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“Alexander the Grate” on living in the “interstices of the infrastructure”

smithsonianmag.com

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Re: “Alexander the Grate” on living in the “interstices of the infrastructure”

#21

Post by raducu »

forgotmypw17 wrote: post #8
AnimalMuppet wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, my first question is, why? Why do you choose to live that way? [Edit: Or do you do so not by choice? From your post, I gathered it was by choice, but maybe I shouldn't assume that...]

I transitioned to this lifestyle gradually over the course of several years, starting with apartment-job-cat, through couch-surfing and short-term rentals, living out of a van, and then finally total freedom. I chose to do it because I wanted to have more control over how I spend my time. I realized that I was spending most of my time on someone else's schedule, building someone else's dreams, rather than working on…

I know you said it was gradual, but did you have any psychedelics experience or some spiritual experience that facilitated that change?

Re: “Alexander the Grate” on living in the “interstices of the infrastructure”

#22

Post by darawk »

forgotmypw17 wrote: post #14
elboru wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How do you sustain yourself? How do you afford food?

In the beginning, I just lived more minimally. Now, I rarely think about food. I just don't. Whenever it appears before me, and it's of quality, I eat enough to be full. Otherwise, I don't think about it. It has opened more time for me to think about programming and other things I actually want to think about. I no longer have to think about what I'll get for lunch, spend time getting there, wait in line, pay for it,…

This has always been a relatively non-serious fantasy of mine. However, whenever I fantasize about it, I wonder how I would be able to use a computer reliably / in a concentrated way without a home/electricity/internet. But you seem to be managing it. Can you talk a bit about how you're accomplishing that?

Re: “Alexander the Grate” on living in the “interstices of the infrastructure”

#23

Post by noneeeed »

ggm wrote: post #17
Daub wrote: post #6

I was homeless for a period of time that extended to my first year at college. Was honestly not a bad life. I learned something fundamental... that one can get used to anything except being cold. I would go to sleep when the parks closed, around 10. Cold would wake me up at around 3 or 4 in the morning, and grab some more sleep around mid day. It’s one reason why homeless people have dogs... they serve as hot water b…

Your inability to "get used to" cold may reflect a survival technique the body has, to avoid hyothermia. Sleeping cold has very high risks. Aside from this, I am truly sorry you had to live through this experience, and that others continue to live through this experience. It has been a revalation to me how quickly local authorities here in Australia could house rough sleepers when they had a specific intent (disease…

The same thing happened here in the UK. A relatively tiny amount of money (a million £/month or so) got >95% of rough sleepers off the streets and into secure accomodation where many have taken the opportunity to deal with their addictions, mental health issues, even education and job prospects. Turns out it's way easier to get off drugs/alcohol and sort your life out when you don't have to spend all your time finding the next meal or a safe(-ish) place to sleep.

The problem of rough sleeping can be dealt with using tiny amounts of money (at least in the UK), but unfortunately the wider problems of homelessness, where many are inviisble because they are permenantly couch surfing or stuck in hostels or at chronic risk of losing their homes if they have them are much more complex and difficult to deal with without changes to how housing works here.

Re: “Alexander the Grate” on living in the “interstices of the infrastructure”

#24

Post by graham_paul »

forgotmypw17 wrote: post #11
m3kw9 wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How do you wash your butt? That sounds even harder.

I use water, either sink, bidet, or natural body. If it's not possible, I use wet paper towels or toilet paper to wipe clean, but this is rare. For the last couple of years, I almost never use soap for anything, including my butt, except washing my hands.

> or natural body

What do you mean by natural body?

Re: “Alexander the Grate” on living in the “interstices of the infrastructure”

#25

Post by graham_paul »

forgotmypw17 wrote: post #8
AnimalMuppet wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, my first question is, why? Why do you choose to live that way? [Edit: Or do you do so not by choice? From your post, I gathered it was by choice, but maybe I shouldn't assume that...]

I transitioned to this lifestyle gradually over the course of several years, starting with apartment-job-cat, through couch-surfing and short-term rentals, living out of a van, and then finally total freedom. I chose to do it because I wanted to have more control over how I spend my time. I realized that I was spending most of my time on someone else's schedule, building someone else's dreams, rather than working on…

how's dating life? how do your dates react when they learn about how you live? Also, how do you afford clothing and toiletries like deodorant, toothpaste and the like? How do you shower daily without reliable access to showers?

Re: “Alexander the Grate” on living in the “interstices of the infrastructure”

#26

Post by Zalastax »

graham_paul wrote: post #24
forgotmypw17 wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I use water, either sink, bidet, or natural body. If it's not possible, I use wet paper towels or toilet paper to wipe clean, but this is rare. For the last couple of years, I almost never use soap for anything, including my butt, except washing my hands.

> or natural body What do you mean by natural body?

Natural body of water!

Re: “Alexander the Grate” on living in the “interstices of the infrastructure”

#27

Post by alexpetralia »

Daub wrote: post #19
alexpetralia wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This change in perspective is really interesting. Would love to read more if you wrote about it elsewhere.

Thanks for taking an interest. If you don't mind, I can share a few reflections here. > One thing it left me with is that it changed the way I walk through the city. On this subject... I recognize this same quality in the people of the working class district of Vietnam, where I now live. For them the gap between the public space and private is very narrow. This is common in Asian countries, where so much commerce is…

> For them the gap between the public space and private is very narrow.

I found this very insightful. Thanks for sharing.

Re: “Alexander the Grate” on living in the “interstices of the infrastructure”

#28

Post by 082349872349872 »

noneeeed wrote: post #23
ggm wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your inability to "get used to" cold may reflect a survival technique the body has, to avoid hyothermia. Sleeping cold has very high risks. Aside from this, I am truly sorry you had to live through this experience, and that others continue to live through this experience. It has been a revalation to me how quickly local authorities here in Australia could house rough sleepers when they had a specific intent (disease…

The same thing happened here in the UK. A relatively tiny amount of money (a million £/month or so) got >95% of rough sleepers off the streets and into secure accomodation where many have taken the opportunity to deal with their addictions, mental health issues, even education and job prospects. Turns out it's way easier to get off drugs/alcohol and sort your life out when you don't have to spend all your time findin…

At least housing probably works better now than it did in 1931?

The Spike http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks03/0300011h.html#part1

Note that Blair/Orwell is spotted immediately as NRS social grade A, which may explain why Winston Smith couldn't make the to-me-reasonable jump to the free proletariat in 1984:

> "The terrible Tramp Major met us at the door and herded us into the bathroom to be stripped and searched. He was a gruff, soldierly man of forty, who gave the tramps no more ceremony than sheep at the dipping-pond, shoving them this way and that and shouting oaths in their faces. But when he came to myself, he looked hard at me, and said:

> 'You are a gentleman?'

> 'I suppose so,' I said.

> He gave me another long look. 'Well, that's bloody bad luck, guv'nor,' he said, 'that's bloody bad luck, that is.' And thereafter he took it into his head to treat me with compassion, even with a kind of respect."

Re: “Alexander the Grate” on living in the “interstices of the infrastructure”

#29

Post by Daub »

shadowprofile77 wrote: post #20
Daub wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thanks for taking an interest. If you don't mind, I can share a few reflections here. > One thing it left me with is that it changed the way I walk through the city. On this subject... I recognize this same quality in the people of the working class district of Vietnam, where I now live. For them the gap between the public space and private is very narrow. This is common in Asian countries, where so much commerce is…

If you don't mind my asking, how old were you when you had to pass through this time of homelessness, (I mean, what age range until it ended) and how long afterwards did it take you to reach the point you're at now?

I was around 17 when I was homeless. Now nearly 60. I am gonna guess the experience would be very different had it happened now. For a start, the toilet I used, the public bathroom I used and the park I slept in are all now fenced off. Also... begging money had less competition then.

Re: “Alexander the Grate” on living in the “interstices of the infrastructure”

#30

Post by 082349872349872 »

ggm wrote: post #17
Daub wrote: post #6

I was homeless for a period of time that extended to my first year at college. Was honestly not a bad life. I learned something fundamental... that one can get used to anything except being cold. I would go to sleep when the parks closed, around 10. Cold would wake me up at around 3 or 4 in the morning, and grab some more sleep around mid day. It’s one reason why homeless people have dogs... they serve as hot water b…

Your inability to "get used to" cold may reflect a survival technique the body has, to avoid hyothermia. Sleeping cold has very high risks. Aside from this, I am truly sorry you had to live through this experience, and that others continue to live through this experience. It has been a revalation to me how quickly local authorities here in Australia could house rough sleepers when they had a specific intent (disease…

> Sleeping cold has very high risks.

When I was very young, I took a survival course. We were taught our highest priority was to produce shelter[1], insulated from the ground, the night sky, and prevailing winds. Only after that came things like water supply, etc.

[1] biWak: besonders im Winter arschkalt.

(one wonders if the angle bars on the heating grates serve any engineering purpose?)

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