Odd Toddy's Questionnaire

I live in a flophouse just outside the city limits of Austin, Texas. I moved in a couple years back after the rent at my old place went up. It's cheap, and most of the people there leave me be. 

I don't have much in terms of possessions. I get a lot of my food from the trash, so I don't need a well-stocked kitchen. I don't mind my odor, so I don't need a particularly clean bathroom. The floorboards are worn down, the paint is cracked and peeling, the roof is leaky (but only in a few spots, and they're easy to avoid). It's got what I need from a home, so it's good enough for me. 

I mostly do odd jobs and day labor. Construction companies like me because my arms are long and I'm strong. I've also walked dogs, scavenged and sold materials, and begged on occasion. The dogs are interested in how I smell and stay close by without too much effort, but people tend to keep a wide berth, which makes the begging less profitable. And with the gentrification of Austin, the clean streets make scavenging a little more difficult than before. 

Most of my money goes to rent, but extra money might go to booze or video games or, when I'm feeling fancy, a meal that I actually pay for. 

I want to end all governments. Total anarchy. It's always been the haves versus the have nots. Since humans became "civilized," the structures in place have continued to serve the rich and powerful, and frankly, I'm tired of it. Someone has got to crush the existing governments to a point where none can come back, and I think I might be the one who's going to have to do it. 

Hell yeah, I'll kill for it. It's not ideal that a have not would get in the way, but I'll do it if I have to. But the powerful aren't going down without a fight, and, even if they do surrender, I can't let them get away with what they've done. A new world's coming, just as soon as I'm strong enough to bring it here. 

I watched my mother die from a curable disease because she didn't have health insurance. It's something that should never happen in one of the richest countries in the world. Greed and the government's indifference toward its citizens killed my mama, and I'll never forgive nor forget that. 

I was in my early twenties and about to graduate from college, but at that point I decided to dive headfirst into learning about anarchist theory, protest strategies, and even the occult in order to find out how to change how the world operates. Needless to say, a few arrests got me kicked out of school and unable to get a decent job. But I became someone who wouldn't put up with these injustices, though I ended up with less and less time to enact change as I had to spend more and more time figuring out how to survive. 

Bobby Watson is the only other person who's lived at the flophouse as long as I have. We don't talk too much, but we might play some games together or share a drink every now and then. He's worked at damn near every restaurant or bar in Austin, working as long as he can before telling off his boss and getting fired. 

Linda Laughlin works at the local library. She lost her sense of smell a while back, so she doesn't mind a quick conversation at the counter to check out another book. She thinks I'm crazy, but she says that she appreciates hearing and debating my views on how the world should be. 

Strapped Ratchet is an unhoused guy who I'll eat with if I ever get a particularly good haul from my dumpster runs. His legs are hurt pretty bad, but he's got a sharp wit and can carry a nice conversation with anyone who will sit with him for a bit. 

I wouldn't say my childhood was the easiest, but being poor was a lot easier to manage back in the eighties. Dad was out of the picture pretty early on, but my mom managed to get by waiting tables at a local diner. Now that I'm older, I assume she had to have done more than that, but I never asked her. 

I did pretty well in school. I was put in several advanced classes and even managed to get a solid scholarship for college. I think my mom was hoping I'd be able to take care of once I graduated and got a good job. 

I didn't have too many friends, though. I was an odd kid, believe it or not, and there aren't too many people who want to put up with odd kids for very long. By high school, I was under the assumption that I'd be a loner. But thankfully, I didn't mind being alone. 

I don't think I've ever been in love. I had some pretty intense crushes growing up, but they never amounted to anything. I slept with people on occasion throughout my time in college, and a lot more frequently while I was protesting and organizing. But I don't think I was ever in love with any of the people I slept with. It was usually just a "right place, right time" kind of thing, and the adrenaline of throwing explosives or fighting cops can make most times the "right time."

As I've gotten older, though, I haven't had as much interest. Love seemed so important as a kid, but I feel like there are much more important things now, like dismantling all government structures, of course.