Homeless is a series of diaries I have been writing since August 20, 2015, several weeks after I became homeless. PADS is the organization that is in charge of the homeless shelters where I stay nearly every night, and provides assistance signing up for available services, job searches, etc.
Homeless 50 is a compilation of information that might make understanding various acronyms and recognize some of the people a little better. You are welcome to start with Homeless Now and work through the other diaries, but starting with Homeless 50 may give you a jump start.
This one is going to be brief. I am at K9 Tailshakers, the Doggie Daycare, Boarding and Training facility where I work part time teaching Nose Work. I will be teaching one or two classes tonight - one for certain, but the student in the second class hasn't made the past couple of weeks.
It's ok with me to wait until 8 pm and get paid until 8:45. :)
I got to go see Nietzsche. It was tough this week... I miss him so much, and then when I'm with him, I remember how much I missed him. I've actually heard myself say, "Nietzsche, Come," as I'm waking up. My friend Candy has told me she's heard me talking to my dog while I'm asleep.
I guess that makes sense. For most of the past three years I was in a room with Nietzsche nearly all of the time, and he was the only being I had to speak with while there... of course I talk to him in my sleep, if I'm not talking to him during the day. I'm just surprised that I'm not saying "Nietzsche! OFF! DOWN!" in my sleep, because when I visit, he spends a lot of the time jumping up and down - making it very difficult to get a collar or lead on him.
Isn't it fun to try to put a collar on a dog that is spinning around? Nothing like getting your hand wrapped into a collar that is being made smaller and smaller as the dog spins.
I tried to get a photo of him from the photographer at the trial... she doesn't have PayPal, and I don't have a credit card, so that's going to be a no go for now.
I did set up a training hour with Ben on Friday - I'm going to watch him work scent with Sweeper - a dog he's training to possibly donate for police work. He's confident in how he scent trains, but is interested in how I learned to teach it for pets. And then we'll work a little bit with Nietzsche. I was thinking about skipping this - I don't need to add in the mileage - gas cost right now. But when I get a full time job, I won't have the free time, so now's the time to do this.
I also have a couple more appointments through PADS. One to talk to my Caseworker again to complete some kind of a survey that has some kind of connection to the guaranteed pads, and another to interview with Will, who is charge of the guaranteed pads.
My caseworker really doesn't think I qualify for the guaranteed pad under the medical side - and I can't say I don't agree. I have to think that someone who cannot lie down because of COPD, or someone who is missing part of a leg - would qualify before I would. Then again, I fulfill all of the requirements for Employment Group & work pretty damned hard at trying to find a full time job - which a lot of the people who have been in PADS for years don't do.
I also have an appointment to go to WorkNet DuPage on Wednesday afternoon, which a bunch of people have told me with jobs of the type I'm looking for - that is, not a minimum wage job. The people at WorkNet DuPage said that they train, but they don't work to get employment for people. So that's kind of confusing. Still, the Employment Group Supervisor agreed to give me a gas card for the intake meeting. :)
That's the news from the homeless checking out dogs from Doggie Day Care at K9 Tailshakers, in Frankfort, IL.
© 2015 sheddhead – not to be used without written consent of the author, unless quoting portions of this diary on DailyKos, with links back to the original quotation