--finally!--back to the Islam paper. Doing the research in earnest, now!
--Nothing else to report. Weather's great.
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
Friday, May 15, 2015
Sacto: My Residence
How I found it
When I arrived from El Paso, Texas on April 17, I was really tired. The only thing I could do was to check in a Motel 6, the cheapest one I could find. I stayed there until I was lucky enough to find the place I'm living in north Sacramento.
I thought I would stay at the motel for a few days, try to find a place and prepare to go homeless in a shelter. The City of Sacramento has a Downtown Association that sends young emissaries around the downtown area, looking for the homeless who might be candidates for permanent housing--meaning they have money enough to pay rent plus deposit for available city housing. I found such an individual with the help of the Public Library staff, particularly the guard staff, stationed on the first floor. What a find the person the Downtown Association calls a navigator turned out to be. And within days I was able to move in where I still am.
Meantime, I found out that to get a bed at a shelter in town, e.g., at the Mission, I needed to have a TB card, which says I passed the TB skin test. I got that within 6 days of being in Sacto at the Loaves and Fishes complex off B street. So, if worse comes to worse I can check-in at a shelter, I think.
It's Amenities
The owner showed me what has become "my room" in the house's first floor apartment. It's virtually the same kind of room that I left in El Paso, only in El Paso it was an SRO (single room only) situation. Here, I share the living room and bathroom with my 2 roommates--a married couple. I've got a microwave and mini-refrigerator in the room, a bed, an open closet. I was told there'd be an air conditioner coming soon. There's an awkward wire from the living room through the ceiling to an outlet that goes outside for their TV cable. I assumed the TV in the apartment was also for us all to use but learned it was their own TV only after I had already moved in. We share a vacuum cleaner.
The landlord provided sheets a swivel chair and got the overhead light-fan fixture working. What no one told me was how to open the windows; and since I was told they'd be putting in an air conditioner, I assumed the windows wouldn't open. Well, that led to an incident with my roommates who accused me of "stinking up the room" and consequently, sending odors into the living room, too. It was not until the manager who smelled that the room's odor as like a gym locker room that I knew what to do. (I couldn't smell it.) Anyway, he was able to get the windows open and the problem disappeared, so far as I am concerned.
I bought an AM-FM radio from Wal-Mart.
Incidents and Interactions with my roommates, and the apartment staff
SRO is definitely preferable to roommate living! It just doesn't present so many opportunities for incidents, causing stress and friction. But beggars can't be choosey! And, I need a place to live that I can afford.
There was the smell incident, settled once the manager showed that the windows do open
And, yesterday there was the radio plugged in the hall socket, which I didn't see because that part of the hall is dark. I tripped over the radio's cord! Luckily, I didn't damage the very old boom box much but I had to pay for an attachment to it, $10. The wife said the radio was ok.
Well, I won't go into the particulars of the confrontation she insisted on at 10 o'clock, suffice it to say that I told her to see the manager, if she wanted remedy from my being there as their roommate! You know how these things go.
C'est la vie!
In any event, I'm glad the landlord pointed out where the Senior Center is as we drove to the apartment, since it was the main reason I agreed to take it.
When I arrived from El Paso, Texas on April 17, I was really tired. The only thing I could do was to check in a Motel 6, the cheapest one I could find. I stayed there until I was lucky enough to find the place I'm living in north Sacramento.
I thought I would stay at the motel for a few days, try to find a place and prepare to go homeless in a shelter. The City of Sacramento has a Downtown Association that sends young emissaries around the downtown area, looking for the homeless who might be candidates for permanent housing--meaning they have money enough to pay rent plus deposit for available city housing. I found such an individual with the help of the Public Library staff, particularly the guard staff, stationed on the first floor. What a find the person the Downtown Association calls a navigator turned out to be. And within days I was able to move in where I still am.
Meantime, I found out that to get a bed at a shelter in town, e.g., at the Mission, I needed to have a TB card, which says I passed the TB skin test. I got that within 6 days of being in Sacto at the Loaves and Fishes complex off B street. So, if worse comes to worse I can check-in at a shelter, I think.
It's Amenities
The owner showed me what has become "my room" in the house's first floor apartment. It's virtually the same kind of room that I left in El Paso, only in El Paso it was an SRO (single room only) situation. Here, I share the living room and bathroom with my 2 roommates--a married couple. I've got a microwave and mini-refrigerator in the room, a bed, an open closet. I was told there'd be an air conditioner coming soon. There's an awkward wire from the living room through the ceiling to an outlet that goes outside for their TV cable. I assumed the TV in the apartment was also for us all to use but learned it was their own TV only after I had already moved in. We share a vacuum cleaner.
The landlord provided sheets a swivel chair and got the overhead light-fan fixture working. What no one told me was how to open the windows; and since I was told they'd be putting in an air conditioner, I assumed the windows wouldn't open. Well, that led to an incident with my roommates who accused me of "stinking up the room" and consequently, sending odors into the living room, too. It was not until the manager who smelled that the room's odor as like a gym locker room that I knew what to do. (I couldn't smell it.) Anyway, he was able to get the windows open and the problem disappeared, so far as I am concerned.
I bought an AM-FM radio from Wal-Mart.
Incidents and Interactions with my roommates, and the apartment staff
SRO is definitely preferable to roommate living! It just doesn't present so many opportunities for incidents, causing stress and friction. But beggars can't be choosey! And, I need a place to live that I can afford.
There was the smell incident, settled once the manager showed that the windows do open
And, yesterday there was the radio plugged in the hall socket, which I didn't see because that part of the hall is dark. I tripped over the radio's cord! Luckily, I didn't damage the very old boom box much but I had to pay for an attachment to it, $10. The wife said the radio was ok.
Well, I won't go into the particulars of the confrontation she insisted on at 10 o'clock, suffice it to say that I told her to see the manager, if she wanted remedy from my being there as their roommate! You know how these things go.
C'est la vie!
In any event, I'm glad the landlord pointed out where the Senior Center is as we drove to the apartment, since it was the main reason I agreed to take it.
Thursday, May 14, 2015
Sacto: The Shining Light--Stanford Settlement
Stanford Settlement is the Senior Center I regularly attend on West El Camino Street in Sacramento. I think what makes it spectacular is the involvement of members of the nearby community (some of whom are nearly as old as we are), who join with the staff of 3 to mingle with us seniors. On Wednesday and Friday mornings, some one of these members contributes to buy us the fixins' of a breakfast they prepare using the microwave. Isn't that contribute. Today, it was burritos; and then she asks us "How did you like it?" She wants feedback!
The Senior Center staff provides a safe environment in which we can let go of our troubles. Freely we share them with one of this caring staff. I've been having difficulty adjusting to my 2 roommates, each of whom (I didn't know it initially) clearly is needing psychological assistance on a regular basis. But they're coming along (see the item on residence). Patiently, one of the staff will sympathize with me as I relate my tale of woe at the house. It's such a help to know that someone cares enough to listen to what I go through! That, incidentally, is the hallmark feature of the senior care I receive at the Center.
But they feed us too. The food is hot, specially ordered by a senior dietician who knows the foods appropriate to our age group. And usually, we have some food items we can take home each day. The Center opens at about 8 AM and closes at about 1 PM. Across the country, senior centers vary as to the number of hours, M-F, they're open.
Here's a typical day. Friday. May 15th:
1. Arrive: 835. Sign in, pay what I can up to $2 suggested. Place my name on the sheet for the next day the Center is open. I don't miss a day, if I can help it. I think going to the center every day is preparing me to live in a nursing home or assisted living situation, when the need arises.
2. Gulp the coffee, 10 cents a cup. Plenty of coffee up to meal time.
3. I saw one of the staff as she was serving the breakfast, and poured out my soul to her about the troubles I'm having with my roommates, ending with my declaration "I want to stay there, dammit!"
She duly noted my frustration.
4. Watched TV until it was time to watch a DVD. The one today was "True Grit!" with John Wayne and an outstanding photographic child in lead roles.
5. While waiting for the lunch to be served, I read and talked with others at the table I chose to sit at. Sometimes, I change tables.
6. Ate a fish dinner served piping hot on a microwave plate.
7. Stood in line for seconds.
8. Got a second plate and to it I added 2 milks and 3 tartar sauce packets others were discarding.
9. Got home at 12:05/
What fun!
The Senior Center staff provides a safe environment in which we can let go of our troubles. Freely we share them with one of this caring staff. I've been having difficulty adjusting to my 2 roommates, each of whom (I didn't know it initially) clearly is needing psychological assistance on a regular basis. But they're coming along (see the item on residence). Patiently, one of the staff will sympathize with me as I relate my tale of woe at the house. It's such a help to know that someone cares enough to listen to what I go through! That, incidentally, is the hallmark feature of the senior care I receive at the Center.
But they feed us too. The food is hot, specially ordered by a senior dietician who knows the foods appropriate to our age group. And usually, we have some food items we can take home each day. The Center opens at about 8 AM and closes at about 1 PM. Across the country, senior centers vary as to the number of hours, M-F, they're open.
Here's a typical day. Friday. May 15th:
1. Arrive: 835. Sign in, pay what I can up to $2 suggested. Place my name on the sheet for the next day the Center is open. I don't miss a day, if I can help it. I think going to the center every day is preparing me to live in a nursing home or assisted living situation, when the need arises.
2. Gulp the coffee, 10 cents a cup. Plenty of coffee up to meal time.
3. I saw one of the staff as she was serving the breakfast, and poured out my soul to her about the troubles I'm having with my roommates, ending with my declaration "I want to stay there, dammit!"
She duly noted my frustration.
4. Watched TV until it was time to watch a DVD. The one today was "True Grit!" with John Wayne and an outstanding photographic child in lead roles.
5. While waiting for the lunch to be served, I read and talked with others at the table I chose to sit at. Sometimes, I change tables.
6. Ate a fish dinner served piping hot on a microwave plate.
7. Stood in line for seconds.
8. Got a second plate and to it I added 2 milks and 3 tartar sauce packets others were discarding.
9. Got home at 12:05/
What fun!
Sacto: The Transit System
Sacramento Regional Transit just held a public hearing to get comments about their system. I read an announcement too late! Oh well, I'm making it the first item of my experiences in Sacramento; and that says how important public transportation is for me!
Fy, Fy, Sacramemto Regional Transit!
1. A lot of bus lines are Monday-Friday only.
2. Especially on weekends, it's important that the light rail train stops have a public restroom. Trains, even on weekends, run often. Nearly every light rail station has a guard on duty. Some stations have a restroom (locked) for transit personnel. On the weekends, it's not uncommon for a passenger to wait for a bus for over an hour. And when that bus is a connector from some other bus or light rail, the passenger may not be able to find a restroom for nearly 2 hours! Come on, that's intolerable and cruel treatment of passengers!
3. Train schedules are not necessarily indicative of when the train will arrive--sometimes ahead of the printed schedule, sometimes behind, sometimes way out of sync!
4. When there's an event, downtown say, there's no way to know what the bus route is that you are intending to board! They simply don't have any sign in any bus stop or light right station announcing schedule re-routing, temporary changes. For example, last Sunday was Mother's Day. I had no idea they changed the terminus of the 88 bus downtown. All us passengers were waiting at the normal terminus only to discover by word of mouth that it wasn't coming there--where we were waiting. It was terminating blocks away and then turning around and going out! No concern for the passengers! I wasted hours that one day alone!
The first bus 88 on Sundays is at half-past 8. Last Sunday, Mother's Day, is was 25 minutes late; and this Sunday, 5/17, it was 1/2 hour late! I barely made it to church on time! Does Sacto RT care
any, if buses are on time?
5. There's no evening or night bus service, except say on bus 23 or 51. There's good light rail service, however. I live on routes 13 (Mon-Fri only to early evening) and 88 (earliest bus on weekends 8 o'clock something to 8 PM. something. It means I can't go downtown to entertainment unless I take a taxi home, if I ever could find one; or I just don't attend anything at a ballpark, downtown bar, or at the Community Theater. What kind of life is this? Even small city El Paso in Texas provides better bus service. And smaller still, Tahoe in Nevada does even better than El Paso, by providing all night service to the casinos.
In short, a trip on public transportation in Sacramento can turn into a real-live nightmare!!
Fy, Fy, Sacramemto Regional Transit!
1. A lot of bus lines are Monday-Friday only.
2. Especially on weekends, it's important that the light rail train stops have a public restroom. Trains, even on weekends, run often. Nearly every light rail station has a guard on duty. Some stations have a restroom (locked) for transit personnel. On the weekends, it's not uncommon for a passenger to wait for a bus for over an hour. And when that bus is a connector from some other bus or light rail, the passenger may not be able to find a restroom for nearly 2 hours! Come on, that's intolerable and cruel treatment of passengers!
3. Train schedules are not necessarily indicative of when the train will arrive--sometimes ahead of the printed schedule, sometimes behind, sometimes way out of sync!
4. When there's an event, downtown say, there's no way to know what the bus route is that you are intending to board! They simply don't have any sign in any bus stop or light right station announcing schedule re-routing, temporary changes. For example, last Sunday was Mother's Day. I had no idea they changed the terminus of the 88 bus downtown. All us passengers were waiting at the normal terminus only to discover by word of mouth that it wasn't coming there--where we were waiting. It was terminating blocks away and then turning around and going out! No concern for the passengers! I wasted hours that one day alone!
The first bus 88 on Sundays is at half-past 8. Last Sunday, Mother's Day, is was 25 minutes late; and this Sunday, 5/17, it was 1/2 hour late! I barely made it to church on time! Does Sacto RT care
any, if buses are on time?
5. There's no evening or night bus service, except say on bus 23 or 51. There's good light rail service, however. I live on routes 13 (Mon-Fri only to early evening) and 88 (earliest bus on weekends 8 o'clock something to 8 PM. something. It means I can't go downtown to entertainment unless I take a taxi home, if I ever could find one; or I just don't attend anything at a ballpark, downtown bar, or at the Community Theater. What kind of life is this? Even small city El Paso in Texas provides better bus service. And smaller still, Tahoe in Nevada does even better than El Paso, by providing all night service to the casinos.
In short, a trip on public transportation in Sacramento can turn into a real-live nightmare!!
Sacto: The Format
It might be nice to have a personal account of one of the cities I've been staying in the past years since I left San Francisco in 1995. I've got the time to write about "now"--in Sacramento, 2015. I've titled this series of items in John's "What's Up?" Sacto.
I'll include items of complaints, wonderments, and even the little things I do in the town. Look for the key word with this label, if you're so inclined!
I'll include items of complaints, wonderments, and even the little things I do in the town. Look for the key word with this label, if you're so inclined!
Monday, May 11, 2015
XV. Is Oklahoma City a modern-day Sodom?
Please remember, this is a WHACK-O theory: just fiction, not a word of truth backing it up! Nor is this assuming any truthful position.
To begin. Well, why not. Oklahoma City is notoriously filthy rich from oil, etc. It's also very conservative and to my mind, lacking participation in progress.
Did God really stop destroying cities He found sinful? Was Sodom described in the Old Testament the final end to His wrathful vengeance?
Currently, there is a plethora of storms and tornadoes sweeping the Midwest, especially in Texas and Oklahoma--in that area. Could it be that God remembers that it was the Midwest farmers over the years who have laid the land decimate from the forests and trees that He planted there so as to plant their own vegetation to make money?
Oklahoma City also experienced the evil that Timothy McVey wreaked havoc on downtown Oklahoma City years ago; and he paid the penalty for doing so. (I was emotionally taken from looking at the harm he wrought.) Also, the downtown at night is desolate, because the city fathers saw it to their advantage to rid the downtown of the poor and indigent who had lived there. They supported the edifice built by do-gooders that now is virtually the only permitted vestige of the condition that once homed the poor. Of course, they allow the Greyhound station, but patrol it diligently to ward off those who would straggle there. I can never forget the feeling of darkness that I experienced that pervades the downtown because of lacking the warmth of humans busy at night doing their thing, the warmth which once had pervaded the space.
To begin. Well, why not. Oklahoma City is notoriously filthy rich from oil, etc. It's also very conservative and to my mind, lacking participation in progress.
Did God really stop destroying cities He found sinful? Was Sodom described in the Old Testament the final end to His wrathful vengeance?
Currently, there is a plethora of storms and tornadoes sweeping the Midwest, especially in Texas and Oklahoma--in that area. Could it be that God remembers that it was the Midwest farmers over the years who have laid the land decimate from the forests and trees that He planted there so as to plant their own vegetation to make money?
Oklahoma City also experienced the evil that Timothy McVey wreaked havoc on downtown Oklahoma City years ago; and he paid the penalty for doing so. (I was emotionally taken from looking at the harm he wrought.) Also, the downtown at night is desolate, because the city fathers saw it to their advantage to rid the downtown of the poor and indigent who had lived there. They supported the edifice built by do-gooders that now is virtually the only permitted vestige of the condition that once homed the poor. Of course, they allow the Greyhound station, but patrol it diligently to ward off those who would straggle there. I can never forget the feeling of darkness that I experienced that pervades the downtown because of lacking the warmth of humans busy at night doing their thing, the warmth which once had pervaded the space.
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