SECTUAL

It's rather more hazy than overcast. The sky is definitely blue.

School bus drivers have been stopping at the park for a smoke break around dawn.

Back in the day, the bus driver would crack open that little side vent window and smoke whilst hauling the brats about.

Sunlight is pouring across the park, reducing the black flood of shadow to puddles.

"The light shineth forth in the darkness, and the darkness has never mastered it." - John 1:5

What's a good bread for bologna sandwiches that isn't American style soft bread?

I just want bread, bologna, green leafies, and mayonnaise.

(08-30-2022, 09:02 PM)user328 Wrote: [ -> ]I, too, have imagined things I would like to do to help the unfortunate, and have come to the realization that, at the very least, you need to be extremely discerning about who you decide to take on as a project.

Logically, the only people I could build a homeless shelter for would be veterans. They tend to be more disciplined and bootstrappy than the run of the mill vagrant.

The parks department is out here weed eating and edging. They sure take pride in these parks. This one seems to be built to Federal quality standards. I wonder if it was part of the package that funded the freeway and rerouting of the grand boulevard.

Back at the night shelter. Scott is at his daughter's house.

I decided on French steak rolls for sandwich bread. French bread is one of the few breads common in America that I enjoy eating because of its slight chewy toughness.

I sliced the rolls in half and folded them into an open face configuration, piled on the toppings, and folded them shut.

Mark said they're going to run everybody off the property at 2PM for an inspection. Because, you know, you can't have homeless people hanging around a homeless shelter during an inspection.

I knew I should've got a little tub of butter. I knew I'd be wanting it. French bread and soft, creamy butter. Duh.

If I had a lot of old bread to get rid of, I'd blanket the place with breadcrumbs before I leave to draw a shitload of birds for the inspection.

A bunch of shiny middle class kids just posed for photos with a pink on pinker banner that read, "We [name of shelter]."

I yelled, "Make sure no homeless people get in the picture," but I don't think they heard me.

(10-26-2022, 09:38 AM)user328 Wrote: [ -> ]What's a good bread for bologna sandwiches that isn't American style soft bread?

Any other type of bread with bologna is damn near sacrilegious.

Trust me, I'm a fucking expert.

My sandwich tasted a damned sight better than bologna and American cheese on white. I give those away when somebody hands me one. I ate two sandwiches and most of a third French roll today. I feel nourished and took in an adequate number of calories for a change. That's the important thing.

The staff didn't run everybody off, nor did they fill up the available parking spaces for this shindig. They must be recruiting the youngsters for volunteers. I've never seen kids that young volunteer here though. There could be something else afoot.

Previously, we wondered how these staffers got their jobs. Word on the street has it they were all homeless before, and started as volunteers. They undoubtedly formed their cliques and pecking orders and what have you, as homeless people do, with one clique eventually taking over.

I could probably stomach the bologna sandwiches and hot dogs they hand out around here if they put mayonnaise on them, and possibly a second slice of bologna. I don't like having globs of masticated food with no texture stuck to my teeth and the roof of my mouth. Nothing about the flavor or nutrient content inspires me to get started on that route. The spring mix and harder bread help keep it from globbing. It just strikes me as being fresher than a flat, dry sandwich.

I would like to point out that I'm not necessarily complaining or being ungrateful about the handouts. It's possible to merely state the facts, e.g., the food sucks, while being completely indifferent to it. If I want something different, I can always buy it with food stamps. No need to bitch about being stuck with something I don't like. There's really no excuse for anyone to. They can all get food stamps just for being homeless.

Since you can't buy hot food with food stamps, you have to be creative with precooked and packaged foods, unless you're content with microwave burritos and such.

One of my favorite "beyond basic" homeless meals is a canned salmon salad packed with chopped onions and chopped celery in mayonnaise. Put that with some green foliage on a tortilla.

Sometimes I'll get a little tub of deli potato salad and mix smoked salmon into it.

A perhaps unfortunate aspect of military life is that the single young recruits don't learn to manage an income. The military provides their room, board, medical care, and whatnot, so their paycheck is essentially all spending money.

When they return to civilian life, they suddenly have to pay for rent, utilities, food, clothing, and transportation. Quite a challenge for a young person living on their own for the first time.

My veterans shelter would have barracks for the new inductees and small private homes for those transitioning into normal life. Once a veteran established a steady income, they'd be eligible to move into one of the private dwellings at a modest cost.

By barracks, I don't mean a long, open hall with row upon row of bunk beds, like in bootcamp. They'd be more like the petty officers' barracks on a naval base. Three or four people per room with a bathroom, mini fridge, and microwave. The people could be placed according to whether they snore, smoke, are night owls or partiers, have special needs, or what have you.