Shut Down - Shut Up! Enough Already!

Holy crap!  I'm amazed by the stupidity of our government.  The pure childishness that is happening is appalling and disgusting.  Every single day words like "work it out", "do the right thing", and "be considerate of others" (just to quote a few) come out of my mouth to my children. We strive to do all of these things and yet the people who are supposed to be doing it for us aren't.  We expect our government to keep us safe via our military, provide services for us like Medicare and Social Security and sign bills into law that will HELP the population as a whole, not shut it down because they can't play nice in the sandbox.  Now I get that there will be some opposition to the Affordable Healthcare Act, not everyone is going to be happy all of the time but as a friend of mine said, majority rules, right? The mere thought of grown adults throwing logic out the window and blatantly refusing to work together is exactly what NOT to do.  Listen up...the majority of the people in this country are all trying to make a living, raise families and do the right thing day in and day out. A lot of them do it one day at a time, not always knowing how they're going to make it until the next paycheck, but somehow they do. What's fundamentally wrong with this situation is that there are people in Congress who actually voiced their opposition solely based on the idea that no matter what bill the President signed into law they would oppose him.  It doesn't matter if it was "the most perfect, everyone is going to be happy bill", he would still get opposition because he is who he is.  To me that's complete racism, totally wrong and against the core value system of this country.

I'm ashamed of the people who represent this country, each and every one of you should be fired. There should be term limits imposed on your jobs and your salaries are way too high for the lack of work and production you have to show for it. You're screwing with people's lives and it seems as if you just don't care. Disgusting. You're hurting others BY CHOICE. Horrible. I don't care if some of you are claiming to be giving your salaries to charity or are requesting to not get paid while this shut down is happening, that doesn't make me feel better.  You should each be fined 1 year's salary for every day this shut down continues.

Get back to work, play nice in the sandbox, and try your hardest to win back the respect of the people you represent, oh, and be ready for the next election season because I truly hope 100% of you are replaced.  No one is indispensable.

Just Plain Sad

So let me just start off this post with letting you all know that I have had the privilege of experiencing Nittany Lion Pride.  One of my best friends (to this day) attended Penn State University, and I also dated someone who went there at the same time, so I can say that I have spent a fair amount of time in Happy Valley, and I can tell you, there's nothing like it.  I will always be grateful for the time I got to spend there, lots of great memories for me.

That being said, the stories that have surfaced over the last week are disturbing, maddening and truly sad.  Sad for the entire PSU community, sad for the fans, sad for the people involved and especially sad for the victims.  However, this is NOT about football.  This is about doing the right thing, telling the truth no matter how hard it is, stepping up and possibly sacrificing everything but knowing it's the absolute right thing to do.  Because folks, here it is:  NO CHILD/MINOR SHOULD EVER BE EXPOSED TO SEXUAL ABUSE. PERIOD.  THAT is what this is about.  As the stories unfold over the next days, weeks, months, even years, I'm sure we will never come to know the full truth and I know we will all draw conclusions.  It's unfortunate that these incidents happened and it's unfortunate that most of the people involved did not do anything extreme to stop it when it was happening. 

For now, put the sports to the side and focus on the piece of this story that truly matters....the boys.  Joe Paterno will always be one of the most revered men that coached the game regardless of the outcome of this debacle, and PSU will always be one of the best places to play football....but what will happen to the victims?  What happens to the boys who had to endure the abuse?  As a parent, it's not hard to hypothetically put yourself in this situation...ask yourself, what would I do?  I would want to kill someone, and I wouldn't care who he is.  In a situation like this, no amount of wins, titles, or fans matter.  This is purely about doing the right thing.... 

10 Years....

A friend and I were talking the other day about milestone anniversaries.  She was reminiscing about the loss of someone extremely significant in her life and it being 20 years since he passed and how for some reason, the milestone ones are harder to face.  It made me think, (especially with the anniversary of 9/11 looming), about anniversaries in general and the way we have come to celebrate or commemorate them. 

10 years ago, I was a newlywed, fresh off a 2 week honeymoon in Hawaii with a great new apartment in lower Manhattan, just a couple of blocks from the World Trade Center.  Of course I had experienced loss and tragedy to some degree up to that point in my life, but not the way I experienced it on Sept 11, 2001.  I've been thinking about this post for a few days and how I was going to approach it.  I can talk about the past, tell my story again, reminisce about that day, but no, I don't want to talk about that day I want to talk about the days that followed....the years that have passed since then, about moving on. 

Let me say this...NOT ONE DAY goes by that I am not reminded of Sept 11.  NOT ONE.  And not one day goes by that I am not thankful for the way Sept 11 turned out for me.  I am keenly aware of how different it could have turned out, but as luck or fate or whatever you want to call it would have it, all of the people I know who were supposed to be in those towers, weren't. 

We chose to continue to live in our neighborhood for 5 years after Sept 11, that was a good decision.  After we were able to move back home we were first hand observers of the activity that was happening at the site.  The things I remember most about the days, weeks, months and even years that followed are the workers, the volunteers, the smells, the sights, the sounds of rebuilding at all hours of the day and night, the tourists, the businesses reopening, the neighborhood coming back to life...of the feeling of solidarity that this city and our country would bounce back. It never even occurred  to us to leave. NEVER. We were moving on.

But as our family grew, so did our need for space and as luck (again) would have it, we moved to a new neighborhood with a beautiful view of lower Manhattan.  It's now 3,650 days later, and as I write this from my couch, the sun is coming up, and I am looking at one of the new structures that is rising from the ashes so to speak....Tower One is lit up and is getting taller by the day, and from the greatest city in the world it is a reminder for me of strength, resolve, and commitment.  I will celebrate that today while I remember those we have lost, the stories we have shared, and the images we have seen from Sept 11, 2001.  I wish you all a day filled with love, peace and celebration of your lives as we have all moved on in our own way always being cognizant of the past and hopeful for the future.  

10 years have passed and not a day goes by that I don't remember...NOT ONE DAY.

Where Does The Time Go?

I have a feeling this will be the title of a lot of my posts...it's relevant to so many things, in this case...back to school.  Today is the first day of school in New York City, and I officially have a First Grader!  It's funny how everyone tells you how time flies.  Hoq before you know it they're in school, going to college, moving out.  What no one prepares you for is the shock to your system as the milestone day hits.  I was just watching my boy, who is currently sleeping soundly, and marveling at the thought that he is old enough to be in first grade.  When did that happen?  When did he learn how to talk? walk? voice his opinion? Those days seem like yesterday, not years ago! 

I want him to love school.  To learn and to grow and to be smart. I want him to have friends that he will keep for a lifetime.  I want him to experience the joy that comes with exploring the world beyond our city, (which in itself is one big exploration project).  I want him to have what every parent I know wants for their children...to be safe, to be healthy and to have everything they dream of. 

Having an almost 6 year old boy can certainly try your patience.  Mine is inquisitive, challenging, bright, adorable, stubborn (boy, is he stubborn!), independent ("you can just leave me here and come back and get me Mom, it's ok"), loyal and an excellent button pusher!  For all the qualities that can drive me crazy, he is one of the sweetest, loving, caring boys I know.  He melts my heart on a daily basis and I am hard pressed to put into words how very proud I am of him.  And I'm so thankful he chose me to be his Mom. 

Happy 1st Day of 1st Grade!!

Way To Keep It Interesting!

In a week of crazy: earthquakes, insane baseball game scores (22-9 Yankee's win), and now a hurricane, do we need this? I mean really?  What.  Is.  Happening???  As I type this, the sun is shining and I have just returned from getting a few cases of water and snacks at the store.  My house is in a flood zone along the Brooklyn waterfront.  We're not leaving it.  Besides, by the time it hits here I'm thinking it will be a category 2 with some strong rain and winds however, my actual concern is the flooding after the storm blows through.  We've had a lot of rainfall this year so far and I'm not sure how much more water we can take on without it overflowing.  But, as we have proven in the past and will continue to do so in the future, New Yorkers are a resilient bunch of people.  We'll weather this just like any other day.  That's the best part about these things, in the aftermath of a blizzard, a blackout, an earthquake, even a terrorist attack, most people step up and pitch in, and I have no doubt that will happen on Sunday too.  I'll be tracking the storm with everyone else, hoping for a slow down or a course change and watching the rain fall over NYC.  Stay safe out there. 

Shake, Rattle & Really???

Alrightie then....Just when I thought there had been enough moving and shaking going on in my office over the last several weeks with the strike and all the stuff that went along with it, it was nice to have a day to catch up and take a breather.  But NOOOOO.....as I was sitting at my desk, minding my own business (which on occassion I'm not doing), getting some work done, I noticed I was "moving".  Could it be the delirium of the overtime I have been working kicking in?  Could it be the high protein, low calorie power lunch I had just consumed?  I realized no was the answer to both of these questions as I looked around and noticed that I wasn't the only thing moving...everything was!!  I immediately stood up and all of my co-workers were on the sales floor wondering what was going on, burst pipe? construction accident?  what could it be?....OH, right, earthquake...Excellent!!  My office is on the 11th floor in a mid size building in midtown Manahttan, it's good to know we can withstand some shaking!

But here's what I ask of whomever is in charge of earthquakes out there....Can you please take your earthquakes elsewhere, like say...the arctic tundra where there is zero population and thousands of miles for you to experiment with?  I for one would greatly appreciate that.  Keep the shaking out of my city and sorrounding areas please.  Thanks so much!

It's Over...Or Is It???

Got some excellent news on Saturday morning (as I was coming off a week of long days/nights working)....the strike is over!  Woo! Hoo!! That was such a great text message I got from my boss :)  Then I found out the particulars...the Union would go back to work under their old contract (um, what?) for the time being, until the new one was hammered out.  Ok, so I have a few questions on this...
1.  Is there a time frame for the new contract to be completed or can the Union work indefinitely under the old contract?
2.  Are we allowing ALL of the Union members back to work, or are we penalizing the ones who were unacceptably horrible to their peers?  (you know what the answer SHOULD be).
3.  I have a feeling some of the people who were out there covering the abandoned jobs may feel a little jilted that the company is willing to take the Union back under the former contract...is this a sign that the corporation is bending?  Please let the answer be NO.

While I'm beyond estatic that my friends/co-workers are coming back to work tomorrow, I'm a little skeptical about the outcome of this 2 week nightmare.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that negotiations are addressed expeditiously and a resolution is reached soon, everyone's hard work should not be in vain.  Just sayin'.