Sunday, September 30, 2012

 CELEBRATING
BILBO & FRODO'S
RESPECTIVE BIRTHDAYS
AT
TIMDALF'S ANNUAL PICNIC
ON
SEPTEMBER 16TH


 WALKING TOUR
AROUND
PRINCETON UNIVERSITY
CAMPUS
ON
SEPTEMBER 15TH
WITH
MY FRIEND SHEILA






 MORE PHOTOS OF MY
HP HUFFLEPUFF GIBSON GIRL
ENSEMBLE
CREATED
BY
WENDY WRIGHT
OF
DARKLIGHTER DESIGNS



PERSONAL NEWS #212

Sept 1st to 4th, I visited with the parents, brother and sister-in-law in upstate NY.  Weather the whole time was great  :-D

On Sept 5th, I attended the evening Hatha yoga class in my hood.

On Sept 6th, I had my first “fitting” for the Hufflepuff Gibson Girl style ensemble that my friend Wendy is creating.

On Sept 7th, I had final fitting of the Hufflepuff Gibson Girl style ensemble and Wendy stated it was done, so I could take it home.  Hurray!  Need to do alot ironing, especially the skirt part of it.

Sept 8th, I was supposed to attend TGTSNBN cosplay in northern Central Park, but at last minute I declined due to very inclement weather.  I wore my costume anyway for 1 ½ hours to get a better feel of it, and took pix.  My friend Gail came over to see the ensemble and helped out with the photos.

Sept 9th, I visited Dr Tan for acupuncture treatment on my right foot, which has developed Morton’s Neuroma.  Damn!  Dr Tan says the treatment will help out, so I don’t have to get surgery.  I sure hope so!  Afterwards I joined Debbie, Margaret and Mari to see “Raiders of the Lost Ark” in IMAX and we all really enjoyed it.  Then it was off to a diner on 9th Avenue for abit of dinner and chatter.

Sept 11th, I had another appt with Dr Tan and acupuncture treatment for my right foot.

Sept 12th, I assisted with other BSC EA’s at an offsite EY event for the whole day [ie: 7am to 6pm and a tasty lunch were included.]

Sept 13th, I assisted with an EY event at the office that ran from 5pm to 9pm.  More OT!

Sept 14th, I had to come in early [7:30am] to the office to assist with an EY event, and then left at 5pm for acupuncture appt.

Sept 15th, I visited my friend Sheila in NJ for the day.  During the afternoon we drove into Princeton for a wee walkabout, plus some shopping.  The weather was so lovely.  Afterwards, we had a nice dinner at a Chinese restaurant near her home.

Sept 16th, I joined other NYC Tolkien fan/friends in heading up to Valley Cottage [ie: bus] for Timdalf’s annual picnic.  This picnic is in celebration of Bilbo and Frodo’s respective birthdays in the Shire.

Sept 18th, earlier in the day I went to see my foot doctor and found out I don’t have Morton’s Neuroma, but a “transverse stress fracture on the 3rd metatarsal of my right foot”.  Good news is I don’t need surgery.  The foot is now wrapped up and in a bootie for at least 2 weeks.  I am also off work the 19th through 23rd and back to office on the 24th.  Have to keep foot elevated.  I brought laptop and paperwork home to take care of over next few days.  Later on I joined in, via conference call, with the monthly BFP PF committee meeting.

On Sept 19th, Debbie and Jenna helped me out with doing laundry, grocery shopping and hanging out while watching David Tennant as Doctor Who.  Jenna made the most delicious chocolate chip and spice muffins for me.  Yummers!

On Sept 22nd, my friend Gail stopped by to assist me with grocery shopping and getting stamps.  That evening I chatted with my friend Michelle on the phone and then on Sunday evening I chatted with Josee on the phone.

Sept 25th, I had a follow up appt with my foot doctor.  He checked it over, got some therapy for it, wrapped up again and wearing the bootie for another week.

Sept 26th, "Yeah, diss here be Times Square", so said the #7 subway conductor as our train entered the station during commute this morning.  Obviously “grammar” is not a strong point with many of the MTA conductors.

Evening of Sept 27th, I left work around 7pm and took a taxi down to the B&N in Union Square to pick up JK Rowling’s new book [The Casual Vacancy].  From there I took a taxi home, so as to give my foot a rest and not deal with the subways.

On Sept 28th, I joined in on the first of a bi-weekly photography course at work called “The FSO Photography Initiative”.  Course is being taught by Alec Sergeyev, a professional photographer & EY Senior Manager.

On Sept 29th, my cleaning lady, Dana, came over to take care of my apartment and she told me about her recent trip to Poland.  Later in the afternoon I had a much needed manicure.
 LATEST IN HEALTH ISSUES
WITH THE DUCHESS
&
HER RIGHT FOOT



IN THE NEWS AND IT’S NOT ALL PRETTY

9 Frightening Things About America’s Biggest Police Force
Tana Ganeva and Laura Gottesdiener
The NYPD has expanded into a massive global anti-terror operation with surveillance and military capabilities unparalled in the history of local US law enforcement.

Student Debt Hits Record 1 in 5 US Households
Common Dreams Staff
Nearly one in five American households are now strapped with student debt, a new record for the US public, according to a new report by the Pew Research Center.  The report cites soaring tuition costs as well as a marked increase in college enrollment, due to a lack of jobs in the economic recession, as the major causes of the heavy increase in student debt. Adding to the weight of the debt is the continued faltering of the economy, which supplies fewer college grads with jobs after graduation, making it difficult to begin payments on the high interest loans.

Forbes 400 List Reveals Why the Greedy Rich Fully Deserve Your Contempt and Jesus’s
Lynn Parramore
The bulk of America’s superwealthy refuse to pull their weight and kill opportunity for the rest.  And they want your thanks!

Oil Spill in Paerdegat Basin, Authorities Say Stay Away
Ned Berke, Sheepshead Bites

How Do You Take Your Poison?
Chris Hedges’ Column
We will all swallow our cup of corporate poison. We can take it from nurse Romney, who will tell us not to whine and play the victim, or we can take it from nurse Obama, who will assure us that this hurts him even more than it hurts us, but one way or another the corporate hemlock will be shoved down our throats. The choice before us is how it will be administered. Corporate power, no matter who is running the ward after January 2013, is poised to carry out U.S. history’s most savage assault against the poor and the working class, not to mention the Earth’s ecosystem. And no one in power, no matter what the bedside manner, has any intention or ability to stop it.

Coalition Against the Rockaway Pipeline

No One at Home – How to Deal with Foreclosures in Your Community
AnnBrown, Madame Noire

5 Biggest LIES About America’s Public Schools – Debunked
Kristin Rawls, AlterNet
Here’s the truth behind 5 of the most destructive myths about public education.

Israel PM Draws Red Line (Literally) on Mythical Iranian Bomb
Common Dreams Staff
The only problem, however, is that Netanyahu's claims are betrayed by the facts and, as is always the case, were offered amidst the lingering reality that Israel refuses to acknowledge the existence of its own nuclear arsenal. ---- Netanyahu's claims at the UN, like that of most western media, "are awash in misleading narratives, incomplete histories, and outright fiction about Iran and its nuclear program."

"Protect Our Park! Keep the gas industry out of Gateway National Recreation Area" --Take a moment and please, sign on here: http://carpny.org/sign-the-petition/


Julian Assange: The Audacity of US Policies
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/09/27-1

Amy Goodman: Romney Has a Jobs Plan ... for China
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/09/27-2

Dana Goldstein: Bad Lessons From 'Won't Back Down'
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/09/27-9

Jeff Nygaard: Social Security: Solidarity, Not Investment
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/09/27

Ralph Nader: Barack to Mitt: Corporations Run the Economy
http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/09/28

Pakistan Foreign Minister: Drones Are Top Cause Of Anti-Americanism
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/09/28-2

France's 'Toughest' Budget: Super Tax on the Super Rich
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/09/28-0

Voyage Reveals 'Planetary Scale' of Plastic in Oceans
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/09/28-4

Big Pharma Medicaid Fraud Penalties at Record High
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2012/09/28-1

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Over the weekend of Sept 15/16, I visited with a good friend for brunch and a walking tour around Princeton University campus and town.

Plus, a picnic with NYC Tolkien fans and friends up at Valley Cottage, NY in honor of Bilbo and Frodo's birthday.




ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY – OCCUPY MOVEMENT STILL STRONG

OccupyWallStreet NYC General Assembly Editorial

Thousands of occupiers from around the country converged on lower Manhattan for OWS's first birthday. Indeed, our S17 anniversary weekend was a great victory, and has provided an exhilarating shot of energy to our community for the fight ahead.

And no, this wasn’t nostalgia for nostalgia’s sake. As Alternet.org reporter Sarah Jaffe put it: "Occupy's anniversary feels less like a celebration of what was and more a demonstration of what's becoming."

Over the weekend we were able to display what we’re trying to build. From the cultural events at the Occupy Town Squares and Occupy Rosh Hashanah to the massive Affinity Group Spokescouncils planning disciplined direct actions, we showed the best we have to offer. And we spent time getting to know each other, deepening the bonds of love and trust that will sustain us in the future.


On September 17th, our joyous carnival of Liberation- the Puppet Parade, the polar bear bike brigade, red square confetti blitzes of bank lobbies- brought something beautiful to the Financial District. The development of our non-violent civil disobedience was also that much more clear, especially for how our ‘swirl of roving intersection occupations’ proved to be both a successful tactic and an innovative strategy.


All of this came despite the best attempts from Mayor Bloomberg’s ‘private army’ to extra-legally stifle us from making our voices heard. But we have persevered and evolved, fighting for our right to peaceably assemble in protest of Wall Street alongside protesting Wall Street itself.


Occupy Wall Street continues to survive and thrive against enormous obstacles, and we have emerged from our one year anniversary stronger than we were before. Now, we enter year two that much more ready to take the struggle to the streets, the workplaces, and the neighborhoods where the 99% confront the 1% every day. Get ready.

 
All Roads Lead to Wall Street. Join us on the journey to a better world.

Saturday, September 08, 2012

First official photo of the Duchess
in her "new" Hufflepuff Gibby
Ensemble created for HP Cosplays,
Conventions and for my visit to
Salem, MA at Halloween
[Ensemble Created by Wendy Wright]

Tuesday, September 04, 2012


PERSONAL NEWS #211
Thursday, August 2nd, I had an appt with Dr Tan in Chinatown.

Saturday, August 4th, I visited with my good friend Katherine in northwestern CT and after a tasty lunch at a Chinese buffet, we attended the Goshen 4H Fair.

Sunday, August 5th, I attended the Hatha yoga class in my hood, and in the afternoon I hung out with Sam in Manhattan to check out MMoA / dinner.  Despite the warm and humid weather it was a good day.

Tuesday evening, August 8th, I attended and participated in the monthly BFP PF committee meeting.  It was productive and diverse.

Friday, August 10th, I did volunteer work with City Harvest down at Union Square farmers market.

Saturday afternoon, August 11th, after Dana cleaned my apt, I took mass transit out to Bayside [Queens] to visit Debbie and Linda.  We noshed on tasty food, drank wine, watched the Olympics and caught up on news/gossip.  Debbie’s condo is really nice and situated in a charming gated community.

Sunday, August 12th, I attended the Hatha yoga class in my hood, and later in the day I headed into Manhattan to stroll along the High Line.

Monday evening, August 13th, I did volunteer work at the WCW national office.

Thursday evening, August 16th, my friend Rebecca Irvin stopped by to provide “massage therapy”, catch up on news and nosh on vegan hazelnut/chocolate cake.  Rebecca is about 4-5 months shy of obtaining her official degree / license.  She needs the practice and I am a willing guinea pig.  She brought her own table and all the necessary accoutrements, plus was mindful of my health issues.

Saturday afternoon, August 18th, I headed up to New Canaan and Pound Ridge to meet up with Melanie Climis and her friend Lisa.  We strolled around abit of New Canaan, had a delicious lunch at CAVA on Forest Street, purchased Belgian chocolates, and visited Melanie’s family in Pound Ridge.  Afterwards I caught a ride with Lisa, as she had to drive into Manhattan to meet with friends on the upper Westside.

Sunday afternoon, August 19th, I attended a NYC Tolkien event at Simple Studios regarding the epic poem BEOWULF and its influence on Tolkien.

Monday morning, August 20th, while at work around 11am, I started to cough up some blood due to my chronic lung condition.  It wasn’t abating much, so I called my lung specialist.  When he called me back, he advised that I go to emergency room at NY Methodist in Brooklyn.  Talked with my Administrative Mgrs and EA co-workers on my floor, and apprised them of the situation.  Car service was provided for me to take it home, so I could pack a small overnight bag, call my parents and leave messages on FB etc.  Ambulance came at 1:40pm to take me to the hospital and was released after tests et al at 6pm to come home.

On Tuesday, August 21st, I took a sick day from work to rest up and also visit with my lung specialist for follow-up to hospital visit.  In the evening, as co-chair, I participated in a productive BFP AandC committee conference call.

Friday, August 24th, I did volunteer work with City Harvest down at Union Square farmers market.

On Saturday afternoon, August 25th, I visited Greenwood Cemetery here in ole Brooklyn.  I haven’t visited, nor toured this beautiful cemetery in 10 years and been meaning to for quite some time.

Sunday, August 26th, I attended the Hatha yoga class in my hood and after changing/ freshening up I headed into the city for an acupuncture appt with Dr Tan.  Afterwards had lunch, fun shopping and then an enjoyable ride home on the East River ferry from the Wall Street pier.  That makes 4 times this summer that I’ve ridden the ferry.

Monday, August 27th, after work, I participated in a protest at West 49th Street outside NBC studios regarding their horrible reality shows.

Wednesday, August 29th, I attended the Hatha yoga class in my hood.

Friday, August 31st, I had appts with my chiropractor and acupuncturist.