Convertible House

Our neighbor sent me a couple pictures from his second story window. He said it resembles a convertible with the top down. I think it looks like a hot mess. 

The Roof Is Gone

Looking at this, it's not clear why we saved any part of this house, but I am sure the logic is there somewhere. This is looking at the house from the back.

Here's the house from the front/street. Note that the roof is missing over the left side of the house.

Honestly, I am not even sure what part of the house this is. The kitchen, maybe?

This is looking from the kitchen, towards what used to be our bedroom, with a view of the neighbor's house.

Ummm. Maybe looking from the front door upwards?

This might be looking from the kids' room down the hall towards the dining room. But does it even matter?

The Levitating House

Okay the house isn't actually levitating but with all of the dirt dug up around the foundation you would mistake it for a house that is either levitating or sinking into the ground. It's a little hard to look at. I can't really see how this project will ever get finished. 

Week 3: Digging Out the Basement

Most of demolition is done, so the contractors have turned their destructive weapons to the basement, where they need to dig out and built a bigger foundation to support the second story. These photos are not very good but they give you a sense of how overarching this project is. I threw one in of the kids just for good measure.

Checking in on the Team

So how is our angry little cat and her stress monster boyfriends L and Q? Let's just say, they are adjusting in their own, punk ways.

Week 2: Construction Gets Real

This poor house is being dissected! Week 2 was really just Day 3 et seq. The window started coming out, more plaster was pulled off. Our house was built in 1922 and the wood inside is still in great condition. Gotta hand it to those old growth trees; they have staying power. 

I have no idea what was going on this basement but you could see into it, and there were dudes crawling around on their hands and knees, so it seemed like I needed to take a picture.

This is not a post-Katrina house. It just looks like one.

Our builders are super-neat. Look at this jenga pile of insulation!

Umm, where are the basement stairs?

Finally, Construction!

After planning to do this for more than a year, it was quite a surprise that this happened in the first two days. Here's what it looked like from the kids' bedroom window, looking in. 

Here's the view from the front door. That guy is standing in what used to be our TV room.

Oh, and here's the kitchen.

Let's just tear the outer wall off the dining room while we're at it, shall we?

Probably nothing will happen on this project as fast as demolition.

More on the Move

So we moved out on April 16, and it was one of the most stressful days of my life. It was also probably the most stressful day of the boys' lives. Partially because it was the biggest change they can remember going through, and partially because they have such awesome, coddled, privileged lives that very little bad enters into. But this is them at breakfast at Mama's Royal Cafe that morning.

Those were two stressed little Rudys, but the hot chocolate helped get us through the morning.

The moving guys from Delancey Street Movers were AMAZING. Incredibly professional, nice and polite. To eachother! They go above and beyond for the people they are moving. Seriously, I wanted to keep hanging out with these guys, they were so pleasant and nice. The guy loading the truck:

One of the guys insisted on laying the carpet squares out in the same pattern we'd had in the old place (which he remembered), and had other, very constructive tips about where the furniture looked best.

Here's a wierd component of our new neighborhood. There is a siege of herons at the KFC on the corner. Here's one on the street sign. It really bums me out that these beautiful animals are scavenging KFC, and it can be creepy when there are seven of them loitering on the one sad picnic table outside, but this one is nice.

I promise, the next post will have actual construction pictures.

The Construction Project

Some people (okay, my mom) have asked about photos of the house as we do construction, so I thought I would put them here. These are from the move out. 

This one shows them staging all our stuff in the living room.

We moved a lot of the stuff into the garage.

This is our angry little cat.

This is the living room, emptied of all the possessions stacked up earlier. 

New Year's Resolution Mid-Year Review

I am planning to start blogging again, on the admittedly low interest topic of our construction project and our temporary neighborhood, but I thought I would do a quick check of my resolutions, since that was my last post.

Looking at the resolutions, it may be that I set the bar too low. I did turn 40 (Res. 1), and it was pretty painless. We spent my actual birthday at Whistler (where, I am told, due to the Canadian exchange rate, I only turned 36) and I did very little skiing and a lot of editing of the novel I started in November (Res. 4). I left my job effective March 28 (Res. 3) and we started construction on the house May 1 (Res. 2). Marriage seems happily intact (Res. 2), in small part due to the awesome birthday party Mr. Scob gave me on May 3 (Res. 1).

What else? I did team penning on April 24 (Res. 5). It was fun. I have read at least one book (Tell the Wolves I'm Home) which I did not really like (Res. 6), but it did inspire my to get back to my own book. I made my first draft changes and my sister and cousin were my beta-readers (Res. 4). They did not hate it and they gave me lots of good feedback. I will keep plugging away at it. I can't remember if I have bought any new music, so I guess that means I did not (Res. 7). I've run 201 miles so far this year, so I don't think the last 103 miles are going to be too tough (Res. 8).  I even finished the Oakland half-marathon on Mar. 23. It was hella fun.

It looks like I should have made flossing a goal so that I had something hard to work on this year.

2014 New Year's Resolutions

Let me just say right off the bat that this is going to be a huge year. Epic. Awesome. I can just feel it. Maybe I'm setting your expectations too high, but it is just a fact that a lot of stuff is going to happen this year.  Maybe I should call this 2014 New Year's Facts because they ARE going to happen.

1. Fact: I am going to turn 40. Resolution: I am going to do it gracefully, and feel happy about it.

2. Fact: We are adding a second story to our house. Resolution: We are going to do it with minimum conflict as a couple, and end up with a house that we are both happy with.

3. Fact: I am going to leave my job. Resolution: I am going to do this sooner rather than later in the year.

4. Fact: I have a novel. Resolution: I am going to edit it, and possibly let someone read it. I *might* even write another novel, but probably not until November.

In light of these heavy duty life decision type resolutions, I am going to go easier on myself on lower key resolutions.

5. I will try team penning.

6. I will read at least 5 books.

7. I will buy at least one album released in 2014 and two albums released in 2013. (This is easy, as I already know what I want to get)

8. Run 304 miles. This is just about 5.8 miles a week, or under 2 runs a week. This is less than I usually run. But if I run at least 304 miles, I will have recorded 2000 miles of running since I started four years ago.

Okay, I am going to marinate on these for a few hours. I might come back and edit, or I might not. Either way, have a safe and happy New Years!

And That's All, Folks

That last post was the last one lingering in the drafts folder. That means all new content will be current and exciting and, well, new. Assuming that I can think of anything new and interesting to post and then also sit down and type it within a reasonable amount of time.

Anyway, it's that time of the year. The time of year for reviewing my 2013 New Year's Resolutions before I make my new ones. Here's a link. Here are the 2013 resolutions:

1. Obtain and maintain a sour dough starter: Done. It's in the fridge, still alive but barely used. I ended up eating a lot less bread this year.

2. Take a sewing class: Did not happen. I used my sewing machine a couple of times and had the same thought I always do: "I should really take a class."

3. Try Pilates: Did not happen. Cannot seem to make this happen. Found a good exercise class regardless.

4. Read one book per month: I read 4 George RR Martin novels and "Far From the Tree" by Andrew Solomon, so I feel like those should all count for double. I read a Joan Didion novel (possibly two) and "Mating in Captivity", which I highly recommend to anyone who has ever been in a relationship. I read "Searching for Dave Chappelle", but since that's a Kindle single, I am not sure it counts. It was good though. I feel like I should get partial credit for this one.

5. Buy at least 5 new albums: I bought "The Hound Chronicles/Hot Garden Stomp", The Mountain Goats. "Synchronicity", The Police. The Very Best of Daryl Hall & John Oates, "Cold Fact", Rodriguez. "Santigold", Santigold. "Rogue's Gallery", Various. While I technically purchased more than 5 albums which are new to me, none of them were released in 2013, and some of them are almost older than me. I do feel like I should get credit for this one, but for the technical completion, I am giving myself enough credit to complete the credit from the one above. One total point across these two categories.

6. Camp at least once: I accompanied my then-3rd grader on his camping trip to Gold Country last spring. This was not the back-country adventure I may have hoped for, but there was a tent and sleeping bag, s'mores, walking in the dark to brush my teeth, etc. Plus, there was no alcohol allowed, so I feel like that made it more difficult than a regular camp-out at the state park. Done.

7. See Big Sur: Did not happen. Is it possible that I could do this by Tuesday? I do not have plans this weekend. (Looking into this)

8. Finish my novel about Mars: Did not happen. I did write a different novel though. Working title is Upstate, and while it is not polished, it certainly is far more complete than the Mars novel. I also understand now why I did not finish the Mars novel. In the final tally, I think finishing a totally different novel is more impressive than finishing one I started the year before. Therefore, I am giving myself credit for having accomplished something here.

9. Oh, and I will try blogging a bit more: Done. I posted 55 times (including this post) compared to just 13 times in 2012 and 15 times in 2011.

The final score is 5-4 on resolutions for 2013. Come back soon for the 2014 resolutions, which will be more specific, more realistic and more awesome that 2013.

From the Drafts Folder: "Back to Politics: IL-5", Date Unknown

I heard last week that Tom Geoghegan was considering a run for Rahm Emanuel's seat

Commentary on "The Lean-In Post"

Yes, you are not crazy. The Lean In Post was blank. That's because I thought I had a lot to say about it, and then after I thought about it, I decided I did not have a lot to say about it. And then the whole idea of Leaning In just melted away. From my mind. From pop culture. I just did not care. And I did not want to dignify Sheryl Sandberg with any of my intellectual property dedicated to her. I just do not care. And that's coming from someone who LEANS THE FUCK IN. Go away, Sheryl. Good bye.

From the Drafts Folder: "The Lean In Post", July 7, 2013

Apologies

Wow, sorry, I did not realize that it is already Thursday. I totally meant to blog this week to keep up my feverish pace that I set at the beginning at the month. But the days just got away from me. It's been a "crazy" week and the scare quotes ARE intended to suggest that it was only crazy in a relative sense. I.e. nothing actually diagnosable as mental illness occurred. Maybe "mental episodes" is a better characterization of my week. The rest of it was just regular old "crazy" middle-class busy-ness.

My pace has tapered because I have only two draft emails left in my draft folder, meaning I need to either draft some stuff and let it stew, or actually create new content. But at this point, December 19, those are the same thing. I am not going to dodge and pretend like this shambles of a post is "new content". I will post one of the two remaining posts, and then I might take a hiatus to work on my New Year's resolutions. And I will review my 2013 resolutions. So that's four posts right there. And I have 12 days left. Okay, let me get my butt in gear here.

Gift Recommendation: Jazz Department

I have a confession: If jazz music were men, I would be married to Dave Brubeck's album Time Out. That sounds really weird, doesn't it? Here's my thinking. I've listened to a substantial amount of jazz, working at a radio station, going to many shows featuring for-real Chicago jazz musicians when I lived there. I worked at a jazz record store for a while in college. The whole time, I only sort of liked it. Mainly, I *appreciated* it. Organ jazz was really the only stuff that caught my attention: Jimmy McGriff, Jimmy Smith, "Groove" Holmes. I would put their albums on when I worked at the record store. Never bought the records, though. 

Time Out, on the other hand, I fell in love with. I still listen to that album on repeat on a Sunday morning and just love it. I do not listen to any other jazz album. I have an Ornette Coleman album on my iPod, but I rarely listen to it. If you do not own this album, buy it now, and then buy a copy for the person you love.

In the comments, tell me the one album you adore in a genre you otherwise do not care about. Thank you!

From the Drafts Folder: "2011 New Year's Resolutions" January 2011

It's that time of the year again. But first let's revisit the 2010 resolutions:

1. Run the Oakland half-marathon March 28, 2010. Done. Ran it in 2:07. Running it again this year and would LOVE for any of my readers to join me. In fact, I ran 543 miles in 2010, and I'm going to try to beat that this year. I burned over 50,000 calories doing it, and I shudder to think how much weight I would have gained if I hadn't been running.

2. Read one new book a month. I don't think I accomplished this, largely because inherent in the resolution is an understanding that I would finish the books I started, and I left a lot of dead soldiers on the bedside table.

3. One "date" each month with each guy in this house. No idea. I probably accomplished this but didn't keep accurate data, so who knows. Some "dates" definitely entailed someone cleaning the kitchen while someone else played Legos alone in his room, and no, I don't mean my husband doing either one.

4. 100% of LMP employees in Unit Based Teams, 75% of UBTs are high-performing teams by the end of 2010. We hit 90% of LMP employees in UBTs. About 35% of our teams were deemed "high performing" using our regional assessment tool, but then a new assessment tool was adopted nationally and I don't know how are teams are doing. I feel good about all of this, even if you don't know what it means.

5. Work "slap in the face" into my vernacular. Forgot to do this. Which is such a slap in the face to the phrase "slap in the face" that I feel I really accomplished something by not using it.

Okay, 2011.

A Facebook Idea, Implemented

A few months ago, I saw a post on Facebook for these things called Blessings Bags (posted by a woman I went to high school with who is very involved now with her church). The bags were Ziploc gallon bags with hotel shampoos and soaps and a granola bar and a few other items, and they were meant to be given to panhandlers. Her church assembled them from donations. I've heard of this being done by Girl Scout troops, too.

We have a lot of panhandlers in Oakland, and there has been a huge increase since the Occupy Movement. They are typically punk white dudes who have decent bikes and a dog and they are reading paperback books while they hold up an "Anything Helps" sign. They used to annoy me but now I just figure they have deeper issues than I understand, and I accept their existence in the world. My kids, on the other hand, are always perturbed that I will not give money to panhandlers, and are not persuaded by my explanation that we donate to the county food bank and these folks can get stuff there.

After Thanksgiving, I took the kids to Target and told them to pick out some things in the Travel Size section that they thought a homeless person might need to feel cleaner and happier. They picked out toothbrushes and paste, handi-wipes, chapstick, sunscreen, moisturizer, and I picked out deoderant and non-alcoholic mouthwash. I also grabbed a package of tampons to make a woman's supply kit.

We assembled them that afternoon, but had not handed any out. All week, we have been driving past a guy near their school who has the sign I described above, and the kids have been asking to help him. The kits were in the way-back! This morning I remembered to bring them up front, and when we saw the guy, I rolled down my window. He saw me and reached over to grab the goodie bag. He yelled, "Thanks!" in a really happy-surprised way. I could not see him (I had a green light and needed to keep driving) but they kids went nuts, "Mom! He was happy! He said thanks!" They were clapping and laughing. I felt a bit giddy too. We all agreed that it felt really good to give something nice to someone.*

*A concept I have been trying to impart for 10 years without success.

Anyway, I wanted to share it, to thank Del Kramer, and hopefully to give you an idea for who to get your kids thinking about little acts of kindness and giving. I think they are now probably going to want to drive around giving out "survival bags" as they now call them. 

From the Drafts Folder: "This Almost Certainly Will Not Interest You", March 7, 2011

The public sector unions' protest in Wisconsin has, not surprisingly, given me a lot to think about. I've been working with unions since 1997, and most of those years have been depressing. Not because unions weren't making strong economic or political gains for their members, but because their market share was shriveling. Today, only 6.9% of the private sector is unionized. The public sector helps boost the unionized market density to around 13%, but the power of unions is, at this point, nostalgic and political. The Wisconsin battles are unusual in that they are focussed on the rights of unions (collective bargaining, dues collection) as opposed to individual rights or political interests. In fact, the unions in Wisconsin have largely acceded to the Republican budget cuts; they firmly recognize that the governor is trying to deal the fatal blow. If Walker can win in Wisconsin, the Republicans can win anywhere.

But what if the unions win? What then? They aren't about to regain market share at this point. At its height, the American labor movement included more than 30% of the workforce; that height is unimaginable today. We've lost those jobs completely. Good-bye, manufacturing sector. And even if they do win in WI, they are saddled with a whole set of responsibilities which inhibit their ability to deal with industrial issues in the represented workforce.

Let me back up and talk a little about the different components of what a union offers its members. Via their union, members get (1) political power, via campaign contributions, access to politicians and voter turnout machines that are top notch; (2) legal service, via the grievance and arbitration process. Individual workers who are disciplined and groups of workers deprived of contractual rights have representation for their issues. This is called representational services. Then there's (3) industrial service, where unions advocate for industrial services and standards. This springs in some part from a "craft" or "trade" mentality, where the labor market understands that union labor is superior, because of its training and safety standards. The member gets superior training and the union advocates for those individuals to get the work over non-union employees. Unions also offer (4) collective bargaining/negotiations service, wherein the union bargains for higher wages and benefits than are available elsewhere.

Each of these services is emphasized differently within each union, and each is demonized by the enemies of unions. In turn, the union may be viewed as "the machine", the reason that the jerk comes back to work, the reason people are excluded from certain jobs and budget-busters. I'm not really going to deal with those assumptions. I just raised those frameworks to ask, "If the unions in Wisconsin win, what do they offer their members, AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC?"

I have two ideas. In Ohio, public sector bargaining rights have been rolled back to a point where the unions can only negotiate about wages and benefits. However, what if the opposite were true, and unions had to negotiate about everything? Literally, what if the unions were required to bargain about all the problems faced by their employers? This is antithetical to most ideas about bargaining, but I think that *not* asking unions to think constructively about the future is one of the reasons that they have no incentive to bargain over anything but their share of the pie.

Second, I do think that the basic structure of unions is flawed in a way that inhibits their ability to effectively incorporate all four of their service orientations. Presently, most unions assign staff based on the employer, and the union representative is expected to be political organizer, legal advocate, journey level trainer and contract negotiator. This is absurd. No one can do all of these. In addition to the problem of having the right skills mix, individual staff get overly involved in a particular workplace, and become myopic. The problems of those employees become all that the union representative, and their creativity and objectivity fall into disuse.

I think that a union should staff in the following way. There should be advocates handling grievances; political organizers doing issues organizing and voter turnout; career counselors and trainers for industrial skill development; and trained negotiators. I think that there should also be healthcare and retirement benefit counselors who understand union health and retirement plans and can help workers navigate those, as well as advise negotiators about issues that need to be tackled. These folks would work as a team, providing high quality services from their area of expertise.

Why? Unions need to make the case that their battle is worth winning.