****NAMES CHANGED TO PROTECT PORTLAND'S STREET KIDS*****
I don't feel like I properly introduce everyone in this crazy nut house I'm living in. Each entry is usually just a brain dump of what's been happening and I'm always in a hurry so I don't take the time to explain the people and things happening which is really cheating you guys out of the homeless kid experience. So, here are the majority of people I live with:
Streetkids:
Houdini: Houdini is KL's boyfriend. He has a tendency to disappear on us. He has some issues particularly of the anger management variety. I still care about him very much.
Jesus: If you've read one of my other posts you already know all about Jesus. He and I have this very strange relationship that isn't quite siblingish or parentish but we definitely aren't dating either, despite others insisting we are. My dear friend Spock calls him my "fake boyfriend". Whatever our relationship is it works for us and we don't feel the need to define it. Jesus is called Jesus due to an old inside joke between us where I am God, his father, and he is my disobedient, often crucified son. Before becoming homeless he was a youtube star. His youtube channel had thousands of subscribers. Obviously, I can't post what the channel was as I need to be fair in protecting each person's identity. His father occasionally sends money but not often and not much. Jesus can be a very difficult person. He has mood swings and gets pissy for seemingly no reason. He has depression and often takes it out on me then complains he has no friends. I've tried to explain the phenomenon of friends not wanting to take the way he can act like a bully when he doesn't get what he wants but it goes in one ear and out the other. When I feel impatient with him I remind myself that I am a difficult person too. I spend 90% of my time with him. A lot of this has to do with the fact that he's more straight edge so I know I don't have to worry about him pulling me into gangs, drugs, or alcohol. His family is trying to convince him to move to the coast with them. He doesn't want to go even though that means a stable roof over his head. I don't pretend to know or understand all the reasons why but a lot of them have to do with freedom. I think I've built up trust so easily with him because he reminds me of an old friend that used to be dear to me.
Emo Kid: I'm not a fan of Emo Kid so my description of him will be clouded in my bias but whatever. Emo Kid is your stereotypical emo kid in most respects. He wears all black and an array of over sized safety pins stuck in his skinny jeans. He bleaches his hair then dyes in black about every other day but claims he won't change his looks for anyone. Most of his bleaching attempts end in a horrible fashion and Jesus and I are just waiting for his hair to fall out. He dresses in that obnoxious fashion that is supposed to mean he doesn't give a shit what people think of his clothing arrangements when in actually this over the top costume wearing is just an attempt to make people think he doesn't care because he cares too much. I'm honestly not sure if it is because he is just overly insecure or if he is deep in the gay closet. He always has to have a girlfriend or he cries and threatens to cut himself. At best these relationships last a week.
Vampire Girl: Vampire Girl is one of Emo Kid's exgirlfriends. She is ADHD and Bipolar which is a frightening combination for her. She talks a million miles a minute and the subjects of conversation bounce around so quickly it is impossible to make sense of anything she says. Her moods change at the rate of half a heart beat. One moment you are her best friend. The next she is threatening to shank you for calling her a kid. She exhausts and confuses me then exhausts me again so I try to avoid her. That sporadic-ness is just more than I can handle. She is dubbed Vampire Girl because people say she enjoys cutting herself and having guys drink the blood or vice versa. She takes a lot of pride in being Russian and goes to church on Sundays. She has a child (son I believe) but I'm not sure who is raising her son or what her relationship with him is.
Drama Girl: Drama Girl is quite the character. She is constantly fighting with her boyfriend/exboyfriend/boyfriend/baby's daddy/exboyfriend/I'm confused. She insists every girl that comes into shelter is trying to get with him. Then, she sobs hysterically about how she should treat him better and then they fight until they make up and repeat the cycle again. She hits her boyfriend/man/thing when they fight which staff overlooks and all the street kids are disgusted by. She became attached to me after accusing me of trying to get with her man and I set her mind at ease and tried to help her out. She is one I actually have compassion for because I think she has the potential to change and turn her life around if she were to seek out the proper medication and counseling. She has a daughter who is about 3 months old and being raised by a foster mom who sends Drama Girl pictures on a regular basis. She will be moving into her own apartment soon at which point she can have her daughter back. This scares but also encourages me. It's a motivation for her to work on her shit but the thought of her lack of anger management raising a child is no doubt scary. Still, I hope she does what it takes to get her life together and moves on up from here.
Dreadlocks: Dreadlocks is Drama Girl's boyfriend/exboyfriend/fiance/boyfriend/ex-everything. He is literally a battered man despite the tough exterior. He gets his relief in pot and meth. Overall he is incredibly chill and never has a problem outside of Drama Girl. No one else ever complains about him. He's put his best effort into his relationship with Drama Girl but nothing is good enough so he has reached the point of giving up. If I feel compassion for Drama Girl I feel ten times more compassion for him and hate how staff overlooks the abuse he has taken while they have stood by and watched.
Pot Head: I've never seen Pot Head not high. The majority of us smoke pot but he takes it to an extreme. He doesn't smoke to get through the day: he gets through the day so he can smoke. There was a time in his life when he was actually intelligent though you could never tell it. He doesn't actually mean everything he does that makes people hate him he's just really that stupid. Even so my tolerance for him is drastically low. I was trying to have patience until he gave me a concussion while being his stupid high self. Pretty sure that knocked any patience I had right out of my head. Still, he can sometimes be good company when he's not acting stupid.
Rocky: Rocky is dubbed Rocky after the
Rocky Horror Picture Show. He is lanky and tall with bright pink
hair. He dresses in girl's clothing including a flashy Hello Kitty
necklace. As far as I know he considers himself a gay male though
none of us girls would bat an eye if he said he wanted to sleep in
the girl's dorm (you are allowed to select your own dorm based on how
you define your sexual identity). I rather adore him even though he
shows up to dorm drunk more often than sober. He is flamboyant and
fun with or without booze. He is part of the mini-clan that is
watching out for me under Gang Banger's instructions.
Gang Banger: Gang Banger is never
caught wearing anything but his gang colors. Even though this means
wearing the same clothes everyday he wouldn't be caught dead with a
dot of any other color on himself. He reminds me of my brother with a
bigger bone structure and ginormous ears. He is the same color my
brother was when he was a gang member and he has the same style of muscular features, facial hair, and attitude. I tried to avoid him
when I first got to shelter as I do not wish to get caught up in
anything of the gang nature. However, after the incident with Bitch
Lady he decided to adopt me as his little sister. He now hugs me
before bed and calls me “little sis” instead of by name. He has a
group of guys and gals who are supposed to look out for me as he
assumes I am to meek to resolve issues on my own (which is kind of
true). His way of resolving matters usually end in violence but I'm
beginning to learn this is part of street life. For the most part,
I'm okay with this protective figure. I miss my brother in a way I
cannot explain and having this pseudo brother both makes this all the
more obvious and helps to numb it. I take comfort in knowing people
want to look out for me though I do not have complete trust in this
nor do I know exactly what is wanted of me in return. I fear I may be
naive in allow this or even using it but I will take my chances and
learn from my mistakes.
Stripper Man: Stripper Man is the
stereotype of being ridiculously hot but not always the brightest. I
can stare at him for days but conversation is not as easy. I think
there is a significant difference in this based off his drug intake
however. He is Gold's boyfriend so obviously off limits anyways. He
tried his hand at stripping in a local strip club (he looks very much
the part) but gave up after less than a week because he didn't like
the feeling of old men hitting on him. (What a shame!) We joked about
going to his opening night. He said they made him shave everything
because gay men don't like hair. I think this whole shenanghan is
hilarious. He works out with Gang Banger and they share protein
shakes and what not. He is also another that is part of the banner of
protection I fall under.
Gold: I named this lady Gold because it
is a play off her name. She is another part of the Gang Banger clan.
She is one of the first friends I made in shelter. People either love
her or hate her though I am somewhere on the in between. I think
sometimes she can be mean without reason from the second hand stories
I hear sometimes but she was there for me when I came in new and
awkward. She will kick ass when she has to as I've personally seen
the aftermaths of some of her fights. She is spunky and spontaneous
and a shit ton of fun to hang out with. She's bold and determined and
takes no one's shit.
Pocahontas: Pocahontas was amongst the
first friends I made when I came to shelter. She had beautiful long
black hair and was trying to come clean off heroin when we met. She
has a son and went to rehab so she could get clean and stay clean for
him. This was a difficult decision but I admire her bravery for it.
Yougio: Yougio is another one of the
shelter's adorable gay men. With Gold and Pocahontas when I first
came in he quickly befriended me. He told me I was the easiest person
to get along with in shelter because I'm so “chill”. A few days
later he left to stay with family or friends in SE. He occasionally
makes a random appearance. I appreciate his company when he does.
Queer: Queer is Queer not only for his
sexual identity but for his personality as well. I really adore him
when I can find time to spend with him (he can be a hard one to
catch). Most nights he sleeps outside out of his own free will as he
likes the feeling of sun on his face when he wakes up. He says it
reminds him of going camping as a kid. He is one of the most
intelligent people I've ever met and I love talking to him as a
reprieve from the mindless and idle conversations that often happen
in shelter. Sometimes I tell him to rant to me about politics or
philosophy for no other reason than to just listen to him talk about
something he is passionate and knowledgeable about. He's also crazy
funny and endearing. If Jesus or someone is being noisy in the shower
he has no fear yelling, “I'm masturbating in here have some
respect.” This of course only makes for more laughter and noise but
he is very appreciated all the same. He also recently celebrated his
24th birthday this week so he has only one year left
before shelter closes their doors to him.
God Man: God Man is the bane of my
existence. All that ever comes out of his mouth is something along
the lines of “give praise to God”. He consistently tries to
convert me and talks about how he's madly in love with me. If he's
not careful I'm going to ring his fat neck.
Bible Thumper: More or less the female
version of God Man I don't see Bible Thumper often. With her
thumpy-ness I don't really try to either. She sleeps upstairs. From
what I understand she is a recovering drug addict with a son.
Nerd Boy: The newest addition to
shelter Nerd Boy is a difficult phenomenon in all of his nerd boy wonder. I want to try and have
compassion for him but he stalks Jesus and me like a lost puppy
making it hard to remind myself to be patient. We are sure he has
autism which makes things doubly difficult. He talks all the time
about nothing and makes outlandish statements and requests. Under the
false impression that shelter is a five star hotel I sometimes want to
smack him for the way he talks to staff. In the end I try to remind
myself social awkwardness is not his fault and that compassion is the
best way to be. Easier said than done. Though I'm sure more time in
shelter will either break him or toughen him the fuck up.
San Fran Man: San Fran Man moved to San Fransisco about the time I left it. He is smart and chill mannered but he can get boiling hot I think. He is an ambiguous race and not all that bad looking. He is fairly smart despite getting discharged from the military for illegal drugs.
Ginger: He was the one to help me find shelter on my first night. I liked him at first but now I cannot tolerate his self righteousness. He enjoys telling anyone who is not in the upstairs program they are doing something wrong and are not up to par with his awesomeness. He believes he is less homeless than the rest of us. He no longer tries to talk to me because I called out his self righteousness to his face.
Ginger's Girlfriend: That's pretty much all she is. She never talks and her sole identity is in being Ginger's girlfriend. She dated Jesus prior to getting with him.
Drummer Boy: Drummer Boy is one of the street drummers in downtown Portland. He tried to befriend Jesus but had the same problems I had. He has agreed to teach me street drumming.
Chalk Boy: Chalk Boy is the guy on the max who gave me chalk. Since then we've been talking.
Sally: Baby Doll is 22 but she looks 15 at most. She is a heroin and meth addict. She has three children with two different guys. The first two are with their father and the last is in DHS. I worry about her a lot.
Staff:
August: August is the staff member that gave me the orientation when I came into shelter. She is petite with tattoos and a soft voice so you actually have to try and listen to what she is saying. I have no complaints about her. She does her job and goes home. She tries to help people out when they are freaking out and crying, which let's face it happens a lot. I don't think I've ever seen her give out a BLA. As long as you aren't being terribly out of control she spends her nights with the attitude of live and let live.
Flippy Hair Guy: Ode to the flippy hair. :( :( Flippy Hair Guy is one of the staff on the lowest part of the totem pole. He is a recovering addict and I believe his drug of choice was heroin. He wears his sober pendant around his chest even though it's just a cheap plastic gold ring (He is at 18 months). He used to be a street kid too. He was adopted and when he was 18 his adoptive parents kicked him out with nothing but the clothes on his back. He hid in their van until 2am when everyone was asleep so he could break in and get his things. I think that's such a horribly sad story. Why adopt children if you aren't going to care for them? He is one of my favorite staff because he is clearly not in this job for the money. He often plays games with us and rarely gets bitchy about rules. When he does have to he always says, “Please I hate having to get on people. It's the one thing I hate about this job.” He is good at connecting with the kids and when he has nothing to say he just sits back and observes. I think he genuinely cares about what he is doing which makes me like him. His one flaw is that when I walked in to OI at the end of last week I found that his poor flippy hair had been butchered mercilessly. He now wears a buzz cut. It is the saddest thing I've ever seen. I told him I was mourning being able to call him “Flippy Hair Guy.” “You could always call me by my real name.” he told me. “Unacceptable.” I said. I still don't know what to call him without his hair so until I can dub him with a new name he shall be Flippy Hair Guy.
Mother Goose: Mother Goose has been my point person for a long time. I spoke to her about services before I ever even came to OI. Overall I like her. She seems to go out of her way to make wrongs right and looks out for the kids without being a push over.
Bitch Lady: Bitch Lady is a bitch and I am determined to get her fired.
Boss Lady: Boss Lady oversees all of the shelter. If shit hits the fan she is the one to talk to if you can catch her. I find her to be very sweet and compassionate. Some say she is of the "too nice" variety.
Nazi Man: Nazi Man is our adorable neurotic friend. He does everything by the book from counting pills to wiping down showers. He is so obsessed with enforcing every last t and i written in some unknown rule book that the poor kid never sits down. He gets frazzled and his crazy mop of hair on the top of his head goes flying in all directions. I always kind of want to pat his head and say "it's okay friend." If anyone needs anything he runs to get it and says, "I would be happy to." If someone feels bad for pestering him it's, "I'm happy to do it because it's my job not yours". Even though I get stressed out watching how stressed out he is trying to get everything to be by the book I appreciate him very much for this because I always know what to expect when Nazi Man is working and few things ever get out of control on his shift.
Outside of Street Life:
Savior Man: Savior Man is the type of friend people dream of having. He is my lovable gay pal who will drop anything and everything to help a friend in need. We used to work together on a newspaper, which is an even crazier nut house. He helped me when I was bottle feeding kittens which is when we really bonded for the first time. Then he was my carpool buddy. I paid him doughnuts and coffee for rides to and from school. While he may need a wake up call or two he is always dependable. Since I've been on the streets he has been caring for my kitty and holding onto my stuff for me. He also helps with rides and just keeping me sane. Anytime I have a need he is usually the first one I call. On top of that we share the same sense of humor, which generally happens when you survive journalism together. I'm so grateful for his friendship and often feel I'm indebted in a way I can never return.
Spencer: Spencer is my beloved and missed son and kitten.
Sleepy: Sleepy is my dear Asian friend who sends me Asian care packages and keeps me happy. He's an awesome friend.
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