Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with hobo

Long Gone seems to be long Gone

Science! — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 13:11:04 -0800

Is there any official source of DVDs or digital copies of Tony Eberhardt's 2003 film "Long Gone" available in the US? The goal is for personal use, not presentation.

A Shaggy Gentleman

electronslave — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 03:11:50 -0800

What is the difference between liking travel and being a global bum? From the tender age of six months, I've been rambling around the world nonstop. I'm considering departing my current location and settling in another, but I'd be sacrificing yet another relationship, yet another job, yet another life. So on. What do I have to look forward to, anyway? Finding out that girlfriend #n has yet another exotic STD?

Can someone else with a compulsion to move every so often tell me what's going on? When I was 18-22, I was fine in one place -- take a road trip, the itch left me just fine. When I was 23 and 24, same deal but longer haul. I had to really put my soul into escape. Last year and this one have seen me jumping like a flea between continents and countries, doing what I please, in every sense of the word "do." I can't make myself stay still or feel happy, and something is very very wrong.

Yes, I understand the acceleration of time as one gets older. It hurts, but that's not the question.

Am I becoming a bum? Whereas before I had to have a specific Dansk flatware set, a full set of Bodum Bistro glasses, Great White plates/bowls/teapot from Pottery Barn, a full 1000 thread count dining set from Linens and Things, and a bedroom set from Crate & Barrel ... now I feel like I'm happiest living on the street with long underwear and a toque, programming websites on my eeePC for booze money.

Can someone else along this path answer my next question: am I an entrepreneur for hiring other people to do my jobs for me, or am I entirely insane? I'm fairly sure this business venture is illegal, but it seems like if I make enough cash, I can immigrate here.

And dear sweet internet, spare me from romanticizing my ordeal, like this dude here, k?

Where to fix my bag in NC?

greta simone — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 17:39:10 -0800

Where can I find a place that does leather repair in the NC Triangle area? I have a Hobo International handbag that I dearly love that needs the zipper repaired, and some cleaning/mending/conditioning. I have done some cleaning myself, but I am not satisfied with the results, so I would prefer a professional who could do that and fix the zipper. A few things:
1) My bag is older than a year old, so I cannot take advantage of the company's guarantee.
2) Also, Hobo does not do any repairs outside of the guarantee.
3) I called Nordstrom (where I purchased it) and they want to send it out for a fee. I would rather have a face-to-face transaction.
4) I called the Wilson's leather store, and they know nothing.
5) Florenza leather goods (in Chapel Hill), my best option, is closed for business.

I'm in Carrboro. So the closer, the better.
Thanks.

On The Road

Fupped Duck — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 12:33:32 -0800

A friend who's not working right now has decided to travel across the US, in grand Kerouac style. Setting out from NYC, first destination Chicago. He has less than the total amount of money he'll need for this journey and plans to get throw-away jobs here and there as finances warrant. Assuming he sticks to metro areas, what are some good temporary jobs he can reasonably expect to find quickly (e.g. word processing) where he can make a decent wage yet not have to work full time so he can still play tourist, and get hired promptly so as to earn cash in near real time? (Fast food labor is a very last resort)

How to hop a freight train

the jam — Tue, 08 May 2007 08:37:33 -0800

How do I hop a freight train? I've wanted to do this for years and I think this summer is going to be the one. Any info you can give me will be more than I know now. Most online sources are very secretive with specifics. The big questions: How do I pick a spot to jump on? How do I know where the train is going? How do I avoid getting arrested? What routes are nothing but trouble?

Do hobos do a lot of data entry in the winter?

reformedjerk — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 16:30:38 -0800

What's the deal with hobo gloves (gloves with no finger tips)? While typing in my freezing office, I considered getting a pair of gloves with no finger tips (so-called hobo gloves). That's when I started to wonder what exactly neccessitated the adoption of gloves with no finger tips among hobos (I assume widespread adoption within this demographic because the gloves are named after them)? If the goal of these gloves was to provide warmth, one would imagine that a pair of mitts, with a much smaller surface area, would be the better option. Did hobos often perform tasks that required a great deal of manual dexterity?

Philosophy of Transience

trinarian — Fri, 12 May 2006 10:04:11 -0800

What can be said of a philosophy of transience? I’ve recently been intrigued with the philosophy of “embracing impermanence,” as a friend once worded it. I’ve been romanticizing train-hoppers, squatters, and those who choose to live their life constantly improvising and on the move. It fits well into my own life where I find relationships and interests stagnate quickly without movement and constant flux.

Who is the greatest thinker on this subject? Is there any documented anthropological evidence supporting humans being wired more for being nomadic life than a sedentary existence? What are some great quotes? What are some criticisms? What are your thoughts and experiences?