Jen’s Blog

Will be blotted out of my memory bank!

Thanks to Joe and Daudi for schlepping up here and moving furniture, hanging curtains, etc, last night. Certainly not what any of us planned on doing on Christmas Eve. As much as we tried, the couch just couldn’t get through the door…hmmmm, now what?

Aside from what seems to be the whooping cough (obviously it’s not but it feels like it), an ear infection and something brewing in my sinuses, today was a quiet day.  It was the first Christmas in 6 years (or so I think) that I have not hosted Christmas.  It was oh so wierd not having the Johnsons and everybody else running around my house!  Instead, today was filled with about 6 trips to my old apartment…I guess there’s only a few more to do tomorrow and the dreadedness of removing the decorations the tree…if it wasn’t for my paternaly great-grandmother’s ornaments, I would’t bother with that either!

I had originally planned to use this 2 week break to get a jump start on Org Chem..but with everything in life and this apartment, I have yet to even crack it open – maybe tomorrow.  What was I thinking taking this in a 6 week session????

So, give me a call if anybody is in Harlem and feels like packing, unpacking, etc, tomorrow.  

Since I was a child, I have always looked at things as though they could be worse.  As I sit here and think about the atrocity of innocent children being thrown in to the Congo River by their parent for their “evil spirits” or the countless girls forced into brothels, it’s not refocusing me as it once did.

I don’t know how I got to where I’m at.  I’ve just really screwed up.  From work, to school, to  faith, to friends and to family there is no hope or point in anything.  I can’t even help my sister through this impossible time she’s going through.

I’ve asked for pastoral and professional counseling too many times to even think about that again.  That went out the window almost a year ago.  As desperate as I was for a job, I don’t belong at CCC.  As much as I needed a place to live, I would’ve been better off as staying homeless and sleeping on people’s couches then the quagmire I’m in now with this apartment.  As much as ministry and serving others was my life, it certainly isn’t anymore.  I’ve screwed everything up and there is no point in anything anymore.

This lady.  She spoke with us on Friday mentioning she could put some money for us in Escrow.  However she refused to come to any type of written agreement, as is customary in legal agreements…

So, after speaking with her I called the management company.  After spending countless hours ringing doorbells and making phone calls, we learnt that most of the buildings in our neighborhood are either Coops or they are only solely for Columbia/Barnard students.  The only apartments available to rent are in our building and there are 3 vacant.  We would be happy for anyone of them.  The super likes us; the mgmt company said they’d work with us, although we don’t know what exactly that will entail.  We are both speaking with them on Monday.  But he did tell me that he would call me before a Marshall comes to enforce an eviction – gee thanks!

This has caused so much stress and anxiety for both my roommate and I.  We had thought we were settled, got furniture, rugs, a Christmas tree – all that are conducive to THIS apartment.  The mgmt company told me on Friday to change the locks and call the police if she comes.  How unsettling would that be?  Besides the mgmt company is not the law, and I’ve been told that the police would side with her, as she is technically the leaseholder – regardless if the mgmt company in the process of evicting her.

Where does all of this leave us?  Who knows?  Neither one of us have three months rent each to get a new place, yet alone the extra money for moving costs and related expenses.  We do not want this stress or drama.  We do not want to be subpoenaed.  We do not want to take her to small claims court to try to get some of our money back.  We don’t want to call police if she shows up and have all of that stress to deal with at God knows what hour.  We also don’t want to come home everyday thinking that our stuff will be out on the street – like we have the past 3 days.  This lady came here yesterday and got some of her random stuff out, without saying a word to that – what an awkward predicament!

We just want to be out of this apartment and away from this lady.  And to think this is all by some sought after frou-frous midwife in LI and the city that frequently appears on A Baby Story.  I’m sure she’s a good midwife, but get with it lady!

On August 25, 2008, I was laid off from MSK.  It took almost a year to find another job.  During that year, I decided to go to school for nursing.  When I finally started working again in July 2009 I took a serious paycut, but to the benefits of it being flexible with school, which it amazingly is!  However, on such a tight salary, and having serious debts from the year of unemployment and now thousands of dollars in medical  bills, one can only imagine the limitations such things pose with continuing to live in NYC.   I guess I could live with my dad, but then there would be absolutely no income, and know unemployment, and school would be insanely costly as I would be out-of-state – regardless of the fact that there are no schools close to him!

            Anywho, I was happy to finally have an apartment to move into on November 7^th.  After almost 6 weeks of being a NYC nomad, it was a sign of “okay, now you are getting stable again, let’s tackle the other things…”

            Well, this weekend everything went out the window.

            This cuckoo lady who rented my roommate and I the apartment has apparently done so illegally…to the point where the management company is evicting her…which, um, obviously directly affect us.  We are hoping this crazy lady returns our money and covers moving expenses.  We are also hoping the management company will work with us so we can stay in the apartment in January to give us more than 3 weeks (I have finals until the 19^th and my roommate is away over Christmas) to look for another place. 

            Besides all of that drama, it really is the perfect apartment.  Since the management company recently lowered the rent on some 2 bedroom units, although we can’t afford those either, we would be completely grateful if they would give us favor and lease the apartment to us for what we have been paying…Miracle in Harlem…that would be a nice dream come true!

Holidays, schmolidays, I certainly am not into anything this year.  BaHumBug!  Usually I’m only a grouch for all of the other holidays but when Thansgiving hits I automatically switch into HD Christmas mode – but not this year.

It’s crazy to think that it is the day before Thanksgiving.  Like all days the past few months it started with Physical Therapy bright and early, then met somebody to give them keys to a mutual friends storage unit, now I’m at work until I leave for class tonight…which lasts until 9.  The day will finish with a *lovely* drive in the dark of night to the Poconos…should get there around midnight…

Argh! I simply do not see the point in anything anymore – will this craziness ever end?!?!?!

So, it’s been almost 2 months since I’ve blogged – ai yi yi!

In summary – took 1 or 2 classes too many! 

Crazy drama on the home/apartment hunt from the end of September- November 7th! 

VERY happy that I finally have a place and it helps that I love the location and the apartment!  Just wish I could’ve waited a few months to pay off some other bills.  But what can one do?   Wish my dad lived clsoer to the city!

Hoped to be in some type of settled schedule but poor little Naomi got swine flu last week.  Fortunately,  Rochelle, baby Samuel nor I caught it.  As I was walking home last night I was thankful that I would have a restful week of just work, classes, unpacking and PT.  Well, at 9pm I received a call from Becky…Mike is in the hospital and has blood clots in each lung!  Needless to say, I’ll be in Orange County this weekend – and not for the fresh air!

I always try to steer clear of using my relationships for my benefit within the medical community. I like to save them for when I need something for others, especially the ever increasing amount of friends facing the reality of losing their insurance – not to mention I like to save those resources for my future trips.

So when my back started to freak out a few weeks ago I googled and found a place to see me right away. Now that I have the bleak results of my MRI I faced the reality that this is a problem that will not go away…even though I was perfectly content pretending that it would! PT and extensive doctor visits were NOT a factor in the equation when I was planning this semester.

The chiropractor’s practice I’ve been seeing is nice and friendly, but when I realized what was going on I knew that staying there might not be the wisest. It also didn’t help that they do not offer early morning PT appointments. Having a friend who’s an administrator for CUMC’s Rehab Med department, I asked her if she could ask her faculty of any credible PT places in the east side or in Queens (hey, a girl can wish). Since they knew that it was for disc injuries, they pretty much only said Sinai.

Somewhat reluctant – the location is far from ideal; I know too many people there; Sinai is one of my key resources when I seek donations of supplies, etc…-I called rehab med (purposefully not reaching out to ANYBODY in Ortho) as a general inquiry, the kid ended up scheduling me for Bryce – Director of the Spinal Cord Injury Program- for next week. When I expressed some surprise over such a quick appointment she said that it’s because I work there…lol…haven’t worked there in 7 or 8 years…I think they need to update IDX or something. I am happy that they do have early morning appointments though. It might work out after all, though I’m not overly thrilled with the prospect of schlepping up there 2-3 times a week.

Sorry for those that read this thinking it would be a religious/faith posting. Exodus does a good enough job of talking about Sinai.