The journey from there to here
Published on September 12, 2004 By Gideon MacLeish In Misc
Well, as it's becoming obvious that our every attempt to generate enough income to pay the rent is coming up short, we're making alternative plans. We're scraping up enough money to get a P.O. Box, an old minivan and a storage shed. We've decided that living out of the minivan on BLM land will be preferable to Vegas; we can eke out a living off of cans until I can get something better...and once I scrape up enough, the scrapyard does eventually have camping trailers for sale. It sounds quite primitive, and it is, but frankly, so is living in a roach infested motel between two crack addicts and downstairs from the happy hooker. That's not the kind of life I want to raise my children in.

The climate here is moderate; we'll need to hunker down in the winter, but we've camped out in colder weather than the coldest it gets here; if we can scrape up enough for a trailer with a heater, the heater should suffice. I think after that, our next agenda will be to get a small generator; if I can run my computer as a word processor and a small refrigerator, we can make a go of things.

I'm still making the trip into Vegas next week, though...we have some things we need to pawn, and we'll get a better price there (here, I got a whopping $25 for my guitar). I have my eye on a cheap minivan once the funds are together, and I think I can talk the guy down by explaining our situation (it's for a charity, so the van was donated, so he's not out anything).

I'm down to begging for a job; I asked a friend of mine who knows the owner of the donut shop to put in a word for me.

Comments (Page 1)
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on Sep 12, 2004
Been ther Gideon...and worked my way back. You will too!! Just hang in there with that positive attitude and be comforted that our prayers are with you and your family.
on Sep 12, 2004

Holy cats Gideon...is there anything I can do to help?

You and yours are in my thoughts...I will be trying to send a good luck vortex your way.

on Sep 12, 2004
dharmagrl you are truly an angel.
on Sep 12, 2004
dharma,

The good luck is probably the biggest thing...at Karma's suggestion, we did set up a paypal account at miner432004@yahoo.com just in case anyone wants to help with some small token, but ultimately, it's just a matter of seeing what this round brings.

I'm hoping unemployment comes through this week, although we decided when this became imminent that as to the rent, if we can't pay all of it, we will probably have to hold off paying any of it....better to be homeless than broke AND homeless.

We've applied for TANF, but...IF we receive that (so many hoops to jump through), it's probably going to be at least six weeks or more. I think I've personally successfully debunked the idea of the career welfare bum...if they're doing it, they aren't doing it in Nevada, that's for sure.
on Sep 12, 2004

Gid:  that's a good idea about the rent. 


I don't know what to do or say, gid.  I can't help but feel that there must be something more I can do.....let me think on it for a while and I'll come back and let you know what I came up with.  In the meantime...would you be willing to relocate?  Do you have the means to get to a different city or town?  If this is feasable, please let me know....

on Sep 12, 2004
We don't have the means to move at the time, unfortunately...when I first blogged on this, LW had an idea that would have helped if we could get there.

I'll keep everyone updated if that changes, though
on Sep 12, 2004

Hey, I talked to Dave....we'd like to help.  Tell me what you need.  Would us helping you out with some food stuff help?  It's not going to be much because we're not rich...but hopefully it'll make a difference.


Let me know...you have my email address.

on Sep 12, 2004
gideon, even though im not commenting on a daily basis, please know i am reading these.  this may sound insensitive but, in addition to the very valid personal reasons youve chosen to document your situation, youre creating a valuable and poignant slice of life that truly deserves a much larger audience.  if i had any solid journalist contacts, id be pushing them to publish.  someone here may be connected to someone able to do that but hasnt realized or considered it yet.  failing that, if its cool with you, id have no problem emailing the editors of the vegas and la metro papers.  the worst they can do is screw up and not follow through.
on Sep 12, 2004

failing that, if its cool with you, id have no problem emailing the editors of the vegas and la metro papers. the worst they can do is screw up and not follow through.


Me too.  I'll be happy to do whatever I can to get you the help you and yours deserve.  You're a good man, Gideon, and I want to see you and your family taken care of.  Kingbee and I can co-ordinate and do an e-mail shot to your local (and not-so-local) papers and see if we can get the right people to st up and pay attention.


Mano - thanks...I'm just me.  I'm just trying to help my fellow human being out.  I've been helped in the past, so now I'm trying to pass that on and help someone else.

on Sep 12, 2004
Mano - thanks...I'm just me. I'm just trying to help my fellow human being out. I've been helped in the past, so now I'm trying to pass that on and help someone else.


Well just you is fine by me!
I'd offer to help as well but I'm practically on another planet with lots of our own problems at the moment.
on Sep 12, 2004

I'd offer to help as well but I'm practically on another planet with lots of our own problems at the moment.


I understand totally...this is the first time I've really been in a position to offer to help and be able to back it up.  I'm just frustrated that Gideon and his family have been failed by a system that's supposed to come into play at times like these.  I honestly believe that it's because of all the abuse that's gone on in recent years - it makes it that much harder for truly needy people, folks who would use the welfare system as it was meant to be used, to get the help they need, when they need it.


I'm still willing to make good on emailing the papers.  Whatever it takes, as far as I'm concerned. 

on Sep 12, 2004
If you were in Indiana I would know of a million resources available to you as well as a cheap one bedroom apartment for $100 a week with all utilities included. It's the place I just moved out of and the owner loves to help people in rough jams. The only thing I can suggest is keep calling churches and stuff like that, which I'm sure you've probably already done.

Otherwise... my prayers and good wishes and such are with you all...
on Sep 12, 2004
I work for a media organisation so if you were in Australia I'd be able to give you some numbers to call, but there's not much I can do across the Pacific. Have you tried writing a couple of opinion pieces and emailing them to every newspaper you can think of? They won't pay you much if they decide to print, but it might be worth a shot. If you've got a suit then doing a walk-in could be a good idea (if you can afford to get to the paper's office). Take a decent resume and and portfolio and do your best to win over the reception people and you might have a better chance. I'm guessing you've already tried all this though.

Hang in there mate. It can only get better from where you are.
on Sep 12, 2004
gideon, even though im not commenting on a daily basis, please know i am reading these. this may sound insensitive but, in addition to the very valid personal reasons youve chosen to document your situation, youre creating a valuable and poignant slice of life that truly deserves a much larger audience.


And that's the main reason for this blog series, actually. This allows me to save this information on the internet, so that I don't have to worry as much about saving it to disk. My intent is, once we're in a better position, to throw this stuff together. Consider these my working notes, essentially.

Yes, if you can get the attention of editors, I would appreciate it. Unfortunately, I don't have a suit at present; although I am probably taking a trip into Vegas this week and may be able to get a clothing voucher from the Salvation Army to help me obtain a halfway decent sports jacket and some slacks.

I'm not sure if I will be online starting tomorrow or not; I got a billing notice from my ISP, and I don't know how long until they yank the service. If I suddenly disappear, I'll make sure to get down to the local library at least once a week.

I appreciate the support I have gotten from each of you, and, frankly, have appreciated this experience as it rebuffs a lot of myths people have about the welfare system. As a side note, I was going to enroll at the community college for some courses related to journalism for part of my work/education requirement, and was told that educational courses don't count towards the work requirement. Funny, because in the way this whole "reform" was presented, 2 year or fewer educational programs were supposed to count...but I digress.

dharma...you've got mail.
on Sep 12, 2004
king,

I need your email address whenever you get on tonight so I can send you my contact info for media. You can send it to: miner432004@yahoo.com
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