From: crude@sausa.ge   
      
   On Wed, 18 Feb 2026 12:54:16 -0500, DFS wrote:   
      
   > Not a troll - this actually happened.   
   >   
   > Was leaving McDonald's the other morning, and an older homeless lady   
   > (toting a rolling suitcase with a pile of clothes and blankets on it)   
   > was sitting/resting on the curb near my car, so close I couldn't get   
   > into it, let alone back it out.  It was cold and windy, so I guess she   
   > was just getting out of the way of the weather as much as possible.   
   >   
   > She offered to move right away, and I saw she was older so I helped her   
   > up by her hand.  I was curious how she became homeless, so I asked her   
   > some questions and ended up conversing with her for about 15 minutes.   
   >   
   > She was an intelligent woman of 73 (divorced, with a son and daughter),   
   > so I was surprised she was homeless.  But like many homeless she had   
   > some mental issues; she tended to ramble on a lot, and said was being   
   > persecuted for being a Christian.   
   >   
   > Our conversation at one point turned to employment and I said I had   
   > worked in IT for a long time.  And here's the weird part of the   
   > encounter: without talking about operating systems or anything   
   > technical, she specifically said she liked Linux, had used RedHat, and   
   > knew Samba!   
   >   
   > I was kind of floored.  It's unusual for older women to even use Linux,   
   > let alone like it.   
   >   
   > (something else surprised me: Linux users usually ask for your spare   
   > change, but she never once hit me up for money.)   
   >   
   > At one point I asked where she was going to spend the night, and she   
   > said "Over there" and pointed to a nearby sidewalk outside a business.   
   > Sad.   
   >   
   > I had to conclude our conversation, so I wished her well and said   
   > goodbye.  Best of luck to Kathy.   
      
   I'm surprised that her kids didn't help her off the street. I can't   
   imagine leaving my parents homeless, no matter what kind of mental issues   
   they have. Honouring your parents is part of the Ten Commandments.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)