November 5, 2012

Today is the 21st anniversary of my mother's death. I wonder how she would have reacted to horrors such as the Clinton Presidency, 9/11, her daughter living through Hurricane Katrina, and her son living through Hurricane Sandy.

I have spent over a week in evacuation shelters. A mandatory evacuation order was issued for my neighborhood of  Rockaway Park on October 28. Yesterday (November 4) was the first time I've been in the area since then, because I had to meet with a FEMA employee who inspected my residence in accordance with a disaster claim. Below is the front of my residence:

 

Afterwards, I walked toward the boardwalk, and saw:

The boardwalk was even worse:

There were several aid stations on my block, offering food, water, batteries, clothing, and even cellphone charging:

But the worst damage was on Rockaway Beach Blvd due to a fire that started October 29 and didn't end until November 1:

Due to no power and no heat (and the fact that the evacuation order has not been lifted yet), I am still in the OEM shelter system. It could be weeks or months before my building is safe to move into again, and even longer before the business district on Rockaway Beach Blvd is rebuilt.

Election endorsements won't be posted today, but it should surprise no one that I'm endorsing Romney for President in tomorrow's election. At least the NYC Board of Elections came to its senses and allowed early absentee voting for evacuated residents at each borough's board of elections office until 5PM today.

August 26, 2012

Today would have been my grandmother Hazel Clarke's 101st birthday. She was a very eccentric woman who probably had more influence on my life than my mother did. Grandma Hazel was very active until her final few months. She was extremely outspoken. She liked being around children- children at the mall, her 2 grandchildren, and her great-granddaughter Allie. I'm pretty certain she was the reason my parents had me so soon after they married- at the time, Grandma Hazel was 60 and had no grandchildren to brag about. She died 3 days after her 84th birthday, much younger than her older sister Doris (who died 4 years later at age 98) and her youngest sister Mollie (who died last November at age 92).

My father, her only biological child, died 4 months after she did, at age 60. Neither of them lived to see the 21st Century. My father thought it would be all computers and spaceships by now. He may have gotten the computer part right. There aren't as many room-size or desktop computers as there were in the late 1990s, but there are far more laptop computers- and smaller notebook computers- and even smaller tablet computers, which are used for reading as well as internet stuff. And now most cellphones could qualify as computers- especially I-phones and Android phones (whose Google-created OS uses the same basic premise as the Ubuntu Linux OS on which this blog is being written).

About 8 days ago, I found a dead shark near my residence (echoes of what my father caught while fishing at Jacksonville Beach some 65-70 years ago). Thankfully I didn't find any of that shark's relatives swimming near the beach yesterday. The waves were rough enough to knock me down a few times.

Last weekend, I ended my 9 month computer drought by purchasing a used laptop. I get free wi-fi in my building, and now I have time and means to put photos, blogs, updated family trees, and stuff online without being at the mercy of the local libraries. Now hopefully, I can start searching for better paying employment, less expensive housing (after beach season is over), and maybe find that special someone or reconnect with old friends. But I don't want to spend too much time online- like certain relatives who were completely computer illiterate when my grandmother and father were still alive.

June 17, 2012

Today is Father's Day. I haven't celebrated this event in a long time, as my father died in 1995. At this point, I don't know that he would be speaking to me were he still alive. When my father was my age (40), he was married for 4 years, had a toddler (me) and a newborn (my sister).  My mother stayed at home, and it would be 5 more years until her alcoholism got out of control. At 40, my father had a well paying job with computers at the Chidlaw Building (then an annex of Ent AFB), and was 3 years away from retiring from the Air Force. The family had a nice house on Russell Circle in the Rustic Hills neighborhood of Colorado Springs. But 37 years later, Mom and Dad are long gone. My sister is about to be divorced for the second time. Her college age daughter is not on speaking terms with her. Her soon-to-be-ex-husband is a raging pill addict who stole her medicine and the medicine of their special needs son. And at 40, I have no family, no house, no decent paying job, no car, no computer even. It's debatable whether Colorado Springs or New York is a better place to live. But both have unemployment well above the national average. Due to student loan bills from the 1990s, I have no chance of ever finishing college, much less earning the $30-40K per year (unadjusted for inflation) that  my father was earning in 1975. But I never survived a Viet Cong attack. And my father never had to deal with homelessness, 15 plus years of poverty, or an ongoing war that started with an attack 6 miles from his residence.

But I've been out of the shelter for 6 weeks now, and I get to enjoy seeing the ocean, beach, and a wildlife refuge on the hour-plus commute from a SRO that takes over half my income.

April 1, 2012

Today is Passion Sunday (also known as Palm Sunday, because of those palm leaves handed out after Mass today). The palms represent the greetings for Jesus as He entered Jerusalem, in a triumphant celebration. The Passion recalls how He was escorted out of Jerusalem (in far less repute than when He entered), scourged, rejected in favor of a terrorist, humiliated, and executed. For those who don't know how the story ends, google "Easter" (which is next Sunday).

Today (as is every April 1) is also April Fools Day, although I quit celebrating that after I left Brooklyn College. The Brooklyn College Excelsior newspaper that I wrote for between 1997-99 used to have a special April Fools issue in which the paper called itself the "Excalibur" and posted such stuff as free tuition, the scumbag Scott Kuperberg taking over the world (to which I snuck in a retraction in 1999), and parrots from the athletic field swooping into nearby Midwood High School and attacking students there.

April 2012 also marks some grim milestones for me- 5 months unemployed, nearly 4 months in the NYC shelter system, 1 year without my own working car, 5 months without my own computer, 5 months since I lived in a place with a kitchen, 10 months since I had my own apartment, and 1 month left of my 30s since I turn 40 next month. I've given up a lot more than just Facebook this Lent.

March 17, 2012

Today is St. Patrick's Day, the feast day for the patron saint of Ireland. Since 1762, New Yorkers have been using this day as an excuse to throw a parade and party.

I attended 2 parades in honor of this saint- the one that is currently being marched about 8 blocks NE of this library (pics above), and the one that was held 2 weeks ago in my old hood of Rockaway (pics below).

It's amazing how some can justify drinking, carousing, wearing green, and all forms of sinful and non-sinful fun in the name of St. Patrick. I'm still trying to figure out some of the customs of my (partial) ancestral homeland. 

I don't care for corned beef and cabbage. I still go to Mass each weekend (even though most of the Irish branches of my family tree were Protestant when they arrived on this continent). I gave up drinking 13 years ago. And in some ways, going to these parades is depressing, since none of my friends in this area are of Irish ancestry (or willing to be anywhere near one of these things). At 40 (in 2 months), I may be too old to do the partying. Indeed, most of the parade goers I saw at today's parade are young enough to be my children. After about 2 hours at the parade (plus an hour getting lost in Central Park trying to avoid the crowds), I headed back towards the western side of Midtown. Eirinn go brach, indeed, when I'm not slainte, or not having go n-eiri an t-adh leat.

Maybe I should brush up more on my gaelic if my sister really does get tickets to go to Ireland later this year. 

February 20, 2012

So much to cover- and only 20 minutes to kvetch...

The Republicans still can't make up their minds. At this point, any of them will be a better choice than Obama.

To my neighbors who threatened my life over reporting a marijuana smell from the next unit over: Marijuana possession and usage is mucho illegal here in New York City. And I'm allergic to that crap. Anyone who threatens me over that reporting is facing full charges and a police visit. Personally I think marijuana and other drugs should warrant permanent prison time, but unfortunately that opinion is in the minority. But that crap is still legal in Denver.

And 12 days ago, Whitney Houston died under mysterious circumstances in Beverly Hills, CA.The first CD I ever purchased was 1987's "Whitney" (which was on sale for $10). The first 45 single I purchased (as opposed to inherited or got from school) was "I Wanna Dance With Somebody", on sale at K-mart for $1.51. I'm not as familiar with the stuff she released after 2004 (when she supposedly lost her voice due to her drug abuse). In some ways, the way she died isn't a shock at all. But Whitney and her music, which crossed boundaries of Pop, R&B, and Dance, will be missed. Below is the video to one of her best songs, which hit top-5 at the dawn of 2000.

February 9, 2012

It has been a long time since I posted here. My residence situation has not improved. I have traded uncertain quarters in Denver for the same thing in Queens. I supposedly have a job with the Parks Department, but I have no idea when I will start collecting that $9.20 an hour. My family situation is still uncertain, with my sister and her daughter not on speaking terms, and being forced to confront the demons on the Stokes side of the family after my grandmother's last surviving sister (Mollie Bayliss) died in November 2011. Uncertainty also reigns in the Republican race to see who can defeat President Obama in November. Mitt Romney has the most money, but he has fewer state wins than Rick Santorum, and spent way too much time attacking Newt Gingrich. And the current President is doing everything he can to lose this fall, especially his cancellation of the Keystone pipeline and the Obamacare mandate on contraception which has outraged the US Catholic Church.

And until further notice, this blog will be composed via library computer. In today's case, look for the lions on 5th Avenue on Google street view.

September 25, 2011

It's still September, and I still live in Cap Hill, Denver. Yesterday (for about $100), I got to escape Denver in a rented 2010 Chevy Impala and return to my hometown of Colorado Springs. Rents are still cheap there, but the job market is still worse than Denver's. Due to the abnormally warm weather since the first day of Autumn, most of the local attractions that close for the summer are still open. The Manitou spring water is still available for free. But my trip to the Springs was mainly a business trip- as in rescuing personal items from the storage site I've had there since May 31. Most of my valuable items (computers, genealogy stuff, old photos, diaries, and winter gear) are now in my suddenly undersized room in Cap Hill. Noticeably absent is my wi-fi receiver (which may have never left 618 N Weber Street back in May), which is why I'm posting this blog from the main library Downtown. Normally, I might be inclined to call Century Link and get their $29.95 no-phone internet, but I'm not sure if I want to stay in my current residence after the beginning of next month (when the month-to-month lease rent is due again). Parking in near that building is as bad as it is in New York, as I found out last night. The 2 legged neighbors are fine, but I have a major problem with the 6 legged neighbors freeloading at my place (the bedbugs and roaches) and about 2 hours ago caught a four legged unwanted freeloader- a mouse, who was probably escaping from my neighbors' cats. But I would need a car to move all my stuff out of the Cap Hill rooming house- and it could be months before I could afford to buy another car.

September 11, 2011

I didn't have internet access or a digital camera (or any camera) on this date 10 years ago, which is why I'm using alternative video/photo sources on this blog. And for the most part I would love to never remember again the horrors of what happened 5 miles from my residence on that date. I would love never to remember watching that horrible sight of the North Tower collapse live on WCBS-TV (which was the only commercial English language station not knocked off the air when that happened). I would love to forget the smells of death and the debris that came across the harbor. I would love to forget the endless funeral coverage and the media taunting by Osama Bin Laden, Al Qaeda, Hamas and their ilk. I would love to forget that one of the priests at the church I was a member of  in 2001 (St. Francis of Assisi in Midtown) died for the sole crime of administering last rites to an injured fireman.



Ten years later, I would love to ignore the event happening just outside the library where I'm writing this blog- a tribute and Beach Boys concert, in a city of 600000 that was never on Al Qaeda's radar. Sure, Najibullah Zazi lived in nearby Aurora, but instead of crossing Yosemite Street, he had to go back to New York to implement his terror scheme.

It's hard to believe that just over 10 years ago, I was an NYPD candidate (until some health problems and an ugly firing got in the way) who should have been there that day. Before September of 2001, no one ever thought the US would be involved in a deadly, undermanned Vietnam-type war in Afghanistan, or in another war in Iraq.

But all of that stuff did happen, and 10 years later, there is no waking up from this nightmare, not for the city of New York, not for those who died in the planes and at the Pentagon, and for the thousands of those whose loved ones died on that day.

Most of the readings for today's Mass (which I'm sure were the same at St. Francis as they were at Holy Ghost) had to do with forgiveness and healing. But if I can't forgive a scumbag politician who bribed my co-workers (and sent R-rated texts to a teenager), if I can't forgive another scumbag politician who fucked up the job market as well as some hookers, if I can't forgive various family members who ignored and virtually disowned me in my greatest time of need earlier this summer, and if I can't forgive my possibly dying sister who has just gone on another psychotic ego trip, how the Hell am I supposed to forgive a bunch of Satan worshiping terrorists who want to turn my longtime home into a nuclear wasteland and who succeeded in killing thousands of my neighbors 10 years ago?

August 21, 2011

My long nightmare is over. After 2 lengthy stints of homelessness, I am now employed and housed. The 2 week break between the shelters was spent at a rooming house in the Cap Hill section of Denver. I moved back there this afternoon, with slightly cheaper rent and a much bigger 3rd floor unit with great digital reception. As my main computer is still in storage in the Springs, I don't know how good any wi-fi reception is yet- or whether I will end up going with the new phone company Century Link for service whenever my computer gets to Denver.

It took a very long time, but I now have a permanent job with a certain automotive warehouse north of Denver. My temp job with Randstad's Denver office lasted 2 weeks, and I've already exceeded the number of hours and days worked with the new job. The supervisor was nice enough to let me store my bags in the office when I was staying at the Denver Rescue Mission. Interestingly enough, that warehouse is the first non-temp job I've ever held in Colorado. Randstad and all my Springs jobs were temporary, and technically I don't know if I was ever considered an employee of GCA. I never got paid for their orientation last month.

While as far as amenities, the Denver shelters are much nicer than their New York counterparts, the admission and bed policies would probably be illegal in New York. Just because one signs up to stay at a shelter like Denver Rescue Mission, there is no guarantee that person will even get a bed. A shelter forcing people out on the streets because there are no alternative beds would be mucho illegal in NYC. Indeed, the New York ACLU would howl about it and the city would end up housing people in an overpriced hotel or in Rikers (if they did something illegal to get kicked out of the shelter). And someone has not been checking who has been getting to the Denver shelters. There was a joint Denver PD/FBI/ICE raid on the Denver Rescue Mission last Tuesday (August 16). The local media ignored this 3+ hour raid, with the probable exception of KCNC, because I spent over an hour that night trying to e-mail them camera phone photos (below) of the raid taken from the 2nd floor of the Mission. After I posted about it on Facebook, my former roommate (from 1993) Vince Shovlin loaned me money to get out of the shelter, and I haven't been back since Wednesday morning. (Between Wednesday night and this morning, I was staying at the Denver hostel I first stayed at when I arrived in Denver nearly 3 months ago.) Several others never returned to the Mission, but that's because they are in jail- or in one case, a mental institution in Pueblo.

I guess the last 3 months have shown me who my real friends are. I didn't expect any help from my New York friends on this, but I did get support messages from them on my voice mail and on Facebook. I sure as hell didn't solicit Vince for money (I haven't heard from him in years until Wednesday), but I was offered the money and now have housing because of it, in addition to my first paycheck, which probably won't clear my account until next week. I definitely wasn't expecting moral support from other homeless people when I was kicked out of Samaritan House and when the Denver Rescue Mission was full, but I managed to get it. Apparently some people are praying for this semi-broken 39 year old former Brooklynite. And I don't know how or if I could ever thank them.

July 27, 2011

I have been out of the Samaritan House shelter for a week now- but given my employment status, I don't know if that will last past next week. On July 19, I got a text from a driving job I applied for 2 weeks ago, inviting me to their new hire orientation. I attended the event, which was held Friday the 22nd at the Hampton Inn near DIA. I was told I was hired and that I would get my new work schedule within 2 days. I even listed this employer on my lease. Monday- no call from the company, so I called the emergency number in the employee handbook. They refer me to one of the recruiters, who said she doesn't handle scheduling, and that someone would get back to me. That was over 48 hours ago. Assuming I am still employed (which is highly unlikely considering that this company has ignored my calls), I will not get my first paycheck until August 12- 9 days after my next rent due date. So I can look forward to the lottery line at Denver Rescue Mission again in a week, or else pay the $11 for the FREX bus back to Colorado Springs (where most of my belongings are still in storage) and invest in one of those tents along Fountain Creek.

June 7, 2011

It's like 2008 all over again. A New York politician I personally despise gets caught in an X rated scandal, I am financially forced to move from a cheap residence in Colorado Springs, and as of last night, I am in the shelter system again. Thanks to a couple of social service agencies, I have an address to give potential employers and a place to store my clothes and other items. I even have a free health clinic to go to (which has done more to remedy the skin problems than Peak Vista ever did in the Springs). But the shelters here in Denver are a lot less organized than in New York. There is no city agency monitoring them or putting shelter people in programs. Indeed, due to the lottery system they use by who shows up, there is no guarantee a homeless person will even get a bed. I spent most of last evening shuttling between 2 shelters trying to find out which one I would sleep in. Since I am definitely not the only one in that situation, I would strongly advise Denver drivers to avoid Park Avenue West of Broadway between 5PM and 8PM because of the mass migration of people trying lotteries in both shelters.

At this point, I am stuck in this nightmare until I can earn at least $250 in income (the minimum required for the SROs I've contacted here in Denver, which average $110 a week plus deposit). I am currently enrolled in the Denver Workforce Center, the St. Francis Center employment office, at least 8 temp agencies, and have applied for at least 20 other jobs. But for now, I have an address, 2 phone numbers which for now I can access for free, storage in 2 cities, and enough of a food stamp balance that I could afford a months rent in an SRO were it legal to use them for that purpose.

And if anyone thinks that all this nightmare is due to any chemical problems I have (I don't have any), or due to Bush's handling of the economy, or because I would prefer this over living in an apartment, then they should expect a Howard Newman-esque response in return.

June 3, 2011

I am temporarily settled in Downtown Denver. I don't know where I will be living next week yet. I have sporadic access to the internet (although unlike last week, I'm not paying $62 a month for it anymore). Otherwise, I would spend time commenting on the death of Dr. Death (Jack Kevorkian) and the ongoing internet scandal involving the Weiner's weiner.

May 28, 2011

About 72 hours left before I have to move. So much for having my own apartment- what's the point of having your own place if you can't afford it? What's the point of moving back to your hometown if you can't find or maintain work without a car? (See May 11 blog as to why I no longer have a car.)

Barring a financial miracle, I will probably move to Denver next week. The job market is significantly better there than in Colorado Springs, and unlike Colorado Springs, most potential employers can be accessed by foot or by public transportation.

I just can't wait for this nightmare to get over with.

May 11, 2011

At this point, I'm still unemployed. I received some expensive news on my 1994 Oldsmobile 88, and due to the repair costs being more than all my viable assets, I had no choice but to sell the car- which I was able to do in under 3 hours on the Colorado Springs version of Craigslist.

So goodbye, car #9. I don't know how long it will be before I can afford another one. I had the Oldsmobile for 3 years and 9 months, about a month less than my longest owned car, a 1986 Chevrolet Nova that also happened to be my first car.  My first 4 vehicles were able to be driven away when I sold them- the remaining 5 had to be towed away. All 9 vehicles I've owned have been driven in New York City- indeed, all 9 were driven on the BQE and the Long Island Expressway. But cars have changed a lot since the late 1980s. Gas was about a fourth of what it is now. Airbags weren't standard until the mid-1990s (and the Oldsmobile was one of only 3 vehicles I've owned that even had an airbag). And it is a lot more expensive in other costs to own a vehicle now. Most of my cars were cheap to repair. The ignition problem on the Olds will cost about what I sold it for, $325, because of a computerized chip in the ignition key (something no other vehicle I've owned ever had). But unlike my 1992 Skylark, my 1990 Taurus, my 1988 Caprice, and the infamous Chevy van (that died on me 3 days after I purchased it because the dealer forgot to add oil to it), that Olds will probably be running again. But I have had to sell all 9 of those vehicles due to extreme financial difficulties. After 18+ years, my finances and job situations still aren't stable.

May 7, 2011

This might be the last blog I post for a while. I haven't been employed in a while. My car has stopped working again, and I don't have the money to fix it. Indeed, I don't have much money left since the last car repair and May's rent. I have 2 bills due next week (utility and phone/internet) and not enough money for both. At this point, I don't know where I will be in June. The last time I was this bad off (about 3 years ago), I ended up in a homeless shelter. But that was in New York. I don't even have that option here in Colorado Springs, especially since the city's main shelter (a converted motel at 8th Street and Cimarron) is court ordered to shut down due to conditions that are probably minor compared to other places (and shelters) I've lived in.

And tomorrow happens to be both Mother's Day and my 39th birthday. As if I don't have enough to be depressed about......

March 29, 2011

A lot has happened since my last blog. 2011 has roared in with a lot of turmoil. The turmoil in my personal life so far this year includes the loss, gain, and loss of employment, health problems (involving skin infections I never had to deal with when I lived in NYC), and lost friends. I lost several friends to paranoia, one friend to Kregeritis, and another to a heart attack- at 28. Unfortunately, Jeff Braverman's surviving family is still struggling over his death, and to be honest, they need the prayers more than he does.

There's also been a lot of political turmoil. Some of it could have been predicted with the Republican wave last election day. But the current turmoil in the Middle East is what will affect world history more than any union attempts to convince public opinion to support their attempts to milk more money out of a broken and overtaxed economy. Tunisia and Egypt are free of their autocratic leaders, and there is civil unrest in Bahrain, Oman, Yemen, and Syria. The biggest news in the Middle East right now is the civil war in Libya. Muammar the wacko (I won't print his surname here because there are at least 4 conflicting Arabic-to-English spellings of it in various media sources) is fighting to keep power after losing the eastern part of Libya to insurgents inspired by the revolutions in neighboring Tunisia and Egypt. After the Arab League and EU "discovered" that Muammar was targeting civilians (I guess they forgot what his agents did over Lockerbie in 1988), they lobbied the UN to approve a "no-fly zone" over Libya. President Obama used the resolution as an excuse to supply most of the airpower to enforce the no fly zone. This has caused some weird shifts in the US political dynamic. Conservatives are split on Obama's actions, as are the various tea party contingents. Many Democrats are calling for Obama's impeachment over enforcing the UN resolution. And Obama is making a poor case as to why the US is even involved in Libya. But if anything, Obama should point out that we are finishing an action that Reagan should have completed in 1986. If Reagan had bombed Muammar the Wacko into hell during the 1986 bombings, we could have been spared the Pan Am bombings, various terrorist attacks, and the buildup of a chemical weapons program that was only stopped when Muammar saw the damage that the US Army did in Iraq in 2003.

George Soros and the wacko leftists are at it again. Soros is using his non-profit Media Matters organization to plot a "guerilla warfare and sabotage" against News Corp and Fox News Channel. While I think that one of the big 4 networks should be out of business (mainly because the FCC didn't do its job in 1993), I diasgree with the Soros war against Fox, especially since Fox is no more biased to the right than MSNBC and NPR are to the left and has certainly not done anything illegal other than tear Soros's worldview to shreds.

First of all, Fox News Channel is a cable channel. The FCC has little influence over cable, except to dictate competition and rates bargaining. While I tend to agree with news coverage on Fox News more than I would on ABC News or MSNBC, I do have some issues with Fox News's management ideas. While I know of various web sites that stream CNN, Fox has done everything in its power to shut down sites that try to stream its news. Why? Not everyone has or can afford cable. And why should any commercial network (Fox News, USA, Spike, or any of the over-the-air networks) charge to transmit their programs onto cable on the first place? What the hell are these networks doing with their advertising revenue? And are they so broke that they can't live off that? And if Fox News gave a damn about trying to have as many viewers as possible to watch their "fair and unbiased" news, they should do an end-run around cable by making Fox News and little-watched Fox Business available as subchannels on every over-the-air Fox affiliate in the country.

If Soros wanted to use his powers to destroy a network/media company that actually has violated the public interest (the modus operandi for the FCC), he should go after NBC. Soros probably won't since NBC's news divisions are closest in line to his worldview. But NBC never got punished for the most egregious violation of public interest in my lifetime- the Dateline report where producers tried to prove GM trucks were explosive by rigging explosives on a truck and passing that off as a fuel tank defect. Sure, the NBC News president (Michael Gartner) was forced to resign, but NBC News is still on the air. Dateline NBC is still on the air. And NBC received no fines or sanctions from the FCC for staging the GM story. Meanwhile, CBS got fined $550000 for an accidental nipple flash during the 2004 Super Bowl. How the hell is that a bigger violation of the public interest than anything NBC News has put on the air over the last 20 years? And I still haven't forgotten the "Syracuse Peacock" incidents from March of 1997, when a Syracuse grad employee of WNBC (NBC's low rated flagship station in New York) made threatening calls to the Brooklyn College Excelsior student newspaper concerning my articles that mentioned his pathetic excuse for an employer.

General Electric was so upset with what NBC was doing to its image (and its profits) that they sold NBC to Comcast last year. Comcast now controls the largest collection of cable systems in the country and 3 over-the-air broadcast networks (NBC, Ion, and Telemundo). Since most liberals hate media monopolies, why aren't they crying out over this illegal (under most FCC rules) media combination?

Getting slightly off the NBC tangent, I have replaced the Windows 2000 system that was installed on my Dell in favor of a Linux-based OS called Ubuntu. Trying to figure out Linux and trying to re-learn UNIX (the MS-DOS for Linux) for the first time since 1997 should be a fun challenge between job searches. This is the first blog I've composed in a completely non-Windows format- using Ubuntu 10.10, Leafpad, and Ubuntu's generic version of Firefox. But then, I have used Firefox's Windows version for most of these blogs between 2005-2010. And if I can master these new programming languages, there's another thing to add to my resume.

December 16, 2010

I am still unemployed- indeed, I have not worked since November 22- the longest stretch of unemployment for me since the beginning of 2008 (the last time I lived in the Springs). I still make frequent calls to all the temp agencies I'm signed up for. And I've had at least 2 interviews this week, as well as a callback on one of last week's applications. However, I was in the bathroom when that call hit my answering machine, and I've tried 4 times to call the callback number back with no success. So much for Colorado Springs being a better job market than New York City- the unemployment rate here is up to 9.2% (well above the Colorado statewide average, although lower than Pueblo). The only good thing right now is that I am on unemployment due to a seasonal job ending 2 months earlier than it was supposed to. I've had a few short term assignments, including ad insertion for the Gazette, and a 2 day moving job at Fort Carson that ended with my left toe getting injured. While the toe stopped hurting the following day, it is still purple colored in spots- and after that incident, I'm not even bothering applying for labor positions that require constant lifting of 60-100 pound materials, since that's what fell on my toe. I'm getting older, and my physical strength isn't what it was a few years ago. But supposedly, Woodford and Walmart's remodeling crew will be calling up people again in January, so if none of these other job prospects pan out, I might be working at one of those old jobsites again. But either way, it beats $132 a week in unemployment or the $235 a week after taxes I was averaging at my messenger job in New York.

This has been one weird autumn. New York, the Midwest, and the southeast are seeing record cold and snow, yet Colorado Springs tied for its latest start to the snow season ever with a 2 inch snowfall that started on the evening of November 28. It hasn't snowed again until this morning, and as of 2PM MT, that snow is gone, and another storm is supposed to hit tonight with a possible 1 to 4 inch snow range. If it must snow, it's better this happens when I don't have to drive out in it.

I have had more time to work on my novel and on my side hobby of music mixing. I put the link to my SoundCloud site that features some of my mixing abilities on the right side of the page. The novel draft (at this point titled Purgatory on the Third Rail) is usually updated on my website. The link to it can be found here (novel link). It took a while to update the last draft because the computer that processed many of these blogs since July 2007 stopped working right after a major virus infection (probably caused by the Wikileaks cyberwars). I got a replacement computer Saturday night, which has a 1.7GHz processor and 250MB more RAM than the old computer. For some reason, the newer Dell computer, which was installed with Windows XP, has Windows 2000 Professional on it instead. That means that a lot of my backed up files from the old computer don't work on the Dell. And because it currently has Windows 2000 Professional, I can't upgrade it to my copy of Windows XP Home edition- it can only be upgraded to Windows XP Professional, which is presently out of my budget. Indeed, between shelling out $45 for the Dell, $70 for my most recent utility bill (which is double September's bill) and $15 for my most recent visit to Peak Vista health clinic, there isn't much leftover money to throw around.

November 1, 2010

As tomorrow is election day, I have decided to publish my own endorsements for various races.


COLORADO (my current home state)

Governor: No endorsement. The Republican, Dan Maes, has been caught in various lies, is deeply in debt, and is polling at 5-8%, bad enough to where despite the potential Republican victories in other state offices, they will be (for legal purposes) a 3rd party in this state. The two main candidates (tied at around 40-45% of the vote) are former Republicans John Hickenlooper and Tom Tancredo. Hickenlooper switched his party affiliation to Democrat so he could run for and win his current job (Denver Mayor). While Hickenlooper is running as a conservative budget balancer and government job trimmer, his true colors came out at last week's debate when he came out against Colorado's anti-Obamacare Amendment 63, and for potentially raising taxes to keep the state's budget in balance. Tancredo, on the other hand, bolted the Republicans for the American Constitution Party this year because Maes and his primary opponent Scott McInnis wouldn't drop out of the race. And let's not forget Tancredo's extremism on the immigration issue (supporting an Arizona-style immigration law is one thing, but trying to restrict the ablities and options of legal immigrants is another). Colorado in 2011 could end up as messed up as New York, where one of the architects of the Great Recession (Andrew "no homo" Cuomo) is way ahead in the polls to replace David Paterson.

Judiciary: Colorado is one of those states where a judge can be voted out of office after a few years (2 years for recently appointed judges, 10 for incumbent members of the state supreme court). Part of the reason Amemndments 60, 61, and 101 are on the ballot this year is because 4 liberal judges found loopholes around the state's TABOR law and used them to hike state fees dramatically. Three of those liberal supreme court judges are up for a yes or no vote this year (the fourth, Mary Mullarkey, who was the state's chief justice, decided to quit rather than face a certain no vote). I urge Colorado voters to VOTE NO on the 3 Supreme Court justices up for a vote- Michael Bender, Alex Martinez, and Nancy Rice.

Attorney General: John Suthers is the clear choice over liberal Boulderite Stan Garnett.

Secreary of State: I recommend Scott Gessler over Democrat Bernie Buescher.

Treasurer: Despite the recent DUI charges (which the Democrats have distorted to the point where even the liberal newspapers are condemning their last minute campaigning on), I still endorse Walker Stapleton over Cary Kennedy.

Senate: I made no endorsement in the Republican primary back in August because no matter if Jane Norton or Ken Buck had won, either would have been preferable to liberal Andrew Romanoff or Obama puppet Michael Bennet. Ken Buck won, and is leading the polls despite a few gaffes and the full force of the Democratic establishment condemning him. I strongly endorse Ken Buck for the Senate. If Michael Bennet was serious in his recent ad about having his pre-teen daughters transporting gullible voters to the polls, then that alone should disqualify him from ever holding public office again. (I will never endorse my former Congressman, the Weiner, due to his cookie bribing incident at a polling site I worked at back in 1998.)

House District 3: The clear choice here is tea party-endorsed Scott Tipton over anti-Springs Puebloite (and more recently, Obama and Pelosi puppet) John Salazar. Fortunately, this is one of those races which has gone from toss up to soon-to-be-former-Democrat.

I'm also endorsing Republicans Cory Gardner for District 4 and Ryan Frazier for House District 7.

Colorado State Senate: The Republicans have a shot out of wresting this from the Democrats. One of the tightest races is in my Senate District 11. My current state senator, the state Senate leader John Morse, is running annoying "boots" commercials complete with talking boots denouncing Air Force Academy graduate Owen Hill as anti-Military. Those boots need to be used to kick Morse's posterior (and various other jackasses) out of Denver- I strongly endorse Owen Hill.

Colorado State House: This chamber could also flip to the Republicans. My liberal state representative Michael Merrifield is abandoning this seat for a probably losing race for one of the El Paso County Commission spots (which hasn't gone to a Democrat in years). The clear choice is Republican Karen Cullen over Democrat Tim Lee in District 18.

Amendments and Propositions: Voting on these are crucial to fixing the state government.

Amendments 60, 61, and Prop 101: Hell fucking yeah I support these! Don't believe the scare tactics that these will cause massive job losses and a "voter approved "recession". They will cause public sector layoffs (which even Hickenlooper wants to do as governor), while at the same time lowering taxes and automotive and telecommunications fees.

Amendment 62: Yes, if passed, this amendment will outlaw unrestricted abortion on demand in Colorado. For that reason alone, I strongly support this amendment.

Amendment 63: If passed, this will outlaw in Colorado the most odious aspect of Obamacare, the requirement that all people must have health insurance or else face massive fines from the government. I have not had health insurance for most of my adult life because it is too damn expensive and most insurers won't cover me anyway because of my asthma. Forcing me to pay for a product that I can't afford and in most cases wouldn't be able to use anyways is so immoral that I would seriously consider leaving the US if the "insurance requirement" survives Constitutional challenges. I support Amendment 63.

Amendment Q: This amendment allows for relocating state government in case something catastrophic happens in Denver. I support this amendment, and would go further as far as suggesting the state government should move out of Denver now- preferably to the Springs, Castle Rock, Cripple Creek, or Grand Junction.

I also support Amendments P and R.

NEW YORK

Governor: Rent is too damn high in this state, Paladino is a bit nuts, but Andrew Cuomo is one of the architects of the Great Recession, and considering he's from the same party apparatus that put job-killing prostitute-loving sleazeball Eliot Spitzer into the Governor's mansion 4 years ago, there is no way in hell I can endorse Cuomo. I support Carl Paladino for New York governor, and I hope that the NY polls are wrong tomorrow.

Comptroller: Albany shill Tom DiNapoli vs Harry Wilson? Of course I'm endorsing Harry Wilson.

Attorney General: Albany shill Eric Schneiderman vs Staten Island DA Dan Donovan? I'm endorsing Donovan.

State Senate and House: The NY Senate was a "chamber of horrors" last year. The Democrats are disorganized, corrupt, and need to lose 3 seats to reclaim the minority in the state Senate. Unless they are running on the Conservative, Republican, Right-to-life, or Tea Party lines, I cannot endorse anyone running for New York's state legislature. Most deserving to go: Assembly sleazer leader Sheldon "Shyster" Silver.

Senate seats: I endorse Jay Townsend and Joseph DioGuardi over Chucky Schumer and his parakeet Kirsten Gillibrand. While both Republicans will probably lose, Schumer will probably be the next US Senate Majority Leader if the Republicans don't win back the Senate tomorrow.

House: I endorse Altschuler (NY-1), Gomes (NY-2), and King (NY-3).

House District 4: Colin Ferguson shot the wrong McCarthy. I'm endorsing Fran Becker.

House District 8-9: Don't vote for "Jerrolmander" Nadler or the Weiner. Sheepshead Bay and Forest Hills don't belong in the same Congressional district. Neither do the West Side and Brighton Beach. Hopefully redistricting will redraw the 8th and 9th districts into something that is sensible, competitive, and less leftist, especially since Southern Brooklyn is one of the most conservative parts of NYC.

House District 13: I endorse Michael Grimm over too-liberal-for-Staten-Island Michael McMahon. This is the one NYC seat that should flip back to the Republicans tomorrow.

House District 19: John Hall sucked when he was with Orleans in the 1970s, and he is just as lousy a Congressman now. I'm endorsing Nan Hayworth, and according to most polls, she should win tomorrow.

I'm also endorsing Chris Gibson (NY-20), George Phillips (NY-22), Matt Doheny (NY-23), Richard Hanna (NY-24), and Tom Reed (NY-29).

CONNECTICUT

Governor: I'm endorsing Tom Foley for governor over Dan Malloy.

Senate: I strongly endorse Linda McMahon. I hope tomorrow she will layeth the smacketh down on Vietnam faker Richard Blumenthal.

Also, I encourage all Connecticut voters to wear WWE gear to the polls tomorrow.

NEVADA

Down with the Reids! I'm endorsing Brian Sandoval for governor and Sharron Angle for Senator.

FLORIDA

I'm endorsing Rick Scott for governor and Marco Rubio for Senator in my late father's home state. I know the governor's race here is tight, but isn't Sink the perfect surname for a Democrat?

PENNSYLVANIA

I'm endorsing Tom Corbett for governor and Pat Toomey for Senator in my late mother's home state.

KENTUCKY

House: I'm endorsing Todd Lally over way-too-liberal-for-Louisville John Yarmouth in the 3rd District.

Senate: I'm endorsing tea party favorite Rand Paul over Jack Conway, who disgraced his faith and killed any chance the Democrats had of taking this Senate seat with the infamous Aqua Buddah attack ad.

September 25, 2010

As of this writing, I have spent a combined total of 6 years in my hometown of Colorado Springs. But this city keeps changing (probably more so than NYC over the last 3 years), and not always for the better.

With maybe 3 exceptions, the people I knew and socialized with during my last stint in the Springs (May 2007-May 2008) aren't here anymore. This city has one of the highest turnover rates in the country. Some of it is due to the military presence. That's how my family ended up here in 1973 and why it left by the end of the 1970s. In 2007, medical marijuana had few dispensaries in this state. Now, there's too many to count in this city (including one just 2 blocks from where I go to Mass) and the unincorporated parts of El Paso County are trying to outlaw them. And it is not that difficult for a physically well pothead to get a prescription for a joint. Wisely, all the major colleges outlaw "legal" marijuana on their campuses. Maybe the Feds should step in and remind them that non-medicinal use of marijuana is still illegal under Federal law, despite what one would believe by reading the back "Cannabiz" section of the Colorado Springs Independent.

The media and politics are also screwed up here. Why is it that the Republicans have a better chance of taking back Albany than Denver? Because the Colorado state Republican party totally screwed up. An unknown candidate by the name of Dan Maes beat the establishment candidate of Scott McInnis (mainly due to Maes's strong support in this county, since excluding the El Paso Republican results, McInnis won everywhere else in the state). And what does that mean now? An underfunded candidate being attacked by the right (Tom Tancredo, who left the Republicans for the American Constitution Party) and the left (Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, who is a lot more liberal than outgoing Democrat Governor Bill Ritter). At least the tea party is actively supporting Republican candidates Ken Buck (for Senate) and Scott Tipton (who is running against a member of the infamous anti-Springs Salazar clan for Pueblo's Congressional seat). At least in New York, Carl Paladino has enough money to counter the Democratic machine. Hell, Carl Paladino and Rush Limbaugh recently discovered that Village Voice article from 2008 that ties Andrew Cuomo to HUD policies that caused the housing crisis that caused the Great Recession. What is it with New York Democrats and their love affair with candidates that are proven job and economy killers? Hello- read anything I've written on this blog between 2006-2008 with the keyword of "Spitzer".

And the local media... I understand Colorado Springs is too small to have all the dailies and free papers that New York City has. But 75 cents is way too overpriced for what the only paper in town gets you. And according to the Nielsen ratings, the number one station in this media market isn't even based in Colorado Springs or affiliated with a watchable network. Between KKTV, KRDO, and KXRM, are there are 3 pretty good alternatives. As far as broadcast quality, I would probably rate KRDO and KXRM ahead of their broadcast networks' owned stations in New York (although WABC and WYNW get better ratings in New York than KRDO and KXRM do in Colorado Springs). And now that the damn Pueblo station's main digital signal picks up in the Springs, why are they on both Channel 42 and Channel 30? KHWS TV is fairly good, but it can only be picked up on cable since they don't have a digital signal. And one also needs cable to get the Ion family of networks. And how come Accuweather isn't on any digital subchannels here? And let's not forget our local cable company is Comcast, which also now owns the worst network in broadcasting and gives it channel preference over most of the Springs stations.

And as far as KKTV, while they're no WCBS, they tend to have the best local news, although one would not believe that by reading the local Nielsens. But I do have a gripe with KKTV- despite being the last VHF station in town (and by far the strongest digital signal on my converter box), they want to move from Channel 10 to Channel 49. Why, so they can weaken their signal? So they can lose their coverage in the the southern Denver suburbs and in Southeastern Colorado? Ever since WCBS was forced to move to UHF in New York, they've lost a lot of coverage in Orange and Suffolk Counties. The FCC is allowing WCBS to get a repeater signal on 22 since WCBS's main signal on 33 conflicts with WFSB Hartford's signal, also on 33. Before 2009, WCBS was on Channel 2 and WFSB was on Channel 3, and both could be picked up in the far northern suburbs. Now, neither can be picked up without cable. Great going, FCC. I see KKTV moving to Channel 49, falling further behind in the ratings, and possibly losing their longtime CBS affiliation if they don't apply for more repeater signals.

While CBS is the dominant primetime network and (in NYC, Philly, Chicago, and LA) a heavily listened to radio news source, there is no CBS radio news in Colorado Springs. CBS lost their longtime affiliate, KVOR-AM (the original owner and callsign of KKTV) in 2007. Despite the fact that KRDO-AM/FM was (and still is) an ABC news affiliate, KVOR's owner decided to switch to ABC. But then KVOR's owner (Citadel) bought ABC's radio networks and could have easily yanked that from KRDO-AM/FM, but didn't. There are also 2 Fox News radio affiliates that pick up here (KZNT and KCSJ).

And now, I need an internet connection to listen to anything resembling a news radio station or a dance music station