December 4, 2007 - Day Four
Since I had nowhere to stay, I decided to stay up all night and try and get some footage for The Bad Boys.
I took the number 4 train from Fordham Road in the Bronx, down to 42nd Street in Manhattan. While waiting for the number 7 train, I met Adrian in the subway at Grand Central. She asked me a question about the number 7 train, but I told her that I had no idea, and that I was homeless, and that I had just gotten into town recently. I figured she'd give me a dirty look or something and then walk away, but she didn't. She asked me a few other questions, about my life, who I was, that sort of thing. So, we talked on the train ride to Times Square. She was pretty cool! She told me that she had just moved here too, and that she's going to school for nursing. I told her that that was a great career choice, and that she'll always have a job. When we got off the train, she gave me an apple. Damn, it was a fine apple, indeed. It was delicious. It was one of the only things that I had eaten that day.
By the way, thank you again for the apple, Adrian! I hope you know, that you're the only person that spoke to me while I was in NYC. The only other people that I conversed with were homeless or cops.
Adrian made my day! I was feeling so shitty before I met her. I was in a great mood when I got to Times Square. My luck soon changed though... It worsened.
Today was a horrible day, and probably the last. The reason that it could be the last, is because something that I never had expected to happen, happened. I'm pretty pissed off about it too. I probably said the F word about two hundred times after it had occured. Did I mention that I'm fuckin' pissed? Well, I am.
But anyway, here's what happened... I set up my video camera to shoot a segment in front of the NYPD precinct in Times Square, and the wind blows my tripod over. Crash! My thousand dollar camera takes one for the team. Mission failed. Game over. I guess it's back to the drawing board, or I should say, back to good ole Crooked Falls, Ohio.
But hey folks, I lasted four days, and that's three more days than what most people could probably last for. Being homeless in New York City sucks, but I think I could've accomplished this mission. I do intend to try it again.
Why don't I just go on without the video camera? Well, I want to document the experience, so others could see what it's like to be homeless. Plus, the Mini DV was a great tool to do that. There's not much that I can do with my digital photo camera. This blog would be boring if everything that I posted were pix.
So, I'm returning to Ohio...
However, I do plan to come back to complete the challenge eventually. I don't know when though. I'm hoping I can return on January 1st, and stay through February. Next time, I'll be better prepared. I will have two video cameras instead of one.
Keep checking this blog periodically. I plan to post the video footage up soon. Unfortunately, it'll be rough footage, and it won't be in a documentary format.
Thanks for reading!
-John
Money Total = $24.50
Future Challenges
New York, New York - Homeless for 30 days in the winter with $30
LA, California - Homeless for 30 days in the summer with $30
I did get a very rare photograph out of the ordeal though. It's hard to get a shot of the Times Square NYPD Police precinct without people standing around. I got it, and it only cost me my Mini DV camera.
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