Month: March 2009

When any one asks if I am retired, I say “No, I’m unemployed”, which I am. In this economy the chances of my finding a job a slim to none. First, I am 62; Second, I only want to work part-time and Third, what jobs there are available around here are in the suburbs which I have no way of getting, and actually I have no idea where they are LOL

Now that we have been living in Filthadelphia for awhile we have come to the conclusion that it is simply a suburb of South Jersey. When I search for the closest chain stores they are usually located in Cherry Hill, NJ. I need new glasses, where is LensCrafters? Cherry Hill.

Wait, I got off topic, I was talking about working. I like to work. I like to earn money. And I have always defined myself by my job; when I don’t have a job I don’t have an identity. And in deep, dark moments, when I don’t have a job, I don’t have a reason for living. I keep learning new stuff and there is no where to use it. What is the point to gaining knowledge and skills if you can’t use them?

I realize that it is selfish of me to look for a job because the reality is I don’t need the money. I need the job to keep sane. I suppose I should do my bit to improve the economy and stay unemployed – but I am so NOT loving it. I have always said I would never retire, and I won’t, for now I am simply “unemployed”.

My husband has it. And that’s not just my assessment, or even his. It seems the world at large is aware and today they all chimed in. Listen…

We went into Center City today to go to the used book store and of course have Chinese food at our favorite restaurant. We walked in, sat down. The waitress comes to the table and with her thick Asian accent says “The same order ?” We laugh, my husband says “I guess so” The waitress says “2 spring roll, 1 order fried dumpling, 2 order crab rangoon, Yes?” I’m laughing my butt off, my husband smiles and says “Yes, are we that predictable?” I object to the “we”, and the answer is yes because that’s what we order every time we go there. Now I for one would not mind varying that a bit but it’s what my husband likes; he looks forward to it; he works hard, why shouldn’t he have what he wants.

We went to the mini-mart to get bread and milk and yadda yadda yadda – it comes to $19.38 and I take out my wallet to pay and the man behind the counter says “Make him pay, he has lots of money” – understand it’s my husband who usually does the mini-mart shopping, I haven’t been in there in weeks. Anyway, I take out a twenty and start looking for the exact change ’cause I got a bunch in my wallet. I come up with 37 cents. I ask my husband for a penny and the guy at the counter says “He doesn’t have pennies, he doesn’t like them” at the same time my husband is saying “I don’t keep pennies” – the two of them were a chorus. I had to laugh – even the mini-mart guy knows my husband’s habits.

The interesting thing is at lunch, he was saying that his daughter told him she was shocked when he called on a Saturday because everyone in the family knows he only calls on Sunday afternoon. Oy, talk about predictable. I’m married to Mr. Excitement. Spontaneous is a word not in his vocabulary.

Every Sunday we clean the house from top to bottom – Sunday is major house cleaning day. It has been so for 19 years. Once he got all crazy and suggested we do it on Saturday, but that was a one time occurrence, he said it didn’t “feel” right. So ask me what I do on Sunday – clean house and do laundry – this Sunday, last Sunday, next Sunday. I think on the rare occasions when we are away for the weekend, it makes him all edgy that he is spending a Sunday not cleaning the house LOL I do laundry during the week, and I dust and clean all week because that’s just the way I am, so on Sunday I don’t have that much to do (we divide up the chores) and I feel guilty finishing my chores before he finishes his. Then again, by lunch time he is done and I’m still wrestling laundry.

I love my husband, and sometimes I think wouldn’t be nice if he was just a little unpredictable, a tad spontaneous but you know, he is my perfect partner, just as he is. And I love him for just who he is.

In today’s paper was a front page article about the city charging an additional fee to pick up the trash. A per bag fee, or a flat fee or some other method of robbery is being considered. Are they kidding me?

We refer to the intersection of Broad Street and Snyder Avenue as “hazmat” corner because you really want to be wearing a hazmat suit when you walk there. It seems that throwing food, particularly chicken bones, is de rigueur in this part of town.

When it rains the streets flood because the sewer openings are clogged with garbage – big pieces of garbage – empty soda bottles, take-out food containers, plastic bags of trash, odd bits of clothing; you name it, someone has thrown it in the street.

Can you imagine what the streets will look like if people are required to PAY extra to have their trash picked up? So guess where the trash is going if this plan goes into affect? Oh, I think we all know the answer to that.

If people have a habit of throwing great gooey gobs of trash in the streets now, I can only imagine, and not happily, what the outcome of this plan will be.

The city says that if they charge a fee for each bag of trash picked up, (and the city taxes here are already very high), then maybe they will be able to afford to clean the streets. Oh, yeah. They best better because the streets will be filthier than they are now (I know that seems impossible) and the whole city will be shut down as a health hazard.

Better they should find some money to put more trash receptacles on the streets so that people had some where, other than the gutter, to put their trash.

Filthedelphia was chartered in 1701, and I think some of the garbage from then is still on the streets.

Pah!