Elaine Albertson's Blog

  It was a few weeks ago when I noticed an article in the local paper (Garden Island) in which a friend of mine, Gary Hooser, was relating comments made to him by an anonymous gentleman while at the beach. Well, this is Kaua’i. The beach is one place to find (and interact with) homeless folks without difficulty. As the gentleman was pointing out that they were “all over the place,” and a few other familiar quips. We (here on the island) all know those little snippets, sometimes peppered with ha’ole attempts at a local accent, keep coming up when there is a certain strata of what I prefer to call “not-so-monied-but-self-entitled” talk about being homeless. This type of folk was one I was quite familiar with; just before my gender change (‘83) I had a net worth of over $1M. It was earned, and I was a banking officer. That all changed after two bankruptcies, short years apart, both resulting from insured medical catastrophes. It takes no time at all, despite best efforts, to end up ba...

    5 June 2023 I took a fall in the second week of January, shattering my right hip. A boatload of treatment and couple of pounds of titanium later, I'm back in one piece. Then, a nasty infection in my left foot, recurring since getting picked up on a disaster response operation several years ago, came back just for kicks. It's gone now. At this point, it's (only?) the ME (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis), which is the "new" name for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, slamming my emotions and my physical life.  I had been feeling like the proverbial old person sitting in front of the computer (could be read as TV), yelling and hurling progressive epithets at moronic untruths. Writing was always a way for me to "get it out," not expecting anything in return...including money or nice words. I cannot save the world, but I can at least spout what seems to me clear thought, shaped by experience, and founded in truth. Recent brief interactions with certain folks (they know ...