Sam Woodfin's Micro

Settling In (It's Not What You Think)

Being poor is worse than being homeless. That may be the biggest lesson I've learned in the journey I started last November. I used to sit at home, flat busted, wondering how I was going to feed my mom, my dog, and myself, and I'd comfort myself with the thought that at least we weren't homeless. Gods, I was dumb.

Actually being homeless, but having enough money to rent a room at a cheap hotel or motel, to put gas in the car, and to get food and other necessities? Well, that changes everything, bucko! And don't let anyone convince you otherwise: It's not homelessness that creates problems; it's economic disparity.

The broader implications of that concept aside, it's time to put the personal implications to use. It's time to stop worrying about being technically homeless (a problem which can only be solved with the cooperation of other people), and start worrying about financial sustainability (a problem which grants me a much larger degree of control). I've become quite fond of hotel life, especially since I became responsible for choosing, and paying for, where we stay. There are certain things you don't have to worry about, living this way; like long-term leases, asshole roommates, repair bills, and people refusing to rent to old ladies with dementia. It's a good life, if you can get it!

I can't afford the place where we are, now. Not long-term, anyway. And that's a bit disheartening, because we love this place! But tomorrow we'll be checking out another motel in Anaheim, with rooms available from $210 to $250 per week. That's cheaper than most apartment rentals in this area, and from what I've seen, the place appears to be well-kept.

Meanwhile, I've started Turking for a living, with hopes of having my PC set up, soon, so I can get back to doing what I do.

And the moral of this blog post? Challenge accepted perceptions. Just because conventional wisdom touts something as the worst thing ever doesn't mean it's actually so.

Also: Fuck off, Craigslist!

Written, painfully so, on my fiery Kindle.

How Do I Spell Relief? R-O-D-E-W-A-Y

 

We've stayed at several hotels and motels since coming to Orange County last November. We stayed at a Super 8 in Tucson (where we were allowed to keep Jerry, even though it was a pet-free motel). We stayed at the Red Roof Inn in Santa Ana (where the local wildlife included a wounded cat and at least one cockroach). We spent a couple of nights at the Castaway Motel in Orange (where the staff is friendly, but Internet access is nil). 

Due to the generosity of others, we spent several weeks at The Sheraton in Garden Grove, and a couple more weeks at the Residence Inn in Fountain Valley. The Sheraton is the place to stay if you want to be spoiled by the people who work there. No doubt about that. And the Residence Inn is the place for being well-fed while staying in what feels like a seriously freaking nice studio apartment. Maybe staying at these two places is what spoiled me for what used to be my favorite cheap accommodations: Motel 6.

Or maybe it's because that's where we were staying the night Jerry died. Or maybe it was watching the police take another guest away in handcuffs. Maybe it's because the rooms are small. Or because there's no way to cook in them, and no way to keep food cold, and the WiFi sucks. Whatever the reason, the only thing keeping me at Motel 6 after Jerry passed on was the price.

 

Enter Rodeway Inn & Suites. Not the Rodeway Maingate. I don't know jack about that one. But the Rodeway Inn & Suites Near Convention Center at 2145 S. Harbor in Anaheim. For a little less (yes, less; roughly $51/night, including tax and Mom's senior discount) than I was paying at Motel 6, we have a spacious room, the best cable we've had at any hotel/motel in California, good Internet access, parking by our room door, an actual desk, a (very small) laundry room, a heated swimming pool, free carby breakfast, free coffee all day long, awesome staff and cheery decor, in an area that the police don't feel inclined to utilize as warrant-hunting grounds.

I won't recommend Rodeway Inn over The Sheraton, if you have the means and want the luxury. I won't recommend it over Residence Inn, if you have the means and want to feel like king of your own damned castle. But if you're on a budget, and looking for accomodations that will break neither your bank nor your spirit, I can't recommend Rodeway Inn highly enough!

Rainy Southern California

 

That's the Residence Inn in Fountain Valley -- and what counts for quite a bit of rain, out here -- through my car windshield. We're here until tomorrow morning, then heading back to Orange!

The Residence Inn is awesome, but I really miss Old Towne, and can't wait to get back there!

Think California and Missouri Aren't Different?

 

 

This part of a mural painted on the Walmart -- yes, Walmart! -- building in Huntington Beach. It's also the first time I've ever felt inclined to snap photos of Walmart!

And maybe positing this as a difference between Missouri and California is stretching it too far. But it's certainly a big difference between Cape Girardeau and Huntington Beach!

Approaching the Day with Dread

Even after driving all the way from Missouri to California, after the surprise (!) trip through downtown Oklahoma City, after the insanity that is California freeway traffic, I'm a nervous wreck about driving from the Residence Inn in Fountain Valley to view a duplex in Santa Ana and look at mobile homes in Orange. Some things don't change, I suppose.

But, truthfully, I've been doing fairly well with driving out here, given that I'm not an especially competent driver. I can find my way around Orange, easily. Parts of Garden Grove are comfortable for me, too. I can manage Main in Santa Ana, wheel my way down into the Costa Mesa/Huntington Beach border area, and I'm good with Edinger between Main and Beach Boulevard.

But from where I am?

I know how to get to Petsmart. I know that if I drive north, I'll eventually hit Edinger.

I do not know how to get where I'm going.

I know that, if I get on the right road, going the right direction, I'll accidentally pass my stop at least once, then have to make a block to go back. 

I do not know which streets are better for making that block. 

My plan, unlike my politics, is to turn right, regardless.

Here's hoping that the places I'm going to see today are worth the time, gas, money, and emotional energy that will be spent on going to view them!

I just keep reminding myself that, providing that I don't end up completely lost or accidentally enter a freeway, Orange is always worth the effort!

New Craigslist Ad/Reddit Post

I posted this new ad to Craigslist, this morning:

We're not on the streets, yet. Due to the generosity of certain animal lovers, we have very nice temporary shelter, but need to find more-permanent accommodations before the 24th. I'm a 41-year-old female, and I'm a full-time caregiver for my mom, who has dementia. I also work online, doing print-on-demand stuff, and just started my first (very part-time) paid gig as a blogger. The third member of our little family is a disabled dog who gets around in a wheelchair. My mom has a steady income via Social Security, and we're receiving food stamps, but my income is both low and inconsistent. We will, however, be supplemented for up to one year by donations taken in for my dog. (You can see the newspaper article about him here: http://www.ocregister.com/articles/jerry-332038-woodfin-dog.html) And, once we're settled, I can apply for in-home assistance and/or adult day care for my mom, which should free up more of my time for work.

What I'm looking for is someone willing to rent to us. I've been assured, by the organization that took in the donations, that we can afford up to $1000/month for rent. I'm not short on skills I can offer, either, if you're in need of a writer, need something drawn, if you need computer help (Windows/Mac/just a bit of Linux), or dog care. That said, our rental application is going to look like an absolute joke. What I need is a landlord willing to take a chance on renting to us. What we're looking for could range from everything from a single-family home to a single room, providing that it's large enough for the three of us. I'll need a place to park my car (on-street is fine, too), and I have one friend that I like to have over on a regular basis. Internet access is an absolute must, whether you cover that cost or I do. Ground floor is almost a must, too, given that neither my mom nor my dog navigate stairs well. Something close to or in the city or Orange would be very, very nice.

We're drug-free, I drink very rarely, and we're willing to keep the smoking outside.

I can supply personal references, references regarding the aforementioned supplementations, and work samples. I have a personal blog. You can easily find out way too much about me before you decide to rent to us.

Please only contact me if you're willing to rent to us, and please be straightforward about the place you're willing to rent when/if you reply. I enjoy meeting people, of all sorts, but I don't have much time to waste on anything that isn't productive, right now.

That said, you can contact me via email, or call or text me at 714-398-6078. Text is preferred for first contact, if possible.

 

You can see the actual ad here: http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/hou/2799496576.html

And you can see the modified cross-post to the Orange County subreddit here: http://www.reddit.com/r/orangecounty/comments/ogwah/homeless_sort_of/

I hate having to ask you, dear reader, for the constant crossing of fingers, but hey... You know what to do...

Going Dark

Granted, I thought Friday night was our last night, here. Then, boom! Someone stepped in at the last minute, and we had two more nights at the Sheraton! As far as I know, though, tonight really will be our last night here. I'll be sending my monster-sized PC home with a friend, in hopes that, come checkout time,  we'll actually be able to fit everything else into our over-stuffed car.

We should be in another place with an ethernet connection by tomorrow night. But later this evening, this line is going dark. And it'll stay that way 'til at least 4 PM, tomorrow. If you need to contact me, and actually have my number (Hello! It's posted publicly! On Craigslist, no less!), feel free to call. Email's about to get iffy. 

Viewing What May Be the Perfect Apartment

I already know that I want it. A friend spotted it on Craigslist and sent me the link via Twitter. I had pretty much given up on Craigslist being good for much of anything other than guys looking for women. (In the rental section? Seriously?) But this place is close to perfect.

It's right at the upper cusp of what Animal Assistance says I can afford. (And yes, that does make me nervous.) It's in the area I want to live in. It has hardwood floors. It's only one story. It has a bedroom. It's not part of some large community. And it's not so fancy that I'm afraid to touch anything.

We're going to view it at 3 o'clock this afternoon. Keep your fingers crossed, dear reader! I'd love to make this apartment a landing point in the long leap of faith I've been taking since November!

Last Night at the Sheraton

It's started to feel like home, here. That's not a good thing. At least not if you're technically homeless and can't afford the Sheraton on your own. There are actually people here that I'm going to miss. I've become accustomed to passing through the lobby and talking to Roy, Nader, Omar, Luis, and several others. We've been here long enough that it's going to be odd not seeing them.

My best guess is that our next stop is the Red Roof Inn in Santa Ana, unless a miracle happens, and we actually find a place before tomorrow afternoon. This should actually be better, for us, than the Sheraton; particularly if we can get a room on the ground floor. (There are easier things than transporting Mom and Jerry simultaneously from the 7th floor to the parking lot, even with an elevator. There are certainly easier things than doing that every time Mom wants a cigarette.)

That said, the management and staff at the Sheraton Garden Grove - Anaheim South have been very, very good to us -- including one manager who was willing to field all of my stupid questions, and the maintenance guy who found Mom when she went wandering on the 3rd floor. For well-heeled, able-bodied, non-smokers without dementia, I'd definitely recommend it.

And for us? Well, you can take the girl out of Motel 6, but... Screw it. Y'all know the rest of the sentence. I'm quite comfy sleeping at a Love's Truck Stop.

But I'd still like to thank all of the people who made it possible for us to spend this time at the Sheraton, from the management and staff, to the people who donated either cash or Starwood points, to the Animal Assistance League of Orange County for getting one hell of a ball rolling, and the OC Register for giving that roll exposure. It's been a trippy dip into luxurious homelessness! Those of you with my contact info are more than welcome to use it. And to those who've made it far enough to find this blog: I hope to have better news for you, soon!

Awesomely Employed!

Only tentatively, and only part-part-part-time, but a wicked good gig! And one that I can do from home (or hotel, or...), so I don't have to leave Mom alone to do it. And so totally in my my wheelhouse!

I'll post more later -- when I'm less excited, when Mom's less angry, and when the kinks (not the fun kind) are all worked out!