It is finished.
It wasn't pretty.
It wasn't easy.
But it was the right thing to do.
Feb 26, 2011
Feb 11, 2011
Save AmeriCorps
Appropriations Chair Rogers (R-KY) proposes to eliminate CNCS programs, including AmeriCorps.
Background:
Starting on Monday, February 14, the U.S. House of Representatives will begin consideration of a Continuing Resolution that will fund the last 7 months of Fiscal Year 2011. House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers has announced that the bill will immediately cut $100 billion from the federal budget. Major news outlets including TIME, AP and others have reported that the bill will eliminate funding for programs of the Corporation for National and Community Service, including AmeriCorps.
Why this matters:
Call your Representatives directly or be connected through the House Operator (202-225-3121). Once connected, identify yourself as a constituent and ask to speak to the Legislative Assistant in change of national service and education issues.
Or, go here: http://www.contactingthecongress.org/
Thanks for your help!
Background:
Starting on Monday, February 14, the U.S. House of Representatives will begin consideration of a Continuing Resolution that will fund the last 7 months of Fiscal Year 2011. House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers has announced that the bill will immediately cut $100 billion from the federal budget. Major news outlets including TIME, AP and others have reported that the bill will eliminate funding for programs of the Corporation for National and Community Service, including AmeriCorps.
Why this matters:
- This Continuing Resolution will decimate vital services in our communities when millions of Americans need food, shelter, healthcare, job training and educational support.
- Communities are counting on AmeriCorps members, national service participants and community volunteers to meet the increased demand for services.
- For Americans who are struggling to find work, national service programs offer participants the opportunity to earn a subsistence-level stipend, develop skills, and create pathways to future employment. Eliminating programs like AmeriCorps will result in jobs lost for the corps members and the staff who supervise them.
Call your Representatives directly or be connected through the House Operator (202-225-3121). Once connected, identify yourself as a constituent and ask to speak to the Legislative Assistant in change of national service and education issues.
Or, go here: http://www.contactingthecongress.org/
Thanks for your help!
Feb 8, 2011
The Cut. A Metaphor. Sort of.
I've got this cut on my arm...(OK, let's be honest, more like my finger. Make that my pinky finger.) It's distracting, annoying, and sometimes hurtful.
It's been there for a while and I've tried to fix it but my remedies aren't working. I probably shouldn't have gotten the cut in the first place...I didn't really want to, at the time. But I sort of felt like I had no choice, and so I made a decision and I've been forced to live with it ever since.
Other cuts have come and gone. And sure, a few were hard to heal. One left a scar.
I'm just staring at this cut. Books don't make it better (and how could they, really?). I certainly don't make it better. I've tried...and sometimes it even seems like I've made progress. Like my pinky is feeling better and my whole body is functioning like it should. But then, something slips and there it is again - bleeding, mocking me! I've put a flesh-colored band-aid on it...hoping it will kind of blend in and...HEAL! But I peek under the band-aid and nothing has happened. Nothing has changed.
My body is ready to try handstands and this damn pinky just can't do it! I talked to other people who had wounds like this and they told me what I already knew. It's time to rip the band-aid off and close the wound for good. Time to stop trying to fix it. Because if I leave it much longer it might get infected and that would screw up my whole body! And I can't choose my pinky over the whole body. The body can survive without the pinky. So, in one week, after one more workout...it's going to be gone.
This is the worst part of being the head.
The end.
It's been there for a while and I've tried to fix it but my remedies aren't working. I probably shouldn't have gotten the cut in the first place...I didn't really want to, at the time. But I sort of felt like I had no choice, and so I made a decision and I've been forced to live with it ever since.
Other cuts have come and gone. And sure, a few were hard to heal. One left a scar.
I'm just staring at this cut. Books don't make it better (and how could they, really?). I certainly don't make it better. I've tried...and sometimes it even seems like I've made progress. Like my pinky is feeling better and my whole body is functioning like it should. But then, something slips and there it is again - bleeding, mocking me! I've put a flesh-colored band-aid on it...hoping it will kind of blend in and...HEAL! But I peek under the band-aid and nothing has happened. Nothing has changed.
My body is ready to try handstands and this damn pinky just can't do it! I talked to other people who had wounds like this and they told me what I already knew. It's time to rip the band-aid off and close the wound for good. Time to stop trying to fix it. Because if I leave it much longer it might get infected and that would screw up my whole body! And I can't choose my pinky over the whole body. The body can survive without the pinky. So, in one week, after one more workout...it's going to be gone.
This is the worst part of being the head.
The end.
Feb 2, 2011
Money, money, money...
After 15 months in AmeriCorps, I'd like to think I know a little about managing my money. I also have a more polished understanding of what it means to be "poor". Often people give me advice for saving my money, or suggestions on how I could have more money. Usually, this is because I've told them "no" to doing something that might cost me money, using the excuse that I am poor. Here's what they say:
#1 advice: Cancel cable.
Why it doesn't work: there are several reasons. Number one, I'm in a contract and if I cancel now, I have to pay $125 bucks. I could reconsider cancelling in October, but I truly enjoy TV (the good stuff and the bad stuff). Currently I do not own a system that connects my TV to the internet, and it's not worth it to me to go purchase one (isn't the point to SAVE money?). Plus, my cable and internet are bundled in a package. I pay $83/month.
#2 advice/suggestion: OMG, do you have an iPhone? I thought you were poor!
Response: Yes, I have an iPhone. Guess what? It cost me $50. It's a refurbished old model. And I pay the same amount per month that I paid with my not-so-smart phone. This month, my bill is $67.
#3 advice/suggestion: stop going out.
Response: Somewhere along the line of human history, it was decided that if someone is poor, then they are not allowed the right to have conveniences or entertainment. It's not something people talk about - but I still hear it. I have decreased my going out spending to a minimum of a work-related happy hour every other week, and a few beers after an improv show (I count it as a necessary expense). I rarely see movies (a bummer! I love movies!). I rarely go out to eat (also a bummer...it's so nice to have other people cook for you, isn't it?). When I'm not out practicing/performing improv or working, I'm usually at home. Which is another reason why #1 doesn't sound appealing.
Here's what I have done to save money:
#1: Use budgeted billing for my gas and electricity payments. This makes it easier to budget my tight funds because I pay the same amount each month no matter how much I actually use. They base this on your previous 12 month history. It's worked out pretty well.
#2: Apply for food stamps. I make about $12,000/yr (before taxes) on AmeriCorps, and government programs like food stamps are in place for people like me. It is designed to be supplemental. I can only use it for unprepared food (no salad bar or hot deli foods, with a few exceptions). I get $200/month. It's usually gone before the month is up because Michael and I cook almost every meal. I will be on food stamps until my AmeriCorps term is complete in August of 2011. People have differing opinions on welfare programs like food stamps, but without them, I simply could not do AmeriCorps.
#3: Add a roommate. Michael moved in 4 months in to my AmeriCorps term, which cut some bills right in half (electric, gas, rent). Plus, it helps us practice for marriage. (Seriously. I do not recommend legally binding yourself to someone if you haven't had a chance to practice living together. I know this goes against tradition...but I sincerely believe the divorce rate would be waaaaaay lower if people actually...you know, try it before they buy it.)
Total Monthly Expenses/My Share:
Rent: $600/$300
Cable/Internet: $83/$41.50
Gas: $62/$31
Electric: $56/$28
Water: $60/$30
My cell: $67/$67
Insurance: $26/$26
My credit card: $66/$66
My medication: $27/$27
Total: $1047 (not counting Michael's insurance, credit card payment, cell phone, and hobbies because I don't pay for them)
My share: $616.50
My monthly income: $834
That leaves $217.50 to cover everything else. Which, isn't very much when you spread it out over a whole month dispersed in two paychecks. It's just not.
But what I've learned most is.... I can totally do it. Fifteen months in and I'm not starving or homeless or bankrupt. I managed to go back to school and get a certification in nonprofit leadership. I have a working vehicle and a warm (by my standards) home. I'm never hungry. I'm never bored. I'm never lonely (thank you house pets!). I have few complaints. Plus, that first $30K job I land will make me feel like a millionaire!
Fifteen months down and six to go!
#1 advice: Cancel cable.
Why it doesn't work: there are several reasons. Number one, I'm in a contract and if I cancel now, I have to pay $125 bucks. I could reconsider cancelling in October, but I truly enjoy TV (the good stuff and the bad stuff). Currently I do not own a system that connects my TV to the internet, and it's not worth it to me to go purchase one (isn't the point to SAVE money?). Plus, my cable and internet are bundled in a package. I pay $83/month.
#2 advice/suggestion: OMG, do you have an iPhone? I thought you were poor!
Response: Yes, I have an iPhone. Guess what? It cost me $50. It's a refurbished old model. And I pay the same amount per month that I paid with my not-so-smart phone. This month, my bill is $67.
#3 advice/suggestion: stop going out.
Response: Somewhere along the line of human history, it was decided that if someone is poor, then they are not allowed the right to have conveniences or entertainment. It's not something people talk about - but I still hear it. I have decreased my going out spending to a minimum of a work-related happy hour every other week, and a few beers after an improv show (I count it as a necessary expense). I rarely see movies (a bummer! I love movies!). I rarely go out to eat (also a bummer...it's so nice to have other people cook for you, isn't it?). When I'm not out practicing/performing improv or working, I'm usually at home. Which is another reason why #1 doesn't sound appealing.
Here's what I have done to save money:
#1: Use budgeted billing for my gas and electricity payments. This makes it easier to budget my tight funds because I pay the same amount each month no matter how much I actually use. They base this on your previous 12 month history. It's worked out pretty well.
#2: Apply for food stamps. I make about $12,000/yr (before taxes) on AmeriCorps, and government programs like food stamps are in place for people like me. It is designed to be supplemental. I can only use it for unprepared food (no salad bar or hot deli foods, with a few exceptions). I get $200/month. It's usually gone before the month is up because Michael and I cook almost every meal. I will be on food stamps until my AmeriCorps term is complete in August of 2011. People have differing opinions on welfare programs like food stamps, but without them, I simply could not do AmeriCorps.
#3: Add a roommate. Michael moved in 4 months in to my AmeriCorps term, which cut some bills right in half (electric, gas, rent). Plus, it helps us practice for marriage. (Seriously. I do not recommend legally binding yourself to someone if you haven't had a chance to practice living together. I know this goes against tradition...but I sincerely believe the divorce rate would be waaaaaay lower if people actually...you know, try it before they buy it.)
Total Monthly Expenses/My Share:
Rent: $600/$300
Cable/Internet: $83/$41.50
Gas: $62/$31
Electric: $56/$28
Water: $60/$30
My cell: $67/$67
Insurance: $26/$26
My credit card: $66/$66
My medication: $27/$27
Total: $1047 (not counting Michael's insurance, credit card payment, cell phone, and hobbies because I don't pay for them)
My share: $616.50
My monthly income: $834
That leaves $217.50 to cover everything else. Which, isn't very much when you spread it out over a whole month dispersed in two paychecks. It's just not.
But what I've learned most is.... I can totally do it. Fifteen months in and I'm not starving or homeless or bankrupt. I managed to go back to school and get a certification in nonprofit leadership. I have a working vehicle and a warm (by my standards) home. I'm never hungry. I'm never bored. I'm never lonely (thank you house pets!). I have few complaints. Plus, that first $30K job I land will make me feel like a millionaire!
Fifteen months down and six to go!
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