Journal Entry #58 - Ramping Up Massachusetts

JOURNAL ENTRY #58

Name: Manley M Collins

Social Security Number: 5 7 9 – * * – 6 5 4 1

Date of Birth: 06/21

Place of Birth: Washington, District of Columbia

Country of Birth: United States of America

Date: September 1, 2020

Topic: Ramping Up Massachusetts

As my normal routine goes, I start doing the information systems, paperwork, and process to go through most federal, state, county, and city systems to get my information known to the state.

I did start walking Boston area at the same time I did purchase the Lyft's BlueBikes membership.  I have owned my own bicycle so I wanted to try something different.  The adventures of Lyft begun.  I had a Lyft account since Washington, DC, but the problem has always been that I did not have a vehicle to transport passengers.  I re-filled out my application, but I did not have a Massachusetts driver's license.

I went to seek out medical services, the first encounter was the Boston Medical Center's McInnis Health Group, Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program. This is the first encounter with the Massachusetts State Department of Health.  I became a member of the MassHealth insurance and community public plan.  I received a thorough initial testing and reporting of being associated with the Mass and Cass drug-infested, public nuisance community.  I got my first drug toxicology report.  This is my first time seeing all the types of drugs in the medical field that was not health or chemistry class.  You will see it in my medical and health post.  It was a unique phone registration process.  My primary care physician recommended Truvada again.  I did take the medication for HIV prevention. My STD, STI, and HIV full panel was negative.  I was speaking with Snow Company - Gilead - MyStory marketing campaign.  Unfortunately, the MyStory marketing campaign did not work out as expected as if the expectation was for me to become HIV positive, lose a kidney, or lose a liver while on the medication or something.  It is slightly hard to do with an above average, healthy person.  Later on, I was selected for the Gilead Sciences PrEP Advisory Community Board.  I was paid an honorarium and it was an informative three hour session.

Next department was Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV).  I guess this is the England version of Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) that is known across the rest of the United States.  However, the pandemic sure changed a whole lot of process.  The RMV was partially open and the lines were long.  I went to the Haymarket location.  I am still not use to the neighborhood names and locations.  Following the same pattern that I did in Connecticut, I  registered for the permit, then get the driver's license.  I had my recently expired Washington, DC driver's license, which came in handy everywhere that required a government ID.  I felt so good that having an expired driver's license made it pointless to steal wallet or use ID.  The PTSD situation from lost wallet made me continuously trim down wallet.  I did download and read the Massachusetts RMV manual several times via smartphone PDF. I did have the eye exam at the Haymarket location.  The Massachusetts learner's permit exam was not held onsite so I was permitted to take the exam at a random computer.  I went straight to FedEx Office and use the computer system there.  I barely passed on first try.  In order to be environment friendly I guess, my learner's permit was a paper for the driving test - non endorsed, which means I did not get a hard copy permit like other states.  I scheduled the first driver's test in November 2020.  Massachusetts driver's test require a sponsor, which a third person in the vehicle while taking your driving test.  My sponsor came from Chinatown neighborhood called Boston Metro Driving School.  Since I visited Brockton, I knew that location and scheduled the driving test.  When I scheduled it, the paper stated November 10, 2020, but on my calendars I had November 11, 2020 for some odd reason.  My sponsor took me and we reviewed the paper.  I was pissed and lost out of $250 for the sponsor, $35 for the driving test, and the Brockton RMV was closed on Veteran's Day.  The Massachusetts RMV did have learner's permit expiration for two years.  Since I was angry and mad, I waited until closer to my expiration date to re-take the driver's road test and got the same sponsor school.

Next department was Department of Mental Health.  I had to get to DMH before I have DMH do me.  I realized in life that the departments I did not use or see growing up comes out in way that I least expect or experienced it.  I had a great time filling out packets of paperwork to get all the medical and health experiences from all the other states into this system.  Something new that I encountered was a two-way authorization for the transference of information.  I was like uh-oh this should be fantastic synchronization of all the states that were part of medical and health issues.  On every form, I made sure to check everything.  The case file or information system should be overloaded and stacked to the from floor to ceiling.  Massachusetts DMH did not provide any specific services because I already had set Arbour Counseling Services for psychiatric care and therapy, Massachusetts General Hospital for psychiatric care, primary care physician, STD/HIV testing, and emergency services, and McInnis Health Group BMC BHCHP for primary care physician, emergency services, and HIV/STD testing.  I spoke to someone twice regarding the information packet and services needed.  Everything was being done by postal mail.

Next was CVS Minute Clinic for my third HPV (Gardasil-9) shot, only CVS could have seen this one to reach me before vaccination age expiration.  I had to travel to the Harvard (Cambridge) neighborhood to get the vaccine dose.

Next since Massachusetts was a big research domain, I applied for several Boston Clinical Trials regarding my mental health issues.  I also tried the FaceBook heavily advertised OpenBiome, this was interesting to get paid for bowel movements to transplant in diseased patients.  I did the interview and filled out the paperwork.  However, I did not meet the criteria and got banned for life. OpenBiome did fulfill their bargain with an Amazon gift card.

Next finding a job, of course, since FedEx South Carolina in my previous post did not work, I gave FedEx Boston Logan International Airport a try.  I had my interview along with someone else. It was an okay interview.  However, a young, Black male that was with me during the same time and left the same time, was going through his issues and gave plenty of concern about having clean urine for the drug exam.  I really did not what to say.  I kept to myself on the Airport bus to the MBTA (T) station Blue Line.  This is one of my last W-2 positions. I never saw that individual rambling off ever again.

Next department was Boston Public Library.  Copley Square was beautiful and big, but most of it was closed to the public.  I applied for the library's e-card services, then I had to use my paper driver's permit to get an actual library card.  The computer reservations had to be scheduled several days in advance.  It was on laptops.  I did not have my own computer yet because it was a delayed purchase waiting for the pandemic stimulus help.

Uber and DoorDash worked me all over Boston and Greater Boston neighborhoods.  It was a little hard to get acclimated to the Boston streets because they did not follow the format of Washington, DC, New York City, Atlanta, or Chicago.  Massachusetts was still white (Caucasian) as my research indicated.  The minorities (African-Americans, Latinos, Migrants, and Immigrants) were in the Southern neighborhoods like Dorchester, Roxbury, Roxbury Crossing and East neighborhoods like East Boston.  I am still waiting for reality to hit to see who is affording the $3500 rent for a one-bedroom Boston or Boston suburb apartments, $1,500,000 mortgages, and I had a townhome of 3800 square feet for $3500 mortgage payment in the city.  It seems like community is the theme in Boston, Massachusetts; in which, no one actually got to know anyone, but at least be cordial, respectful, and treat each other with dignity and communicate.  I think that is what Connecticut had too, but life did not let me stay there too long or just off and on because it was harder.

Journal Entry #57 - Moving to or Traveling to Massachusetts

JOURNAL ENTRY #57

Name: Manley M Collins

Social Security Number: 5 7 9 – * * – 6 5 4 1

Date of Birth: 06/21

Place of Birth: Washington, District of Columbia

Country of Birth: United States of America

Date: August 1, 2020

Topic: Moving to or Traveling to Massachusetts

Good day my followers, stalkers, enemies, new people, crazies, professionals, or whatever human name you may adopt for yourself.

After enough photo blogging, it was time to get back to writing and telling my experiences  again.

I am still a resident of South Carolina and yes, I did state I would never return, but rash decision making can happen when you keep hurting and doing him like the past already did. Even though, I am not running for any political office...I still have my last umbilical cord to provide some type of service and see the countryside when it is time to take breaks from the Northern city life.  South Carolina do not get too hype up, I got Georgia too, just in case South Carolina decides to act up.

I started my trek to Massachusetts on the last day of July 2020.  Yes, this is during the pandemic.  I did not have much to take.  I dumped most of my tent and tarp stuff since I did not know the terrain of life in the New England city and state.

In South Carolina, I do give credit that folks did attempt to check on me and try to reconnect, but attempt taking my independence was not the best way to get me re-acclimated to South Carolina.  I did partial research on Massachusetts.

U-Haul, I was very angry when they were giving me the run around while on foot and Uber to find a 10 foot truck in the Summerville and North Charleston area, and I ended up with Penske 18 foot truck with only four (4) storage containers about the size of a coffee table.  Thanks again Penske for always providing modern and very comfortable ride and drive using your trucks.

One last act of anger was the neighbors at 277 Big Woods Rd tried to stick their dogs on me. I did not have gun or knives to kill them so I stayed by the truck.

A couple of things I had lined up on my trip was the attempt to install my loc extensions.  I booked a salon in Florence, South Carolina via an online app by a top stylist.  A day or two before the actual appointment she canceled because she stated it was not her specialty.  So that ended all stops in South Carolina.

I started the road trip. As normal, I rarely stop to eat or drink because I was focused on my destination.  I did stop through Washington, District of Columbia to pick up my final batch of mail.  It was loaded communications.  Thanks UPS Store for such a great unexpected gesture.  I found out a lot of information of what the Attorney General was busy doing to my business, and personal affairs.  During the pandemic, Washington, DC was almost a ghost town.  The roads were light.  Little to no people on the street, but Walmart, Safeway, and Giant were open though.  I attempted to re-book another hair salon appointment in Hyattsville, Maryland and that did not go well because it was canceled and speak to a different stylist in the same salon.  I spoke to the second stylist thoroughly, but I already was on the road and left the metropolitan area.  I traveled my usual secondary route to avoid most of the tolls from Maryland to New York.  I did stop by the United States Census Bureau in New Carrollton, Maryland to drop off my equipment, but no one was onsite except security.

New York City upgraded their EZ-Pass Holland Tunnel to just drive through using the EZ-Pass Express system.  That was a surprise.  I wanted to stop in the city, but it was the first time ever seeing New York City as a ghost city. No one was on the streets.  No traffic. Little to no activity.  However, I am very proud my delivery peers from Uber, DoorDash, Chowbus, and Grubhub for still delivering as essential workers.  I did get gas and keep rolling up Interstate 95.

I finally reached Boston, Massachusetts.  It seems a little different than when I first visited the city while living in New York City and Manchester, Connecticut.  I already researched the storage company so U-Haul did not have anything available, so I went with Cubesmart.  The real bad part research did not discover was the neighborhood it was located.  It was near the Massachusetts Ave and Melnea Cass Boulevard (Mass and Cass) or Methadone Mile or Recovery Road.  The storage store had a pretty diverse crew.

I did find my personal and business address in Boston, Massachusetts located downtown.  I did real good in finding the appropriate location of mail services with United Parcel Service (UPS).  I plan to have this address for a pretty good while.  The storage store had a pretty diverse crew.

Thank goodness I found my local gym Planet Fitness, which is all I could afford for now and they had plenty of locations I can explore.  St. Francis House was my first Boston day shelter encounter and developed a pretty good intimate, consistent professional relationship.  I am glad I am receiving services and donating the street money received from the public here.  It was clean, all the homeless smells, and well kept.

I turned in my Penske truck to the Braintree location. Thank goodness it was my first ride on the MBTA (T) system bus.  While waiting on the bus, I met some United States Census Bureau workers.  Yes, I was hired and trained in South Carolina by the United States Department of Commerce, United States Census Bureau.  I got the badge and received all the items, plus a government iPhone smartphone system.  However, when my transportation the Honda Metropolitan was taken, I had very limited mobility and the Berkeley County and Charleston bus system is not WMATA or NYC MTA operating all day and part of the night.  I did ask for a transfer to the Boston area; however, that never took place with the exception when they sent a field supervisor to collect my badge, equipment, and sign paperwork.  While standing at the Braintree MBTA (T) bus stop, I attended the First Baptist Church of Washington, DC Zoom church service until the bus arrived.  The trip was good and I reached the subway.

I slept on the streets because the weather was still warm. I did start to venture out to discover what was open and what was closed in Boston.  I did ask around about where the homeless go for services and stuff.  St. Francis House did provide almost all my basic needs from rest/sleeping and two meals to personal hygiene and underwear/clothing.  Since my storage space was located at a far distance from downtown, I had to compact life into one backpack.  Thank goodness for Uber and DoorDash because I was able to go right to work.  This was my first time since my first security officer job that I was able to take the job with me.  I also discovered I can take Uber and DoorDash to Europe with me.

This concludes the transition or move.  More and more is coming.