I saw a homeless woman today here in squeaky clean Irvine.

[KitchenWitch]

Her place of "residence" was a bench at one of the larger strip malls in town.

It made me sad.

[Inchworm]

1. and then....

and then...

aww, c'mon finish the story :)

:hi:

[KitchenWitch]

2. That was it.

I had just gone to the ACE Hardware store, and passed her on the way out of the parking lot.

[Inchworm]

3. so....

then ...

you drove and you drove thinking.. dude! that was a homeless woman.

did you notice anything else "in the moment" ?

:)

[KitchenWitch]

5. I was actually surprised to see her here.

Irvine has this reputation to uphold.

I suppose if the cops happened to see her, they would probably drive her to the border of Irvine and Tustin and tell her to stay in Tustin.

x(

[Inchworm]

6. aYup

well.. what if she was the eccentric millionare that basically owned your town?

you know.. it .. happens

:P

[KitchenWitch]

7. They do not allow eccentrics here in Irvine.

It does not fit with the whole Master Planistan philosophy.

[Inchworm]

10. now yer jest teasin me :P

there may be a plan...

mebbe she was there to amuse?

:yoiks:

[KitchenWitch]

12. The Wiki is your friend

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irvine%2C_California

[Inchworm]

13. words! words!

toooo many for me to get sense out of what you will tell me.

:)

[KitchenWitch]

15. I have taken pain meds, there is no sense in my brain right now.

I was just illustrating the whole "master planned city" thing about Irvine via the Wiki.

[Inchworm]

18. that's beautiful

but why are old ladys clinging to their stuff shocking?

come for my stuff?... I'm a lil clingy :P

[KitchenWitch]

19. It is shocking in a community whose cheapest domicile

is a trailer priced at a quarter million dollars.

[petronius]

23. You sure? I bet there are at least one or two batshit crazy Segerstroms roaming

the landscape. I like to think so, anyway...

[KitchenWitch]

25. You are probably right.

Sometimes I think I may be the most eccentric person around here...

[opiate69]

4. *Sigh*

And here slip I dragging one foot in the gutter
in the midnight echo of the shop that sells cheap radios.
And there sits she no bed, no bread, no butter
on a double yellow line where she can park anytime.
Old Lady Grey; crash-barrier waltzer
some only son's mother.
Baker Street casualty.
Oh, Mr. Policeman
blue shirt ballet master.
Feet in sticking plaster
move the old lady on.
Strange pas-de-deux
his Romeo to her Juliet.
Her sleeping draught, his poisoned regret.
No drunken bums allowed
to sleep here in the crowded emptiness.
Oh officer, let me send her to a cheap hotel.
I'll pay the bill and make her well
like hell you bloody will!
No do-good over kill.

Ian Anderson, Baker Street Muse, 1975
We must teach them to be still
more independent.

[Inchworm]

8. werd!

but...

"pas-de-deux" ??

can I get that phonetically?

:D

[CaliforniaPeggy]

9. We occasionally see folks walking through here...

But I haven't seen anyone just sitting outside on a bench the way you've described...

It is sad.

I feel awful for these unfortunate people...

And I wonder what drove them to be there...

I feel our society has failed them.

[KitchenWitch]

11. She was actually lying down on the bench

bear hugging her two rather large shopping bags (looked like perhaps everything she owned).

[CaliforniaPeggy]

14. Lying down?

Wow...

I'm sure she was keeping a firm grip on all her belongings...

[KitchenWitch]

17. Yeah.

I did not have time to stop. I feel sad that there are people in such situations.

[Inchworm]

16. a dude named Werdswerth said sumptin...

like that language?

gimme time I'll find it.

so long as I do not fall asleep.

:hi:

[Inchworm]

20. the poem" is entitled "Guilt and Sorrow"

by Wordsworth.

But he defines this ladies perdickiment through another's eyes... dang, I'm drunk and on dial-up. (planned service)

I'll post it in a few :)

:+

[Inchworm]

21. I found the passage

and yes.

:*

[Inchworm]

22. It's just poetry...

"And oft I thought (my fancy was so
strong)
That I, at last, a resting-placehad found;
'here I dwell,' said I, 'my whole life
long,
Roaming the illimitable waters round;
Here will I live, of all but heaven dis-
owned,
And end my days upon the peaceful flood.' --
To break the dream my vessel reached its
bound;
And homeless near a thousand homes I
stood,
And near a thousand tables pined and wanted
food."
poor lady.

Noone may see this cause Im responding to self, but I kiss you on your lips.

:hug:

[KitchenWitch]

27. I see it, and I am touched.

I wanted to cry yesterday when I saw her.

[Dave Reynolds]

24. I see quite a few in ritzy Palm Springs, too.

Barry Manilow cries for them.

[krispos42]

26. Official Bill O'Reilly Response:

There ARE no homeless people. Especially no homeless Iraq vets. The Bush economy is doing great, as a proper capitalistic society MUST ALWAYS DO, one we got rid of all that socialism crap. Private corporations and charities have stepped up and are taking care of EVERY homeless person in the country, but there are very few of them becasue of our proper capitalistic society means that only the laziest or mentally ill REFUSE the wealth of opportunities out there to grab their bootstraps and start yanking!

And if you don't agree, Fox Security is going to come to your house and your ass, you terrorist-loving commie secular humanist traitor!!!!!!!!!!!!111!1!11!!11!!!1111!!1

Yeah, they might have to aim upwards to get to your ass, but they'll still is! Those wires are LONG!!1!!11!!1!

:rofl:

[KitchenWitch]

28. Totally!

I wonder if they will find it worth the climb to tase me...

[MrsMatt]

29. That is a surprise

in the "City by the Beige".

My husband & I livee in Santa Ana about 20 years ago, whilst he attended UCI.

[KitchenWitch]

30. "City by the Beige"

Now that is a new one...

Irvine has so many nicknames...

I have nicknamed it Master Planistan

I have heard it called the People's Republic of Irvine, the Fascist State of Irvine, and the "Bubble" (as in once some people are in here they do not want to leave, ever).

[MrsMatt]

32. I don't know if it is still true

but the reason we were told for the nickname was that there was a covenant that all houses had to be painted in a color palatte limted to various shades of beige.

We were happy we lived in Santa Ana (near Orange & Tustin), as it was much more diverse. Plus, we were poor, and wouldn't have fitted in in Irvine.

[KitchenWitch]

33. I think it used to be that way. Now it depends upon if you are in an HOA or not

We are not. Just down the street from us is a sage green house, and over a couple of blocks is the ugly pumpkin orange house with avocado trim.

[sasquatch]

31. Your lucky Midlo wasn't with you she would've wanted to throw rocks at her

Then suck down a spacebag afterwards to celebrate.
:D

[kwassa]

34. Drive up to Santa Monica

I used to participate in a homeless feeding program, and maybe a hundred or so would show up there. Early 90s. We used to feed them at the Santa Monica civic center, where the courthouse was. In a surreal moment, we were there along with massive media for the 2nd OJ trial, the civil one that he lost.

There were estimates of up to 70,000 homeless in the Los Angeles area at the time.

[KitchenWitch]

35. I believe it.

It is probably more like 100,000 now.

[huskerlaw]

36. I see homeless people everyday

There are actually a few who live here in upper-class Studio City, though they're clean, sane, and fed.

That's not so much the case downtown. I take the subway and then a shuttle to work and the things I see during that wait are really rather horrifying. Often it's the same people every day. Many are obviously not quite with us, all look very tattered and hungry.

I usually try to have some change available in a pocket so that I can quickly give them some money without having to dig through my purse, and if I have time, I'll run into the Starbucks (the only place with food nearby) and buy one of them some breakfast. I wish I could do more. :cry:

[Der Blaue Engel]

37. I wish I could do more, too

I also try to carry loose change for the purpose. Usually, though, I only have enough for one person, and then I pass the half dozen or so others on my way to the BART station and I feel like shit. :(