Politician's Wife

A new candidate

2010-04-19T23:49:00.000-04:00

We have decided to support a new candidate for Connecticut’s House of Representatives. Since she is not in our voting district, we don’t have to worry about ANYTHING! No one can get mad at us for supporting her, we can’t vote for her! No one getting mad because we aren’t volunteering to make phone calls for their candidate, they can’t get mad because we are too busy to attend their event, nope, no one can get mad at us! And at the same time they will have to make excuses for us! Hip hip hooray!

I’m going to be her scheduler, and so everything has to be run by me, so that I can make sure that our candidate has the time to devote to each event. So, she and we shall be VERY busy as time goes by. Stay tuned to more info.

Volcano

2010-04-15T20:59:00.000-04:00

Have you heard the latest about Iceland? There is SO much ash from the volcano that it has spread from Iceland’s air waves to now be over the air waves in England, Scotland, France, Finland, Sweden, should I go on? They say that it’s as bad as the ashes that they had from 9/11, something that as an American I never thought about. Poor people breathing the dust from the volcano, does it smell bad? I thought pure fire has no smell, right? I wonder if something more is up, since some people don’t believe in global warming, I wonder what will be next!

Well I've gone a done it again

2010-04-15T20:48:00.000-04:00

I guess I must LOVE keeping busy, I just volunteered to be the scheduler for a candidate who is running for a state reps position. She is a great woman, young, but now a day, most good people, including the president, are younger than me! Man, does that really make me feel old! Anyway, I really have a good feeling about my candidate! She is a teacher who teaches special ed, she has gone to law school, I’m not sure exactly where she stands on that now. She served on common council before, and almost won a second term, got beat by 6 votes. Anyway, plan on my being VERY busy.

Right now I’m on 3 ½ hrs sleep, and that’s a bad day. I just want to stay up till 10pm, so maybe I will get a good night sleep!

Earthquakes again??

2010-04-06T20:02:00.000-04:00

I'm really starting to get worried, is anyone else? First there is a major earthquake in Haiti, then one in Chile, and then we have a lot of them in Indonesia and even one in Mexico close to the states. It’s as if the world is taking turns shaking up the citizens who live on its planet. The Pacific Ring of Fire is right on tract, and seems to be working overtime, and frankly I’m worried. What is up? Even Iceland has a volcano that seems to be growing at an alarming speed, next thing you know we will have lost an island to something like that. I know that whatever is meant to be will happen, but does that mean that I should not worry?

Where are you from?

2010-04-03T15:11:00.002-04:00

I’m lucky, my brother has done an extensive research on our genetics, and we have found out that on my mother’s side, we are descendents of a king of France and a queen of England! Cool isn’t it? Since my brother had to use the Mormon registry for most of the work that was done Not that I don’t believe my own brother, but since this is SO important, he wanted to make sure it was done right. On my father’s side we go right away back into Finland and pretty much stay there, shucks!

Where are you from, have any idea? Watching the tv program, one tends to start dreaming about their past.

Census 2010 again?

2010-04-03T15:10:00.002-04:00

Yesterday, April 1st, we got something from the Census Bureau, so since we were leaving for a long weekend in VT, I put it in my purse and we took off. About a half an hour later, I opened it up and found it was the same form we had already completed and returned 2 weeks ago! (Refer blog 3/17/10) Was I ever mad! I dialed the 1-866 number and after 10 minutes of answering a computer’s questions, I got a REAL girl! I explained about us getting a duplicate census form, she started by asking us if we had returned the original form. When she learned that we had returned it the same days as it was received, she told us to disregard it in the easiest way possible. I then told her that we were tax payers, and I was concerned about the cost of sending me a 2nd form, if they sent it to me, than they had to have sent it to others as well, right? And when she wouldn’t answer me, I got a bit angry, not at her, but at the census bureau in general. So, I got off the phone and called Washington, DC and asked to speak to my congressman! I knew he really wasn’t there; congressmen and senators are in recess for two weeks, but I want to let them know how I felt about the census bureau. And it turned out that my congressman was on the other phone, I told them all about it, and left my number with them, even though I knew I won’t be getting a call back. But it still bothers me, after all, the postage, the time, both theirs and ours, make the government look INEPT! The next thing they will do is send a census person around and stop to ask us questions, and I will become unglued! And the bad part is that I worked the census in 2000 and got probably 20 people jobs with the census bureau this time! With today’s technology, why can’t we file the census on line? I think I’m going to talk to my Congressman again! O no!!

Has it stopped raining yet?

2010-03-31T22:48:00.000-04:00

We have had the worst rainfall in maybe recorded history. Every single city in CT is sweating major flooding. My house, which is on a hill, has had so much rain that the water table has started to flood our basement, because we had a crack in the floor. My son, who lives in the basement, is sick and was at the ER getting some medical attention. After 4 hrs, we (him & me) finally got home when he finds out all his belongings are drenched! He is on heavy antibiotics and pain killers, can’t stand up because he has been sick for over a week, he is the one that has to wet vac the basement! At 11pm all he wanted to do was sleep, but we got the basement kinda dry, but because it is the water table itself that is flooded, then EVERYONE can get water in Norwalk.

At least we don’t have it as bad as Eastern Connecticut, they have evacuation going on. As this is being written, most of Rhode Island has been declared a national disaster. Please say a prayer for those people tonight.

Weather in New England

2010-03-28T21:52:00.000-04:00

As the saying goes 'if you don't like the weather just wait, it will change in a few minute.' We are having the strangest weather lately. First we get rain and wind like has never been felt here before. Trees down, electricity out for almost a week, schools closed because of lines down for ONE WEEK! Then the temperature goes up to 70’s almost 80 in middle of the next week.. What is going on? We have coastal flooding again, and more rain for the next couple days. I’m ready for spring, but REALLY?

They say that, because of global warming, our weather is all mixed up. I know that there are islands in the Pacific that have disappeared, what’s up with that? Polar bears dying because they don’t have enough ice to float on to live. Their cubs can’t make it and I wish I knew what we, as a NATION, could do. Do you?

Something new to play with

2010-03-24T20:43:00.000-04:00

My loving husband bought me a brand new Bluetooth FM modulator to be used in the car. My son put it in yesterday. It is SO neat! When my cell phone rings while I’m driving all I have to do is change the radio cannel (FM of course) hit the green mark that looks like a phone on the device, and I can listen to whomever it is that called me! And they can hear me fine! No not answering the phone, no answering the phone and being afraid that I may have to pull over to talk, not having to worry about other drivers talking, nothing like that! And as I drive around, it always bothered me that other drivers who have a cell phone have it in their hands talking away! I always get so nervous, and since the stats are on my side, why not spend $50 for a device. My husband got one for me, why can’t everyone who doesn’t have a hands free device get one?

League of Woman Voters

2010-03-21T22:08:00.000-04:00

The League of Woman Voters has an important meeting Thursday night. Seems that the president has not been doing what the League has always been responsible for. Remember last year when my husband attended a forum that was put on by the League of Woman Voters? It was so bad it was laughable; the only person who EVEN sounded like he knew what they were talking about was my husband and two other people. It was REIDCULOUS!! And what was even worst, the LWV didn’t even know what to do, because of the president!

The state has now stepped in, and as the STATE they are coming down to Norwalk and making the president explain what is going on. Wonder what the end result will be. Stay tuned for more info.

Is this the final Health Care Reform?

2010-03-20T21:24:00.000-04:00

It's the night before the vote in the House, for or against the President’s bill on Health Care. There seems to be a lot wrong with this bill, some things right, but where do you make a decision? There are those who are against abortion, and the bill promotes paying for abortions. I have always been Pro-Choice, I don’t know whether or not I could have made a choice if I would have gotten pregnant while dating, but I believe that it is a WOMAN’S choice, not a man’s .

It has to be rough, deciding something for the ENTIRE country based on your feelings. I thought that ANYONE elected into office had to vote the way ALL of the people wanted them to vote, did something happen? Maybe they have forgotten that, and we, the voters will have to remember that come November.

It shall be interesting to watch tonight, guess I’d better turn on the tv.

Man am I mad

2010-03-18T21:51:00.000-04:00

Tuesday night was my first Electors meeting of the Second Taxing District. An Elector is anyone who gets either electric or water from SNEW (South Norwalk Electric and Water) and is a registered voter. As it is, we only need 15 people to attend, and that includes the 7 commissioners and 1 treasurer that were elected by the Second Taxing District! Imagine my surprise when we couldn’t even get 15 people to show up! Three of the commissioners couldn’t make it, with no reason, our treasurer included, in fact I had my husband and also a common councilman, and our chairwoman had her husband and that was it! The first time in 10 years that we had to reschedule our Electors meeting. And its’ not much, we just have to pass the budget for the next year!!

So, the clerk has to put the new date in the newspapers (costs roughly $300) , she and another person will have to be there for at least 1 hr (2 hrs x $16 is $32) someone had to take down the chairs, etc. and someone will have to set them up again (2 hrs x $16 is $32 again) Then, even though we own the electricity, we still have to pay for it, right? Wonder how much that costs? And all because we couldn’t get 6 people to show up! And because of this, we, the electric department has to reschedule a meeting that might have only taken 10 minutes.

Then are people who always complain that the electricity is too expensive, well we are the CHEAPEST in the entire state! Bar no one! You would think that they would have shown up at least. O well, what you gonna do, it’s a bad state of affairs when no one comes to a yearly meeting.

Census 2010

2010-03-17T18:17:00.000-04:00

Well we got to do the short form today. 10 minutes and my husband was done. In 2000 I worked for the census bureau and I got to go and talk to the nice people in Salisbury, Maryland. It was really neat, not one family was mean or rude to me. I did see a house that was probably a drug lab, so I got to give it a pass, but everything I did was with the approval of the census bureau. Right now they are still giving tests, because they NEED people, but since they are offering over $22 an hour, how can anyone say no to this? And, I have been told from people in Washington, that even Section 8 people can do the census! What I hate, more than anything, is that some people are afraid of working and actually making money and getting out of Section 8!

I wonder if the President was done his 2010 Census yet. Bet not.

It was a rough weekend

2010-03-17T17:59:00.000-04:00

The rain started Friday with some wind. But by Saturday the wind around here was 60 - 70 mph! I was watching my neighbor's house, as it was raining so hard I could almost not see his place, when suddenly his lights started to go off and on and then they went out! As my lights where on, I was a bit worried but then we realized that his trees had come down and were in his electricty lines! I sent the guys over to make sure he was ok, but his house was spared. The electrict company came out in the wind, to make sure the lines weren't sparking, with the promise to get electricity turned back on. We went to bed and the electricity went off all around. My son said he saw where a lady the next block over had a tree into her car. But, the power came back within 2 hrs. But all things considered, we were lucky! My neighbor has lost two stately pine trees, they are down all around his house, but his house was spared.

A new pet peeve

2010-03-12T17:18:00.000-05:00

Is it my imagination or are the news media getting a bit sloppy? On one of the three local channels we have an almost dumb blond girl who gives the road conditions, drinking either tea, coffee, soda, water, something while she is on TV. She walks around the TV studio, on camera, sometimes carrying her drink. I have been watching her from her beginning and I wish someone could tell her how unprofessional that is. You don't see the BIG news reporters like, ABC, NBC, CBS or Fox, walking around with a coffee or tea in THEIR hands.

Just my pet peeve for the week.

This will be coming out later this summer..

2010-03-05T21:45:00.000-05:00

This will be in our HHT news letter this summer, figured I'd let you look at it first!

Mary Geake has no prior experience with legislative advocacy, just a passion to help the HHT Foundation. Mary’s long history with HHT began at the age of nine with frequent nosebleeds. She remembers her father and two brothers visiting an ENT who told them their bloody noses were due to Osler-Weber-Rendu Syndrome. In 1983, Mary had her first operation to stop her nose bleeds – a skin graft from her arm was put up her nose. This helped stop the bleeding for almost 8 years. Then in 1991, at the age of 36, she suffered a massive stroke when the CAVM in her brain burst. “They thought I was dying and gave me last rites,” said Mary. Determined to be around to raise her three boys, she learned to walk and do everything without the use of her right side.
In 2000, Mary started having problems breathing. She ended up in a hospital where after a lot of testing doctors told her she had Osler-Weber-Rendu again or HHT. “What did my bloody nose have to do with my lungs?” questioned Mary. Determined to get answers, she reached out to the HHT Foundation for help. She soon found out everything she needed to know about this rare disorder. Since that time, Mary has had three embolisms on her lungs. She continues to have bloody noses, and has spinal pain so bad that she has been on a morphine pump since 2005. “I have a lot wrong with my body,” says Mary.
In a quest to meet others with HHT, she attended her first Regional Network Alliance meeting in January 2009 and was stunned to read in our literature that the HHT Foundation does not receive any federal funding. “Once I realized this I knew I had to do something. My husband and I traveled to Washington, DC last June to attend the HHT Foundation’s “Capitol Hill Day.” Armed with knowledge, we secured an appointment with Rep. Jim Himes from Connecticut’s 4th congressional district and shared our story of how HHT has affected our family. He listened and signed the authorization bill declaring June 2009 as the first National HHT Awareness Month, a first step in the plans obtain federal funding for HHT.
Since then Mary has continued her pursuit of federal funding for HHT. She has contacted the office of Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro from Connecticut’s 3rd congressional district who serves on the Labor-Health and Human Service-Education Subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee. DeLauro lives in New Haven, Connecticut just miles from Yale University where one of the best HHT doctors in the world, Dr. Robert I. White, is located. “My goal is to get her into the Yale HHT Center to see the facility and see the good work that is being done there.” When asked what others can do to get involved, Mary believes we need to pull together to create awareness for this disease that affects so many family members. She wants people to know the warning signs and get tested. Mary struggles with her own family members refusing to be tested. “These tests are expensive,” says Mary. “We need national attention for people to realize their importance.” “Television shows such as ‘Dr. Oz’ and ‘The Doctors’ could be powerful vehicles to create awareness for HHT. “If 150 people send an e-mail to the producers requesting an episode about HHT, we might be heard.” In Mary’s words, “If we come together, we can do so much.” Mary Geake and her husband, Michael, live in Norwalk, Connecticut.

Ok, so now you know all about me, if you wanted to know that is!

A strange suggestion

2010-03-05T20:47:00.000-05:00

It seems to me, that there needs to be a change. If you are going to run for ANY political position in a city, state, you have to be a home owner. I mean, why would we want to vote for someone who rents and can leave at any time, right? If raising taxes doesn't affect the person who vote for them, but doesn't have to pay them, isn't this a conflict of interest? Since our economy is so shaky right now, I started to look at what our own city has. The mayor just got a condo, so he has only been ok for only about a year. But with Common Council, there are 15 members, 5 Democrats, 10 Republican, right? Well, I know for a fact that there are 2 people who rent, 1 from each party. Since I don't know several others, I'm not sure about the rest.

And then there is Chris Shay. When he was running for Congress, he had a home in CT but his family lived in DC which meant he rented it, maybe for a loss, but I don't think so. When he lost, he sold both homes and moved into a new home in MD. Now that he is thinking of running again, he is looking to rent a place in Bridgeport, CT. I feel that if you're gonna run, you have to have something to loose too. It's only fair, right?

Maybe if EVERYONE had something to loose when they vote, the votes would mean more to the voters, what do you think?

Another earthquake

2010-03-02T22:58:00.000-05:00

Now we have an earthquake in Chile, a 8.8! That's 500 times more sever than the quake that hit Haiti. 500 times worst than something like that. Because their government has stepped in, we are really getting hardly anything, just the minimum of information. But with Haiti, their government dissolved and millions of people are left homeless with no one to help them, at least not on a political level. Sometimes I think about what I have heard and read about Nostradamus. His reading indicate that there will be a lot of natural disasters before the end is at hand. I just wonder if that's true? After all, when something like this happens it really makes us realize that we have no control over most of life, that we live and die just as easily as all of them.

It's my birthday today.

2010-03-01T23:05:00.000-05:00

Today is my birthday. I am 55 years old. Strange thing is, I was born in 1955, so I was born in '55 and I'm 55, right? I'm pretty young, all things considered, but there may not be a lot of people who get to share their birthdays with their birth year anymore. I mean, my sons will be in their 70's before they can say that they are as old as their birth year. And my grandchildren, they may never get to say that their age is equal to their birth year. I mean, who is gonna live to be '05 or 105 years! Just something strange to think about. Think about it, what do you think?

It's was snowing again

2010-02-28T21:50:00.000-05:00

I'm lucky, when the weather gets bad, my husband can work from home. Friday at 5am he got a e-mail from the 2nd man in charge of his whole company, who said' have a good snow day, work from home, to everyone! So he did!

We have had some weird weather so far, rain then snow then heat so that all the snow starts to melt again. Isn't it strange, in some ways the weather is like politics, just when you think that you understand what is happening, they throw a monkey wrench into it and you have to start all over again.

It was kinda kewl today

2010-02-24T21:44:00.000-05:00

We must be kind of important people, I mean, we got 2 important phone calls today. Just Dan Malloy the past mayor of a major city, who is running for governor and then George Jepsen, an attorney, who is running for Attorney General! Both of them wanted to talk to me and Mike. Mike talked for about 10 minutes with each of them, and they asked for our support. It was a bit strange, two phone calls within a half hour of each other? Mike thinks that the candidates just go the official list of each cities Democratic Town Committee Members! And here I thought they just missed us! LOL But, this election will be REALLY interesting, Ned Lamont wants to be governor, we have good guys who want to be Senators, it shall be different. Let's hope it's a clean election, already there are rumors that it is getting NASTY!

Now we need health care quick..

2010-02-22T20:58:00.000-05:00

On Wednesday night my 29 year old son tried to snowboard in a field at midnight. Guess what, he broke or tore his left clavicle! Didn't get home from the hospital till early Thursday morning and he gave me papers about a follow up. That's when the fun began. I called the first number, because the hospital referred us to them. They said that they have to get paid before they will see him. Now, my son has no job, has no money, lives with us, but has nothing to even sell for money. The hospital, the doctors office and the clinc's office all have reasons to NOT see my son, but at the same time have no idea what I can do to help him. As he is still in AGONY I have to figure that it is torn and will have to have surgery to correct it. I even got him the state form for insurance, but they won't cover him, this time! Now what do I do, any ideas? I made an appointment at the original Orthopedic Surgeon's office and will ask to speak to the office manager if it get's bad. But, and here is the problem, if we HAD HEALTH CARE implemented NOW it wouldn't be such a problem now! And I'm one of 100,000 with the same problem nationwide. Torn cartilage or tendons and no one will look at me because we don't have insurance!

Olympics to date

2010-02-20T00:29:00.000-05:00

My husband was watching the downhill snow boarding and he started talking about what it was like in VT in the '60's. He remembers when all of the kids would take lunch trays and go outside and do their own sort of snowboarding. They would just got over major highways as they tried to be the best of the day and make the best trail ever! Watching the snowboarding now just doesn't seem the same. Wonder what other neat winter Olympics my husband will teach me? Any of you ever have anything like this happen to them?

First meeting

2010-02-18T17:54:00.000-05:00

Well we had the 2nd Taxing District meeting Tuesday night. It was cold, snowing, but because we had an attorney coming to talk to us, we had to hold the meeting. But since the train station has a parking garage and we own a condo in the train station, we were able to park there and not worry about the snow during the meeting. The meeting started at 7pm and we didn't get out till almost 10pm. Three executive sessions later I now remember why so many other people said that they never wanted to be doing what I am so happy to be doing! Different strokes for different folks I guess!

Spent the first 1 1/2 hrs on the budget, man I am so glad that we have such a great general manager! He makes the budget almost able to be understood, and that's from a rookie (me). The others understand him in ways that I expect I will a lot faster, since my husband heard all this for 4 yrs and therefor so did I! It's just that now it is MY responsibility to understand everything, thats all.

I still think that we are lucky to have our own electric and water company, I wonder how many others are so lucky?

Guardian Angels

2010-02-15T23:04:00.000-05:00

When my husband was a common councilman back several years ago, he got word that, because of violence in Norwalk, people wanted to get the Guardian Angels involved. As he had heard of them, but really had no factual information, he called the Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa to get some info. We were in CA visiting my grandchildren when he called my husband back, and they talked for about an hour as we were driving up I-5 (if you live in CA you would know that this road goes from Mexico to Canada).

Mike wanted some info and after awhile invited Sliwa to come talk at his Health, Welfare, Public Safety and Emergency Management Committee Meeting has he felt that if people were talking about the Guardian Angels and wanting them, then he a chairman of the committee, should get them together so that the people can talk to them and find out what they are all about.

My husband tried to get a hold of the mayor, but it was after 5pm EST so he figured he would call him from the airport tomorrow. We never got a hold of the mayor till Monday morning when my husband was at work. At that time the mayor was kinda in a good mood, he seemed a bit excited. He hung up and he called the chef of police, then the shit hit the fan. He called back yelling at Mike, telling him that they didn't need the
Guardian Angels and that he, the mayor, would make my husband's life miserable if Guardian Angels and founder Curtis Sliwa came into HIS city.

The mayor and chief of police did make Mike's and the Guardian Angels' life bad, but they are used to that, so they just kept patrolling and trying to recruit people who wanted to be Guardian Angels. Because Mike did not want to bring politics into the picture, he stepped out, so that they (the bad guys) couldn't say it was for one political party or another.
(Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa is VERY different, listen to him sometime, he has a radio program in NYC).

After some time I learned that they were back in Norwalk today, and I hope that they can stay. The police know what they will and won't do, and even though the chief of police is against them, 95% of cops are glad they're here too. Police can only patrol so many streets, so many business, so many areas in a given day without writing reports, heaven knows how they do all that they do with there only being 8 hrs a day. If they can get another set of eyes and ears out there, what can it hurt? Nothing! Sure wish the chief could see it that way. Make life much easier, that's for sure!