Halloween

Today is Halloween the last day of the month and I can't believe we are almost finished with this year it seems like it flew by so fast. It was a typical cold fall day over here and after I left the shelter I came home got jr ready for trick or treating he got dressed in his costume and we took him around the neighborhood and he got a ok amount of candy but Halloween is not the same as when I was a kid I remember everyone was so nice and opened their homes to trick or treaters now people are so stingy now even rude. As we walked the main strip of our area I actually saw a store that said "no candy" and I thought that's messed but it's a sign of the times and kind of shows you where people's mentality and priorities are. When we were children I'd come home with 2 big bags of candy to be checked of course and I had a major sweet tooth so my mother would have to limit the amount I got and she always checked the candy before we got any of course. This is still a very important rule always check the candy bags of your kids make sure there aren't any open wrappers old, etc. I remember those McDonald's Halloween coupons that we used to get I'm sure they have the halloween happy meal or something else in its place now. It seems like everything new just doesn't have the same appeal as things were in the past. Even going to the McDonald's we went to today I wasn't impressed with the service or quality of the food and for the amount you pay for it it should be cooked properly. When you take pride in what you do, it shows overall. As we were trick or treating we passed the kid's fun house where there were doing a Halloween celebration but it was $20 per ticket and I couldn't pay that jr was upset and I felt bad as it was $15 to reserve in advance I know he would've had a ball there I guess we can take him there for his birthday or I was still looking into chuck e cheese. Either way we will make it special and fun for him.

restoring service and rebuilding

As I look at the news I realize how grateful we are in this area of Queens that we didn't suffer the immense amount of damage that our neighbors in the Rockaways did and the people of Jersey and Long Island. I feel sorry for so many people displaced from their homes and are with out power and the basic neccesities. Our president wanted to make a trip to NYC to view the damage of the storm and I cannot believe that the mayor was so unprofessional and rude and dissed him from coming into the city as if the Commanding Chief needs his freaking approval to come in and visit, does this idiot realize that our city needs as much federal help as we can get to restore and rebuild our city and the neighboring areas. I look at the areas of lower manhattan on the news and some of the train stations look like rivers inside. I think that people going to these shelters is ridiculous to get paid is ridiculous I showed up today at a shelter which is the local hs of this area and there was nothing to do there were very few evacuees there most of the evacuees are going to be in the queens hs closest to the rockaways and water front areas of brooklyn. We are in queens but we are inland. I guess if Mr. Bloomberg wants to pay us for doing nothing let him go ahead. It's a typical halloween fall day over here very cold and windy. They say sometimes travelling within your own borough is harder than hopping on the train and going into the Manhattan, I felt embarrassed that I got lost trying to find this hs but eventually I did and I signed in and we just sat there talking watching tv and went out for lunch @ 12:30. we were signed out at 3:30. Buses are running with delays and the MTA is being slowly restored and there is no power in the downtown area so I'm wondering when we will back in our office again and if they close this shelter will they send us to headquarters office. I don't mind taking the bus up there but my co worker does it's a long ride but it's either that or don't get paid. Tomorrow I will plan better leave earlier and pack my laptop to keep myself entertained while I'm there. I never imagined this storm would cause this amount of damage during our lunch break we came across a down power line on cross walk light I can't believe no one called Con Ed to report it so we had to stand away from it. Hoping as the days pass more progress is made to get things back on track. Sometimes we take the boring mundane routine for granted especially when disasters like this happen that throw everyone off track.

hurricane sandy aftermath

We got through the storm safely no power outages or damage which I'm relieved. I can't believe how much damage this hurricane has caused I think it's worse than hurricane Irene. There are tons of people without power, the rockaways got hammered with property damage house fires, some of the boardwalks gone. Public transportation took a beating with many MTA stations flooded and NJ transit flooded many other types of transportation are not even running. They're expecting to start running limited bus service but that won't help no one who has to commute into the city like most new yorkers do. They're predicting 4-5 day the MTA will be running again but there is no exact time line and this is extremely stressful as I have no time at work to cover me and our mayor was expecting all of us to make in to work regardless of the weather conditions yet in his press conferences he's telling people to stay safe and stay home I can't believe that this man is expecting us to go out there and risk our lives to make to headquarters or go to a shelter. This is something that was out of everyone's control as most natural disasters are and we should all be paid as far as I'm concerned. I got an email stating that the contingency planned had been suspended so imagine if I or anyone had tried to attempt to go to headquarters and it was closed oh I would have gone ballistic. This is not the way to treat your employees especially in the bad economic climate we are in now and many people are living paycheck to paycheck they can't afford not to get paid b/c everyone has bills to pay, rent to pay, etc. etc. Yesterday we got lots of rain and heavy winds it was not safe to sleep in my room due to it faces the street and there's trees near so I slept in jr's room and jr refused to sleep with me so he went to sleep with his grandmother. Yesterday I caught up on some sleep which I really needed. It can get boring being stuck in four walls so today I took a walk around the neighborhood to see how everything was here and there was minimal damage except for one big tree that was broken into pieces in the park which has yellow caution tape around it and the gate of the park. I would've walked around to see more but it started to rain and I had no umbrella so I came back home but this storm has caused extensive damage and it will be quite a while till we are totally back to normal so we will see what the next few days bring. I hope that if they predict anything like this next year they will be better prepared to deal with it and as far our pay goes I will be presenting my gripe to the union this mayor has no regard or respect for us as workers and someone needs to put him in his place.

hurricane sandy storm

Here we are two years later expecting the effects of hurricane Sandy and in 2010 it was Irene and I remember Irene caused a lot of damage in our area we had a lot of trees that were uprooted or fell on cars not too far away in a neighboring area the sidewalks were leveled. With what the news is saying this storm is supposed to be a big one but so far all I'm seeing is heavy wind and light rain I feel sometimes the media has a way of blowing things out of proportion not to say that we shouldn't be prepared for the worst but yesterday's usual trip to the supermarket was very annoying and aggravating experience the meat cases were bare, eggs gone, the bread gone and water unreal and the lines outrageous. You would think people were preparing for Armageddon instead of a storm. The North East is not a state where we get hurricanes like the south east or other states I see this much panic I could imagine if we were smh. I couldn't stock up meats b/c they were gone so I got the basics and tried to hurry back home. Thank goodness I make a habit of always buying extra cases of water so I didn't need to get any yesterday. Yesterday was a little nerve wracking in anticipation of the storm b/c my bedroom faces the street and strong winds can cause the windows to shatter so I guess we will be sleeping on the sofa bed tonight as there are no windows close like that. I was barely able to sleep I think but I made up for it by getting a nap in it was much needed as I rarely get to sleep in late or nap my sleeping in is if I'm lucky til 8 or 9 am. The city has prepared well for this storm even though I'm no fan of our mayor by any means. The MTA shut down buses and trains yesterday @7 buses @9 and the stupid thing of this all is I get an email from the city telling me that the city is open tomorrow and I thought are you kidding me??? How am I going to get there when you shut down the transit system you douche bag? We were told to report to shelters ok there what if the nearest one isn't near your home how were you supposed to get there not like the city is providing vans to get people place to place. The ICS system must have blown up my house and cell phones countless times and I didn't answer at all b/c I wasn't going anywhere #1 it's impossible and if you're smart you will stay your a** home it's not safe to drive in this weather I have my son to look after as his school is closed today and will be closed tomorrow and depending on when the storm hits landfall this afternoon who knows when the MTA will be fully restored again and they are able to do the neccessary clean up in the downtown area of the city I hear that battery park was flooded not a good thing. The winds are getting stronger by the hour and it's very scary at times. We are all taking it easy at home and riding it out and I'm hoping that everyone in the tri state area is safe. After the effects of the storm will be the next battle trying to get paid for the days we were out b/c our mayor thinks we should use our time which is ridiculous based on a weather situation that is out of our control I can bet he is safe somewhere and if he's that dedicated let him go outside and travel in that storm. For me I'm taking it easy and trying to make the best of things and crossing my fingers I don't lose power b/c of cell phones needing to be charged and food needed to be preserved.

Job uncertainty

These past few weeks have been sort of slow to the point I'm bored to tears or like Friday I went home early.  Yesterday afternoon I get a call to meet with the director and some one else and it was sort of nerve wracking as I thought I was being reprimanded for being online too much I couldn't have been more wrong this mtg was to inform me that once again my job is at risk due to budget cuts I look around this place and it resembles a ghost town compared to three years ago many have gotten laid off or reassigned and I'm pissed off b/c I thought I was safe b/c my number was pulled off the list and I achieved permanent status only to be told that now I don't have enough seniority this is just adding stress that I don't need as I have enough and struggle getting by working ft I can imagine depending on unemployment we were told to take another exam $47 and no guarantee you will be called I said gtfo not only  do I not have the money I think its bs and unfair to stress out ppl,like this.  I'm a single mom and I can't afford this but I'm starting to prepare myself b/c up to this point I've been spared three rounds of lay offs and for that I'm grateful but doesn't mean this time around I will be lucky.  I look at it like maybe it is a sign that the time has come to move on to a new chapter and lately I have felt that I've gotten knowledge and experience of public health and its impact and importance in our communities but its time to move on.  It shows me that no one is safe anymore not even city state private sector and this is hard on everyone especially when you live in a city as expensive as NYC is the rent alone is a killer and average in all other expenses and just to make matters worse the MTA wants to raise the fare yet again b/c $104 a monthly pass is just not enough and take away discount incentives nothing gets easier if the MTA got rid of half their board members and those overpaid pension padding scammers took a pay cut or freeze their salary there could be more money available I don't see why we the riders have to pay for their incompetent budgeting or short falls.  I've been here before and I'll make the best of it but job creation and economic stimulation should be a top priority on the political agenda for economic recovery to benefit all not the elite who have more and pay less in taxes 47% of us live check to check, 47% can't afford healthcare 47% can't save for a rainy day when there is nothing extra left 47% don't qualify for food stamps b/c they make too much money I guess as long as you're 1,000+ a,month rent is paid you can starve b/c only you're gross income counts @@ as if that's not the biggest load of crap I've ever been handed.  Those are my statistics lol and name of the campaign should be called "mitt doesn't give a shit".  If and when these lay offs occur they will be in November and January smh what an early xmas gift or new yrs gift.  I have to agree with Eric Ulrich a congressman I think from qns who isn't democrat but he says rising costs dont make it worth living here no more and he is right he mentioned ppl are being priced out and I've explored that avenue of leaving nyc again b/c honestly I'm tired of struggling and living check to check and the commuter adventures and annoyances cant be all too much at times.  So we will see what the new few months bring and prepare for the worst but hoping for the best

Published with Blogger-droid v2.0.9

MTA to outline fare, toll hike proposals - New York News | NYC Breaking News

MTA to outline fare, toll hike proposals - New York News | NYC Breaking News

When I read this I can't say that I'm surprised but I'm also infuriated.  MTA is always crying poor and I can't see how they're always in the red and have all of these budget short falls with the amount of ridership in this city probably even increasing due to the always rising prices of gas.  I ride the subway monday-friday to work and the buses occassionally after work and on weekends and I have to say that their service is lack luster, late, dirty smell trains buses, over flowing trash cans in some stations, overcrowded and late buses I take the Q58 in queens and there are sometimes 30 people waiting for that bus and only one will show up and passengers don't help either with their rudeness like trying to squeeze into a bus where the driver has told you it's reached capacity, trying to get a lcd tv on the bus (yes you read right an hd tv and a large one at that) people are just plain stupid and selfish if I could afford a nice tv then perhaps I should not be ghetto fabulous and budget in some cab money just a thought @@.  Anyways I went off topic but none of what I see merits a fair increase at all we are already struggling economically paying outrageous rents for apartments that aren't even worth it, utilities keep going up, food goes up, it's getting to the point where people are going to be priced out of this city.  When I started working the monthly metro card was $63 a month now it's $104 a month and now they want to raise it yet again, and take away the 7% discount which isn't really much but something is better than nothing.  I think the MTA has a lot of projects going on like extending the #7 train to 34 St 12 Ave, the 2nd Ave subway line, etc. and they want to shoulder all of those costs on the people of this city which is totally unfair in my opinion.  I think for the amount of money we pay we should have clean trains free of garbage, service that is running on time, train stations that are in good condition not in need of tons of repairs, more police presence to combat subway crimes, and people acting like idiots then I wouldn't mind paying a little more b/c we'd betting getting something worth paying for but I'm not seeing it and I know millions of others aren't either.  Another thing is the MTA employees are getting greedier we all want a raise and good benefits but in these current times should you really be asking for more? We've been without a contract since 2009 and you don't see us threatening to strike when things don't go our way.  Although they don't mention I also think this is a reason for the increase to be able to afford salary increases, etc.  the hearings will be next week and the proposals unveiled soon let's see what options they give the people to look at.