Robo Hobo Homo #098

There is a game store here. I may have mentioned it before. They were playing Friday Night Magic. I wandered in and asked about Journey into Nyx. It's out. It was so weird not knowing, after being plugged into the Magic news machine while I was plugged in.

Troy from the shelter flagged me down. He spotted me from a block away. It's my curse that my taste in jackets is so distinctive. It was thirty minutes until the Purgatory Shelter curfew and he thought that I might have a ride back. He was disappointed that I didn't, but he either found a way back or didn't get caught.

While I was walking, I thought about my schedule, what I'd need money to pay for. If I could get an apartment of my own. If I even wanted to live alone. What would the appointment at the Mental Health Center be like on Wednesday? It was all a bit scary, to be honest.

I would eventually gave up wandering and sat inside of the not-a-mall building that my work is in. Then it occurred to me that I was thinking weeks in advance instead of just days. I took it as a good sign and headed into work.

Robo Hobo Homo #018

At the Purgatory Thrift Store, the underwear and socks were a whole different issue. They were in one of many bins which contained baseball caps, knit caps, gloves, jockstraps, scarves, a few t-shirts, a women's girdle, two pairs of womens' underwear, and a cup of coffee. An empty cup of coffee. A cup of coffee that was empty when I found it.

There were several pairs of socks and underwear that were stained with the coffee. I tried to bring them to the lady who worked at the front desk but she directed me, as she had done when she saw my voucher, towards the folks at the back.

For their part, they were nicer to me, but they said that "it happens" and didn't seem to give it a second thought. They pointed me at the garbage can to throw the coffee cup (and when I found it later, the stirrer) away.

So then, holding three shirts and two pants in one hand I tried to find a pair of boxer-briefs in my size that looked like they'd been donated by someone too modest to wear them even once. I then compromised on any underwear in my size that looked like it had been donated quickly after wearing. Hey, I believe in the power of washing machines.

Eventually, I had to settle for a single pair of tighty-whities that looked like most of the wear was mechanical. The best socks they had were fifty-cents and coffee-stained, but they looked like good socks.

When I brought everything to the back to check out and they said my voucher had a bit more left on it. Tactfully, I brought up the possibility of a coat. It was a pretty chilly day. They agreed and I came back a bit later with a button-up corduroy jacket with fleece fringe.

Now, I thought fleece collars were just for show. Let me tell you, there are only, like, two body parts that feel better than your neck when they transition from exposed, cold winds to immersion in warm wool.

No, now that I think about it, it's probably every body part.