Vago Damitio - Rough Living

Motivated Me

I just finished reading your book, and I must say, I liked it a lot. I am heading to New Orleans shortly to help out in anyway I can. I never did have very high expectations, but I must tell you, your book helped to remind me and motivate me for my journey from Pittsburgh to New Orleans. thank you!

A Fabulous Tool To Change the World!

I just wasted a couple of hours of my company’s time reading your book, Rough Living. Thanks for writing it, as it was a lovely read… I waitress and keep a copy at the restaurant, so when I bring it up with tables, I can show them. It’s fun… a great conversation piece and a fabulous tool to change the world.

You’ve Ruined the Family Name and Shamed Us All

You’re not supposed to write about some things. Have you no shame? What the hell is wrong with you? Don’t come begging for handouts from me. There’s nothing for you in my will so you can stop hoping I’m dead now.

This book is dedicated it to my Uncles Larry, Morris, and Murray. They are three men who I am certain understand this book and I am thankful to them all for the lessons which they taught me. I think of you as a bizarre combination of the three wise-men mashed with the three stooges. Larry, Mo, and Curly. I love you guys, wherever you are.

I’d like to thank my brother for suggesting I stop living in a van in Seattle and find some way to go to China. I also need to thank the retired postal worker I met on the way to the North American Anarchist Conference who went by the handle ‘The Old Reptile’ — it was he who suggested I write what I was learning by being homeless as a book.

I’d like to thank my sister for sending me a book called ‘Hobo’ by Eddie Joe Cotton for Christmas in 2002. I’d like to thank Eddie Joe Cotton for getting published and thus showing there was actually a market for a book like Rough Living, even though the legitimate publishers never chose to publish it.

I’d like to thank my friend Izak Holden for doing the interview with Aquillo Mallot which originally appeared in my Anarchist Zine, Conchsense. I’d like to thank Aquillo Mallot (aka Two Dog Tom) and Hopalong Tom for being the type of crazy but generally harmless hobos who will accept all kinds of people at their fires.

I’d like to thank my friend Stephan Boudroux for always being a good buddy, wing man, and buying drinks for me when I was down and out because he knew it would eventually come around.

I’d like to thank Kevin and Candida Alvis and Joey and Sunshine Peppin for letting me park my VW in their backyards in Seattle and Bellingham and allowing me to use their kitchens and toilets as necessary.

I’d like to thank a lot of other people too, but for the moment, that will have to do.

I live like a prince. That’s what I’m doing at the moment. It’s great. Let me tell you what the life of a prince is like. I sleep as late as I want. I played tennis until late last night with my new friends from tennis class. It wasn’t cold, because I am in the tropics. Hawaii actually. So anyway, I slept a little late. I woke up at about ten. After using one of my many bathrooms to shave and brush my teeth, I went for a little breakfast. French toast, coffee, and Dutch apple pie. It’s great to be a prince. Pie for breakfast.

I took a brief walk through the gardens to my main library. I’ve been studying Japanese and wanted to look up a phrase I hadn’t understood. While I was there I used the internet to check on the news, stocks, and of course, my horoscope, not that I believe in such things but it is essential to have some trivial pursuits.

I wanted to spend most of the day working on a novel I but I also wanted to take a drive. So I drove to the other side of the island to visit my other library. After eating one of my favorite sandwiches for lunch (kimchi and tuna) in the garden and drinking some watermelon nectar, I settled down in the library and began.

Sounds pretty good right? It is. The thing is though, I’m no prince. I’m homeless. I’m just pretty good at living.

Let me translate. Last night I played tennis in a public park. I paid $25 for six group lessons and in the process made a lot of friends. Plus, if you live in your car, the hardest thing sometimes is figuring out what to do at night. Tennis is a great option. My racket was $3 at the Salvation Army.

After tennis, I drove my car to one of my favorite parking spots. It’s another park that allows all night parking. Lot’s of scuba divers go there for night dives. I slept on the floor of the van I bought for $175. I was near Waikiki for a couple of reasons. 1) My tennis lessons were there and 2) I bought a ticket to Hawaii a while back because it’s a great place to be homeless.

Another cool thing about Waikiki is Burger King. They have those free food scratch off coupons on fry cartons and large drinks. Lot’s of folks don’t even peel em off. That’s how I got the free French toast sticks and apple pie. The coffee cost me 87 cents.

After breakfast I walked through the capital district to the state library. I study Japanese in my car and in the parks. Why? It’s good to have something productive to do. I choose not to work, it doesn’t mean I don’t want to learn. I have a library card so I get to use the internet for free.

I drove across the island because I keep my laptop (and my novel) in a storage unit on the windward side. It’s cheaper for storage there than it is in Honolulu. That way if someone breaks into my car, they don’t get the laptop. I can’t afford to get a new one. I got this one by trading a VW bus I bought for $100 for it. Not bad, huh? The gardens I stroll through are really public parks and I make my own lunches. So what did the life of a prince cost me today? Including gas and coffee… about $3.

It’s all in how you look at it. Trust me, there are times that this lifestyle sucks. When I really want to have a shower and don’t have one to jump in, it sucks. When I get sick and want to lie in bed all day, it sucks. When I meet some beautiful chick that is only interested in the money she thinks I have and I break it to her that I live in my car, it sucks. But most of the time. It’s not that bad.

The key is really in what you do with your time. If you are a millionaire or a bum, you’re probably going to be pretty miserable if you spend all your time drinking or drugging. Tennis is fun whether you have a home or not. Learning is fun. Life is fun.

It’s hard to believe it’s been almost ten years since the original Rough Living: Tips and Tales of a Vagabond was published by Booklocker. When I see those paperback books with Vagabond misspelled ‘Vegebond’ on the spine, I can’t help but laugh. The fact the book was never proofread or edited by anyone other than myself accounts for the numerous typos, mis-spellings, bad grammar, and horrible layout of the original. It might also account for the fact every publisher I spoke with told me my book was unpublishable, though the reason they gave was the same across the board — I’d written a book for people who don’t have money and people without money don’t buy books.

Lots of people have bought this book. I’ve only sold about a thousand copies, but the book has been downloaded and shared with upwards of 30,000 people! Certainly, there was and always will be a market for a book like this, whether the publishers choose to see it or not. I’m simply thankful I live in a time when I could self publish and share my work on the internet. There have been times when I’ve felt bitter about all those free copies that were distributed in direct violation of the copyright, but ultimately — it’s pretty cool, even if I didn’t profit from it. Consider it payment for any films, TV shows, or music I’ve used or enjoyed without buying.