Written 1/20 I've been here 3 days, and things are already uncomfortable! I was hoping this wouldn't be any kind of repeat of past negative experiences, but I have a list for you! Start off with it turns out that my host has an outdate profile, so there's nothing about AirBnB hosting, or a partner or anything on there. I get here and I'm with 6 cis men! 3 I have frequent contact with, because they are in bedrooms and I'm in the living room. All 3 of them white, cis; 2 bros. My host, his partner, and another cis het man are in the duplex apartment upstairs. I don't see them as much, but on my first time meeting the one that's usually gone he tries to hook up with me in the most lazy, entitled, uninvested way! And, AirBnB people are the last people trying to be communal. I've done good, so far with a little money, and they've given me some food. The host also serves breakfast, so I'm not gonna starve but this shouldn't be so hard. I'll skip the rant about people in poverty needing to work together in community and communal efforts to help end poverty, but know that there's a rant there! The host I'm with can talk forever, and I'm more ok with that than I am this deprecating attitude towards body mods. I'll admit I went a long with society on some of that shit, but if I'm going to call myself pro-choice that means PRO ALL THE CHOICES! Full bodily autonomy ARE GO! On the good side, I was in the gayberhood. I didn't have to talk to my host if I didn't want to (and I usually didn't). My host also did breakfast! I had all the basics: washer/dry, full bathroom, wifi, etc. We left vague reviews for each other, I can't suggest any black/ brown femme queers stay with this person, because he's completely insensitive to racial issues, and is one of those white cis gay men that erases black trans people from the movement, and doesn't have respect for femmes. If you're heading to St. Louis I'll give you his name so you can avoid him, upon asking.
0 Comments
Written 2/19
I haven't heard back from the person that said they were going to help me with Chattanooga, but Im fine with that. I will sit downtown and fly a sign for a bus ticket out of there as soon as possible. The drama in Memphis could have been avoided. My host in Nashville had animals using the house as a bathroom. People have claimed to read my profile and still misgendered me. My staying situations in TN have not been worth coming down here to visit. But, I don't regrets having this experience, and I now know that TN is fucking garbage! Hello brave beautiful world,
It is I, Papyrus! It is great to be back on the road after so long! It took a while to shake off the dust and snow, but I'm here and I'm proud! I've been a few places before making this blog, letting myself fall behind, but it's better late than never! There's a lot different in this round of travels, from last time. One resource that I have that I didn't have before is a lot more friends willing to show a lot of kindness to help me out. A lot of favors to pay back and a lot to pay forward. I may as well move out to a farm and work for free for a year to pay all of this Universal debt I've accumulated, and my travels aren't even over yet! Starting from the beginning: after working things out with a new sublet, I headed down to St Louis, Missouri. The person that stayed with was something I would describe as generous, but not kind. I had a flexible place to stay, people willing to show me around, and even breakfast! This person was also an Airbnb host so there were a lot of accommodations already set up. On the other hand I was sharing a space with three heterosexual cisgender run of the Mill privileged white men. My initial Health was also one of those gay cisgender men that was okay with eracing trans black people from the movement. There was even a situation with an Airbnb guest to wear my host assumed that I would have sexual contact with his immature Airbnb guest. Of course I reported the host, but Couchsurfing doesn't care. They gave me the dismissive "write a review describing the situation and let the couch surfing Community judge from there". As if they have any right to make suggestions about a situation that they aren't willing to investigate, themselves. I'm going to do this my own way! I'm very happy to be safely out of that toxic situation. Next is Memphis, Tennessee: things seem to be explained a lot better than they actually were. I stayed with someone who is still staying with one of their parents in heavy clutter and 2 cats. Netflix and Wi-Fi made that situation more bearable, but for where I was I couldn't go anywhere and I didn't see much. But that's more because there wasn't much to see. Memphis is in terrible shape due to the powers-that-be, and is in dire need of a more organized and civilized counterculture and subculture Community to fight the corrupt government. With the situation of having a place to stay, the parents patience was running dry and the other people that offered had to drop out for various personal reasons. We tried to get me into a place with someone that neither of us knew and I ended up getting stranded. I will take responsibility in my part, with the overall issue between all parties being a very heavy lack of communication. Not being ashamed to ask for help, I reached out and my friends reached back. I got a hostel room for two nights and my ticket to Nashville! The hostel situation was better then what the situation would have been with staying with the person. They said I had to come to work with them. Not "you have to leave the house while I'm not here". They specifically said I would have to come to work with them, as if they would need to keep an eye on me all day or something. I've been in plenty of situations where the person I'm staying with would rather I not be in the house while they aren't there for a long period of time, and I get where that's coming from but there's no reason why a person should have to go exactly where the host is going. With the hostel, it was an emergency situation in the office was about to close. A friend paid for me over the phone with a card and they said that I could only stay one night, because they didn't want to set the example that this kind of thing was okay. Apparently paying with a card or letting someone in just before they close is just too much of a hassle. The next day, I got more money for another hostel night and I didn't tell the new staff who I was and paid with my own card. I introduced myself to someone else, and sure enough a different staff member asked me about the situation. I know I wasn't supposed to come back, so I should be counting my lucky stars that they didn't kick me out. At the same time, it doesn't make sense as long as the money is paid. However, I won't be surprised if I'm not allowed back into that hostel because I kind of lied or at least didn't tell the whole truth to be able to come back when I know I wasn't supposed to. The hostel was decent, they provided a do-it-yourself breakfast, and I met another traveler who is kind of arrogant but whatever. And, you know I wrote a review. After all that drama I don't plan on returning to Memphis anytime soon. Really, I wasn't supposed to go there in the first place. I remembered Memphis by its Greyhound station but I got the Greyhound station in Memphis and somewhere else mixed up. The only reason why I want to go to Memphis is because I thought it was another place that looked more aesthetically pleasing. I'm going to let Nashville be its own entry, so I'll see you again soon! I'm finally recovered from the burdening of my last job, and I have my ticket to St. Louis, MO! I turned looking for a ride for a few weeks, but that was a bust, and I need to get while the gettin's good! They started minor street closures downtown, as of the 3rd. Everything will be closed, with check-points up, on the 13th! My ticket is for the 17th, so I'm only a little bit behind. Really, if I had considered Megabug sooner, I would have been out of have weeks ago! But, I had a lovely New Year's celebration with food and friends that I'll never regret having! And, things got shaky with locations as time went on. Memphis got cut out, due to not finding anyone to stay with, but I might cut out TN all together and try again some other time. I've added in Athens, GA as a sub to Savannah, if there's no ride out there, or an overall addition to make up for the other places that were cut out. I have to be back on time to get my taxes done by the 14th. And, I might hit the road again, because I might not want to live where I currently am, anymore. I know I've said that a lot (on other platforms), but things keep changing. There's a lull between drama and bad decisions. I know the only REAL way out of this is getting a place to myself, but I'm willing to deal with a little drama to not be lonely. But, what's about to happen here is about to be a different can of worms from what I'm use to. At least it's different issues. KEEPS ME SHARP! Let's see... "Hey! You know what?!"
What? "You should get a 50 liter pack!" What? I'm winter traveling. You know I need to carry a lot of stuff. "Yeah, but wouldn't it be cool if you didn't die?!" ...WHAT?! "You don't NEED some much stuff. You carried a lot of stuff in Philly and you still almost froze to death. TWICE. And, the pack was too heavy, so you messed up your back and shoulders, too." More to the pack being a large, than the weight. If it were a xs or s, and I arranged everything properly, it would have been a lot better. "But, you still had too much stuff, and you know it! It would have still been just as heavy!" Then, I'll have less stuff. I still need to be able to pack a blanket, just in case. "If you had less stuff, and you didn't die! You would be so proud of yourself!" Get-- What is wrong with you, all the sudden!? "And, a smaller pack would be cheaper. You can get a 50 for $40, instead of trying to get that 70+10 for $80." And, a 50 does hold a lot. "The problem with the first 50 was the lack of outside carrying storage, but you can still get a better. You can have the sleeping bag and blanket outside with the other stuff inside. And, the problem with finding a new pack is finding a xs and s the more liters you look up. We might be able to go up to a 60, but we know up to 55 will fit. I feel like we'd be paying more for an adjustable pack than a fixed pack." Also valid points. "AND, IF YOU DON'T DIE, YOU'LL BE SO PROUD! FUCK ALL THE HATERS!" I'm always proud that I didn't die the first time. "But, surviving this will turn your whole life around. We're nervous about what will happen when we get back, but we'll have much less time for bullshit people after THIS adventure. No time for stagnate people!" Stagnate MINDED people. It's best to get out of here after what's happen, regardless of what size the pack is. After packing heavy, packing light could be another welcomed change. "You won't die, and this will be AWESOME!" Indeed. In my absence from this blog a lot has gone on to explain it! Shit with the housemates went went doooooooooooooooooooooooooooown! So the housemate that wanted to to leave some months ago, accused the new housemate of spying on her, so she left. When she came back the first time, I got them to talk and she said her piece on the spying. We were both confused, but we had to let her go. A few days later, she comes back and kicks the door to her room in because she looked herself out. We don't even know how she locked herself out, but she did it. And, she continued to accuse the new housemate of spying on her. We told she needed to get out because she's been so disrespectful to us and the house, and she left with some weird drama to it, but she left. For a while, she was coming back and being more dramatic and even tried to bully the new housemate, with another ex-housemate.
We also had to have some back and forth with the house manager. He was very reluctant to meet our demands on changing the locks at first, and than it hit him as to how important the situation is. And, it also had to come out they were using him to threaten us, saying that they could get him to kick us out on a whim, which couldn't be farther from the truth. And, we've threatened with the a various occasions. We decided "Forget those bitches" and changed the locks and told them to get their shit out of our house. If you can't play nice, you can't use our playground, facefuckers! So, they got their stuff, and our house is bully free! I have some more cleaning to do, before I'm ready to host events here. The kick off event for the GaySkull Armory will be Jan 20th, for all kinds of reasons. The job situation is meh. I like where I work, the people I work with, and the cause we're working towards. I very much dislike being a cashier. I applied to be a bagger, by they were like "Nah." Standing in one place, PLU codes, and handling money... argh... And, now i have to deal with tare weight and picky customers... ARGH! I so don't want to be a cashier. I literally didn't sign up for this! I have to deal with it for 3 months before I can move into a different department, if there are even any openings. My health has taken a very serious turn. My left Thyroid has 2 lumps in it, and I'll know what my cancer results are next week. I've put braces and my back on hold, until I get those results and go from there. That's all for now! For all the highs and lows that happened in my birthmonth this year, I can proudly say I lived through it! My birthmonth ended with a house party last night, and it helped me feel a lot more comfortable and less outcasted being in this house. None of my friends could make it, but the house manager knows a lot of great people that I was happy to meet! I feel way more comfortable inviting people over now that other have been here.
The house was cleaned up! The other 2 hosts cooked! I felt like people with lives actually live in this house, which I haven't felt since I've been here. Honestly, I'm going to make at least one more try at finding a new place, but I'm not going to be so disappointed if it doesn't work out this month. I might not try again for Nov, depending on how things go over this month. I still want to leave for a chance at a better place, but as of right now I'm not dying to leave because I dislike my housemates. I was looking at somethings I would like to put in my room, to make it more homely for me. And, I'm buying more for the house, in general. Before I started typing this I was thinking about where I could find a tv and getting video/ movie streaming services for the house. I live here and I like nice things, so the place I live in is going to have nice things. Now I am housed and I'm very thankful for it! My room is small and my rent is low, and I'm so fucking happy for it. My roommates are also cool! The house I'm in is a former punk house, that I would love to restart but it's not going to be a place where shows happen. We don't have the space for that in any part of the house, or the yards. None of us want this to be a place people think they can come to at 3 am randomly, either. I have much less party ideas for this punk house. Giving the roommates are down, of course. My idea is that this place will be industrious and people can come to find out about job openings and even get insider shit on the jobs, and bikes to build and bike repair! Maybe even a meal, as there are at least 2 cooks in the house.
But first, there's a lot that needs to be done in cleaning and keeping it clean. I know this house was worse than it is now. My current roommates and other past have clean this place up as best they can, with is a lot! Now, it's MY era and this place going to see more picking up. There's a lot left behind from other past that is long outdated and serves no purpose. I feel like it would really make the house ours to get rid of all that stuff and replace it with our own useless things! There's also some areas that I have targeted as my own self-proclaimed tasks! In the other meantime, I can't ignore the reasons why I started sitting in MN in the first place. Health issues, and the quest to learn how to make money while I travel. I'm slowly getting on the ball about taking care of my health. I recently started making dental appointments, and I have other appointments to make. I think I should go for the whole thing - dental, mental, vision, and body - sexual and non-sexual. I have to look for non-mainstream care for the spiritual stuff. Taking of everything can't be a bad idea. With the job and the Medicaid I can fund it, so I'm going to take EVERYTHING I can. I don't feel like there's too much mental health. I see why I can't someone to talk to once or twice a month. As for making money while tavel, I've finally come up with something! I'm going to start taking advance of travel season see about hostel work in the upcoming seasons. That was the very first idea that many others suggested, and I'm going with it. My own ideas have been dancing as a street act, and I'm going to do it but I've switched to hooping instead of trying to push belly dancing. I've also gotten the idea to start my own business of selling adult coloring book sheets and zines! It will be an online shop, and I don't expect to make much but hopefully it will be something, which is a lot better than nothing. A side swiping issues is food insecurities. In MN they have a very limited time of how long able bodied people can be on food stamps, and being homeless or low income doesn't count as exemptions. They have a 3 month limit, but it can be extended to 9 months if you jump through at least 11 hoops. There are ways to get them indefinitely, but I don't fit any of those standards. There are groups trying to change the food stamp standards but MN lawmakers don't seem to care about able bodied adults going hungry. Food insecurities should NOT be a thing that happens in the "greatest country in the world". Everyone should have the right the eat, and to eat what they want. Food pantries are a good idea, but they're only as good as the people that run them. Food stamps are suppose to be set up to be a way better and more equal system. Not necessarily fair, but equal. But, of course, people made so leave to other people to fuck up a great idea. I am all about joining the crusade to end the current able-bodied system and people getting food stamps indefinitely, with more open qualification standards and making the job search case management system optional. THIS IS AMERICA, DAMMIT! I have a lot of work to do, and I'm looking forward to it! A long overdue update.
I've decided to stay in MN for a while due to health issues! YAY! It was hard for a while. I was in the Sal Army Harbor Lights shelter. It was a lot more terrible than it had to be, but the Sal Army really sucks when it comes to homelessness. The worst they think they're doing good, or they want everyone to think they're doing good, but they aren't. They don't train their staff EVER and everything about the shit-show of a shelter makes every situation worse. I really wish people would do more research before giving money to them. I've had 2 phones stolen. I got rid of the NM number SafeLink phone, and went for the Access Wireless gov smartphone. First I lost it on the bus, but I got it back. It got stolen in the shelter after I left it in the bathroom. The second phone THAT I PAID FOR got stolen out of Uptown McD's, but I'll explain that later on down this entry. I got a job at a grocery that I won't care to name. I started off still in the shelter, but the other clients have no respect for people and insist on being loud at night so I wasn't getting much sleep. And, the staff are mostly bitches (like any other Salvation Army shelter staff anywhere else), so they gave me a hard time with some stupid paperwork for working after curfew. I got fed up with all that bullshit and started sleeping outside. Yeah. THE SHELTER WAS SO BAD I LEFT TO SLEEP OUTSIDE. My first night out I see someone I know, and meet a guy. I'm not going to bother making this sound gender-neutral. He's very much a guy, and one of the worst kinds. He was cool at first, and I hung out with him for a few days before we went to the beach to get clean. He was suppose to be looking the other way for cop watch while I bathe, but he was looking at me instead and expressed sexual interest. I made a joke saying "we're married now, so do your job and cop-watch for your spouse." He kept going with that joke after that, and I went along with it because he wasn't bad-looking and we started fooling around. I'm very much into hand-stuff, as it turns out and i really wanted to do it on him to see his reactions. People really enjoy sex, don't they? I showed him mine for showing me his, and he inquired on doing on more. I let him do some hand stuff to me, but I wasn't really reacting. Don't know what that was about but it's nothing to worry about. I felt fine just doing stuff to him and watching his reactions and learning how to do it right. He wasn't, though. One night he started whining about some past experiences with past relationships and I was like "What? Are you being serious?" I felt bad for him, so I let him continue, and told him I was willing to do more than hand-stuff but he would have to go get tested. He seemed ok with it at first, but he started developing a negative attitude and I got very confused by it. I kept inquiring on what was wrong and he said confusing things, like some kind of weird story in pieces of each other. Something about "trying him like a friend", and "forcing contact". I had already explained to him this was my first relationship in a long time and I just didn't know how to do some stuff, but now he was complaining about it. But, really, I also didn't feel like I had had to be so lovey-dovey in a contact type way. I gave him money, and bought him stuff. And, we'd make out during the day and fool around at night. He also taught me a lot about amping, to take the good with the bad. After 4 days of drama, he finally told me that not wanting just jump into sex with him made him feel ugly. 4 days all the while having not gotten tested and complaining about me wanting him to get tested at least twice. Also saying various things about me being sexually broken. Yep. Abusive language. I told him that if I made him feel ugly I should just broke this thing off and stay away from him. However, over that time for less than 2 weeks, another person joined us in camping. He's very nice and thought we all made a great camping team. He pointed out some of my faults, but those faults were do to having to go to work and the drama that I didn't even start, so I didn't think that was fair. I ended up leaving the team, being the anti-drama person I am. But, not after giving the not-even-a-good-fuck-boy another handjob at an attempt to try continue to get along with him. That one felt way more forced than the other hand stuff we were doing, but more for emotional reasons. I really felt pity for him - little old me, making someone feel ugly? I felt bad for myself. I felt horrible for a few seconds. I let time pass and tried to camp with the other 2 again a few times, but it didn't work out for some reason or another. The universe was CLEAR in wanting me to part was with the guy. I didn't want to part ways the other person, though, so things kind of worked out between us. I've totally removed the guy from my life now. The other person I'm still in contact with and I'll try to help them as best I can. But, they are both why my second got stolen. I had just gotten it a few days prior to seeing them again after a few days of being part. I put the phone in the window, but they gave a random person permission to move it, and it got stolen from there. Stupidity has now cost me more more money. As of right now I can't replace the phone, but for good reason. One this past Friday, I found a place to stay! YAY! I pay rent, so other expenses have to be put aside - including the phone. Unfortunately, that's getting in the way of getting other jobs. Costing me money! People don't seem to understand "My phone was stolen so you'll have to contact me via email until I replace it". That just flies over people's heads. I make enough money for myself but the money comes so requinely it's in small increments, which is a problem in itself. However, if the job didn't pay weekly I would quit because it's a terrible place and weekly pay is the only thing they have going for them. The store I'm working in has a union so we can't be fired for no reason, but that doesn't mean we're treated properly. The union literally can't insure that we'll be treated fairly and with respect. That would mean mini-managing the store when they have so many other stores that they cover. I'm going to inquire and what the union CAN do, though... after I replace my phone. Hopefully, I'll be able to encourage some of the other workers to contact the union with their concerns, as well. Given the experiences with both, I would say I would much rather be housed and employed than homeless and employed. No one has respect for themselves or the working person. The shelters and feeding times make everything more difficult. It was easier to sleep outside and work, than be in the shelter. When you're in the shelter you're working on someone else's time, ALL THE TIME. Very few shelters ACROSS THE COUNTRY are able to accommodate working people and their various schedules. I got lucky because it's summer in MN - perfect for camping! And, I also had help learning the ropes, and people to hang out with. That wouldn't have been able to work in the winter time. There are also places were the people are much less... "people". I'm going to leave this here, and the next entry is going to be about the house! In the meantime, I do want to point out that I'm thankful for everything I've learned from the guy that the intimaicy went bad with. I'm also thankful for the other guy I met, that I still talk to. They both tought me a lot in various ways. I know learned a lot about myself along with camping. See ya next time! |
Archives
May 2019
Categories
All
|