New Year's Eve plans

[franksolich]

Here it is, one of the hottest days of the year in the Sandhills of Nebraska, and the neighbor, dropping in to leave a stack of wooden stakes for the prairie archaeologist, asked where I'm going for.....New Year's Eve.

Ooops, I hadn't even begun to think about that yet.

At sporadic times before I moved here, and every single year since I've been here, I've always made it a point to spend New Year's Eve under the roof of a poor man.

I forget the source of this; it could have been in one of the stories by Asch or Aleichem, or other Yiddish folklore, where it is promised that if one spends New Year's Eve enjoying the hospitality of a poor man, God gives him wealth all the coming year.  I read the story when I was a little lad, and was impressed.

I'm sure everybody recalls where franksolich spent New Year's Eve 2007.

Anyway, so I'm now starting to think; where should I spend this coming New Year's Eve enjoying the hospitality of a poor man?  It has to be within circa 350-400 miles of here, three days away from home tops, and the man has to be abysmally poor.

The problem is, in George Bush's (and the first George Bush's and Ronald Reagan's) America, poverty isn't what it used to be.  If one were to believe the primitives on Skins's island, these are the worst times since the Israelites were in slavery in ancient Egypt, but the primitives don't know shit.

There is a stratospheric difference between being poor in 2008, and having been poor in 1978.

Not to mention there is a universe of difference between being poor in America, and poor in one of the socialist paradises of the workers and peasants with free medical care for all.

Anybody have any suggestions for me to think about, taking into consideration the geographic and time limitations?

[Lord Undies]

You could spend the evening with me, but I'm about 680 miles away.  Oh well.  I would suggest volunteering that evening at a shelter for the socially unincorporated.  Most of those folks appear to be poor.

Frank, you must be a hot party guest commodity since you are already getting invitations.  Wow- I'm impressed!

[franksolich]

I would suggest volunteering that evening at a shelter for the socially unincorporated.  Most of those folks appear to be poor.

Been there, done that, seen that.

I spent New Year's Eve 2003 walking around Omaha's skid row.

And New Year's Eve 2001 I was around the old Union Station in Denver.

Given that I'm deaf and a few years older now, I'd just as soon find a poor man in a sparsely populated area, as I did in 2007 and 2006 (2006 was spent at Pine Ridge, South Dakota).

I did the Native American thing two years in a row, and since there aren't any barrios in this part of the country, I'm stumped.

on edit: doing that sort of thing is dispensing hospitality, not receiving it.

According to that story I read as a little lad, one has to be the recipient of a poor man's hospitality, not a giver of.

[Wineslob]

Look for one of those "poor" people hold a sign that says "Will work for food".  Wait, that won't work, they just want to panhandel. Darn.
I donno Frank, most peolpe that would be considered "poor", at least here in the states, really aren't, and they prefer to not be "labeled " that way.
Try the Salvation Army?

[debk]

Frank.....find out what my son is doing.

I can guarantee he doesn't have much money, and he would offer you a beer or two or three, he's funny, and he's less than 30 miles from you. 

[DixieBelle]

I was going to suggest Native Americans but you have covered that twice.

I dunno.

How has this affected your life? Does it have the desired outcome?

[franksolich]

Frank.....find out what my son is doing.

I can guarantee he doesn't have much money, and he would offer you a beer or two or three, he's funny, and he's less than 30 miles from you. 

I'm open.

If you're serious, PM me--not with personal details, but his approximate location--and then we'll go from there.

I'm big on internet safety.

[franksolich]

How has this affected your life? Does it have the desired outcome?

Of course it has; every time I do this, I get richer than I otherwise would.

I have no idea why it works that way, but there you have it.

[Chris_]

I will spend New Year's Eve the same way I have done every one for the last 20 years -- in bed asleep by 10 pm.

[debk]

Frank.....find out what my son is doing.

I can guarantee he doesn't have much money, and he would offer you a beer or two or three, he's funny, and he's less than 30 miles from you. 

I'm open.

If you're serious, PM me--not with personal details, but his approximate location--and then we'll go from there.

I'm big on internet safety.

Check your pm's.

I think Kev and Thor will vouch for me....I'm a mod over at usmilnet.

[franksolich]

Frank.....find out what my son is doing.

I can guarantee he doesn't have much money, and he would offer you a beer or two or three, he's funny, and he's less than 30 miles from you. 

I'm open.

If you're serious, PM me--not with personal details, but his approximate location--and then we'll go from there.

I'm big on internet safety.

Check your pm's.

I think Kev and Thor will vouch for me....I'm a mod over at usmilnet.

My God.

We might very well know each other in real life, madam.

[Airwolf]

Frank is right as always. The majority of people here in the US do not know what poor is. 100% of those that earn minimum wage earn more then 87% of the worlds population. Since most of the DUmp has never seen what it is like outside of the US except on TV, it's not hard to understand why this is. But untill you have seen what its like to live in a third world crap hole then its not easy to compare that to say the poor in the US where alot have color TV and Cable and a roof over their heads. I have seen people in Panama that had a home made of cardboard and nothing else . No food,Furniture, only the clothes they had and not much else. No help from anyone. Yes the same thing does happen here but here in the US the Governement will help or a church or other agency and not only that they will if possible find you a place to live and a job. All you have to do is ask and then work to keep it. I know also that isn't easy but  at least here in the US you have that chance and a right to make it. In Panama back in 1983 there was no hope and  I doubt that its changed much.

[MrsSmith]

If deb's son doesn't work, mine might.  He lives in North Platte...can't give any more than that away because he stays with various friends.  He has a few boxes of stuff, the things he salvaged after his girlfriend dumped him and his truck was repo'd.  Now, he did start a job yesterday, so may be doing better by New Years...if you're still looking in a couple months, I'll find out if he has any place in which he could host you.   

[debk]

Uh, Frank....you're going to flip when you read the pm I just sent you!

[franksolich]

Uh, Frank....you're going to flip when you read the pm I just sent you!

I'm awestruck, madam.

You know, this "six degrees of separation" thing that's apparently actually 7-point-something?

It looks like this is an instance of one degree of separation.

Who would have thought?

I'll get back to you tomorrow; I have to go to the neighbor's for supper.  Because of the torrid heat, no point in dining until the sun starts going down.

I'm starting to suspect that there's little separation between my neighbor Mrs. Smith and franksolich, too.

What were the odds of such fortuitous chances?

[debk]

Have a good night.....with the lovely Mrs Smith!

[MrsSmith]

Have a good night.....with the lovely Mrs Smith!

[debk]