THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY
There are people who want to focus on how “unattractive” I supposedly look in these photographs.
What you failed to acknowledge is the story behind those photographs.
This is Michael Strahan of Good Morning America and Ryan Seacrest of everything and I didn't go looking for them. They ordered me.
At that point in my life, I was living in a car.
Let that sink in.
I had been chased from Las Vegas to Los Angeles, and I ultimately spent approximately two years living out of my car while trying to find stable housing. I had a Section 8 voucher, but because I was dealing with ongoing stalking and harassment, I genuinely did not know what area was safe for me to live in.
So while people were looking at photographs and judging my appearance, they had no idea what was actually happening behind the scenes.
I wasn't living some glamorous Hollywood lifestyle.
I was surviving.
And yet, somehow, I still found ways to enjoy my life.
I would park my car along Pacific Coast Highway, sometimes with a sandwich and a bottle of wine, and wait for the next day to see what adventure might come. I delivered to television stations, including CBS, worked around productions and movie sets, and experienced moments that, under completely different circumstances, might have seemed unbelievable.
I was living a carefree life in the middle of circumstances that were anything but carefree.
I danced on the pier. I crossed paths with celebrities. I experienced Los Angeles in a way that most people would never experience it.
And yes there were moments when I was actually having fun.
That is the part people miss.
You can be struggling and still laugh.
You can be homeless and still have dignity.
You can be going through hell and still have some damn good days.
And then there is the legal side of my story.
The filings I made in Judge Lisa Sepe-Winsfeld's court were legitimate filings. I have an established history of documenting what happened to me and using the legal system to address disputes and grievances.
That doesn't mean everyone has to agree with me.
It does mean that people should understand there is a much bigger story before deciding that a photograph, a court filing, or a particular moment tells them everything they need to know about me.
And here's the funny part:
People may think they're making fun of me, but sometimes they're actually exposing how absurd certain situations within larger systems can become.
That is why I continue to tell the story.
Not because I expect everyone to understand it.
But because I lived it.
So when people ask why I'm not in a hurry to buy another car, perhaps now you'll understand a little better.
I have learned that transportation doesn't have to look the way people expect it to look.
If I need to get to an appointment, I can take a Lyft.
If I need to travel for a client, there are transportation costs associated with that service.
That's one reason I charge appropriately for travel and mileage.
I'm not being careless.
I'm not confused.
And I'm certainly not as naïve as some people seem to think I am.
I'm a little smarter than you think.
The photographs may tell one story.
My life tells another.
And this is only a small piece of the story behind the story.
