Saturday, September 7, 2013

Tuesday and Wednesday of Staycation

"Every time you smile at someone it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a beautiful thing."
                                                                                                                       Mother Teresa

Taste global cuisine and wine with $30 to spend at Upper East Side's Sojourn
Sojourn (from Timeout's website)
After publishing my Labor Day blog piece Monday night, music wafted up through my window from across the street at Sojourn.  I’m on vacation, right?  I owed it to myself.  So I crossed the street and entered a relatively quiet Sojourn (Everybody must have been still coming home from the Hamptons).  The usual regulars were there.  I guess I’m now one, too.  (Many do know my name..)  Karen and the Sugar Daddies were tremendous!
Tuesday I was up and out down to Tribeca to do some volunteer work through New York Cares.  I was to spend a couple of hours with FEGS in their Job Readiness Program.  From its website: The Mission of FEGS: To help each individual achieve greater success, independence and dignity – at work, at school, at home, and in the community – by providing a diverse network of cost-effective health and human services, which meet the changing needs of the Jewish and broader communities, business and our society.  My work came under this description: FEGS Employment Services offer a range of job placement, resume preparation, training, and support services to individuals who seek employment or job-upgrading – regardless of being unemployed, under-employed, or working full or part-time.
Nervous, as what kind of expert am I?   I went anyway.  It was only a couple of hours, and if I failed miserably, at least I gave it a go.  A disheveled Man about my age came in as I was reading through some informational paperwork given to me while I gathered my confidence.  I was asked if I was would like to work with him.  He was new to the program, and I asked for his patience as I was too.   The Dental Hygienist in me immediately mentally went to the treatment he needs, at the very least the help of a good Hygienist to “clean” him up.  The Mom in me wants to scrub him from head to toe.  Both of these pieces of me would love to have him stop smoking.  The “Stylist” in me wants to take him shopping for clothes and a bag to replace the big smelly plastic trash bag he carries his water soaked and rotten belongings, including his almost destroyed papers, resume among them.  (Oh, the poignant feeling I have rolling around..memories of  Dad and a favorite Patient from many years ago in Southie.  “Mr Mac” whom I mentally lovingly called my “Bag Man” lived in a rooming house on Beacon Hill, and came faithfully to each appointment with all of his earthly possessions in what were like leather horse saddlebags .  Mr Mac was a character to say the least.  I loved seeing him.  Many days he would frustrate the h..out of me; mostly because he painfully reminded me of where my Dad was heading.  But with time he knew all of mine and my co-worker’s Children’s names.  He collected their pictures and said they were on his bureau, which I believe.  He would bring each a couple of dollars for us to bring home to them (which I did!)  Oh, the pain of mental illness..but here I hugely digress again).   Back to my session with my Client.  He is very intelligent. Life has definitely taken its toll.  The two hours flew by!  We stayed until we were begged to leave as it was lunch time.  We felt so good about what we had accomplished that we asked if we could come back the next day, and were granted permission.
12 Chairs
From Yelp
As I meandered through Tribeca over to Soho, now hungry, I fell upon an interesting looking little place, 12 Chairs on the corner of MacDougall and King Streets.  It is Mediterranean/Israeli with hints of its Russian past.  I thoroughly enjoyed lamb kebabs with amazing homemade hummus and pita bread, washed down with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc.  Perfect.
Science, Industry and Business Library (SIBL)
SIBL from its website
From that wonderful experience I went to Midtown to the Science, Industry, Business Library (SIBL) for a free PowerPoint class.  It was a great first step.  If I want to change careers, I feel I am going to have to get learned in so much more technology.  And, once again, God love the NYPL system, their myriad of free classes is amazing, and easy to take advantage of.  I love doing so.
Restaurant front
from Yelp
Tuesday evening, I prepared a wonderful dinner for myself with bounty from the neighborhood Green Market, including a tiny roast.  Then at around 10:30 I once again crossed the street to my now beloved Sojourn for more live music.  A bit more crowded, but comfortably so, as the crowd is mixed with many people my age, so I don’t feel the Mom always hanging with the kids, I thoroughly enjoyed myself.  I didn’t get the name of this trio, but the guitar player was amazing.  And, as an added treat, once of the regulars, Carl the Musician, jammed along on his trombone.  I can’t wait to hear his saxophone.
Wednesday morning I met with my Client.  As the morning progressed I discovered more and more about him, his education and training were in theatre/acting.  To feed himself, he had done paralegal, marketing, and publishing work which included a lot of proofreading.  He proved that skill as he picked over the resume we created with a fine toothed comb.  Our end result was a pretty good resume, if I do say so myself!  I do hope and pray that my Client is successful in his endeavors.  I feel pretty good about any small part I may have played in that.
Then I headed to Murray Hill for a job interview!  As I played around Craigslist on Monday I saw an intriguing advert for a “Receptionist/Patient Manager”.  I sent a letter with resume attached Tuesday morning and Dr called almost immediately and wanted to meet.  He is an endodontist (root canal specialist) so he would never need a dental hygienist.  But my many years in Dentistry he liked and I must say the job description is interesting.  It would be pivoting in my career in Dentistry (as a friend from RoofTop Films suggested I try).  There are some red flags..Is it my exhaustion, my lack of faith and trust in dentists after all these many years?  I am sleeping on it, and we plan to talk next week.
I then went home for a few hours to the Hx3 fixing myself my favorite salad, caprese, from the bounty of the Greenmarket.  Then I scrubbed the bathroom and kitchen so that it’s clean when I move in soon!  Off I went , again, down to Solar 1 on the East River on 23rd Street. to volunteer with Rooftop Films.  I had been to Solar 1 before for Holi, the Hindu Festival of Spring.     
From Rooftop Film’s website: Rooftop Films, Pivot, and The Fledging Fund presents an evening of discussion, activism and celebration, including live music and a special sneak preview of this acclaimed collaborative film, made by several filmmakers, about the causes of social injustice in contemporary America and the ongoing spirit supporting social change.

99% - The Occupy Wall Street Collaborative Film will be released theatrically by Participant Media in New York and LA on September 6, 2013 and will air on Pivot, Participant Media’s new TV network, on September 17 9pm EST. Spread the word!
www.takepart.com/99percent
Naomi Wolf
A panel discussion will follow the screening featuring Naomi Wolf, founding directors/producers Audrey Ewell, Aaron Aites, director Nina Krstic; Pam Brown of Move to Amend/Occupy Student Debt, Josh Silver and Eddie Geller of Represent Us, and Iris Maria Chavez of Education Trust.
As always, it was a wonderful night; from the picture perfect September evening, to the funky music played by Maria Minerva from Esotonia.  The film was incredible but it did evoke infuriation, which was the point, I believe.  The panel discussion built on that.  And, the call to action made me believe that, perhaps, even though the Occupy movement has certainly been a bit quiet in the past two years, it is not dead.  Indeed this is a call to revolutionize…I will not turn this into a political blog…But it was an interesting night.  And, I admit, I did some gushing.  I’ve been a fan of Naomi Wolf’s since I read her first book, “The Beauty Myth” many years ago.  As I was helping with the cleanup I walked right by her.  I turned around and asked her if I may gush.  She let me, and proceeded to introduce me to her friends and colleagues.  Now I’m a bigger fan. 

Needless to say I slept well that night.

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