it’s been a few days since my last post. i have been busy going through my things and packing up. i’ve also been getting rid of many things. originally i planned to get rid of roughly 40% of my books, but it looks like i’m actually getting rid of about 60%. i’ll be donating them to the local goodwill/salvation army. i was originally going to donate them to the local library, but then realized that it would be better to give them to a charity where they will be sold and the money going to help others.
i also gave to a local clothing charity, two large bags of clothes that i haven’t worn in quite a while.
Paul k. came by and took several boxes and my main computer to his place. (i’m posting this from a 4 year old mac mini) and let me know that if i needed, i could store some additional things with he and his wife. and offered to help move some of my things into storage.
the most difficult thing i’ve been dealing with is trying to fit what i feel i will need into a single hiking backpack. what appeared fairly large when i first looked at it, quickly seemed to lose it’s size once i began to fill it. simple things like trying to determine how many clothes to pack. how many pairs of socks, underwear, shirts etc. should i have so i can still look presentable without having to launder them too often. granted, $3.50 per load for washing and drying laundry isn’t that much in and of itself. but when you are homeless and virtually penniless, it’s quite a bit. there is also the question of jackets, hoodies and other foul weather clothing.
and trying to figure out what basic foods i need to carry with me is another challenge. since i am going to avoid buying pre-made foods which although convenient and take up fairly little room, are quite costly. that means i need to buy more basic ingredients (including things like olive oil, herbs and spices,salt and pepper) which are cheaper in the long run but take up more room, and weigh considerably more as well. luckily the local food co-op sells many of these things in bulk so that i can buy smaller amounts of some things more frequently.
another consideration is water. when i was young, every park had water fountains so people could quench their thirst. but since the commodification of water. there are no water fountains in public parks (at least in the city i am currently in). so finding a source of free water isn’t that easy. the local train station has a water fountain (“bubblers”, we called them back in my school days), so filling up a couple of large bottles should be fairly easy. a couple of homeless living websites i have visited suggest getting water from the outdoor spigots of homes. this tactic i am not so sure of, as going onto someone’s property to steal their water is trespassing. that is, if you get caught. and while the local water supply doesn’t contain fluoride , it does contain a heavy dose of chlorine, so much chlorine that on some days i can smell the chlorine as the water flows from the faucet. so figuring out a way to filter water with a compact device is something else i am trying to figure out.
my time left in domicile existence is getting closer. so my working out these details is a fairly pressing issue.
i have created a wish list at amazon.com for certain things that will be very helpful for me to have while i am homeless, but which i can not in anyway afford. you can simply select the item that you wish to donate, and it will be sent to me.
by clicking the “wishlist” tab at the top of the blog you will see explanations of why i have placed these items on my wishlist.
my wishlist can be found at the following link: wishlist
thank you
ironwrackdream 