Back in late 2007, I took a job nearby to augment my husband's income. It was at a nearby cafe. When I say nearby, I mean a three-minute commute. It was an okay job because I didn't have a substance abuse problem and I wasn't living off of it. It was an easy job because I already knew how to cook, do math and not get into too many fights with people.
But it was not by any means a perfect fit, and I was constantly fantasizing about my escape. One of the things that made it imperfect was the cash flow management. It is not unheard of for people to get paid late, whether it's for a software application (me, eleven years ago), a baker (the young woman I became friends with while at the cafe) or a paper vendor (an older man I tried very hard to avoid while at the cafe). What is generally unacceptable is paying people late with post-dated checks, which makes the payment even later. In case you weren't aware, it is illegal to pay people with post-dated checks, period. This never happened to me, but it happened to two other people I knew while working there.
I was shocked. Why were they accepting this? The answer was that they were so far into business with the owner that if they walked away, they felt, they weren't going to see any of their monies any time soon. I would cheerfully take this person to small claims court if I really wasn't going to get my money, but my husband is an attorney and I'm pretty sanguine about those things by nature. A lot of people are afraid of our legal system, and maybe they have good reason to be. But even if that's the case, don't do more business with people who aren't paying you. Why assume it will be easier for them to pay off a big debt to you than it is for them to pay off a small debt?
I finally was able to move away from this job. I was asked to supply them with some vegan baked goods. Having seen what happened to my friend- who finally wised up and moved on- I calmly explained that I would need to paid in a timely manner, and the owner told me that I would be paid upon delivery. The first delivery went just fine, but when I made the second delivery, there was no check. At that, I shrugged, perfectly willing to never look at the place again and to let the money go. Fortunately, a friend called me- two weeks later- to say that a check was waiting for me. Great, got that.
Oh, there is one more thing you want to avoid in business: bouncing checks- to your employees, or to your service providers. At one point, I was one of three people whose check bounced. The owner was embarrassed and apologetic and reassured me that the bank would most likely automatically resubmit the check, but if not then, of course, they'd make good on it. I don't believe in the tooth fairy, and I didn't believe this. I never resubmitted, but by that point, I never wanted to look at the guy again. It was a well-spent $53.75.
I started teaching more yoga and Pilates, and through the magic of social media, I kept in touch with most of my friends from the cafe. I have been fortunate that I can make roughly the same amount of money I made at the cafe in about one-third of the time, once I factor in things like travel. But it's not perfect, and I have been contemplating changes.
January is always a difficult month. Never mind that people are recovering from holiday spending, many people's fiscal years begin at that time. Bill collecting is touch and go. Wednesday is a difficult day for me- it is my longest day, and two of my assignments are back-to-back. So back-to-back that they require me to take a taxi to get from one place to the other on time. An expensive taxi, made that much more annoying on the nights that they don't come on time even though they've been called an hour in advance.
As you can imagine, I dreaded Wednesdays in January. Both of those teaching assignments, which I was rushing to breathlessly, hadn't paid. The cost of doing business would have been acceptable had I been getting paid. Since I wasn't, I was starting to feel it. I was also reminded, yet again, that every job I took around the start or end of school was costing my husband that time plus the time I commuted. Therefore, my one hour of work cost him two. This, even, would have been tolerable- if I had been getting paid.
All of this might have been tolerable if my husband had been paid on time. But his primary employer... well, let's say January saw me down on all things municipal. Waiting on his increasingly delayed check made the payment I didn't receive that much more irritating.
We're now in February, and I still haven't been paid. (Fortunately, however, my husband has.) One of my Wednesday assignments also hadn't paid me for December or November. I'm patient and I'm a team player, but I have not only limits but needs. Events in the last few weeks have clarified for me what it is really important, and I'm narrowing my eyes a little more at things that aren't on that list.
What finally pushed me over the edge? I need to get a new supply of contact lenses, and if I had been paid, I could have. Even worse, I had to strategize to buy contact lens solution. Enough was enough.
I sent a message yesterday and another one today, telling both parties that while I've enjoyed working with them, I can't continue any longer if I don't receive payment. I received messages immediately. One person was very apologetic (even though I know for a fact that she isn't personally responsible) and promised to get me payment soon. The other wrote back and agreed with me that we should terminate the arrangement since she couldn't pay me by the end of the week.
Those were difficult messages to write, and I groaned before I did so. But after I finally did, I felt so much better. I have a price for my services, and while I donate as much time as I can, not all of it can be free. People have agreed that I am worth that price, and if someone contracts to pay it, they should. And if they don't, I'm done. I am not angry or upset- either pay my price or don't, but don't keep me waiting.
As for my friends at the cafe? Sadly, bounced checks to employees seemed to become the norm. Never mind that the owner finally opened a swanky restaurant-bar in a neighboring town and, according to another former employee, always made sure his very large pay check was drawn even when he asked other people not to draw theirs. Amazingly, most of the employees tolerated this. Someone was owed about $900 at one point in back pay. When two people finally asked that their checks be made good, they were fired. No joke.
I was astounded when I heard this and needed to hear it from two different sources before I believed it. And yet, there was the cafe every morning, even if its hours were reduced. And people still walked in, and other people still went there to work. Amazing to me. No, I never had to live off of that job, but very few of the people who worked with me ever could.
A little justice this weekend: the windows were papered over, and there was a sign saying that they were closed for renovations. What a coincidence. On Monday, there was a sign right underneath it, posted by the MWRA. Apparently, they had neglected to pay their water bill to the tune of, or so I thought I saw, $8000. To which the MWRA has responded by shutting off their water until they do.
Some vendors know the value of their service and just aren't going to take a bounced check. Thank God.
Deb in the City
Tuesday, February 09, 2010
Sunday, February 07, 2010
Sun conjunct Mars
There's something people need to know about me. I'm a Virgo. If you know me and you know anything whatsoever about astrology, you probably already figured that out. We're intelligent, critical (*really* critical), we worry a lot- some might even say agonize- and, because our stomachs are so upset from all of the stress, we're much more likely to be into health and wellness topics than most of the other signs. But, on our mellower days, our biting sarcasm transforms into a little bit of sardonic humor, and for some reason people usually like having us around, especially when we're older and we're considered the heart-of-the-matter, let's-skip-past-the-BS people in your lives.
The other pertinent astrological fact about me is that my Sun sign is conjunct my Mars sign. Which means, as briefly as I can, that I tend to be very energetic and that it's easy for me to be, um, perceived as aggressive*. (Fortunately, since the sign in question is Virgo, this tends to be more mental/verbal than physical.) And, ironically, also makes me feel sometimes like I'm not sticking up for myself or my cause enough, which will then lead me to *really* gather my strength. Astrology aside, one of the benefits of old age- and/or yoga- is that I'm starting to be a little more aware of that and not apply my full force of strength. Sometimes.
Energetic, as I was saying... Coffee makes me sick: I'm already "up" enough. I want to do a lot of things- downtime makes me edgy. In college, the first year saw me with a full load of classes, a role in the drama department production and a lot of activity in student government. The next year I was taking five classes per quarter while working and just miserable that I wasn't doing more. Even with small, nursing children, if I didn't have a full-time job and a part-time job, I would be volunteering, whether at a local business or my children's school.
This is the life I have chosen for myself. That's why my reaction to this weekend- right after "Mother bleeper!"- was "Of course."
My three little ones stayed home for most of the week. More on that some other time- no, really. So I was looking forward to spending the weekend working on surveys and lesson planning. Got a call on Friday. My presence was urgently requested for Saturday at a training. Blink. Um, okay. The only problem was that this would then get me back home just in time to teach my class before I went to a very important meeting with some other parents. There was always Sunday.
Except that Sunday we have to bring the boys to Hebrew School and then bring the girls to music lessons. Then I had a meeting with the director of the music program. Plus I really needed to clean the bathroom. And I'm so sick of buying bread for $3.50 per loaf, or even bagels for $2.29. So I needed to make bread. And Sam needed me to make muffins.
Typical. So what brought up the expletives (other than Tom Tancredo and the Tea Party convention)?
This was the weekend that my friend J.D. finally opened the cafe.
I like that I have a friend named J.D. They're almost as cool as the J.B.s I was in grade school with. And this one is only in his twenties, so he's not doing his impression of Greta Garbo or Alexander Solzhenitsyn- yet. No, instead, he's been trying to open a cafe for a while. Construction, licenses, permits- all obtained through a provincial city's byzantine bureaucracy- the reasons people stay out of starting a new business. But J.D. persisted, and- finally- the cafe opened. This weekend.
I think he would have totally, completely, understood if I had stayed home. Especially since it was 20 degrees outside. But I had promised. And there's something nice about keeping your promise.
It was almost closing time and I was the only one there (did I mention the weather?). Apparently there had been a line out the door yesterday. The space was beautiful. It should be, since it's housed in a high-end furniture store in a high end, swanky part of town. Oh yeah- that's another reason it was nice to go. I'm sorry I'm not a coffee type, because I would have loved to have seen the new espresso machine in action. I was also staring at the beautiful miniature fruit tarts- why, God, why? But I did have a really delicious steamer. Go visit- 460 Harrison Avenue in the South End, the cafe at Mohr and McPherson.
We chatted a little bit about new plans for the SoWa Open Markets and how the peacock strangely blended into the rest of the furnishings, then I left to: deposit a check, run to Trader Joe's and meet Sam at Back Bay. I was sweating by the time I caught up to Sam.
Next weekend is the kickoff of February vacation- early this year- and *sigh* Valentine's Day. I promise you, I love my husband, but I just dread having to do one more thing for one more event. Let's try something novel next weekend and not find two or three more things to do between now and then. Unless it's finishing up on lesson planning and survey analysis.
Thinking positively,
Deb in the City
* Yesterday, as I entered the school I teach yoga in, I heard a whoosh. It was one of my students, who wasn't quite ready yet. I gave him a look, then went into the room I teach in. Two people then told me how this man had jumped every time he heard the door open, afraid it was me. At one point, he saw who it was and said, "Oh, it's just you." The person he said that to was the internationally revered Master Trainer of Qigong, Tai Chi and Kung-fu, Dr. Jwing-Ming Yang, and my student has been teaching Tai Chi in his studio for over a decade. For better or worse, that made my weekend.
The other pertinent astrological fact about me is that my Sun sign is conjunct my Mars sign. Which means, as briefly as I can, that I tend to be very energetic and that it's easy for me to be, um, perceived as aggressive*. (Fortunately, since the sign in question is Virgo, this tends to be more mental/verbal than physical.) And, ironically, also makes me feel sometimes like I'm not sticking up for myself or my cause enough, which will then lead me to *really* gather my strength. Astrology aside, one of the benefits of old age- and/or yoga- is that I'm starting to be a little more aware of that and not apply my full force of strength. Sometimes.
Energetic, as I was saying... Coffee makes me sick: I'm already "up" enough. I want to do a lot of things- downtime makes me edgy. In college, the first year saw me with a full load of classes, a role in the drama department production and a lot of activity in student government. The next year I was taking five classes per quarter while working and just miserable that I wasn't doing more. Even with small, nursing children, if I didn't have a full-time job and a part-time job, I would be volunteering, whether at a local business or my children's school.
This is the life I have chosen for myself. That's why my reaction to this weekend- right after "Mother bleeper!"- was "Of course."
My three little ones stayed home for most of the week. More on that some other time- no, really. So I was looking forward to spending the weekend working on surveys and lesson planning. Got a call on Friday. My presence was urgently requested for Saturday at a training. Blink. Um, okay. The only problem was that this would then get me back home just in time to teach my class before I went to a very important meeting with some other parents. There was always Sunday.
Except that Sunday we have to bring the boys to Hebrew School and then bring the girls to music lessons. Then I had a meeting with the director of the music program. Plus I really needed to clean the bathroom. And I'm so sick of buying bread for $3.50 per loaf, or even bagels for $2.29. So I needed to make bread. And Sam needed me to make muffins.
Typical. So what brought up the expletives (other than Tom Tancredo and the Tea Party convention)?
This was the weekend that my friend J.D. finally opened the cafe.
I like that I have a friend named J.D. They're almost as cool as the J.B.s I was in grade school with. And this one is only in his twenties, so he's not doing his impression of Greta Garbo or Alexander Solzhenitsyn- yet. No, instead, he's been trying to open a cafe for a while. Construction, licenses, permits- all obtained through a provincial city's byzantine bureaucracy- the reasons people stay out of starting a new business. But J.D. persisted, and- finally- the cafe opened. This weekend.
I think he would have totally, completely, understood if I had stayed home. Especially since it was 20 degrees outside. But I had promised. And there's something nice about keeping your promise.
It was almost closing time and I was the only one there (did I mention the weather?). Apparently there had been a line out the door yesterday. The space was beautiful. It should be, since it's housed in a high-end furniture store in a high end, swanky part of town. Oh yeah- that's another reason it was nice to go. I'm sorry I'm not a coffee type, because I would have loved to have seen the new espresso machine in action. I was also staring at the beautiful miniature fruit tarts- why, God, why? But I did have a really delicious steamer. Go visit- 460 Harrison Avenue in the South End, the cafe at Mohr and McPherson.
We chatted a little bit about new plans for the SoWa Open Markets and how the peacock strangely blended into the rest of the furnishings, then I left to: deposit a check, run to Trader Joe's and meet Sam at Back Bay. I was sweating by the time I caught up to Sam.
Next weekend is the kickoff of February vacation- early this year- and *sigh* Valentine's Day. I promise you, I love my husband, but I just dread having to do one more thing for one more event. Let's try something novel next weekend and not find two or three more things to do between now and then. Unless it's finishing up on lesson planning and survey analysis.
Thinking positively,
Deb in the City
* Yesterday, as I entered the school I teach yoga in, I heard a whoosh. It was one of my students, who wasn't quite ready yet. I gave him a look, then went into the room I teach in. Two people then told me how this man had jumped every time he heard the door open, afraid it was me. At one point, he saw who it was and said, "Oh, it's just you." The person he said that to was the internationally revered Master Trainer of Qigong, Tai Chi and Kung-fu, Dr. Jwing-Ming Yang, and my student has been teaching Tai Chi in his studio for over a decade. For better or worse, that made my weekend.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Germaine Greer, Bread and Circus and Mark McGwire
What do all of those have in common?
I've decided, after a hiatus, that listening to NPR gives me an edge. It's useful both when I want to be a snot in arguments as well as when I need information for other projects (and let's leave it at that). A piece in the New York Times about two weeks ago hit on a phenomenon that an NPR piece cited two or three years ago. I'm sure that's happened a lot, but this particular piece of information has been important to me, and it reminded me to start listening again.
Unfortunately, that was right before the beginning of the year, when everyone was doing their painful year- and decade-in-review pieces, along with some rebroadcasts. As annoying as those were, it gave me a chance to listen to an interview with Germaine Greer. The subject was ostensibly Ann (sp?) Hathaway, Shakespeare's wife, but of course she touched on the subject of feminism, specifically in today's times (one time when the-decade-in-review subject did not annoy me). Depressingly, she felt that women were, to some extent, worse off than we were before. Many of us felt, she believed, that not only could we have it all but we should have it all. The only problem was that it left us with little to no leisure time, even less than we'd had when she started writing. She contrasted this with men and pointed to professional sports as proof of her contention. The amount of money spent on professional or college sports reaches into billions (16, according to one count), and women's sports are in no danger of coming close to that. Why? Greer seemed to be arguing because it was a way for men to both release some of the tension around their lives and bond with like-minded men. Hmm.
After the stresses of the last month, I celebrated passing my Pilates exam by paying bills last night and folding piles of laundry this morning. (And don't let anyone tell you that stress doesn't affect your body- the morning after I'd taken my exam, the puffiness underneath my eyes that had been dogging me for the last two months or more was instantly gone, and still is. I'll take it.) I then reveled this afternoon by washing dishes while Only a Game played in the background. What did they talk about? Among other things, a book written about an ice hockey trophy- really- and a defense of the criticism the host had made the week before about Mark McGwire. In case you've been unplugged or distracted by the Special Election in Massachusetts for the last month, Mark McGwire confirmed what everyone and their grandmother has known for the last decade: he took performance-enhancing steroids, and they enhanced his performance in record-breaking ways. Excuse me while I blink.
I mention politics. I suppose that's the sport I like to observe (and, to the extent that I can, participate in). Again, if you've been unplugged for the last six months, important, in some cases life-or-death, once-in-a-generation matters are being discussed (not really), argued about and voted on. It's been a nail-biter, and time is of the essence. What, then, does Senator Orrin Hatch think is worthy of discussion at this time? Potential antitrust implications in the college football Bowl Championship Series. You can guess my reaction, but I think I'm in the minority. There are plenty of people who are going to applaud Senator Hatch for finally tackling this important issue. Some of it may be healthcare debate fatigue, but some people have probably been waiting for this moment.
The term "bread and circus" immediately springs to mind.
A disclaimer: I was the last kid picked for dodgeball, among other things. I dreaded P.E., and I have pretty much no talent at team sports. (Although, if I may say so, my aim in basketball has much improved.) I've always liked walking, but I have no idea if they have race-walking championships or Olympic events. So, sour grapes? Maybe. But I've always felt, somewhere in the back of my mind, like I *should* be more athletic, or I should get my children more involved.
That changed when I began working as a yoga and Pilates instructor. When I would meet with new clients, I would dread finding out that someone was an athlete or, worse, had been an athlete in their youth. Oh, the turned out feet. The tight piriformis. The knee and hip issues. Worst was when an adorable just-turned-25-year-old came in to see me after she had gotten knee surgery, necessitated by years of running. The horror.
But, you might ask, what if we cross-trained ourselves or our youth? Instead of just running, why not run, bike, swim, and play soccer? Then you'll use different muscles. That might be a fair strategy for adults, except that most of us sit or stand in such a forward position for most of our lives that our muscles are already wrecked- unless we try and address it- and most activities just exacerbate the imbalances in our bodies. What about our kids? We are beginning to find that our student-athletes are training harder and harder, and that for most children- particularly girls- this is causing a strain on their bodies that can be felt for the rest of their lives.
In my estimation, this is worse than Rome. Most of the citizens weren't encouraged to get into the arena, certainly not the kids.
Pretend I'm grossly exaggerating the physical effects (and don't check statistics on knee and hip replacements so you can maintain the pretense). Some of the things proponents always talked up about sports was the way it taught people teamwork, how to play by the rules and that winning isn't everything, it's how you play the game. Does anyone still believe that? Mark McGwire is just the latest high-profile, highly-paid athlete who went after the competitive edge at any cost. Haven't we already heard from Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds and Floyd Landis, as well as a bunch of other athletes? No worries, sports fans- I have better things to do with my time than drag these athletes in front of a congressional hearing to get a tearful confession out of them. But it bothers me that they broke the law, and it bothers me that kids look up to them. It also bothers me that some of these kids start taking steroids themselves as early as high school. While not a simple cause-and-effect, I believe the two are related.
All that, folks, for just $16 billion. Who needs healthcare, education or improved infrastructure?
Deb in the City
I've decided, after a hiatus, that listening to NPR gives me an edge. It's useful both when I want to be a snot in arguments as well as when I need information for other projects (and let's leave it at that). A piece in the New York Times about two weeks ago hit on a phenomenon that an NPR piece cited two or three years ago. I'm sure that's happened a lot, but this particular piece of information has been important to me, and it reminded me to start listening again.
Unfortunately, that was right before the beginning of the year, when everyone was doing their painful year- and decade-in-review pieces, along with some rebroadcasts. As annoying as those were, it gave me a chance to listen to an interview with Germaine Greer. The subject was ostensibly Ann (sp?) Hathaway, Shakespeare's wife, but of course she touched on the subject of feminism, specifically in today's times (one time when the-decade-in-review subject did not annoy me). Depressingly, she felt that women were, to some extent, worse off than we were before. Many of us felt, she believed, that not only could we have it all but we should have it all. The only problem was that it left us with little to no leisure time, even less than we'd had when she started writing. She contrasted this with men and pointed to professional sports as proof of her contention. The amount of money spent on professional or college sports reaches into billions (16, according to one count), and women's sports are in no danger of coming close to that. Why? Greer seemed to be arguing because it was a way for men to both release some of the tension around their lives and bond with like-minded men. Hmm.
After the stresses of the last month, I celebrated passing my Pilates exam by paying bills last night and folding piles of laundry this morning. (And don't let anyone tell you that stress doesn't affect your body- the morning after I'd taken my exam, the puffiness underneath my eyes that had been dogging me for the last two months or more was instantly gone, and still is. I'll take it.) I then reveled this afternoon by washing dishes while Only a Game played in the background. What did they talk about? Among other things, a book written about an ice hockey trophy- really- and a defense of the criticism the host had made the week before about Mark McGwire. In case you've been unplugged or distracted by the Special Election in Massachusetts for the last month, Mark McGwire confirmed what everyone and their grandmother has known for the last decade: he took performance-enhancing steroids, and they enhanced his performance in record-breaking ways. Excuse me while I blink.
I mention politics. I suppose that's the sport I like to observe (and, to the extent that I can, participate in). Again, if you've been unplugged for the last six months, important, in some cases life-or-death, once-in-a-generation matters are being discussed (not really), argued about and voted on. It's been a nail-biter, and time is of the essence. What, then, does Senator Orrin Hatch think is worthy of discussion at this time? Potential antitrust implications in the college football Bowl Championship Series. You can guess my reaction, but I think I'm in the minority. There are plenty of people who are going to applaud Senator Hatch for finally tackling this important issue. Some of it may be healthcare debate fatigue, but some people have probably been waiting for this moment.
The term "bread and circus" immediately springs to mind.
A disclaimer: I was the last kid picked for dodgeball, among other things. I dreaded P.E., and I have pretty much no talent at team sports. (Although, if I may say so, my aim in basketball has much improved.) I've always liked walking, but I have no idea if they have race-walking championships or Olympic events. So, sour grapes? Maybe. But I've always felt, somewhere in the back of my mind, like I *should* be more athletic, or I should get my children more involved.
That changed when I began working as a yoga and Pilates instructor. When I would meet with new clients, I would dread finding out that someone was an athlete or, worse, had been an athlete in their youth. Oh, the turned out feet. The tight piriformis. The knee and hip issues. Worst was when an adorable just-turned-25-year-old came in to see me after she had gotten knee surgery, necessitated by years of running. The horror.
But, you might ask, what if we cross-trained ourselves or our youth? Instead of just running, why not run, bike, swim, and play soccer? Then you'll use different muscles. That might be a fair strategy for adults, except that most of us sit or stand in such a forward position for most of our lives that our muscles are already wrecked- unless we try and address it- and most activities just exacerbate the imbalances in our bodies. What about our kids? We are beginning to find that our student-athletes are training harder and harder, and that for most children- particularly girls- this is causing a strain on their bodies that can be felt for the rest of their lives.
In my estimation, this is worse than Rome. Most of the citizens weren't encouraged to get into the arena, certainly not the kids.
Pretend I'm grossly exaggerating the physical effects (and don't check statistics on knee and hip replacements so you can maintain the pretense). Some of the things proponents always talked up about sports was the way it taught people teamwork, how to play by the rules and that winning isn't everything, it's how you play the game. Does anyone still believe that? Mark McGwire is just the latest high-profile, highly-paid athlete who went after the competitive edge at any cost. Haven't we already heard from Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds and Floyd Landis, as well as a bunch of other athletes? No worries, sports fans- I have better things to do with my time than drag these athletes in front of a congressional hearing to get a tearful confession out of them. But it bothers me that they broke the law, and it bothers me that kids look up to them. It also bothers me that some of these kids start taking steroids themselves as early as high school. While not a simple cause-and-effect, I believe the two are related.
All that, folks, for just $16 billion. Who needs healthcare, education or improved infrastructure?
Deb in the City
Friday, January 29, 2010
We passed!
I passed! They passed! Hurray! What did I pass?
I am now certified to teach the Pilates Apparatus (Reformer, Chair and Cadillac) through the PhysicalMind Institute. Wasn't I teaching before, for close to a year? Yes, but my school, unlike many other schools, requires you to teach 9 to 12 months after completing your apprenticeship hours before they will let you test out. Annoying in some ways, but otherwise I grudgingly respect it. How well do you remember the material you crammed for?
I tested out with two other people, S. and A. S. and I were in the same certification course, and A. started her training right afterward. We were all aggressive about completing our apprenticeship and steadily worked up until now (well, except for me, because I left my place of Pilates employment in November). And we all decided to test out for yesterday's date.
We talked to the person who trained us, and she described the experience that she and two of her other trainees had when they tested. We knew there would be a written and a practical/physical test, and our instructor was pretty certain that we would be asked to teach another participant and then be taught on ourselves. Reasonable enough.
The catch was that for the test we had to be prepared to teach all of the exercises, even the ones we never did ourselves and never taught to clients (because they're contraindicated, the choreography is too complicated or they just plain don't make sense). So we practiced and refined and got together last weekend to go over anything that bothered us. My concerns were Snake/Twist (I don't think I have ever once seen anyone teach that to a client, and with good reason) and Rowing Back 2 (the choreography is tricky, and while not as unsafe, you don't see a lot of that taught either, because you don't want to spend 20 minutes going over one exercise). They nodded, S. was very helpful, and then it clicked. I got it. But our instructor calmed us down. Don't be fancy, don't try to wow anyone. In other words, the movements I was worried about were unlikely to come up.
The test was on Thursday at 1 in NYC, and we were scheduled to take the train around 6:30 AM and get in by 10:50. A little time to chill out before the test, and then back to Boston on the 5:40 train. I called my sister who lives in NYC to see if she could meet. The morning was really bad, but the afternoon was possible. As it turned out, a store that she would need to go to was right across the street from our location, so it would work out perfectly. I had thought about calling my good friend K. who lives and works in Manhattan, but I assumed that she might not be able to get away in the morning either, it being a Thursday and all.
I got on the train and met A., who had gotten on the stop before. We started talking Anatomy and Fundamentals and whatnot. Then the train stopped in Attleboro. Attleboro is not a scheduled stop. Engine failure. Fortunately, they were able to fix it. Unfortunately it took them almost two hours to do so. In the meantime, S. was waiting for us at Providence.
Okay- two hours later, and we were off. We talked more about Anatomy and Fundamentals and Essentials and why we'd never do certain things with most people or all people. And then we just chatted until we arrived in NYC.
A pleasant trip- except that we had 30 minutes to get to the studio for our test. Cab? Right. Go! We ran out, and in the meantime we all realized that we were starving. And all of those restaurants we passed by looked like they might have food we could eat- in three hours.
We get to the studio and introduce ourselves to the very nice General Manager. She very calmly tells us that we'll be testing with Joan, the founder of PhysicalMind. Gulp. No problem.
The three of us go upstairs and Joan is trying to get off of the phone. She tells us to start working out. I take the Cadillac, S. takes the chair and A. takes the Reformer. We check the springs and straps, adjust as needed, then workout. We had all been worried that Joan would try and trip us up, but Joan wants to show us things on the equipment that I'd never thought to do, particularly with the Chair. Confession- I'm not a fan of the Chair, but now I started to see the versatility of it.
She came to the Cadillac before we switched equipment and remarked that I needed to understand that the Cadillac was a piece of garbage. Wow. Whoa. You need to be just a little bit inside the Pilates world- just a bit- to know how heretical it is to criticize anything Pilates created- even if the invention is almost a century old. All three of us knew exactly what she meant- there's a lot you can do with the Cadillac, but the setup and transitions are lengthy and awkward. But we'd never have called it that...
I won't give away the rest of the test, but I will say that both Snake and Rowing (although not Rowing Back 2) came up. I confirmed later that both of my companions were also shocked, but not shocked. But that wasn't the hardest part of the test. It was that Joan wanted to *discuss* the exercises, and not just the choreography. What did we need to think about? How would we prepare someone to work up to a certain exercise? What would make it easier? What would make it harder? I don't think I'm giving anything away about the test, but if I am and someone wants to take apart each and everyone of the Pilates exercises before they test out at PhysicalMind, I have a feeling she won't be upset.
We were all a little speechless when we went back downstairs to take the written exam. I'll keep details to a minimum, except to say that I chose to interpret one of the essays in the most difficult way possible and then found out from my friends that I'd made about 20 times more work for myself. Grr... why does that sound so familiar?
I finished and was all set to meet my sister. I called her to say I was done, and then she very apologetically told me that one of my nieces had come home sick and that she needed to go home to her. It would have been fun to see her, but of course. I hope the poor baby is okay now.
I met up with my friends and then took the Subway to Penn Station, which took us all of 7 minutes. Glad we spent all that money on a cab ride when we had 30 minutes to get to the studio. Anyway, we wandered around Penn Station in search of food and found an Au Bon Pain, which was right across the aisle from a K-Mart, no joke. Even on my limited diet, I was able to find a delicious Thai Curry Soup. That makes sense, because even though the Au Bon Pain was half the size of the standard here in Boston, they seemed to have twice as many selections. New York- go figure.
We ate, we debriefed, found a Starbucks, wandered around in search of a bathroom, then stood by the departure screen. Would it surprise anyone to learn that the train was late? Of course not. After the train passed the "25 minutes late" mark, the status just went to Stand By. *Sigh* I didn't care- I was pleased to get on 40 minutes after we were supposed to- I just wanted to be home.
Funny aside- when we were waiting by the board, someone dropped a copy of the Economist. You would have thought someone had dropped a child the way people reacted. "Sir, your magazine!" S. shared my sentiment- New Yorkers are nice, and nicer than Bostonians.
Funnier aside- Men- and a few women- openly, brazenly stared at us. You might be inclined to think that it was because we were in our workout/teaching gear, but having seen what other people wore, I'm not sure that was the case. And, of course, we're all gorgeous and fit, but I think it was that we looked just a little different. It wasn't hostile or even threatening, but it made us laugh.
Poor A. tried to get some sleep after a little bit, but S. indulged me with a pleasant chat (and also showed me a really hilarious youtube video- God bless the world wide web). She got off, then I got off 40 minutes later, and I'm pretty sure A. managed to wake up to get out on the next stop.
Oh, and remember my friend K.? It's a good thing, obviously, that we didn't try to meet in the morning and I'm sure she understands why I tried to schedule with my sister. But between 4 and 6:10, we could have done something, even if it was only eat something at Penn Station. In part because she works a block away from Penn Station, which I found out when I was on the train home. Deb, you idiot.
I got home to all my children sleeping and my husband waiting for me with open arms at 11. Joke! Simon and Sammy were still up, and Sammy of course threw things. So good to be home. But then I got into my bed, and I don't think I left deep sleep before 5.
I called just a little while ago to confirm that I had, indeed, passed. Hoo wee! Because no matter what I do with this, it's nice to know that the last 16 months of my life hasn't been an expensive indulgence. Not that it would have been a waste- I did make some very good friends- but when I spend thousands of dollars I like to know that it's an investment.
So... where do we go from here? I'm not sure. But for this weekend at least, "I passed!" is good enough.
Deb in the City
I am now certified to teach the Pilates Apparatus (Reformer, Chair and Cadillac) through the PhysicalMind Institute. Wasn't I teaching before, for close to a year? Yes, but my school, unlike many other schools, requires you to teach 9 to 12 months after completing your apprenticeship hours before they will let you test out. Annoying in some ways, but otherwise I grudgingly respect it. How well do you remember the material you crammed for?
I tested out with two other people, S. and A. S. and I were in the same certification course, and A. started her training right afterward. We were all aggressive about completing our apprenticeship and steadily worked up until now (well, except for me, because I left my place of Pilates employment in November). And we all decided to test out for yesterday's date.
We talked to the person who trained us, and she described the experience that she and two of her other trainees had when they tested. We knew there would be a written and a practical/physical test, and our instructor was pretty certain that we would be asked to teach another participant and then be taught on ourselves. Reasonable enough.
The catch was that for the test we had to be prepared to teach all of the exercises, even the ones we never did ourselves and never taught to clients (because they're contraindicated, the choreography is too complicated or they just plain don't make sense). So we practiced and refined and got together last weekend to go over anything that bothered us. My concerns were Snake/Twist (I don't think I have ever once seen anyone teach that to a client, and with good reason) and Rowing Back 2 (the choreography is tricky, and while not as unsafe, you don't see a lot of that taught either, because you don't want to spend 20 minutes going over one exercise). They nodded, S. was very helpful, and then it clicked. I got it. But our instructor calmed us down. Don't be fancy, don't try to wow anyone. In other words, the movements I was worried about were unlikely to come up.
The test was on Thursday at 1 in NYC, and we were scheduled to take the train around 6:30 AM and get in by 10:50. A little time to chill out before the test, and then back to Boston on the 5:40 train. I called my sister who lives in NYC to see if she could meet. The morning was really bad, but the afternoon was possible. As it turned out, a store that she would need to go to was right across the street from our location, so it would work out perfectly. I had thought about calling my good friend K. who lives and works in Manhattan, but I assumed that she might not be able to get away in the morning either, it being a Thursday and all.
I got on the train and met A., who had gotten on the stop before. We started talking Anatomy and Fundamentals and whatnot. Then the train stopped in Attleboro. Attleboro is not a scheduled stop. Engine failure. Fortunately, they were able to fix it. Unfortunately it took them almost two hours to do so. In the meantime, S. was waiting for us at Providence.
Okay- two hours later, and we were off. We talked more about Anatomy and Fundamentals and Essentials and why we'd never do certain things with most people or all people. And then we just chatted until we arrived in NYC.
A pleasant trip- except that we had 30 minutes to get to the studio for our test. Cab? Right. Go! We ran out, and in the meantime we all realized that we were starving. And all of those restaurants we passed by looked like they might have food we could eat- in three hours.
We get to the studio and introduce ourselves to the very nice General Manager. She very calmly tells us that we'll be testing with Joan, the founder of PhysicalMind. Gulp. No problem.
The three of us go upstairs and Joan is trying to get off of the phone. She tells us to start working out. I take the Cadillac, S. takes the chair and A. takes the Reformer. We check the springs and straps, adjust as needed, then workout. We had all been worried that Joan would try and trip us up, but Joan wants to show us things on the equipment that I'd never thought to do, particularly with the Chair. Confession- I'm not a fan of the Chair, but now I started to see the versatility of it.
She came to the Cadillac before we switched equipment and remarked that I needed to understand that the Cadillac was a piece of garbage. Wow. Whoa. You need to be just a little bit inside the Pilates world- just a bit- to know how heretical it is to criticize anything Pilates created- even if the invention is almost a century old. All three of us knew exactly what she meant- there's a lot you can do with the Cadillac, but the setup and transitions are lengthy and awkward. But we'd never have called it that...
I won't give away the rest of the test, but I will say that both Snake and Rowing (although not Rowing Back 2) came up. I confirmed later that both of my companions were also shocked, but not shocked. But that wasn't the hardest part of the test. It was that Joan wanted to *discuss* the exercises, and not just the choreography. What did we need to think about? How would we prepare someone to work up to a certain exercise? What would make it easier? What would make it harder? I don't think I'm giving anything away about the test, but if I am and someone wants to take apart each and everyone of the Pilates exercises before they test out at PhysicalMind, I have a feeling she won't be upset.
We were all a little speechless when we went back downstairs to take the written exam. I'll keep details to a minimum, except to say that I chose to interpret one of the essays in the most difficult way possible and then found out from my friends that I'd made about 20 times more work for myself. Grr... why does that sound so familiar?
I finished and was all set to meet my sister. I called her to say I was done, and then she very apologetically told me that one of my nieces had come home sick and that she needed to go home to her. It would have been fun to see her, but of course. I hope the poor baby is okay now.
I met up with my friends and then took the Subway to Penn Station, which took us all of 7 minutes. Glad we spent all that money on a cab ride when we had 30 minutes to get to the studio. Anyway, we wandered around Penn Station in search of food and found an Au Bon Pain, which was right across the aisle from a K-Mart, no joke. Even on my limited diet, I was able to find a delicious Thai Curry Soup. That makes sense, because even though the Au Bon Pain was half the size of the standard here in Boston, they seemed to have twice as many selections. New York- go figure.
We ate, we debriefed, found a Starbucks, wandered around in search of a bathroom, then stood by the departure screen. Would it surprise anyone to learn that the train was late? Of course not. After the train passed the "25 minutes late" mark, the status just went to Stand By. *Sigh* I didn't care- I was pleased to get on 40 minutes after we were supposed to- I just wanted to be home.
Funny aside- when we were waiting by the board, someone dropped a copy of the Economist. You would have thought someone had dropped a child the way people reacted. "Sir, your magazine!" S. shared my sentiment- New Yorkers are nice, and nicer than Bostonians.
Funnier aside- Men- and a few women- openly, brazenly stared at us. You might be inclined to think that it was because we were in our workout/teaching gear, but having seen what other people wore, I'm not sure that was the case. And, of course, we're all gorgeous and fit, but I think it was that we looked just a little different. It wasn't hostile or even threatening, but it made us laugh.
Poor A. tried to get some sleep after a little bit, but S. indulged me with a pleasant chat (and also showed me a really hilarious youtube video- God bless the world wide web). She got off, then I got off 40 minutes later, and I'm pretty sure A. managed to wake up to get out on the next stop.
Oh, and remember my friend K.? It's a good thing, obviously, that we didn't try to meet in the morning and I'm sure she understands why I tried to schedule with my sister. But between 4 and 6:10, we could have done something, even if it was only eat something at Penn Station. In part because she works a block away from Penn Station, which I found out when I was on the train home. Deb, you idiot.
I got home to all my children sleeping and my husband waiting for me with open arms at 11. Joke! Simon and Sammy were still up, and Sammy of course threw things. So good to be home. But then I got into my bed, and I don't think I left deep sleep before 5.
I called just a little while ago to confirm that I had, indeed, passed. Hoo wee! Because no matter what I do with this, it's nice to know that the last 16 months of my life hasn't been an expensive indulgence. Not that it would have been a waste- I did make some very good friends- but when I spend thousands of dollars I like to know that it's an investment.
So... where do we go from here? I'm not sure. But for this weekend at least, "I passed!" is good enough.
Deb in the City
Friday, January 15, 2010
My week... wasn't as bad as it could have been.
I went to the best wedding/family event ever last weekend. One of my sisters put together a fabulous event almost single-handedly, and was incredibly generous to me and my family. She felt bad about all of us coming out to Philadelphia, but I thought the city was a cool mix of the things I like about New York and Boston. Of course, I was in the 10-block square that my brother-in-law said was pretty safe. Not too much further out and I would be in a place the rap group M.O.B. apparently declared so rough that they viewed their native Bedford-Stuyvestant as a safe haven. Or so my brother-in-law said.
I hope to write about that fabulous event and my thoughts on what makes a city work and doesn't, but not right now. I'm mentioning this to point out how ironic "it" is and how ungrateful I am that despite having a wonderful time I am still miserable about this last week.
We got in on Monday morning a little after 1:15 AM. I amused myself by chatting with the cab driver- really nice and articulate, which is just what the doctor orders after midnight. But the boys did not want to fall asleep, so we probably weren't all unconscious until about 2. I'd napped on the train, but only so much. No matter- I was up at 5:45 and the kids were fed and out the door by 7:45, on the bus by 8:03. Then I taught and went to workout at my trainer's studio until I crashed at 8.
Tuesday I was a little more refreshed, but starting to feel two classes and one client. I also got some square-one news about a project that I thought I could finally get off the ground. And then I found out about Haiti, which is probably going to make the rest of the month just awful. Who cares, because that does nothing to make what's happening in Hait any better.
Although Wednesday is my busiest teaching day, I still decided to spend my free time finding links to help sites, because that's all I can do. I wish I could be more helpful- I hate looking at my limits.
Thursday, which is usually something of a rest day, found me traipsing all over Boston, gathering a bass and then three children so I could then juggle a music lesson and a school meeting. Thank God I'm married, and thank God he's helpful. I really gritted my teeth through that day, reminding myself that Thursday would never look like that again. Right?
Friday- at last: instead of enjoying my usual hour to myself between when I take the kids to the bus and when I have to leave to teach, I was walking from their bus stop to mine and then traveling to their school so that I could go to their Kindergarten Presentation right up until I had to teach. Followed by picking up Jazmyn. Followed by going to teach one more class before Jaz and I got to walk around a little bit and go home. I know I should have been grateful for the two hours I had before my client and cuddled my little ones more, but I just sat on the couch and pretty much fought falling asleep.
The weekend? I am going to assist in a workshop to help me prep for a test I'm taking on the 28th. That's a little more "me" than the other stuff I did this week, but I feel bad- sad- that I'm missing my daughters' lessons and rehearsals. Michael can handle it, but I want to be there too. When does this end?
Part of it ends on the 28th, when I take- and, I hope, pass- my test. I get to close a loop. In a larger way, I am 90% sure that a big part of my teaching won't be there next year. I'm okay with it, but it forces me to think about how I want to adjust. How and if. Because in the back of all of this frenetic activity is the waiting part of the hurry-up-and-wait of a long-nurtured project. I'm not nail-biting. I genuinely feel good about it. But I don't know where it's going to be next fall. And even if I did, I don't know what that means as far as where I should be with everything else.
That bothers me, but right now what bothers me more is remembering that as I was exhausted and slogging towards home at 6:30 on Wednesday, I saw other people still deeply into their day who would remain so for the next two hours. That a good friend of mine would have killed to get home on my latest night if she knew that she was coming home to four beautiful children and a husband who loved her. And that one of my son's teachers is Haitian, and when I asked about her family today, she shook her head vigorously. She hadn't heard one thing, and as soon as it came up she'd start crying. So she just won't talk about it.
I think we're way past irony. Monday's a holiday, and I'm going to sleep in a little late, snuggle with my babies, go see my big girl play in a concert commemorating Martin Luther King Jr., and maybe see one of my younger sisters. That's going to be a good day, and I'll count all of the little blessings I have in between now and then and think good thoughts for those who aren't so fortunate.
Deb in the City
I hope to write about that fabulous event and my thoughts on what makes a city work and doesn't, but not right now. I'm mentioning this to point out how ironic "it" is and how ungrateful I am that despite having a wonderful time I am still miserable about this last week.
We got in on Monday morning a little after 1:15 AM. I amused myself by chatting with the cab driver- really nice and articulate, which is just what the doctor orders after midnight. But the boys did not want to fall asleep, so we probably weren't all unconscious until about 2. I'd napped on the train, but only so much. No matter- I was up at 5:45 and the kids were fed and out the door by 7:45, on the bus by 8:03. Then I taught and went to workout at my trainer's studio until I crashed at 8.
Tuesday I was a little more refreshed, but starting to feel two classes and one client. I also got some square-one news about a project that I thought I could finally get off the ground. And then I found out about Haiti, which is probably going to make the rest of the month just awful. Who cares, because that does nothing to make what's happening in Hait any better.
Although Wednesday is my busiest teaching day, I still decided to spend my free time finding links to help sites, because that's all I can do. I wish I could be more helpful- I hate looking at my limits.
Thursday, which is usually something of a rest day, found me traipsing all over Boston, gathering a bass and then three children so I could then juggle a music lesson and a school meeting. Thank God I'm married, and thank God he's helpful. I really gritted my teeth through that day, reminding myself that Thursday would never look like that again. Right?
Friday- at last: instead of enjoying my usual hour to myself between when I take the kids to the bus and when I have to leave to teach, I was walking from their bus stop to mine and then traveling to their school so that I could go to their Kindergarten Presentation right up until I had to teach. Followed by picking up Jazmyn. Followed by going to teach one more class before Jaz and I got to walk around a little bit and go home. I know I should have been grateful for the two hours I had before my client and cuddled my little ones more, but I just sat on the couch and pretty much fought falling asleep.
The weekend? I am going to assist in a workshop to help me prep for a test I'm taking on the 28th. That's a little more "me" than the other stuff I did this week, but I feel bad- sad- that I'm missing my daughters' lessons and rehearsals. Michael can handle it, but I want to be there too. When does this end?
Part of it ends on the 28th, when I take- and, I hope, pass- my test. I get to close a loop. In a larger way, I am 90% sure that a big part of my teaching won't be there next year. I'm okay with it, but it forces me to think about how I want to adjust. How and if. Because in the back of all of this frenetic activity is the waiting part of the hurry-up-and-wait of a long-nurtured project. I'm not nail-biting. I genuinely feel good about it. But I don't know where it's going to be next fall. And even if I did, I don't know what that means as far as where I should be with everything else.
That bothers me, but right now what bothers me more is remembering that as I was exhausted and slogging towards home at 6:30 on Wednesday, I saw other people still deeply into their day who would remain so for the next two hours. That a good friend of mine would have killed to get home on my latest night if she knew that she was coming home to four beautiful children and a husband who loved her. And that one of my son's teachers is Haitian, and when I asked about her family today, she shook her head vigorously. She hadn't heard one thing, and as soon as it came up she'd start crying. So she just won't talk about it.
I think we're way past irony. Monday's a holiday, and I'm going to sleep in a little late, snuggle with my babies, go see my big girl play in a concert commemorating Martin Luther King Jr., and maybe see one of my younger sisters. That's going to be a good day, and I'll count all of the little blessings I have in between now and then and think good thoughts for those who aren't so fortunate.
Deb in the City
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Please donate to the Haitian relief effort
I have a Bachelor of Science in History. I went to Northeastern, before it was a really cool place to go if you weren't going to do co-op, but I had some very good history professors. One of them, John Post, was the expert on Populations in History. One of his pet hypotheses was that (and I paraphrase) the administrative response to a natural disaster was the primary factor in determining how well a country recovered from said disaster. Evidently, when he first proposed this, his colleagues thought he was crazy. Now it's widely accepted by not only historians and social scientists but also politicians.
Which is why the 7.0 earthquake that hit Haiti yesterday- and the 32 aftershocks that have hit as of this writing- is so horrific. An earthquake of that magnitude is going to do unimaginable damage no matter where it strikes, but a corrupt, impoverished country is going to take so much longer to recover than one that isn't.
Please, whatever you can do for the relief effort, do. My friend Michelle has put together a list of resources that I'm copying below and my friend Mike, a longtime volunteer for the Red Cross, has advised people to send a check to them and earmark it for Haiti. Also, if you're on twitter, please follow David Bernstein, a writer for the Boston Phoenix, who is trying to compile resources and information on the disaster.
And here is just one site that gives an idea of why donations are so critical.
The U.S. Dept of State has set up a task force to respond to inquiries regarding today's earthquake in Haiti. That number is 888-407-4747
American Red Cross Disaster Response Donation page
UNICEF, specifically for Haiti and the Caribbean or call 1-800-4UNICEF
Haitian Foundation There is also a number to text Yele: 501501 This will charge your phone $5 that will be donated to the Haitian Foundation. As with all things related to your phone, please verify before you text.
Updated 12:57 PM
Catholic Charities Boston
Direct Relief International
Impact Your World- CNN This has tons of links, some of which are here.
Grassroots International Earthquake Relief Fund for Haiti 100% of these funds will go directly to Haitian relief organizations. Please call 617-524-1400 with any questions.
Updated 1:38 PM
From the New York Times:
AMERICAN JEWISH WORLD SERVICE
45 West 36th Street
New York, NY 10018
(212) 792-2900
AMERICARES
88 Hamilton Avenue
Stamford, CT 06902
(800) 486-4357
CONCERN WORLWIDE US
104 East 40th Street, #903
New York, NY 10016
(800) 59-CONCERN
CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICES
(800) 736-3467
P.O. Box 17090
Baltimore, MD 21203-7090
CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL DISASTER INFORMATION
(703) 276-1914
INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE
122 East 42nd Street
New York, NY 10168-1289
(877) REFUGEE
MERCY CORPS
Dept. W
P.O. Box 2669
Portland, OR 97208-2669
(888) 256-1900
OXFAM AMERICA
226 Causeway St., 5th Floor
Boston, MA 02114-2206
(800) 77-OXFAM (776-9326)
THE SALVATION ARMY
615 Slaters Lane
P.O. Box 269
Alexandria, VA 22313
SAVE THE CHILDREN
Haiti Earthquake Children in Emergency Fund
54 Wilton Road
Westport, CT 06880
(800) 728-3843
SAMARITAN’S PURSE
P.O. Box 3000
Boone, NC 28607
(828) 262-1980
WORLD VISION
Haiti Earthquake Relief
P.O. Box 9716
Federal Way, WA 98063-9716
(888) 511-6548
CARE
151 Ellis Street
Atlanta, GA 30303
(800) 521-CARE (521-2273)
DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS USA/MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES (MSF)
333 7th Avenue, 2nd Floor
New York, NY 10001-5004
(888) 392-0392
PARTNERS IN HEALTH
P.O. Box 845578
Boston, MA 02284-5578
(617) 432-5256
UNITED NATIONS CENTRAL EMERGENCY RESPONSE FUND
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
380 Madison Avenue, 6th floor
New York, NY 10017
U.S. FUND FOR UNICEF
125 Maiden Lane
New York, NY 10038
(800) FOR-KIDS (367-5437)
Per Sam Yoon via Facebook: US State Dept says: text "HAITI" to 90999 - $10 donation to the Red Cross will be charged to your cell phone
If you have other resources, please let me know here, on Facebook or at twitter.
As much as Americans may have lost in the last two years, thousands if not millions of people lost so much more yesterday.
Thank you,
Deb in the City
Which is why the 7.0 earthquake that hit Haiti yesterday- and the 32 aftershocks that have hit as of this writing- is so horrific. An earthquake of that magnitude is going to do unimaginable damage no matter where it strikes, but a corrupt, impoverished country is going to take so much longer to recover than one that isn't.
Please, whatever you can do for the relief effort, do. My friend Michelle has put together a list of resources that I'm copying below and my friend Mike, a longtime volunteer for the Red Cross, has advised people to send a check to them and earmark it for Haiti. Also, if you're on twitter, please follow David Bernstein, a writer for the Boston Phoenix, who is trying to compile resources and information on the disaster.
And here is just one site that gives an idea of why donations are so critical.
The U.S. Dept of State has set up a task force to respond to inquiries regarding today's earthquake in Haiti. That number is 888-407-4747
American Red Cross Disaster Response Donation page
UNICEF, specifically for Haiti and the Caribbean or call 1-800-4UNICEF
Haitian Foundation There is also a number to text Yele: 501501 This will charge your phone $5 that will be donated to the Haitian Foundation. As with all things related to your phone, please verify before you text.
Updated 12:57 PM
Catholic Charities Boston
Direct Relief International
Impact Your World- CNN This has tons of links, some of which are here.
Grassroots International Earthquake Relief Fund for Haiti 100% of these funds will go directly to Haitian relief organizations. Please call 617-524-1400 with any questions.
Updated 1:38 PM
From the New York Times:
AMERICAN JEWISH WORLD SERVICE
45 West 36th Street
New York, NY 10018
(212) 792-2900
AMERICARES
88 Hamilton Avenue
Stamford, CT 06902
(800) 486-4357
CONCERN WORLWIDE US
104 East 40th Street, #903
New York, NY 10016
(800) 59-CONCERN
CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICES
(800) 736-3467
P.O. Box 17090
Baltimore, MD 21203-7090
CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL DISASTER INFORMATION
(703) 276-1914
INTERNATIONAL RESCUE COMMITTEE
122 East 42nd Street
New York, NY 10168-1289
(877) REFUGEE
MERCY CORPS
Dept. W
P.O. Box 2669
Portland, OR 97208-2669
(888) 256-1900
OXFAM AMERICA
226 Causeway St., 5th Floor
Boston, MA 02114-2206
(800) 77-OXFAM (776-9326)
THE SALVATION ARMY
615 Slaters Lane
P.O. Box 269
Alexandria, VA 22313
SAVE THE CHILDREN
Haiti Earthquake Children in Emergency Fund
54 Wilton Road
Westport, CT 06880
(800) 728-3843
SAMARITAN’S PURSE
P.O. Box 3000
Boone, NC 28607
(828) 262-1980
WORLD VISION
Haiti Earthquake Relief
P.O. Box 9716
Federal Way, WA 98063-9716
(888) 511-6548
CARE
151 Ellis Street
Atlanta, GA 30303
(800) 521-CARE (521-2273)
DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS USA/MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES (MSF)
333 7th Avenue, 2nd Floor
New York, NY 10001-5004
(888) 392-0392
PARTNERS IN HEALTH
P.O. Box 845578
Boston, MA 02284-5578
(617) 432-5256
UNITED NATIONS CENTRAL EMERGENCY RESPONSE FUND
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
380 Madison Avenue, 6th floor
New York, NY 10017
U.S. FUND FOR UNICEF
125 Maiden Lane
New York, NY 10038
(800) FOR-KIDS (367-5437)
Per Sam Yoon via Facebook: US State Dept says: text "HAITI" to 90999 - $10 donation to the Red Cross will be charged to your cell phone
If you have other resources, please let me know here, on Facebook or at twitter.
As much as Americans may have lost in the last two years, thousands if not millions of people lost so much more yesterday.
Thank you,
Deb in the City
Thursday, January 07, 2010
Switching buses
As I've mentioned, I got rid of my car. Even though it's winter in New England, I don't regret the decision. I've got plenty of public transportation options nearby, and I live in an area that's good for walking. It's not as fabulous for walking as the South End or Northeastern area, but almost fifteen years later, I'm almost over that. Almost.
The big clincher when we decided to get rid of the car was public transportation to our younger children's school. We've always been given ridiculous bus stops- this is Boston- and the school committee was threatening to revoke our right to transportation. (Long story, but they ultimately pulled that back.) Without a car, public transportation might be a necessity. Finally, I was able to track down the routes we could use. On top of that, I discovered that not only did those routes run frequently- and picked up right near my house- they were also not in any danger of being cut by the MBTA. Woot! (Yeah, these are the things I've learned to be grateful for.)
So we took the kids to school via public transportation and let them take the school bus to get home. Michael's reasoning- that I whole-heartedly went along with- was that since the MBTA bus stop was closer to our home and ran frequently, we didn't need to rush our whiny, even bitchy kids out the door as early. An added benefit was that we could walk them into the school and even classroom, and as most parents can attest, the more visible you are, the better. Plus, they're my babies, and I want to keep them with me as long as I can.
In the mornings, the buses run pretty frequently. I've never waited more than 10 minutes. And mostly, the bus drivers are pretty nice. Some, I think, even think the children are sort of charming.
Once off the bus, the walk isn't bad, depending on the stop we get off at. It's a little uphill, but my kids are walking champs now. Jaz almost always gets way ahead of me (dragging two five-year-olds) and the boys don't whine anymore. I worry about a lot of things that I don't do well as a mother, but trust me, my kids are getting plenty of exercise.
But... It's winter in Boston, and we've had snow. The residential area that we had to walk through from the bus stop to get to the school is sporadically shoveled. We all have good boots now, so I don't mind them trekking through a little snow, but I don't like it when the snow comes up past their boots. At best their feet get cold; at worst they fall. So, for about half the trip, we've had to walk in the street which, as you can imagine, is not entirely safe, especially when you're one adult to three children and two of them are five years old.
The kicker, though, was yesterday's trip. The stop right before ours is about thirty seconds away when driving- or zooming- down the street. Don't press the button for the stop too early, because drivers (understandably) don't want to stop for nothing. I pressed for the stop just as we passed the last stop- pretty much where I always do- and the driver just kept driving. When I pointed out that I had asked for the stop, she was very annoyed and told me I couldn't wait until the last minute. Which is funny, because we're talking about seconds. She was very rude and let us off at the next stop. Not a big deal, except for the kindergarteners. So I walked that extra bit of time with them, half in the street, dropped them off, and then called the MBTA and complained. The woman I spoke to was apologetic and nice, but I know that that driver isn't going anywhere.
My kids could handle that extra minute of walking, but why should they- or I- have to be mistreated if they don't have to be, since they already had to walk on unshoveled sidewalks, in the cold, and in the street?
My next call was to the school bus yard and the school department. We'll take that morning school bus now, thank you.
Michael would normally have thought I was over-reacting except that I was also spewing about changing schools next year to some place in walking distance. He pretty much patted me on the head and then was very helpful this morning getting people up fifteen minutes earlier and then out the door half an hour earlier.
The walk from my home to the bus stop is maybe two minutes longer than the walk from the MBTA stop to the school. (Don't get me started.) BUT the sidewalks are shoveled, and there is more activity. People are going to work, getting on the train, walking their kids to school. It doesn't look like a semi-deserted wasteland. We pass our familiar stores, and the walk doesn't seem as long. And I feel, for some reason, a little guilty.
Next time- which is Monday, because tomorrow we're enroute to Philly- we'll leave five or ten minutes later. The bus driver got there almost perfectly on time, and was very nice when I explained our schedule. I kissed the kids goodbye and had an extra half hour to myself to run some errands. I smiled as I walked, but still felt a little guilty.
It wasn't until I was almost at the bank that I realized why. Who was I to indulge in a relatively nice neighborhood, a clean bus stop and SHOVELED sidewalks when so many of the families of my children's friends couldn't?
It took me about thirty seconds to remember. I'm a resident of District 6, and even though there was no City Council challenger this election cycle, we are fortunate that the Councilor who has held the seat for a while gets some things done. My children's school- and those bus stops- are in District 7. Their Councilor is now infamous for having been indicted on bribery charges. District 7 is now infamous for having voted him back in for another term.
Fine, ignore bribery scandals. It's a conspiracy. What about trash cans? What about drugs? Prostitution? Failing schools? And, oh yeah, some of those sidewalks, some of which are in front of businesses? In their case, there was a challenger, and even though Boston had a better showing than in recent years, he lost. Because District 7 decided that they were fine with more of the same.
I wish they hadn't. Because I feel bad that the people who live there aren't as well off as the people who live here. And, despite their choice at the polls, they still deserve better services and a better neighborhood. I'd like to do my bit to help. In the meantime, though, I don't feel guilty about the school bus.
Deb in the City
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
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