Rough times here with the Global Economy as it is, struggling and hustling and trying my best to make ends meet and survive in this New World Order n all...but that's all good, yes it is...but for you--are you a LJ friend or are you just one who checks out my LJ from time to time as a guest and former lover? I will never tell, so let me let Chuck D and Flavor Flav say it all...because as far as I am concerned, YOU AIN'T SHIT WOMAN!! And u know who yall are, so go and pound sand and try me, yes TRY me, give it your best, I will return it hardcore because I AM WHO I AM.

"It might feel good
Might sound li'l something
But damn the game if it don't mean nothin'
What is game?
Who's got game?
Where's the game in life
Behind the game
Behind the game
I got game
She got game
We got game
It might feel good
Might sound a li'l something
But FUCK the game
If it don't mean something..."

Shoutouts to Iesha, Christina, Ashanti, Tariah, Sarah, Carlos, Luis, Dante', Simon, David K, David "Diddy" L, Manuel, Paco, Miss Z, Ramela, Hadisa, and the rest of my Darkside Latenight Crew...

And as for YOU--FUCKING TRY ME!!!

So yesterday on Wed 10/29, I received a heads-up, caught New Hartford PD SGT Pete Colburn calling "in service for a special detail in the city" and mentioning FIVE shield numbers...so I knew something BIG was up. I sorta figured something big was happening soon because we were getting TOO MANY Feds at our store and yeah, I can pick them out easily!! Suits with shoulder holsters..

So after Pete Colburn called out, I made my own calls...and got a heads-up!!! DO NOT ASK NOR TELL about these photos, most are my own but some are not. Suffice to say that UPD, NHPD, Oneida CO Drug Task Force, State Police C-NET, FBI and US Marshalls broke down a huge crack distribution network centered in Utica...$230,000 seized along with 9 vehicles, guns, ammo, felony weight cocaine and crack cocaine etc. UPD and NHPD SWAT augmented the US Marshals and FBI Strike Forces, great cooperation among agencies. Everybody pulled together as a team and made it all happen!

And GOD BLESS Cinque with his K9 dog who was in the midst of it all but hey, I know nothing, these photos were spammed to me unasked *winks*\\

( Drug raid!! )

This is the last public post I will make here. From now on, all posts will be reserved for friends only.

Guess this is what happens when certain people want to play their little games.

Should anyone wish to contact me, my email remains at hopehouse13501 at aol dot com *grins*

Much love to all who keep it real.

OK great news here, 18 y/o crackwhore hooker Jenn who was staying with me is now in Rescue Mission ACC pursuant to admission into a rehab *GRINS* Jenn is adamant towards straightening her life out, YAY for Jenn...and yes Debbie Skeletor was instrumental in pushing Jenn in the RIGHT direction, great move for Deb!!! We are all supporting Jenn with phone calls and letters and hopefully she will clean up and then get a job at Wendys because there is a slot open for her once she is done with rehab *grins*

No news on the new job but things have been chaotic at Hope House...Got some major players pushing for me for the open slot so keep your fingers crossed!

Hope House has been setting records as of late for Guests served...Things are getting bad out in the World, lots of families, single moms with kids etc.

Lots of homeless people, too, people just cannot afford rent plus high utility bills...Here is a glimpse of local homeless people...

( Rock this shit, already!!! )

And OK I am on a roll here so let me put this out in the open. Nikki, why did you tell Betty that you spoke with me on the phone at work when you and I both know that you never spoke with me at work!! And why did you tell her that you hoped to stay with me during Turkey Day when you know that you never ever arranged anything with me regarding this....and incidentally, there is a PR gal who would have a MAJOR episode regarding ANY FEMALE staying with me without HER approval and she has the blade and the pedigree to prove it. Why did you lie to Betty in such a blatant way? This pisses me off to no end. I tolerated a LOT from you over the years (all the "John is Gay" shit, remember that?) but this is the final straw, so consider yourself cut off TOTALLY. Believe me, I could bring up all sorts of bad shit but I will not, just go your way and I will go mine. Leave me alone and I will do the same. Consider yourself dead and unknown in my book thanks to your latest round of lies.

And should you comment here or make ANY attempt to email/IM/post to me, I shall bring charges up against you. I am deadassed serious and YOU KNOW I can make it happen.

I guess the road to hell is paved with good intentions...I really DID want to post regularly here but there is so so so much going on in my life that I just haven't had the time. I apologize...Just too much roaming around, especially now with Jimbo as a full-fledged UPD officer (gotta love the ride-arounds, thank you Jimbo!!!)

So hey what's been happening? Utica has gone buck-wild CRAZY for those of you who once lived here. Lots of wild criminal-type of stuff, but as Mark (Deputy Chief Mark Williams) tells me, we may have had five shootings in Sept but there are now five in custody so they are batting a thousand here. Mark is really excelling in his new position, really a hands-on "out on the streets" Deputy and not a desk jockey. Let's all wish Mark the best because he is a true Mensch.

So I have been studying these perilious economic times and have been reading the writing on the wall, so to speak. Cutting to the chase, I think that after 5 yrs at the restaurant, it is time to move on. There is a chance that I may be picking up a new job--at Hope House, no less, the local soup kitchen where I volunteer as requested. Aunt B my landlady works there and is going to slide me into the inside track...The exact title of the job is "Guest Coordinator" and is half social work, half security...So bottom line, I will be paid to hang out and socialize with the Working Gals and Street people and try to defuse any violent situations *winks* Right up my alley...so send me good vibes over this, this job is right up my alley!!!

And with all the BS that has been going down at the restaurant, let me just say this--I now live for the day that I will see our District Manager either grubbing a hot meal at Hope House OR standing at Park and Eagle with a "will work for food" sign. THAT is how much he has pissed me off.

And as for my *ahem* "social" life, I cannot complain and I know in my heart that God has blessed me with Puerto Rican gals who are extremely intelligent and who have multicolored hair and whose only goal in life is to match me in ball-breaking *DIES*

But yes I am doing well, still trying to deal with my two Lady Cats who are obsessively clingy as of late (females! Go figure!! *DIES*), and I am still out and about at any and all hours of the day and night. Hard to get to me by fone but yall got my primary email and also please feel free to hit me up at hopehouse13501@aol.com which I check daily.

And for a laugh, home invasion robbery on Cherry St westside overnight today. Patrol is contacted by Sgt Dodge, Sgt wants a description of the perp. Here is the exchange and keep in mind Sgt Dodge tends to become a bit stressed and his voice gets higher and he talks mad slow when he is stresssed...

Patrol unit 53--"Victim states suspect is a Black Female driving a gold van with extensive body damage, she states suspect resembles Shreck!"

Sgt Dodge unit 40 with voice becoming higher and slower--"53 repeat your messaage, did you say subject looks like Shreck?"

53--10-4 Sarge, she says suspect BF looks like Shreck!"

40--"40 to HQ, put out a BOLO (be on the lookout) regarding 53's suspect info immediately!" (voice is high and mad slow here)

Dispatch--"General Message to all cars, BOLO for BF regarding the Cherry St call, gold van, extensive passenger side damage, suspect is reported to resemble Shreck."

AND THEN Cinque jumps in with HIS 2 cents on the private Command channel:

"21 to 40, sounds like your type!!!"

Needless to say, Sgt Dodge did NOT respond to that remark *DIES* Leave it to that crazy bastard Cinque!!!

So yeah Utica is running CRAZY wild and I am trying my best to shoot it all! Have been doing a lot of shots as of late and also have great photos from last yr that I will be sharing soon. Been running with a whole shitload of cameras so some of the shots will be less than perfect but hey, its the content that counts...

And as a brief interlude, let us all pay respects to Tammy the Hooker who lived next door to me during the Park Ave days. Tammy never brought her bizness home, she always worked away from the crib...and she was a majorly great cook, always sent meals over to me which rocked. Found out from her pimp/boyfriend Al that Tammy passed on in early 03 with liver failure (hepatitis along with long years of substance abuse). God rest her soul, hoping Tammy is happy now wherever she is...And Al, fresh out of jail, is driving a HOT Chrysler convertible and is working another Tammy, Tammy the deafmute hooker *DIES* Hey Utica not only has a Deafmute hooker but also has a one-eyed hooker AND Kathy the hooker who has Tourette's Syndrome! *ROFL*

So anyways, let us go with the Ladies of the Night...and all of you know I have a strong bond with the Professional Ladies...I do not judge, leave it at that. Sometimes yall gotta do whatcha gotta do...And a few homeless guys to add to the mix...Figuring lots more of this to follow, times are hard yes they are...so don't judge, just thank Whomever that we are not in these straits...

( Photos )

Sorry for the delay in posting but I have been running wild, just as busy as a set of jumper cables at a redneck funeral march *DIES* I will answer all comments and again, should you need to get ahold of me forthwith, my email handfulofdust at fastmail dot fm is the way to go.

Lots of action going on right now, major drug raids in progress since 6 pm! DT Ralph Paladino Jr and his METRO crew hit the Ropewalk on Oneida St with at least 3 patrol units called in for transport. Lt LoConte, Lt Fontaine, and Sgt Joey Chevrette were among the "usual suspects" in this raid, along with Joe "Joey Meatballs" LaBella operating the SWAT command post. Joey Chevrette also nailed a 14 y/o crack dealer at Mohawk and Arthur...and it is continuing, major sweep in progress...

And this part can be filed under "If it don't apply, let it fly". For one individual who is reading this, DO NOT EVER AGAIN call my work number EVER AGAIN looking for me. Wendys N Utica is NOT NOT NOT my personal answering service and I am NOT NOT NOT in a frame of mind to deal with anyone's personal drama, lies and assorted BS!!! Got that OK? Hope so. Because if not, I can blow the spot up bigtime, try me and see, I know TOO MUCH. That and we at Wendys WILL file charges concerning annoying phone calls. Try us, go ahead...Push the envelope, see what happens.

Now for a photo *smiles* Kim, I know you remember Aida, Merima and Zlata and the entire Bosnian chic melodrama...well we have MORE--aside from Zlata, Aida's blonde airhead cousin, we have Ramela and Hadisa!! Ramela is another Merima in spades, while Hadisa is chubby like Zlata, a brunette version of the stereotypically Blonde Zlata. To say that the Bosnian Brigade keeps life interesting is an understatement, especially when we figure in Belkisa, who is cousin to Rujveda, who is married to Aida's brother Admir, a Wendys manager...OY VEY!!!! And then there is Mirhad, brother to Ramela and Hadisa, along with Suljo who is some sort of cousin to the clan...

THANK GOD FOR MY PSYCH DEGREE!!!! Female Bosnian melodrama is a challenge to be sure!!

BUT---here is a shot of Ramela in the Marsh. Hope yall like!!! I think it will be a great shot for her Myspace page *smiles*

OK so I just checked out the OCJ inmate roster and she is not in the list so maybe her warrants were taken care of one way or another *winks* Either way, Dreadlock-Mama is NOT currently locked up so this works for me. NOW how to FIND the Wild Lady!!!

Shit, last I heard she was dead by gunshots...

Let's see what transpires...

Me

But here I am, back in spades!!! Been enjoying our cold nights and warm fall days here in Utica *grins* Lots of photos being taken, yes yes indeed! All is well at this end, the Lady-Cats are being total pains, seeking attention as only Females would do (no disrespect intended *lol*) but you know I love my furballs to DEATH!

An old ex (used to live with her in the 80's on Lincoln Ave, Westside) got picked up for some warrants yesterday. Will be checking this out after the post to see what sort of time she might be facing. Gal was a total crazy wildassed dreadlocked Jamaican Lady (OY VEY the stories I could tell!!) and hopefully things will work out for her. I will send her a letter, some $ and prolly go and visit her if she will be spending any sort of time at OCJ. After all, we had our times, chaotically wild times yes, but we had our times and it was all good. Positive engergy and/or prayers for Evelyn are appreciated *smiles*

So let us check out some photos taken over the past month, shall we?

( Weegee in da house, oh yeah!! )

Hey all! Interesting day today...So I went to church this AM, yes ladies and germs, I attend church...but before you draw assumptions, First Presbyterian is (a)the church Aunt B and Uncle George attend and (b)a very liberal open minded place which counts as members former metalheads, ex-hippies, street people, young punk types, interracial couples, and also openly Gay members including my True Friends John and Bill, a couple in their late 60s who have been together for DECADES!!! They are my Elder Brothers and I love them as Family, as does the entire congregation and our Female Pastor Mary Lynn. For us it is about love, acceptance and Family with no judging and I like that and am glad Aunt Betty conned me into coming last Sept *smiles* After the great Crackhead Burglary debacle, I really needed some focus, especially to prevent myself from doing bodily harm/homicide and this did the trick.

So Will the Assistant Sexton turned me on to the latest arrivals of the "Readers Exchange" box, where people leave magazines and books for others to indulge in. Will had put aside over a dozen photography magazines, knowing I am a camera nut...and he got me OPEN!! I HAVE FOUND MY DREAM CAMERA!!! Screw Kodak and fuck Sony, Hasselblad is the way to go, 22 Mp MONSTER for TEN GRAND AND I WANT IT!!! SO...anyone got Ten Grand they could loan me? *DIES*

*calms down now* I can't help it...It is an AWESOME piece of technology!!

So anyways, afterwards, I went over to Betty's and had lunch with my Family. GG was full of piss and vinegar, as always and Uncle Bill came out of hiding to greet me and offer me some new filter-tipped cigars he had discovered *grins* On the way back home, I stopped to take some photos of an abandoned office bldg in S Utica...Loved the way Nature has gradually taken over...

Upon arriving home, I spent an hour with The Professor on his porch while Handel's "Water Music" played. Tom was engrossed in a bio of Queen Victoria and we had a lengthy conversation on that era, which was fascinating for me. The Prof DID wave his broom handle at a speeding car and shouted epithets but this is to be expected from The Prof *DIES* We also made plans to set up some weekend card games with various neighbors, which could be interesting *envisions playing Jersey Pitch with a crew of psychotics*

Afterward, while I was chilling with my magazines (Spark being sound asleep on my abdomen and Suzy at my thigh), I heard a loud pounding at the door. It was my friend Shirley, the 60-something Lesbian who lives at the Olbiston but whose S/O Brenda lives behind me. While walking Brenda's dog Sparky, Shirl had found a mountain bike in the brushy hedge in my backyard!!! Thing was brand new save for some surface rust caused by the abandonment for approximately 5 days. It is also missing a pedal but that can be acquired cheaply! So now I have a rainy-day project, rehabbing a mountain bike!! Was very nice of Shirl to think of me but then again, she always goes above and beyond for me...Psychologically speaking, I think she views me as the son she never had and acts accordingly...No probs at this end, I love her and Brenda to death!!!

After recovering and securing the bike, I headed to the local Arab store for some of their awesome cheese sticks and hot fries, along with some beer! *grins* And on the way home, I crossed paths with my friend Ruby, an older Black Lady who maintains the gardens at Hope House and who runs the bookstore at the Arnold Ave ARC thrift shop. We have been crossing paths daily since last Thurs, which is nice. She is a non-fiction reader like me so we are making plans to get together soon to swap books and chill and have coffee and all *winks*

So now we run full-circle to the present, Me with a good buzz going and pure contentment over an interesting day!!!

Let's check out some photos, shall we?

( Buried in Green )

Did my banking and shopping today and took some time to wander around. Pretty uneventful but I took a few shots which I will post.

Forgot to mention yesterday about the Street Preacher who was downtown by the fountain at Franklin Square. Dude had some young black kid collared and was going off, gesturing wildly and waving his Bible around. Tried to get a shot but couldn't get the right angle. Thing is, gang, this guy creeped me out! He was really big and burly, had a suit on with some weirdly-patterned tie but just something about him creeped me out. If any of you have ever read Thomas Harris' "Red Dragon" (the first of the Hannibal Lecter series), this guy would have made a PERFECT Francis Dolarhyde. I guess I just got a very bad vibe from this guy...

So UPD nailed the guy who was responsible for the double shooting on the East Side...Dude himself was shot at the quintuple-victim shooting on Miller St earlier this year and he and/or his gun have been implicated in 5 other shootings, two of which left three dead and one of which was in front of my old place on Elizabeth St.

This weather pattern--mild days, cold nights--is expected to continue thru next Thursday so I think I shall go wandering more frequently.

So let's move on to the photos now, shall we?

( Wanderings )

Hey everybody!! It's Friday and the start of my weekend...Did my time at Hope House this afternoon...For those of you not in the loop, Hope House is the free-meal spot in Utica and I volunteer there every Friday, doing prep work,serving and line cleanup. Gives me a chance to keep my ear to the ground regarding the overall economic situation here as well as to interact with the Street People and the new crop of hookers *winks*

We busted out almost 140 meals tonight and no, these are not just crackheads and derelicts...Count MANY seniors amongst our guests, along with families as well as working Janes and Joes including a Centro bus driver and a security guard at Faxton Hospital.

Times are tough for a lot of people out here, to be sure...but our baked ziti and meatballs with an awesome salad did the trick for everybody including me *DIES* Hell, I get free food 5x weekly but to be sure, you can find me at Hope House on weekends *grins* No shame here...and since Aunt Betty is Volunteer Coordinator and Menu Setup Lady at HH, I can rest assured that the meals will always be first-rate *dies* Yeah Betty shanghais me into volunteering but it's all good!!!

Conditions in Utica are very unstable...There is a war going on between NYC elements and locals for drug turf and there is a great deal of gang action involved. Deputy Police Chief Mark Williams (my #1 regular at the store since he was a Sgt.!!) released a statement to press discussing this and stated that these young elements "have no regard for human life"...Mark is not an "office bigwig"; he is on the streets at all hours, interacting with his subordinates along with various community mentors such as Gary Harvey (Proctor HS counselor), Pat Johnson (YWCA Diversity Coordinator) and Simon Davis (my co worker and a strong mentor to Black youth at the Boys/Girls club). Things are bad here and we see no light at the end of the tunnel...

And so it goes...Utica seems to be a magnet for mental types and crackheads, doncha think? Here is a shot of one of the totally blown-away types.




Sending my best to all!! Time to hoist a few and chill...

Me

Hey all, let us cover the past 24 hours! Lots of cool stuff to speak on! Last night the Homeboys were rather active, with "shots fired" calls on Square St and also at Jay and Nichols Sts. The latter produced bloodstains and shell casings and 20 min later, two Black Male Juveniles (surprise surprise!!!) turned up at St E's Hospital with gunshot wounds, non-life threatening. The 17 y/0 victim was on bail for multiple charges including att murder and home invasion robbery...And so it goes...

So I left home at 0530 asI always do...I hit Dunkin Donuts for coffee, hang out with Heather the elderly ex-hooker and then walk into work (Heather and I do this daily, is a good thing, she rocks!!!)...so this AM a disheveled crackwhore accosted me, asked if I had a phone she could use. Unfortunately, I was out of minutes til Friday eve so left phone at home. So then the gal offered to interact with me in a Business Venture *DIES* Didn't think any crackhouses were open at that time *lol*

After crossing the bridge, I encountered "Skip", a well-known derelict who was out collecting returnable bottles...This encounter helped me to decide the theme of this post:

( Things are not always what they seem to be )

So what is the lesson we can learn from via this post? I think it is simple enough--and was plainly stated by the Prophet Y'shua Bar Joseph aka Jesus the Christ--"Judge not lest you be judged".

And just so yall know, The Professor ROCKS, he is my MAIN MAN!!! On Saturdays, we chill on the stoop, smoke cigars and study the clasically Weegee-esque "Racing Form" publication *DIES*

Laters~~

Me

Back in the old journal, I used to speak of "Elvis" and "Mrs Elvis", he with the sideburns, Roachkiller boots and cowboy hat, she with the overmedicated Thousand Yard Stare, both hanging out in front of the Green Lantern aka The Green Latrine.

The Green Latrine closed up shop but the regulars all joined VFW Post 368 on Oneida Square, the Utica Vets Club, and The Elvis Couple was among those who joined.

On my bday this year, my friend Shirley--the crusty, hard-assed, feisty 60-something Lesbian, bought me a year's membership for this club *DIES* So now I have access to $1.50 shots and 12-oz beers and the privilege of seeing ELVIS LIVE!!!

Yes ladies and germs, Elvis sings every Friday night, complete with a mike that is duct-taped to hell...He is typically shitfaced and only sings the last two words of each line being played on the jukebox. And at the end, he always says "Thankya very much thankya!!!"

This is awesome!! Elvis LIVE!~! This alone has gotten me dates with strange quirky Pratt/MPW girls, being "in the loop" with ELVIS...

But if we want to get rid of him at the club, we just put on some Metallica and start calling him by his given name "Gordon" *DIES*

So Ladies and Germs, here they are, Elvis and Priscilla, live at the Vet Club at Oneida Square:

First, thanks to all of you who added my new journal to their friends list. *HUGS* to all!!

Now I guess I have some catching up to do with yall...Christ on a crutch, it's been a long time, hasn't it? Soooo...I guess this and future posts will be somewhat disjointed and out of sequence relative to the old journal but I guess I shall soon get things under control.

So last spring our resident Peregrine Falcon here in town turned up with a MATE!! So I hooked up with a couple of biologists and we confirmed a nesting site on the Gold Dome bank...and then an egg was laid!!! Unfortunately, the egg was not fertile, typical for first-breeders, but we have hopes for next year. Maya and Thor, our pair, are still out and about every day downtown and as far south as the Historical Society and are totally decimating the pigeon population *laughs*

Here is Thor on the bank facade with a partially-eaten pigeon:



More to follow, of course!!!

Love from me

So now the talk around town centers on developing vacant commercial bldgs into lofts to attract upscale types. Sounds good to me but they are, in my opinion, a day late and a dollar short.

Last March, I moved from the Eastside to a new place just off Oneida Square. The structure was originally a Stained Glass Factory in the 19th Century and then was converted into a two-family dwelling. Pieces of stained glass still turn up during heavy rains.

I live on the second floor and also occupy the first floor annex in the forefront. It is a TRUE loft which I have partitioned off to form rooms upstairs.

So I guess I am a cutting-edge Yuppie now *DIES*

Old low-res shot of my house

Thanks for being my first friend on my new LJ *smiles* My old one will continue to stay up but this one will have all the updated stuff.

Ya know we really DO have to go on a wild-assed exploration and shoot one of these days when you are back in town for a few days.

Over the next week, I shall be reading your posts and catching up on your life. You can sorta figure out what I have been dealing with since last year but things are getting a little better.

Thanks again for adding me as a friend, Erica!!

John