Tag: Labor Day

Labor Day

On By dancingpalmtreesIn Uncategorized5 Comments

Happy Labor Day to all Americans!

Today Monday, September 3rd is Labor Day here in America. It’s a day to honor working people. Some are fortunate to have the day off to spend time with family and friends while many like my former colleagues at the museum must work. I salute all museum security officers and custodial staff who are the face, heart and soul of the museum.

Hats off to Firefighters, police, nurses, hospital staff, retail, restaurant workers and special recognition goes out to the Direct Care Workers who care for my brother Stephen and other adults with Autism and developmental disabilities.

For those of you who live in the United States please contact your elected officials at all government levels to get raises for staff working in Group Home residences. People working at McDonald’s earn more money than the direct care workers who care for my brother Stephen and other adults with Autism. This means that their is often a lack of skilled workers, huge turnover and other situations which you can only imagine.

How and why do we live in a country, the richest country in the world that doesn’t take care of those who need the most help. I suppose since with special needs are unable to vote our government pretty much ignores them.

The two below photos were taken back when Queens had a Special Olympics at St. John’s University. Of course just like the art program that too has gone by the wayside.

Government has no money to fund proper programs and services for developmently disabled people.

Remember as the young man says in the below video, “Normal is a setting on a dryer. “

For those who expect or think that I have the means or resources to take care of Stephen well you are wrong. Part of the reason why I took Early retirement was for health and medical reasons which I will not go into. I refuse to discuss my health problems at all, suffice to say I have my hands full trying to take care of me. Thus my digital diet on discussing personal private aspects of my life. No pity parties. It’s enough to say I barely have resources for myself.

Another reason that I no longer discuss health even with friends I’ve known for over 25years is that such discussions break up friendships or start arguments.

It’s best to keep your problems to yourself if you expect to have any friends. Some people want and expect a Disneyfication of life and that’s what I give them in order to keep the peace. Little do they know or care that the friendship turned around and left out the back door. All they are getting is the facade on the front.

A Lesson I sadly recently learned the hard way. It’s heartbreaking to get into disagreements with those people that you’ve known for years. Losing a friend is losing part of your shared history. Looking back on the fun you once had together is now bittersweet. It hurts to know that I’m a project that needs fixing or repair.

No joy in that.

By the way I am Not a role model. Don’t look up to me as I’m nobody’s inspiration and I don’t want to be.

Always remember that Man proposes. God disposes.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+39%3A4-6&version=KJV

If you live in America you need, you must put pressure on those in political offices to do right by disabled people.

If you’re really on the side of the Working class tomorrow morning get on the phones, send emails, go to their offices. Make some noise.

Anyone who has followed this blog for the past several years already know that I have marched, protested, gone to political rallies and made hundreds of phone calls to help not only my brother Stephen but all in similar circumstances.

Disabled people are a forgotten population until you become disabled.

Programs and services that existed twenty years ago for my brother Stephen and others like him are now gone due to budget cuts.

Speak up now.

The Struggle continues.

I last saw my brother Stephen in May for his birthday. Hopefully September will turn out to be a better month.

I’m believing God for a Better day and a Brighter Future.

Germ Warfare

On By dancingpalmtreesIn Azithromycin, Body Snatchers, City MD Urgent Care at 336 East 86th Street, Cold Virus, Cornucopia, Dr. Phibes, Evil, Germs, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Kefir, Malevolent, Records, Vincent Price, Vinyl, Vitamins, Walgreens, Walking Wounded, Wicked2 Comments

Germ Warfare

After a fruitful and pleasant visit to City MD Urgent Care at 336 East 86th Street I was diagnosed with yet another sinus infection. I seem to get them every 3 to 4 months. Why I don’t know?! CityMD Urgent Care are very efficient using Google Maps to locate the Walgreens in my neighborhood Fulton & Nostrand send them the prescriptions so all I had to do was pick it up.

Carnival Cruise 2004
2004 Carnival Cruise

Now I’m back to being a pill factory. A veritable cornucopia of pills, ear drops, nasal spray, and my buddy Azithromycin. Damn! There’s no escaping old age, body decline & being tired, exhausted and drained, no matter how much healthy organic foods I eat; water, juice, and Kefir I drink, yogurt I consume or daily exercise. Guess I’m just a magnet for germs.

Ah the joys of living with Acute Sinusitis! Since last Thursday I have drunk more tea with honey and lemon and eaten so much garlic that even though it did not kill the germs I was not visited by any Vampires. By Labor Day I was so wiped out by hacking and coughing the previous night I had morphed into a raccoon. I do believe I left behind a lung, kidney and parts of my diaphragm at my workplace.  I looked like I had gone a few rounds with boxer Muhammad Ali in his prime or spent three weeks without sleep since I had two black eyes. I could barely speak and became a raspy voice Joe Cocker harlequin at the Annual Palace Ball!

Being a soldier I fought these invaders to my system with humongous amounts of liquids, eventually consuming cloves of garlic in a nearly raw state so much so that I could have repelled an Army of the Undead. By Monday Labor Day I was pushed into the role of Zombie Guard at my workplace. Tuesday I stayed home to recover and felt well enough Wednesday to attend an outing in Central Park with friends.

For several days now, Mr. Nasal Congestion, his wife Missy Mucous invited what sounded like an entire team of Flamenco dancers to torture my right ear.  The clickety clacking sounds were so loud that obviously the Flamenco dancers were using extra loud castanets! The accompanying pain was like Flamenco dancers were driving a nail, spear or knife through my right ear ala the Vincent Price, Dr. Phibes! Enough! Thus my journey to CityMD Urgent Care for relief from pain, congestion and coughing. Now I’m about to put these ear drops in my right ear and murder all those inconsiderate castanet playing tap dancing Flamencos!! Die you evil bastards!!!

Folks it is like being a host for the Germ Factory Club. Gonna make you sweat with a delightful roasted body fever. You feel the Invasion of the Body Snatchers partying inside your body doing the Cha, Cha, Cha, Tango, Rumba and Foxtrot all up and down my sinus cavities!  The beautiful static noise inside my right ear reminds me of the point when the needle touches the vinyl on old fashioned records.

Today I may be a member of the Walking Wounded but I will repel these nasty malevolent trespassers away from my being! Next in my arsenal, super duper strength vitamins! Get back you wicked virus!  My sword released from its sheath and I will win the battle and the war!