Living Proof

New York has been thrown some pretty wicked curve balls lately, having dealt with Hurricane Sandy and the recent blizzard that dropped more than 3 ft of snow on us. People in Staten Island are still picking up the pieces, some are homeless and others trying to rebuild and repair their houses. They are still in need of help. This morning when I turned on the news, I was outraged a bit annoyed over the fact that Mayor Bloomberg has his priorities up his wazoo again. First he was on a mission to ban big sized sodas, and now he wants to spend $250,000.00 on "raising awareness" about the dangers of listening to your earbuds at high levels, especially in public or on the subways. "People are annoyed."  People are annoyed with the idiotic attempts to ban things that aren't New York's biggest concerns. How about putting that $250k into helping the victims of Sandy or to help "raise awareness" about all the rapes, murders and drug dealers out on our stre...

As Obama enforces tighter gun control, there are so many people panicking over this. Although I do believe the right to bear arms, for sportsmanship, hunters and of course, protecting your home, I don't see the logic in owning assault weapons typically used in the military. But there's a much larger picture here: fear. It's not even the mainstream type of fear -- fear of burglary, intruders or even an animal attack --- this is fear of catastrophic events. As we all sit and wait for the big zombie apocalypse, this even goes beyond that. After Hurricane Sandy, the lack of gas, water, supplies, etc., I was surprised over the behavior of many who were willing to throw fists at the next person on line for gas. Gas meant electricity, hot water and means of transportation for many people. It meant "life". I heard one guy talking to his friend the other day about how the world is going to need assault weapons in order to protect their family when the new world order tak...

No gas in sight. I honestly don't think people realize the severity of the aftermath that Sandy left us with. (Of course the ones who never lost electricity or those who lost it for a mere two days or so, with no damage to their homes or lives lost.) I'm actually fascinated with Facebook right now, reading and scrolling what people are saying or complaining about, and those who are asking for shelter or a place to stay and those even offering. So it's a mixed bag. There are quite a few things that concern me: #1. People who have absolutely no understanding of the word "disaster" or "tragedy" and want their internet back on NOW. #2. People who cannot grasp the concept that gas is in demand, for gas stations themselves as well as for individuals filling their generators. People are killing one another over gas. New Yorkers, people in Florida have been through worse - power out for days, weeks, even months and you're sitting here complaining about u...

"Watsamatta' whichoo?? We got everything we need!" Years ago I remember our power went out on Thanksgiving because of a hurricane. I forget which year it was, but it was a powerful one. I was only around five years old and all my sisters lived at home. Our turkey was halfway cooked and my dad, being the creative savior through all of this said, "Let's get the gas grill going and cook the turkey in that!" We all didn't know how he would do it in the rain and wind, but lemme' tell ya --- that man cooked the best turkey in our entire lives. I even remember how good it was.  Dad did a lot for us - if not everything. He protected us, provided for us and made sure his family was safe and warm. We never worried about severe storms or the lack of power --- we were with Dad, what could go wrong? His mind worked overtime and with that, I have learned to prepare ahead of time or at least, get creative with what you have on a second's notice. He was a hu...

We're alive! Sandy blew in here with a vengeance leaving most of our area and surrounding cities devastated in some parts. It's odd, because the areas that were of complete destruction, a block down the road could be seen as untouched. It seemed as though Sandy cherry picked her victims and kept some without an ounce of damage or even an electrical outage. Lucky ducks. Our electric went out Monday afternoon. We expected it. I had just finished roasting a chicken and preparing for Sandy to leave us without power for days, even weeks. You know what I love though - everyone, including people I didn't even know, made fun of me for storing up on gallons and gallons of water and a shit load of canned soups of every kind. I went three days before the hurricane when people were all saying, "Oh it's not going to be anything. It's all media hype." I don't take chances with my family, especially having a dog now. I first went to the dollar store, bought tons of...