So long, farewell, au revoir, adieu...

Alas, I have abandoned this blog with a resounding thud; my delusions of grandeur confirmed. It is true, I have reached the end of the line at least for the time being. My muse is gone, replaced by the daily rigor of a mind-numbingly taxing work day; my brain power completely consumed by the demands of this particular assignment. I will get through it and I will have accomplished much. Surely, I and my resume will look back with pride.

So long, farewell, au revoir, adieu...I no longer cling to hope of consistency. In fact, I might not ever be back. But, I will be here in spirit for even if I am not writing it all down, some poor sod somewhere will be getting an earful!

Candidate for Sale

Boy, have I been suffering technical difficulties. My laptop is on the fritz and I can't seem to get myself to a stationary PC to do my post. We have the heat concentrated in a few areas in the house so the laptop gives me the flexibility to write without freezing to death which is what I'm doing now. Since I do not want to be one of those blog writers who suddenly disappears into the blogosphere with nary a notice nor a warning, here I am.

Even though I did not write much down, my brain was a constant whir what with the Supreme Court decision that essentially unleashed unlimited corporate funds, both foreign and domestic, into our election process. The corporation, they determined, is a living being and therefore entitled to free speech. Great! Now they can blatantly undermine the free will of the people by essentially buying elections if they so choose and what can we do about it? Lobbyists just received the largest boost a high court could ever bestow. Congress, so far, has been powerless before them and now, Congress might as well attach sponsorship logos to their suits.

In response, I am offering myself up. I am willing to be a bought candidate. Why not, I'd have fame, power and somehow, after serving in office, I'd be rich. What's not to like for the common man, so sayeth Newt Gringrich. He posited that the Supreme Court decision is great for middle class candidates because now they will have access to a larger donation pool. Oh have we taken a leap back.

Devastating Knock Out

What happens when an already devastated country sustains a devastating earthquake with an epicenter directly underneath the capital city, home to 2,000,000 people? Disaster. Haiti has long been the scourge of the Western Hemisphere and this 7 on the Richter scale blow from mother nature - the first in nearly 200 years - has shuffled Haiti's deck. Thankfully, the world is responding but the insufficient infrastructure - one reporter described Port-au-Prince as an "overpopulated and underdeveloped" city - is impeding aide and rescue workers.

News out of Haiti is stilted, even a true estimate of victims cannot be established. There were no "earthquake proof" buildings and the Presidential Palace, UN Complex, the Parliament and other "important" structures have collapsed or are severely damaged. I feel deeply moved by this tragedy. Perhaps my Caribbean heritage is creating a kinship. This humanitarian effort sure does straighten us out a little bit from the woe and personal devastation many of us are feeling right here at home. In the end, the world is greater and needier than we.

Eathquake: Haiti

When it comes to Haiti, no news is bad news. I have heard it said, "maybe God doesn't like Haiti" because the country seems to suffer the worst of all ills. For the past 100 years, it has been in turmoil; politically and financially corrupt coupled with abject poverty. A recipe for continued strife that that has so far defied solution. An earthquake of magnitude 7 on the Richter scale is a killer blow.

I Just Got Paid Today

My year of unemployment has come to an end, at least for the next six months should I get to serve out my entire contract. And, after what seems like eons, I garnered my first paycheck today. Due to the timing of the payroll and the company's holiday schedule, it was only for three days but it was the sweetest cash that I have earned in a while and I am thoroughly excited.

I spent this last year polishing just about every aspect of my employable world, my resume, my interviewing skills, my professional skills through continuing education, my outlook, my aspirations and my well-being. I exercised, ate even less and lost some weight and increased my frugal reins in addition to spending quality time with my children. It has been quite journey. Now, I am simply grateful and elated for the opportunity to work while remembering my fellow compatriots for whom unemployment marches on. I am rooting for you all.

The State of the Island

The State of the Island is still declining. This is from the Long Island Business News, December 18, 2009,

"A recent study regarding the social, financial and physical health of Long Islanders found financial hardship growing in the region, along with increases in child abuse drug use and youth crime as well as a rise in the percentage of income spent on housing.

Sarah Eichberg, Adelphi’s director of community research and an author of the report, “Vital Signs 2009: Measuring Long Island’s Social Health,” summed up the findings on a conference call with a half dozen reporters.

“While still one of the most affluent areas in the country, Long Island has been hard hit by the recession,” Eichberg said.

The report found the “region frequently exceeds state and national levels on social health indicators, however, many indicators are moving in a negative direction.”

Record numbers of homes are in initial stages of foreclosure on Long Island, reaching 4,804 in the second quarter of 2009, up 48.7 percent in Nassau and 71 percent in Suffolk from the second quarter of 2007. The number rose to 5,851 by the end of the third quarter of 2009.

Meanwhile, nearly half of homeowners and more than half of renters as of that date spent at least 30 percent of income on housing.

Although average employee wages nationwide rose 3 percent from 2007 to 2008, they declined 5 percent on Long Island, falling below 1999 wages adjusted for inflation, according to the report.

“This decline has grave consequences for working individuals and their families,” according to the study.

Food Stamp household enrollment from May 2006 to May 2009 shot up 43.5 percent in Nassau and 54 percent in Suffolk. Personal bankruptcy filings from March 31, 2008 to March 31, 2009 rose 42.6 percent in Nassau and 32.3 percent in Suffolk."

While we may be captivated by national troubles, it behooves us all to look at solutions closer to home. As we enter the 3rd year of recession, there is no doubt that the effect on the middle class is significant. How will the Island unite toward common goals that will benefit the whole region? For now, because of deep provinciality on a town by town and sometimes, village by village basis, it remains very divided.

Happy 2010...Good Luck!

Wow, it is 2010! A whole decade has gone by and I still vividly remember partying like it was 1999. Well, it has been a whirlwind of a holiday. Somewhere in there, I started work; I accepted a 6 month consulting gig a couple of weeks ago and they wanted me to start right away. A little strange since not much was going on but it gave me time to settle in without pressure which was good. But, I had to turn things around quickly, having to secure childcare and cleaning services very quickly. I know I am spoiled but I was lucky to hire back the same two individuals who lost their jobs in my service when I lost mine last year. And now, a year later, my schedule is back to where it once was. I am even working a little closer to home than my lost job, if that was even possible. Thankfully, I am happy where I am so far and, should it turn into a long term deal, I can manage it. If it does not, I'll be off for the summer, also not a bad prospect. For sure, I am happy to be working again.

We don't know what 2010 will bring. I know a lot of people saying good riddance to 2009 and I almost fell into that category, believe me. But, in the nick of time, it turned around for me. I'm not sure what it all means except maybe there is more hope out there for all us. Good Luck!