homeless veterans and at first almost did not take the job because of the standard stereotypical image she used to have of "Homeless" as being synonymous with a "dirtball with a paper cup shoved in your face", he said she was amazed and now is quite happy helping our service men AND women up and out and off the streets and back into society. He said he saw the articles in both magazines this past Feb. and Mar. and had been looking out for me since then but this was the first time we saw each other.

Okay....gotta run now, back this afternoon,

Later............................Dave

"Bubbles, Blades, and Babble....................."

Good Evening;

I made it to the library, where I am waiting for Rachel to arrive around 6:45 pm. so we can see the 'Bubble Lady' show..(no not the one from the club on the Block, you naughty person....lol).

I walked to the Reisterstown Plaza Metro station to catch a bus here from Jenn's house reeaaaallll slooowww, trying not to burst into flame or drown in my own perspiration. Jenn used the clippers and shaved my head, down to the lowest guard, 1/16 of an inch so that helps. I did not want to be sunburned on my scalp, and I also did not have a blade new enough so that I would not looked as if I was really, truly scalped....AKA...a bloody mess.

The A/C here is struggling mightily against the humidity, it is very cool but if you are damp when you come in, you're not going to dry off. It's a kind of 'morgue like' feeling here...cold, clammy skin on a lot of pale old people.... a necrophiliacs delight. (Oh no did he really SAY that....PCniks be warned!.....LOL!)

Anyway, I'm looking for somewhere to lay me head tonight, other than the 'hotbox', sweat lodge, sauna, 'cooler', hellhole, and oven formerly known as 'the shed'. Preferably inside with A/C, but since rain is not an issue tonight, anyplace clean, safe, and bug free will do. I'll even sleep under the stars if need be, rain is not an issue anytime soon. But if you have a spare room, bed, cot, couch, or floor, I'll happily keep you company for as long as you like, cooking and (reasonable) cleaning tossed in as a bonus!

I'll check back later, after Rachel leaves and sift through all the invitations and contact the lucky winner then...IT Could Be You!!!

In all seriousness, I don't know when I'll be sleeping inside again.

I'm grateful that I'm able to stop in at Jenn's and shower before the doctor's appt. tomorrow, and on other occasions as needed or as opportunity allows.

Other summer's I have suffered, (and those around me also at times...lol), from not having bathed for as long as a week. Even though I did wash up as thoroughly as possible in a sink each day at various restrooms, there was still a residual 'funk' at times.

I had been stopping at my friend Anna Marie's on a semi-regular basis to shower and for a meal and conversation, but the combination of snow and rain this winter, (to get to her place from the Light Rail I have to cross a stream on stepping stones that disappear as the water rises), put us into one of our periodical 'hiatuses', that have occurred at random over the past 35 years. I exchanged a half a dozen texts (each) with her the other night and we are going to get together again soon, the extreme heat and the effort of carrying my bag plus the extra baggage of all the laundry back and forth across the stream and through the woods and the waiting in the heat for the train and a couple buses and conflictinf schedules..(she has a day care during the day)..have also delayed my heading over there.

There is always the outreach center run by Prologue in Towson, (don't even bother mentioning the Baltimore City facilities, closed subject!), but again the time and effort of travel and distance, (there and back as I have no reason to be or stay in Towson at all), tend to weigh this idea to the negative except for urgent, emergency, or last chance scenarios. Prologue also has the facility in Pikesville which has 1 shower for urgent or emergency needs which I have used on one occasion, (the drawback of this place is a minor annoyance of having no 'changing area' other than the hot, wet, steamy bathroom/shower that leaves you soaked with sweat before you finish dressing).

My fetish for cleanliness is usually satisfied one way or another before I lose it totally, the biggest thing that gets to me now is not having a reasonably ventilated place to lay my head most of the time when it is very hot. I can survive without A/C, but when the inside temps are greater than the outside temps, (in summer),......

......'Godfadda...I got a problem!'

Okay, I'm done for now

Later.................Dave

"The Number Of The Beast Times 10..(+6)......Or....The Devil Is In The Details......"

Good Morning;

So we've had 6,666 visitors to our little blog here as of this morning, Good omen or Bad......it's too early to tell today.

Of course if my recent 'senior moment' is any example of what is to come, it's going to be a long hot day, (for a change....lol). I am getting ready to go to the doctor's appointment that I have known about and been planning for since March, and have had the card in my wallet with the time and date on it also. I was 100% sure of the date and was only pulling the card out halfway to check on the time when I dropped the wallet and everything fell out on the floor. As I was picking it all up, and (even found a whole dollar bill that was folded up small and stashed down at the bottom....WOW...I'm rich....lol.), I looked at the appointment card and saw that the time was 12:00 Noon.....on Friday the 9th of July.....Duuhhhhhh!!, I had the whole day planned around this doctor visit being today, with just enough clean clothes to wear and arrangements to wash later and to shower before I left and again when I got back here to Jenn's and watch the kids while she shopped then split from here back to the shed and the joys of outdoor living this evening.

SCCRREEEEEECCCHHHH..........that's my plans coming to an abrupt halt! I should be used to this though, my plans are best written in cream cheese, not in stone!....lol!

Anyway, now I have to see if I can stop by and shower tomorrow morning and leave my bags here at Jenn's when I head down to the 'hood with the second highest level of 'lead contamination' in Baltimore.....coming from both lead paint in old buildings and the lead in the air from flying bullets!......LOL!....(sadly, it's funny but true.....[FYI: East Balto. is #1].......).

I may be back later if I get to the library today,

see ya..............................Dave

"It's Always Something..............................."

Good Evening;

So Jenn and Tom and the kids are at her mom's house in Westminster, (Md.), and I'm all set for a cool and quiet evening and part of the night with the cats, the stinky dog, and the remote. I'm in the kitchen pouring a nice, big, tall glass of ice water and what do I see on the microwave table? The RedBox DVD Jenn and Tom rented last weekend and finally watched last night....after ignoring it for as long as I could, I texted Jenn asking "did you forget.....?". I received an all CAPS ..."DAMN!!!" in reply. I called and queried her as to the immediate need for return and she said by 9:00 pm tonight. Wellll......since I had a library book, (John Grisham's "Ford County Stories", [his only collection of short fiction...pretty good stuff too], and a DVD of "Two and A Half Men: Season II" due today anyway, (that I was going to just deal with tomorrow), I volunteered to drop it off at the Giant after I went to the library, which is why I am here with you now, Loyal Reader, wilted as a leaf of lettuce at a carnivore convention, instead of sitting around cool as cucumber in the 'new' recliner watching "Mythbusters" on the cable.

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished!

That's twice today I let my conscience and sense of gratitude rule my actions, I guess I'll text Jenn and see if she wants me to save them the hassle of stopping at the food store with the kids in the car, in the heat, on the way home late at night, and pick up some Lactaid milk for the littlest princess's delicate digestive system. I figure 'third time's the charm', and all good intentions will have melted and drained out of my system on the walk back to the Giant and the walk home, like ice cream through the bottom of a cracked cone in the sweaty hands of a hyperactive 2 year old....lol!, and I'll be able to rationalize chugging down the two beers in cold storage before they get home...(outside on the bench at the apts., I don't drink at the house out of courtesy and respect, I do have some limits these days!).....yeah, re-hydration and sleep assistance....that's the ticket..lol!

I'm about to call and see if Rachel is home yet. The 'Bubble Lady' is here at the library at 7:00 pm. tomorrow evening, so I'm going to try to have her mom meet me here, there is no reason to take her out on the bus in this heat, even in the coolness of tomorrow's upper 90 degree temps......lol.

Okay time's up......

Later....................Dave

"One Hundred and F*ckin' Five Degrees.....And I'm Supposed To Believe Global Warming Is Only A Conspiracy Theory?....Yeah, And The Earth Is Flat Too!"

Good Morning;

Well...other than bitching about the insane heat wave I have nothing really exciting to report. I am spending at least one more day and night at Jenn's due to the outrageous and dangerous temperatures. I talked with Tom and again later with Jenn, telling them to let me know when it was getting to be too tense...meaning more than the normal ideations of any one of us smothering one or all of the others in their sleep..lol...and I would politely, if not happily, hit the road. I let them know, and they do realize this, that in my situation I am going to take as much advantage of the opportunity to escape and avoid the killing heat and humidity as I can. I walked over to the Giant this morning at 6:45 am., (and it was already 90 degrees), and used the Foodstamps I received today to buy some things for the house and the kids, as a way to pay my share. I have been pretty much taking over 3/4 of the load from Jenn as it is. Yesterday I did 3 loads of laundry and emptied and cleaned the cat's litter box, took out the trash, emptied the dishwasher and swept up about 3 bushels of hair and skin from the stupid dog.

(I swear, between Ed and the dog it is a tie who has the least common sense.)

I was in so much pain, it took me 4 hours to do 1 ours worth of work, I could not do one task or stay in one position, (even sitting or laying down to rest), for more than a few minutes at a time, one of the reasons I am glad to be seeing a doctor tomorrow, (not the State's doctor, that is next Tuesday).

I have been talking to Rachel each evening, and she is due home tonight. Depending on the shape she is in and how long my doctor's "appointment" at JAI takes, (it is the first actual "appointment" that I am eligible for there, but I am still figuring on waiting at least 2 to 3 hours before being seen), and the time of the show, we may go to the library to see the "Bubble Lady".

It is supposed to cool off to 96 degrees tomorrow (Thursday), so I am planning on showering and picking up my up my bag after returning from the doctors and rolling out of here. Like I say, I needed and appreciated the shelter from the intense heat, but I've gotta get outta here!!! Edward is driving me nuts.

Okay, the battery needs to be charged on the laptop and I'm not near an outlet, and too lazy to move....lol,

Later..................Dave

"Gunpowder And Gratitude....................................."

Good Morning;

I ended up crashing at Jenn's again last night. It's good to be rehabilitated enough in their eyes so that even though tempers and tensions may be raised in proportion to the temperature, humidity, dewpoint, and heat index, they are willing to welcome-accept-tolerate..(in proportion to the time already spent there....LOL!)..my presence/company to prevent me from having to suffer through Code Red levels of heat and pollution dangers. (I do tend to fall into the category of 'high risk' even though I don't exhibit or even realize it in daily activity, due to the heart, BP, lung, and liver issues that on their own are not critical but combined and exacerbated by poor air quality and possible dehydration and hyperthermia.).

I am truly grateful that I am indoors so much more than in previous years and try to express this by making myself available as much as possible for 'monstersitting' duties, and by picking up the slack, (and the more I pick up the more there seems to be...LOL!), in any household duties I can by cooking, cleaning, and feeding the inmates of this asylum.

The next 3 days, (Mon., Tue., & Wed.), are supposed to be brutal and with most likely record tying or breaking highs, and 'high lows', reaching 100 degrees or more, so I'm willing to eat as much crow, humble pie, and kiss as much familial ass as needed to stay cool and safe....lol,...but seriously....damn skippy!

But, of course if anyone else needs a house guest/domestic slave for a day or two.........I'm sure Tom, (and Edward...for sure...lol!), would be happy to lease my contract!

Last night the symphony of illegal fireworks harmonized with the rolling thunder of illegal firearms in the annual Baltimore Gansta' Serenade. The sky waass illuminated by the sparkle of bottle rockets and roman candles, with the occasional display quality mortar smuggled in from Tennessee or Kentucky, and the strobscopic blinking of muzzle flashes and flying brass.

Baltimore: The City That REloADS!!"

Later................Dave

"Bored On The 4th Of July......................."

Good Afternoon;

Well the expression "Hot As A Firecracker On The 4th Of July" is perfectly apt today and for the next 7 days! MORE record setting and possibly 100 degree + temperatures are on the way.

Fanf*ckingtastic!!!!!................................NOT!

Everyone is gone and I am spending Independence Day independently at Jenn's while they are all up in Monkton at Tom's mom's.

I just cooked a 2 inch thick 1 lb. New York strip steak (Giant-on sale and a $2.00 sticker plus bonus card discount!) and a baked potato and washed it down with a couple cold Boh Ice, now it's shower and maybe nap time. Between the partying outside, and the ignorant inconsiderate garbage neighbors upstairs I did not get much sleep last night. Celebrating is one thing and a certain excess noise level is expected, but when things start falling off the walls and the children complain about the noise.....enough is enough. To top it off...at 6:47 am this morning the thumpa-thumpa started up again, I got up and beat on the ceiling and put my shoes on and when I yanked the door open, (and it sticks, squeaks and bangs), and started stomping up the stairs ...the 'music', (and I use the term loosely), miraculously stopped and not a sound was heard. After falling asleep somewhere near 4:00 am., needless to say I was not a happy camper this morning.

As I was walking back from the Giant today, Rachel called me from Chicago to tel me there were pictures waiting on my e-mail of her in Lake Michigan and on the top of a ferris wheel by the Lake. She told me they watched fireworks on the beach last night and at the end, "they went boom-boom-ba-b00m-bam-bam-boom-boom......and on and on and on"...lol! (I heard a whole hell of a lot of boomboomboomboomboomboomboomboom and BaBoom...BaBoom...BaBoom to but that was automatic weapons fire and large caliber magnums!!!!)

I miss her and can't wait 'til she get back on Wednesday.

I don't know where I am staying tonight, I want to stay in the A/C but I don't want to push to much or wear out my welcome.

See you sometime tomorrow.............................Dave

Happy Birthday America!

"From Beyond The Grave.......Or......Reports Of My Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated!!!!........."

Good Morning;

Well it's getting warm again, the shed was getting stuffy by 7:30 am. and I was out of there and putzing around in the Giant by 8:30 am. After sitting outside the library at the picnic table in the shade eating my nutritious and healthy breakfast of assorted bakery cookies from the Giant, Pringles, Powerade Zero, and a can of Natty Boh (that is National Bohemian for all you non 'Baltimorons'.....lol!) 'ICE' beer at temperature a Brit would appreciate, (you do see the ironic juxtaposition of name/temp., do you not?), by choice/default/laziness not by poverty this time....lol.

Yesterday I had just left Jenn's and she texted me before I had reached the bus stop asking me if I wanted to accompany her as she went shopping. Since the Starbucks is steadily losing it's appeal other than a free place to sit out on the patio, and we usually have a good time in the food store...I said yes. We ended up at the Target getting a birthday present for Tom, the ALDIs between Owings Mills and Reisterstown, (my first visit to this store, it is a cleaner and bit more upscale version of Sav-A-Lot, a few name brands on clearance, and their own brand of EVERYTHING else...not to shabby a selection), back to her house where she had to put the frozen stuff away and put a pizza in the oven for Tom and the kids and I stood out on the parking lot and killed a couple beers. We then headed up to Pikesville and the Giant where we wandered for another hour. After she headed home I sat outside the First Watch and read for a few hours then stopped at the gas station and bought a Keno, lost and bought a scratch off and won $2.00, put a buck in my pocket and bought another of the same scratch off..(Lucky Stars)..and won $1.00, bought another of the same scratch off and....wellllll I lost track but I kept winning $1.00 and trying again for 40 minutes, until I lost at last. So I am only down $1.00 for the nights entertainment.

I ended up watching the DVD of 'Two And A Half Men- Season 2' for a while, falling asleep somewhere in the middle of an episode around 2:30 am., thank goodness for built-in rechargeable batteries, I woke up around 5:00 am. with the dead DVD player still open on my chest. I went back to sleep and like I said was out by 8:30 am., and, here I am.

I have no idea what I am going to do today, I'd like to find somebody to DO something with though. Believe it or not boredom is one of the worst things about being out on the streets, either one has no money and is limited to what is free, and can be accessed while carrying one's life in a bag or bags over the shoulder, or coordinating shower and clean clothes and other people's schedules with finding someplace to leave one's 'stuff' with transportation and the event or whatever is decided upon to do. Rachel's out of town so that screws my first and main choice and it is a holiday weekend so most folks have already made plans or are with family. It looks as if my big 4th of July celebration will be doing laundry and watching the cable at Jenn's while they are out. I offered to watch the kids tonight if Jenn wants to take Tom out for his birthday to night but they have not made a decision if they are going out or not yet.

I heard from Rachel yesterday evening, she was all excited about seeing Lake Michigan.."Daddy I took off my shoes and socks and dipped my feet into Lake Michigan and ran on the beach!!!!", I'm glad she is having a great time. I also so have to admit to being both jealous and depressed that it is not me with her showing and seeing these sights for the first time.

It hurts and I miss her.

I had a text message from my friend Allen around 11:30 pm. last night, "Just wanted to let you know I'm still alive". Now this is something we all have jokingly said to someone we have not seen in a while, but in this case it was statement that came as a blessed relief. You may remember that I mentioned he had hurt his foot and it would not heal and ended up having to be amputated. I had talked to him just after it happened and lost touch for a bit. I then ran into his sister a few months ago and she told me he had been rushed from his rehab hospital to St. Agnes with near total kidney shutdown and was on dialysis. She told me he was in the ICU and had no phone service and cell phones were not permitted. The hospital wold not give me any information and I did not know his sisters name and no one answered his cell when I tried to call. He has a last name that is comparable to 'Smith' in the Pikesville/Owings Mills area so I had no way of knowing who to call to find out about him. I am really glad he is still with us and that he called. I am calling him later this afternoon to get the whole story, now that I just put minutes on my phone.

I now have both numbers active so you can reach me on either one with that invitation to the picnic/party/BBQ on Sunday!

I guess the libraries are closed Sunday the 4th, so if i don't get to use the laptop at Jenn's, I"ll be back here Monday.

Happy Birthday Tom,(USMCR)!

Happy 4th Of July!

Happy Independence Day!

Happy Birthday America!

And don't forget those who have served and sacrificed to get us to this point and keep us free,

The men and women of our Armed Forces, and especially those who have been treated so shamefully and their honor abused so badly, the homeless veterans ignored and abandoned by the government and society, who have fallen though the gaping holes in the 'safety net' and pigeonholed by the V.A. and the military bureaucracy.

The link below is the for the

'National Coalition for Homeless Veterans',

check it out, see how you can help, give if and what you can.

http://www.nchv.org/

Later.................Dave

"Quick and Dirty"..........................

Good Afternoon;

Just a quick hello to check in. I'm at Jenn's on the laptop for a minute after taking a shower and cooking some burgers on her George Forman grill, ya gotta cook fairly well done, but they are nice and juicy.

I sat outside and enjoyed the air on the patio at the Starbucks yesterday evening and until almost 10:30 pm. last night. The phone rang about 6:30 pm. and it turned out to be Rachel calling from Skokie, Illinois; just outside of Chicago where they are staying with the "ex'es" boyfriends parents. She says to me in this amazed voice, "Daddy, I saw a BIIGGGG!!! city". She got a view closeup of the skyline of Chicago, and compared to 'Smalltimore' itmudt have been really impressive!....lol.

I went down to Monkee's this morning and had a real mess of a time, I got my 'bupes' but things were screwed up. We'll deal with it later.

Okay gotta run, Tom just walked in with the kids and Ed must have done something to start things rolling downhill....

I'll be back Saturday...............

Later.............Dave"

"Book 'em, Dano...........It's 'TIKI Time............AND.............Parrot Head Couture.............."

Good Afternoon;

Another beautiful day out there!

I had a bit of trouble waking up this morning, I am still screwed up from the sleep patterns resulting from the heat wave, either too hot to sleep or at Jenn's trying to deny the evil influence of late night cable TV and the remote...lol.

I feel the beginning of the cyclical depressive slide coming on, it seems to be much more gradual this time though, the weather helps. I also think the effects havwe been somewhat blunted due to a meeting with Shelly, my new case worker at Prologue, our first one on one. We had no real pressing matters to deal with, just confirming some dates, such as my up coming doctors appointments on the 8th and 13th, (JAI and the State doc), and getting to know one another. She was able to snag me a plate from the early 4th of July cookout being held for the "dee-de-dee daycare" clients....(Oh lighten up all you PC police....), sausage, corn on the cob, pata salad, chicken BBQ, watermelon, and pink lemonade...plus she had a banana, and spme chewy granola bars, and a packet of cheese crackers for later....AND!!!.... a cup of coffee for me when she came down to meet me, in her own mug, (one of those huge, 'soup cup with a handle' size cappuchino mugs), AND enough sugar!, (I hate it when you get a bucket of coffee and then the place gives you one sugar packet.....LOL!). I really needed both food, (I'm out of stamps, money and meds), and the friendship. I also got 2 bus tokens to carry me until I get my little bit of cash tomorrow..(hopefully he said with fingers crossed!). And to top it all off, she brought me a personal gift from her visit home to Michigan last week, a really cool Hawaiian shirt that her Dad, who is also a connoisseur of fine beach casual wear, had and was not enamoured of the color. It is a basic black background with ivory flowers and muted yellow, brown, and gray accents and detailing. So I've got 4th of July formal wear with this and my khaki shorts to wear to the party/picnic/BBQ you, loyal reader, are about to invite to attend. Now it's just a matter of choosing....Rum......Beer.......or Tanq & Tonic! ;-)

So I am in a much better mood than when I walked in there.

I am going to play here on the computer for a while then head over to the Starbucks and sit outside on the back patio and enjoy the weather.

Okay, this is funny.

A few posts back I used the words, Meth heads, raid, (small 'r'), and bug spray within the body of the post, NOT in the same sentence or context. This morning I look at my Sitemeter and see that I have a visitor from Idaho, home of survivalists, the KKK, tax protesters, outlaws and assholes, not to mention bathtub Meth labs, who came to our little blog here by way of a Google search, to wit: "meth from Raid bugspray"

......Duhhhh, ever hear of the DEA or FCC moron!!....LMFAO!

all right time is up on the computer for now, I'll see you later,

..........................Dave