Unload and Regroup:
4:30 a.m. I woke up early to take a train to my mother’s in Hamilton to get my car so I could unload some of my extra gear. The train leaves north station at 5:37 a.m. so I had to rush packing my stuff. I had dew on me in the morning, it was a humid and warm night for October. I was happy I bought my train ticket online, because I just made it in time for the train. When I arrived at the train station in Hamilton I rode my bike to my mother’s threw my gear in the car and my bike on the car’s bike rack and drove to my friend’s house in Danvers. When I arrived at my friend’s house in Danvers I went through all my gear and got rid of the extra stuff and my extra backpack. I travel too heavy, and now I understand how important it is to travel light which I plan on doing going forward.
it was nice to have some time to shower, wash clothes, charge phones, and work on editing and uploading videos to different social media platforms.
1:00 p.m. I left my friend’s house and I headed to Boston to pick up my friend Greg at the local 7 Ironworkers building. Greg and I went to South Bay shopping plaza and got hamburgers at Applebee’s. It was good to talk to Greg, Greg is a man who had been through a lot in his life. Greg murdered a man at the age of 17 and was sentenced to life in prison later on was able to get parole due to winning supreme Court case ruling.
2:00 p.m. Greg and I drove over to the L Street bath house where I helped Greg get a membership at the bath house. After that Greg and I did an interview and shared his experiences growing up, what it was like in prison, and how it was gaining his freedom back.
4 p.m. Greg and I parted ways, and I took my car to find parking. I found a spot in Dorchester, parked the car and took my bike to have dinner at 5 Park Street place a Catholic Church near the Boston Commons. I saw LA outside and we struck up a conversation. Once inside LA and I sat together and I asked LA if he would be my camera man, LA agreed and we meet tomorrow. LA seemed like a good fit for a cameraman because he was obsessed with photography. I also met Freydis and Midnight a transgender homeless couple who I will be interviewing tomorrow. Soon the dinner was served, it was rice carrots and hot dogs mixed together and there were some cookies and brownies. The volunteers brought everything out to us, and also served us iced tea and coffee. It was a good time and I loved my table guests.
7:00 p.m. I left the Catholic Church and rode my bike to my beach get away. Here I sit writing this blog thinking how much I love this project and being homeless. I wonder what tomorrow might bring 🤔.
HINDSIGHT: 2/23/2025
This was the day that I brought LA on as my camera man and I met Freitas and Midnight. These characters in this real life story chose to exist more in a fantasy world than in the real world. I believe that is the foundation of their homelessness, is trying to escape reality.
Meeting characters like LA, Freitas, and Midnight brought me face to face with a question. The question of what society expects from us? If there’s any fool reading this right now, be aware that society and the real world has real expectations of each and every one of us.
What I learned from some of the homeless people that lived in the street, is they prefer a world of fantasy. The interesting thing about fantasy is it doesn’t expect anything from us, it is us who expects something from the fantasies we create. The problem with a fantasy is, oftentimes, it can only exist in the mind and never in reality.
It was good to get rid of some of my gear and lighten my load. Once again I slept on the beach. I can’t remember what day it was or if I wrote about it. But I’ll never forget the night I woke up with a giant wharf rat staring me in the face while I slept on the beach. When I saw the rat, it saw my eyes were open, and it ran off. I did not feel threatened by the rat, I did not like that it was there, but I was not bothered enough not to fall right back asleep.