The mule deer are tame and the people are beasts

By Max R. Weller

When I left my campsite around 5:20 this morning to head over to Boulder Shelter for the Homeless, I was greeted by a half dozen mule deer does and yearlings not far away. My path through the field took me toward them, to within about 15′ or so, before I turned away. They were alert to my presence, with their absurdly big ears pointed at me, but showed not a trace of panic. At times when I’m asleep, they graze within a very few feet from my sleeping form, as evidenced by the fresh piles of deer scat I find.

Odocoileus hemionus

When I walked into the day room at BSH, by contrast, the homeless guests of that fine establishment were loud and ignorant — as if staff had passed out several cases of Duck Commander wine after the Free Dinner last night. BTW, that brand will soon join others featured on this website.

At least the toilet stall graffiti artist hasn’t been around this winter; he would use his own feces (presumably his own) to smear images on the inside walls of stalls in the men’s restroom. Do you still feel like donating to BSH after reading that?

Speaking of beasts in human guise I haven’t seen lately, where is Filthy Phil? He had taken up residence last Fall on the bench at the University Hill bus stop, and was visiting Norlin Library occasionally, the dumpster-diving stench a being sure indicator of his presence there even before my eyes would spot him. I haven’t noticed him lately, anywhere. I still recall how a nice lady would bring a cup of hot coffee and a fresh pastry to Filthy Phil as he lounged in front of the Main Branch Library back in 2009 and 2010, when I still patronized it. He NEVER said, “Thank you.” Then, one day she came walking up and she overheard this nut ranting about the International Jewish Financiers directing Boulder PD to harass him when he loitered on Pearl Street Mall, rummaging through trash barrels. The nice lady stopped bringing coffee and pastry to Filthy Phil after that . . .

Me, I prefer the company of wild critters which generally behave better than the transients in Boulder, CO:

Bums in Central Park circa 2010

Max’s Journal 2/27/2014

By Max R. Weller

I’m happy to report that nearly all CU students I observe are smart enough this winter to dress according to the conditions; hardly any flip-flops or bare legs and bare arms to be seen. Quite a change from past winters when I strolled across Norlin Quad. And, as I stood outside the west entrance to Norlin Library drinking instant coffee and eating a salami sandwich left over from yesterday, I saw only one coed whose “girls” were popping out of the top of her low-cut blouse. I’ll wager she’s a sociology major:

Prof. Adler’s students learn negative stereotypes, not reality

You know what strikes me about the photo of Rep. Jared Polis in this Daily Camera story? It’s all of the empty seats around him. As I suspected, his colleagues in the U.S. House aren’t interested in his thoughts about anything.

‘Colorado troopers get training on spotting drivers under influence of pot’ from the Denver Post. Lots of potheads really believe that cannabis abuse improves their driving skills, but they’re every bit as dangerous as those drivers who are drunk. Get ’em off the road!

Update on bums in north Boulder: One alcoholic of about 50 years of age, who appeared to be 70, died in a junked RV; one stoner fell asleep in a trailer when it was below 0 degrees outside, and suffered severe frostbite of his feet; otherwise, it’s business as usual with more strange transients prowling around the neighborhood I’ve called HOME for six years now.

Washington, KS (population 1,122) on this sunny morning:

Facebook photo by Washington County News

Tonight at my campsite: New England clam chowder with saltine crackers. Good stuff, even cold straight from the can!

Max’s Journal 2/26/2014

By Max R. Weller

Looking for the perfect beverage to wash down your spicy Chick-fil-A sandwich and waffle fries? Here it is:

Willie Robertson and Duck Commander Chardonnay cases

Family patriarch Phil Robertson stated, “Drink our wine, it’s heavenly; drink that French stuff and get ready for the Lake of Fire!”

Boulder, CO: Most Drugged and Crazy City in America from the Daily Camera.

It was rather chilly overnight, but sunshine today promises that my burrow will be good and toasty tonight.

I remain skeptical of ground turkey replacing ground beef in any recipe, but this meatloaf seems to have won many over. Perhaps if it were wrapped with REAL bacon before baking . . . And where are the chopped green bell peppers? Better those than garlic!

A worthy role model year-round

Just a short post today — nothing much happening.

Most pampered transients in America, and more

By Max R. Weller

You’ll find ’em right here in Boulder, CO.

Example of pampering: the FREE BUS operated by Via (yet another local nonprofit) on weekdays, which takes the bums from Boulder Shelter for the Homeless to 11th & Walnut downtown at 8AM, and then reverses the route at 5PM from 11th & Walnut to BSH. I stuck around the neighborhood long enough this morning — after catching a Denver bum prowling around my nearby campsite — to watch how many transients used this service; it seemed to be about two dozen. Most appeared to be healthy enough to walk both ways. But, if not, all you would have to do is get a piece of scrap cardboard from a dumpster, borrow a marker, print the two words “Bus Fare”, wait for generous passersby to hand you some cash, and then board the SKIP bus like an ordinary citizen. There is no good reason whatsoever for Via to provide a FREE BUS, and I don’t believe you’ll find anything like this elsewhere in America. It’s no wonder the transients who flock to our fair city become so arrogant and self-entitled; it’s like nobody here besides the Homeless Philosopher wants ’em to have to lift a finger to do anything.

BTW, the thieving Denver POS referred to above tried to tell me he was looking for cash blown away from the Bustop Gentleman’s Club. Yeah, right.

The cold temps overnight did wonders for my chronic bad hip, which I’d aggravated in a slip-and-fall while showering in the pigsty of BSH yesterday morning. I’m not going to complain about a minor case of sniffles, also due to the wintry conditions. The National Weather Service predicts snow for today, by 2PM, but I’ll just crawl into my burrow early with a foot long Subway meatball sandwich. I might even share it with Ms. Cattrall if she drops by.

I finished reading Dickens’ “Great Expectations” and I have to say that I much preferred his original ending to the revised version (both were included in the paperback I had). Pip was an imperfect human being, but a work in progress; I don’t think there could be any hope for the object of his adoration, Estella. Pip is better off a lifelong bachelor . . .

That’s all for now.

Boulder Shelter for the Homeless: a filthy pigsty!

By Max R. Weller

All of you folks who have donated to this nonprofit, as well as others who have taken a guided tour of it when the transients are gone for the day, should have seen the state of this relatively new multimillion dollar facility at 4869 N. Broadway in Boulder, CO this morning. Believe me, if I owned any device capable of taking photos I would have done so and posted them here, bearing in mind that one picture is worth a thousand words. I doubt very much that executive director Greg Harms ever sees what I do in the men’s restrooms and shower area at BSH — clogged, overflowing toilets; used towels piled up on the floor just a short distance away from the laundry carts where they belong; water and hair all over the lavatories, along with spilled coffee, shaving cream, and other unidentifiable substances; dirty floors which seem not to have been swept and mopped in many days. Indeed, if ignorance is bliss then Mr. Harms must be one happy-go-lucky son of a gun. The word “bums” doesn’t do justice to the individuals responsible for trashing the shelter they depend on for their allotted 90 nights during the wintertime. “Scumbags” is perhaps more fitting. I stood there waiting for my chance to use one of the only two toilets in working order, and cussed out the transients in no uncertain terms; I suggested that they should either get the hell out of Boulder or jump off a cliff . . . I meant it sincerely, too, True, after a slip-and-fall in the shower where my bad hip bore the brunt of it, I was in a lot of pain (and still am), but any reasonable person would have been very angry at the deliberate trashing of an otherwise excellent facility by sociopathic deviants. The staff who look the other way aren’t much better, and Mr. Harms makes over $90,000 per year in salary and benefits for pretending that everything at BSH is up to par. What a faker!

See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil. Just keep the $$$ flowing into this nonprofit’s coffers. 

I propose a different course: STOP donating to Boulder Shelter for the Homeless. STOP enabling the bad behavior of transients who have no ties to Boulder, CO. STOP feeding them, STOP clothing them, STOP handing out blankets and sleeping bags, STOP all of the activities which are a travesty of compassion for scumbags who choose to foul their own nest. Frankly, I’d like to take any one of the apologists/enablers by the scruff of the neck and rub his/her nose in the disgusting filth left behind by their precious little homeless souls. Stupid, stupid people — because you Feel Good about yourself doesn’t mean that you Do Good. Far from it . . . Whew! I feel much better now.

Max’s Journal 2/23/2014

By Max R. Weller

A light dusting of snow overnight, but no wind to complain about, so it was a comfortable rest in my burrow — until it was time to get up and wait outside of Boulder Shelter for Homeless, which opens at 6AM. More of that wickedly cold ice fog was blowing across the Bustop Gentleman’s Club parking lot, and it seems to cut right through one’s clothing. The National Weather Service is calling for a high of 45 degrees in Boulder, CO this afternoon . . . I think they’re way off, but we shall see.

Thank goodness CU’s Norlin Library opened at 10 this morning. I didn’t have long to wait after my trip down to King Soopers on Table Mesa to buy my humble breakfast: white corn tortilla chips and a can of “traditional” frijoles refritos made with LARD (much tastier than the vegetarian variety). I also drank instant coffee from my Thermos outside the west entrance to Norlin — which had almost no cigarette butts scattered about. Quite a change from a year or two ago, when the place looked like a rundown flophouse and overgrown delinquents would fire up their cancer sticks, right under the NO SMOKING signs posted there.

I still have Nathan’s Famous beef hot dogs left over from yesterday, with ketchup and sweet relish and some multigrain bread for dinner tonight. Perhaps canned chili, too, if the mood strikes me.

‘Shroom Boy (a.k.a. Seth Brigham) left another comment on my blog, in which he griped about a lack of Free Speech here. Hey, stupid! Get your own blog and say anything you like; I’m certainly NOT obligated to provide a forum for the mentally ill, and I refuse to do so.

Seth Brigham

The Facebook photo above provided for the purpose of identification as a public service, in case the Froot Loop exposes himself to you (an offense for which he’s currently on probation in Boulder, CO). He has threatened to return to our fair city; who knows why? He might be a serial weenie waver.

Well, I hope all of the whining little [rhymes with “witches”] in the news media survived their assignments at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. No, I don’t — why lie? I really hope that many of ’em got mugged by Russian gangsters and/or suffered alcohol poisoning from rotgut vodka, as well as being chewed on by bedbugs . . .

BTW, ‘Russia clinches medals title’ from the Kansas City Star.

I notice that there are some good blankets available in the front office at BSH. It wouldn’t hurt if I had a couple more for these windy nights, but I expect I’ll find some in the bushes and ditches in the neighborhood, and will pick up what I need that way. Many bums just use a blanket once and then toss it away, apparently feeling entitled to a limitless supply for their convenience.

Political comment for today:

That’s all for now, folks.

Seth Brigham and transients

By Max R. Weller

The only reason I mention good ol’ Seth, who has apparently been in Rhode Island for many moons since leaving our fair city, is because the yahoo is leaving comments on my blog — which will never be published. Bridge House has lots of fans, Seth being one of ’em, and they all will LIE on behalf of that transient magnet, as well as attacking the Homeless Philosopher who is simply telling it like it is. ‘Shroom Boy is wasting his time, but it’s his to waste given his trust fund and monthly disability benefits for mental illness. I wonder how Seth’s ex-boyfriend, the braying jackass Jann Scott, is doing these days; I haven’t noticed that he’s still interested in homelessness here in Boulder, CO (not that I follow his website). There was a time when Jann would cruise the streets in winter, looking for vulnerable homeless men to pick up and take home to his garage . . .

What a disaster area the men’s restrooms/showers were this morning at Boulder Shelter for the Homeless — used towels left in a heap on the floor, because the bums are too lazy to put them into the laundry cart about 15′ away from the shower area; only one toilet in working order, the rest having been deliberately stuffed with toilet paper and overflowing with urine and feces; water splashed all over the lavatories; etc. These worthless transients seem to be intent on trashing BSH in much the same way they trash Central Park, and I suppose this is their passive-aggressive way of giving society the finger. But, it’s other homeless people who are inconvenienced by such misbehavior, NOT the wealthy folks ensconced in McMansions up in the Foothills. The transients aren’t very bright, fouling their own facility as they do . . .

I’ll never be a slave to the homeless shelter/services industry.

High winds overnight, but rocks placed at the corners of my tarp managed to keep everything in place. It must be pointed out, however, that 40mph gusts and even stronger do tend to blow away all of the heat trapped inside my burrow. It was rather chilly by the time I got up at 5:15AM. As I waited for BSH to open at 6 there were light flurries, and more of the same when I left there at 7:30AM.

I decided to buy a quality brand of instant coffee, instead of the cheapest on the shelf at King Soopers. I could afford it, thanks to the generosity of my friends, so why not treat myself? I fill my Thermos, drink half of it before leaving the lowdown filthy shelter, and enjoy the rest later on as I sit on the wall next to the sidewalk in the 4900 block of N. Broadway. And I bought a huge bag of peanut M&Ms, also as a treat to ME. Br’er Fox ain’t getting a one!

That’s all for now, folks . . .

Max’s Journal 2/20/2014

By Max R. Weller

I’ve slept comfortably outdoors the past two nights. I arrange my 9′ x 12′ tarp so it’s a sandwich, with my sleeping bag and other gear inside, and I can stay warm and dry regardless of the weather outside my burrow. BTW, I didn’t lose my red camp pillow as I’d feared — it was in the field nearby, and I spotted it when my friend dropped me off on Tuesday morning. Br’er Fox is still to blame, I’m certain; I’m sleeping on a pillow covered with animal slobbers.

I hate the high winds here (and precipitation in any form) when I’m sitting on the wall along the sidewalk in the 4900 block of N. Broadway, and trying to read a book. Currently, it’s “Great Expectations” by Dickens, and I breezed through the first hundred pages yesterday. Only disturbed a couple of times by Shouting Joe from St. Louis asking where I’d been the past three weeks (recuperating from the Denver Crud indoors) and some other transient I don’t know looking for a MMJ dispensary (I’m not a stoner, so I couldn’t help him).

More new faces at Boulder Shelter for the Homeless, but the same old conversations about where to get Free Stuff in Boulder, CO. I’m so glad to NOT be mixed up in that degraded bum lifestyle!

Drunk Brian, one of the inebriates I’ve often mentioned who panhandled at the corner of N. Broadway & U.S. 36 and caused all sorts of problems in the neighborhood there, is apparently gone permanently. I’m told he returned to his home state of Michigan before New Year’s, and this is indeed Good News. The pickled idjit was always inviting some of the worst-behaved bums to come up to north Boulder and party — I recall many occasions when one or two or even a half dozen would pass out drunk on the nicely landscaped property belonging to the Dakota Ridge HOA. Without Drunk Brian around, there should be much less drama and stupid behavior in general.

Very quiet in CU’s Norlin Library this morning.

Heading down to King Soopers now, then back to north Boulder . . .

Bridge House: Boulder, CO’s transient magnet

(Previously published on November 24, 2013).

By Max R. Weller

Exhibit A: ‘Survey: More than half of Boulder homeless who sought help at center were new to city’ from the Daily Camera on 5/22/2013.

I’ve said it many times: Bridge House at 1120 1/2 Pine in the downtown area ought to be closed down as a Public Nuisance. Without this nonprofit facility to enable them, the number of bums from Denver and elsewhere loitering on Pearl Street Mall, in Central Park, and on University Hill would be greatly reduced.

The homeless people’s day center should be Boulder Shelter for the Homeless at 4869 N. Broadway (currently closed in the daytime), and this nonprofit needs to model itself on others around the country which offer all homeless shelter/services under one roof. Here are links to two examples which I’ve cited before:

1) Haven for Hope in San Antonio, TX — note that they require proof of residency in Bexar County, TX; BSH should require proof of residency in Boulder County, CO.

2) Casa Esperanza in Santa Barbara, CA — “Casa Esperanza is shifting to a new model of 24-hour sobriety-based programs. We are implementing best practices from successful programs around the country.”

Street people who are under the influence of alcohol or other drugs, to such a degree that they’re unable to care for themselves, need to be taken to either detox or to jail if they’re behaving badly. Those only slightly impaired, but well-behaved, can be housed in the emergency warming centers operated by Boulder Outreach for Homeless Overflow at a network of churches and a synagogue.

As far as I’m concerned, the best thing to give to transients at risk in Colorado’s wintry conditions is a Greyhound bus ticket to a warmer clime. I think there can be little doubt that this would also be more cost-effective in the long run for Boulder’s nonprofits and taxpayers alike. Toss in a couple of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to go . . .

Boulder homeless Internet memes

By Max R. Weller