From @isardasorensen on Twitter....Central Park after the Blizzard...
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"Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe your critics are right."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
Stormy Weather....and Challenges
So we all got through Christmas, yet there is Blizzarding on the East Coast and Flooding in California... And travel has now taken on hellish dimensions for those trying to get to those they love. So I am glad to be homebound and able to enjoy our Frigid temperatures and Bare Trees...
My Car is still dead right now, so I have been on foot to do errands and Get Things Done. I think Siberian Hiking might even be good for me. It gives me time to think and look at the Snow Patterns and admire the Tenacious squirrels scurrying about. I have been stocking up on Soup and Chili and Candles and Birdfood, because I know that we are overdue to get Slammed. It's been a hard winter already and I think I need to really examine my Courage Reservoirs....I need to start looking for a REAL job again in January. One that has Consistent hours and benefits and a real schedule....oh how I dream. There are Many Dreaming right now and Hoping. Please do what you can to Help 99rs, because when Congress gets back the Repugs will be rushing to throw them and all of us under the First Bus....
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The Memory Quilt and Riding Out The Storm,...
"Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending."~Maria Robinson
I first made my son a Memory Quilt when he was about 5, and then every few years I would update it with new patches from his old favorite clothes, a favorite sweat shirt or jeans. And then I updated again when he was 12 and we lived out West and so this past month I again updated his Old Memory Quilt with snippets of his life since through his teen years : Surf Shorts and Hawaiian shirts from California Days, and Scraps from his Harry Potter Curtains when we still lived in the NW, and a favorite shirts that his dad used to wear that I know he loved and no longer fits in. ( He is over 6-6 so alot does not fit anymore....) As I sewed on this I realized that so much has changed in the past few years and that his life is not where he wants it,and he is biding his time during this Economic Collapse. There are alot of Kids his age, Waiting and Wondering and Worrying. We stand in the Kitchen and he plays Moby and he eats a sub and I make soup and I still am grateful to hear his thoughts, his worries,
his very best McCain imitation or Beck rendition. He admits that he is Okay riding out The Storm with me for Now, that he knows he is not Alone. There are not alot of School Loans here or even much Financial Aid, I know that other States are better...and I know that many are sharing this Interrupted College Schedule...I wish the MSM would cover this Crisis, or atleast acknowledge so many young people that are hurting.....I wish....
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The Blizzard....From many Perspectives...
First all over Twitter and Facebook....Many photos and videos of the Blizzard that walloped the East Coast, but this video, is unreal....Stupidity does not take a Holiday
And more from The Consumerist on this issue, explains why New Yorkers have been less than thrilled with their Snow Clean Up.... If you are on Twitter the flood of snippy messages to Mayor Bloomberg especially from Brooklyn surely show the angst , complete with photos of huge drifts burying cars. The Big Hero of the day is Mayor Cory Booker who even helped dig out his city and deliver food and supplies, even diapers to families in need. He was taking messages on Twitter to learn who needed what. True Inspiration.
Meanwhile in New Jersy the National Guard has been called out and as EricBoehlert reports and yet their Governor still is vacationing at Disneyland in Florida enjoying himself while his state is in an Emergency.
Do go to Twitter and see @OneLegSandpiper he has great Blizzard photos from the Beaches in NJ...amazing really beautiful photos of the Beaches and the Dunes and the Drifts....
3 comments:
Allie, I hope you and your son both get the jobs and, for him, the educational opportunities you both so deserve and need. You speak for many of us, hanging onto the bottom edge of the next-to-the-bottom rung of this whole capitalistic meltdown (caused by Greed Versus Need). (Next run down is the streets themselves.....so I hear you, walking through your Siberian winter. But you have more gutsy courage and pluck than any five women I know put together. You will turn it around. Bless you, for your great heart and sharp mind........you are doing good work. I dread the return of the Repugs as much as you do. Frick.
College money. It's all mostly done through FAFSA, and it's all loans. Gone are the days of Pell Grants. But you need to contact a college financial advisor (either community or University college), and ask them what is available. There may be some monies for special needs, or low income... but you have to be aggressive to pursue it.
Back in the Bush era, my son applied for college $, and what we got back was an offer of a 14.99% VARIABLE RATE LOAN!
We were so excited about it, we could not run it through the shredder soon enough!
FAFSA is the hub for college $, and then there are tax break programs.... HOPE & now American Education program.
But if you are really broke, none of that helps either.
Going deep in debt to go to college is pretty foreboding too-- the only sure thing is you will come out of it deeper in debt. Not like in the past where they could show statistics that if you went to college, you would make a higher wage. Maybe if you had a specialized skill in high demand? Some kind of 2 year certification program, might open the door to something like med tech??
In hard times like these, regrouping & looking at other things he might like to do may be necessary. It's free to visit with college course & financial advisors & see what might be out there.
My son goes to the U of O & his tuition jumped from $6200 a year to $8190. There are book & living expenses above that. Even buying college books used, is very expensive.
They are talking about tuition rate hikes again.
I just did a post about insurance.... it seems everything is going up, but wages.
It's quite the blizzard in the NE & my heart goes out to those stranded in airports for days.
What is strange, is they move regularly scheduled air traffic first, then deal w those who have been stranded for days.
It seems those who have been in line for the longest should get priority.
Love the memory quilt ... especially that it is made from pieces of family clothing!
The news coverage of the bigass storm looks so scary ... makes me feel like a real wimp ... and there you are out there walking around in it!
Listen, next year has GOT to be better. Jobs have to start coming back soon or we are all sunk. I have high hopes!
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