This is Jack Briggs, and I am homeless. (1 Viewer)

[DavidJ]

Mike, I am no Paypal expert, but have used it for both personal and business reasons and I am pretty sure John is correct.

 

[Al.Anderson]

I'm having trouble with Paypal. It seems I had an account once upon a time, I think I used it once. I have to contact them to straighten it out.

It took me a bit to find the instruction (page 5) to contribute. If we have the capability to pin a post within a thread it might be useful to pin the Paypal instructions (in case there are other Paypal neophytes, and we think the half life of the thread is not too short).

 

[Cees Alons]

Official Announcement!

We've finally got things all worked out. I have "christened" the account with a transfer to be sure we are up and running.

=====================================

Anyone who wants to donate to help Jack with his bus ticket to Nashville can do so by making a deposit into his account at PayPal.

Please use the following e-mail: [email protected]

I feel compelled to add that we are sending money to our friend as a good-faith gesture. The HTF is not profiting from this is any way. We have simply helped Jack set up a PayPal account so that anyone who wishes to help out a "friend-in-need" can do so. Thanks!

Jack, I suspect the problem is because someone said they were making a purchase. Now PayPal wants you to verify shipping the item. DO NOT convert your account to business.

Anyone wanting to donate to Jack should say it is a gift to a friend or family, not a purchase.

I expect PayPal is holding the money on these transactions because you have a new account and they won't release it until the item is shipped. Since you have no item to ship, this is a problem. Also, on these types of transactions, PayPal takes a cut of the transaction, which we also don't want.

.....

Al,

I don't think we can pin one post (technically and in any really practical way), but I can quote Mike's post here, as well as John's. And we will continue to do so when felt necessary.


Cees

 

[Jack Briggs]

Michael_K_Sr: I think I would rather go for the later option on the later day (was that April 17? 18?). I will send you an e-mail once I am done with this post. I just feel better about grabbing a plane later in the afternoon (I will, I guarantee you, want to sleep later; the cots I have slept in for the past two months, well, they are there and I am grateful; but one thing is for sure, they are not quite so comfy as a real bed!). I hope I do not seem spoiled.

As for those three donations with the "shipping" instructions, I will try moving all the funds over to my checking account within a few days. If there are any problems regarding those particular donations, I will feel kind of, oh, I do not know, but "greedy" requesting changes.

Of particular note, I still am sick. Last night I coughed relentlessly, and today my nose has been running like the proverbial leaky faucet. In addition, I am looking a bit scruffy. It has been unseasonably cold in Los Angeles for the past few days, and I am suffering for it. I just hope this illness does not degenerate into something worse; hence, as last night and two before it, I will spend all my time in bed (or, "cot") once I return to the shelter.

The running total continues to accumulate, you wonderful people. You make me so, so hopeful.

But I have to return to my e-mail to write Michael_K_Sr. If nothing changes as of this writing, I am leaving for Nashville on April 16. But I hope to opt for a later day (the next one; as I said, I will want to soak up some time in a real bed!).

I will return here soon, later today. But now I must attend to "business"!

Yours,

Jack Briggs

 

[Jack Briggs]

OK, folks, I am back. And, Michael_K_Sr, I have responded to your e-mail. And I saw an earlier e-mail from you and, as you may know by now, there are no prefixes or suffixes or any other "ixes" above, below, in front, or back of my name. It is as I wrote it to you.

The idea of taking off on a Friday afternoon (April 18) sounds appropriate to me. It will give me an entire weekend to observe the flora and fauna of Middle Tennessee and to take the appropriate notes and tricorder readings.

Folks, I really am feeling ill right now and I suppose I will sign off for the moment, but I will come back to this thread off and on for this afternoon to see if there are any other comments. But you know something? I really like having a concrete plan. Said plan, as I have said before but will again, would not be possible without the good people of Home Theater Forum.

One question: Is there anybody posting here who lives in Middle Tennessee or the near surrounding areas? Anybody from Nashville? Or Franklin? Or Donelson? Please post if you are reading this thread. Please.

Humbly (but sickly) yours,

Jack Briggs

 

[Jack Briggs]

Ok, folks, here is what your help has provided me. It now is official.

I am booked for a 1:55 p.m. flight from LAX on Friday, April 18. And I will arrive in Nashville on Friday evening. For this, special thanks go to Michael_K-Sr. And I should add: The gentleman is himself feeling ill (probably the flu) and suffering from horrible weather. He has, however, nailed it down for me.

Tomorrow, or the next day, I will begin moving some of the Paypal funds over to my checking account. There are things, in the meantime, I want to clear with BofA (such as, why have I not received my permanent card yet?).

I need to get off the machine for now, people. But know that despite my illness, I feel that certain spark of goodness I always get when I have come here. Thank you.

Now, if I could just get though a night with less coughing!

Jack Briggs

 

[Mike Frezon]

I love it when a plan comes together...

 

[DavidJ]

Me too.

 

[Richard Travale]

Jack, I am very happy to see things have progressed so quickly. Now, the trick is to reign in the anxiety that will build as April 18th draws nearer

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

Just caught this thread; I certainly remember Jack from HTF’s earlier days! Sorry to hear about your misfortunes, Jack. It’s fabulous to hear that your bus trip turned into a plane ride – woo hoo! I’m fortunate to have a wife who’s had a stable job all our married lives (over 30 years now); due to various issues and some health problems my employment has always been on-and-off, but at least things have turned up on all fronts in the past several years. But for the grace of God I might have ended up in Jack’s situation. I’m fortunate to have family; I can’t imagine what it’s like being all alone in the world – it’s a terrifying thought to me. Chin up, buddy – you have nowhere to go but up! Regards, Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[Jack Briggs]

And up is how I continue to feel, despite my illness. How ill have I been? Well, yesterday, while waiting in line to be checked in at the shelter, one of the managers looked at me and asked what was wrong. "Just a little ill," I said. Minutes later, while the handicapped were being checked in, he hustled me into the front of the line, let me sign in my name, and said, "You better hit the sack, Briggs." I thanked him, of course.

Today I might be feeling better, but it is hard to tell. My cough may be breaking up, maybe. My nose may be running less, maybe. But, oh, how a nice, soft bed sounds to me.

Meanwhile, my Paypal account still continues to accumulate. There is a little bit more in it every day. Which, of course, brings the usual from me: Thank you!

In the future, when I am ready to start other threads here, I will tell you about some of the people I have encountered from my new perspective as a homeless person in the City of Angels. I have seen things I have not expected, many things I have, and things I will regret having ever seen. Life below the bottom rung of America's economic ladder is not pretty, folks.

I have some other business to attend to presently, so I will return to this thread before my computer time is up today. But, again, I have to revert back to one of my original themes in this thread: Treasure what you have.

Always yours,

Jack Briggs

 

[Dheiner]

Jack,

Having been a fan of your writing style for many years, I truly do encourage you to consider writhng a full-length book about your experiances as a member of differing "social classes" in LA.

You have not even started yet, and I want to read it.

 

[Jack Briggs]

Well, people, an item of interest to note. But first: I am still sick. Last evening, while waiting in line to be checked in (the women were not even finished by then), I tried to look semi-alert, responsive, etc. Yet the two gentlemen in front of me motioned to one of the managers (my favorite one), and said, "This guy looks like he's about to pass out."

"Jack, you still sick?" asked Kenny (the favorite manager), and I said, "Kenny, I didn't say anything to the guys."

"C'mon, Jack, let's get you back in bed."

And the night. Ugh. I coughed. Then I coughed some more. I think I coughed as much as I slept. Horrible.

Homelessness observation: When one gets sick, be prepared for the worst. I could not wish this on anyone.

Yet, the interesting item: Yesterday, after my computer time was up (we get two hours per person), I grabbed last week's issue of Time to read the cover story about New York's magnificent One World Trade Center tower (the tallest in the Western hemisphere). However, I was diverted at first by the very beginning feature story in the magazine. It was about Nashville.

I knew Nashville had better employment prospects, which is the sole reason I am returning. However, I was not aware of how well the city actually is doing. According to the magazine, the town has "completely recovered" from the Great Recession, and even though employment opportunities abound, it has maintained its amazing affordability. The city is, in fact, the second biggest-booming city in the country. Its unemployment numbers are utterly small.

I read that piece and was amazed. My thinking, apparently, is spot on.

Also yesterday, I looked on Craigslist for Nashville and discovered a number of rooms for rent in the $400 range -- some as low as $325. Thing is, I know the areas most of those rooms are located in. So, while I may have said this earlier in the thread, I can state that while I will leave Los Angeles as a homeless person I will not be one when I arrive in Nashville. Though one thing is for sure: I will have to clean up so thoroughly before I leave here. (I hate to say it, folks, but right now I look kind of like what I am: homeless. But, though, it has more to do with my ill health than anything else. I have been too cold -- and shivering -- to do any sort of nightly washes. You do not want to experience this sort of thing.)

So, I sit here, banging this out, knowing I have received mucho good news, though I can barely acknowledge it. When I get ill, it is usually a marathon.

I guess now I am asking all you to wish my luck on my return to the town I came from. Nashville, indeed, will be different, but in a good way. And another thing: I love Southern-style barbeque -- the real thing, you know. Slow-cooked pork, pulled from the bones and stuffed into a sandwich. Really, it is just about my favorite food. You rarely ever see it in Los Angeles. In Nashville, you rarely ever see an area where there is not such an establishment.

Maybe the future will be better than the present.

 

[Steve Tannehill]

Jack, I hope you get well soon and you are back home in Nashville before you know it.

 

[BrianW]

Get some rest, Jack, and dream of a better tomorrow. I hope you're well again soon.

 

[Jack Briggs]

Still ill, though maybe the congestion is clearing. I think. But my voice barely registers. Too, I feel weak in my joints. As I said, when I get ill, it usually is a marathon.

My "general relief" and SNAP payments have come in, which makes me feel better. However, my appetite still is diminished. Ugh. This illness will be a predominant thing I remember from homelessness.

Tomorrow, I will visit the nearby BofA and see what the hell is going on with my still not-received permanent bank card. I do not have to tell you how much I do not like walking into any of the branch offices of these monolithic financial giants. (And, really, whatever did happen to community banks? Here in Los Angeles, they cannot be found.

So, folks, that is today's update. In some ways, no (real) news is good news. the goodwill and backing I have received from you has done me so much good.

Carrying on (despite the cough and aching),

Jack Briggs

 

[Cees Alons]

Jack,

Don't hesitate to enter one of those bank towers.
You must be looking like the average millionaire. Bill Gates never dressed better.


Cees

 

[Dheiner]

Jack, You can't look any worse than, say, Gary Busey.

 

[Jack Briggs]

Well, folks, I have an interesting (well, I think so) point to cover in this post. To do so, I want to mention something one of the administrators said to me in a recent private message.

In it, he expressed some concern regarding my psychological disposition toward Los Angeles, which I took, of course, to refer to how I drummed the city so thoroughly into my psyche for all these many -- twenty-seven! -- years. And do believe me that I take this particular moderator's concerns quite seriously. After all, until I read that recent piece in Time a few days ago, Nashville had become my "target" only for the reason I know the town and that its economic prospects are better than the so-called City of Angels.

Then, after reading the article, I began to get truly ramped up a bit when thinking about Nashville. The city, apparently, is rocking, cooking, booming. I was, at that point, starting actually to look forward to going back.

But here is something that seals the deal, so to speak. This morning, in another shelter "resident's" copy of the Los Angeles Daily News, a columnist wrote about UCLA's weekend release of its economic analysis of Los Angeles. When the economic panel announced its findings, Mayor Eric Garcetti was in attendance. Maybe he should have stayed at home.

According to the panel, in its exhaustive analysis of the city from the years 1998 through 2013, Los Angeles added a grand total of -- drum roll -- zero jobs. That is correct. None. Nada. No jobs added at all. Worse, a total of 8.1 percent of jobs have migrated away from the city.

The columnist himself -- I am not a fan of the Daily News, so forgive my having forgotten his name -- made the comment, "It seems the only thing being manufactured any longer in Los Angeles is poverty." And he went on to paint the picture a bit fuller.

As sick as I am presently, it seemed, after reading the column, that my eyes have cleared a bit. What the column confirmed is what I have been seeing -- especially since my layoff in 2012. My neighborhood, for example, is no longer at all the cool, hip if a tad expensive place it once was. Rather, since the economic crisis of 2008 and the Great Recession, it has turned into a haven for the well-off. (I could post and go on and on about all the people one sees walking purebred dogs -- something that used to be an every-now-and-then thing that, today, is ubiquitous.) The cars parked along the streets used to be a cross-section of late-model and older vehicles. Now? The brands are BMW, Lexus, Porsche, Toyota Prius's, Mercedes-Benz, and even the occasional "exotic" -- Lambo's, Ferarries, etc. I kid you not.

Yet it takes a column such as what I read this morning to drown it into my head enough to know that I have made the correct decision. I told someone on this board in a recent private message that here in Los Angeles, advertisers are not even pitching to anything like a "middle class" any longer. Why bother? Here in the "kingdom," if one is not well off, no advertiser cares. And, in the view of advertisers, who in hell cares about those who are slipping past the economic radar or who, in my case, have fallen entirely off the ladder?

Now, I do not want this thread to get into any sort of discussion about all this; I want it to remain open. But I take the liberty of the one who has been so severely affected by it to point this, I think, ominous fact out. I guess I could put it thusly: If for any reason you might be contemplating a move here to Los Angeles, I strongly suggest that you think hard, hard, hard about it. There are other cities worth investigating. And let me put it this way: As beautiful as the town can be weather-wise and in so many other ways, it all is being done for the well-off now.

So, folks, I have learned a hard, cold lesson about where I live -- which, of course, will change in just eleven days. Michael_K_Sr, I must once again thank you for your airline ticket. It means so much to me. And, of course, everyone else, who have offered donations and support. Because I can tell you without reservation: I look forward to returning to Nashville, Tennessee.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Your friend,

Jack Briggs

 

[Edwin-S]

What struck me about the city, when I visited in 1981, was how Mercedes Benz 400SL convertibles were as ubiquitous as Pontiac Trans Ams in my home town; however, even then, the rings of decaying slums showed how LA had grown beyond any level of sustainability. There is a road that starts on the docks and goes arrow straight through the heart of that city until it meets with the border of Beverly HIlls. I tell you, it was an eye opener driving up that road. Driving that road was a visual lesson in economic stratification. You could see exactly who had the money and how it was being allocated.

Outside of San Simeon and San Diego, that drive is the one thing I remember most about that trip.