Sounds like you've got a lot stored up, highwayman! I look forward to any and everything you have to offer--I really liked that story.
Reminds me of the kid who I bumped into after "work" one day in Syracuse, asking directions... but obviously in a bad way. Didn't do much--got her dinner, some cough drops and trail mix, and a cab back to where she was going (turned out to be two towns away)... but it seemed rather needed, and I was glad to have been able to do it.
She's gotten a stable housing situation since then--I'm pretty sure she was homeless, even though she didn't explicitly say so--so that's something. But anyway, all the time left in the world--hope things turn up for her.