My Routine

And it was Evening and it was Morning

Since my routine is easier to understanding starting in the evening after I drop my kids off, I'll start with a Jewish day. G-d said "And it was evening and it was morning, one day", so Jews say "And it was evening and it was morning, one day". I drop the kids off with their foster mother around 18 or 19. I try to get them in, she distracts them, and I leave. It's easier that way.

Then, I start my evening routine. If I have enough money I'll get cheap ready-made chicken from the local grocery stores and eat it for dinner. Then I drive to the gym, get at least some cardio in, and then shower and change. At this point it's usually still a bit too early to bed down, so I'll go to a coffee shop, order an iced tea which they kindly refill for free, and sit for a bit. Sometimes I'll write, sometimes I'll shitpost, rarely I'll practice my coding craft because, well, fuck it.

Once 2130 hits and the coffee shop has closed I'll find a parking lot in my rotation to park and prep the car for sleeping. I have three seating rows, the back row I've folded down so I have more room for my things. Two of the kids sit in the middle row, and one in front with me. Since the kids are with their foster mother for the evening, I don't need their seats set up and I can use the middle row to sleep. So first I take their seats, and pile them all in the passenger seat in front. Once that's done, I take some towels to level the chairs a bit. I've stuffed some old blankets between them to help make the gap level, too. Then I take my old king-size spread, fold it as smoothly as I can and put it across the seats. It's not perfect but it works. I'm a bit too long for the space but I still can sleep okay.

Next, I have a large black blanket I put across the front seats and the middle seats to make a partition. I also have some black towels I hang over the rear doors on the inside, and fold a bit over on the outside. I also pull the black blanket out a bit and then close them all in the door to hold them in place. I don't want too much exposed or it's easier to spot from a distance. I also roll the rear windows down a bit for ventilation. The towels and blankets work like screens. This isn't a high-priced stealth operation, but it does survive the most cursory of scrutiny. And it's shelter.

Once the car is ready to sleep in I drive off to find a street with apartments on it. Parking overnight on these is usually fine, and nobody really thinks about another car on the street. Often I'll pull around to the road along the side of the building too so that foot traffic from the buildings doesn't see me. Once I find a space I pull in, turn the car off, shut down the lights, and crawl into the second row. I'm asleep by 2330.

I don't sleep deeply but I do sleep well enough. I have to be up by 0630 to find a place to tear the car down and set it back up for transporting children. So I find a lot, fold and stow everything, and put the child seats back in place. And then I drive to the foster mother's house.

I load the kids in, take them to their school and daycare, and then I'm free until pickup. Often I'll head to the gym again for a morning workout and shower, I'll grab some cheap food from the markets, then go to a coffee shop and take full advantage of their free refills on tea again. Sometimes I have enough to buy a pastry, but, well, right now since I'm transitioning from unemployment to disability, I have no income for the near future.