It has been several homeless days since my last diary. Friday was the day to prep for the weekend. I judged and helped to host the first UKC Nose Work Trials in Illinois. The interim site on Saturday night offered haircuts. I got 4 inches of length removed.
I still have a cough that sounds like I am trying to hack up a lung. Someone shared some cough syrup with codeine last Thursday, so I got one really good night of sleep over the past week. Now I’m afraid to take more in case I get an interview.
Monday morning I sat in the parking lot of the PADS center, contemplating where my phone might be and knowing I had to do laundry now. So I blew off employment group and did laundry, then went to K9 Tailshakers with stops in at Radio Shacks to look at phones. The first place couldn’t check me out because another customer was being helped. The second didn’t have the same selection – at all – as the first.
The Shack sucks. Finally got someone to sell me a cheap phone Tuesday. It is REALLY tough to type on!
It seems like nearly every day I have to go to the center for a meeting or group. Between the “northern sites” and that daily trip, I’m using up scads more gasoline than I was just a few weeks ago. I just totaled 1 week of miles without extra judging trips, and it came to about 200 for the week. Now add in my side trips to libraries and Castaldo Park, and I’m probably nearer 250.
I was just sitting here in the PADS center. We had Employment Group earlier. Brad and I were the only 2 in the class, and he said he has no phone. I have 2. I have my Safe Link and my Virgin Mobile – the number on all of my applications. So I asked, “Could I offer to loan you my Safe Link phone?”
He was happy to accept – so now I’m waiting for him to finish with the application volunteer, so that I can give him the phone. If I could figure out how to look up the phone’s number, I’d email it to the Employment building. But I can’t… Oof.
While waiting, one of the guys sitting at the table said, “Excuse me. I think I’m having an MS episode.” The police guy – Dave Schatz was inside here within a minute. He just happened to be working just down the street. He spoke to Dave – they were joking around with each other, trying to keep Bob’s mind off the pain on his left side until the EMT’s arrived, and took Bob away with them.
Dave was funny and very very nice – just what Bob needed at just that point in time.
I’m thinking about suggesting we have a knitting group here at the site. To make scarves to start, and then hats, and then mittens. I think it would be fun.
That’s the news from the homeless at the DuPage PADS Center in Wheaton, IL – except for Bob, who is going to the hospital with Dave and his friends the EMT’s.
© 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