I spent last winter working at a homeless shelter that opens from November-April each season. In the four months since the shelter closed, I've run into several people who had slept there. Thankfully, the lion's share of them now have places to live. But not all, as I was fiercely reminded a little while ago.
At 11:00 Sunday night, I was taking one of my frequent exercise walks in downtown Willimantic, CT. As I strolled past the public library, I noticed a woman sitting on the bench out front. I recognized her as a former shelter guest and stopped to say hello. Big mistake, as it turned out.
This particular woman had been quite a handful as she was both certifiably insane and quite unsanitary. (She refused to shower because she said she was afraid of getting raped.) So, imagine how I felt when she grabbed my hand and said, "I don't have a place to sleep tonight. If you let me stay at your place, you can have sex with me and I won't charge you money."
Now, I've been alone for quite some time, but I wasn't about to take that woman up on her offer. Rather, I lied that I now had a live-in girlfriend and that I really couldn't do anything to help her. I then high-tailed it out of there, feeling both repulsed and guilty. I would have felt far worse, though, had I taken that woman home with me and used her as a substitute for my right hand.
Perhaps you're thinking I could have let her crash at my place without having sex with her. Technically, you'd be right. However, I have three roommates to consider. I'm not sure they'd have looked too kindly on my having let an insane, homeless, unsanitary woman sleep on our couch. Besides, she then would have known where I lived and might have started habitually turning up on my doorstep. I have enough on my mind these days without adding that to my problems!
Still, I feel guilty as hell about having left that poor woman to sleep on a bench in front of the public library. But what could I do?
It's been four months since I worked at that shelter, but the experience haunts me still.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Friday, August 1, 2008
My Least Favorite Rock 'N' Roll Acts
When I began this list in June 2008, I figured it might contain about 25 artists. But the damned thing's now up to 70 acts! If your stomach can handle it, you'll find the list here:
http://rateyourmusic.com/list/goldwax317/
my_least_favorite_rock_n_roll_artists/
http://rateyourmusic.com/list/goldwax317/
my_least_favorite_rock_n_roll_artists/
Sometimes you're better off not knowing
I wrote this on June 21, 2008, but forgot to post it until now.
Last night, I was enjoying myself at the 3rd Thursday Street Fest in Willimantic, CT, when I happened to bump into a guy named Rich. Not only had he lived next-door to me at my old place in East Hartford, but coincidentally also dated a woman named Dawn, with whom I worked for five years (1999-2004).
I'm still reeling from what Rich told me: namely, that Dawn passed away last November. Dawn was all of seven months older than me!
Seems she was at work one morning and suddenly stopped breathing. Since none of her co-workers knew CPR, by the time the EMTs arrived Dawn's brain had been without oxygen for close to seven minutes, and her heart had stopped.
They were able to get Dawn's heart pumping again, but she was brain-dead with zero chance of recovery. So the next of kin instructed Dawn's physician to pull the plug on her life support. At 42 (my age now), Dawn was no more, and her two teen-aged daughters were now orphans. (Dawn's ex-husband is a junkie scumbag whose sense of responsibility is about what you'd expect from someone like that.)
A few weeks ago, as part of my new job at a group home, I was trained in both CPR and First Aid. If Dawn's employer (a pharmacy) had been that diligent, she might not have died.
Suffice it to say, during the ten minutes or so that I spoke with Rich last night, my mood spiraled from upbeat and festive to bummed out and depressed. I still haven't fully recovered. Of course, it doesn't help that I'm out of anti-depressants and the State of Connecticut has kicked me off medical assistance, because with two part-time jobs I now make too much to qualify. Never mind that neither job offers medical benefits. But that's a whole other rant.
Last night, I was enjoying myself at the 3rd Thursday Street Fest in Willimantic, CT, when I happened to bump into a guy named Rich. Not only had he lived next-door to me at my old place in East Hartford, but coincidentally also dated a woman named Dawn, with whom I worked for five years (1999-2004).
I'm still reeling from what Rich told me: namely, that Dawn passed away last November. Dawn was all of seven months older than me!
Seems she was at work one morning and suddenly stopped breathing. Since none of her co-workers knew CPR, by the time the EMTs arrived Dawn's brain had been without oxygen for close to seven minutes, and her heart had stopped.
They were able to get Dawn's heart pumping again, but she was brain-dead with zero chance of recovery. So the next of kin instructed Dawn's physician to pull the plug on her life support. At 42 (my age now), Dawn was no more, and her two teen-aged daughters were now orphans. (Dawn's ex-husband is a junkie scumbag whose sense of responsibility is about what you'd expect from someone like that.)
A few weeks ago, as part of my new job at a group home, I was trained in both CPR and First Aid. If Dawn's employer (a pharmacy) had been that diligent, she might not have died.
Suffice it to say, during the ten minutes or so that I spoke with Rich last night, my mood spiraled from upbeat and festive to bummed out and depressed. I still haven't fully recovered. Of course, it doesn't help that I'm out of anti-depressants and the State of Connecticut has kicked me off medical assistance, because with two part-time jobs I now make too much to qualify. Never mind that neither job offers medical benefits. But that's a whole other rant.
You can afford to see "Batman," so quit your damned whining!
The original letter to the editor:
Gas prices are high…foreclosures are soaring…people are losing their jobs…oh my! But “Batman” grossed more than $155 million in its opening weekend, and 7% of the population spent over a quarter of a billion dollars on movies this past weekend. Boy, the economy must be in terrible shape.
And my response:
Regarding “Times Are Tough.” I was laid off from my last year-round, full-time job in June 2006. Despite submitting hundreds of resumes and applications, I’ve spent the last 26 months barely getting by on part-time, temporary and seasonal employment, not to mention the amazing generosity of my friends. I also am a diabetic who requires insulin every day. When I found a second part-time job, I was thrown off state medical assistance because I now made too much money to qualify. But since I managed to scrape together $8.50 to see “The Dark Knight” rather than spend another evening at home feeling depressed, that means I’m doing just fine and should stop my whining. Spoken like a true Dittohead!
Gas prices are high…foreclosures are soaring…people are losing their jobs…oh my! But “Batman” grossed more than $155 million in its opening weekend, and 7% of the population spent over a quarter of a billion dollars on movies this past weekend. Boy, the economy must be in terrible shape.
And my response:
Regarding “Times Are Tough.” I was laid off from my last year-round, full-time job in June 2006. Despite submitting hundreds of resumes and applications, I’ve spent the last 26 months barely getting by on part-time, temporary and seasonal employment, not to mention the amazing generosity of my friends. I also am a diabetic who requires insulin every day. When I found a second part-time job, I was thrown off state medical assistance because I now made too much money to qualify. But since I managed to scrape together $8.50 to see “The Dark Knight” rather than spend another evening at home feeling depressed, that means I’m doing just fine and should stop my whining. Spoken like a true Dittohead!
Monday, July 28, 2008
Tennessee church-shooter Jim Adkisson was a victim, too.
Regarding the recent church shooting in Tennessee, whose perpetrator consciously chose a congregation that espoused liberal views, I can only say this:
Thank you, Rush! Thank you, Bill! Thank you, Sean! Thank you, Ann! Thank you, Michelle! Thank you, Tucker! Thank you, Laura! Thank you, Weiner (Savage, whatever)! Yes, a great big thank you to all those right-wing hate-mongers who infest the airwaves and have spent fifteen-plus years fostering the climate that led poor Jim D. Adkisson to think liberals and progressives are his enemies and deserving of death.
So, do you think the FCC will go after any of that right-wing filth like it went after ABC for showing Janet Jackson’s booby for one-tenth of a second? Don’t make me laugh.
Thank you, Rush! Thank you, Bill! Thank you, Sean! Thank you, Ann! Thank you, Michelle! Thank you, Tucker! Thank you, Laura! Thank you, Weiner (Savage, whatever)! Yes, a great big thank you to all those right-wing hate-mongers who infest the airwaves and have spent fifteen-plus years fostering the climate that led poor Jim D. Adkisson to think liberals and progressives are his enemies and deserving of death.
So, do you think the FCC will go after any of that right-wing filth like it went after ABC for showing Janet Jackson’s booby for one-tenth of a second? Don’t make me laugh.
Thursday, April 17, 2008
No wonder people call them "pigs."
So the homeless shelter where I worked since November just closed for the season. Yesterday morning, my boss handed out tents and cots to the guests to hopefully get them through the next seven months until we can afford to reopen.
This afternoon, I was out walking my dog when I ran into a young couple who had slept at the shelter. They advised me that the day before, they were pitching their tent along the river when a cop came along and ordered them to take it down. As if that weren't enough, he wrote them each a ticket for $92. It's anyone's guess how two homeless people are supposed to come up with $184 to pay those goddamned fines.
The location they chose is way down the railroad tracks, nowhere near any houses or businesses. All this couple wanted was a place to sleep where they wouldn't disturb anyone. But Dirty Harry just wouldn't cut them any slack.
NWA was right: "Fuck Tha Police!"
This afternoon, I was out walking my dog when I ran into a young couple who had slept at the shelter. They advised me that the day before, they were pitching their tent along the river when a cop came along and ordered them to take it down. As if that weren't enough, he wrote them each a ticket for $92. It's anyone's guess how two homeless people are supposed to come up with $184 to pay those goddamned fines.
The location they chose is way down the railroad tracks, nowhere near any houses or businesses. All this couple wanted was a place to sleep where they wouldn't disturb anyone. But Dirty Harry just wouldn't cut them any slack.
NWA was right: "Fuck Tha Police!"
Sunday, April 13, 2008
The ASCAP Follies of 2008
Yesterday, this was posted to the listserv of a local collective to which I belong. Looks like the vampires are out to suck each and every last drop of blood that they can! Motherfuckers.
Hi folks,
I had a rather unpleasant phone conversation with an ASCAP rep today, and we will need to discuss this issue on Sunday.
We had received a contract from them recently, after having left messages saying that we were not going to enter into an agreement with them. I called the ASCAP person who sent the contract to let her know that we are not going to do this and that we had the documentation that we've been giving to bands to show that we've been very careful not to have ASCAP music played in the space. Before I even got the sentence out of my mouth, she interrupted me, saying that if an artist "slips up" we're liable, etc. It just went downhill from there. I'll spare you the details here, but she used all kinds of intimidation tactics including threatening to take us to court and implying we were trying to break the law. She essentially said it was impossible to have live music without the license from them, and when I said that ***** has been doing it, she demanded I repeat the name so she could write it down and follow up on them (I didn't), stated that if they got into legal trouble it was my fault because I mentioned them, and demanded to know names of other places that aren't paying the licensing fee. She also said that any ASCAP musicians who played their own songs in the space and were paid need to pay a fee to ASCAP and that somehow we are liable if they don't do that, and didn't directly answer my question of, well isn't that between you and them? It was kind of amazing. She was actually angry. If I hadn't experienced it, I almost couldn't believe that anyone could be such a total jackass about this. If there had been any doubt in my mind that these people are just legalized gangsters, it is gone.
Anyway, we'll need to write a letter to them stating that we are not entering into an agreement with them and we need to be VERY, VERY clear with musicians that they cannot play ASCAP music and that they are responsible for reporting their pay to ASCAP. We may even want to have a contract for musicians to sign just to cover our butts. And we also need to make sure that the CD's we play aren't ASCAP - we may need to think about the movies we show too.
Grrr.
Hi folks,
I had a rather unpleasant phone conversation with an ASCAP rep today, and we will need to discuss this issue on Sunday.
We had received a contract from them recently, after having left messages saying that we were not going to enter into an agreement with them. I called the ASCAP person who sent the contract to let her know that we are not going to do this and that we had the documentation that we've been giving to bands to show that we've been very careful not to have ASCAP music played in the space. Before I even got the sentence out of my mouth, she interrupted me, saying that if an artist "slips up" we're liable, etc. It just went downhill from there. I'll spare you the details here, but she used all kinds of intimidation tactics including threatening to take us to court and implying we were trying to break the law. She essentially said it was impossible to have live music without the license from them, and when I said that ***** has been doing it, she demanded I repeat the name so she could write it down and follow up on them (I didn't), stated that if they got into legal trouble it was my fault because I mentioned them, and demanded to know names of other places that aren't paying the licensing fee. She also said that any ASCAP musicians who played their own songs in the space and were paid need to pay a fee to ASCAP and that somehow we are liable if they don't do that, and didn't directly answer my question of, well isn't that between you and them? It was kind of amazing. She was actually angry. If I hadn't experienced it, I almost couldn't believe that anyone could be such a total jackass about this. If there had been any doubt in my mind that these people are just legalized gangsters, it is gone.
Anyway, we'll need to write a letter to them stating that we are not entering into an agreement with them and we need to be VERY, VERY clear with musicians that they cannot play ASCAP music and that they are responsible for reporting their pay to ASCAP. We may even want to have a contract for musicians to sign just to cover our butts. And we also need to make sure that the CD's we play aren't ASCAP - we may need to think about the movies we show too.
Grrr.
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