Hobo Eviction, The Ice Storm, Free Coffee, and Library Living
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Hello everyone. It has been a few days since my last update. I am sure you are thrilled to hear that rumors of Bears eating me are widely exaggerated. Nor have I froze to death or been tasered by local police. Dismiss all those wild rumors and read on for truth.
I was sound asleep in my debris shelter early Saturday morning, when two of Bloomington Normals finest, woke me from my slumber. Apparently someone from a near by apartment complex had seen me coming and going from my hobo mansion and tracked back into my little patch of woods and discovered my burrow. This noble citizen decided that I was just living to high on the hog, and felt a need to protect freedom by calling the police and reporting my squatting. One hopes that the community gives him or her their due reward for so diligently protecting that uninhabited, unused, patch of woods. The cops where actually pretty nice about it though. They never once threatened to tazer me bro. However I was informed I would have to move on.
Saturday evening brought the Bloomington-Normal, IL area its second ice storm of the winter. If I still had access to my warm, dry, and snug debris shelter this wouldn't have had been a big deal. However with my recent hobo eviction, I had a few choices. I could go back to the local Salvation Army Shelter, or face the elements and try to find a place to squat for the night. Since the shelter is a dank, smelly, depressing place, I decided to brave the elements. Also I feel that I've got about as much good blogging content out of that place as I'm going to get. I had read online about some people having luck sleeping in the plastic tubing that often connects sections of playground equipment. The most suitable tubing I could find was less then ideal. It was at a bit of a slanted angle that kept causing me to slowly slide out. Its also had a series of holes along both sides. While it did keep me dry, it became to drafty and the cold plastic was seeping into my bones. After around two hours of bad sleep I had to move someplace else. My next sleeping experience will not be remember as one of the high points of this journey. I crawled into a fairly clean portable toilet and got maybe another two hours of poor sleep sitting up on the closed stool lid. I woke up shivering, and knew I had to find someplace warmer to ride out the remaining, coldest hours of the night. What I did next is a bit risky and is a good way to pick up a trespassing charge, so I do not recommend it to any potential hobo travelers. I found an unlocked laundry room at an apartment complex and caught a few hours of warm sleep. If the wrong person would have found me its very possible I could have got a ticket if not a minor arrest. I got up a little before seven, fairly refreshed, but needing a warm place to kill some time at until I.S.U.'s library opened at Noon.
I had read some accounts online about how easy it is to score free coffee at places like Starbucks or MickyD's. I decided to try the trick at on of the local McDonalds. I first dug a medium soda cup and empty pie box out of a garbage can. I eased into
the store and found a table in the back, more secluded corner. I waited till no one was watching and placed my items on the table. I then sat and waited for someone to toss a coffee cup in an out of the way garbage can near where I was sitting. When a customer did so I quickly fished it out and took it into the bathroom for a good washing. Then upto the counter I went for free coffee. After that its free refills. I sat most the morning in the restaurant drinking free coffee, staying warm, and watching downloaded TV shows on Blackie.So if things go as planned I'll be spending no more then another week here in the Bloomington/Normal, IL area. Then I'll be moving on to Springfield, the capital of Illinois. So where to catch some safe warm sleep until then? It so happens that Illinois States MilnerLlibrary is open twenty four hours a day from 12/9 through 12/14 for finals week at the college. In my recent visits to the library I've noticed quite a few college kids catching a few hours of sleep in various chairs and cubbies around six story building. I figured that I should be able to blend in and do this as long as I set Blackie to wake me up after a few hours in one place. Also I have to be up bright and early at 4AM everyday this week to make it over to Labor Ready for traveling money work. Wish me luck pulling it off. If I get caught I may have to ride out my last week in town back at the shelter.
Here is my newest video blog for your viewing pleasure!
posted by Cory @ 3:11 PM,
3 Comments:
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At December 10, 2007 at 10:22 AM,
said...
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Cory: What is up man! Where are you? I live in Bloomington and want to be on your "show."
Milner is a cool place to hang out.
God bless! -
At December 10, 2007 at 4:45 PM,
Cory said...
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Thanks Tim. I'm only going to be here in Bloomington/Normal until Thursay night. Drop me an email at thehomelesshacker@gmail.com sometime before then if you want!
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