Been a while since I did one of these, let me see how fast I can get everyone up to date on what's happening in my life:
Mom had to go to the hospital for salmonella poisoning, it was bad, she was crapping and puking everywhere. At this beginning of I had to go get a hand cart in a nearby town because our old cart we were using broke within a few days of using it, first it was the wheels that disintegrated after a week, no joke they broke apart despite my best attempts at trying to tape them back together, got three different replacements from Amazon and it broke them too, got a set of solid wheels from Harbor Fright and it DESTROYED them.
So, upon coming back with it she had completely ruined her jeans and needed an ambulance, and because she was sick in the parking lot of a hotel her boyfriend gets her a room once in a while management came around and told her if she didn't leave he'll call the cops.
So, when she went into the hospital I had to figure out how to stack a broken double decker cart (took off the wheels) on top of a hand cart and two cats in their carrier across three miles by myself to the spot we used to camp out at near the hospital.
For the next five days I couldn't really go anywhere, bathroom trips had to be extremely limited because I couldn't take the large pile of rolling junk into a store (two cots, a large pop up tent, sleeping backs, backpack full of random junk and a cooler bag full of tuperware) performing hit and run charging tactics at the hospital's outside plugs due to security hating my guts and previous run ins resulted with a ton of calls to their legal department due to harassment and HIPA violations in the past.
After that we spent a lot of time around the hospital area, trying to get housing through the county organization for homeless outreach via police, she turned herself in by having me take pictures and submitting them through Fort Lauderdale's weird HoA tattletale site, which set up around the area but right back to the same spot, and when she got to enjoy a hotel room for a night by herself as it was too difficult to move the pile of junk around I got nearly killed by an overzealous security guard.
He drove up onto the sidewalk near the hidden camp site, shined his high-beams, wouldn't identify himself, caused me to have a sever asthma attack I couldn't breath for three minutes of pointing to my throat, unable to talk or take air in and nearly blacking out but only caring that I removed everything despite the police officer mom talked to later about if this is legal said he should had called an ambulance
The next night it was a cop, who was working for a guy who had a vendetta against my mom, more on that in a second, who arrested both of us. You see thing is here in Fort Lauderdale all one has to do to be arrested is get a signature and a thumbprint agreeing to show up in court and BOOM, cop can say you are arrested and it shows up on your record as arrested. It happened when we were told we were trespassed at the airport, even those they said they will arrest us NEXT TIME but reported us to the court and forcing us to go to court and maybe go to jail and lose everything soon.
About the guy, he became my mom's nemesis due to that website that is suppose to report things like broken street lights or gushing water mains but is mainly used to target homeless people, especially after the new law was passed about sleeping in public, we got a tent for protection from other homeless people and bashers. It was a headache, that stupid site is full of people who treat Fort Lauderdale as a huge HoA and they are all the presidents of it.
Mom did a lot of digging on the guy, found he hated homeless, lies about being a councilman because he lost, has a fake company and is living in his relative's basement and somehow actually has enough pull to do bad things to people.
I am sorry about all of this rambling just trying to cover the big stuff the best I could because there is a much of it happening, so much fear of losing everything I own due to my mother being such a diva and dragging me into so much problems because I trusted her and feel like I have an obligation as a good kid to help out.
There's a lot of other things too, like every cent I make at commission goes to raw survival, paying phone bills, the small storage she got and making sure the two cats are well fed and have litter, with occasionally getting us food too but it gets harder and harder because she's getting picky (she had a heart attack, heart surgery so it's understandable, but still frustrating when I try to hand her the card and say find something but instead makes me do the shopping for her.), the fact I had not real time for myself outside of reading twitter because I have to make sure no one comes up from behind, or listen to mom's long, long speech about how she's going to crusade to change things for the better or whatnot before getting that brief moment I can listen to some music for a few minutes.
I barely get time for personal things, I am lucky to get a few commissions done for friends as I had to do them on an android tablet while sitting at the hospital charging spot quickly before needing to run somewhere, usually a two or three mile trek to community court to talk to homeless outreach or to run to another spot for a minute before returning to the same place over and over because it is “safe”. Right now I am at a Racetrac burning up my money that should be going towards bills and feeding the girls but instead going towards buying stuff just to sit for hours upon hours instead of traveling to the library to charge up or maybe trying to find a job or a place to hide.
At this point I am just kind of, existing.
I am trying an idea, knowing it's foolish to try but I got to do something and that's trying to make money with my art because the chances of me landing a regular 9 to 5 job just gone out the window, mainly because I tried to leave for a short while a few times and left the gear with mom only to often get frantic calls, texts and even emails about bathroom emergencies and I gotta hurry up.
Anyway back to the plan, make one shot comics along with my main comic and have a patron/kofi for tips and try to make some video games to sell, and try to get more commissions.
Leaving isn't an option mainly because I have responsibilities, like to the two cats because I know mom can't handle it, trying to get her to some place safe and dealing with the legalities as I got so many trespasses on me to deal with, have no one to watch my back which makes it easier to have my stuff taken and finally I got nowhere to go.
A positive thing I do have is I got a ton of online friends that help me out, from listening to me bitch to commissioning me I am very lucky for them.
Hell I kind of have an online boyfriend too, it's not too serious but he keeps me sane. It's not easy hiding my bisexuality from mom, who would have a psycho-fit over it and just easier to hide it.. Hell, she has a fit over any girl who isn't a good old fashion good girl from the 50's stereotypes.
It seems like I am laying all of my blame on her, but she's just driving me crazy right now so I needed to vent that out but there's larger problems at play like the fact it is down right impossible to get a job, mainly transportation is just a crap shoot here (mom went to war with the bus drivers here and kind of made them down right hard to ride, but they were crap to begin with), constantly moving around due to Florida's stupid anti-homeless law (it says cities can't say it's okay to sleep in public, but everyone thinks it means arrest the homeless on sight), and just how much a jerk everyone is here.
I was excited because I was told Fort Lauderdale was cheap to live in, and I secretly thought there be these parties where people had orgies or close to them and find friends with similar interest. I found out it's just a bloated small town that is dirty, racist, lazy and acts like a huge HoA.
I just needed to get this out, let somebody know what's going on in my life just in case something bad happens like I wind up in jail or get beaten to death and like to leave a trail behind.
This stinks.

Comic Talk and General Discussion *
[Vent/life update] I hate Fort Lauderdale (it's a long one)[Edit:update.]
J_Scarbrough
at 12:15PM, Feb. 3, 2025
I only spent a week in Fort Lauderdale 25 years ago on a vacation, and even then, I hated it; it's just a dumpy little town, it made for a miserable vacation experience.
But man, I really hate that you just keep going through all this shit with your mom all the time.
But man, I really hate that you just keep going through all this shit with your mom all the time.
takoyama
at 4:31PM, Feb. 3, 2025
that sounds awful, you would think cities would have better resources for the homeless or putout.
public assistance, religious groups or something?
you may have to make a tough decision about your cats and send them to a animal shelter or the pound.
public assistance, religious groups or something?
you may have to make a tough decision about your cats and send them to a animal shelter or the pound.
J_Scarbrough
at 5:12PM, Feb. 3, 2025
takoyama wrote:
that sounds awful, you would think cities would have better resources for the homeless or putout.
public assistance, religious groups or something?
Not in red states. Especially Florida, where governor DeSantis is basically a lite version of Dictator Drumpf.
Ozoneocean
at 5:39PM, Feb. 3, 2025
How incredibly horrible!
You will have to make hard choices in order to get out of that situation…
You and your mum will both be able to survive better alone- Get her sheltered somewhere without you. You continue to sleep rough but go for jobs without having to worry about her.
Similarly, get the cats into shelters.
Constant expenses will drag you down and keep you in the hole. All money has to go to real survival costs and any left over should go to a more useful goal like paying for the bond on a rented apartment if you can save enough at a job.
Much easier said than done I know, and I know you mainly just want to vent and are not interested in advice or solutions proposed by a privileged person 1000s of KMs away in another country, but I felt I had to say it.
My heart goes out to you.
You will have to make hard choices in order to get out of that situation…
You and your mum will both be able to survive better alone- Get her sheltered somewhere without you. You continue to sleep rough but go for jobs without having to worry about her.
Similarly, get the cats into shelters.
Constant expenses will drag you down and keep you in the hole. All money has to go to real survival costs and any left over should go to a more useful goal like paying for the bond on a rented apartment if you can save enough at a job.
Much easier said than done I know, and I know you mainly just want to vent and are not interested in advice or solutions proposed by a privileged person 1000s of KMs away in another country, but I felt I had to say it.
My heart goes out to you.
bravo1102
at 5:09AM, Feb. 4, 2025
Get thee to a blue state. Florida has become one of the worst places to be poor (let alone homeless) You need someplace with lots of social programs that Republicans aren't cutting back and no anti-vagrancy laws.
And the best rollers are hard solid rubber. You almost never see a new set only ones decades old.
And the best rollers are hard solid rubber. You almost never see a new set only ones decades old.
Furwerk studio
at 10:59AM, Feb. 4, 2025
Will do my best to answer here.
Yeah, it's still a pit.
And while I don't care for Trump, as I see him as glorified game show host that fell face first into the golden nugget of politics and 90's “anti-politically correct” cult that is dangerous like a monkey with a glock, I see the governor as this M. Bison wannabe trying to make Florida its own country under his rule and making everyone suffer.
I expect next week for him to announce that all underwear must be changed hourly and worn outside to be checked.
I am going through public assistance and it is nightmarish, and a huge part of the problem.
For the last two years mom and I were doing what I dub the “hobo shuffle”, running around and wasting resources trying to get out of it because we kept getting promised this and that only to be let down, turned down because we aren't druggies, drink or smoke (she quit smoking, I never drank or smoked) so they couldn't shove us into rehab like so many others.
In fact both trespasses are the result of mom listening to these organizations making promises and hind of hunkering down waiting, the officer that does homeless outreach understood but the cop that “arrested” us, in Florida you can be arrested without being booked, was in the fake councilman's pocket and manage to overwrite everyone else.
Churches here want nothing to do with the homeless, one of the major ones here just closed up their doors and changing over to a more private shelter. The other one, which had been a long, long time since I visited them because they operated an tent church out of a parking lot near the library, they had some bad fist fights and heard somebody pulled knives, it was getting real bad.
They offered “shelter” if you paid them the low, low price of six hundred a month for a dorm with six other guys, but no women were allowed.
As for the girls I am trying my best, trying to keep them out of the pound as they would be put to sleep quickly and they don't deserve that.
Thanks for the nice words.
As much as it would be to be on our own out here that isn't happening any time soon, lots of reasons I will go over.
The shelters are awful, full of violence, crime and literal shit. During the floor the year before the sewage backed up and filled the entire shelter had this two inches of liquid shit everywhere, it led to my foot getting nearly infected and another person going to the hospital (it was ignored by the authorities despite my videos of the subject).
The other thing is, the men down here are disgusting, they got that caveman mentality of “woman mine”, and if there isn't a man of some kind, even a son, they get pretty violent here. I remember talking to this one lady that knows mom that broke her finger punching out a would be rapist, and here they put the men and the women in the same shelter, only separation is “you stay on that side, you stay on the other side.”
Upside I got a job interview soon, and hopefully I can get a job to work on saving up for that apartment.
Can't say too much about moving, at the moment just focusing on getting into a safe place first and foremost.
What I can say is this; it was one of the most weird carts I had ever seen in my life because I bought these solid rubber tires from Harbor Fright and the castor rigs just CHEWED threw them, and than ground the down into these weird numbs.
I never seen anything like it and hope I have never do again.
J_Scarbrough wrote:
I only spent a week in Fort Lauderdale 25 years ago on a vacation, and even then, I hated it; it's just a dumpy little town, it made for a miserable vacation experience.
But man, I really hate that you just keep going through all this shit with your mom all the time.
-
Not in red states. Especially Florida, where governor DeSantis is basically a lite version of Dictator Drumpf.
Yeah, it's still a pit.
And while I don't care for Trump, as I see him as glorified game show host that fell face first into the golden nugget of politics and 90's “anti-politically correct” cult that is dangerous like a monkey with a glock, I see the governor as this M. Bison wannabe trying to make Florida its own country under his rule and making everyone suffer.
I expect next week for him to announce that all underwear must be changed hourly and worn outside to be checked.
takoyama wrote:
that sounds awful, you would think cities would have better resources for the homeless or putout.
public assistance, religious groups or something?
you may have to make a tough decision about your cats and send them to a animal shelter or the pound.
I am going through public assistance and it is nightmarish, and a huge part of the problem.
For the last two years mom and I were doing what I dub the “hobo shuffle”, running around and wasting resources trying to get out of it because we kept getting promised this and that only to be let down, turned down because we aren't druggies, drink or smoke (she quit smoking, I never drank or smoked) so they couldn't shove us into rehab like so many others.
In fact both trespasses are the result of mom listening to these organizations making promises and hind of hunkering down waiting, the officer that does homeless outreach understood but the cop that “arrested” us, in Florida you can be arrested without being booked, was in the fake councilman's pocket and manage to overwrite everyone else.
Churches here want nothing to do with the homeless, one of the major ones here just closed up their doors and changing over to a more private shelter. The other one, which had been a long, long time since I visited them because they operated an tent church out of a parking lot near the library, they had some bad fist fights and heard somebody pulled knives, it was getting real bad.
They offered “shelter” if you paid them the low, low price of six hundred a month for a dorm with six other guys, but no women were allowed.
As for the girls I am trying my best, trying to keep them out of the pound as they would be put to sleep quickly and they don't deserve that.
Ozoneocean wrote:
How incredibly horrible!
You will have to make hard choices in order to get out of that situation…
You and your mum will both be able to survive better alone- Get her sheltered somewhere without you. You continue to sleep rough but go for jobs without having to worry about her.
Similarly, get the cats into shelters.
Constant expenses will drag you down and keep you in the hole. All money has to go to real survival costs and any left over should go to a more useful goal like paying for the bond on a rented apartment if you can save enough at a job.
Much easier said than done I know, and I know you mainly just want to vent and are not interested in advice or solutions proposed by a privileged person 1000s of KMs away in another country, but I felt I had to say it.
My heart goes out to you.
Thanks for the nice words.
As much as it would be to be on our own out here that isn't happening any time soon, lots of reasons I will go over.
The shelters are awful, full of violence, crime and literal shit. During the floor the year before the sewage backed up and filled the entire shelter had this two inches of liquid shit everywhere, it led to my foot getting nearly infected and another person going to the hospital (it was ignored by the authorities despite my videos of the subject).
The other thing is, the men down here are disgusting, they got that caveman mentality of “woman mine”, and if there isn't a man of some kind, even a son, they get pretty violent here. I remember talking to this one lady that knows mom that broke her finger punching out a would be rapist, and here they put the men and the women in the same shelter, only separation is “you stay on that side, you stay on the other side.”
Upside I got a job interview soon, and hopefully I can get a job to work on saving up for that apartment.
bravo1102 wrote:
Get thee to a blue state. Florida has become one of the worst places to be poor (let alone homeless) You need someplace with lots of social programs that Republicans aren't cutting back and no anti-vagrancy laws.
And the best rollers are hard solid rubber. You almost never see a new set only ones decades old.
Can't say too much about moving, at the moment just focusing on getting into a safe place first and foremost.
What I can say is this; it was one of the most weird carts I had ever seen in my life because I bought these solid rubber tires from Harbor Fright and the castor rigs just CHEWED threw them, and than ground the down into these weird numbs.
I never seen anything like it and hope I have never do again.
Gina191
at 3:10PM, Feb. 7, 2025
It must be extremely challenging for you to face everything that you are experiencing right now. I want to express my sympathy about your situation. You have several online friends who offer support even though your life experiences problems. It appears that your attempts to generate cash through artwork commission-based work present an effective approach which I wish success for you. Continue moving ahead even though you find yourself trapped in situations. Everything you do achieves your very best and that creates value.
Furwerk studio
at 8:20PM, Feb. 8, 2025
Gina191 wrote:
It must be extremely challenging for you to face everything that you are experiencing right now. I want to express my sympathy about your situation. You have several online friends who offer support even though your life experiences problems. It appears that your attempts to generate cash through artwork commission-based work present an effective approach which I wish success for you. Continue moving ahead even though you find yourself trapped in situations. Everything you do achieves your very best and that creates value.
Thank you for the kind words.
A life update; started my community service today, hours of working in a warehouse for a Habitat for humanity store, it's kind of boring as it's lifting heavy stuff and occasionally stacking stuff.
To be truthful I loved it, got the job done and it stays at the warehouse. I don't have to look over my shoulder to see doors and frames needing to be stacked, or go to the bathroom only to get a stack of boxes. I am thinking it be great to get a job so I can just sit the door and not deal with anything.
Now onto the shit show, mom is at war with the damn gas station and might gotten me into more trouble.
To tldr this, there's ONE publicly available electrical plug outside of the library (a place my mother loathes with a passion, impossible to take the cats in and went to war with the director there too) and a large portion of the homeless community go there.
I spent the time there drawing comics and using my commission earnings to get sodas and food just to sit there. But because of the gear, the fact she sits there for HOURS, and often engaging the homeless bums that lived there (a few pissed on the building) while I tried to put my headphones on and try to make art (and failed).
It started with telling us to leave, mom got angry because we were buying things, she felt like she was being singled out, the staffer felt like her authority wasn't being taken seriously.
This had gone on for a long while now, there's this weird office for industrial businesses spot and a long, long bridge that's a bitch to cross,she likes to camp out here because after getting trespassed at the hospital she wants nothing to do with the city but finds the woods too creepy.
So I am stuck here, got my food stamps back and burnt through them quickly because one really can't cook and store food out here.
That's the set up for what was a cold war turned hot when tonight we got screamed that we only get ten minutes and we overstayed our welcome, the company said it is 30 minutes if they got to force people to leave.
So the fight begins, the staffer is yelling about having signs saying it's ten minutes (she didn't, they were the sheriff right to kick people outsign which is the wrong sign for that) and didn't have them up yet.
This might had come about after mom spread pictures of another staffer's (who was apart of this war) car parked illegally in a handicap stop, and this was after she reached the police first.
I guess either she got a ticket or had her car towed because the fight started five secs after that staffer walked in and sent someone else out.
Why am I rambling about this, because I found out in Florida one does not have to be booked to be arrested, in fact all one seems to have to do is yell “trespasser” and that person is not got an arrest.
It's how I got all of them, I was arrested after the fact without knowing or being told, in fact at the airport I was told if I came back I would be arrested.
And if I got a third trespass I go to jail for six months, and it's given out like candy here.
I am not liking Broward county, I have a half ass plan on just moving away after all of this shit had been settled.
Just like to point out it's not mom causing all of these problems, it's just a lot of people causing a lot of issues too.
A hopeful good news is she manage to get three nights in a hotel, if I don't go to jail, just got to make it to Monday.
(Edit: Sorry for the rambling but I am not sleeping, due to the people who live on the fixit FTL, an official app that was supposed to report broken lamps or burst water mains, is used primarily to report the homeless, threaten the police for not arresting the homeless and say they start attacking the homeless.
It basically turned all of Fort Lauderdale into a HoA.
Since Mom is on that site too like them she was whipped into a frenzy of paranoia, sad thing is she's right as they (both sides of this) already tired to intimate me, ignored an asthma attack so bad I almost passed out.
Right now I am just riding this one out because this can't last forever, running won't fit it but I figured eventually I will get my own home with her, she gets carted away for being crazy or not doing her community work or gets enough money from her dozens of lawsuits she buys a house and I can work on getting out of here and leaving her with the rest of the inmates of Fort Lauderdale.
Also the pop up tent broke today, that sucks.
last edited on Feb. 8, 2025 8:48PM
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