Sheena is Awesome

Author: Joseph Sandoval

Having a babysitter here over the summer has been great for me and the kids. They like having someone else to play with other than their mom and it’s been nice for me to have some time to run errands and do other things that would be much harder if I had the kids in tow! Sheena is wonderful, too, and she’s a great cook to boot so I let her buy whatever she wants and the store and make us a big lunch whenever she’s in the mood. She is always complaining about how hot it is inside our house though, and the truth is that my husband is a real miser when it comes to the utilities. I went to Http://www.texaselectricityproviders.com/stream-energy-texas/Texas/ the other day and saved us some money on our electric bill so now she’s free to turn the air down to her little heart’s content. I love being able to watch my kids and play with them when I’ve got the time but it’s also nice to be able to leave them!

Oakland, CA: Man shot while feeding former homeless person

Man shot while feeding former homeless person, story via Bostonherald.com from the Oakland Tribune, July 27th, 2011.

Gifts that work for graduation on the streets

Someone asked me what were some ideas I had for great graduation gifts for teens experiencing homelessness or transitioning out. Depending on the age and the interests, here's a few tips:

Netbooks: Their cheaper than a laptop, provide access to the internet with built in WiFi through free hotspots, and they'll serve both academic and recreational interests.

MP3 Players: Can't say this enough, kids love music. Don't ask 'where' they'll get their music...trust me, they will.

Walmart PREPAID Debit Cards: While I used to advocate Walmart Gift Cards, their Debit Cards only cost $4.95. Hand it to a teen and they've got the ability to use it anywhere Visa is accepted as well as get their part time job's payroll Direct Deposited on it. It can save them the hassle of dealing with banks or check cashing locations that overcharge as it is.

It's TOO BIG, Ethyl!

The other day a discussion came up about people living in their car, but not the typical 'invisible homeless' scenario. There was a guy that was contemplating installation of a trailer hitch and taking to the roads vagabond style with the intent of camping in the trailer.

The problem was he wanted to put a class three hitch on a Gremlin. He obviously didn't know anything about the weight issues let alone the strain too much on a vehicle can do to other components. I never touched on the problem of him trying to stop a one ton loaded trailer that didn't have it's own braking system.

Kind of gives new meaning to 'up in your face' when you think about it.

Beach scenery

Yesterday I could have used a pair of hunting binoculars at the beach, there were tons of local wildlife in their more naturally attractive state. The pier was great being able to sit on the sand underneath while others had to deal with tents and umbrellas getting whipped by the wind.

About an hour after getting there we build a sand castle that managed to thrive until we departed. Music was overheard from the local dives nearby amidst the sounds of sirens of lifeguards responding to jelly fish stings.

Unfortunately we couldn't stay at the beach to see the fireworks due to the last departing bus to town leaving an hour before dark, and the bus being late meant we missed being able to watch the downtown ones going off.

But all in all it was a great day. The cool thing about holidays on the beach is you really can't tell the homed from homeless unless their acting it out.