Rough Living: Tips and Tales of a Vagabond

Part 5 - The People of the Fire

Ooops….last week I actually sent out Part 4 a few days early - so you get Part 5 now on the regular schedule.

One aspect of this site is to share my work as a writer through the years. I’ve already started to share the audiobook version of Notes from Nowhere (2020) but now we go further back and hit the first book I wrote, Rough Living: Tips and Tales of a Vagabond (2003 & 2012 revised) Here is the first in this series of posts - the Introduction. In a sense, the success of this book set me on the path I’m on, or the failure of this book - depending on how you look at it.

In the paid subscriber section this week - I offer expanded content- as well as links to where you can get the full PDF versions of the book for free and I’ll also offer some commentary on the parts of the text we cover. In addition, paid subscribers get valuable updates on new ways to do things more than two decades after first publication.

Keep in mind, I wrote this in 2002 so much of it has been absorbed by the world and some of it simply doesn’t work any longer. In addition, the world has changed dramatically since that time. We may not see it clearly, like a person who looks in the mirror every day and doesn’t see themselves aging - but the change is profound. This is one more reason to become a paid subscriber - you will get the value of modern perspectives and tools. Your subscription will pay for itself.

This week in the paid section - an expanded list of stereotypical people you may meet and how to deal with them.

Free subscribers will get pieces of the original 2003 text itself, delivered weekly. This week - it’s just sort of fun and I freely admit - I’m a little embarrassed at this section of the book these days. I was making some serious judgments from a place of limited knowledge - so it’s nice to be almost a quarter century older and wiser.

Allons-y!

INDIGNIFIED: No borders. No bosses. No apologies. is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

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The People of the Fire 


A Quick Guide to Making a Fire 

1) Start by gathering all the materials you will need before you light the fire. 


2) The base is something small and dry (known as tinder) such as shredded tree bark, shredded cardboard, paper, or steel wool. Have a good supply of twigs. A good place to get dry ones is right off of trees or bushes. If they make a distinct snap when you break them and they break clean they will 
probably work. 


3) Place a few twigs on your tinder and light it. As the flame grows feed it more twigs and gradually work your way up to sticks, branches, and logs. The true key is to hold yourself back from piling 
everything on. Use patience. That’s it. 


Code of Conduct 

There is a code of conduct among people who are living rough. It is simple and clear. Treat people with respect and dignity but don’t take anyone’s shit. If you let people walk all over you, they will usually 
do it again and again. Either look them in the eye and tell them what your beef is or put enough distance between you and them that you don’t have to deal with it. 

If you have a fire and someone calls from outside saying they are TH and C (tired hungry and cold), invite them to sit down and eat if you have food to share. If it’s your fire you can always tell them to 
move along. If it’s you coming on a fire, calling from outside the fire’s light is a way to keep fromgetting shot. It also gives you a chance to see if these are people you want to interact with. 

The rest of the code is pretty simple. If you got extra and somebody else needs it; share. 

People to Avoid 

There are millions of people out there that are worth meeting and talking to, if only to hear their perspectives. There are also people it is worth going out of your way to avoid or avoid spending any significant time with. 

Rednecks and Redneck Tramps 

There are a lot of definitions to the term redneck. There are a lot of jokes about rednecks. There is really nothing funny about them though. I consider rednecks to be the most dangerous hazard out there. 

Rednecks are clannish. My definition of a redneck doesn’t have anything to do with race, country music, or where they come from. The bottom line is that a redneck is someone who hates you because 
you are different than they are. If you don’t share their beliefs and values, your life is worth less than a dogs. 

Really. Rednecks generally love their dogs. 

Let’s say a redneck picks you up to give you a ride after you’ve been standing in the freezing rain somewhere for five hours. You really want the ride. A typical redneck will start right off by saying outrageous things to see how you react. Things like “ I only picked you up cause you don’t look like one of them faggot environmentalists.” Maybe you are one of those faggot environmentalists, but don’t fall into the redneck’s trap. You don’t have to lie, just say something like “I’m glad I don’t look like those guys.” 


If you let the redneck draw a distinction between their belief system and yours there is no telling what will happen. Rednecks make themselves obvious by pointing out who they hate and who they think deserves to die. Hitler was a redneck, so is George W. Bush. 

When you recognize a redneck, it is best to put as much distance between them and yourselves as possible. Even if they seem to think you are okay, they might change their tune when they get drunk and decide to come shoot you. 


Redneck tramps are similar to the traditional rednecks except they seem at first to be travelers or hobos and so earn a measure of compassion from you. Redneck tramps usually hang out in groups and are very closed to new people. If you come upon a fire built by redneck tramps there is a good chance that they will beat you and rob you because you are not a part of their group. Redneck tramps usually give away their true nature a little slower than the traditional rednecks but the hate always reveals itself. 

Crazies 

Crazies are usually harmless, but they are unpredictable. The crazies can be entertaining but unless someone I know can vouch for them I usually prefer to watch them interact with someone else. 

Giving a Crazy a Lift 

I was driving to Seattle and stopped to pick up a hitchhiker. I usually stop for hitchhikers if they look somewhat normal and like they don’t smell too bad. A glance showed me that he looked like a kid with 
a guitar. 

When he got in the car, I immediately caught the stale smell of sweat and urine. He looked psychotic. He wasn't a kid at all, but a very small 45-50 year old man. I decided to give him a ride anyway. I introduced myself and offered a handshake. He put his glove on before shaking my hand andintroduced himself as Robert. His voice had a peculiar nasal quality and the words were carefully enunciated in a somewhat aristocratic manner. 


“I am go-ing to move to Alaska because I graduated from college... with hon-ors. “ He said it like that with a glottal stop. The same way other people say uh-oh, which is what I was saying at that point. 

“Oh yeah, what did you study?” 

“Music theory with hon-ors, astronomy with hon-ors, and you know I plan on working at the University in Fairbanks as a librarian since I have so many degrees with hon-ors. I plan on performing and studying and working with the Alaskan artists and natives and since I took so many classes, with hon-ors, I would like to perform some of my concertos, for you know I am a composer. Very much like a skilled beginner with honors just doing a tremendous job.. .with hon-ors...” and on and on and on. 

There was something about the guy that freaked me out. I made sure my knife was handy and kept my eyes on his hands while I drove. It really felt like he was one second from flipping. I kept talking to 
him. Listening to the same babble about hon-ors and Fairbanks and going to Nashville because “with hon-ors” meant you could do ‘tremendous’ and ‘exquisite’ building and if you worked in a Library you could perform with the natives with hon-ors. I finally dropped him off at the 405 onramp just north of Seattle glad to be alive. 

Gang Bangers 

Gang bangers are similar to rednecks in their clannishness but usually aren’t as overtly hateful towards entire groups of people. What makes gang bangers dangerous is that they are usually are trying to earn 
‘respect’ from the people around them. 

‘Respect’ basically means that no one messes with them. I believe that most gang bangers become part of a gang because they are essentially powerless by themselves. Gang bangers can be any race and 
anywhere. They can flip at a moments notice when an outsider violates their ambiguous code of ‘respect.’ 

Wannabees 

Wannabees are even more dangerous than gang bangers because they are usually loose cannons looking for a way to prove that they deserve respect. None of them do, because of the base worthlessness of 
their character. As a result their actions become more and more outrageous and violent as they attempt to prove they deserve to be a gang banger. I’ve known friendly bums who have been beaten and killed 
by stupid kids with low self esteem. Fucking wannabees. 

Energy Vampires 

Energy vampires are everywhere. The best way to spot them is when they first approach you (they always approach you) and for some reasons you can’t understand, they decide that they want you to be their best friend. If someone wants to be your friend for no apparent reason, they probably are an energy vampire. 

Energy vampires like to be the center of conversation. They can draw the life out of any conversation with constant interruptions and meaningless stories that no one wants to hear. If an energy vampire is in 
your midst, you might notice that the people you want to talk with no longer hang out when you show up with your new best friend who follows you wherever you go. 

A lot of energy vampires pose as hippies because real hippies are probably the most likely to let an energy vampire suck off them for an extended period of time. What an energy vampire does is feed off 
the positive vibes you create in order to get attention that they don’t deserve. Along with that they usually hit anyone and everyone up for smokes, food, cash, a place to crash, and whatever else they can 
get. Learn to recognize them and tell them bluntly that you don’t want to be their friend because there is no cure I’ve seen for an energy vampire except to make them find another victim. 

Drugs, Alcohol, and Trippers 

I’ve had great experiences abusing substances. Not everyone can hang with it though. The best advice I can give is to be moderate in all things including a little excess. When you do decide to indulge, three 
things will help you come through it. 

1) Know what you are taking and where it came from. 

2) Have someone with you that you trust. 

3) Pre-program a voice in your head to remind you that whatever you are experiencing is only temporary.