EMPLOYMENT STRIKES!

Yes, both Drew and I are now members of the working class of America. Today, I visited HCD Media in Dumbo to meet a team working on a documentary on prisons in New Orleans. My first task is to transcribe the interviews, something I'm not looking forward to, but at least it's paying and I got my foot in the door. I could possibly get in as a Production Assistant and then (hopefully) as a field sound technician. The producer I talked to today said he had to run sound, for lack of an engineer, and hated it. Good signs all around.

So I biked over to Dumbo, just to see how long it would take. About half hour, turns out. Not bad at all. On my return trip, I was turning onto my street for the last 10 seconds of riding when POP! HISSSSSSSSSS there goes my back tire. I could SEE my apartment. I got in and what do I see sticking out of my tire?



What is that? A staple? A piece of a car? All I know is that I'm lucky I was so close to home, traveling without a spare tube. The roads are unkind to bikers. In fact, roads are probably worse for biking than traffic. Ask anyone who has biked on Broadway. In fact, the entire U.S. infrastructure is pretty terrible. We got a D on our roads, bridges, dams, etc by the American Society of Civil Engineers. Now, I'm not one to prioritize, but shouldn't this be important? I know, I know we have to worry about unemployment and Wall St. and mortgage rates, but shouldn't this be slightly higher on the list?

According to the stimulus bill which probably won't get through the senate, out of the $550 billion in spending, we're looking at:

$142 billion for education
$111 b. for health care
$90 b. for infrastructure
$72 b. for aid and benefits
$54 b. for energy
$16 b. for science and technology
$13 b. for housing

Now, the opponents of this bill are saying the projects for the infrastructure will "take too long" and they want more projects that are considered "shovel-ready" (provide jobs quickly).

I might have to side with the Repub's on this one. We need some fast cash. Considering the state of the construction on the L Train, it might be two years before it's faster to take the subway to Manhattan than walk.

Anyway, it's getting warmer and biking is the preferred method of transportation for sub-3 Catherine St. We just have to avoid these staples and things.

Check out www.bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com for some entertaining bike stories in New York. He's much funnier than I am.