End of week three and had a pretty uneventful week actually. Not that that is a bad thing. for those of you watching my movements via google maps you will have noticed that this week I have dared to cross the river. Thought I would check out the new Clem7 tunnel, being a huge fan of tunnels, and ended up in Indooroopilly to cross off the letter 'I'.
I lived in Indooroopilly for 6 months when I first moved to this fair city, but I had never really seen much of Indooroopilly towards the river. What a fantastic spot. The cycle track into town is just amazing when compared to what we have on the Southside. I am seriously considering this as a place to live when I do set down those roots again. I even popped up to Mount Cootha for an ice-cream and some quiet solitude. It really is a nice spot if it isn't windy.
Jindalee was also a surprise packet. A really nice area. I had a fantastic night's sleep out there in deep suburbia.
Saw this in the paper this week. Really giving me an incentive to seek out traditional accommodation channels...
Have a look at this little champion. The coppers nabbed him for living in his car. Obviously an amateur and has drawn the attention to himself and faced the consequences. I am using the truck only as a place to sleep and once I am in the tray with the tarp closed, you wouldn't know I was there.
I have also worked out that with all the public holidays coming up, I only have 2 more full weeks on ute surfing. Easy baby...
Friday, March 26, 2010
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Luck of the Irish
Well folks - all is still grand. Had an interesting week but still managing to dodge residents, criminals, council and coppers. Highlights this week include:
- Enjoying a free violin recital in the Suncorp Piazza one night from a young lad looking for somewhere to practice.
- Watching the footy on cable on the big screen at work before heading home – and the good guys won.
- Parking a bit too close to a railway line one night and being shaken awake by freight trains a couple of times. Not the best sleep this night as I was also very close to the PA hospital and also had a helicopter sound like it was hovering over the truck.
- Free internet! Instead of using my own internet allowance, I scan for unsecured wifi networks and then have essentially free internet. If you start to notice a spike in your internet usage, maybe I have been nearby…
- A big St Paddy’s day session.
- Have knocked off some dodgy suburbs this week – Annerley and Dutton Park. I am now up to the letter F in the alphabet quest, which I have penciled in as Fairfield for next week.
A few people have raised the point of what I do for dinner, and concerned that any perceived rental savings, are then used up by dining out each night. I can assure you all that I am actually eating cheaper and healthier than when I have the services of a full functioning kitchen.
My breakfast has remained the same – a coffee from my favorite barista around 9am.
Most days I head to subway for lunch for one of their $7 foot long subs. I love tuna so it is easy for me to have the same one every day loaded up with lettuce, tomato, carrot, onion, capsicum, jalapeños and hot chilli sauce. I have half for lunch and the rest for dinner at work before I head ‘home’. The only other thing I eat during the day is an apple for an afternoon snack. I get a kilo of apples for $3 from the markets each Wednesday morning which are yummy.
Compared to couch dwellers, watching TV and snacking on rubbish, I think I am in a good place. Not only is my current situation allowing massive savings on food, but it is also a lot healthier.
Not sure this lady has fully grasped the concept of being inconspicuous. It is good news for me that no mention at all was made about her car surfing being illegal...
Monday, March 15, 2010
First week summary...
One week in and all is well. Really, this is easier than even I thought it would be. I am getting in the best sleeps of the summer. I am waking early morning, running to work, having a swim at Southbank on the way past, and am getting through the working day fine. I should have started this much earlier.
My plan in the past week was to get some early runs on the board to prove the concept and make my decisions from there. I won’t have to do another 7 night stint so it is essentially all downhill from here. Or to stick with the cricketing analogy, now I have my eye in, I can start tonking the willow in a cavalier fashion knowing I have this thing covered.
Some people have asked me how I work out a suitable location for the night. There are a few issues to take into count:
• Is it raining?
• Is there noise (train lines, busy roads, nearby hotels, flightpaths etc)?
• Is it a busy / quiet area at night and / or in the morning?
• Do trees / bushes help conceal by entry / exit from the tray?
• How much does the road taper to the gutter?
• Is it garbage night?
One of the things I discovered on my first night, was that if it is raining, I need to park on a slight slope. This helps ensure the rainwater runs off the back of the tonneu cover or off the end of the tray. In a later discovery, I have realised it is a fine line, as a slope too steep will cause me to slide towards the back of the tray everytime I move.
The hardest thing to get right is the balance between a location that is busy yet also quiet. Pulling up in a quiet residential street late at night will rouse suspicion and could result in nosey neighbours calling the cops or investigating themselves. A busier location, around apartment buildings, will not raise this suspicion as easily, but will increase the risk of someone seeing me get in or out of the tray and potentially calling the cops as well. Parking in a non residential area increases my vulnerability. It looks a bit suss for security patrols and coppers to see a ute in the middle of nowhere on its own, and it does stand out. It also increases the risk of undesirables coming in for a look. These non residential areas also get quite busy early morning and might disrupt my blissful sleep.
My plan in the past week was to get some early runs on the board to prove the concept and make my decisions from there. I won’t have to do another 7 night stint so it is essentially all downhill from here. Or to stick with the cricketing analogy, now I have my eye in, I can start tonking the willow in a cavalier fashion knowing I have this thing covered.
Some people have asked me how I work out a suitable location for the night. There are a few issues to take into count:
• Is it raining?
• Is there noise (train lines, busy roads, nearby hotels, flightpaths etc)?
• Is it a busy / quiet area at night and / or in the morning?
• Do trees / bushes help conceal by entry / exit from the tray?
• How much does the road taper to the gutter?
• Is it garbage night?
One of the things I discovered on my first night, was that if it is raining, I need to park on a slight slope. This helps ensure the rainwater runs off the back of the tonneu cover or off the end of the tray. In a later discovery, I have realised it is a fine line, as a slope too steep will cause me to slide towards the back of the tray everytime I move.
The hardest thing to get right is the balance between a location that is busy yet also quiet. Pulling up in a quiet residential street late at night will rouse suspicion and could result in nosey neighbours calling the cops or investigating themselves. A busier location, around apartment buildings, will not raise this suspicion as easily, but will increase the risk of someone seeing me get in or out of the tray and potentially calling the cops as well. Parking in a non residential area increases my vulnerability. It looks a bit suss for security patrols and coppers to see a ute in the middle of nowhere on its own, and it does stand out. It also increases the risk of undesirables coming in for a look. These non residential areas also get quite busy early morning and might disrupt my blissful sleep.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Sunday, March 7, 2010
First weekend...
Two nights in and all is well. A few 'teething' issues on the first night, but with them sorted, had a magnificent second night.
Lessons Learnt so far
As stated earlier, rain is going to complicate things. Predictably night one, there was rain all night. Didn't get wet, but just means I can't stretch right out. Wasn't the best or most comfortable sleep I have ever had, but got through it.
Night two was spent in West End. I had a party on there and thought well I might as well leave the ute somewhere nearby. I found a nice quiet street, close to the bar, and on a slight slope. Had a fantastic nights sleep and was only woken at 6.30am when some young lass reverse parked behind me out the front of her house. She should be happy that I was looking after it for her in her absence.
So instead of spending my Sunday morning in bed, I was up bright and early to enjoy the day. I saw a fun-run composed near entirely of women in aid of breast cancer research. I was a crowd of one and I am sure they appreciated my attendance. I love those things, so it was only right that I was there... I then went to Southbank beach for a morning dip and was more than happy to find that a lot of the fun-runners also wanted a swim after their morning run.
After my swim I jumped back on the bike and ended up in the Botanical Gardens, where I found a nice piece of secluded grass, laid out a towel and finished off my sleep. Then it was off to work to drop the bike off, have a shower and then I headed to the library for some Eurotrash 2010 research.
Had lunch with my sister and her man and then went for beers in the mall with a good mate for a few hours. Overall, a most productive day. Much moreso than the usual Sunday routines...
Lessons Learnt so far
- Park on a slight slope to facilitate rain dispersal.
- Wheel arches are no substitute for pillows.
- Even with the tailgate open, it is still going to be quite warm.
As stated earlier, rain is going to complicate things. Predictably night one, there was rain all night. Didn't get wet, but just means I can't stretch right out. Wasn't the best or most comfortable sleep I have ever had, but got through it.
Night two was spent in West End. I had a party on there and thought well I might as well leave the ute somewhere nearby. I found a nice quiet street, close to the bar, and on a slight slope. Had a fantastic nights sleep and was only woken at 6.30am when some young lass reverse parked behind me out the front of her house. She should be happy that I was looking after it for her in her absence.
So instead of spending my Sunday morning in bed, I was up bright and early to enjoy the day. I saw a fun-run composed near entirely of women in aid of breast cancer research. I was a crowd of one and I am sure they appreciated my attendance. I love those things, so it was only right that I was there... I then went to Southbank beach for a morning dip and was more than happy to find that a lot of the fun-runners also wanted a swim after their morning run.
After my swim I jumped back on the bike and ended up in the Botanical Gardens, where I found a nice piece of secluded grass, laid out a towel and finished off my sleep. Then it was off to work to drop the bike off, have a shower and then I headed to the library for some Eurotrash 2010 research.
Had lunch with my sister and her man and then went for beers in the mall with a good mate for a few hours. Overall, a most productive day. Much moreso than the usual Sunday routines...
Friday, March 5, 2010
D-Day
Well it looks like I have the night locked in as my first as a man of no fixed address - tonight, Friday the 5th of March. I am planning to head out on the town and unless some young lady, or ladies, with obviously much lower standards than I, take/s me home, that will mark night one of homelessness. In saying that, maybe I do need to lower my standards if I am hoping to use this as a way of finding a bed on the weekends...
The ute is still located in the visitor parking area of Langlands Close Apartments - my prior accommodation. I will have to move it somewhere else past tonight, so they don't cotton onto my devious plans.
The ute is still located in the visitor parking area of Langlands Close Apartments - my prior accommodation. I will have to move it somewhere else past tonight, so they don't cotton onto my devious plans.
A few people have questioned the legality of my plan, and to tell you the truth, it isn't that well documented. I have read all the documentation and regulations on the Queensland Transport, QPS and BCC websites, and there is nothing there that spells things out too clearly. I think I will be fine. I am not planning to 'live' on the streets like these champions. In yet another tick for the pro column of my plan, it appears BCC provide free haircuts to homeless people! Hope they do colours, foils and scalp massages to ensure my patronage. I bet you council rate paying lemmings don't get services like this...
Some questions keep coming up, so I thought a quick FAQ might be in order.
Some questions keep coming up, so I thought a quick FAQ might be in order.
- Toilets / Showers: I have a shower every morning at work in air-conditioned luxury - this will not change. Funnily enough, we are also furnished with toilets at work. I am sure I can co-ordinate my toileting habits to cater for this.
- Food: I don't do breakfast in any case, and consider a brew from Glen's Espresso, my breakfast each morning anyway. No I won't be dining out every night for dinner either. I can work something out in the office kitchenette late afternoon for an early dinner each day.
- Entertainment: I am planning to use the BCC library and working longer hours to kill the time. I might also spend more time on the bike. I don't intend to get back to the ute each night until late when it is a bit quieter and my comings and goings are less conspicuous. The ute is simply a place to sleep, not a place to hangout. Wireless internet on my mobile phone should facilitate those times I can't fall straight to sleep.
- Location: A couple of my dear, and well meaning cousins, have suggested I work my way through the alphabet from A to Z, staying in a different suburb every night. I was considering it, but it seems like too much work, and I am pretty careful about where I leave my ute in any case. I am also not too sure I am quite that adventurous when you consider the options for the letter 'D'...
- Security: Really, who is going to get the bigger fright? My goodself, or some dirty shadow lurking, thieving farker poking their head into the back of the tray? I am sure they won't hang around to exchange niceties once they realise there is someone in the tray.
God bless to all - see you on the street.
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