Sounds fascinating. I read "Mole People" recently, which kind of walked that line you seem to be getting at.

I'll have to look up that book. Thanks.

I went to see Dave today. I was really upset with the visit. The hospital, El Centro Regional Hospital, does not have a good reputation. It's cramped, people seemingly walking all over the place, just an unfriendly kind of atmosphere.

I found Dave in Room 212. The door had a note taped to it to see the nurse before entering. I saw the nurse and was told he was highly infectous with a gastrointestinal infection causing him to bleed profusely out of his rectum.

I finally found a room to get gloves (bad directions by the nurse) and entered the room. I thought he was in a closet. Dark, small and him on his back in a bed that looked like it was just pushed into the room by a nurse. He was asleep, but sensed me and woke up.

He had tears in his eyes when he saw me and it sort of choked me up too. I'm sure that I had been the only company that he had since he was admitted. He still had on his wool cap, pulled to his ears. His feet were wrapped up and he said they were treating his infections in his feet (he's also diabetic and lack of circulation to the extremities can happen if not cared for properly). He was being fed intraveniously and was being pumped full of antibotics.

We talked for about ten minutes. He said the police had taken all his stuff and shooed away the rest of the homeless from the area they had claimed for sleeping. So when he gets out he needs to find new stuff (if that makes sense), but even homeless have their possessions.

I left thanking God for my good fortune and wonderful wife and I prayed for Dave's swift recovery. I also left with the impression, as usual, of callous treatment of this man by the hospital. I know that some idiot came up with a term for the room they put babies in who survive abortions. They call it the "comfort room". They are placed there until they die. I felt this way about Dave, he would be shoved into a dark room by himself until he's cleared and then pushed out the door. Sad, but typical. I'm upset about this.

That's really sad. It's really terrible how bad the homeless are cared for. Almost as if they have no value whatsoever to society. I really hope he pulls through. He's in my thoughts and prayers.

Going to see Dave today. As I passed the island where these guys stand with their signs yesterday I saw one of his friends with his "homeless" dog. The dog is a beautiful, golden short-haired lab that always has sun glasses on. Really a sweet dog. I told him what Dave had and he said....."It's from all the drinking he does". Either Dave can hide it really well, or I just catch him when he's sober. But, I haven't really even gotten into his drinking habits yet, still collecting his life story.

My wife and I saw Dave today. He's better, still isolated. I have been his only visitor, other than a couple of his homeless friends coming to see him one day, and they tried to sneak him in beer, ugh.

He said he didn't drink as he's on, I think he said, Librium to keep him from shaking during withdrawals. He's been told his liver is in really bad shape and he also has his stomach full of some type of bacteria, but he couldnt' remember the name.

I'm going to go visit and sit with him a few hours tomorrow. He wants to continue with the book. He said the day he was rushed to the hospital he had just sent his mother a letter (to Florida) saying that he was fine. I'm going to try to get his mom's name/address/phone number from him.

My wife and I agreed that we would pay for his airfare to Florida if his mom was willing to take him in, but we'll see. I'll know more tomorrow. I'm going to shoot ahead (last left talking about his productive days in Santa Barbara, CA) to how he actually became homeless, what was the tipping point.

Well, it got interesting today. Dave is much better. Finally found out what triggered his first homelessness. Dave had been a functional alcoholic, making good money, etc., despite three DUI arrests. He did get involved with pain killers (due to migraine headaches) and got addicted to them. He found two doctors to prescribe the same prescription (agains the law), was pulled over for DUI and two bottles from two different doctors were found. He did a year and a half in prison for this.

He lived with a "good girl" for about four years, a nurses assistant, who hurt herself at work, went out on workmans comp and she became addicted to pain killers (up to this point she had never done any drugs). He got her on a methadone treatment program to try to kick the painkiller addiction Methadone will kill your liver if you're on it too long. She left him to go spend time with her mom and try to get clean. She returned after about six months, but stopped by to see "friends" who were known drug users.

She died in their house. Now get this. These people took her out of the house, put her in her car, drove her out of town and left her on the side of the road, in her car, where she was later found.

Dave said that when he found out he walked off his job, abandoned his apartment, abandonded his motorcycle, all this possessiong and started train hopping for almost two years.

I've got to get into more detail (gingerly) about this with his girlfriend as I'm just wondering if HE was involved in taking her body and abandoning it. He said they did it because they didn't want the cops in their house and were scared. He was quite emotional when he told me, but I let it pass and we went on to talk about a very unusual time of train hopping. That in itself an interesting tale.

Of course I'm going to San Diego tomorrow and won't see him for about four days, but I gave him one of our sleeping bags, new socks, a new hat and a blanket as he believes he might get released in a couple days. Hope I can find him when I get back.

Oh, Dave said that he was not welcomed in his mom's house because of his step brother who told him NEVER to darken their doors.

Well, Dave got out of the hospital when I went to the SCEA Community Event up in San Diego. I saw him briefly yesterday, but when I went to see him today I didn't notice him. One of the other homeless guys yelled out, "Dave, Dave!" and I saw him curled up in the fetal position under a tree. He was on his side, opened his eyes and looked at me. The homeless guy said "He's out of it".

Don't know if he was drunk. I do know he said he was given a bunch of medication for what ails him when he left the hospital. Hope he wasn't mixing them and beer. He DID look like crap. I told him I'd drop by tomorrow.

Dave was in a foul mood today (understandable). He looked like crap again, but wasn't laying down looking out of it. I'm hoping that my interview with him is not coming to an end. I've been respectful of him and hope I can catch him feeling a little better in a couple days.

Dave has been gone the last couple day. I was told to check BEHIND the vacant Walmart building. Saw some shopping carts, but no Dave. I was told again that right now, "he's out of it". It's got to be the prescription drugs he was given when he got out of the hospital.

I'll keep checking for him.

Saw Dave today. Looked like absolute ****. He was eating a cold can of menudo and when he walked towards me he had he shakes. All he said was that he'd been sick (no mention of over-medicating on his prescription drugs). I got the okay to meet with him tomorrow to try get the ball rolling again on the book interview. Keeping my fingers crossed that he's feeling better tomorrow. In all honesty, I can't see how this man can live much longer under the current conditions.

Dave, Dave, Dave.........frustration here. I guess as long as he hasn't run out of prescription drugs from his hospital stay, this is going to take awhile. He was curled up in a ball again today, "out of it". I'll just have to keep checking back.

No Dave, no homeless anywhere. Maybe the cops rousted them. Raining very heavy here. Global warming has caused us to have a very cold winter for our area, lol.

Saw Dave today and he was lucid. So we're on tomorrow for some interview time. Hopefully I can get in a couple hours with him.