Taking It Back

So I have a lot to take back... mainly two big things that I mentioned in previous posts.  

1.  The cable is still on and my attempts to convert to a cable free household failed.  After purchasing the digital converter boxes and antennas and installing them on the TVs, I discovered that the signals were so weak that I could get one channel clearly, 3 very fuzzy channels and NBC was no where to be found!  One of my few requirements when getting rid of cable was that I still be able to watch the local and nightly news, of which I prefer NBC.  I realized that the cause of this was more than likely that I live on the bottom floor (with the apartments opposite of me being 'underground') of a 4 story building.  So the cable is staying on!  However, I was able to negotiate my way to a lower monthly bill through my initial threat to Time Warner that I was planning on canceling.  

2.  In my last post I talked about how the hurricane was not really that bad and seemed to be a whole lot of hype for nothing and in some ways I was right, but in other ways I was very very wrong.  Thursday my boss (Dave) had planned to take the Career Development staff to the Saratoga Race Track for a 'staff bonding' day and more or less just eat, drink and blow off some steam from a stressful summer.  The night before Dave decided to go down to the Stockade area of Schenectady to help our company's COO who's house had apparently flooded when the Mohawk River crested the day after the storm.  I don't think anyone truly realized how bad the storm and subsequent flood was, but needless to say that instead of going to the race track we spent the day performing disaster relief in the Stockade!  We helped out a man named Todd who's 1st floor of his home was completely destroyed, everything was lost.

1st Floor Bathroom

Living room with an antique 'Singer' sewing machine.

The entire first floor was covered with about an inch of mud.

Front of Todd's house - everything on the first floor had to be thrown away.

In the immediate aftermath everyone seemed to focus on North Carolina and New York City and while both areas suffered damage, little had been reported and I don't know that anyone really understood how bad Vermont and upstate NY were hit until well after the fact.  There is so much need and it felt great to be able to help.