Jimmy for mayor

Jimmy for mayor: Jimmy McMillan is running for mayor.

I remember this guy and I thought he was hilarious but you know what he's got a point. The rent is too damn high.  It is very expensive to live in NYC these days and no rent in my opinion should be the cost of an average mortgage payment especially when you're never going to own it.  Do costs rise yes they do but why should I have to pay off someone's mortgage or some greedy building owner's ridiculous costs?  Rent is eating up at least half of people's salaries these days and something has to be done about creating more affordable housing that is accessible to New Yorkers.  The affordable housing options these days are ridiculous they're not in sync with today's cost of living and rent prices.  Everything is going up but your paycheck.  Gentification doesn't help this and I'm totally against it and I see a little bit of it neighboring brooklyn and in some parts of Queens.  No one should be priced out of their neighborhood if those hipsters want to live nice let them stay in the city or Brooklyn Heights but don't price out working class people out of neighborhoods where sometimes people have live for many years and are also elderly and can't afford to live any place else.   I was almost evicted twice once when me and my ex were still together and now that I'm on my own with my son.  It's an embarrasing and demoralizing experience to ask social services for help and it took me months to finally get approved for a one shot deal to cover my back rent b/c with a rent of 1,263 per month plus utilities food phone babysitting, etc. 30,000 is a year just not enough these days.  I don't want to hear budget better if I cut out anything else I will be without a TV and a kerosene lamp and it's ridiculous plus TV is a single parent's saving grace sometimes especially when you need to make some dinner or get things done around the house. This is why I have considered moving to New Jersey where the rents are much lower and affordable b/c I'm tired of struggling with these outrageous prices and apartments that aren't even worth the ridiculous prices they're charging not freshly painted clean and renovated.  I live in a 3 floor tenement building that's in desperate need of renovations and this man still has the nerve to charge these ridiculous rents.  They also make me laugh with jobs with a living wage 9, 10 an hr? really here in NYC where a studio can run 1,000 a month is some places it's stupid and unrealisitic I say let these stupid officials try to live off the stupidity they want to enforce the working class people to do and see if they make it I doubt they'd be so lucky. 

weekend routine

This weekend was like most cleaning organizing running errands and doing laundry. I don't know anyone who likes to do laundry or even more when you live in a urban city like NYC and have to go to the laundromat outside dragging a cart down a flight of stairs isn't easy it's gotten to the point that I don't even stay to dry anymore b/c I really don't feel like spending 2 or 3 hours in a laundromat especially on a sunday when it's crowded so I dropped off my towels sheets etc. in drop off service one less thing for me to do. Yesterday I went to myrtle avenue as I usually do with jr on the weekends to take him for lunch and it seems like there's always some drama going on at this mcdonald's either it's very crowded the line for bathroom is too long and they're always out of something yesterday a women comes in with a fake $20 bill and is furious b/c they won't give her money back and accused the cashier of trying to pocket it @@ what would she want with a fake $20 I'd take it back to the bank or check cashing place but once you give to a merchant or store they confiscate it. After eating I went to deal$ with my son to pick up a few things I should own stock in the company I go there so much. After the store we walked back toward the neighborhood and I let my son run around and play in the park while I sit and relax but my eyes are always looking to see what he's up to and sadly b/c he's on the autism spectrum there are many people who don't understand and aren't very nice to him and that gets me very angry at times. He likes to play with kids but sometimes kids don't want to play with him and he doesn't understand. Yesterday I saw this kid push my son and I felt like getting up and slamming him right into the monkey bars yes I know it's an extreme reaction but I'm very overprotective of my son b/c of his condition. I didn't of course but I yelled across the park " Don't even think about pushing him". Which makes me think where are the parents of these children? They come to the park and they're not even paying attention to what their kids are doing. I would never allow my son to push another child not only b/c it's wrong but b/c I don't want to get into any confrontations with other parents who'd be understandbly upset. I then told him it's time to go home time is up as I usually set my cell phone alarm to alert him it's time to go home. I think he needed to get away from that situation and I had dinner and laundry waiting to be hanged up. I came home relaxed a little read my cook book to get more ideas for the weekly dinner and eventually I started cooking dinner. I made steak and onions and it came out pretty good I just should've done it over night it usually tastes better as it marinates longer it takes a few tries to really perfect a recipe at times. On thursday I reapplied for rental assistance once again bad is when you already know the routine at these places hoping that I will be approved this time. I thought I'd be there all day but I wasn't there that long and I was able to work a half day. After we ate I sure didn't feel like doing the dishes so there they stayed I'll get to them today. I've gotten to the point where I've cut back I don't mop my entire apartment in one day like I used to I mop every other week only thing I do weekly is clean kitchen bathrooms mop them change sheets and laundry. I gave jr his bath put him to bed and made sure he stood sleeping in his bed and he actually did I'm really trying to ween him off staying in my bed and many a time I've had to carry him to bed and he's heavy 41 lbs to be exact. I winded up falling asleep on the couch and forgot to see my alarm so we rushed out the house and missed the first bus. I also missed my connecting bus but it's monday and I wasn't going to stress myself out got my morning coffee which I desperately needed hazenut dunkin donuts to get myself awake and going. I still managed to make it to work on time today is the pot luck at work and I'm not even participating with everything I had to do I forgot so i guess there's always next yr or another occassion. After giving it some thought I decided to end contact with the guy I was talking to for a while from out of state I just got tired of always being the one to initiate contact. It's sad b/c I really liked him and I really thought we could've had something good but I'm not going to be chasing anyone. I understood he had been sick but everytime I've called I get a busy signal or I'm sent to voicemail. Two times I've been on fb chat and he's signed off when I IM him so that was the last straw for me, that's just plain rude so I'm done. If I ever do hear from him I will just say hello but I doubt it. This is why I don't think I can do the long distance thing b/c I admit I can be an attention whore and can be jealous not to the extent of fatal attraction but I acknoweledge my traits so this wouldn't work for me. I decided to reopen my zoosk account after months of it being closed but it's simply just to look and browse only right now I'm just focusing on jr myself and my move which by the looks of things I've still been looking for a place in NY here in the same area or another but still nothing under 1300-1400 a month which I think is high way robbery b/c some of these apartments are in desperate need of renovation and modernization so moving to New Jersey is still an option. Well it's monday another work week begins but at least it's pay week I will treat myself this week to a much needed pedicure and trim on my hair.

daily routine and the road ahead

Lately it's been work pay bills come home change into pjs food homework cartoons bath stories bed. I watch tv for a little while but most of the time I wind up dozing off on the couch. As soon as I think I've paid all the bills and I'm up to date before I know I see them right away again in my mailbox or have a friendly text reminder which can be annoying at times. Yes I know I owe it, just don't have it at the moment. I'm thinking of getting rid of my house and internet service I switched to Clear internet and Verizon phone service is costing too much money and their billing department are a bunch of incompetent morons. Too many taxes fees and surchages so this so called discount bundle you're paying for winds up to be one big rip off. I've been debating whether to stay living here in NY or move to New Jersey b/c I'm really having a hard time affording this apartment but I also don't know what school program my son will be accepted into September so the search continues. Yesterday I got the official divorce judgement so it is official I'm divorced and I can change my married name back to my maiden name if I choose to. The chapter is officially closed and I can get on with my life. It seems like everything was getting in the way of this document showing up but when I read it I couldn't believe what a sloppy piece of paper it was and I couldn't believe this is what took almost 2 yrs to draft the NYC court system should be ashamed of themselves. On another note I received some bad news yet again this case worker from social services rejected my case again and I don't even understand why I submitted all my paperwork complied with all I'm just fed up with the incompetence of social workers and the bureaucracy that exists in NYC social service system. I've lost days over all of this crap and b/c of it I pretty much will go through summer 2013 without a break or vacation which is so unfair to me b/c I've hadn't a vacation since 2011 I could sure use one. I'm mentally and emotionally drained at this point so I must gather up all of my paperwork again and reapply for services for If I am rejected I am just going to apply for a fair hearing and have a judge review my case I'm thinking maybe I should've done this all along it would've saved me a whole lot of leg work and aggravation. I have to ask myself if things will eventually start looking up for me instead of the stress and aggravation I have right now there never seems to be enough to cover all expenses and I've given up on the gym for now b/c all I have no time especially now that my son goes to the babysitter I have to pick him up by a certain time and forget the weekends unless it's a free weekend which most times I sleep in and relax. Next month will be my mother's birthday and my grandfather's birthday he will be 80 yrs old this year and they're doing a celebration for him in FL but sadly I will not be able to attend b/c of time used up dealing with a broken system and finances are tied away for moving expenses it's sad b/c this is a milestone we should've all been able to be around to celebrate. I will send him a nice card and I was thinking of getting a nice plaque made we will see what I can come up with. Jr graduation package came last week and his graduation will be on June 7th. It's been a long road but he has come a long way and improved a lot. He has made a lot of friends too it will be nice to see him graduate and for all of the students to put on a show for us. He is looking forward to starting kindergarten in september and I look forward to seeing him progress and go even further. Time flies by so fast it seemed like yesterday he was a baby then 2.5 starting the pre-school and now graduating from there. Time flies and waits for no one. Tomorrow I will try one last time to reapply for services and hope I get approved or I will have to request a hearing and get an attorney.

Boston Marathon Tragedy

The NY Marathon went off without anything happening sadly the Boston Marathon particpants and spectators weren't so lucky. Bombs went off killing 3 people and injuring many more. One of the casualties was an 8 yr old boy who was trying to get the message of peace across my heart goes out to his family and the many others who are hurt some will heal others have life time injuries that will not. People think that an incident like 9/11 can't happen again well no one should have that false sense of security because it sure can happen. Would we better prepared for it than back in 2001 yes but it doesn't mean that we wouldn't have a battle ahead of us. This marathon was on a nice sunny day and no one imagined what these group of cowards had planned that day to inflict bombing and cause all of this pain and suffering. Your group whom ever you are a bunch of cowards you think that by doing this you're going to scare people and make them prisioners in their own home so we can't continue on with our daily lives. You're such a bunch of cowards you haven't even claimed responsiblity for your evil actions but with the efforts of our gov't we will found out who you are and make you pay for what you did to the city of Boston and it's people. I work in lower manhattan and I am constantly reminded of 9/11 and what the old world trade center looked like I used to sit there and eat a hotdog from the truck on a nice spring or summer day or go browse the shopping concourse. Do I think they should've rebuilded there nope. I think they should've kept it a memorial place but they're rebuilding and just as high which to me is a death trap especially when having to evacuate in case of an fire or attacks. When I get on the train every morning I say an internal prayer that I will get into the city safe and sound and back home the same. I went off topic here but I'm very sad and angry that this tragedy had to occur like this. It proves to us that there is so sense of safeness anymore and every major event will need top notch security police and military depending on the event but I'd rather be safe than sorry. Prayers to all the families and the city of Boston