Almostgotit.com

Back in the stone age, I knew it was time to finish my oatmeal and run for the school bus when the man on the radio said “This is Paul Harvey…  Good DAY!”   

Paul Harvey’s gravelly voice was in my head today, also, (”and now for the REST… of the story”) as I received an email from the mysterious Andrew Baisley, formerly of Brooklyn, who had finally read my blog post mentioning him which I wrote last fall. 

He wanted to let us know that he’s moved to Manhattan, which is much less shocking than Brooklyn, and also that he’s glad our neighborhood  found its missing dog!

Faithful reader Kathy has also written to report that, as I’d asked, she had written a letter about Debbie Ramsay (our local Hudson river plane crash survivor who lost her job after flying on company business).  So far as I know, Kathy’s the only one who has received a response.  Have you?  Here’s what The Tanger outlet’s corporate headquarters in North Carolina wrote to Kathy:

Dear Ms. Warren,I am in receipt of an email you sent to one of my readers in response to her own, in which she protested the recent firing of Debbie Ramsay, the Hudson plane crash survivor who was fired by the

New York New York store in your Sevierville center.We are aware that you have no control over the business decisions made by any of your tenants. However, I’m sure that if a tenant were to display graphic pornography in their window, sell large packages of dynamite to children,  or begin murdering their customers, Tanger’s offices would intervene.    Why?  Because your own bottom line is at stake here, too.Debbie Ramsay suffered a traumatic injury while on the job, just as surely as if she’d lost a leg falling off one of your buildings while performing maintenance.  I imagine her lawyer could find fault with both the store and the company (yours) that has provided space for their operation.  You definitely have an interest in resolving this situation, as well as the responsibility and the leverage to do so.  If

New York New York can not be persuaded to rehire Debbie Ramsay, perhaps they can find another location for their store as well.  Or perhaps you could use your influence to find another position for Ms. Ramsay in another of your stores — or perhaps even in your own offices.  She clearly is more qualified than the average retail employee, as she was making a buying trip for her story.Again – if you should care to comment, please feel free to contact me so I may share your answer with my readers.  Thank you-Elizabeth Burman
Almostgotit.com

Almostgotit spent the weekend with three professional medievalists.  These are the kind of people who not only are compelled to read all the little plaques at every historical site, but become truly apoplectic when they get inside an old church.  

And no one, including the tour guide, stands a chance if they spot a Latin inscription somewhere. 

Anyhoo–Plato, Dante, Aquinas and I went to the Abbey of Gethsemeni today (author Thomas Merton’s hood, yo). 

We went to see the Abbey’s church.  I was all “wow — 1960’s!” while the three weirdos were all   “wow –12th century Romanesque and Cistercian influences!”  

See what I mean?

You aren’t supposed to talk anywhere near the church, so I looked at things, instead.  There was a large dead beetle on the front stairs.  I have to admit I felt a certain kinship with it. 

Since I couldn’t talk, the voices in my head began to compose a little poem instead.  A Monastic chant, probably.   Dead beetle on the stairs to Gethsemeni, it began.

The Gethsemeni Farms’ gift shop was inexplicably closed for Memorial Day — as in, that time of year when everyone is travelling to visit places like Trappist Monasteries.  I can only assume the brothers have come into an enormous fortune, stimulus money probably,  and no longer need any customers. 

But that meant no bourbon fudge or Trappist cheese, either. Damitol.

As we were leaving, Plato spotted a bluebird.  They’re really rare, and none of us had ever actually seen one before.  Nor could any of us see this one either, except Plato. 

Bluebird on the wires to Gethsemeni. 

Plus also, the malfunctioning “tire pressure warning” light on Plato’s Toyota minivan was miraculously cured. 

I got two ticks.  And I try not to be a bitter person,  really I do.

Look what I’ve got.  NEW BOOKS!  James Viscosi sent them to me… plus also, he wrote them, too!

Here’s what it says on the back cover:

When Mercenaries invade her lair and slaughter her hatchlings, T’Sian the dragon embarks on a quest for revenge that takes her across the continent and plunges her deep into a human culture that she has always scorned.  Recruiting unexpected allies and facing surprising foes, the dragon ultimately finds herself caught up in a struggle to save humanity from its greatest threat: Itself.

I bought them for gifts, but I’ve long-sinced learned the trick every compulsive reader knows:  how to read someone else’s book without breaking the back to give yourself away!  So excuse me, blog time is over as I have some, erm, LAUNDRY to do…

Knoville News-Sentinel photo by Adam Brimer

This is Debbie Ramsay. 

She was on U.S. Airways Flight 1549 when it crashed in the Hudson river last January.  Debbie was on the plane on business, returning from a buying trip for a local clothing and accessory store, New York New York.

Like many of the flight’s survivors, she took a little time off immediately after the crash, then returned to her job.  However, the nightmares continued, and her doctor suggested she take some more time off.

Two weeks later, she got an email from her boss: she had been replaced.

Excuse me?  She was fired?  By email?  And from the job that had put her on that plane in the first place? 

Knoxville’s News-Sentinel published Ramsay’s story in this morning’s paper, but they left out some very important information.     I did a little digging and here is the rest of the story.

Feel like making a little phone call, writing a letter, or sending an email today?

New York New York store is in Sevierville’s Tanger Outlet Center.
Mailing Address: 1645 Parkway, Ste 940, Sevierville, TN 37862
Phone:(865) 429-5330

——-
Tanger Outlet Center’s  contact:
Patti Ross, Director of Administration
Phone: 336-292-3010
Email: use link on Tanger Outlets Company page

——–

Corporate Headquarters
Tanger Factory Outlet Centers, Inc.
3200 Northline Avenue
Suite 360
Greensboro, NC 27408
Phone 336-292-3010
Fax 336-852-2096

Our Carolina wrens fledged in the garage this morning, and we spent the day dodging bumbling baby birds and their frantic parents.

It’s hard to take pictures of baby wrens… they are very small and would rather climb on things than pose for the camera.

It is ALSO hard to avoid Mom and Dad, who are small as well, but certainly have VERY BIG voices when they are dive-bombing invasive species such as myself.

The babies are about 3 inches long…

… and a little fuzzy still, too.

There are four of them.  Count the butts.

After a long day of flying, though, a bird gets hungry.  What to do? 

TELL MOM TO BRING PIZZA!

I can hardly have a blog about miserable failure and near misses without mentioning, eventually, The Really Terrible Orchestra, recently returned from their fabulous New York Tour.

Many, many thanks to Deb at A Little Tea or Something for telling me about them.

Enough is enough. Today I’ve made two big appointments, the first to go back to Weight Watchers after a 3 year hiatus, and the second to talk to someone about, let’s just say, an ALTERNATIVE to freelancing.

What to wear for today’s auspicious events? Badass Red, of course.

I wanted to bring red-somethings to everyone else at Weight Watchers, too, but had to settle for the only red rose (a totally tacky fake one, too) that they had at the gas station, and I gave that one to my dear friend (another writer!) who graciously agreed to come to WW WITH me.

The rolls of fat that have been accumulating around my keyboard were enough to motivate me to go to WW today, but I can’t say I was looking forward to it.

I pretty much expected it would feel like going to the dentist… you know, where it hurts and also makes you feel really, really guilty, e.g., … and why haven’t you been FLOSSING??!

Instead of guilty, I almost felt like I’d had a massage. Freal! The leader who once helped me lose boo coo poundage was still there, and she is 100% encouraging and — BONUS! — also wickedly funny.

Rather than feeling beat up for having fallen off the wagon, I left the room feeling deeply confirmed that it is *good* to love and take care of myself — not because I’m a BAD GIRL when I don’t, but because I’m already so marvelous (!!!) that I DESERVE IT!

You know what I did then? I went to the mall and bought my marvelous self a NEW TOP.

It’s absolutely true, and you can see the news report on video right here.

Next, before you do anything else, send this to all the moms you know — especially your own!

HAPPY MOTHERS’ DAY