caller

Jan16

Tonight I popped my private citizen 911 calling cherry.

I’ve called the back door to 911 for the ambulance corps, but tonight was just me calling.

We have something of an epidemic lately in NYC. Everyone and their brother is jumping onto the subway train tracks. Tonight some of the very mean homeless guys in the area around my work had gone into the subway station and were jumping down onto the tracks, getting back up, throwing glass bottles on the track, yelling with aggressive tone and words at anyone around them, and jumping back on the tracks again.

A lot of people started getting verbally annoyed, including a lady to my left who started yelling at them to stop jumping on the tracks, that they wouldn’t be dying that day because she had somewhere to be. (Interesting logic.)

A security guard came down and called the dispatchers on his radio to advise the trains to not enter the station so that the guys jumping on the tracks wouldn’t get run over.

I wasn’t confident this would trigger anything more than the train being delayed so I left the station to report the incident to 911. When I got above ground I did see an ambulance arriving way down the street near the other entrance to the station, but our area very often has ambulances and I thought it would be better to make sure that ambulance was for this incident, so I called.

The 911 dispatcher picked up my call in the middle of the first ring, which was nice for my uncalm nerves. I proceeded to tell him what was happening and he stayed on the line to transfer me to the person who could look up the other calls directly in my area. I had ducked into a fast casual dining establishment because the street noise was so loud, but ironically I couldn’t hear him at all from in there because the restaurant was blaring Happy Music. He kept repeating over and over “caller, caller, caller” trying to get my attention. I finally abandoned where I was, realizing he was talking to me even though I couldn’t hear him. He then asked me to repeat the address, and confirmed that the ambulance down the street was for the track jumpers. I thanked him for confirming and that was the end of my time on the phone.

By the time I got back down into the subway station the incident had been resolved and trains were running freely into the station.

I’m not sure why I’m telling you this, other than to get it out of my head to make sense of it.

But what sense is there to be made out of people with a death wish?

taking

Dec31

Things I’ve learned in 2012 that I’m taking with me into 2013:

  • Feedback is a gift.
  • It’s difficult to live a life of integrity, but I’m going to keep trying.
  • Tragedy sucks, but it brings people closer together.
  • I am kind to people who deserve my kindness.
  • Life is too short to spend it worrying about other people’s priorities.
  • I am very happy with the family I have right now, it is perfect how it is.
  • I like dill pickle chips the best.



    • Happy New Year, friends.

    batty

    Nov12

    This morning I needed to buy my lunch to bring to work so I stopped in at Gristedes on 3rd and Mercer. I collected all my items and stood on line at the counter behind a man who was just buying milk (a gallon) and a woman who was also just buying milk (a quart). When the woman was about to pay she saw a bunch of Peppermint Pattie Batty treats from Halloween in a hand basket on the counter. She asked the cashier how much they were, and the cashier smiled and told her to just take one. That lady was so happy to have that treat, and I was really happy for her too.

    Right after that I was paying for my items and the total came out to $17.31. I had a $20, I had 30 cents (which I did not end up using), but I did not have that penny. For some reason I said this out loud. The woman behind me handed me a penny. I was so grateful, and blurted out that I didn’t have anything to give her in return. “It’s just a penny,” she replied. I proceeded to try to give her the 70 cents in change, which she wouldn’t take.

    I held onto the 70 cents in change I received, pocketing the two $1 bills in my wallet, and left. I went next door to buy a coffee. I pulled out a $5 bill and bought a coffee with it, but kept holding onto that 70 cents. I tipped a dollar into the tip tin, prepared my coffee how I like it, and left.

    I held onto my bags and my coffee with my right hand and kept clutching those coins with my left hand as I walked to the building I work in. I found the pay phone in front of my building, waited for a break in the walking traffic, and crossed over to deposit the coins on top of the phone. As I do. It’s a thing I do. I just do that sometimes. (A lot, but don’t tell anyone.) Those coins are never there when I go back with more, so I hope someone who needs them is always finding them.

    Paying it forward is a really nice feeling.

    brag

    Nov4

    Whatever you want to think about me telling you that I gave stuff is fine, but some people are trying to figure out where or how to give to help people affected by Hurricane Sandy so I want to tell you where I, as a person living in Queens, a borough of New York City, felt fit to donate money, items, and time:

    • I texted REDCROSS to 90999 which charged $10 to my phone bill and sent 100% of the proceeds to the American Red Cross. But only twice because that was the limit.
    • I texted ANIMALS to 20222 which charged $10 to my phone bill and sent 100% of the proceeds to the Humane Society of the United States. I was able to do this five times. (Dude, you know I love the animals.)
    • Update: I texted RESTORE to 80888 which charged $10 to my phone bill and sent 100% of the proceeds to Tunnel to Towers. I did this as a condition of my own rule that if I complain about life I need to give $5 to a Sandy relief fund. I complained twice, which is $10. I’ll be broke by Tuesday.
    • I made an online donation to the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City
    • I made an online donation to Food Bank for NYC
    • I made an online donation to City Harvest
    • At Marinka’s urging, I used Amazon to send baby diapers, wipes, and formula directly to the councilman for Queens district 31, one of the districts hit hard by Sandy.
    • I gathered up clothing, food, and toiletries then brought them to the drop-off spot for the councilwoman for Queens district 30 who is sending supplies to locations hit hard by Sandy.
    • I volunteered at my ambulance corps, AFTER I knew my home and my babies survived the storm. Yes, I did stay home for this storm, but I remember last time during Irene I worried about Allie, Ripley, Georgie, and Tweetpea the ENTIRE time I was dispatching the overnight shift at the ambulance corps. So, this time I made sure all was right at home before helping others. (Kinda like putting the oxygen mask over your face before you help someone else put on their mask. Or something.)
    • Not a donation, but a very important step: I kept in touch with other people I know who were in the path of the storm, by texting, phone, email, and social media. I also kept in touch with others who worry about my safety, so they knew I was ok. And I passed a lot of information I had access to along to the rest of you, whether you wanted it or not. :)

    When I go to Manhattan tomorrow for work I intend to find more ways to help. I don’t know what opportunities will present themselves to me, but I am ready to find out.

    In addition to helping the residents of New York City (Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island, and The Bronx), please also help the people of Long Island, Westchester, Connecticut, New Jersey, and anywhere else affected by Sandy. She was not kind up here. Thank you.

    i’m not ok

    Nov2

    I didn’t lose power, heat, my home, a car, a job, a loved one in Sandy, but I’m not ok. I cry every day. I get angry every day. I feel guilt every day. I feel pain every day. I feel selfish every day.

    There is no winning in natural disasters.

    fortune

    Oct23

    This past weekend was pretty epic.

    Friday I went to my brother-in-law’s wedding, gained a sister-in-law, drank some Jesus juice, and met the neighbors I’ve heard so much about for so many years from Mama Dawg and Hollywood.

    Saturday Dawg and I went to brunch at the Georgia Diner with Mama Dawg, Hollywood, Mr. Clean, and his new bride Mariposita. We had a great time just being a family together. It’s very cathartic to spend quality time with family, and it’s nice that Dawg’s family feels like *my* family too. We then got Subway and went home to watch movies and then I cleaned while Dawg wrote.

    Sunday we spent the day with our very dear friends. I can’t remember if they have nicknames, I just know I love them as if I’ve known them all my life, and love their baby that much too. While Baby Jax stayed home with his godmother the rest of us went to the Intrepid to see Enterprise in its new resting place. In Chantilly it was roped off, in NYC you can walk under it! And touch it if you’re very tall, but then you probably get yelled at. After visiting the museum we had dinner at the Georgia (twice in one weekend).

    I very much miss this wonderful weekend.

    about to happen

    Oct18

    Friday evening I will be attending a wedding. Immediately following that wedding will be a Halloween party reception. I’m going as a cat!

    My kinda wedding.

    (But not my wedding.)

    familiar territory

    Oct14

    This weekend we attended an EMS conference a bit upstate from the city. A group of people from our volunteer ambulance corps were at the conference with us, so we pretty much spent the majority of the weekend hanging out together going to sessions, eating, partying, and enjoying being away from the headaches of the city for a while.

    It always surprises me when I feel such a sense of family with the other volunteers from our corps. And family I actually genuinely want to hang out with. I was the only female in our group, so it was like I had one boyfriend (my actual one) and then five brothers. One more of the guys even showed up just to attend Dawg’s session that he was there to present, which was surprising to me and extra special to Dawg.