Pictures and Words

When I opened today’s envelope, I was surprised to find almost half a book inside. Well, okay, I’m exaggerating slightly. Normally, Peter’s letters are 4 pages long, double-sided; and as the one having to read the chicken-scratchings, is quite enough for me. This letter was 11 pages.

After a brief moment of panic and bafflement (how the heck did he do enough to fill 11 double-sided pages?), I realised that it included the weekend’s entries as well. So, looks like I’ve got quite a bit of writing to do over the next couple of days.

Day 5 (Friday)

1:30am – It seems that it’s been raining heavily for the last few hours, which means to me, under this tree, it’s been the equivalent of a light shower for the last few hours.

My main jacket has fallen onto the ground, so it’s even more soaked than everything else. My backpack (which I use as a pillow) seems pretty wet. Won’t be able to empty it and check until light, but I suspect that everything in it is soaked. My sleeping bag isn’t waterproof, so it’s soaked. I thought I might be dry, but then I noticed water dripping directly on my stomach. I’m soaked too.

I take off my boots at night. Tonight I put them under the bench, beneath my backpack, to keep them dry.

They’re soaked too.

I get up, put my wet boots on, and head over to one of the covered little alcoves closer to the building. They’re all completely empty. I’ve no idea where Melbourne’s homeless sleep when it’s raining, but it’s not here. I’ve no idea where they sleep generally, actually – It’s never any of the places I’ve been sleeping.

I lay my jacket out as widely as possible to dry, then realise that I need to use it as a pillow.

6:30am – Awoken by a friendly security guy; he apologises for waking me, then informs me that I couldn’t continue sleeping there once the library opens. I thank him, and he says that I have another half-hour if I want some more sleep. It is still raining.

7:30am – Same security guy wakes me again. He says that I only have “until 7”. I check the time, it is 7:30. I’m cold and wet and miserable. I sit up in an attempt not to fall asleep again, but there’s no way I’m taking the sleeping bag off; it’s comfortable and keeping me warm.

7:40 – The security guy comes back to make sure I’m not asleep. It’s still raining. I nod at him and he smiles back. He leaves, and I lie down again, just to get more comfortable…

10:15 – Awoken by a different security man. This guy yells “Are you alright?!” and runs over to make sure I am. I am.

I’m feeling much warmer, although it’s still raining, so I get up. If I wasn’t committed to sleeping in a different place each night, I’d seriously consider sleeping here every time it rains.

I’m hungry for something warm, and the Subway across the road is offering $4.45 subs, so I go looking for money. I have the $1.20 from the girl last night, so I only need another $3.25.

11am – Almost an hour later, I get my first contribution. I’ve never had to go begging for more than 10 or 15 minutes before getting something. A lady smoking gives me $2.80, for which I am far too grateful.

I decide to try the specific approach – asking for 45 cents specifically, instead of the generic “spare change”. Lots of “no”s, one confused couple (“Did he just ask for 45 cents?”) and one guy who asks how much I want, and saying no when I give him a specific amount. Eventually I get a guy who is apologetic that he had no spare change, but when we (coincidentally) cross the lights together, he finds $2.25 in his pockets. I also find 20c that I didn’t know I had in my bag.

I grab a meatball sub ($4.45) and notice that the footlong is only $7- if I ever get subway again, it’d be cheaper to get two six-inches at once (Gavin: I believe he meant a footlong, rather than two six-inch subs, as the first is $7 and the second would be $8.90).

The sub is really badly put together- almost falling apart as soon as I unwrap it. It’s warm and meat though. It’s still raining, so I figure I might as well spend another day in the library, now that I’ve eaten, rather than traipsing around in the rain all day.

5:50pm – Had another good day in the library. Finished the Spike Milligan autobiography, wrote up the day’s events (forgetting to use past tense until now) (Gavin: Yes, I noticed that too), went online and read some of Justine Larbalestier’s posts about Liar (which, at her recommendation, I’d been avoiding until I read the book), started a biography about Douglas Adams, but couldn’t get past the first chapter*, and read the first few chapters of the Goon Companion.

*The style or tone of a book is so much more important to me than the content. If something is so heavy that reading it feels like forcing yourself to keep walking in heavy mud, I just won’t be able to finish it. My favorite book is 1984, which is full of heavy subject matter, but delightfully light to read.

At about 3, I went out to get lunch (just some bread with spread from my bag).

To hire a locker you put a dollar in to cover the first 4 hours. If you’re away from the locker for more than 4 hours, you have to put another dollar in ($2 if you’re away for more than 8 hours) to open it. Aware of this, I’d put a dollar in my back pocket when I first entered the library. When I came out for lunch, it must have been just under 4 hours, because it opened without a problem.

I took my bag out, and sat outside to eat. When I re-entered, it must have been just after 4 hours, because the locker wouldn’t reopen. I checked my back pocket, but the dollar wasn’t there- it must have slipped out onto the bean bag I was sitting on.

I approached the locker-room guard, told him what had happened, and asked if he could watch my bag while I ran in and grabbed the dollar. He informed me that he couldn’t while he was on duty. I asked if I could run in with my bag, but he told me that was equally against the rules. He couldn’t go in and grab my dollar either.

He couldn’t seem to understand the problem I was facing: to re-enter the library I needed to leave my bag in the locker. To open the locker I needed a dollar, which was in the library, which I couldn’t re-enter without leaving my bag… Catch 22.

Eventually, after way too much discussion, he agreed to open my locker with his card, so I could fetch my dollar. I still don’t think he quite understood the problem.

6pm – Hungry, I went down to the Melbourne Central food-court. A guy was leaving as I got there, so I asked if he’d mind me finishing his left-overs. “Not much there, mate” he said, but gestured that I was welcome to them.

I’ve absolutely no idea what he was eating- some kind of pastry fish dish. He’d eaten almost all the fish, but left plenty of pastry, so I was enjoying that when he returned. He’d gone and bought me a fresh batch of whatever it was. A few people told me that I’d leave this month with a strong dislike of human-kind. I’m only 5 days in, but so far it’s been the exact opposite- almost every day, someone does something to raise my opinion of man.

I thanked him. I was full up on the pastery he’s left behind, so I took the small bucket of food upstairs, to where I’d given the guy a donut. There was a different homeless guy there today (still with a dog though; that must be the designated guy-with-a-dog spot). I gave him the food, telling him that someone had bought it for me and I was full, and went outside to grab an MX.

6:45 – Reading through the MX, I noticed that there was a Rio Trio (Gavin: I have no idea what that is) on from 6-9 at the Fed Square, so I grabbed the free tram and headed over.

That’s one thing I really love about Melbourne, it’s a city that’s easy to live in with no money. Between the free trams, Fed Square entertainment, MX and the library, I rarely bored.

7:20pm – Turns out that the Rio Trio (band with Rio influences) (Gavin: Oh, that’s what it is. Thanks Peter) was on in a bar, so I sat and did the Sudoku and listened to some teenagers chat about the boys that they liked for a few hours. Didn’t finish Sudoku (“expert” is too hard for me, it seems) but did finish both jumbles for the first time.

8:30 – I got peckish, so asked a couple of people if they had spare change. Two girls gave me $1.80, then I had a free churro and was sated.

9pm – It’s Friday night and there’s some big sporting event on. For the first time since my first night, I’m a little worried for my safety.

Went down by to the river to have another crack at the Sudoku. Hadn’t been there for more than 5mins when I looked up and saw 3 police officers standing over me. “Hello,” one said, and then all 3 were on their way- seems that they just wanted to make their presence felt. I certainly wasn’t going to be sleeping there that night.

11pm – Walked over the bridge and explored Queen Vic gardens for about an hour, before finding somewhere out-of-sight, but still near a main road, to sleep. Texted my sister again (last time I texted I was in Fed Square, and if I go missing I want the search to have a more specific starting place), and drift off to sleep.

Up Next: Day 6

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