Category Archives: What’s it doing outside?

I Only Wanna Laugh

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So now it’s Wednesday and here in Hoboken some of us are still digging out of our apartments, or throwing possessions away since they were damaged by flooding. Outside it’s been relatively dry, inside it is soggy and wet mostly. And on top of all that, it is snowing. Quite hard, white out conditions and it’s sticking. We can’t see Manhattan or Jersey City or Union City from our windows. Earlier today it was snowing so hard that we could barely see the buildings behind us. So needless to say, staying in is the way to go tonight, no going out for us.

I heard from Chaz that it’s supposed to go up to 61° on Sunday so I guess that could all be attributed to climate change, the bugaboo that got nary a mention during the debates. It was a subject of derision from Willard Mitt Romney during the Republican National Convention, raising guffaws and chortles as their nominee cracked wise about how President Obama pledged to try to stop the ocean rising (a result of melting ice caps), whereas the GOP nominee pledged to help the American people instead, because as you know those are two mutually exclusive- American people are not affected by rising oceans.

Yesterday was quite an experience. As with the past week it was spent entirely in Hoboken. Claire was in town clearing out her things in the basement wearing a hazmat suit, Wellingtons and industrial gloves. She was a bit despondent throwing her things out, finding coins that belonged to her grandfather which luckily for her she did not have to throw out. Still it was a shock for her. The sidewalk in front of the building filled with debris and trash, the sidewalks in front of most every building looking like the aftermath of a war.

Bill was up and out early in the morning. It makes for an easier commute. With the Path trains out of service from Hoboken, by the time the bus gets near the halfway point on 5th Street it is packed, standing room only. Bill made sure he voted yesterday morning before heading into Manhattan and found a line at 6:00 AM and one of the two voting machines out of service. Still he voted after about a 20 minute wait which wasn’t so bad compared to other people in certain states.

A few hours later it was my turn. A mere 10 minute wait and both machines operating. The poll workers were trying to communicate with whoever was in charge about some issues that I was not privy to. Of course I voted for Obama, straight up Democratic ticket. Also on the ballot was the public question regarding rent control in Hoboken. I of course voted ‘No’ which was the way to go since the oh so shady Mile Square Taxpayers Association once again inserted confusion in the question which last time forced people to vote against their best interest.

Because a straightforward question would have ensured a swift defeat, if you were for rent control you had to vote no. I gleefully voted no, and I encouraged other voters and Hoboken residents to do the same. I participated in the benefit at Maxwells and also posted fliers and stickers throughout town. And I am happy to report that rent control still stands. They were able to gut rent control in a few other Hudson County towns and cities but Hoboken mobilized and we successfully pushed them back to the slime hole from whence they came.

It was a great day all around, a fantastic speech by the President of the United States. I couldn’t watch any reports or news all day, not turning it on until Bill got home. It was nerve wracking but with a happy ending, both for the United States but also for Hoboken. And I am happy to have participated in the election, fighting the good fight.

People have the power.









07 – People Have The Power

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/nov/06/hurricane-sandy-americas-disaster-capitalists

I Need To Wake Up

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Less than two months until the presidential election and already I have had it up to here! I do like to be informed but all day long it is regurgitation over and over. Different mouths, same spew. I’ve gotten better with dealing with it, so much so I can tell you all about Greta Garbo or John Garfield since I’ve been watching Turner Classic Movies instead of the information channels. I don’t want to call it news, so information is what I will call it, for now. Greta Garbo sure was a looker though, and John Garfield good at being that everyman with a problem.

It’s a beautiful day today, after the raging storm last night. Bill called from the cigar shop near the Path train. He was on his way home and found the exit stairs blocked by people overwhelmed by the downpour. Bill was able to make it out, only getting about as far as maybe 20 yards and winding up cozy inside the shop. He called me, telling me of his whereabouts and asking if there was anything I needed from the store, if and when he made it out. About an hour later he was walking through the door, soaked.

Today marks a week since my birthday. It’s been an interesting time since then. Has my mind changed? Has my body changed? Would it change just because of a day? No, not really is the answer for all three. I am more aware of the time and space I occupy, perhaps a little bit more than I did weeks ago. And I am so grateful for Bill. Such a rock in my life, steadfast and true, and willing to go to the supermarket in the middle of a monsoon. I am amazed by him so often.

I am a week behind in my reading of the New Yorker and have barely cracked the latest Mojo Magazine. Just been waylaid by current events I suppose. I do have the time to catch up, just easily distracted by the television and the internet. All it takes is a click and the problem is solved. Still getting the nerve to actually use that click can be an obstacle. Now the television is off, but of course the computer is still on obviously since I am currently writing this bit of fluff. Soon the autumnal equinox will be upon us.

I had a phone call today, from a company that strung me along through three interviews a year or so ago. Each interview went well until the last one where some hyper caffeinated character named John Hunt fobbed me off on someone they had hired the previous week. I told them I needed to be out of there by 11:00 so I could make it to the cigar shack and here I was in a conference room at 11 Penn Plaza at 11:15 being asked questions by a newbie. I was a bit irate at this turn of events since I abhor being late.

And that included being late for a job that I didn’t particularly care for. They woman on the phone had a southern accent and she asked me a few questions, mainly why did I leave the cigar shack. I explained that it was due to slow sales, even though some people have told me the ‘official’ line from the cigar shack is that I left to do ‘officey’ things. What actually got me off the hook with the southern accented woman was when I told her what I was looking for salary wise, meaning what was I making at the cigar shack.

Apparently I had priced myself out of their game.


Making Plans for Nigel