tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3422399840077165986.post75099095029283424..comments2023-05-06T21:30:54.925+09:00Comments on Why'd we come... all this way?: Jane Doe 183Willhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09661426960326013304noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3422399840077165986.post-4405739930012911952013-08-15T10:45:37.922+09:002013-08-15T10:45:37.922+09:00Wow, to not be too worried about having to live in...Wow, to not be too worried about having to live in a shelter, that's kind of... I don't know. Your step-son is so lucky to have a chance to experience stability at this age. When things get a little rough, your Zen approach of being able to step back from it all and stay centered is definitely a good thing. For everyone.<br /><br />That's gotta be a challenge getting through to a kid who thinks getting kicked out is no big deal. You've definitely got an excellent set of tools to choose from for this adventure. And probably a lot of patience too (for some things). Yeah, it sounds like step-son is quite a lucky kid to have the support he's got now. With time, hopefully he'll be able to add to his worldview in a way that doesn't cause too much damage to himself of others. Or at least he'll be well trained in cleaning things up after all the fun. Your husband definitely pegged the good guy/bad guy 'hurt and rescue' thing. Sounds like you've got a good setup for 'negotiation' and 'persuasion'. I sure wish I'd known more about this kind of stuff when understanding how to deal with and be around uncooperative people. <br /><br />Mensa... your number looks like it qualifies you for membership. Not really a surprise there. Stumbling into your account of the daily grind among happy hand-holding folk helps me keep things in perspective. Not that I am out of the daily grind 'cause I'm not. Being able to see how a person recognizes and chooses to deal with that which more blissful folk tend to overlook is reassuring - for me. <br /><br />Anyway...<br /><br />Japan's got its 'shiny happy' turned up so high that you can read it with a Geiger counter if you haven't been blinded by the light. Craigslist still has quite a way to go before it really catches on in this land of bliss. And I'm not exactly waiting for it to happen. Life is way too short for that kind of patience. <br /><br />Thank you. Willhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09661426960326013304noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3422399840077165986.post-5827128305435043782013-08-15T09:46:58.818+09:002013-08-15T09:46:58.818+09:00Just watched the trailer for Craiglist Joe - cool!...Just watched the trailer for Craiglist Joe - cool! I like the idea of using social media to connect with ideas through people. Though figuring out how do that in Japan isn't quite the same, if a person keeps their eyes open, there are definitely possibilities. <br /><br />Willhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09661426960326013304noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3422399840077165986.post-10146466838003420892013-08-15T03:31:07.143+09:002013-08-15T03:31:07.143+09:00"Yeah, she’s been homeless for as long as I c..."Yeah, she’s been homeless for as long as I can remember. Homeless in the sense of having no fixed address and no more possessions than what she carries with her. Admittedly, she has taken advantage of shelters from time to time."<br /> - This is an exact description of Andy's mother. And she has taught her, now 10 year old son that it is okay to be homeless and to take advantage of shelters. He actually told me that if we get kicked out of our apartment on account of his behavior, "It's okay, we can go to a shelter." She has also taught him that taking what one does not have without asking is okay. "But my mommy does it and told me if I need something and don't have money to just take it." These are the days I live now as step-mother to a child who was carelessly dragged around instead of being mothered properly. Funny the amount of Zen like moments I seem to slip away into when the shit hits the fans these days. Hubs has taken to the loud voice/threats of spanking approach. Maybe it is something of my youth coming back to snap me into my happy place when things are not right.As my hubs says, he thinks you are the good one and I am the bad one. I use logic, reasoning and the many tools that I picked up along the way as a failed psychology student still just a few classes shy of her bachelors.<br /><br />As for Mensa, didn't hear about it until I was an adult. At 15, the last time I was checked I sat pretty and quite annoyed at the series of tests at 146. A number, who knows how accurate of the truth, is probably why I have had a tough time of it all being a 'shiny happy people holding hands'. I think forcing myself to live the daily grind can account for some of my moments where I feel despair and want to run away. But then I think that running away, no matter how fast, I will always be there. Maybe there is truth to the saying ignorance is bliss. And looking in on that type of world can be angering, confusing and saddening all rolled into one giant burrito; often times with no one to share with. <br /><br />Kenneth Patchen, great poet. thegypsiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01019720222734603445noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3422399840077165986.post-84400613572641134082013-08-15T03:15:55.182+09:002013-08-15T03:15:55.182+09:00"In this day and age, if a person doesn't..."In this day and age, if a person doesn't have any kids, there's really not much to lose in terms of pulling up stakes and living the nomadic life. " - Check out Craiglist Joe, it can be done. <br /><br />I know a few chaps that decided to lead nomadic lives. James recently drove through my neck of the woods on his way to a festival with two other traveling young adults. I have been meaning to write about it.thegypsiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01019720222734603445noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3422399840077165986.post-2952894698238246312013-08-14T14:46:16.100+09:002013-08-14T14:46:16.100+09:00Your comment doesn't sound arrogant to me. Peo...Your comment doesn't sound arrogant to me. People here have told me that they believe homelessness is a choice; they do appear to only hold people in contempt when begging is involved. <br /><br />A majority of the homeless people here who I've run across have been tidy and seemed to 'have it together' more so than what is seen in the US. My observations are only based on what I've been exposed to here, which isn't much. Still, there doesn't seem to be such a harsh edge to it in Japan, though I'm sure it's no paradise. <br /><br />Although the idea of 'dropping out' for a limited time does have a certain appeal to it, I'm the only one who is preventing myself from not already experiencing the freedom I imagine such an act of 'dropping out' would provide. <br /><br />I did meet a guy who had been living in his mini motor home next to a hot spring for a few months... he said he'd sold his place in Tokyo and had decided to hit the road and enjoy a bit of the country. He didn't appear to have any regrets other than not doing things a little sooner. <br /><br />In this day and age, if a person doesn't have any kids, there's really not much to lose in terms of pulling up stakes and living the nomadic life. <br /><br />Japan is pretty generaous in attitude toward people who want to spend the night parked in a rest stop, on the side of the road, along a beach, or pretty much wherever. Willhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09661426960326013304noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3422399840077165986.post-79498562332343437652013-08-14T13:26:18.120+09:002013-08-14T13:26:18.120+09:00It's probably quite arrogant of me to assume a...It's probably quite arrogant of me to assume anything regarding the state of mind of your average homeless person, but it seems to me that homeless people here in Japan differ from most in the States in that being homeless here seems more of a conscious choice. Homeless folks here are rarely seen begging and seem to be quite adept at getting by. I've been told there's an attractive sense of freedom that calls to many homeless here. I dunno... sometimes the idea of 'dropping out' for a limited time does seem appealing, doesn't it?...Will Jhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07927492067445164618noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3422399840077165986.post-57933668085148018202013-08-13T16:23:08.306+09:002013-08-13T16:23:08.306+09:00Self-imposed weight loss where the only nutrition ...Self-imposed weight loss where the only nutrition was taken in in the form of vegetables isn't so bad when not taken to extremes that make concentration a challenge. <br /><br />Apparently, living a life where sort of staying awake for two days at a time is sort of the norm (without meth) puts a person in a different sort of cycle than everyone else who is still in the system. I have no way of knowing at this point, but I think Aunt 183's sense of time was geared to a forever kind of now state. Don't know. Maybe never will. <br /><br />Having witnessed a parent working within the social welfare system dealing with mental health issues during a time that includes the Reagan-era, the first noticeable homeless groups in the city consisted of congregations of Vietnam veterans who were simply put out on the streets. Eventually, people would be offered bus tickets to just about anywhere as an economical way of becoming a problem for someone else. <br /><br />Once a person crosses the line and goes out on the street, do things get worse? I imagine things can get harder for people to deal with. When alcohol and hard drugs become the default, it's got to be a hard life. I've never worked at a soup kitchen, so I wouldn't know. I have given out food during the holidays on an occasion or two through a church, but that was to migrant families who were already working while trying to cope with it all. <br /><br />You definitely 'got' the main part of the post. Dalida was an added bonus/twist. I'd simply been looking for a woman singing 'Hava Naguila' and ended up with a lady who happens to not be Jewish (183 wasn't). <br /><br />I recently read somewhere that Hawai'i is offering one-way tickets to a number of their homeless population. Kind of an updated version of what's been going on for ages. All of this I came across while trying to learn a little about EBT thanks to Xanax. <br /><br />If I was ever in a situation where homelessness might be considered an option, I think I would downsize first, convert a small bus or a van. Ultimately, I'd like to spend more time living with as little as possible in terms of possession. Not necessarily heaven...<br /><br />Yeah, right. <br /><br />Hadn't noticed your punctuation taking anything away from your posts or comments. <br /><br />Thank you. <br /><br /><br />Willhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09661426960326013304noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3422399840077165986.post-1447853673825309452013-08-13T14:25:43.560+09:002013-08-13T14:25:43.560+09:00I remember anorexia being a bigger subject back wh...I remember anorexia being a bigger subject back when I was in high school about 15 years ago, but you rarely hear about eating disorders. Well... Except for the one where people stuff their faces with more garbage.<br /><br />I've thankfully have never been in contact with any family that had such a strong disorder such as this or alcoholism and I fight myself all the time to keep myself from flying off the handle even though I have absolutely no problem whatsoever.<br /><br />I guess the other issue you hit on is why so many homeless people have mental issues and are they homeless because they have the problem or does the issue get worse because they are homeless. If I had the choice, I would rather live in the hills where I could probably find more decent shelter than the bus bench at the end of the block where I see the homeless guy sleeping when I leave for work in the morning. <br /><br />But in the end I will assume I know the way that you write, and I hope I got the subject matter correct, but I would however just like to show the love and attempt to understand your always entertaining but sometimes difficult to understand subjects. omg, my punctuation is atrocious, though I don't see it getting much better in the near future.hardkoretomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06637315810666645815noreply@blogger.com