A few days ago my room-mate informed me that next year he is leaving as our rents are going up to the stratosphere so if he leaves so must I. My room-mate is a school teacher and I am a museum security guard. New York City rents are brutalizing folks like us. In order to live comfortably in New York City you must make upwards of $70 a year this is a salary that neither school teachers nor security guards can ever achieve unless you take on extra jobs or work non-stop overtime.
Basically the working class is being crushed. Big time!
I’m looking to move from my current Brooklyn location to either Washington Heights in Manhattan or to the Boogie Down Bronx. Must be near the subway walking distance to the train and cat friendly. Where I go my cat Sylvester goes with me. Safety is also paramount.
I’m also willing to consider Queens as long as it is a short walk to the subway. Also wherever I go whether I wind up in a studio or a one-bedroom it must have enough room and be in a safe neighborhood where Stephen can visit me. It would also be nice for the neighborhood to have amenities like good grocery stores, banks, a Walgreens pharmacy, etc…
I hope to make the move sometime around Spring/Summer/Early Autumn 2017.
Please contact me privately using my Gmail address. Thanks!!
Gentrification is pushing working class people like me out of the neighborhood. Once the Hipsters start moving in the rest of us are forced to leave. I like Brooklyn, I enjoy living here and wish that I could stay. Truthfully since I will be making more money in my new position technically I could stay if I worked DOUBLE SHIFTS FOUR TIMES A WEEK!! Yes if I did maximum overtime which would mean giving up writing, photography and naturally blogging I could stay in my Beloved Brooklyn. If I give up having any kind of life including Not Seeing Stephen I could remain put but I’m not willing to do that so move I must!!
I just wanted to add the link of a blog post that really impressed me. Being pretty or beautiful is temporary and my days of pretty are long over. When pretty fades that’s where Strong takes over.
Now anybody who has been reading my blog posts over a period of time knows that even though I’m on Team Love that I am Not on Team Sucker or Team Doormat. I am a Soldier (U.S. Army 1977-1981) A Warrior ready to fight for my people. I will battle for All peoples who have been disenfranchised!
“You may not be interested in war, but war may be interested in you.”
– Leon Trotsky
Then it’s on Like Donkey Kong!!
I will fight and do battle as did my Biblical namesake!!!
Judges 4-5
New King James Version (NKJV)
Deborah
(See the Full Biblical text below)
However I do most of my fighting with my pen because as the expression goes the Pen is mightier that then sword.
4 When Ehud was dead, the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord. 2 So the Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. The commander of his army was Sisera, who dwelt in Harosheth Hagoyim. 3 And the children of Israel cried out to the Lord; for Jabin had nine hundred chariots of iron, and for twenty years he had harshly oppressed the children of Israel.
4 Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, was judging Israel at that time. 5 And she would sit under the palm tree of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the mountains of Ephraim. And the children of Israel came up to her for judgment. 6 Then she sent and called for Barak the son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali, and said to him, “Has not the Lord God of Israel commanded, ‘Go and deploy troops at Mount Tabor; take with you ten thousand men of the sons of Naphtali and of the sons of Zebulun; 7 and against you I will deploy Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, with his chariots and his multitude at the River Kishon; and I will deliver him into your hand’?”
8 And Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, then I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go!”
9 So she said, “I will surely go with you; nevertheless there will be no glory for you in the journey you are taking, for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.” Then Deborah arose and went with Barak to Kedesh. 10 And Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedesh; he went up with ten thousand men under his command,[a] and Deborah went up with him.
11 Now Heber the Kenite, of the children of Hobab the father-in-law of Moses, had separated himself from the Kenites and pitched his tent near the terebinth tree at Zaanaim, which is beside Kedesh.
12 And they reported to Sisera that Barak the son of Abinoam had gone up to Mount Tabor. 13 So Sisera gathered together all his chariots, nine hundred chariots of iron, and all the people who were with him, from Harosheth Hagoyim to the River Kishon.
14 Then Deborah said to Barak, “Up! For this is the day in which the Lordhas delivered Sisera into your hand. Has not the Lord gone out before you?” So Barak went down from Mount Tabor with ten thousand men following him. 15 And the Lord routed Sisera and all his chariots and all his army with the edge of the sword before Barak; and Sisera alighted from his chariot and fled away on foot. 16 But Barak pursued the chariots and the army as far as Harosheth Hagoyim, and all the army of Sisera fell by the edge of the sword; not a man was left.
17 However, Sisera had fled away on foot to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite; for there was peace between Jabin king of Hazor and the house of Heber the Kenite. 18 And Jael went out to meet Sisera, and said to him, “Turn aside, my lord, turn aside to me; do not fear.” And when he had turned aside with her into the tent, she covered him with a blanket.
19 Then he said to her, “Please give me a little water to drink, for I am thirsty.” So she opened a jug of milk, gave him a drink, and covered him. 20 And he said to her, “Stand at the door of the tent, and if any man comes and inquires of you, and says, ‘Is there any man here?’ you shall say, ‘No.’”
21 Then Jael, Heber’s wife, took a tent peg and took a hammer in her hand, and went softly to him and drove the peg into his temple, and it went down into the ground; for he was fast asleep and weary. So he died. 22 And then, as Barak pursued Sisera, Jael came out to meet him, and said to him, “Come, I will show you the man whom you seek.” And when he went into her tent, there lay Sisera, dead with the peg in his temple.
23 So on that day God subdued Jabin king of Canaan in the presence of the children of Israel. 24 And the hand of the children of Israel grew stronger and stronger against Jabin king of Canaan, until they had destroyed Jabin king of Canaan.
The Song of Deborah
5 Then Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam sang on that day, saying:
2 “When leaders lead in Israel, When the people willingly offer themselves, Bless the Lord!
3 “Hear, O kings! Give ear, O princes! I, even I, will sing to the Lord; I will sing praise to the Lord God of Israel.
4 “Lord, when You went out from Seir, When You marched from the field of Edom, The earth trembled and the heavens poured, The clouds also poured water; 5 The mountains gushed before the Lord, This Sinai, before the Lord God of Israel.
6 “In the days of Shamgar, son of Anath, In the days of Jael, The highways were deserted, And the travelers walked along the byways. 7 Village life ceased, it ceased in Israel, Until I, Deborah, arose, Arose a mother in Israel. 8 They chose new gods; Then there was war in the gates; Not a shield or spear was seen among forty thousand in Israel. 9 My heart is with the rulers of Israel Who offered themselves willingly with the people. Bless the Lord!
10 “Speak, you who ride on white donkeys, Who sit in judges’ attire, And who walk along the road. 11 Far from the noise of the archers, among the watering places, There they shall recount the righteous acts of the Lord, The righteous acts for His villagers in Israel; Then the people of the Lord shall go down to the gates.
12 “Awake, awake, Deborah! Awake, awake, sing a song! Arise, Barak, and lead your captives away, O son of Abinoam!
13 “Then the survivors came down, the people against the nobles; The Lord came down for me against the mighty. 14 From Ephraim were those whose roots were in Amalek. After you, Benjamin, with your peoples, From Machir rulers came down, And from Zebulun those who bear the recruiter’s staff. 15 And the princes of Issachar[b]were with Deborah; As Issachar, so was Barak Sent into the valley under his command;[c] Among the divisions of Reuben There were great resolves of heart. 16 Why did you sit among the sheepfolds, To hear the pipings for the flocks? The divisions of Reuben have great searchings of heart. 17 Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan, And why did Dan remain on ships?[d] Asher continued at the seashore, And stayed by his inlets. 18 Zebulun is a people who jeopardized their lives to the point of death, Naphtali also, on the heights of the battlefield.
19 “The kings came and fought, Then the kings of Canaan fought In Taanach, by the waters of Megiddo; They took no spoils of silver. 20 They fought from the heavens; The stars from their courses fought against Sisera. 21 The torrent of Kishon swept them away, That ancient torrent, the torrent of Kishon. O my soul, march on in strength! 22 Then the horses’ hooves pounded, The galloping, galloping of his steeds. 23 ‘Curse Meroz,’ said the angel[e] of the Lord, ‘Curse its inhabitants bitterly, Because they did not come to the help of the Lord, To the help of the Lord against the mighty.’
24 “Most blessed among women is Jael, The wife of Heber the Kenite; Blessed is she among women in tents. 25 He asked for water, she gave milk; She brought out cream in a lordly bowl. 26 She stretched her hand to the tent peg, Her right hand to the workmen’s hammer; She pounded Sisera, she pierced his head, She split and struck through his temple. 27 At her feet he sank, he fell, he lay still; At her feet he sank, he fell; Where he sank, there he fell dead.
28 “The mother of Sisera looked through the window, And cried out through the lattice, ‘Why is his chariot so long in coming? Why tarries the clatter of his chariots?’ 29 Her wisest ladies answered her, Yes, she answered herself, 30 ‘Are they not finding and dividing the spoil: To every man a girl or two; For Sisera, plunder of dyed garments, Plunder of garments embroidered and dyed, Two pieces of dyed embroidery for the neck of the looter?’
31 “Thus let all Your enemies perish, O Lord! But let those who love Him be like the sun When it comes out in full strength.”
Actually I had two favorite subjects. English and History or back then it was called Current Events.
If you could have a servant come to your house every day for two hours, what would you have them do?
My Laundry!!
Where did you live when you were in the third grade of school? Is it the same place or town you live now?
Third Grade. I would have been age 9. I Lived on 115th Road in St. Albans, Queens, NY. I no longer live there. Now I Live in Brownsville, Brooklyn, NY. The below photo taken March 1964 is Stephen and I sitting on the stoop of our home. I was 5 Stephen would have been 3.
Me and Stephen March 1964 Home 115th Road St. Albans, Queens, NY
In your opinion, list some places that are great for shopping?
Jamaica Avenue. Downtown Jamaica, Queens. Today I scored two winter sweaters for only $3 a piece. That’s $6.00 of warmth!!
Green Acres shopping mall located in Long Island, New York
Fulton Street Brooklyn New York
Lord & Taylor located near 37th or 38th Streets on Fifth Avenue.
Actually there are many funky, fun, fascinating places to shop in New York but those are the once that come to mind immediately.
Bonus question: What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?
I’m Grateful for this wonderful email message that I received from my brother Stephen yesterday. Here is the message. Please don’t mind the spelling. I think Stephen is doing quite well for an Autism Guy. He is wonderful.
Good morning sister, hi how are you doing today. I got your massage and will make you another picture, and bring it when i come to see you again.
I had a great week at program. we had a party , we sang songs and dance , they had stacks and soda there it was a good time . thank you for the halloween costumes .
I really like the knight costume, I wore it to the party and my fiends liked it i had a good time.
I’m grateful for the fun that Stephen and I had at today’s Halloween party held at AABR which is a Training Center for Developmentally Disabled Adults located in Jamaica, Queens, NY.
Given that one of my good friends passed away last week and I attended her wake/viewing I’m grateful for Life. I look forward to not only being Alive but enjoying Life and having Fun.
U.S. Army Veteran (Me) seeking studio or 1 bedroom in Manhattan, Queens or Brooklyn. Must be cat friendly, close to (walking distance) to the subway & safe neighborhood. Less than $800 a month rent!! Including gas and electric. Will be ready to move in September or October this year.
Sure I could work hours and hours plus tons overtime in a back breaking attempt to pay a rent that will be close to $1000 by November 2016 or I can ask for help and believe God to send me a clean safe place for me and Sylvester. Someplace that I can bring my brother Stephen.
Stephen is most important factor. If all my money goes to pay rent not counting gas, electric, food & transportation how will I find the time or funds to care for Stephen? This is not acceptable so I’m sending out this appeal and Please Feel Free to Share to all your networks.
I don’t like to ask for help. I pride myself on being self-sufficient and when it comes to my personal needs I almost never ask for assistance. However when it comes to my brother Stephen it is essential that I ask. As I’ve gotten older there are some things that I can no longer do and driving is one of them. That saga began with a minor stroke at age 49 in 2008 and retina surgery on my left eye in Jan. 2010. My vision is 20/100 so no driving for me. I can cope with that as New York City for the most part has excellent 24/7/365 transit service except to where my brother Stephen lives. At one point there was a city bus that went out to his neighborhood but because of MTA budget cuts that bus line was eliminated. Problem.
At first a solution presented itself in the form of Stephen’s Group Home dropping him off to me in Brooklyn upon my notifying them in advance for vacations, holidays, parties and his birthday. This solution worked well until last weekend. But you posted pictures of you and Stephen having fun last weekend you say. Yes but in order for me to get Stephen from his residence to my home sadly required a big fight with the manager/supervisor of his residence.
I am an organized person. Being that it is very difficult for me to get time off from my job I send in my requests well in advance. Once I get the approval from my workplace manager I then tell my room-mate and mostly importantly the manager/supervisor of Stephen’s Group Home. I send follow-up emails. I call to confirm. Thinking everything was in place I called Stephen’s residence on the Saturday that they were supposed to bring him to me to find that none of the direct care workers had any idea that Stephen was coming for a Home Visit.
It was suggested by one of the staff that I choose another weekend!! As you can well imagine I was getting more angry and agitated by the moment. I kept calling. They hung up on me!! Finally I told them that I was coming up there! (Don’t ask how as I don’t drive.) That scared the shit out of them and the manager finally called me. Her first reaction was to yell and scream at me saying that it was my fault, that she was sick with the flu, etc…. By this time I was heated and changed into an angry Ghetto Bitch. Yes I cursed her out. Screamed and yelled back. I don’t like to be ugly but sometimes negotiation is out and force is in. Then I told her that I was going to call her boss the following Monday. That was at 10:30 am. Stephen appeared at 11:00 am.
I managed to put away my anger for the duration of Stephen’s visit but our visit was abbreviated by another staffer who kept calling me while Stephen and I were out enjoying the Brooklyn museum. This extremely rude woman continued to call me while Stephen and I worked on an art project. She insisted that their driver pick up Stephen immediately as they were short-staffed. As a result my time with Stephen was cut short.
I called the Director about this farce last Monday and my call again tomorrow to follow up on whether he intends to speak with his staff about their poor, rude and unprofessional behavior.
Here’s where the cry for help comes in.
Finally I told God that I CANNOT do this anymore by myself. I’m tired mentally, physically and emotionally. Last year after being hospitalized against my will at Kings County Hospital I was forced into going to therapy. I told the doctors there all the problems I’m having as a caregiver and asked if there was some practical way they could help me. They said No. Well at least she told the truth. After that I never went back. Why waste my time with therapists when I need to find practical ways to help Stephen.
Stephen’s 55th Birthday Celebration
Stephen’s Birthday is May 3rd and I want to plan a small Birthday Party or outing for him. Bad enough I don’t get support from my job but to be insulted by the staff of his Residence is the straw that has broken the camel’s back. I know that I’m supposed to remain positive, not say I can’t, be angry or any number of those dumb idiotic positive thinking, love, light, forgiveness bullshit I read about all the time but all those people who say those things are me. They don’t know or care to understand what I’m going through. They have no idea how difficult it is to hold down a full-time job and care for a developmentally disabled sibling with no support from my workplace or anyone else for that matter.
Some of my paternal cousins have rejected both Stephen and I because of his Autism. They even had the nerve to say to me back in 2012 that my mother did something to make Stephen “that way.” Needless to say I Do Not speak to this branch of cousins and never will. Once you start talking mean about my mother or my brother you are on my shit list for life.
I am his primary caregiver. I have now reached the point in my care-giving attempts when I need help. Real physical Hands on assistance. I need to partner with someone who has a car and can drive me to and from Stephen’s Group Home in Bellerose, Queens. I Live in Brownsville, Brooklyn. If anyone out there in the New York City area can help me please email me ASAP. Yes I will pay you for gas. Thanks.
Espiritu en Fuego/A Fiery Spirit 