Forget Politics - Help your neighbors

I like to think this is Sandy

We lucked out in this part of CT. While Sandy raged all around us, those of us who live in the central part of the state made it through relatively unscathed. Our family lost power for less than a minute and we sustained no damage.

The same can't be said of those in coastal CT, NY and NJ where the storm surge caused devastation. And now, we're looking at a Nor'easter heading in our direction this week.

We are a community. Whether a town, a city, a neighborhood, a country... or a planet. We are all linked together by our humanity.

Here are just a few ways to help via the Red Cross:

Donate to the Red Cross online,  HERE

Donate $10 via text - it couldn't be easier. Just text REDCROSS to 90999 and the $10 donation will be added to your next phone bill.

Donate by phone:

Call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767)

1-800-257-7575 (Español)

If you can't give money or items, go to your local Red Cross location and inquire about giving blood. That doesn't cost you a thing.

Here's a site  for residents of Rockaway, Breezy Point and Broad Channel to get information and assistance. If you live nearby and have power, go HERE and see what you can do to help.


Show your humanity - find a way to help.


 With the elections coming up, I for one am tired of all of the negative political posturing. We're up to our asses in Radio, TV and print ads, lawn signs, mailings and phone calls, rhetoric, lies and Bullshit. So I propose that we all take a day off from politics.

Tomorrow, for just one day, let's forget politics and focus on our fellow citizens.

Do something. Do one something to help another person.

Mitt and Barak can take care of themselves for one day.

Frankenstorm is coming!

Trick or Treat!!

Last year, Halloween came and went while those of us who live in New England were without power for a week under two feet of snow.

This year, we put up our spooky decorations early only to hear that now, Hurricane Sandy is heading our way... for Halloween.

Crap.

So, as we're all taking down anything that can fly away, the Bear put on his costume.  I thought this was a wildly optimistic move on his part until I saw this:

 Smart Ass Bear

Now I see that this is an editorial statement.

Take that, Sandy. 

Into every life... a little rain

This has been one hell of a week.

On Monday, we had to replace the tank and pump on our well. To the tune of $2200. Not a big shock, we knew it was coming and had budgeted for the expense (Thank you, IRS!).

What we didn't expect was that on Tuesday night, our home would fill with fumes (much like tires burning) and when we checked the basement, we found the floor covered with water. Now our basement is blessedly water-tight so even though it was raining, we knew this was something else.

Several hours later, the repairman left us, with a bill for repairing the Hot Water Heater (the source of the leak) for $350 and another separate bill for unclogging the furnace (the source of the fumes) for $675. He also informed us that he'd have to return on Thursday to replace the pipe leading from the furnace into the chimney.

After that visit, he gifted us with an invoice for another $700.

Along with all this, we have seen torrential rains this week and a small leak in the roof has turned into a larger mess. So we tried to sleep and ignore the drip, drip, drip into the strategically placed buckets.

But...

This wasn't a totally negative week. There were some random bright spots.

I discovered that my Tinkerbell pin (roughly valued at $1.99) had fallen off my lunch bag. I was positive she most likely dropped in the parking lot and had been the victim of rain/snow/ice and tires... but no, she was found (clean, dry and undamaged) and passed on to a friend whom I happened to bump into.

And for some reason, just by chance (I was clearing out old emails), I opened an email which informed me that I needed to download the new antivirus for my new netbook because the existing trial program expired 2/25. When I looked at the date on my desktop, there it was "Thursday, 2/25."

Crap!

So... I scrambled to D/L the new program, installed, all good... and then I thought... "Wait a minute, it's Wednesday!"

The date on my netbook was off by a day - so I was able to get my antivirus all straightened out before it actually expired.

It's funny - the last time we were hit with these types of household disasters was 20 years ago. We were a young couple in our first home, with a 2 year old son. We were both laid off from our jobs in the same week and within days, the well pump and the furnace died.

My reaction at the time, was panic, "We're going to lose our house!" To which my husband replied "Yep, we probably will."

This did nothing to calm my hysteria. (Note to new husbands: If you learn nothing else, learn when it is appropriate and even expected to lie to your wife.)

20 years later, our reactions are somewhat different. Life does that to you. This time he said,"It'll be fine, don't worry."

After the third repair bill, his response was a shrug, "It is, what it is."

Then we went out to dinner.

Life has a way of taking the edge off things. I've learned not to stress about things I can't control. I try to find joy in the simple things in life. This year for Christmas, along with my netbook I asked for and received Tinkerbell floormats for my Jeep.

Not a huge thing, but I begin and end each day with a smile at the start of my hour-long commute.


The moral of this story - find what makes you smile.

For me - it's Tink.