FAQs

Where does the name Hobo Siren come from?

We have my friend Anita W. to thank for that. It started, fittingly, outside a Garbage concert at the Target Center when I was 14 years old, and I've been inundated with memorable interactions with non-home'd men ever since. I'd like to take this opportunity to acknowledge that I only ever accepted one of the foot massage offers, and I had my reasons for doing so.

The chemicals in my brain were legitimately in love with a hobo for about nine days. He rescued me. That's one of the stories I don't tell here. His name was Billy.

How do you like the word "blog"?

I forgive its author, for he knew not what he was doing, but overall I prefer the word “vomit.” I find it less offensive to think of it as blah-g and like to believe I was the first to render it thus.

How do you do it all!?

Great question. If by “do it all” you mean “run dozens of errands in an afternoon while looking like this...”

Then I guess my response would be CONFIDENCE. More specifically, delusional confidence.

How are you able to travel for extended periods of time?

There are a few reasons this has been possible for me. Namely, it's what I like to do, and we typically find ways to spend money on what we care most about. In addition, I have a supportive family and generous friends: they've watched my dog for extended periods of time; they've allowed me to crash on their couches and guest beds when I've returned to Minneapolis homeless and bedless; and they've never dissuaded me from being a vagrant.

Are you super rich?

Uh...pretty sure you don't get this look on a budget, mmmmkay?

Do you make money off this blog?

I have a full-time job in marketing. Hobo Siren is for my fans.

Are you judging my grammar?

No. I have maybe three grammar peeves. But overall, although I know all the hard/fast grammar rules, I don't believe in applying all of them to speech—and certainly not to text or chat messaging. My opinion is that grammar exists to create clarity in messages, especially written messages that don't have the extra benefit of tone and other external cues, like gestures, to provide context.

I'm also not judging your hair—a concern for those who know of my past as a hair stylist. However, if I am the one who cut your hair, I'm probably making more hair contact than eye contact—raking over it for my own mistakes.

What's the deal with the foot thing I heard about?

Kinda like the hobo theme that follows me, strangers sure like to offer their personal feedback on my feet. If only there were some clever way to combine the word feet with feedback. Hmmm...drawing a blank on this one...

Secondly, I get offered at least one foot massage a year by a stranger—the type of stranger who doesn't in any way make a living massaging feet.