Today I'm wetter than a nun at a stripping Pope look-a-like convention. It's pouring with rain and my summer shoes have been no match for the streaming torrents and car created curbside tsunamis. My feet are literally steaming and I see no end to the dampness in the near future.
Locked in a room talking with people about the future, how they see it and how they'll pay for it. Some people get animated, some get teary and some suddenly realize that unless they develop a taste for Kitty Chow early they're going to be in big trouble come retirement.
They can't afford health insurance post retirement, can't afford long term care and a lot have said that they'd pay a premium just to know that when they needed it they'd have some kind of visitor to the hospital. We may be young and single and partial to a martini now but the spectre of a lonely death that proves no more than an inconvience to the person that needs to change the sheets on your deathbed is something that we really fight against (when we can bring ourselves to contemplate it)
Have another 7 hours of these interviews to go. To date it's been fun. We'll see what happens next. Mind if these wet feet turn to pneumonia I may not make the end of the day.
Stay dry all
Friday, August 10, 2007
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
After the storm
Jude and I were both out of town for the 'big storm' last night and returned today to a city hotter, more humid and with less public transportation than the one we left. Not that we were travelling together - but we did both return today.
Apparently there were tornados with wind speeds up to 120mph, howling winds, lashing rain - everything but plagues of frogs and yet today the world looks undamaged is a little soggy.
And the humidity is sapping. 95F (35c) isn't THAT hot but when the air is drenched to the point of visible (I swear you could wring it out) it all becomes just a little much.
Still must drag myself in tomorrow as I start three days of interviews in which we ask various people about the future - what they plan for, what they avoid, goals they set, fears they have and how they'll fund the future that they want. The theory is that we spend most of our time and energy investing in a future self that we hope will be happier and more successful. We study, we go to college, we save, we avoid the 'wrong' crowd, read self improvement books, marry the 'good' girl and buy our houses in 'up and coming areas' as an investment in the person we see ourselves becoming. It's why we diet. It's what gives us hope. It's optimistic. It's ridiculous. It explains the protestant work ethic (though that's often an investment in a future generation's happiness)
So I have investors, clairvoyants, doctors, control freaks, OnStar operators and a whole bunch of other people coming in to tell me what their experience of people planning for the future has been. It ought to be interesting. It WILL keep me late.
Now to turn the aircon to max (the storm knocked it out yesterday, the house is still hot - it's 10pm and still 32c outside), catch up on Top Chef and think about heading for bed.
Soon y'all
Apparently there were tornados with wind speeds up to 120mph, howling winds, lashing rain - everything but plagues of frogs and yet today the world looks undamaged is a little soggy.
And the humidity is sapping. 95F (35c) isn't THAT hot but when the air is drenched to the point of visible (I swear you could wring it out) it all becomes just a little much.
Still must drag myself in tomorrow as I start three days of interviews in which we ask various people about the future - what they plan for, what they avoid, goals they set, fears they have and how they'll fund the future that they want. The theory is that we spend most of our time and energy investing in a future self that we hope will be happier and more successful. We study, we go to college, we save, we avoid the 'wrong' crowd, read self improvement books, marry the 'good' girl and buy our houses in 'up and coming areas' as an investment in the person we see ourselves becoming. It's why we diet. It's what gives us hope. It's optimistic. It's ridiculous. It explains the protestant work ethic (though that's often an investment in a future generation's happiness)
So I have investors, clairvoyants, doctors, control freaks, OnStar operators and a whole bunch of other people coming in to tell me what their experience of people planning for the future has been. It ought to be interesting. It WILL keep me late.
Now to turn the aircon to max (the storm knocked it out yesterday, the house is still hot - it's 10pm and still 32c outside), catch up on Top Chef and think about heading for bed.
Soon y'all
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
A cloud
At last the clear blue skies, rampant humidity and ridiculous temperatures broke a little and yesterday saw the occasional cloud in the sky, a chance of rain (rather than late and violent thinderstorms) and and cooler temps (30c)
Of course the city still humms with the sickly sweet scent of rotting garbage... walking the streets is like being stuck behind the bin men as they throw their stuff into the back ofthe truck. I've no idea why there isn't a plague of flies in the city... it would make sense and give the South more proof that this is a Godless island off the coast of America that needs to suffer some wrath.
Off to the airport in a couple of hours and a client call at 8am... before which Velcro needs out (bless her) so this is short and as sweet as the pungent air we choose to share with 8m other Manhattanites.
Of course the city still humms with the sickly sweet scent of rotting garbage... walking the streets is like being stuck behind the bin men as they throw their stuff into the back ofthe truck. I've no idea why there isn't a plague of flies in the city... it would make sense and give the South more proof that this is a Godless island off the coast of America that needs to suffer some wrath.
Off to the airport in a couple of hours and a client call at 8am... before which Velcro needs out (bless her) so this is short and as sweet as the pungent air we choose to share with 8m other Manhattanites.
Monday, August 06, 2007
Ah --- brooklyn
you do see some strange people walking the streets of Brooklyn. I think it's the parasol that really seals the deal on this one. Today I got close to finishing a presentation (hurrah!), talked to some people, drank 2 beers I didn't want and ordered in fish n chips from the local Australian place, Oh and I had to cancel the gym because I was stuck drinking beer at work. Thank god I have 2 days off... can get svelte again.
Sunday, August 05, 2007
Hazy Weekend
So the weekend passed n a constant drip-feed of alcohol. Reminded me of the line from Old Red Eyes Is back “He was just a social drinker but social every night; he was very rarely drunk but very rarely sober.”
It hasn’t been excessive drinking. A glass of wine here, a glass of champagne there, a bloody Mary, a beer, a Guinness (hey it’s good for you) and suddenly you realize that one weekend has taken up your month’s allowance of alcohol.
Perhaps in light of this the weekend kind of slid by. Lawrence and his lovely family visited; they saw very little of Williamsburg but it was good to catch up. Then a little work, a movie here, an art class there, a dog walking session, a long brunch and suddenly the weekend has gone and you’re staring down a week from hell without the buffer of having done something worth talking about.
Want to do a Bloody Mary sans alcohol but with whey powder – call it a Muscle Mary and watch the Pink Pounds flood my way. It’s a vague and vain hope but ‘vague’ and ‘vain’ pretty much describe me these days.
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