Catching Up to 2012!

It's hard to believe I let this blog go by the wayside for almost exactly two years. I'll have to blame some of it on Facebook and Twitter, which take up altogether too much of my time. There's no way I can catch up two years in one or two blog posts but here are the bare bones.

Bruce found four jobs after his initial layoff from National Envelope. He also worked for the Census in 2010, beginning shortly after I put up my last 2010 post. Now he's been laid off again. This time he's within about 20 months of early retirement, so while we hope he finds work, it's not the complete disaster it was three years ago.


Jason has his Associate's degree from Borough of Manhattan Community College. He's out of school at the moment and looking for work. It's not exactly easy in today's insane economy.

I found a part time job with health benefits in July 2010. I'd been writing grant proposals for Youth Pride Chorus since October 2009 on a very part time basis, and in the summer of 2010 their Development Associate quit to become a student teacher. Now I raise funds for Youth Pride Chorus and the New York City Gay Men's Chorus. Can I say, "I love my job!" Because I do.

Last summer I started up a small home business making pinback buttons. We named it Celestial Buttons (after my name, of course, no angels involved). We sell political and other buttons, with a distinctly left leaning flavor. I'm a leftie, after all. We also would like to do children's parties where kids can create their own design and we'll make it into a customized button. Here's the link: www.celestialbuttons.com.

That's where we are professionally. Our free time activities have changed as well. Two years ago we were both on the board and deeply involved in the Brooklyn Humanist Community. Over time the group evolved away from any interest in action and preferred to remain a social group in nature. In its place we have joined another small group, Politics for a Human Community, which has its own meetup at www.meetup.com/NYC-PHC. and a Facebook page as well. Bruce and I have gotten involved with several other groups as well.

I'm still dedicated to the causes I listed in 2009, with the addition of getting corporate money out of politics. Citizens United was a horrible, wrongheaded decision allowing the wealthiest people and corporations to buy politicians and buy our elections, and we have to overturn it. So we are working on that as well.

It's good to be back.