- [Interviewer] RD.
- Yes.
- [Interviewer] You're Lost Awareness on Twitter.
- Tada.
- [Interviewer] You're homeless.
- I am.
- [Interviewer] Tell me me about it.
- In what respect?
The fact that it's cold,
the fact that it's difficult to find a bathroom,
the fact that the people of my community
are not only on the streets, but some of them are ill.
Some of them are addicted, some of them have mental issues,
some of them have physical issues.
Some of them don't have any issues at all
except that they lost their homes.
It's a difficult place to be.
Homeless is not accepted by the standard person.
They look at you and go, "What are gonna steal?
What is it I'm gonna lose by dealing with you?"
Or, "Oh my God you stink!"
Well, that's what happens
when you're not able to take a shower daily.
- [Interviewer] It's gotta be hard.
- It's tough, yeah.
- [Interviewer] Well you keep a positive attitude.
(laughing)
- [Interviewer] You've been an encouragement to me.
- I have to because I can do depression real easy.
And depression is no place to be
because it may be physiological,
it may be mental, but depression is usually
treated with meds and meds and I don't mix.
And ...
I'd rather be able to look at things
and be happy
than to be sitting in a corner sulking
going I'm hopeless,
I'm helpless, oh God,
because I'm not gonna go on that road.
- [Interviewer] Now you used to work in IT or computers?
- I've worked in both,
and I do make a difference between IT and computers.
Seriously, I've used computers all my life.
- [Interviewer] Right.
- This is not necessarily from a computer,
but I'm told it could be
because I've been a keyboard person.
I typed a 110 words a minute for 20 years.
I did a lot of word processing
and then I moved into training people.
I'm very good facile, I'm brilliant.
I'm really brilliant with applications.
So I trained people how to use them.
Whether it was Word, Excel, or some kind of database.
Then I moved in to help desk, which I call the IT.
Because I was on a headset for almost three years.
Working with attorneys and their crew,
whether it was their secretaries,
whether it was their paralegals,
whether it was the admin of a legal firm.
Helping them use whatever equipment they have
and getting their work done daily.
Which is high stress.
- [Interviewer] And now you've not been able to work
in a normal capacity, obviously?
(laughter)
- For two years, thank you very much.
- [Interviewer] For two years.
- Yeah.
- [Interviewer] And then you ended up
getting close to homeless
and then Twitter played a role in this.
And you even, I think you got a Jeff Pulver hug
and spoke at a 140 conference.
- Oh, did I ever, and those are some fantastic people.
140, oh, I cannot say enough great things about them.
I learned so much in those two days,
having seen 70 presentations,
being the exhibit proudly of one.
And getting a chance to speak in front of these people.
I don't yet have it down where
I'm really coherent in 140 characters,
as you know by some of my Tweets,
but you give me a few more sentences
and my clarity opens up.
So the ability to be able to say something
in that amount of verbiage; less than a sentence,
truly a great talent.
- [Interviewer] Well I think you're great.
You have a great voice.
I've been pitching somebody needs to hire you,
because you know you have this little way of
bringing out this happy personality that you have.
It's not just a static 140 characters.
Your Tweets come out with a wow.
- I like that, because I use wow a lot.
- [Interviewer] Yeah, you do.
- I type wow.
- [Interviewer] You do, you really do.
So you know, I was even asked last week,
a homeless person, how do you use technology?
I mean, now you're at a Winter shelter,
and I see you there with your laptop.
Obviously, you know, people think
homeless people shouldn't have technology.
- Oh yeah.
- [Interviewer] That's kind dumb, don't you think?
- Not only do I think it's dumb,
I think it's prejudicial.
And I think it's one of the serious ills of our
civilized societies, because if you're not good enough
you shouldn't have the toys.
Well a computer,
a cell phone,
an iPod,
they're not toys.
You use them every day in your work.
The people around you use them every day in their work.
They can't get their jobs done without them.
Yet, we, as the homeless,
from a huge group in our cultured United States,
expects us to find jobs walking from place to place
with no clothing, with no decent haircuts,
with shotty sanitary conditions,
and we're not allowed to utilize the equipment
that you must have to get your job done?
Uncool.
I can't say anything more than that.
You know, I don't wanna bring anybody down,
but they're tools of the trade.
We are tradesmen.
Not all of us are unable to work.
Now I have an issue with working.
There's some things I can't do anymore.
But it doesn't mean I can't work.
And I'm certainly not gonna be disqualified
because I don't have the same tools you do.
- [Interviewer] And you wanna work.
- Yeah.
- [Interviewer] And you can Tweet like crazy.
(laughing)
- [Interviewer] You know.
- Well I can do that, yeah.
- [Interviewer] And blog.
I mean, when you're moving into your Winter shelter,
your blog post just totally wrecked me.
And I really like the trike that you have behind you,
so that you can get around.
- Is Dartanion cool or what?
- [Interviewer] I mean that's really awesome.
You're rocking homelessness.
Making the best out of it.
Where's your blog?
How do people find your blog?
- It's very simple.
LostAwareness. (spitting)
LostAwareness.BlogSpot.com.
It's difficult to say BlogSpot.com.
Try saying it 20 times fast.
Very simple.
- [Interviewer] And LostAwareness on Twitter.
- Mmhmm.
- [Interviewer] Kay, I think the world of you,
and we're working hard to get you out of this situation.
- You are the Caped Crusader.
- [Interviewer] Oh stop.
- Oh yeah, I get to say it.
I'm homeless, I get to say it.
Live with it dude.
- [Interviewer] You get a little extra liberties.
- Thank you.
- [Interviewer] If you had three wishes,
what would they be?
- Oh, oh I get to answer the three questions, oh I love it!
A home.
I'm not like anybody else.
I am like anybody else; I want a home.
I want everyone that is homeless to have a home,
and I'm gonna go out there and make sure it happens.
'Cause I'm gonna do everything I can to have it happen.
And my third wish ...
I want a motorcycle.
I wanna be able to drive it again.
- [Interviewer] You want a motorcycle?
- Yes I love motorcycles.
- [Interviewer] Well thank you very much
for talking to me.
- Thank you.