I wake up at my friend’s residence. I have to leave early around 7:30 a.m. because it’s handball Saturday in Lynn.
I play some amazing handball games with my friends in Lynn and I meet a new person named Nick, he learned how to play handball in prison like a lot of us, and he’s a really cool dude. I trade bikes with my friend Mark at the Handball Court too. The road bike, although fast, has been a bit uncomfortable. It hurts my lower back when I ride with all my gear. My bag weighs about 70 lb which pushes me to about 300 lb on that bike. The seat digs into my buttocks. One time I hit a bump and the seat was so thin that it jarred my anus. I really did not like the feeling. As winter encroaches and ice begins to collect on the ground that bike will become a death trap for me. Mark has a brand new Schwinn hybrid mountain bike street bike which would be better for traveling, and is willing to trade with me because he is my beloved friend.
From handball I drive over to help my friend move a new bureau for his mother. It takes us only about 15 minutes and from there I head to my mother’s house where I spend time with her, the dog Charlie, and the cat Weezy. I hang around for a little bit, help my mom with some stuff, take Charlie for a walk, and I leave around 2:00 p.m.
I have pinpointed a place on the North shore that I plan on making a permanent camp, what I call a permacamp. I spent the rest of the afternoon hiking in the woods looking for a good site. A place where I could put a tent that will not be disturbed by other human beings during the winter. I checked two locations. In the second location I found a place where I want to set up a tent and get myself prepared to sleep outside in the below freezing temperatures, in case I’m not able to live comfortably within the shelter system and warming centers.
I found some active camps in these woods, and I found one that was shuttered up with a tarp. I ripped the tarp open and checked the tent to see if there was a body in there. It was empty.
It’s too late to drive out to Springfield, and I have a friend that is in need of my help. I stop at Brothers for dinner and have lamb shank with vegetables and rice, and I pick up a new vape at the smoke shop. When I get to my friend’s house he’s not there so I hang around thinking of a plan. I Look at maps of Springfield and Holyoke, looking up resources and planning my next trip of homelessness in Massachusetts. Around 9:00 p.m. I fell asleep.