Saturday, September 24, 2011

Endurance: Homeless Edition

Lessons I have learned enduring the streets of Cincy.

Downtown Cincinnati is your typical city. The 'bad area' has the "Drop". It is where newly homeless people are told to go for temporary shelter.

1. Single Cigarettes are sold for a quarter each.
2. If you do not 'show up' or check into the 'Drop' for 3 days your a kicked out.
3. If you get into a fight at the drop you are kicked out.
4. Earthquakes and Loco's are 12% alcohol. If you drink 4 of those and one fifth of whiskey each day... that makes 49 drinks in one week.
5. Heroin makes peoples pupils small.
6. Bicycles can sell for 15 bucks.
7. Homeless have access to laundry and food and shelter.
8. There is drug building directly across from the 'drop'.
9. Homeless are a tight knit group that look out for each other. I can understand why it is so hard for them to 'clean up' sometimes.
10. Some of the 'homeless' have been to college, had 4 bedroom homes and kids with custody!
11. Cheesy snacks are popular among the crowd.
12. Food stamps are sold. Lots.
13. Only 'disabled' homeless get insurance. (in OH)
14. If you have been kicked out of the drop, left AMA (against medical advice) twice from detox and have NO insurance, that REALLY limits the ways to recovery... kinda like... 'Sorry bud, Your a loser and gonna stay that way" Nice way to treat another human.
15. Some of the 'homeless' look the part. But some dress up for it (meaning they are drug dealers).
16. Many still have cell phones.
17. Some were 'honorably discharged' from the military for PTSD (post tramatic stress disorder). Nice way to honor our vets.

Yes, some of them are out to take advantage of you. But some really DON'T want to be there. Those are the ones we are looking to help when we go down there. It has been an amazing experience. We have been getting to know them. Some of them meet to play basketball, both homeless and non-homeless, and next week we are going to a movie with a group of us.

It is an amazing way to change they way you see people. WE should not label people 'losers' or 'hopeless'. They have feelings and want to be heard, just like all of us.

Just sayin'.

Thursday, September 08, 2011

Thursday Thirteen: Best Evah Edition


1. Best at useless paperwork? Hands down Boone county schools. I just don't get why the permission slips that come home. They need a copy for the principle and the teacher on the trip. Apparently they can just make copies and have the parents fill out two sides of the exact. same. information.... I wish there was an electronic copy I could use and paste. *sigh*

2. Best Football team? I am currently watching the best football team Ever. Go Packers!

3. Best Field Trip? Washington DC. I am so jealous. I wish I could have had the chance to go on this trip when I was young. Reece's year end trip goes there in March. I think I may have to chaperon this one!

4. Best Fireworks? Hands down, Cincinnati has this fireworks show every year Labor day weekend, that is choreographed to music. Oh. yeah, and it is over the river. Not to mention the very cool showers for sparks falling from the bridge at one point...
Awe. some. Must see.
And we watched them from the comfort of our couch!! No parking problems here.

5. Piece of clothing? Sweats. Thanks to the 'chill in the air' from hurricane Lee, I can were my wonderful sweatpants... ahhhh.

6. Best Animal? Our cat. She chases, she attacks, she wakes you up in the morning... in case you forgot to set your alarm, and she is just so darn cute the entire time!!

7. Best way to observe #2? Face. book. Nothing like high fiving friends on FB as we all watch our home team from across America.

8. Best Freebie? Currently I am enjoying Laugh USA from XM radio... they apparently, they are only letting us have the kids favorite station for free... um, not sure why. But YAY!!

9. Best time o year? Pumpkin Spice Latte and carmel apples with walnuts time!!!

10. Best night cream? So back in May I developed this rash on my eyes? Well, I went to see my new doc here and she thought it looked like Eczema and since it was on my eye, I wasn't able to get any 'prescribed' medication. She just send keep it moisturized. She even suggested shortening... like Crisco! So, I had some crazy expensive 'Night Cream' from my days of Arbonne and have been putting that on every morning and what-do-ya-know? It has gone almost completely away! Sah-weet!

11. Best new show for me? I love Psych! I laugh out loud funny at that show... This dude is pretending to be psychic, in such a bad way that its hillarious.

12. Best workout? For me... it was this recently... short and sweet.
run .5 mile,
10 push ups,
run .5 mile,
10 push ups, 10 air squats, 10 lungs
run .5 mile
10 push, 10 squats, 10 lungs

Oh, yeah... that hurt....later.

13. Reece has a teacher for math that has the best name for 'tests': Celebrations!
Epic.