Well it's been a few months since my last post, but i've been busy as most of you know. unfortunately i really can't talk about what i've been doing for the past few weeks as we have been warned not to. Academy has been extremely rewarding and my class has been working very hard, we can't wait to graduate and do our best. i can't wait to resume a normal life out of academy, i can't wait to see people on a regular basis too. so sit tight, i'll see all of you soon.
Well as many of you know or may not know, MTA finally got things worked out and called me for the position...
It was funny how things rolled around. I had done a decent amount of overtime the past few days before I got the call, and when I did it was like a dream. I don't remember picking up the phone. I remember having a conversation with the woman from human resources but nothing registered until she said "would you like to accept the position?" It was like drinking 3 shots of espresso through my nose. Instantly awakening and tear inducing. Yes 3...
Academy will be 3 months give or take. I'm excited and scared. Worried because I haven't been in school for a long time, and because I have little firearms training. But I'm excited at the prospect of working for a law enforcement agency which can be a little more pro-law than my department... O yeah and the possibility of doubling my current salary with OT once I hit top pay might sweeten the pot a bit...
I'm already friendly with 3 guys that are in my class so it should be a good time. We did everything together from orientation, to the physical agility and medicals, psychologicals, and round after round of drug screening. Thank god they're not testing for roids...(J/K) also an old Sgt of mine is already on the job so I have someone to kind of guide me through the BS and coach me through the necessary.
So I turned in my resignation letter last wednesday and gave DOHMH a week. It was all I could do, I wasn't going to tire myself out getting jammed for OT before I start the most important career move I've ever made. So this coming wednesday was the logical choice, almost gives me a full week of work but will end up giving me about 5 days to readjust to a day schedule before I start academy.
The past couple of days has been very nice, with most people wishing me well and congratulating me. I really will miss the crazy antics at DOHMH. Where else in the city can your partner end up being an active Crip gang member? Don't laugh, when I first started, one of my weekend partners was a part time cop, part time rapper, full time rolling Crip. He got axed after getting locked up with an unregistered gun while wearing his bullet proof vest in a car full of other gang members in the vicinity of a shooting...LOL it doesn't get any better than that kids...
I figured leaving was going to be pretty easy, but it has had it's moments. It's hard saying goodbye to people. Especially the ones you've come to respect and trust (the few in this place atleast) that and I've been banged for overtime pretty much every day since I resigned...I almost get the feeling its retaliatory but at this point it doesn't matter right? Everyone seemed pretty happy but I was disappointed that my chief, who I gotten along with my whole time here blew me off a number of times for an exit interview. He even suggested we do it over the phone, saying he would call me in the afternoon yesterday, but then never even did. But hey I'm not looking back right!? So I shouldn't take it personally. But man it burns me thinking that because they know I'm leaving they are going to make my last few days hell...
Well anyway, I'm almost there. Tomorrow is my last day for DOH, and Monday my career starts. I know it will be fine. I just have to stop second guessing myself.
And now about letting someone down. I was hanging out with a friend of mine last week, and it was just a weird night. I don't know if the new job news had me off my game or if I'm legitimately just not as good a listener and advice giver as I used to be. For the first time in my life I left a friend knowing that anything and everything I said wasn't poignant. And that's something that's been eating at me behind all the good news I've had. I never want to be that guy that's just another acquaintance. I always want to be that guy that can be confided in and trusted. I think I took a serious step back the other night. I just couldn't find the right answers to give and for that I'm sorry. If you're reading this, I hope and think it was a fluke. I've never looked at you that way...I never meant for my response to illicit the reaction you gave from it. I'm still your guy through and through. Maybe soon we can try that conversation again with better results.
Ok as I usually like to do when I've spoken about something not so happy, a bit of good news... Peter "Wrath of" Hahn is coming back to the east coast. Hopefully for the long term but I'm selfish like that...I can't wait for my friend to get back, and I smell a trip to Brother's or Denino's coming up. I already promised him a slice...
Be well everyone.
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Last Monday the CR-V received it's first major cosmetic damage since we picked her up at the dealer lot. I was at work and got relieved late, (this was the downfall) and then on my way out at 9am, was told to remain on site because there apparently wasn't anyone who could manually accept a biowatch sample. I figured ok I should still be able to bring victoria to her Little Gym class as long as I leave by 10:30. Boy was I in for a fun ride. Around 9:15 one of the rookies calls over the radio that the security guard posted at the booth on 1st and 26th needed assistance ASAP. I started grumbling and cursing at this because I already had a busy day and it most likely meant I had to fill out and aided case or possibly a 61. Low and behold I ran out there with another officer and the security guard tells us that someone "hit" the white car on the loading ramp. Guess who's white car that was?!? I ran to the back of my car and start checking the bumpers and don't see anything. I'm annoyed but still calm at this point, then the guard says "no, he hit the window.". I look at my passenger side window and see that it was shattered and that my glove compartment was open. I then calmly said " you dumb shit, he broke my fucking window, he didn't just HIT my car, who the fuck did it?". Apparently this assclown let someone past the security checkpoint that she was supposed to monitor and didn't stop him. The perp then managed to break my window and grab my mp3 player, the blackberry charger, the baby's bottle warmer, 2 pairs of sunglasses, and the mount and charger for my gps unit. (But not the GPS which was in the pocket under the radio)...now God help me I wasn't that angry. I had such a hard day, it was just really comical...at least I didn't have to file the aided case report since it involved my own vehicle...the 13th precinct was called and they were very good about coming out quick (less than an 45 minutes) and filed their report. Ran me 300 to replace the glass with labor from the honda dealer, but thank god my insurance is covering it without a deductible. Be warned, the area between the East 20's and mid East 30's all the way west to madison has been a hotbed for this lately. Lock your glove compartments when you park! The perp would have walked away with nothing if I had done that.
Well now it's been a week. I'm more annoyed at how incompetent people are and I'm faced with contacting that security guards supervisor about the incident. Because apparently nothing happened. I'm torn, it would mean her getting fired, but at the same time she was really REALLY negligent of her responsibility. What do you guys think?
Now onto the job front the provisional officers that were given pink slips that I mentioned last entry...turns out the total will be 26 not 15. The first group of 7 already finished their time here this saturday. And my partner finished his last day friday...it still hasn't set in...it's very surreal no matter how cliche it is to say. I was surprised he wasn't in tonight when I arrived for work. Just disgusting how this was handled. Yet another blunder by my department. And to add to that, the reason I was parked behind the security checkpoint was because I still don't have my 2009 DOHMH Police Plackard, and I got a ticket at the beginning of the month because of it. So technically my car getting broken into, falls back to my department because it would have been on the 1st Avenue if I would have gotten my plackard on time.
And finally some good news...
All my complaining about my job may be over (at least until I start complaining about the next job) I should have news about TBTA next week with any luck. If I don't get the call next week, it looks like I'll have to sit tight till 2010, but apparently there is a class officially slated for the beginning of march. I hope I make it in. I'm going to be cutting it close if it's a single class, I have a better chance if its a double class. I have no idea how many people are ahead of me on the list...
And now we come to this weekend. Frannie and I got a last minute make your own pizza/game night together and it was an overall success except I'm pretty sure frannie is getting the flu. She just called me a second ago telling me her coughing woke the baby and that she had a 101 fever with a matching migraine (AWESOME!!!) My cousin Jill and her boyfriend Kin, as well as my friend Tom and his wife Ivin came. We made pizza together (burnt some but that's cool, we'll know better for next time) and we managed a game of cranium, taboo, and apples to apples. My cousins slept over and frannie made Waffles in the morning. Overall it was a great weekend except for frannie being sick and me feeling a tad under the weather myself since thursday. Yes I'm still somehow illogically blaming Tom Cocozza for that...
And now I find myself at work.... Dreading my mandatory 16 hour shift, and wondering how it's only been 2 hours since I started my shift...dreaming of the next pizza/game night, and crossing my fingers for a chance at a better job opportunity....
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Well I'm going to talk about today. Yes i know it isn't valentines day yet, and yes kids, it is V-A-L-N-T-I-N-E-S day not V-A-L-E-N-T-I-M-E-S day... Frannie and i have always had a hangup about this holiday as it really is the poster child for the Ultimate "Hallmark Holiday" and we never celebrate it, BUT the 13Th happens to be the day we started dating in college in 1998. It's actually an amusing story. I was seeing someone else who went to school in Boston and plainly, it just wasn't there, she was fun to hang out with, but nothing more. However despite the fact we were pretty far from each other, i couldn't bear myself to set things straight (as i did not really know how she viewed our relationship) over the phone like any rational guy would have done considering the situation. So i trucked myself out to her school on the 12Th... we hung out, talked, and i set out on my way home knowing that my conscience was clear to start dating Frannie. I had flowers, candy and was ready to pour my heart out only to find that she had left the dorms to go home for the weekend... SIGH....
Well it's been 11 years, 2 cars, marriage, a baby, the worst real estate purchase ever, and we're still happily together... Happy Anniversary Sweetheart. (like she even reads this blog...LOL)
OK A ton of stuff happened in December, the most important of which was my friend Mr. Petey Spids moving to PA in search of a fresh start. you can read up on him on my blog list "You're Like a Bear" but you have to bribe him for the invite... Frannie and i went to help him pack up and ended up making the trip out there with him and seeing his tremendous house complete with multiple solarium's, grudge attic, bat cave/garage, and easy hookup meth-lab. I'm not joking. this place is awesome...i just miss him.
Also it's funny how things just kind of fall into place. i mentioned an old friend of mine who i recently got the information to get in touch with. he never got back to me but finally did recently. turns out he was quite excited to get my voicemail, but he lost his phone 2 days after he got my message. then he got sick with Mono. yes Mono...lol i guess it is still possible to get it at our age. we got a chance to catch up on none other than Facebook. so I'm looking forward to meeting up with him for coffee as soon as he is feeling better.
Dec-Feb has been a Facebook friend list explosion for me, jumping up 20 friends which is quite alot for me. and it's really been great catching up with so many old friends. whatever your feelings about the site, it certainly provides if that is what you're interested in doing. i can't believe so many of us have kids and are married.
January saw the arrival of Frannie's cousins from Italy, Francesco and Gisella. They were awesome and we tried hard to keep them entertained. there's that fine line between entertaining and exhausting and we think we balanced it pretty well. i did the "tourist" thing for the first time in a few years, and it's just amazing how awesome the city we live in is. I am definitely guilty of taking NYC for granted... they stayed for about 2 weeks and we ended their trip by spending a weekend in Atlantic City thanks to my brother in law Vito, and his disgustingly huge amount of Comp points at Ceasers, DIAMOND status baby! Thanks to him we got 2 ridiculous suites and had a wonderful time. The only setback on their trip was that Virgin Atlantic lost Gisella's luggage and did not locate it until 4 days before they left. absolutely disgusting customer service for this airline. i will never ever fly with them and also advocated my belief that a direct flight is worth it just for the odds of not losing your crap. the worst part about it is that when they were on their way home we talked to their customer service and asked them if they would bump them up from coach for their flight home considering Gisella didn't have clothes for 75% of her trip and had to buy clothes here. their answer was "that's not in our policy to do that" no we're sorry, no looking like they wish they could do more, just "it's not in our policy to be courteous and try to keep your business for screwing up your trip big time" so here's a big F- U to Virgin Atlantic on dropping the ball on that, and for outsourcing their customer service to India which is HUGE pet peeve of mine.
Well they got home fine and low and behold, they apparently use facebook in Italy as well so we are in touch. i guess i should really try to brush up on my Italian better. (here's hoping my bootleg Rosetta stone works....)
There is so much more i am forgetting that happened in between all the time i was neglecting my blog, in short birthdays galore in January, too many to count really..its that many for me... and overdosing on Restaurant Week (which is extended by the way...) Frannie and I enjoyed Amma (fantastic indian food http://www.ammanyc.com/ ) Mesa Grill (Bobby Flay's joint http://mesagrill.com/newyorkcity/ ) and Brasserie with my cousin Jill and her Boyfriend Kin (http://www.patinagroup.com/east/brasserie/) We also had a mini game night which was just my cousins, we played a few games and it was a blast. Cranium is really fun!!!!
Now we get to February. which normally is a pretty good month, my dad's birthday, my dating anniversary with Frannie, my anniversary at work, etc...but so far it's had its fair share of bad news. a few days ago my department handed out pink slips to about 15 officers that weren't civil servants. they ranged in time from just over a year to 15 years and in one upcoming case 28 years. 5 officers got their letters this week with the other letters following every 2 weeks but we know the total number for now. though i am not directly affected, i now apparently have the dubious honor of being the last officer picked up for civil service status by my department...I was processed and certified over a year ago but only finished the process last month because they apparently lost all my paperwork and had to start from scratch. These series of layoffs has already directly affected me, as my regular partner on the midnight tour is one of the casualties despite 15 years of service. He's in no way in bad shape, he came on as retired corrections, and he also has a 2nd pension coming his way as a security head for a big banking company before he came on with DOHMH. He's also a veteran, and in fact was going to retire next year anyway once he was eligible for his bank pension, but i will miss him, his stories, and most importantly I'll miss having an officer to work with that i can trust completely.
The other set of bad news came as a double whammy within 30 minutes of each other yesterday. my friend Angela had to be rushed to the hospital and we still don't know what is going on,let's hope she's doing better. I also found out my great uncle LoLo Andoy passed away. i remember him distinctly as a man who i admired the last time i saw him at 16. I'm just sad that Frannie didn't get to meet him. a wonderfully caring man...
Well i shouldn't end on a depressing note so i will talk about Medieval Times. That's right the quintessential 13 year old boy's wet dream. The Don and i were talking about how awesome that place was when we were kids going on school trips, and we found out that Frannie and Colleen had never been, so it was a wrap we had to go. We went along with Colleen's little sister (who was a little firecracker) and Colleen's older sister and her boyfriend who were as equally awesome as Colleen. We had a fair amount of booze (at least they did) and had a great time rooting for the blue knight who lost. (Check this blog or facebook for pics in the next few days) Damn that green knight i hate him so much, but i can't help but want to pillage the countryside with him...that and he was a handsome son a bitch. Don't they know I'm a King? Well apparently not because nobody wanted to take a picture with me after the show.
So that wraps it up. it's not everything but it's most of what has happened in my corner of the universe these past months. Let's hope I keep this up, it's been great writing.
Well alot and i mean alot has happened the last few months, but i just spent all night customizing the blog, so i'll work on that post tomorrow. I hope you like the new layout, let me know what you guys think.
Happy new year everyone I'm in Atlantic city with Frannie, my in-laws, brother in law, and Frannie's cousin and his wife who are here from italy until next week. Everyone is out enjoying themselves and I'm in the suite, broken......more to come I have most of December to update you guys on.
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