Chapter One - Page Three

Success!

I was finally able to get the woman who has been staying with me another place to live. Now I have a new sense of freedom, very similar to the feeling of my first day out of prison a while back.

I remember when I was first released from prison after all those years, it was in New York and I was released from the Queensboro Detention facility right there in Queens. It was in the year 2007 and I had done 8 years in prison.

When I was first released from prison, they took away my prison uniform and issued me a pair or denim jeans, a red sweatshirt, and a pair of imitation Converse sneakers. I was outfitted in the standard  outfit of a freshly released inmate, anyone who saw it just knew.

Oh, but that feeling of sweet, sweet freedom oh my! It's so intoxicating its indescribable.

This is how I am feeling now, at this very moment.

Sure I am feeling a little sad about the woman, I did like her after all. She had a lot of bad stuff going on though,  after getting to know her better I'm seeing how fucked up she is. I guess the blessing in all the mess is that I didn't get stuck with her on the road, and in Florida.

Freedom. Freedom freedom freedom I can keep repeating over and over it sounds so good. Freedom.

Now I can make my plans for travel, and I know exactly where I want to go. That's right you guessed it, Las Vegas baby. I am going to finally leave Portland.

I already know where I'm going, there's this hostel on the strip in Vegas that advertises as being the number one party spot to be. Sure I know that sounds like the regular Vegas hype, but I did my research on this hostel in Las Vegas. It is a legitimate claim, it's a place where people stay and get twisted.

I've lived in many hostels over the years in many different countries and I really like that way of living, it's always a bunch of backpacking freaks that just want to party. My kind of people.

A bed in an 8 person dorm room runs for a hundred dollars a week, which is super sweet. Dorm living is an interesting experience, it's really not for everybody. One has to be very respectful towards others, while at the same time being very tolerant of them too. It's not always easy but the parties at night make up for it.

I've lived in hostels in Amsterdam, Barcelona, New York, Paris… so many I would really have to start thinking back. The trick to really enjoy living in a hostel is to start working for it.

Working for a hostel is awesome, you no longer have to pay for the bed and you get to eat more because of the kitchen access. The hostel I was staying at in Amsterdam paid me with a free bed, 3 pints of beer a day, and a little hash here and there. It was one of the best times of my life.

My job consisted of hanging out at the train station looking for fresh arrivals off the incoming trains, and coaxing them to the comfort of our hostel. Weary backpackers in need of sleep after an international train ride were the easiest. My job also consisted of the occasional janitorial duty.

Working for a hostel gives one an instant role of authority over the other backpackers there too, like some sort of default setting that comes with the job. Other travelers were always coming to me for help and advice.

The new authority has a lot of power too, especially over the new female backpackers that come through. It's like it gives some sort of Alpha Male status over the other males staying at the hostel, power and good genes for reproduction.

I plan on trying this in Las Vegas, with a little luck I can pull it off.

One can't just go to a hostel and get a job working for it, one has to earn it. The workers at the hostel most likely are backpackers themselves that have had to earn the job as well.

Earning the job requires patience, time and sacrifice. There's no waiting list to be put on, in fact you shouldn't even let them know you're scheming to work there. That would cause so many problems on so many levels, especially from others who may be looking for a job there too.

What I do is after a few days of socializing and being cool, I start to help out when there's a lot of work that needs doing. Never start doing someone else's job (if they are there) , wait for when there's a lot of extra work which happens often. Just jump in and work and don't expect a penny.

A good opportunity is after big parties that need cleaning up or when another worker takes off forever, leaving a task undone. This happens quite often too, there often is a high turnaround for hostel employees.

After awhile of generally being a cool person that doesn't mind a little work, it won't be long before being approached with my favorite question:

So, how long you staying? Looking for work?

Why, yes I am.

If I can do this I will probably stay in Vegas for a few months. I've been there a lot before when I used to be in the drug biz, but certainly not in a hostel.

I have been thinking about when to leave, I suppose I may wait until the first of the month when I get my next disability check. It's the middle of the month right now and my bank account is hurting.

I get 50% VA Disability benefits every month, which is $822. I won't talk about it today, but I've been diagnosed with PTSD as a result of combat exposure. I was in Iraq in 1991.

The money may not seem like a lot, but with proper budgeting it does suffice for the lifestyle I live. I may not be living like the rock star that I was in the 90s and with all the drugs, but I am living a life of freedom.

Thank God for food stamps too. I get $135 a month of food stamps each month and every cent gets spent on food, unlike others who sell their food stamp benefits for 50 cents on the dollar. Speaking of which, Dollartree is an awesome place to buy food and snacks on the cheap.

So I think it's settled, in 2 weeks after I'm paid I'm going to Vegas. I will more than likely be posting a few times before I go.

Thanks for reading.