Tag Archives: Tom Chin

The Time is Now

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Exactly, what is it with Wednesdays? At the edge of a funk for me. And for no particular reason. Granted work wasn’t as busy today as it was yesterday.

I did want to smack Tom Chin around today. But I feel like that most days. He made me look like a moron this afternoon. He doesn’t really work as an employee of my rapidly sinking company, he’s a consultant.

I book a room then find he booked it for something else without telling me. So I switch what I booked. Right before Tom Chin’s meeting was scheduled, some of the conservatives start to use the room. I go in there and tell them they have to move.

Luckily we have three conference rooms. I poke my head in Tom Chin’s office to find out what time his meeting is supposed to start and he tells me it was moved. Nothing like some non-communication to get things going to a halt. I looked like an idiot.

Today is Earth Day. A rainy earth day at that. What have I done for earth day? Can’t really say. Can’t really say I’ve ever done anything for earth day. I was probably more inclined when living in Weehawken with William, since he had a garden in the backyard.

I would contribute some banana peels for compost.

My office doesn’t do anything for earth day. We don’t recycle. Paper gets used and wasted. My desk is covered with paper that I’ve rescued to use for scrap paper, but there’s no reason to use scrap paper since there is no real work that would require it.

I spent some time today watching people debate both sides of the same sex marriage issue in Maine. It was interesting to watch.

The pro same sex marriage people speak rationally, heartfelt and with conviction citing legislation and facts. The anti same sex marriage people quote their bibles.

That’s it.

God doesn’t like it. It’s a sin. God will get angry. You will face God’s wrath.

What kind of god is named god? Would you name your son, Male? Boy? Your daughter- Female? Girl? Such a lack of imagination.

Sad to say the anti same sex marriage people seem lesser educated, but they do have their myths to back them up. A few times I heard, ‘You know, 2000 years ago….’.2000 years ago, what? What happened?

It’s basically an issue of love versus hate it seems to me. If a same sex couple that is committed wants to get married and receive all of the benefits of marriage who would get hurt?

Is it basically fear? Or finding comfort in ignorance? I don’t think marriage is for everyone. I don’t even know if it’s right for me. But I do feel that if 2 committed adults want to get married and receive all of the benefits of marriage that opposite sex couples receive, then they should be able to.

What is the big deal? Why can’t parents simply say to their kids when they ask why 2 men or 2 women are holding hands or kissing, why can’t they say, Some men like men and some women like women?

It would probably end the situation right then and there. Kids don’t really care, they just want to know.

Instead you have some young boys, trying to be good, study hard and get called Gay or Fag. So far this year 5 young boys have committed suicide because of bullying from other kids, being called those names.

Their schools failed them. Their families are left with a hole in their lives that could never be filled. Children have to be taught to hate. And it seems like they’re being taught to hate at home and in the churches.

One Less Bell To Answer

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Back to work for me today. Very cold this morning. I lay in bed, kept hitting the snooze button. I would get out of bed eventually just waiting for the right time. My cellphone kept going off with a text message. I figured it was Bill wishing me a good morning. When I got out of bed I checked it.

Bad news.

While Bill slept last night, his mother (who has Alzheimers) wandered out of the apartment without her coat and shoes and went looking for something, perhaps a ride to Puerto Rico. Stuyvesant Town security found her and brought her back. She cannot be left alone and obviously needs an eye on her at all times.

When I responded to Bill’s text, with an ‘Oh jeez’ he immediately called and filled me in. She had frostbitten feet from being outside with the temperature in the teens and a knife like wind chill. Bill told me the story and said he had to get a locksmith and see how much it would cost to get an additional lock on the door, one that you lock with a key inside.

All this before a shower and coffee. I said all that I could to be supportive, then jumped in the shower. Got myself together, wore a nice suit, not too nice since the world was a frozen mess, and some work boots which did not go with the suit at all despite being a similar color. Rode the bus and read the New Yorker.

Walked across town with the iPod playing a range of songs from Pet Shop Boys to the Monkees ending up with the Neville Brothers. The office was quietly buzzing when I came in. Some people came in yesterday, most didn’t. Greg Stevens was in New Mexico on vacation for a few weeks.

Tom Chin made it in and while I was talking to Bill, he asked me to come in his office when I got off the phone. I walked in expecting the worst but it was just asking me to go to the bank when I had the chance. I had errands to run and decided to stagger them, do some now, do some later.

As the day went on I spoke with Bill a few times, just checking in. Medicare had sent a bureaucrat to size up the situation with Bill’s mother. They tried to do it last week but Bill was unavailable. Their visit was to see whether or not Bill’s mother needed 24 hour care. Perhaps after hearing of her unauthorized excursion they will see the need.

I made it to the bank and picked up my lunch. By the time I came back, Vivek was in the office. Not that it mattered. He and his partner sound like they’re arguing, but they are just really loud Indian guys. After an hour or so, Vivek comes up to me and says he needs to speak with me. I figured, this was it.

We go into an empty conference room, he sits on the couch I sit on a chair near the couch. It almost looked like a psychotherapy session. He tells me that things aren’t going so well and that he will have to cut my hours.

Effective this week, I will be working 4 days a week out of 5. I was ok with that. Not happy about it but I realized that I would rather work 4 days a week rather than 0 days a week. I told Vivek, if that was the case I would like to take Mondays off since Tom Chin is out on Fridays.

He told me that wasn’t going to happen since Tom Chin will not be around much longer. They asked Tom Chin for his resignation and he gave it to them. I don’t have the details on his last day but he will be more of a consultant and really not around much at all. So I’ll have Fridays off.

I told Bill about it a few minutes later and he was concerned, but I tried to ease his mind since he had enough on his plate, telling him that 4 days is better than none. And it’s true, it is. Things will be tighter around here, but I think it’s manageable.

Who knows? In a few days I could be totally panic stricken.