8/13 - Fate and our trip to the Keys

Do you believe in providence, karma or fate?

I planned out a trip to the Keys this summer.  The game plan was to take the Amtrak out of Penn Station to Miami.  From there grab a hotel for the night then rent a car.  Drive to the Keys and get a room at the Sombrero Hotel in Marathon.  Why there? Cost and it is in the center of the Keys for the most part.  We would leave late in July and come back to NY (yuk) the first week of August.

While there I wanted to reach out and meet face to face some of my FB friends.  Lunch or a drink or two, or something like that to BS a bit.  I’m not going to mention who I wanted to meet here.  I want to learn firsthand the business climate there and see where I can market myself to prospective employers.  After all I specialize in network / computer support and webpage design plus have a lot of marine service experience as a chief mechanic and parts manager from working in a yacht dealership.

Of course while there do some ‘tourist’ stuff.  Things like hanging out at Mallory Square during sunset, lunch at the Hog’s Breath Saloon, a brewski or two or three at Sloppy Joe’s, maybe lunch at the No Name Pub.  Watching the Dolphins at the DRC.  And enjoy sitting on the beach just letting time slip away.

Next thing you know, my pathetic below poverty level unemployment ran out.  There is no way I could finance the trip on that but it did supplement what we have.  At least it would have paid for a few nights at the hotel.

Because of the stoppage of funds the trip is now on hold, again.  Please feel free to insert some appropriate language here, I know I did.

As you would have it we were hit with yet another tragedy.  My sister-in-law who lives in Phoenix had two CVA’s with the second being pretty bad.  For those who do not know what a CVA is, it is a Cerebral Vascular Accident or a stroke.  We have been on the phone with her and her husband on a daily basis.

There is improvement and she is now stable and out of the hospital, but there is a decent amount of damage.

It was decided that we are going to have to drive, you heard me, drive to Phoenix from Long Island.  My wife refuses to fly and the train is totally out of the question.  So we are going to rent a car and three of us are driving the entire distance.  It will not be cheap and it will not be comfortable.  But it is something that we have to do, for what if.  We are leaving NY on 9/1 and hope to be back 9/11 of all days.  Of course if things for her get worse then we are going to bump the trip up sooner.

I figured that with the three of us taking turns driving we should make it in about a day and a half depending on traffic and how we hold up.  But I am allowing three days each way to be on the safe side.

I guess there was a reason as to why we never made it to the Keys in July.  Providence, karma?  Who knows?  But I am NOT giving up on my dream or plans on going to the Keys.

8/3 - NY Afforadble Healthcare, what a joke

Everyone is aware of the ObamaCare law which mandates that all Americans have affordable healthcare. But the law does not state what is to be considered affordable.

Case in point, in New York they came up with the affordable heathcare reform on the heels of ObamaCare. Looking at the New York Affordable Heathcare site paying from $3,000 to $4,000 a month is considered affordable.  I would like to know what Governor Cuomo has been smoking.  I don't think many indviduals can afford that unless you are very well off.  Cuomo has always been in favor of the rich and could care less about the working class or the low income.

Of course there is Healthy New York. This plan for a family of two will cost just over $1,000 a month. Better than the Affordable Healthcare but still not affordable.  Healthy New York does not cover anything much.  No durable equipment, only a hand full of medications, and if you need surgery you are better off grabbing the kitchen knife and doing it yourself.  So for the most part Heathy New York is a waste of time and money.

Next is Family Health Plus.  This is a free program and it covers a lot.  Unlike Healthy New York it will pay for durable equipment, most medications, most surgical procedures, doctor visits and more.  It is a great plan but it is very difficukt to get into.  Your household income must fall between a certain amount.  Even with New York Unemployment which already is way below the national poverty level is far too high of an income to qualify for Family Health Plus.

Next is Medicaid.  In Nassau County you have to sign over everything you own to the Department of Social Services who administers Medicad here.  You cannot have any savings for at least three years prior, have to sign over your life insurance to them, cannot have any retirement, if you own a home that must be signed over to DSS, if you own a car that must be signed over to DSS unless you can find someone who will pay for the car insurance, gas, maintenance, and if there is a note on it they have to take that over.  Also with Nassau DSS ypu are not allowed to be in debit to any credit card agencies for they consider that a luxury.  And the big kicker, you cannot have anyform of income at all for three years. Gotta love Nassau County.

Once you get onto Medicaid the care you get is pathetic at best.  Beyond substandard.

To add insult to injury with Medicaid in Nassau County, let's say you are on it for a year and then finally get a job, something that does not exist in New York, Nassau DSS will garnish 50% of your salary to get paid back.  If you had a surgery during that year, you will be paying them back for the rest of your life.  So once you get onto Medicaid in Nassau, you will never get off it.

How do I know this, we were being forced to go that route and when we learned how much we would lose we backed out.  Plus a neighbor of ours had to go onto it.  She was forced to sign over everything to Nassau DSS.  DSS allowed her to live in her home with her mentally disabled son.  When she died and before she could be put into the ground Nassau DSS evicted  her son onto the street then turned around and sold the house.

Now in December the minimum wage is to go up to a whooping $9/hr.  Do you think with that people can get health insurance?  Let's do the math, shall we?

NYS Minimum wage ($)                      9.00
Times a typical work week(hr)            40    
Gross weekly salary                     360.00
(Less 25%) taxes                        (90.00)

Net weekly salary                       270.00
Times weeks in a month                    4.5  

Net monthly salary                    1,215.00

Right off the bat you can see that the new minimum wage of $9 that takes affect in December cannot possibly cover what New York claims to be affordable healthcare.  Mind you the figures still do not cover rent which is an average of $1,600 a month in Nassau, food for a family of 4 can run $200 a week, gas for a car and more.  Without the health coverage you are running into a deficit.

Governor Cuomo obviously does not care.  So as far as affordable health care in New York, there is none.

6/30 - Using socail media

As many know, my job search is going no where fast. I've sent out close to 2,000 resumes, registered with 150 employment firms, attended cattle calls (job fairs), reached out to past vendors for suggestions, attended networking sessions, had my resume re-done, connected with 800+ people on LinkedIn, and have about 300 or so Facebook 'Friends', and knocked on hundreds for doors to get turned away.

Recently I read an article posted on LinkedIn in using social media for the best coverage. The article was mainly targeting businesses in how to get the most out of it and when people are most likely to see your posts. It was based on an in depth study on when the most traffic is which means the most exposure. It was broken down not only by day, but as granular as to the hours of the day.

As an example, you have an eatery and want to post about an upcoming special or your signature dish. You would not want to post it at 11pm when traffic is low but more so during the day between 9 and 5 with 11 to 2 as the peak times for people to catch the post.

Using this theory I am going to try and use the social media in that manner. I have a very valuable product that I need to market and that product is me. So by 'selling myself' on social media routinely just might pick up some interest and get me an interview or better still a job offer.

Looking at the data from market researchers I am drilling down the best times in when to post. From there I am creating several posts in word ahead of time so I can copy and paste them in. With Twitter since you are allowed only 140 characters, MS Word will help with the count. I just need to be very creative in marketing which is not my strong point.

I am going to post as to why you should hire me without being too wordy. Blasts of some of my selling points. A new one each time. Keeping me in the eyes of the viewers. A FB connection posts several times a day with photos of herself. She is keeping herself in the public eye. I have no idea how much business she is getting from FB, but she is very successful over all.

I don't know if I would want to post that much, for it could be considered as spam. But in her case since she has a great body, that is an asset. In my case, I am not very photogenic although my professional profile photo shows up on LinkedIn and Twitter where I use my real name.

I will say that one of my posts on LinkedIn did get positive attention. And one of them was from Key West so I know I hit the right nerve.  Now to keep it up.

Not only am I going to post as to my attributes in why you should hire me, but give away some free tips as well. And while I am at it, I am going to create some tutorials and put them on Viemo a video sharing site like You-Tube.  The big difference is that I pay for the space and the video length can be a lot longer that You-Tube allows.  From there include the URL to the video in my posts.

As for doing that with Twitter, I am going to use Google's URL shortener.

Hopefully that will land me a few interviews and maybe a job offer.  In the Keys I hope.

'till next time

6/24 - Key West remains a dream

Earlier in the month my wife finally agreed to visiting Key West so I started making all the final plans and getting costs nailed down.

I selected the date for our trip, leave NY July 27th on Amtrak. Arrive in Miami the next evening. Cab to a hotel nearby for the night. Next day rent a car and head to the Keys. A few hours later arrive at the hotel and spend 5 days in the Keys enjoying life and checking out the areas. Then back to Miami, hotel, next day return the car and Amtrak back to Penn Station.

I have the train selected, the hotels and the car as well. We will save money by getting a room we can cook in and buy food from Publix. There are laundry facilities in the hotel plus a few laundomats near by. Our daily excursions were to be to let our passions guide us. A few must do stops are planned like Mallory Square at sunset, lunch at the No Name Pub, The little Key Deer refuge, and possibly the Dolphin Research Center.

Of course no trip would be complete without stopping off at the Hog's Breath Saloon and Smokin' Tuna. Might even run into Mayor Gonzo Mays at The Tuna. A brewski is in order at Sloppy Joe's and The Green Parrot would be great.

And naturally I would love to be able to sit down and meet some of my 'FB friends' like Dawn, Steve, Judy, Bucky, Stacie, Johnny, just to name a few.

At the end of the day I figure that the entire trip will run just under 3 grand. Not too bad. The bulk of the money would be for the train, hotels and car rental. The actual stay would be relatively cheap. Would be great if I could get and stay there for free, wishful thinking.

Time to start gathering the finances in order and finalize everything before making the reservations. Then it hit hard, real hard.

Looking at our bank balances we have the money. Plus I was able to sell a webpage (finally some income) that would help cover the trip. When running down our checking account I found out that my unemployment has stopped. My benefits have been exhausted without warning. Mind you it was way below the national poverty level to begin with, thank you very much Albany, but at least it was something coming in.

So once again I am forced to put the trip on hold and going to the Keys remains nothing more than a dream unless I get lucky in finding a job here or better still in the Keys.

'till next time.

6/9 - Crime is up in Nassau County

In a recent news report, the area in where I live is covered by the 6th Pct of the Nassau County Police.  Rape, murder and burglaries in my area are up 18.91%.  In an area south of me in the same police precinct it is up 10.93%.  Not very comforting

At the same time in their infinite wisdom Nassau County Officials closed and merged the 3rd Pct with the 6th.

But over all rape, murder and burglaries in Nassau County are up 1.24%.  This is not very comforting.

Aside from the fact that our property taxes are hitting all time highs as much as a 30% increase, foreclosures are on the increase, LiPA is sending the rates through the roof do to their mis-management of Sandy, stores are closing left and right, crime is now going up making Nassau an unsafe place to live.

In last weeks Newsday it was reported that 60,000 people are leaving New York each year.  Talking to people I know they too are fed up with the crime, taxes and LiPA and they are planning on leaving.  A woman down the street from me no has her house on the market.  I look around and see many places with for sale sign on them.  More now than ever before.  I wonder why.

Is it time that we too should think about getting out of New York?  I should say so.

 'Till next time


 References:

Nassau County PBA Blames Police Precinct Merger For Crime Spike-http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2013/04/17/nassau-county-pba-blames-police-precinct-merger-for-crime-spike/ 

Spike in Major Crimes in Some Nassau Precincts-http://fios1news.com/longisland/node/31447

 

6/4 - Been off line

I've not had the chance to do much blogging for a while.  We learned that the building where we live is going on the market which means we will have to move.  Right now no dates have been set so we are in a state of limbo.  In order to prepare we have been collecting boxes and started to pack up things we are not using.  This way when it happens there will be that much less to do.

The big problems are - where are we going to move to and how are we going to afford it especially since I am still out of work.  As many of you who read this blog knows, I hate NY and would love to move to the Keys.  My wife on the other hand refuses to leave Long Island.  I even showed her the difference in the cost of living in how the Keys beats this area hands down, but she will not budge, yet.

Once there I might be able to secure a job. at least I would hope so.  Reading some of the other blogs and from other resources the job market there really does not seem to encouraging.

She had major surgery recently at North Shore University Hospital and is now home recovering.  My plans now are to do a trip to the Keys with her in July or August during the peak of the heat for the area to face the worst and check things out.  Maybe then she will decide to move there.  The reason I want to face the worst is that will help determine if we do truly like it there.  I am certain that the summers there are no worse than here.

I can also use the time to knock on doors since my networking attempts have not produced any results.  If all goes the way I want, then good bye NY hello to the Keys.  But first things first and that is to do a trip there. 

If you have followed this blog for some time you would know that I am contemplating two way of going there.  First the Am-Trak to Miami and rent a car the rest of the way or drive the 1440 miles from NY to there.  Both have advantages and disadvantages.  Right now as of this writing I am leaning to driving the whole trip back and forth.

Once we get there finding work and a place to live will be on the top of the to-do list.  What would be ideal would be a rent to own arrangement.  Unless of course I hit the Lotto then it boils down to simpler decisions.

 'till next time

4/4 - Cold Spring

This is supposed to be April, spring time but right now it is only 35 degrees out and with the wind there is a wind chill of 28. They say it is to hit the 50's later on with rain at the end of the week. Rain is a far cry better than snow, that is for sure. But you know exactly where I wish I was right now and it is not in NY.

COBRA was killing me financially, $2,000 a month and on the below poverty level unemployment, things get dicey real fast. We were able to go onto the Healthy NY plan, finally. Originally the monthly premium is less than half of COBRA for the standard plan. And with the way our idiot governor recently slashed unemployment, that savings helps.

The cards came in and I noticed that we were put into the high deductible plan.  Something that can seriously hurt us financially, but not as bad as COBRA.  I also noticed that the premium is even lower.  I guess that is because of the plan.  I called the insurance company to find out why we were in the HD plan to begin with.  As it turns out that idiot governor we have eliminated the standard plan as a cost savings.

Bad enough the unemployment here has been seriously reduced to way below poverty levels but to have us pay a high deductible on insurance is insane.  It is already hard to make ends meet.  The citizens of NY should simply band together and demand that Cuomo get kicked out of office.  He has no idea of what it is like in the real world.

Cuomo has done nothing to stimulate job growth especially for the mature worker, he slashed unemployment benefits, screwed around with health care making it hard to afford for those in low income.  He is only for the wealthy.  God I hate New York with a passion.

Later in the week I am going to do some volunteer work at a disaster relief center.  This will not only give me something else to do but may open up some networking opportunities that may lead to a job.  I heard about them from an executive networking group that I am a member of.

One thing that was suggested to me at another networking group I go to is to post some computer tips and suggestions on the groups I am a member of on LinkedIn.  This way people can see that I have something to offer.  Do this as a weekly tip from moi.  Might be a good idea, even expand it to my Facebook page.  Then maybe someone will get the idea to reach out to me and start up an employment conversation and make me an offer.

'till next time

3/28 - NYS Unemployment Now Way Below Poverty Level

Yesterday in the mail, a letter from the Department of Labor ( DoL) came in.  At first I thought that it was to appear before them to go over what I have been doing on my job search.  I had to do that one day last year which was a joke to begin with.

On openng it I read that due to the Federal seqeuestering of funds my unemployment has been reduced significantly.  Already the amount I get of $21,060 / yr gross is below poverty levels of $27,570/yr and now with the new cuts it will be way below that at $18,722/yr.  Thank You very much Governor Cuomo.

New York is not only taxing people out of the state but now the state wants to starve those that do not have jobs.

I openly challenge Governor  Cuomo to be un-unemployment for over a year then have it reduced and still feed his family, pay bills ( oh that is a luxury according to Nassau County Department of Social Services), pay rent or mortgage, utility bills, health care costs, car expenses for a family of 5 on a net amount of $300 a week.  Of course the state does not take those factors into consideration and use gross amounts for their figures.  But still the challenge is there and he cannot tap his millions is savings.

Of course that will never happen, plus if he did go on unemployment it would not phase him because he is a millionaire already.

Maybe what the state should do is cut the salaries of the over paid politicians and beurocrats instead of hurting the people who need it the most.  That would bring millions back into the state.

Over the winter they tore up a nice park in Manhasset to put in sporting fields.  The park was used by many people for so many things.  Now the land will be for sporting events only.  Now how many millions did that cost?  That money would have been better spent helping people feed their families and foster job growth instead of chasing jobs away.

New York has really gone to hell.

Even if it looks like my trip to the Keys may be put off for a while, I am still going to plug along and hope that someone there makes me a bonified job offer.

'till next time

3/17 - Higher taxes

In the 3/16 edition of Newsday, it was reported how taxes are on the increase for homeowners.  Only a few short months ago Newsday reported that property taxes were on the increase with some areas seeing a 30% increase.

As I wrote about in an earlier edition of this blog, our LiPA bill is starting to increase since Sandy hit.  I am certain that it will go up even higher.

The school budget vote that is due in a few months will only add to the increase in our taxes.

With these insane increases more and more people will have no choice but to leave Long Island.  I am ready right now and would do so if I can be assured of an income.  Looking at the real estate prices I find more and more short sales and REO's than ever before giving testimony in how bad thing are here on this sand bar.  But the government does not care and is forcing people to seek more economic areas out of New York with the tax increases.

But at the same time I still see homes for sale in my area that only a millionaire can afford.  There are three new McMansions a block away from me with one of them that sold for $1.2 mil.  Down the street are three more that sold very quickly for $900k.  And mind you, none of these have any yards.  It is just a building only.

Are the owners over extending themselves?  A these going to wind up in foreclosure soon?  But this seems to be the trend here on Long Island, build a McMansion where ever you can.


With the way that costs are going up and jobs are disappearing, who can afford these?  Really.  Not me.

'Till next time.

3/26 - Snow last week

It has been a busy week for me. Nothing too positive financially unfortunately. But at least I did get the chance to make a few dollars running network cables for a small company.

Later on I met with a networking group of senior executives such as myself out on the island. I hope that it might lead somewhere. The leader of the group so happened to be an aquaintance from years gone passed.   It was good to see him once again.  We are to get together and brainstorm new methods for me to try.  So far as you know my search has been at a stand still.

During the meeting it started to snow pretty heavily.  I had to take the back roads home which by surprise added only an extra half hour to the trip.  The idiots were out driving like bats out of hell sliding and skidding around me.  That was the worst part of the trip actually.  I kept the speed at about 30 to 35 all the way for safety.  Thankfully I have a big and heavy car so it went through the snow without much of a problem.  Then when I was 5 miles away it started to rain and it was freezing on the road as I drove.  But that did not stop me I just kept on going. 

It looks like my trip to the Keys is on hold once again.  Medical issues cropped up which is putting a monkey wrench into the works.  So at this stage I have no idea as to when we will go to the Keys.  I am ever hopeful that someone there give me a call or email and we can start talking job offer in the meantime.  I am sure once I get things sable I can do a solo trip to meet the prospective employer face to face.  But first is to get some conversation going to start the ball rolling.

LIPA announced that they are going to raise our electric rates.  Like that we have not noticed them sneaking up already.  LIPA claims that it is because of fuel hikes but we already know that it is to pay for Sandy.  The rates are going to shoot up by at least $20 to $20 a month or more.  We already pay the highest electric rates in the country and this is really going to bury the consumer.

Driving in town I noticed that it is budget time again.  The school budget is coming up for a vote and so is the library budget.  What this means is yet even higher taxes for Nassau County residents.  People can no longer afford to live here as it is.  Now it is going to get worse.

We have started to sell of some of our possessions not only to make extra cash, but to make room as well.  As it turns out the building we are living in will be on the market later this spring, tentatively.  So when the sale does go down we will be forced out and will need a place to live.  By reducing what we own will make it that much easier to pack when the time comes.  But the big question is where are we going to go?  Especially since I don't have a job. 

'till next time

3/16 Bloomberg Smacked Down and dumb robber

Last year NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg put a ban on the sale of soft drinks over 16oz in size as a effort to battle the bulge. He caused a lot of outrage not only with consumers but with vendors as well. I have to ask, who in the hell does he think he is? And what right does he have to dictate the portion size of what people eat or drink?

Yesterday a judge over turned the law citing that there were too many loop holes in it. Mike is appealing. Good luck Mike.

One thing Mike did not think about is if it was illegal to sell or buy a 32oz soda, then what is stopping someone from buying 2 16oz ones instead? And from a business stand point the could have increased profits. Example, a 32oz soda would cost $2.25. while a 16oz soda would cost $1.50. To buy 2 16oz sodas is now $3 for the same amount in a single 'banned' soda at an extra profit of $.75. No one though of that.

I remember growing up that a small soda was 4oz, a medium was 8 oz, and large was 16oz. Today small is anywhere from 8 to 12oz. And the large is now the 32oz'er. And let's not discuss the 7/11 Big Gulp. It's not about thirst but all about profits and customer satisfaction.

And let us not forget that even the burgers are getting bigger too.  Before it was a regular burger, then the quarter pounder,  then double quarter pounders and let us not forget Wendy's triple quarter pounders.  Plus the fires as well.  OMG.

I can see where Bloomberg is going with this. A lot of Americans a heavier now than when I was a kid. But I don't think that the size of a soft drink is the main culprit. It has a part to play but it is not the evil that Mike makes it out to be. I feel that it is in our food chain. Farmers give growth hormones to animals to make them grow faster and fatter. The animal is slaughtered and the hormones are deep in the flesh and cannot be removed. We now eat the flesh and hormones and as a result a lot of people now need girdles.  And yes I am putting myself into that same category.  I wonder if Rago has one my size?  :)

I also feel that my industry is also to blame. How often do you see someone sitting at a computer? I know you are if you are reading this. Years back there where no home computers and people where more active. As an example, today you need to send a letter, you click the mouse and an email is sent. Years ago you had to walk to the corner or a block away and put the letter into the mailbox. Technology has helped us but hurt us as well.

 I can see where Mayor Bloomberg is coming from but dictating that people can no longer buy sodas larger than 16oz is down right unconstitutional.  He should concentrate on the more important issues, like crime, high taxes, unemployment, the failing infrastructure.  Not sodas.

Now here is one that will make you laugh and is off topic.  A robber, Joseph Spivak of holbrook went into the Backporch bar in Holbrook during business hours wearing a ski mask.  He went behind the bar and pulled three steak knives and ordered the bar tender to surrender the cash.

She complied with his wishes and gave him the few hundred dollars in that was in the register.

On his way out he ordered a beer and sat at the end of the bar.  The bar tender took her time pouring the beer and while she was doing that she point out the perp still wearing the ski mask to the owner of the bar.

Needless to say Spivak was detained by the owner and a few patron until the police arrived to escort him to jail.

Spivak, you are one dumbass.  First robbing the place in day light and during business hours then having a beer?  Yep you are one dumbass that is for sure.   Only in New York.

'till next time

3/14 - Landmark Destroyed by fire

A devastating fire ripped through a landmark 100 year old building in East Egg on March 14th displacing 50 people from their apartments not only from the building, but neighboring buildings as well. Four retail stores in and next to the building are now gone. One store, a dinner next door to the building might have a chance of reopening depending on the smoke and water damage.

It was reported that the fire started about 1 pm on the roof of the huilding from careless use of a torch in high winds. At 3pm an announcement from the Emergency Managment Office went out telling residents that the road and surrounding roads are closed due to the fire. The Long Island Rail Road statn which is right across the street from the fire was only partly affected as to the parking lot as closed for fire apparatus and police vehicles. Train service was not affected but passangers were shocked when they exited the trains into thick dense smoke.

Power was cut all along Main Street affecting even more businesses not in the fire scene.

One man, a cook in the Japanese restaurant in the building lived above the restaurant. Now he is not only homeless, but jobless as well.



The people that were displace are now sheltered at the local senior citizens center. A cry for help has gone out to help provide the people with clothing and other items.

Later in the night it was thought that the fire was out, but it erupted once again and fire fighting started once more. Building like that can have hot pockets buried deep inside and smolder for hours and days waiting for just the right moment to flare up again. This was just the case.

Fifteen fire departments from the local area responded to help fight the blaze and give support to the home town fire department.

There was an article in the on-line news media called the Patch where people can post photos and comments.  One thing that got my goat is that trolls come out and start trouble without knowing the first thing that they are talking about.  It shows the stupidity of some people abound.  But this is no different as with any other forum as trolls seem to come out of the wood work.


'till next time.

3/9 - One year of being unemployed

Saturday the 9th of March I celebrate one year of being on unemployment after losing my job to a 26 year old back stabbing kid who by the way quit less than a year later.

It has been a very rough road so far.  Three or so interviews and nothing more.  I've gotten plenty of song and dance's from recruiters and not one of them has put their best foot forward in placing me.  Not one.  I've even reached out to several and one a few times.  Not one of them has returned any of my calls or emails.  Even those from my LinkedIn and Facebook accounts.

The job market here on Long Island has been decimated by the economy.  Stores are closing up, large companies are moving to cheaper markets and a lot of small businesses are closing their doors forever.  As an example, Grumman here is laying off 800 people which is only going to add to the competition for the few jobs that are here.  And what few jobs that are here are going to the under 30 set for they work for no money and do not require the same benefits.

Of course there are plenty of low end type of hamburger flipping jobs for $10 and hour.  Am I bitter?  I guess you can say 'yes' to a point.

Even the local NYS Department of Labor said that the job market here is non existent and admits to the wide spread practice of age discrimination.  They also said that they are powerless to do anything about it.  Maybe it is time for a new governor who has the fortitude to stand up and do the right thing.  The jerk we have in office is a total waste of time.

During this time I've sent out thousands of resumes and like I said earlier, only about three interviews that went no where.  One of them I am greatful for it did not look like a good plsce to work for.

Even reaching out to the vendors that I've done business with for leads or suggestions has been a waste of time. They don't want to know me any longer. I look at it like this, they made money off me and you would think that they would want to take care of the guy that took care of them which would mean potentail additional business. But this in New York, the dog eat dog state. I will remember who helped me if and when I get another job.

Now the building where we live is going to be on the market in 4 months which means we will need a  place to live.  Rents here on Long Island are astronomical even for dumps.  And since I've been out of work for a year there is no way I can get a mortgage.  And even then I need to be employed for a solid year first to qualify for one.

So we have no idea where we are going to live.  My wife wants to stay here on Long Island, which we cannot afford to live here any longer.  I want to say screw it all, pack up and head for the Keys and take my chances there which she does not want to do.  Is there a divorce on the horizon?

Reaching out to people in the Keys as been for the most part fruitless.  At least one person recommended an employer who I sent my resume to but have not heard back.  One person said they forwarded my resume onto the owner of the company but again I have not heard back.

I spoke to one person, a realtor who told me that there is a crying need for computer consultants there which sounded promising.  Then from a person on LinkedIn said that consultants come and go very quickly.  This was echoed by another person who I spoke with on the phone very recently.  That is not a pretty picture at all.

Several people told me that there is no work there unless you want to work in the hospitality industry which is OK but I am a computer support geek.

I've even been told that it is very expensive to live in the Keys but when I crunched the numbers living in the Keys is far less than what t it is here on Long Island.  Plus the stress level there is a lot less as well.  Those that told me that the only industry there is hospitality also said you need two jobs each just to survive there.  I have to wonder way if it is so much cheaper there than here.  Is the pay that low to begin with?

Another person sent me an email saying that it is very rough to make it in the Keys.  They made it sound like that it is a struggle to survive.  Yet by observing them on Facebook they apparently are very well off and are doing quite nicely for themselves.  So I must wonder.


During this year I've helped a person in the Keys with a virus on their machine and did not charge them at all.  I never got a word of thanks for my help.  I set up a 'Business Page' linked to my Facebook account as an attempt to establish my presence as a consultant and invited people from Facebook to 'Like' the page.  So far not one person has clicked 'like' on it even those who that I clicked 'Like' on.  Very frustrating and disheartening.

Now that a year has gone by, I am no closer to my dream of landing a job in the Keys than I was when I was terminated for my age.  But I will need to see what transpires in the next four months.  Will I find a decent paying job here on Long Island where the job market has been decimated or will I be able to take the chance and head to the Keys?  Or someone will step forward and help me land a job in where I long to live?  We will need to wait and see.

'till next time

3/6 Pneumonia Epedemic

I have been seriously out of pocket recently and here is way.

My father in law was stricken with pneumonia just before Christmas and had to go to St. Francis Hospital in Roslyn, NY.  He was in for a week and a half then they released him on New Years Day.  About a week and a half later he had to go back in but was in worse shape.  The pneumonia was running rampant in his lungs.

We feel that St. Francis released him too early.

He stayed there and his health deteriorated even further.  January 25th the hospital called us and told us that they thought that he was not going to make the night.  So he came home to die and on Janurary 29th at 10:55PM he did just that.  Pneumonia took him from us.  I wrote previously on the shoddy care that Good Shepherd gave him.

My mother in law was stricken with the same disease at the time of my father in law's death and had to go into St. Francis as well.  My wife stayed in the E.R .with her and it was so crowded they were doubling and tripling up pantients in the exam rooms and into the hallway.  Most of the patients had deep wet coughs.  It was obvious that pneumonia was having a field day.  My mother in law was lucky and came home after a week.

When she was coming home my sister in law went in with the same thing, pneumonia.  She was so bad they had to put her on a ventilator for 4 days.  Eventually she got off the machine and was discharged to a rehab facility which was actually a nursing home.  The place was a dump.  She had the window bed.  Her roommate and the nurses kept opening the window so she caught a chill.  The nurses even refused to toilet her.

Her husband had to get her out of there for the care was beyond pathetic.  The condemned get better service.  Next thing you know she is back in the hospital with double pneumonia.

Could it be that she too was released too early from the hospital?

We caught up with her in the E.R. and it was standing room only.  They had patients stacked up in the hall.  If there was a fire the death toll would be astronomical for it was that crowded.  Many of them had some sort of pulmonary issues and were coughing up their lungs.  You could not find a spot in the E.R. where someone was not coughing up.

My wife was hit with some sort of upper respiratory problem and we went to see our doctor.  He told us that they have never seen it so bad with the amount of cases involving pneumonia.  All of the hospitals were overcrowded with it.

No one is going to admit to it, but I feel that there is a true epidemic going on here.  Everywhere you go or talk to someone you hear of another case of pneumonia.  Nassau County is doing a bang up job in not letting the word out.  Gotta be a gag order.

But why all the cases?  We feel that it is remnant from Sandy.  As many know most of Long Island was out of power.  LIPA dropped the ball.  And without power, there was no heat and people were freezing.  Plus now add mold into the picture and you have the perfect setting for all kinds of lung problems.

But again, Nassau County is not stepping up to the plate and admitting to an epidemic and getting the CDC involved.  Gotta love Long Island...not.

'till next time.

2/12 - Boat owner that refused to pay

In order to make some extra cash I did side work.  For the most part I had no problems until one day when a guy refused to pay me.

The job was to do a custom installation of electronics on a brand new 55' Chris Craft.  I made teak facials and what have you and when done it looked like the instruments came with the boat.  I took photos but need to find them.  Maybe in a later post I'll show some of my custom installations.

When I was done with the job I gave the owner the invoice for $5K.  He refused to pay a penny of it saying that he could have done the job himself and threw me off of the boat. The yard manger from the marina was there as well and saw the whole thing.

I went home and later that night I went to the marina where his boat was docked with my custom built boat.  I tied up the the starboard side (right side for landlubbers), climbed aboard and untied him from the dock.  I towed his boat out of the slip and went across the bay to a marina that I was friends with.

I manuvered that Chris Craft into the launching pit where the yard manager was waiting for me with the slings of the travel lift in the water.  Once the boat was in the pit and over the slings he hauled the boat out of the water.  We then blocked it and out stands around it for the night.

The next day the guy came back to the slip to find his boat missing.  He looked across the bay and there is was all blocked up in the marina.  He came into the yard screaming and yelling and brought two police cars with him.  Also the yard manager from his marina was there as well.

I showed the police that the guy signed the work order giving me permission to work on the boat.  On a big job I always get a signature.  In the fine print there was a statement that an express mechanics lien is placed upon the boat to secure payment.  The yard manager from the marina said that I was there working on the boat and that they guy refused to pay me.  The police read the work order and told the guy that I am within my legal rights and he has to pay me.

Grumbling away he wrote me a check for the money that he owed.  I told him cash only.  He freaked out and the police told him that if I want cash, he has to give me cash.  Now this was Sunday and the banks were closed. At his slip was a party of people that he was going to take out for a Sunday cruise. Not now.

He came back the next day and paid me in full in cash.  Great.  I told my friend that he paid me.  Now my friend rubbed some salt into the wounds by telling the guy he now has to pay for the hauling and blocking of the boat and the washing of the bottom plus one day storage and launching fee.  That ran him another 3 grand.

Needless to say not only was his Sunday ruined but the rest of he week as well.  Bet he never tried to screw someone out of money again after that.

'till next time.

2/11 - Parking Payback

In my previous post I showed photos of how inconsiderate morons like to park around here.  If you have a high end luxury car you can park illegally at any time.  I've seen morons with these car routinely park in fire lanes of the food stores, in handicapped spots without a pass with some taking as much as four handicapped spots.

These morons also routinely run through red lights and stop signs as well.

The local police do not do anything about the situation.  They will drive through the parking lots, see the illegally parked luxury car and keep on driving and never hand out a ticket.  So much for justice.

But this is not what this entry is about, in part.  I am going to tell you how I handled one of those morons one day a job I worked at many years ago.

I was the chief mechanic for a yacht dealership here in East Egg for 10 years.  We had the show room on the left and there was another building on the right.  In between the buildings was an alley way that you had to drive down to get into the shipyard direct.  The alley was only 10' wide just enough for one car to pass through and barely enough room for a tractor trailer making a delivery.

Arrow pointing to the alley way.

Posted on both sides of the alley were no parking signs in bright red paint.  You could not miss them.

One day this jerk in a brand new Mercedes pulled into the alley way and parked his car.  He still had the dealer sticker in the window.  I yelled at him that he cannot park there.  He said that it is OK for he knows the owner and proceeded to leave for a resturant nearby.  Again a bunch of us yelled but he just flipped us the finger saying don't mess with him for we don't know who he was.

Well he was right we didn't know who he was so I guess we couldn't help him with identifying himself.

OK, he did something that he should not have done and is make me mad.  I hopped into the yards Krane Kar, and that is spelled correctly by the way and drove it up to the Mercedes.  I lowered the slings and we put them under the car after which I lifted the car into the air.  The yard guys stabilized the car from swinging as I drove backwards into the ship yard with the car in the air.

You know there was no place in the ship yard where I could put the car.  We had so much going on.  So for safety I drove to the launching pit and suspended the car above the water.  To prevent tipping of the Krane Kar I lowered the car near the water.  The tide by the way was on the make, that is coming in.

Looking at my watch it was time for lunch so I shut down the machine took the keys and went to lunch in the main shop with the rest of the crew.

A little while later we heard all kinds of screaming and cursing outside.  A few minutes later Elliot the owner of the company came into the shop with the irate car owner next to him.

Elliot asked what happened and we told him the whole story.

Elliot then asked us to put the car back on the ground.

I responded, "I'd love to Elliot but we just went to lunch and you know the union rules."  Meanwhile we were not a union shop and Elliot knew this.

Elliot comes back "OK I don't want to go against the union.  The do it right after you come back from lunch.  What time did you guys punch out?"

"We just punched out."  But in reality we were already on lunch for a good half hour.

"Right, and you guy get an hour, right?"  Elliot states.

Tommy one of the yard guys comes back, "Yep."

Elliot wishes us a good lunch and explains to the car owner that since we area  union shop there is no way he will go against the union so the guy has to wait outside.

The car owner waited impatiently in the yard as we took our time eating and relaxing.  An hour goes by and we leave the shop and I took my time going to the Krane Kar.  I climbed aboard and totally forgot the keys.  So I went back to the shop to try to find them.  Eventually I found the keys, I knew that they were in my pocket all the time but wanted a little more satisfaction.

I started the machine and by now the tide was touching the floor of the car.  I set the car on the ground and the guy made more noises in how he is going to sue us and have us all locked up.  We never heard from him again.  I have to wonder how fast the car rusted out.

'till next time.

2/9 - Parking in East Egg

This weekend we were hit with a snow storm they are calling 'Nemo'  and please don't ask why.

The people here went insane.  Gas lines formed all over on Thursday evening which were very reminiscent of the lines right after Sandy.  Only a few gas stations had no lines.

Going to the local supermarket to pick up some chicken to make chicken soup, I saw that the milk cases were empty as well as the bread.  On another isle there were no charcoal briquets anywhere.  Plenty of batteries but no charcoal.

I saw one woman with her basket filled to the top with toilet paper.  She must have had a good five 25 roll packages.  I guess she is planning on having a massive amount of ...well I'll let that one go.

The parking lots were crazy as well.  People parked where they wanted.  One jerk had his pick up truck half way into the parking lot making it hard to drive past.

And you notice that there was plenty of room in front of him.

People were in a panic waiting for the end of the world to happen.

During the day of the storm on Friday, idiots with high end luxury cars parked where they wanted.  This is typical for this area.  You have a Mercedes, you are above the law.  Own a BWM and park where you want.  It is plain to see that there is a no parking sign where this idiot is.  And in a fire lane as well.

I watched these two yacking for a good 20 minutes.  A BMW in a fire lane is permissible around here.  The local police are aware of this but turn a blind eye.

Even people with mini-vans think they are above the laws here and park in fire lanes.

Coming home I saw an idiot with a brand new Land Rover speed off the main road onto a side road and lose control of the truck.  She slid over the curb and nearly hit a pole.  A lot of people here think that although they have these trucks, that the snow and ice will not affect them so they drive like the morons they are.  But trucks slide just as easy as cars and you still need to go slow.  But people here have a lot of money and so it is their right to speed when and where they want.  And the weather better not stop them.

I stayed in on Saturday.  In East Egg we had about a foot of it.  Out in Commack Long Island I heard they had 29 inches.  NYC had ony a few inches while in sections of NJ, not a flake.  I had no desire to go out into that white crap.  Not at all.  I let the kids shovel and clean the cars.  I've had more than my fill of snow for one lifetime.

Looking at the webcam at the Hog's Breath Saloon, it is a glorious 78 and no snow to be had anywhere.  From the webcam outside Sloppy Joe's it is a bright sunny day.

While here we have snow and 32 degree weather.

'Till next time...if I thaw out

2/7 - 11 Months of unemployment is near.

Saturday is approaching and marking the 11th month that I was terminated from my last job for being too old.

During that time I have contacted numerous companies either by cold calling or through job ads and so far nothing has transpired.

Even going through employment agencies have been a waste of time. Not one of them has picked up a finger to place me. I’ve been in touch with small agencies all the way up to the large firms like Robert Half, Korn Ferry, TekSystems and still nothing. I have to wonder what is wrong with them.

Answering ads from places like Monster.Com, Job Circle, Dice.Com, Zip Recruiter and what have you have yielded no results. I have to wonder if the ads are real or not. With Zip Recruiter it gathers ads from other sites but puts on the bottom of the ad when the ad as posted. Generally the ads are very old and there is nothing new. With TechCareers.Com a lot of times the ads no longer exist when you try to answer them.

Even then, I would say that over 98% of the ads are placed by employment agencies and not the employer direct so you have to wonder if your resume is even viewed at all. At least with an employer you can Google the company and go to the company website direct and avoid the places like Monster.

But still I am spinning my wheels on ice.

They say that the biggest un-tapped method to land a new job is by networking. Through this you can find the unadvertised jobs. So far that has yielded nothing as well. The only thing was a lead that went no where. At least it was a lead. Being a member of LinkedIn as not produced anything nor has reaching out to people on Facebook been fruitful.

I received a notice from the DoL that I have 14 weeks of unemployment left which will go in a heartbeat. Plus paying $2,000 a month for COBRA really puts a strain on things. We have no choice but to tap our savings and that will not last long here on Long Island. Soon a cardboard box might be our new home. Not a very comforting prospect.

I am really wondering if I will be working again soon, if at all. With the amount of discrimination that New York condones I have to think not. At least in the very near future.

Yet I still yearn for a job in the Keys. But so far no one from there has responded back to setup an interview, even by phone.

‘till next time