Peter's Place

I'm sick. I've been sick since Wednesday evening. I think it's my annual bout of bronchitis. Or it could be COVID. But I doubt it. But with all the anxiety over COVID, IDK anymore. I think all the anxiety they have given us over COVID has left us unable to determine when we have a simple cold or the flu, or something like bronchitis, or something worse--like COVID--or some other sort of infection.  More likely than not this either is my annual bronchitis or a URI (upper respiratory infection). But I'm sick and miserable. Oh. I'm being redundant. But I'm sick so I'm allowed a bit of redundancy. I'm certain I'm not the only one who feels this way. That is, that one little sniffle--or in my case, a single cough--sends off alarm bells and trips to CVS buying out every single possible home COVID test there is on the shelves. Because I've already had COVID-19. And not the trimmed-down Delta or Omicron variants but the OG one that first came out, when ...

  Bridgeport Hospital¹ I currently have a few family members and close friends who either have been hospitalized or visited the emergency departments (ED) of hospitals across the State of Connecticut due to suspected COVID-19 infections. The following are a few observations and opinions I'd like to share about these experiences: I understand that Governor Lamont is not doing much of anything to help with the COVID-19 Omicron surge. However, the state of affairs at some of the hospitals in Connecticut is indefensible. Keeping patients who have tested positive for COVID-19 in the ED waiting room because there isn't enough room in the ED, near other patients, is inexcusable. Not having basic medications in stock, such as to aid with breathing is impermissible. Sending patients home who are too weak to care for themselves must carry some sort of liability. Arguing with patients over their preferred method of care is not supposed to happen. Telling family members that they will be c...

Today marks the completion of the 48th revolution of my corporeal existence on this ball of rock flooded with a substance we call water (chemical composition  H 2 O ) around a gaseous body whose core is a continuous fusion reaction primarily fueled by hydrogen and helium (i.e., our "sun," which we classify as a yellow star). In other words, it's my 48th birthday today. And. I'm. Terrified. . . No. Make that petrified, immobilized by a foreboding sense of impending...change? It's not that I haven't faced change before--I have, on numerous occasions and yet, I'm still here (despite more than a few attempts to the contrary but, I digress). NOTE: If you are having thoughts of not wanting to be here any longer, please--PLEASE--call someone and ask for help. Call your local mobile crisis hotline number, call 911, call your local Suicide Prevention Hotline . Yet this time, something is different. I don't know if it's the times we're living in or the f...

Wow, so it's been a while since I've posted a personal update. Let me fill you in. First of all, to all of you who have given to me in the past, a huge thank you and much gratitude for your generosity and assistance. I could not have gotten through these past few months without your support and kindness.  I know that I've asked for assistance in the past. My GoFundMe page  states I've raised some money but the vast majority of that money was from last year. As explained below, the shelter either "lost" or threw out my summer clothes (and denies all responsibility). As such, I have very little to wear for the coming months. Additionally, I have other needs as I lay out below. Since the last time I've posted an update, I wound up back on the funny farm. That is, my depression sunk to a level that led me to "bad thoughts," i.e., I became despondent and suicidal. Essentially, I went to City Hall in Hartford, CT seeking help with my housing situati...

Let's be clear--the nation's entire transportation system is deteriorating. While Hartford certainly could do with a restructuring of its disastrous and abysmal transportation options, one certainly could do a lot better than the currently proposed $15 billion plan set forth by the Bronins' cronies, as reported recently in the CT Mirror:  There’s a new plan for realigning Hartford’s highways. Is the third time the charm? If one is serious about fixing Hartford's convoluted, broken road system, then it should be replaced with a better system, not one that's equally broken, or worse, and one that also looks to the future, not just one that seeks to keep current problems at bay. Such a road plan should consider using new materials such as compressed styrofoam, foam glass aggregates such as Glavel , or other new technologies and include the embedding of solar panels (like those employed by SolarRoadways ). It should allow for pedestrian, bicycle, and other eco-friendly...

MEDIA ALERT ACTIVIST EVICTED FROM HOMELESS SHELTER WHILE UNDERGOING MEDICAL TESTS, CALLS FOR COMMUNITY TO RALLY AGAINST HOMELESSNESS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT:    PETER C. FRANK                               (914) 417-9579                               PCFRANK73@GMAIL.COM South Park Inn 75 Main Street, Hartford, CT 06106 HARTFORD, CT—Earlier today, I was evicted from South Park Inn (SPI) , which is the homeless shelter I've been staying in, for doing nothing other than receiving healthcare that I was forced to postpone from last month due to not having the funds for medical transportation. I am now, literally, on the streets. Specifically, during my annual wellness examination the day before my birthday last month, my doctor ordered a series of diagnostic tests to be performed. Among them was a s...

Voters going to the polls for tomorrow's elections should be aware of a story of great importance regarding potential corruption and unethical practices in the Registrar of Voters office that city officials such as Mayor Bronin and the council would rather be kept quiet. Vanessa Garay-Jackson (fmr) Deputy Republican Registrar of Voters City of Hartford, CT Early last month, the Deputy Republican Registrar of Voters, Vanessa Garay-Jackson, was terminated from her position by the Republican Registrar of Voters, Sheila N. Hall, for no discernable reason other than what appears to be retribution for Garay-Jackson's successful bid against Hall to become the Republican Registrar of Voters. Upon reviewing documents I obtained regarding the termination, Garay-Jackson was initially dismissed from her position by Hall without notice on Friday, September 25, 2020 "effective the close of business today." No reason was provided in the termination notice, signed by Hall. A subseque...

There is nothing more important to #PRIDE than the Truth and that means even when it may not be very convenient. The #LGBTQ+ community is uniquely situated to handle this quandary because, after the self-realization of identifying as LGBTQIA2S++, one is then faced with perhaps the greatest inconvenient truth of all: the great, big LGBTQ closet. It's quite unfortunate that I've seen a rise in other such inconvenient truths (and no, not that  Inconvenient Truth ) since my return to the social web after a hiatus of a few years while I cared for, and then lost my mother as she battled breast cancer for the fourth time. We have come so far in the past 50 years yet have much further to go, especially as a community. I believe that is because we have been fighting for equality when in fact we should be demanding equity and justice . One needn't look far from the gayborhoods to see the self-harm that staying in the closet does to us. And that's why today, on this 32nd anniversa...

Greetings and salutations. Thank you so much for taking the time to read about my situation and need for assistance. I'm launching the first chapter in what essentially is a new book in my life, so I've dubbed it  Life 2.0 . In a nutshell, I'm homeless, disabled, have a plethora of health issues (numerous physical health issues plus severe chronic depression and anxiety), lost my mother to breast cancer a year ago and her sister just passed away in Thailand, successfully fought off a COVID-19 infection, and have only a limited support system. I need help to get back on my feet and make a new start of things, and I'd appreciate your assistance with that. That being said, I truly appreciate and am grateful to you just for finding and supporting this post and hopefully contributing to my  GoFundMe campaign  (which you can do right now simply by clicking this link ). For other ways to help out, scroll down to the bullet points at the end of this article. A Bit More ...

A tweet came into my stream asking atheists what their favorite religious movie was. I began thinking about it and came up with a Top 10 list of my favorites (because we Libras have difficulty choosing). So for the record, I was raised Roman Catholic and as I've completed five of the seven sacraments and have yet to be excommunicated by The Church, I still am one. However, in terms of my belief system, I consider myself a spiritual atheist with my spirituality based on energy--somewhat of a scientific take on religion, if you will (the theory of everything, string theory, e=mc², etc.). The being said, here are my Top 10 religious movies of all time, that I strongly recommend you watch. 1. The Magdelene Sisters 2. Its A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World  3. The Matrix Trilogy 4. Zeitgeist 5. Latter Days 6. The Bells of St. Mary's 7. Prayers for Bobby 8. Dogma 9. It's A Wonderful Life 10. Miracle on 34th Street 11. Sister Act / Sister Act 2 Ok, ok I know I said it's ...