Before I start this article, I would like to point to the title, which I admit needs a lot of tweaking. I decided, though, to kill the "Down and Out in America" thread title as it was overly pessimistic. So, if anyone has any good title suggestions to keep you updated that aren't as negative, I'd love to hear them.

Yesterday was interesting, to say the least. I got up at 8:30 am to get down to day labor to pick up my check. Once there, they told me I couldn't pick up the check until 4:30 pm (although I had to turn the job ticket in by no later than 2:30, so I turned it in then). The problem is, I had no gas. I had counted on the check to provide me with gas money, so I had to walk around town until 4:30 pm.

I decided to walk to one of the help agencies that can sometimes help, but they didn't have any gas vouchers left for the month, so I was pretty much spending the day in town (hitchhiking back might have been an option, but then I'd have to worry about hitching back in before the day labor office closed). I picked up some lunch supplies and a gallon of gatorade and headed for the park. In the process, I learned something: killing time is tedious when you have nothing to do.

At the end of the day, I picked up my check and received a job ticket for Monday. I headed home to find, as I've already apprised many of you, that I finally received my approval for unemployment. The sad fact is, though, it may be too little, too late (we've racked up nearly $300 in late fees on rent, and October's rent will be due soon....meaning we have to raise $1800 by October 6, which is highly improbable). Our best option may be to proceed as planned and purchase a van, a good tent, and a cookstove and move our items into storage. Tent camping is cheaper than RV camping, and we may be able to subsist this way. It's not the ideal way to live, but, I am wondering if there isn't some larger purpose behind it.

I've gotten long past being upset by it all, though; it's not productive and it only hinders activity to try to get out of the current situation.

I will note, though, that if we do the option of buying a cheap van, we're more available to relocate within a limited range (another reason it's our primary consideration at this point), so if anyone has any ideas for us, we're open to them.

signing off,

Gideon MacLeish