Hello and welcome to Eppertless English.

Today's podcast is titled Hello and welcome to Effortless English.

Today's podcast is titled Homeless in Athens, Part 1A.

This is from an article I wrote for my hometown paper Flagpole magazine a few years ago and it's about an experience

I had living semi-homeless in my car.

Here's the article.

Homeless in Athens, Part 1A. For six months I lived homeless in Athens, Georgia, USA.

Actually, homeless is not an accurate term, as I did have a home, a 1986 Nissan Sentra, which I shared

with my dog Athena.

Inside I built a bunk bed, a two foot wide plywood platform that stretched from the rear

dash to the front dash.

This makeshift bunk allowed me to stretch out fully when I slept, though it was far from comfortable. It gave me only

three inches of room between my nose and the roof of the car. I slept directly on the

plywood and covered myself with a thin sheet. Athena slept on the back seat below the bunk on a thick dogbed.

Still, I was reasonably comfortable and certainly better off than most who are thrust into homelessness involuntarily.

I chose to be homeless and thus could prepare for the experience.

The Nissan sheltered me from rain, gave me a small degree of privacy, and provided a secure place to keep my possessions.

I had only a simple and extremely practical wardrobe, chosen for its utility more than its fashion.

I had an umbrella and a windbreaker.

I had a sheet, a pillow, and a fleece blanket for cold spring nights.

For cooking, I used a propane stove, a set of backpackers' pots, one fork, and one spoon.

I had a few books and pencils and pens for sketching.

...