When it rains it pours......I need eyeglasses

I simply can not believe how bad my luck is right now....

Since November 15th (when it opened) I have been spending most evenings at the Harvard Square Homeless Shelter which is totally run by Harvard students.

The shelter works this way as their website indicates

Two Week Beds: We are now lotterying all 14-night beds. Callers may call in between 7:30am and 8:00am to put their name in the lottery at which point the caller will receive a lottery number. The lottery will be run between 8:00am and 8:05am. People may call back between 8:05am and 8:30am as well as between 7pm and 9pm to find out if their lottery number was picked. Lottery numbers that have been selected (but not names) will also be posted on the shelter door during the day.

One Night Bed: When a guest with a reserved two week bed is not able to make it to the shelter that night, their bed is open for others to use as an emergency one night bed. Call in the evening at 9:30PM for a one-night bed.

So when the shelter opened I was able to get a bed for 8 days ( as when they open they do not give out all 14 night beds ) and then on several nights have been able to get a 'one night bed'.

If I don't get a one-night bed, it is off to the airport for a very uncomfortable sleep.

So that is good, but going to the shelter cost me dearly in another way.

Just 2 weeks ago I got a new set of bifocals as my old frame was broken. My insurance allows one set of eyeglasses a year. I put the eyeglasses inside my shoes when I went to sleep and someone stole them. Now on top of everything else I am can't see except to read.

If anyone has any suggestions on where I can go to get an inexpensive pair of glasses I would be very grateful.

Thanks

A sad story in Chicago

I can't really blame people for being leery of homeless people when I read a story like this..

Horrible

http://bit.ly/ebPQBC

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope everybody has a wonderful Thanksgiving

In the Boston area Tavern In The Square is serving free Thanksgiving Dinner starting at 11:30 AM to anyone at their locations in Central Sq Cambridge, Allston and Salem.

www.taverninthesquare.com

This has not been a good year for me but I do believe things will get better.

I guess I fit into this

Reading the print edition of Spare Change (a Boston street paper sold by vendors who are homeless) had an interesting article on how homeless people across the world have started to use social media to tell their stories.

Obviously I fit into this but it reaffirms that behind EVERY homeless person there is a story.

http://bit.ly/hJyfro

Years ago I used to date the manager of the long forgotten Mug & Muffin in Harvard Square.

It was around 1980 and she befriended a homeless man named Charlie. He was well known in Harvard Square as a hopeless but harmless drunk. Well in getting to know him she discovered that he worked for many years as a photographer around Lowell and he had served in Korea. He was candid and said he just gave up when his wife one day left for another man.

She helped him get in touch with the VA and it turned out he was eligible for benefits because of a wartime injury and he would get a retroactive check.

He promised he would sober up when he got the money but sadly he didn't make it.

The Red Line extension was being built and the old Out of Town News was actually placed on rollers so it could be moved when a new hole was dug. Charlie got confused one night and we think he was just using Out of Town as a landmark when he fell into a shaft and was killed.

But I never forgot that he did have a life before booze took control.

Please keep that in mind when you see a homeless person.

Thanks for reading....
Sent on from my BlackBerry® so typos are because of tiny keys

Coffee and Boredom

A Tuesday night in Cambridge nursing a coffee at the 1369...

Just a long day filling out more forms at Housing Authorities and other agencies.

What is getting scary is the system is at a logjam - people in transitional shelters are not leaving as nothing is opening up.

I actually had one place say it might be 5 year. FIVE YEARS??? I am 60 years old.....

All I want is a room so I can lie down, read, watch TV and just have some degree of having a normal life.

I can't give up but I am really tired...

Just want to thank 3 kind people

I want to thank Anne, Shauna and Stefan for their kind contribution...it allows me to get a room for a couple of nights at a Boston Hostel ( They charge $25 a night )

At least I will have clean clothes and be washed when I go to the Thanksgiving meal I mentioned last week.

Thank You again

Blog has new address

Hi all

It was suggested to me that I might be able to generate a little income if I moved the blog from Word Press to Blogger.

Word Press does not allow advertising but Blogger does.....

Any of you reading who use Amazon.com I would appreciate if you would go to their site via ads from my blog because then if you purchase anything, Amazon send me a small commission.

The Google ads I am sure everybody is familiar with.

I believe I was able to transfer the blog completely.

Thanks for reading.

Governor Patrick served me dinner today

The Boston Rescue Mission on Kingston St near Downtown Crossing served Thanksgiving Dinner this afternoon and it was amusing to see the Governor smiling before the TV cameras.

Governor helps feed homeless

As one worker said to me "Beacon Hill shows up for Thanksgiving and Christmas and then tries to starve these folks the other 363 days a year."

Is there any escape from this????

It sounds funny - but you wonder

OK on the surface I can see how somebody could laugh...

Homeless man wakes up in ATM on fire

But there is a possible dark side to this story given the time it happened - 2 AM

The bars are letting out and sadly some people think it is a hoot to spit, kick or just harass people who are sleeping at The Coop or other Square locations.

Sadly the possibility exists that this person was set on fire as a joke. Most likely the homeless man sat himself on fire but you just don't know anymore.

Thank You TAVERN IN THE SQUARE

I was just made aware by a 'tweet' that a Boston area chain will be serving a FREE THANKSGIVING DINNER for ANYONE who needs it at 3 locations.

TAVERN IN THE SQUARE will offer the dinners at their locations in Central Sq Cambridge, Salem and a new location in Allston (formerly The Kells)

THANKGIVING DINNER INFORMATION

While this has been a horrible year for me I will still count my blessings that I am alive and my health problems are improving.

Now if I could just find a secure place to sleep.....

Stuck in limbo

I haven't been able to blog the past few weeks as I lost my phone and only today got the insurance replacement in the mail.

I am frankly a mess.

I have not been able to find a secure place to live and have spent almost every night for the past month at Terminal E at Logan Airport. I am not alone.

I have somehow gotten used to sleeping upright and nobody bothers me and I feel safe. The State Police know we are there but as long as we behave and do not bother the passengers they let us be.

I spend my days looking and looking for something, anything. The Hostel in the Back Bay is almost always full and the Prescott Hotel in Everett just closed overnight which leaves even less options.

Frankly I am scared.