I'll let you finish that sentence.
Three-month-long insomnia equals Mrs. Grumpy Pants. I am finally starting to get a little bit of sleep. I'm starting to fall asleep at 2 and waking up at whatever time is required of me. Mind you I don't sleep through the night...er...morning. I wake up off and on. I have climbed from my strictly enforced one cup of coffee in the morning and a soda once a week to at least two cups of coffee and who knows how many sodas. (But that's okay because my stress levels have shed so many pounds that I can afford to regain the 10 pounds I lost when I stopped drinking soda.)
My blood levels have now reached a balanced ratio of caffeine and water. For those of you who believe this is adding to the sleeplessness let me say this: The Allen blood runs deep. I have an innate resistance to caffeine. Ask my father about how well No-Doze (sp?) keeps an Allen awake. Coffee doesn't wake me up, it makes me human. Also, the insomnia started during my strict caffeine intake.
It certainly doesn't help that the hubby is on a sleep schedule that has him asleep from 2am to 11am. While tv has traditionally helped me fall asleep, the channel was always kept on a safe news channel or infomercial. The Nick at Nite line up of The Nanny and George Lopez is not conducive to falling asleep. I may have to instate a curfew for TV in the bedroom.
Barring the TV dilemma, I am trying Melatonin, sleepy time tea, and generic, otc sleeping aids (which are about as effective as Tylenol is on a headache).
In the meantime, if you happen to pass me on the street...well, first explain to me what the heck you're doing in New York and why you didn't tell me. Then don't take it personal if I glare at you, speak in single syllables, and insult your mother. I'm just bitter that they haven't yet developed a quicker way to caffeine into the bloodstream.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
The Politics of Money
Having been underemployed for a year, and having a husband who has been underemployed for two years, I have felt the brunt of the economic downturn. Sure, there are people who have had it worse off, but life has not been what I expected when I graduated.
As such, I have an increasing interest in the health of the economy. Every time a business goes down, or the government cuts support of an institution, I cringe. Not only do I have concern for those who lose their jobs, but I also think to myself: "Great. More over-qualified competitors for low-paying jobs." I don't even know how high school students get part-time jobs anymore.
Here in the Capital Region of New York, school councils have voted to close a number of elementary schools. One district even voted to completely get rid of public day care programs.
I may not have been the best economics student, but I did have to have some basic knowledge in order to get my degree. I understand the budget crisis. I understand that certain things need to be cut. What I don't understand is why administrators' first choices include cutting educational institutions and programs that provide essential services to many, many people. How can they deny public access to medical aid (ie. Planned Parenthood) without looking at their administrative costs? How can they close schools without addressing the consequences and not look at their own salaries? And although many people may disagree with me, I fail to sympathize with teachers who fight for a salary raise, even though it means other teachers will lose their jobs.
Greed is a funny thing. And I'm not saying I am without this vice. I can be greedy too. How many times have I refused to give $5 to a charitable cause and then spent $20 on a t-shirt? Greed is a human trait. I haven't met anyone that doesn't have some quantity of it. However, it would be nice to see a politician who curtails his/her greed for the benefit of the constituents. And this greed does not always come in the form of money. I'd really like to know how many times a representative votes for his/her own interests vs. those of the voters.
Politics seems to be a no-fly zone for charitable people. In order to get into positions of power you have to be greedy. You have to be willing to pimp yourself out for campaign contributions. You have to be willing mud-sling your opponents. You have to be willing to make promises to voters that you have no intention of keeping. Wouldn't it be nice if people could be elected without millions of dollars for campaign contributions? I know, I dream.
In the meantime, I wonder how more job losses are really going to help the economy?
As such, I have an increasing interest in the health of the economy. Every time a business goes down, or the government cuts support of an institution, I cringe. Not only do I have concern for those who lose their jobs, but I also think to myself: "Great. More over-qualified competitors for low-paying jobs." I don't even know how high school students get part-time jobs anymore.
Here in the Capital Region of New York, school councils have voted to close a number of elementary schools. One district even voted to completely get rid of public day care programs.
I may not have been the best economics student, but I did have to have some basic knowledge in order to get my degree. I understand the budget crisis. I understand that certain things need to be cut. What I don't understand is why administrators' first choices include cutting educational institutions and programs that provide essential services to many, many people. How can they deny public access to medical aid (ie. Planned Parenthood) without looking at their administrative costs? How can they close schools without addressing the consequences and not look at their own salaries? And although many people may disagree with me, I fail to sympathize with teachers who fight for a salary raise, even though it means other teachers will lose their jobs.
Greed is a funny thing. And I'm not saying I am without this vice. I can be greedy too. How many times have I refused to give $5 to a charitable cause and then spent $20 on a t-shirt? Greed is a human trait. I haven't met anyone that doesn't have some quantity of it. However, it would be nice to see a politician who curtails his/her greed for the benefit of the constituents. And this greed does not always come in the form of money. I'd really like to know how many times a representative votes for his/her own interests vs. those of the voters.
Politics seems to be a no-fly zone for charitable people. In order to get into positions of power you have to be greedy. You have to be willing to pimp yourself out for campaign contributions. You have to be willing mud-sling your opponents. You have to be willing to make promises to voters that you have no intention of keeping. Wouldn't it be nice if people could be elected without millions of dollars for campaign contributions? I know, I dream.
In the meantime, I wonder how more job losses are really going to help the economy?
Monday, March 21, 2011
When It Snows, It SNOWS!
Last week we saw two days that hit a beautiful 63 degrees. Yesterday was the first day of spring. The snow around town had almost completely melted. I anticipate plenty of rain showers, but I had thought I'd seen the last of the snow. Wrong!
The thing about snow in New York is that the state seems completely oblivious to the idea of "snow flurries". For my non-snow readers, a snow flurry is like a sprinkling of snow. So, even if it did snow, I would expect it to be snow flurries. Wrong again. Since I've been to New York I have not seen the "snow flurry phenomenon". Every time it snows there has to be at least two inches on the ground before all is said and done. Even the snow plows are out this morning!
As a California Girl who had very little snow experience, I loved snow! When I moved to the Midwest I was so excited to experience seasons. It took one winter for my love of snow to turn sour. Snow is a novel idea only when it exists in the mountains and I must drive at least an hour to play in it. And then it is only suitable for play, not work. After two seasons of shoveling snow off my car, scraping ice off my windshield, driving icy roads, and being snowed-in; I am no longer a fan of snow. As such, the fact that it is March 21 and snowing really irritates me.
The other wonderful thing: I now have to drive to work in this snow. And like California when it rains, drivers get stupid when it snows.
I really hope today is the last white landscape I see for a while...
The thing about snow in New York is that the state seems completely oblivious to the idea of "snow flurries". For my non-snow readers, a snow flurry is like a sprinkling of snow. So, even if it did snow, I would expect it to be snow flurries. Wrong again. Since I've been to New York I have not seen the "snow flurry phenomenon". Every time it snows there has to be at least two inches on the ground before all is said and done. Even the snow plows are out this morning!
As a California Girl who had very little snow experience, I loved snow! When I moved to the Midwest I was so excited to experience seasons. It took one winter for my love of snow to turn sour. Snow is a novel idea only when it exists in the mountains and I must drive at least an hour to play in it. And then it is only suitable for play, not work. After two seasons of shoveling snow off my car, scraping ice off my windshield, driving icy roads, and being snowed-in; I am no longer a fan of snow. As such, the fact that it is March 21 and snowing really irritates me.
The other wonderful thing: I now have to drive to work in this snow. And like California when it rains, drivers get stupid when it snows.
I really hope today is the last white landscape I see for a while...
Thursday, March 17, 2011
So...
It's been a while. Let's see if I can keep this up this time.
So any of you who read this know that we are now in New York. You probably also know the story of how we got here but I need a jumping off point.
Last time I posted I had an interview with a clothing store: maurices. (And yes the lack of capitalization is intentional.) I got that job and for the most part enjoyed it.
Fast forward a few months.
After several conversations in which Matt wasn't sure about the furniture company and really wanted to get back into higher education, I suggested he look into jobs for residence life.
Fast forward to February.
The furniture company found out Matt was looking for other jobs and gave him an ultimatum: stop searching or get out. So, Matt's last day was at the end of February and I put in my notice at maurices. We packed everything up, loaded the pets in the car, and drove out to New York.
We are now living with Matt's dad. I have found a job with Gymboree (thank goodness we don't have children or I would spend my paycheck). Matt has an interview with Gamestop. In the meantime Matt has applied to several universities and is waiting to hear from them. If (when) he gets a job, it will likely start in July. I am putting off my higher ed search until we figure out Matt's situation. (Since his job would be live-on, it would be ridiculous for me to apply to a job that is on the other end of the state from his.)
So, this is where we find ourselves. And if I actually put my thoughts on paper(?) this time these chronicles should be a little more interesting...
So any of you who read this know that we are now in New York. You probably also know the story of how we got here but I need a jumping off point.
Last time I posted I had an interview with a clothing store: maurices. (And yes the lack of capitalization is intentional.) I got that job and for the most part enjoyed it.
Fast forward a few months.
After several conversations in which Matt wasn't sure about the furniture company and really wanted to get back into higher education, I suggested he look into jobs for residence life.
Fast forward to February.
The furniture company found out Matt was looking for other jobs and gave him an ultimatum: stop searching or get out. So, Matt's last day was at the end of February and I put in my notice at maurices. We packed everything up, loaded the pets in the car, and drove out to New York.
We are now living with Matt's dad. I have found a job with Gymboree (thank goodness we don't have children or I would spend my paycheck). Matt has an interview with Gamestop. In the meantime Matt has applied to several universities and is waiting to hear from them. If (when) he gets a job, it will likely start in July. I am putting off my higher ed search until we figure out Matt's situation. (Since his job would be live-on, it would be ridiculous for me to apply to a job that is on the other end of the state from his.)
So, this is where we find ourselves. And if I actually put my thoughts on paper(?) this time these chronicles should be a little more interesting...
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