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Tomorrow I will be embarking on the second leg of my 'regional tour'. I fly out of Newark Airport after work and should arrive in Pittsburgh a little while later. This will mark my first trip back to Ohio since arriving here almost three months ago.
Expense Report
Day 84:
Christie and I ventured down to Bucks County, PA to Aunt Rhonda and Uncle Jack's to visit everyone. Good times, good food and lots of Coronas... can't complain at all!
The trip down was so easy--subway-to-train-to-Uncle Jack's Explorer--and we'll be back soon!
Expense Report
Day 79:
Day 80:
Day 81:
Day 82, $0
Day 83:
My regional tour will kick off this weekend with a couple days in Philadelphia and I will fly back to the Youngstown area on Wednesday (Nov. 22). I am excited to see everybody and lots of people are on my itinerary. The trips will mark my first time out of the Manhattan area since arriving a couple months ago.
Expense Report
Day 77:
Day 78:
My parents came arrived on Saturday for a weekend in the city. I was able to share with them some recent experiences. Some winners include falling asleep in the subway, spilling salsa all over myself before a meeting and somehow managing to nearly kill a basil plant.
After lunch at the Dino BBQ, we explored Central Park, 5th Avenue and Rockefeller Center. Famished from an afternoon of shopping. we made haste to the nearest pizza joint--Famiglia--and concluded the evening with a few slices of New York's finest.
On Sunday, we journeyed to Macy's to kill time before our dinner reservations at the Redeye Grill. The restaurant was fantastic and featured all sorts of seafood goodies. I had more kinds of seafood than I can even remember---fantastic! (Tonight I made rotini with vegetables and olive oil... a bit of a downgrade...) Following dinner, we walked down to a theater near the Sheraton Manhattan to see Mamma Mia! I think all four of us are now theatre converts!
Expense Report
Day 73, $0
Day 74, $0
Day 75
Day 76
The Democratic Party scored a major victory in today's elections by winning control of Congress and forcing Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld from his post. President Bush conceded the election, took responsibility for the loss and offered to work with Democratic leadership. His statement stressed the importance of the War on Terror, energy independence and educating America's youth. And if he's not serious about cooperating, he can always go the route of Bill Clinton and veto everything that comes across his desk.
Incoming Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi laid down goals for the Democratic-led Congress earlier today. Key issues include increasing the minimum wage, eliminating subsidies to oil companies, implementing price controls on Medicare drugs, further limiting congressional lobbyists, making student financial aid more accessible and supporting stem cell research.
The national minimum wage is currently pegged at $5.15 per hour and Pelosi stated that she would like to see it raised to $7.50. A myriad of arguments exist for and against increasing the minimum wage, but it is important to understand that the inflation-adjusted value has been declining since the 1970s and the increase would roughly restore the previous purchasing power of the minimum wage. Moreover, many of the states with the highest cost of living (i.e. California) already have increased the minimum wage to $7.50 or higher. The real problem here is growing income disparity and all of the associated social problems. I think an expansion of Earned Income Tax Credit could serve the same purpose without some of the drawbacks typically attributed to raising the minimum wage.
The argument against oil subsidies also raises a red flag. If Pelosi is concerned about subsidies and wishes to be fair, she ought to first check out aerospace, electronics, telecom and agriculture--all of whom benefit from greater subsidies. For example, ethanol has been pitched as the solution to our oil problem and its production heavily subsidized. Economists debate if ethanol is more environmentally friendly than gasoline and question the feasibility of full replacement of gasoline by ethanol. Brazil has only achieved 40% replacement in three or four decades of subsidized efforts.
I can't argue with the plans for lobbyists, financial aid and stem cell research. It would be nice to see Congress become a bit more fair, to see more students pursue an education and to see potential advances in medicine.
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Today was absolutely beautiful, with temperatures near 70 degrees!
Expense Report
Day 72
Christie and I had dinner in Times Square last night with my Aunt Rhonda and her friends, Annette and Brock. I had a good time and, on the way home, realized how glad I am that so many people have made it to NYC since my arrival a little over two months ago.
Today was relatively uneventful because of non-stop rain. At least Moody's is connected to the subway station!
Expense Report
Day 70, $0
Day 71:
It was another vacation weekend at A. Shoshi's (that's the name on my mailbox) apartment 1E. Jamie, John and I checked out the marathon, toured huge swaths of the city and even found an Olive Garden in Times Square.
This morning marked my first experience with severe subway delays. Somebody fell on the tracks (I think) in Midtown and the trains all stopped running. I had to get a cab to work and the whole process, door-to-door, took two hours.
Expense Report
Day 66:
Day 67:
Day 68:
Day 69:
I ventured downtown on Tuesday night for the annual Village Halloween Parade. Christie and her friends Yun, Kyle and Jill went as well. I left early and came back alone... and fell asleep on the subway. I rode half-way out to the Bronx... in the middle of Harlem... before I woke up and realized what happened. So I went home...
Expense Report
Day 63:
Day 64:
Day 65:
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