LOTS OF NEWS

Carlos assigned me to another job coach - Ray Tafoyer - and in about a week, I got hired at the Sears call center. I have orientation on the 12th and training begins on the 15th and lasts for 4 weeks.

Catalina House/Traveler's Aid Society got everyone at the House Xmas presents and threw a nice dinner at the House. I finally got a bathrobe!

A SALLY REUNION

I ran into Ed at the Ronstadt Center and he's now living a Primavera instead of the 4 bedroom apartment he had through JEC. As he put it, that's what happens when you "piss dirty."

Addiction is one problem that the homeless have that doesn't seem to be addressed very well in Tucson.

WOOHOO!

I finally got my CAT CARD and I've already taken out two books that weren't available at the public library.

GRATITUDE

Since I moved to the Catalina House, my sense of thankfulness has gradually declined and I think this is a good time to note some of the many things I should be greatful for.

First, the state of Arizona for providing food stamps and healthcare coverage. The food stamps have been very helpful.

Second, the Traveler's Aid Society for providing free and greatly discounted monthly bus passes. I don't have a car so I depend on the bus to get around.

Third, Laverne, Marg and Mike at the Catalina House. From what I've heard, the folks who used to run the House were both martinets and drug addicts. These three are friendly and helpful to me.

Fourth, Internet availability. I can use the PCs at the Armory Park Senior Center, the Shot in the Dark Cafe, Access Tucson, the public libraries and the U of A libraries.

I GET A LITTLE NERVOUS

At least two of the jobs I applied for yesterday were advertised by employment agencies and I don't have much hope of getting a job through them.

I do have an appt. with Steve from the League of Conservation voters at 1 P.M. but I have the feeling that the job will involve a lot of walking.

At 3:30, I meet again with Carlos and maybe he'll have found something by then.

(And maybe not)

I'M STARTING TO HAVE DOUBTS

Doubts about the job service Voc Rehab sent me to. Today I went in for what I hoped to be a series of job interviews set up by the service but instead all I got to do was fill out applications at 2 call centers. One of them, APAC, turned me down because I didn't have enough experience.

What I found disturbing was how Carlos approached this. He seemed to just take a glance at the Daily Star and decided that call centers would be a good choice. He also seems about as computer literate as Lee Berendt, the president of LTI who didn't know how to copy & paste.

A NICE TOUCH

A recently got a letter from DES that contained my NYS birth certificate AND a little "thank you" note. I had previously made a point of telling DES that their original form for NYS birth certificates was ONLY applicable to New York City and I think this was DES's way of thanking me for the information.

A PRIMAVERA REUNION

Last night, Phil and Pat ran into me at the Dark Side coffee shop on Broadway. Phil worked at Primavera until a recent dirty urinalysis. Pat was a client and is now on staff. The good news from them is that Aubrey got a full-time job at St. Mary's Hospital and now has a place of his own. I've got both their cell numbers so I'll be able to stay in touch when I finally breakdown and get a cell phone.

SATURDAY NOTES

I was approved by Voc Rehab for assistance. I have an appointment with a job assistant next Friday and I will be getting a free November bus pass by then. Pedro, my counselor, said that I should get 2-3 estimates of the cost of driving lessons if I want VR to pay for getting a driver's license.


I woke up pretty beat today and even after plenty of caffeine, I haven't woken up. I think I have a minor cold so I called Kris the canvass manager and told him I wouldn't be coming in today. I don't like to miss a chance to help defeat Kyl but I'm just too pooped to do much walking. This will give me a chance to do a much-needed laundry.

DISABILITY

When I went in for my first or second interview with DES, I was a little surprised when the case worker hinted that I might be eligible for disability. I now see why: many people in ShelterWorld are on some form of disability and some are getting it on what seem to me to be dubious grounds.

RAVELLED SLEEVES

Although I am no longer bone-tired from lack of sleep, I still haven't had a good night's sleep at the Catalina House. I still get up a few times a night to urinate and I don't ever seem to gently fall asleep.

A LOT OF WALKING

Despite having my bike, canvassing involves a lot of walking. The worst part for my knees are the stairs in apartment complexes. I am encouraged by the people I do manage to talk to - they either have voted or are determined to vote Democratic.

WOOHOO!!!

I was getting worried about not having a job prospect but that's changed. I saw an ad in the U of A's student paper for convassing, sent them and e-mail and - voila -I've been hired by the local Democratic Party to help get out the vote. It's a temporary position but it should pay for another 3 months rent at the Catalina House with a little left over for personal spending.

EMPLOYMENT AGENCIES

In the last few months, I spoken with two execs at local agencies and each time I came away with the strong impression that they didn't understand my resume. Today, the woman I spoke didn't even bother to look at my resume but she did ask questions about my job application. The application had only a couple of lines to give not only one's job title but also the job's duties. I basically had just enough room to put down the titles.

She told me that I should also put my resume with other agencies, so I doubt that I will get anything from hers.

STRESS: A PERSONAL EXAMPLE

While I was at the Sally and still in the Jackson program, I developed a urination problem. I would have to pee several times after I went to bed, once 5 times in an hour. I also "dribbled" and had intestinal pain when I urinated. I went to the El Rio clinic and the blood tests came out negative but one of the doctors suggested that the symptoms may be caused by stress.

When I left the Sally and the Jackson program, the symptoms disappeared.

ACADEMICS ON LEARNED HELPLESSNESS AND THE HOMELESS

I found this article on EBSCO via the UA:


Hope in homeless people: a phenomenological study
Mary Partis Public Health and Primary Care Unit, City University, London, UK

Primary Health Care Research and Development 2003; 4: 9–19

(excerpt)


To be without a home is to be placed in a position of
insecurity (financial, emotional and social), and
vulnerability with no permanent claim to individual
space and no sense of being able to build on
the emotional foundation a sense of home provides
(Bentley, 1994). Trapped by a lack of resources
homeless people profoundly experience society’s
inequalities, which has consequences for prioritizing
goals. In a qualitative study (Newman, 1993)
homeless women experienced feelings of giving
up, self-blame and helplessness. Goodman et al.,
(1991) who proposed that learned helplessness is
a highly prevalent psychological state among
homeless people who frequently experience, poverty,
eviction and abuse of all types, has reiterated
this view.

Here's the Goodman citation:

Goodman, L., Saxe, L. and Harvey, H. 1991: Homelessness as
psychological trauma. American Psychologist 46, 11: 1219–
1225.

Another article from EBSCO:

Homelessness as psychological trauma: : Broadening Perspectives,
By: Goodman, Lisa, Saxe, Leonard, Harvey, Mary,
American Psychologist, 0003066X, Nov 91, Vol. 46, Issue 11

(excerpts)

...among those who are not psychologically traumatized by becoming homeless, the ongoing condition of homelessness—living in shelters with such attendant stressors as the possible loss of safety, predictability, and control—may undermine and finally erode coping capabilities and precipitate symptoms of psychological trauma.

Behaviors indicative of learned helplessness may be consequences of homelessness because, like other traumas, becoming homeless frequently renders people unable to control their daily lives. Homeless people, whether they live in the streets, in cars, in shelters, in welfare hotels, or in other temporary accommodations, experience daily assaults on their sense of personal control. They may depend on help from others to fulfill their most basic needs, such as eating, sleeping, keeping clean, guarding personal belongings, and caring for children. Although the poverty that precedes most homelessness (Rossi, 1990) is itself likely to engender feelings of homelessness and depression (e.g., Holzer et al., 1986), homelessness, by adding a new dimension of deprivation, is likely to greatly exacerbate these feelings.


Although researchers have not yet directly investigated the extent of learned helplessness among homeless people, they have documented high rates of depression, a component of learned helplessness, among the homeless. For example, in Breakey et al.'s (1989) survey of homeless people in Baltimore, affective disorders were the most frequently identified DSM–III–R Axis I diagnoses other than substance abuse. In a study of homeless women in New York City, D'Ercole and Struening (1990) reported that on a commonly used measure of depression, their respondents obtained a mean score well above that used as a cutoff for clinical depression. These findings are not proof that homelessness leads to depression, as depression has also been shown to precede homelessness (see Breakey et al., 1989; Koegel, Burnam, & Farr, 1988). However, they are consistent with the theory that becoming homeless and living in a shelter can exacerbate a person's sense of helplessness and thus heighten the risk of depression.


Learned helplessness theory suggests that the real absence of control in the lives of homeless people eventually can engender a generalized passivity. The ongoing experience of helplessness may lead to an apparent unwillingness on the part of some homeless people to fight for themselves or to utilize the often meagre services available to them. Some may come to view their daily difficulties with apparent indifference, as if they do not expect to move into better circumstances, whereas others may become overly dependent on social service or mental health professionals. In either case, as the stressors inherent in being homeless persist, feelings of helplessness and the passivity these feelings engender can become entrenched and pervasive (Flannery, 1987).

LEARNED HELPLESSNESS

Few people in ShelterWorld have much control over their daily lives and when that is coupled with demeaning treatment at places like the Sally or the Jackson Center, many can become depressed due to learned helplessness:


Learned helplessness is a psychological condition where a human or animal has learned that it is helpless. It feels that it has no control over its situation and that whatever it does is futile. As a result it will stay passive when the situation is unpleasant or harmful.

It is a well-established principle in psychology, a description of the effect of inescapable punishment (such as electrical shock) on animal (and by extension, human) behaviour. Learned helplessness may also occur in everyday situations where continued failure may inhibit somebody from experiencing agency in the future, leading to many forms of depression. The theory was developed by Martin Seligman and S.F. Meir through experiments going back to 1965.

LITTLE THINGS

When one is coming out of ShelterWorld, there are many little things that seem to disproportionately increase one's happiness. I have recently started to bring my AM/FM radio with me when I do voter registration and I really enjoy being able to keep track of the crazy wingnuts while I'm at work.

good news, BAD NEWS

Yes, the capitalization is egocentric.

The good news is that Gabrielle Giffords will likely defeat Randy Graf for the House seat in AZ District 8 and the proposition to increase the minimum wage in Arizona will be approved. The BAD NEWS is that the groups that are paying ACORN in support of these two goals have decided to close up shop in Tucson and that means I will be out of a job after tomorrow. I've already sent in a resume to a hiring agency and made a phone call about another position, so I'm not too depressed. I also will have more than 2 months in the bank, so I don't have any immediate fear of being out on the street.

ANOTHER TAKE ON KENNY

Despite being a helping hand, the agencies for the homeless in Tucson are also a source of stress and what I believe should be called situational depression:

The cause of depression is the subject of intense study. Experts believe genetic traits, along with stressful events, illness, medications, or other factors, can lead to an imbalance of certain brain chemicals called neurotransmitters, causing depression. Conditions that may trigger an episode of depression include:

• Social stressors, such as the death of a loved one
• Chronic stressors, such as living in poverty, having family difficulties, or having serious medical problems or living with someone who does.

The Jackson Employment Center is a source of stress. We are forced to go out into the summer heat (105+) dressed in a undershirt, long sleeve dress short and a sport or suit coat. In addition, we are often treated by the staff as if we were misbehaving 6 year olds. Once I was told by Cheryl Bakari that a staff member had noticed that I was taking too much time in the bathroom and was going to the bathroom too often. This was coupled with the directly implied threat that if I didn't change my bathroom behavior, I would lose my bed at the Sally and be out on the streets.

Ken was treated similarly and after having two bad job experiences and the loss of his ShelterWorld girlfriend, he may have reached his personal limit for putting up with adversity.

I MEET AUBREY

I know Aubrey from the Primavera shelter and I ran into him outside the main library after I had deposited my paycheck. He seems to be doing well and had been to St. Mary's earlier today for a second interview, so things are beginning to look up for him.

We talked briefly about Ken and Aubrey says Ken is going into rehab. That's good news because I was afraid that Ken was going to end up on the streets.

KENNY MAKES ANOTHER EXIT

Yesterday, I thought Vester told Ken that this would be his last week but he could've said his last day. Either way, Ken didn't show up for work at ACORN today and this appears to be a continuation of his downward spiral since he quit his job at the laundry.

When I went out with Ken to register voters, he would routinely turn in between 0 and 2 registrations except for the one time he got 8 at PCC West. (That time, I gave him 2 of my own to bring his total to 10 for the day.) Despite knowing that our hourly pay is pegged to how many voters we have signed up ($7 to start, $8 after the 1st 20, then dollar raises for each additional 20 until we max out at $10/hr), Ken refused to make any effort to sign-up voters. Finally, Vester's supervisor noticed and told Vester to fire Ken.

I also heard from Manny, a fellow register, that yesterday Ken tried to coerce Manny into buying Ken lunch. This means that once again, Ken has blown his food stamps well before the renewal date.

I'm sure Ken has many excuses for this but the preponderance of the blame falls on him and him alone.

HIDDEN RULES

One problem the homeless face in ShelterWorld is ignorance of the rules. Sometimes, this is because the "rules" are well-hidden until you personally are in a situation that invokes the "rule." For example, at the Sally, Elisha refused to let anyone stay in after 7:30 AM unless they had a doctor's note that explicitly said "bed rest." I as noted below, "stay inside" would not suffice for her.

SHELTERWORLD TIDBITS

Below I noted how strict the Sally is with some people but I didn't make clear what the rules are for people on medical stay like Rufus. They cannot leave the building except for medical appointments, so technically Rufus broke a rule. I do think that immediate expulsion was an overreaction on The Bitch's part and I later found that she told Paul, also a medical resident, that he would be expelled if he attended Sunday service at the Salvation Army.

Shortly after I left the Sally, I called and asked if they would hold on to my mail for a couple of weeks. I was told by Elisha that they do not hold mail, they simply write "return to sender" and give it to the mailman. This is another example of how inconsiderate Elisha is and how little Jerry Brillo, the manager of the Sally, cares about the residents.

ON THE OTHER HAND...

Below I presented a one-sided view of Ken and I will try to point out another side. In addition to putting up with the almost daily humiliations when he was in the Jackson program, Ken also woke up at 3 AM each weekday to be at his job at a laundry at 5 AM. Despite having a job, neither Jackson nor the Sally would let him re-enter the Sally before 3 PM and would not let him stay in on his days off. Ken stuck with this exhausting routine for perhaps 2 weeks and I was amazed at his physical and emotional endurance.

I MAKE ANOTHER MOVE!

I just finished the paperwork to get into a private room at the Catalina House. This means I will be a short walk from Ronstadt, the Senior Center (internet access) and the plasma center. Perhaps best of all, I will not be woken up at 5 AM!

I will pay only $200/month and the program can last up to 2 years, so I will have plenty of time to pay off debts and find a better job.

AYFKM*

Dave Martin, the ex-felon, current psycho and women-beater, has been accepted back into the Sally!


* Are you fucking kidding me?

I MAKE ANOTHER CHANGE

I've gotten sick of Ken's don't-give-a-shit attitude about voter registration and today I asked for and received a different partner. Good for me! (I also didn't want to hear about his latest "tragedy.")

ATTITUDES

Some of the homeless have chosen their condition. They get a government check once a month and use that to party and rent a cheap hotel room for a couple of weeks. After that, they stay in shelters until the next monthly check and the cycle repeats.

Others have what I think is an attitude problem. They are angry and consumed with stupid, short-term self-interest. (NOTE: I can recognize this in others because I am similar to them.)

One fellow I know well, Ken Murphy, routinely runs out of food stamps well before the 1st of the month because he insists on buying expensive food because it tastes great to him. When he runs out, others help him pick up the slack but they still have food stamp money because they purchased more wisely.

I introduced Ken to PCs and the Internet one weekend and it was clear that he needed to know a lot more in addition to getting practice with the keyboard. A day or two later, we were talking around 8 AM and he said he had "time to kill" before an appointment at 11 AM. I didn't say anything then but instead of wasting time, he could have gone to a public library (there was one about 10 minutes away) or the U of A library and practiced by doing his PC & Internet search skills. Ken has made that comment a few times since then and has done little or no Internet searching on his own. Finally, after a few weeks of "killing time," he found some valuable information - the whereabouts of his daughters, although I don't see how that is of any help in his current situation. He did not find any information about Angie, his former GF who had gotten a restraining order on him and had not done so by the time of his appeal hearing yesterday. He was going to try to get it postponed but I do not know if he was successful.

Ken and I both work for ACORN as voter registers. His performance has been dismal and he frankly doesn't care as long as he's getting $7/hr. We get a raise to $8/hr after we sign up 20 people and most of us got that during our 1st week. Ken still doesn't have 20 after more than 2 weeks and doesn't seem likely to get to 20 any time soon. He plans to use his 1st paycheck to pay off traffic fines in Illinois so he can get his AZ driver's license back. He then thinks that he can easily find a job. We'll see.

$$$ AND SHELTERWORLD

I've had conversations with a few Sally clients about how differently some clients are treated by the staff at the Sally and we came to a tentative conclusion that it was all about money. If the Sally collects money for your bed, you get more privileges than others.

David Martin is a good example of this differential treatment. David was living downstairs at the Sally and that means he only had a single roommate, not 35 dormmates. He was also less restricted than most of the other clients, who had to be out of the building at 7:30 AM, rain or shine, and could return no earlier than 3 PM and no later than 5 PM. David could stay in until he decided to leave and his curfew was 10 PM during the week and 11 PM on weekends.

David was enrolled in the RAPP/Project Connect program, part of La Frontera:

Services include outreach, psychiatric evaluation and medication, medication monitoring, case management, individual and group counseling, and alternative holistic groups for homeless adults with a serious mental illness (SMI).

David told me that he had spent 5 years in prison and was currently on parole. He also mentioned that he had been diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic and had a prescription for Thorazine. I don't know what he was sentenced for but I do know he is still a drug addict. David had little jobs working for a moving company and a rental car company that paid him in cash and he also sold blood plasma but he was always short of cigarettes and cigarette money. It took me a while to catch on that he was using his income for drugs.

What stands out for me was the discovery that a female client of the Sally had gotten a restraining order on David. She subsequently left the shelter but David was permitted to stay. To put this in context, I was once yelled at by a staff member for merely walking out of the dining room with a cup of coffee.


Recently I learned that David had left the Sally and the RAPP program. I heard that he had ripped off several people at the Sally and that Tommy Hopkins, who seemed to be David's good friend, was afraid of him. Leaving the Sally and RAPP are parole violations but apparently no one called David's PO. I met David by the plasma center and I suspect he was going to mug me after I finished selling my plasma.

PRIMAVERA ROCKS...SORT OF

They let everyone stay inside on Labor Day and that's something that wouldn't happen at the Sally. OTOH, they did make everyone leave on THR when it was pouring rain.

THE BITCH AT THE SALLY*

*That's the Tucson Salvation Army homeless shelter. The bitch is Elisha and I think her last name is Contreras. Rufus (AKA Rebel) told me she booted him out for 90 days simply because he went to Sunday service at the Salvation Army church. I thought about that for a bit and decided to add in my own experiences with the little cunt. Here's the e-mail I sent to Salvation Army headquarters in Phoenix:

Dear Sir(s),

My name is Steven Jandreau and I was a resident at the Army's Tucson Shelter. I am still grateful for having a place to stay and food to eat during a time of need. However, that does not excuse the malicious behavior of Elisha, a case manager at the shelter. I personally know of several people who have had their lives made more difficult because of her decisions and here I will give two examples from my own experience.

1) One Saturday, I came down with a gastro-intestinal problem which later turned out to be Salmonella poisoning. I was admitted to St. Mary's Hospital the following Sunday and released on Monday after receiving 5 liters of saline solution. I was given a form by the chief nurse that my activities should be limited to 'as tolerated" and since I still had diarrhea, I assumed that I would be allowed to stay inside the shelter until the diarrhea had diminished. Elisha refused to let me stay inside and even refused my request for toilet paper. As a result, for the first time in my life, I defecated in public.

2) After several days of pain in my right knee, I went to see my PCP one Thursday. He drained about 40 cc. of fluid from my knee and later it was determined that pseudo-gout (calcium pyrophosphate) was the cause. The PCP gave me a note recommending that I be allowed to "stay inside" until my knee felt better. On Friday morning, Mr. Jerry Brillo read the note and said it was OK for me to stay inside. On Monday, Elisha said that it was not OK and that the note had to say "bed rest." Fortunately, my knee had healed by then, otherwise I would have been forced to walk around with a bad knee.

I sent this last THR and I will keep on this until I get a response.

BRAVO PRIMAVERA

Unlike the Salvation Army Hospitality House, the Primavera Men's Shelter does NOT give the clients the boot on national holidays. Everyone was allowed to stay inside this past Labor Day and that was a great break for most of the residents.

YES!!!!!

I make the Day Program! Vester, the supervisor at ACORN, agreed to give me another 5 hours a week and he will look into whether or not he could pay me but the big plus for me is the extra time I have for sleeping. I have not had a solid night's sleep since I entered ShelterWorld and on most days I am almost "out of it" by 2 PM because of sleep deprivation.

EVEN BETTER

When I spoke with Adam at Primavera Works, he told me that a 30 hour a week job counts as full-time and that means I would be able to stay/sleep in on the weekends and leave after 7 AM on weekdays!

The ACORN job is 25 hours a week and I will try to get another 5 hours, even if I have to work for free.

A WORKAROUND!!!

I just spoke with Cory and I may be able to go to work for ACORN registering voters. It's a part-time position so I will have plenty of time for job searching AND I will get some $$$ coming in! I will also be free from the threat of losing my bed because I don't want to work a shitty Primavera manual labor job.

TROUBLE IN PARADISE

Although I have noticed a large decrease in the amount of stress I experience since leaving JEC and the Salvation Army shelter, not all is calm in Primavera Paradise. The case managers at Primavera Works insist that I go out on one of their manual labor jobs or lose my bed at the shelter. I've been able to avoid this so far but Adam recently advised me to get some work shoes and pants. I got the pants but there weren't any shoes at the Blue Door store, so I may be safe for another few days.

In the meantime, I am trying to get a letter from my former osteopathic surgeon that states I have osteoarthritis in both knees and cannot do prolonged heavy manual labor. Janitor work is just fine but pick and shovel work are out for me. I hope this letter will satisfy the case managers but if not, I plan to look into the implications of the Americans with Disabilities Act on my situation.

SLEEP

I have been without the "Sleep that knits up the ravell'd sleeve of care" since I entered ShelterWorld and even Primavera doesn't seem that concerned. Tomorrow I have a 2:30 PM job interview and I asked a case manager if I could stay at the shelter until then but the answer was no. Fortunately for me, Tom was kind enough to agree to let me sleep in his lab until I need to go to the interview. He won't get in until 9:30, so I will stay in the U. of A. main library until then.

JOB SEARCH WEB SITES

MATURE WORKER CONNECTION

CRAIG'S LIST - TUCSON

CPSA


AZ JOB CONNECTION

FEDERAL JOBS

STATE JOBS

COUNTY JOBS

CITY JOBS

U OF A

TUSD

CFSD

AJB

TUCSONHELPWANTED.COM

CAREER BUILDER - TUCSON

AZ CHILDREN ASSOC.

AMPHI SCHOOL DISTRICT


DAILY WILDCAT

TUCSON WEEKLY

I MAKE A CHANGE

On Tuesday and Wednesday, I didn't go into the Jackson Employment Center (JEC). On Tuesday I was looking for replacement dress shoes and on Wednesday I had to get my Fluoxetine (Prozac) prescription refilled. These two days of comparative freedom gave me some time to think about my present circumstances and I came to 2 conclusions: 1) I had to get out of the Salvation Army Shelter and 2) I wasn't going to wear a business outfit in the heat and humidity of August in Tucson when I was just dropping off resumes or filling out applications.

On Wednesday, I managed get to into the Primavera men's shelter and I also decided that I had had enough of the Jackson Center.

The new shelter has several advantages over the old one:

- Curfew is 7 PM instead of 5 PM. I now have more time for job searching, errands and "me time."

- Space. Although the sleeping arrangments are much like a WW II submarine, the high ceilings and unwalled patio give me the sense of less restiction. In addition, the patio is open all night.

- Respect. I did not have to turn in my prescription and that I means that I do not have to go to the front desk when I need to take a pill.

- Comfort. The swamp cooler WORKS! Last night, I even had to use a light blanket.

The one drawback is laundry. I can no longer do my own laundry and apparently I have to do a shelter chore to get ¾ths of a pillow case of dirty clothes washed.

THE HEALTH NET

Last Saturday, about 1:15 PM, I became ill with Salmonella poisoning, although I did not know it at the time. On Sunday, I went to a local emergency room and was admitted to the hospital where I received 5 liters of an intravenous saline solution over the next 26 hours.

It was nice to be in a real bed and I was also fortunate to have been given a private room. Unfortunately, the diarrhea didn't allow me to catch up on badly needed sleep time.

On Monday, about 11 AM, a doctor came into my room to inform of the test results. He said there was no bacterial infection and that I had a stomach virus. He did not say that the lab tests of my stool sample had yet to be finished. I was discharged later that evening and despite earleir asking for a work release form, I didn't get one. The head nurse told me that the doctor who had spoken to me had left, so there was no one to sign the form. I also didn't think to ask for bed rest on Tuesday, an oversight I paid for dearly in the park next to the homeless shelter.


Aside from the doctor who came to my room, I was impressed with the care I received at St. Mary's Hospital. Dr. Levine, the admitting emergency room physician, was competent, courteous and efficient and the nurses Marla, Deborah and Judy were all very considerate to me. The tech Al was also very nice, even after I had an accident in the room's bathroom.

"LITTLE KNOWN FACTS"

That was a phrase used by an old friend of mine to describe BS. In the shelter, there are several residents who are virtual warehouses of these "facts" and I think I may have come across my first "jailhouse lawyer." In his considered opinion, Jesse Ventura was illegally elected and the IRS is unconstitutional. Last night, from another resident, I learned that Hermann Goering was still alive and living in Syria. Here's the truth:

On 15 October 1946, two hours before his execution was due to take place, Goering committed suicide in his Nuremberg cell, taking a capsule of poison that he had succeeded in hiding from his guards during his captivity.

ON THE HOMELESS CULTURE

I've noticed that more than a few people I recognize from the shelter also hit the libraries and I suspect that this is a more general phenomenon, at least in Tucson. The summers here are pretty harsh and the libraries have real AC, not just swamp coolers.

For a few of the people at the shelter, this seems to be a permanent way of life. I've heard several of them greet newcomers with phrases like "You here again?" and so forth and a few have talked about being in the shelter system for years. Some are addicts, some are ex-cons, some are both addicts and ex-cons. A surprising number have some temporary or permanent physical disability, usually with their legs or feet.

PUBLIC LIBRARIES AND GAMBLING

The shelter requires to leave by 7:30 AM and not return before 3 PM. As a result, I have been spending much more time at libraries and I have noticed that many people use the internet connections to gamble online. It's probably a safe bet {:-)} that people who can't afford a PC and and ISP shouldn't be gambling.

MY FIRST DAY (CONT'D)

They give you sheets and a blanket for the bed but no pillow but the blanket can be used as one. You can do your laundry for free but you need to sign up for it. There are two soda machines but neither take dollar bills so people are often looking for change. The food is acceptable and you can even get seconds if you finish soon enough.

There is an enclosed, outdoor smoking area but otherwise there is no smoking in the building. You can only take showers in the evening which is unfortunate because sometimes the nights are humid here and one sweats during sleep.

MY FIRST DAY AT THE SHELTER

I showed up a little after Noon but they weren't taking anyone until 3 pm so I went to the library for a couple of hours. I guess i misunderstood what Mrs. Lupe said about their intake hours.

Before entering the building, we were read the list of the shelter's rules and then allowed to register. I was referred by JEC so I knew I had a bed waiting but I didn't know much beyond that. The registration process was simple although I was surprised that they took my state ID card. You get the card back if you leave the building. They also require that you hand over any prescribed medications.