In Need . . . or . . . Con Artists

I have been working in downtown Seattle for three years now. In that time I have seen a fair amount of homeless panhandlers. But, are all panhandlers homeless or have they just found a great job where they can make money tax-free – and how do you tell the difference between them. There are the regulars that have been in the same spot for the three years I have worked in downtown.

The older gentleman on Pike between 4th and 5th – he doesn’t talk, holds his hat out for “donations”, says thank you in a very quiet voice if you give him money. He has worn the same clothes everyday – has had the same duffle bag/backpack. He is very clean – groomed well – clothes always look fresh. So – is he really homeless and just knows where to go to keep clean or this is his “job” and he goes home to a nice warm house at the end of the day.

The very thin gentleman that is at the end of the James St exit – the first time I saw him he held a sign saying he had AIDS and any little bit would help. He looks very gaunt – keeps his eyes closed – and will weakly raise his arm as if trying to wave at you. I felt very sorry for him and I hadn’t seen him for awhile until this past week. But his sign has changed now and says he had a stroke and any little bit would help. Either he is a very unlucky soul who has suffered medical problems or he has just found a unique way to get people to give him money.

The older lady that sits in a wheelchair with bags of belongings hanging off the back and her dog’s leash tied to one of the arms. She too has had many changing signs. Two years ago it said she was pregnant and on her own now it says something about wanting to be able to take care of her dog.

Then there are the creative ones. Yesterday I came upon a guy whose sign read “Be Aware I Am Asking for Money to Buy Marijuana”! Hey – at least he was honest and letting you know what the money was going to go for. There was a guy who used to be outside Westlake Center and his sign read “Need Money for Karate Lessons. My Father Was Killed By Ninjas”. The young people who use their talent and perform with musical instruments or even just drumming out beats on overturned plastic buckets.

There are some in your face annoying ones. The guy who stands on 5th between Pike and Pine outside the T-Mobile store. He has a box lid that he shakes and puts in front of you as you try to walk by and makes comments if you don’t give him any money. The teenagers who sit on the sidewalks with a cup and make rude comments when you walk by.

Lastly, there are the true homeless people that aren’t asking for anything. In the morning I walk by them lying in the doorways of stores on cardboard, covered with old blankets, and all of their belongings around them. I see them walking on the streets talking to themselves, digging in trash cans, or just sitting on their backpacks.

How do you tell if they are really in need or just trying to work the sympathies of the busy people walking by them? Do you just not give money to any of them? Do you try to give money to the true homeless that aren’t asking for anything?

Your thoughts –
De

I Scream . . .You Scream . . .

Yesterday - on my way from work to an appointment - I was in the mood for a soft serve ice cream cone. Hmmm . . . . I do have to drive by the McDonalds on my way to Lisa's Office - I really do like the cones at McDonalds. As I drove across the I90 Bridge I could already taste the cold creaminess of the soft serve and the crispy crunchiness of the cone. My mouth was watering! I got to Exit 14 - no line-up of cars - I made it through all of the lights - turned in to the McDonalds Drive-way - made my way to the drive-thru line. There was one car ahead of me - I looked at the clock on my dashboard - I was making good time - I could get the cone, eat it, and still make it to my appointment with a few minutes to spare. The car in front of me pulled forward - it was my turn to order - I pull up to the speaker ready to say A Regular Vanilla Cone please and . . . . . . . . There attached to the speaker was a sign . .Sorry, we do not have any ice cream or shakes. Our machines are broken! What!!!! No Ice Cream!! But. . . but . . . . that's what I was craving! That's what I have been thinking about the whole 30 minute drive from work to Issaquah! I wanted some ice cream!! Dang It! I guess I'll just have a coke. :(

De

My Drama Free Life

I think I am getting use to having a drama free life-now my readers need to get used to it too! Without lots of drama I have had a hard time figuring out what I should write about. I could write about my day to day activities - wake up - go to work - come home - walk the dog - read or watch TV - go to bed. Ooooh - so much excitement!! I know - y'all are jealous now!! Actually - this quiet life is nice after all the drama - arguments - door slamming that I have lived with for the past 3 years.

Tonight I am watching Jon & Kate +8 - I am catching up on a couple episodes I missed and then the new episode tonight. The last time I wrote about them I was so on Jon's side and so against Kate. I didn't hide the fact that Kate's personality rubs me the wrong way - as does that annoying haircut of hers. But - the more I read about these two online and in the tabloids - yes I do buy those horrible magazines!! - the more I think they need to both step up and take responsibility for how this had ended up. Jon needs to knock off the oh poor me attitude! If he doesn't like being a stay at home Dad then he needs to find something to do outside the home. Kate needs to stop being the martyr and acting like she does so much and Jon is just a screw up. He is that way because she tells him all the time how he can't do anything right.

On the cover of last weeks People Magazine - could Jon look more put upon! He was not smiling and was just - oh my life is so miserable please feel sorry for me. You know what - they brought the cameras in to their lives. Oh - and last week there were more pics of him out and about and this time it was with a different gal - not the 23 year-old teacher that he was photographed with last time. That boy just never learns.

Aaaaagh!!! Muppet just tooted!!! She has gassy butt tonight! She is silent and deadly!

OK - I'm going to go take some Advil - allergy/sinus headache. Crawl in to bed and read some of my book. I am really in to books by Lisa Scottoline right now. Really good mysteries with lawyers in Philadelphia.

De

Now . . . Back To Your Regularly Scheduled Program

My cell rang when I got to work this morning and I didn't recognize the number - it was a 206 area code so I answered it - first mistake! It was L calling from her apartment phone - gee, why wasn't she calling me on her cell phone - that would be because her service had been suspended - Again!! Was she calling me just to let me know in case I tried to get a hold of her - maybe to give me a different number I could reach her at - or, behind door number three was she calling to see if I would pay her bill. If you chose door number three you are correct! If you chose any of the other options - you haven't been a long time reader of my blog!

Here is the Reader's Digest shortened version of the conversation - Please - No! :tears: Please - No! :tears: Please - No! Hang up phone! Cell rings again. Don't answer. Work phone starts to ring repeatedly. Pick Up - Don't hang-up on me!! Please - No! Please - No! Hang-up again. Forward work phone to voicemail.

Here is a little more detail - Her main arguments were these 1) I haven't asked you for anything in a long time. 2) What happens if there's an emergency and I don't have a phone! 3) I get paid on Friday so I can pay you back in cash right away. My answers to these arguments 1) Yeah, what about 2 weeks. 2) People have survived without cell phones before you'll be fine 3) Yeah, I've heard that before and you still owe me $50 from the last time. You get paid tomorrow, then you can go down to the T-Mobile and pay your bill yourself and get your phone turned back on.

I am positive that she doesn't have enough money to cover her phone bill, rent, gas, and whatever else she spends her cash on. I know darn well if I had paid the phone bill I would never get paid back. And I am not a bank or a credit company. These are all hard lessons and it does break my heart that she is going through this - but it is the result of choices she made and she needs to deal with the consequences. I hope she grows through all of this.

Remember Friday is National Doughnut Day!!

De

***SYTYCD Vegas Day 2 - they just put through Tony to the Top 20 - he was one who they gave a second chance to dance the Contemporary routine yesterday. He has no technique. It is things like this that just make me mad - why didn't Natalie get the same consideration - she was 10 times a better dancer than this guy and some of the girls they put through. Their judging is just not consistent.****

SYTYCD - So You Think You Can Dance

I am just furious at the SYTYCD judges right now - I just don't get them.

Natalie - a dancer who almost made it to the Top 10 Gals last year and lost the last spot to her roommate - did not make it through the Vegas Auditions tonight and I don't get it! Her solo was impeccable - she did extremely well on Hip Hop and Ballroom - then it was time for the Jazz Dance. They showed her during rehearsals and the choreographer loved her - then it was time for them to dance in front of the judges. I thought she did a really good job - the judges didn't and they told her she would not be going on!! I don't get it - they said they had such high hopes for her - is it possible that their expectations of her were higher than for any of the other dancers that are auditioning - is this fair?

Then there was Gabby - she was a mess in the Hip Hop - did so so in Ballroom - and was a mess in Jazz. Did they cut her - Noooo - They let her dance a solo again to save her life - and they ended up keeping her in the competition. I just don't get it.

I think they should have the same standards for each and every dancer - why should the expectations be high for one and not the other - if they mess up then they should be gone. If one messes up even worse than the other then they should be the one that goes home.

OK - rant is over!

De

Ahh - this is the life!

Just got home from work and I am sitting on my deck in a lounge chair sippin on a beer and enjoying the warm weather. It has been awhile since I've been able to really enjoy my deck - why you may ask - well, L used to come out here to smoke and would leave ashes, cig butts, matches, and whatever else she had with her all over the place. It was just too disgusting to pick up and you know darn well she wasn't going to do it. SO when I had to clear off the deck so it could be recoated I came out here with plastic bags on my hands - yes you read that right - plastic bags on my hands and I picked up all the nastiness that had been left behind. Now the deck is recoated and I have my beautiful space back! Yay! :) It is so warm in the condo I may have to sleep out here! :P

I drove in to work today - so when I was driving home across the I90 Floating Bridge I saw tons upon tons of sailboats out on Lake Washington - or blow boats as my Mom calls them. They were all in one spot kinda like they were having a convention. It looked like so much fun! It reminded of when I was little - ok Colleen, this is the time for you to start racking your brain and see if you remember this too! When we were little and it would be a warm summer night I remember Mom packing up a picnic dinner and when Dad got home from work ho would hook up the boat trailer and we would all climb in the car and head to Lake Sammamish. This was way back before the Lake started getting as crowded as it is today. We would take the boat out to the middle of the lake and just stop there - eat dinner - which I seem to remember sometimes was cold fried chicken and other times I think it was sandwiches - Colleen and I would jump off the boat in to the water and swim around the boat. I think I remember my Dad doing some water skiing too. Good Times! Wish I could be out there now - life was so much simpler back then.



In case you didn't know - This Friday is National Doughnut Day!! We plan on celebrating it at my work.

De

Hounddog

In my opinion, Hounddog is one of the best Dakota Fanning movies. It's not so much the screenplay or the directing - it's what this little actress - who was only 12 years old at the time - was able to do with this role. Her ability to make you see her as the character Lewellen and feel everything that she goes through is amazing. If the movie had been released across the country I fully believe that Dakota would have been nominated for a Best Actress Oscar and might very well have won.

The movie wrapped in 2006 and was set to be released in 2007. It was an independent film so before it could be released it was set to make the rounds of Film Festivals. Before the first festival there was already buzz - after the first festival the buzz was that no no one would put it in their theaters. Why?!? Because of one scene in the movie that lasts - at the most - 30 seconds. It was a rape scene - now before you suck in your breath and go omg let me say - you never see her and the actor in the same shot - you never see any "body" parts - the way Dakota was able to portray Lewellen going from excitement - to fear - to terror - then being inside herself - was incredible to see. Watching this I really appreciated the fact that this young lady has pure, natural talent for this craft. Other people weren't able to - or didn't want to see this - they were more interested in pointing fingers at her parents and saying how horrible they were to let her be in this movie. Where were these same "horrified" people when she was 11 and playing a part in Hide and Seek - which was a very bloody horror film.

It saddens me that because of a few very vocal people, this film was never released in theaters and that the only way people can see it is to rent it. And probably the only way people will know to rent this is via word of mouth. I recommend this movie!

De