Thread: I feel like Christmas is going to be a miserable failure....

Have you contacted the phone company to let them know you can't pay? i don't know about there, but here, if you let them know, they wiill usually help you out by allowing more time, or coming up with a repayment scheme. I found this out when i was unemployed for 11 months. Or they can block outgoing calls, but you can still receive incoming, so employers or clients could still call you.

I hope it all works out for you

Man, that really blows! I wondered if you were still in Cali, or had come back to NYC. We hadn't had an update from you in quite some time.

I wish I had some encouragement for you, but it'd just be false. You seem to be at the point in life where you just have to make your own way. If you made an effort to keep in touch with the family, and they're spurning you.....then fuck 'em. I was in that position before, when I was a nobody and they wouldn't have anything to do with me. I made the effort to no avail, so I just cut ties and moved on.

As to the rent, phone, etc. DEFINITELY DON'T WAIT TILL THEY CALL YOU.......CALL THEM FIRST!!! I cannot emphasize this enough!! Be proactive rather than reactive, people will respect you more for being upfront, and it's more believeable since YOU made the effort to let them know, rather than them having to hunt you down, and then listen to a sob story.

Keep your head up, keep plugging away looking for jobs. They are out there, but at this point you can't be picky. Take whatever comes your way and step upwards from that, even if it means flipping burgers in BK for a while. NYC is an awesome city man, but it's a hellhole when you're unemployed and homeless.

Best of luck dude, let us know how it goes! And Merry Christmas Flip!!!

I appreciate the fact that I'm a remembered poster here.

I agree with you on that, it just seems so hard for me to say "fuck the family". I mean, I've dealt with tough situations before and this isn't nearly as difficult as previous experiences, but still.

Of course, I'm going to press on and put all I have into succeeding(there isn't a doubt in my mind that I won't end up on top of the world with everything I want), it's just tough dealing with this loneliness through the holidays, as I've never had to deal with a Christmas being totally alone and without a dollar to my name, and on top of that holding a sign to make a few bucks to eat.

It's amazing to me that I've been around these forums for years now. I can remember being a senior in high school posting here. Back then everyone seemed to hate me because I was moral-less and didn't care about consequences. Along with all the stupid stuff I was doing at the time, it's understandable. I feel like I've grown up immensely though and just seeing that post proves that to me.

Maybe you should find some church or charity. Alot of them do things over christmas for those going through hard times. At least that way you'll get some company and a meal.

I was going to suggest the same as Fruity. You might not be able to be with your family or to hang out with friends, but you don't have to be alone. You can volunteer with a church or a soup kitchen, or help deliver presents to children.. there's so many options. I've worked with the Food Bank of NYC, myself, I'm sure they must need volunteers this time of year. And that way not only will you be with other people, but you'll be making a difference and feeling like a good person.

I want to third the 'call them before they call you' thing. And I also think that you can keep up the signage. Go to a Times Square subway station and wear it in there. Wander around. Loads of tourists with money, and the Times Square warren stays pretty damn warm, no matter how cold it is outside. This does mean you have to find $2.25 somewhere, but.. that's doable, isn't it?

Just keep reminding yourself.. you might be lonely now and you might be in a bad situation now, but when you've hit rock bottom the only possible way you can go is up. And then next time you're in a rough spot, you can look back on this and think "well, this isn't as bad as that one Christmas, so I'll be fine." It's pretty nice, actually. You just have to get through it first.

Good thought about the soup kitchen, Tia! I had forgotten about that one!

Alright here's an update. My phone was turned on through an EXTREMELY gracious poster here on the forums (let me know if you're bothered with your name being mentioned) so that's in order. I went out with my sign tonight and was in one of the subway stations and I made about $20 in a few hours and was about to call it a night when (about 12:15) this Australian gentleman walked up and read the sign. He asked what I really needed help with and I explained it very briefly to him. He gave me $100 and almost brought me to tears. I'm going to give that $100 to my landlord, and hopefully pay her $200 next saturday (I believe I may be able to do so based on a number of factors) and everything should be straightened out. Remember, this is me being optimistic here, so hope for the best.

Christmas party at the office tomorrow, which will be a nice gift for me. They're getting it catered and I'm assuming they're going to have a nice selection of pricey liquor, which will be a nice change. Oh and I got a text from a friend I was working at the charity with (he no longer works there due to better opportunities) and he invited me to come up to Jersey with him and celebrate there.

Oh how fast things change, eh? My faith in humanity as a whole is changed from when I first posted this thread. I must have some good karma built up somewhere or something.

So I got a call from my mom just now and she invited me to come over tomorrow so I'm not by myself for Christmas.

So that is also a better situation and I'm going to head over there fairly early in the morning. It's just the price of the train ticket that bothers me. I need to get like $30ish for the train ride and the taxi from the train to her house.

Holidays are getting better by the day

glad things are looking up for you be optimistic, good vibes attract more good vibes