For obvious reasons, I hate this branding.

The country, the state, the county and the city have failed us, not the other way around.

Am I drinking too much? Sure. Why? Because I lost purchasing power for 23 years and see no path forward. As I am 46, this means that it was only the first half of my life that I had hope.

I mean, I was already a journalist to start, so it was likely inevitable I’d end up steeped in alcoholism.

As folks pen breathless analyses of the fall of corporate media, those of us who lived it and didn’t have expensive bylines are aghast at what is happening.

But that’s not important right now.

So, I have been homeless since 2023. I have solar and batteries, but little else works at this point. My 5G hotspot, laptop and phone survive because my fridge died.

Homelessness is not a one-stop shop for blowing up your life; it’s death from a thousand cuts, as one thing after another goes wrong.

I sort of get the impression that there’s this idea of “I’m working three jobs; why are you so lazy?”

Well, that’s on you. If you think six hours of sleep while you pay to drive to three different jobs is an acceptable life, I guess, hooray?

I won’t.

Pay me what I’m worth, allow me to afford fixed housing, and we have a starting point. “You can just get a roommate” is not that. Fuck you and your usury.

And fuck you for normalizing this when you’re happily housed with your income. This is not my failure; it is society’s. You’re not a millionaire waiting in the wings for your big break. Stop believing that!