PHILIP
“You always seem to have some cigarettes on you. How does that work?”
TONY
“Well, there’s lots of ways I get ’em. Mostly, people give ’em to me. Like, there’s this woman — one of my regulars — she’s trying to quit. So she buys herself a pack, she takes out six cigarettes and then she gives me the rest. So when I find a pack with 14 cigarettes in my hat, I know she’s been by.”
Homeless Man Speaks 
March 26, 2009 at 11:17 am
Philip & Tony,
After reading your blog back to front over two days, I found myself giving my change to the fellow who was sitting by the bank machine at Spadina/Queen. As I did, I wondered what had changed in my way of seeing and thinking? The main thing I can point to is an absence of fear, through exactly the effect that you predicted at the beginning of your blog. Though defining that fear is a little bit hard and liable to be misunderstood, I suppose it goes something like this; fear of being made a fool of; fear of being rude; fear of being asked for something I don’t actually have and feel like I should have (money); fear of saying no… I suppose people who study these things have already figured it out that besides the problems of BEING homeless, the problem that others have with homeless people are mostly about ourselves.
PS there is not only an elegance to the writing of your blog, but an eloquence in the silences within.
Rebecca
March 30, 2009 at 7:04 pm
rebecca, great all the homeless people hear how people give money on roncesvalles and you can’t walk 10 feet without someone asking you for money.also store owners are losing business because when people see a beggar in front of a store they quickly walk by to avoid being hounded for money instead of going into the store.This isn’t a third world country, if your homeless go on welfare and quit bothering hard working people.
March 31, 2009 at 6:13 am
Hi Lina,
I have no idea what you just said. Sorry if my post was equally incomprehensible.
March 31, 2009 at 9:59 am
Hey,Lina
You should try and live in the shoes of the homeless for just 1 week.Or keep your big mouth shut.