I've never met anyone on unemployment who is a abusing the system and can't imagine they would considering how little the money is. My boyfriend has been unemployed since September and it has been awful for him. He can barely live on what he's getting and if doesn't find a job before the benefits run out he will be homeless. He keeps a spreadsheet of all the jobs he's applied for and is over 700 now. He goes to library every week to get books on learning new skills. He's had some interviews but nothing that was a good fit yet. Anybody in these times who thinks someone who is unemployed is lazy and abusing the system is just cold and heartless. These are unprecedented times people!

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??? who are you and what are you talking about ???

You guys all really need to back off.
It is difficult to think rationally in these situations and often when we females feel threatened there is a shame associated with it. When I was 18 I was groped on the subway by a 30 something married man. We were all packed in like sardines on the 6 and this guy starts rubbing my crotch with the back of his hand. It was the most horrible shocking thing. I didn't know what to do and I froze. It made me really angry that I didn't react and report it but I was really not myself. When something like this happens to you, you almost disconnect from reality and feel shame as if you brought it on yourself. That incident and others like it have made me the hardened bitch I am now. I took Tae Kwon Do classes and have learned to speak my mind mind publicly. I've gone over the incident in my mind a thousand times and in my "do-over" version I grab the guy's hand bending his fingers backwards breaking them. Honestly I think my anger makes me overreact which is a risk too because you never know if someone has a knife or a gun...
A little more understanding is in order here. If this on-line community wishes to thrive it is really important to foster a positive environment where people can express themselves without judgement.

Noooooooooooooooooooooo! Booo hooo! I will be very sad to see this place go. I loved the smell of fresh smoked kielbasa wafting down the street in the morning. They really have/had the best varies of sausages.

+1 for stopping in a public place.

I'm more confrontational, maybe because I have some built up anger against creeps. I probably would have lured him into the bar and then confronted him publicly with "excuse me stop following me. You're making me feel very uncomfortable" I once flicked a cigarette at a guy for cat calling me on the street yelling "you talk to your mother with that mouth? creep!" He resorted to calling me white trash, so I went back at him with "do you really want strange guys talking to your mother or sister the way you do to me?" he immediately backed off and apologized. I don't mess around with these guys.

Anybody see the coupons-in-mail advertisement from them? They want $50pp on Valentines day! What is it with all the restaurants hyping up a second rate holiday? For this reason alone my honey and I are spending a quiet night home with a nice home cooked meal. And for a romantic weekend getaway we'll go next weekend to VT.

There will always be a touchy-feely market for niche books. For example I'm a knitter and crocheter. I hate buying those kinds of books on the internet because I don't know what's in them. I like to see the books in person and look at every page to evalute the projects before making a purchase. And I don't mind paying a $1 or $2 more for that extra service becasue I rather buy something I really want then send it back and pay shipping costs. A couple of years ago I bought few knitting books on Amazon for great deals and free shipping, however I ended up sending more than half of them back. Never again will I buy crafting books on-line without knowing exactly the contents of the book. And believe me the 20 page previews are not enough for me to make a good evaluation. I'm sure most craft and cook books are like that.

Express service is never gonna happen.
It would be impossible to run express trains through the PATH system since they only have one set of tracks each way going in and out of the city. Two more lines of tracks would need to be built to be able to skip the other trains.
What the Port Authority needs to do is be more spontaneous - have more trains and allow for additional trains if needed at certain times like New Years, Halloween etc. There is no reason to run JSQ through Hoboken during peak holiday times or on weekends for that matter. If they tracked turnstyle turns and card swipes, they can see where extra service is needed. With the cameras in the stations they can see if the platforms are getting overcrowded. They also know from past history that the trains are overcrowded on Halloween for example and have additional conductors on call during those times. They are just too slow to react to these situations.

I get on the 33rd st line everyday between 8:45 and 9:15 and it is never so crowded that I can't get on and sometiems get a seat, unless there was a breakdown/delay. The WTC line on the other hand looks like a can of sardines.

Hip! Hip! Hooray!
Great job Pinkerton Vigilante!

Hmmm. I recall seeing (more like hearing) some older kids/ young adults playing with a voicebox and laughing a few weeks ago on Newark Avenue. I really can't recall what they looked like I just remember hearing the voicebox as it reminded me of those anti-smoking commercials. I passed them on the street but I didn't look at them. Coincidence?

I had the same issue in the fall. Just a hunch based on my own issue, it's probably squirrels. There was an article in one of the papers recently that NYC is being overpopulated with squirrels. My squirrels caused a lot of damage to the roof cornice (chewed a 6"x6" hole) and made a nest above my bathroom. I thought it was rats at first so I threw some rat poison up there. They all died and I had to have a contractor come to rip out my ceiling, patch up the hole from the inside and reinsulate. They shredded the insulation chewed on wires and did about $1000 worth of damage.
I called an exterminator back then and they were no help whatsoever. Whatever you decide get rid of them as soon as possible they cause a lot of damage and can even cause fires from chewing on the wires.
If you decide to trap them make sure you bring them at least 5 miles away over water. I read somewhere in my research that they are very cleaver and can find their way back "home".

Btw cats don't help because the squirrels see the area as their territory and know instinctively that you or your pet can't get up there. Also do you really want to expose your cat to wild animals that may carry diseases? The crawl space is probably too small for the cat to get into in the first place. If it's not too small do you want to risk that your pet get's trapped in the crawl space?

Just leave one of those you park like an a-hole signs on the car, it's very satisfying.

Well I'm not sure if others are doing this but I'm typing up an ingredients list and recipe cards, so people know what they are getting. Esp since my 16-bean soup has smoked ham in it and some people don't eat pork. Bf & I are looking forward to this Sunday. Still not sure if we should bring 8 quarts of the same soup or 4 quarts of two different soups, I guess it will depend on how much time I have this week to make a second soup.

I need a new Optometrist. I loved Dr. Moore at the Cohen's Fashion Optical in the Newport Mall. He was really nice and very professional. I've been wearing glasses for most of my life and have astigmatism. Other doctors have given me the wrong prescription on several occasions, but I've never had an issue with Dr. Moore.
I just found out that Dr. Moore left Cohen's last year. :(
Anybody know if he's still in the area?

What are the issues in that area that are making it difficult to get tenants? Are you maybe charging a little too much? What are rents for similar apartments in the area? As long as the rent is way above your break even point, I rather have a reliable lower paying tenant than an unreliable higher paying tenant.
As G_Elkind said you need a lawyer to CYA.
But since they do appear to paying now and are making an effort pay what is owed, maybe you could work out a payment plan with them about the back rent. If you start eviction proceedings you are taking a risk that they won't pay you at all anymore. Eviction takes long time and generally favors the tenant in NJ. You can't force them out if they are paying.
If they have a job and are still working, maybe you can ask them to set up bi-monthly payments through their bank or employer so you get paid electronically as soon as their paycheck hits the account. My brother did this with his landlord and it's a win for everyone. He never had an issue paying the rent he would just forget or run out of money in the first half of the month. Now he doesn't have to think about it and the landlord is happy getting the money twice per month.
Good luck! Hope things work themselves out without expensive lawyers and nastiness.

Strange that there are no Law& Order episodes listed. I thought they filed here on Columbus a few years ago.

More on train etiquette...

I came across this brilliant site today about people doing douchey things on the train:

http://www.subwaydouchery.com/

This is pretty funny stuff taht's I'm sure we've all seen on the PATH from time to time.

Yup that's exactly what I thought of when I read this article. I was looking to find out what the consquences were, but it turns out Ford sent funding afterall a few weeks after this headline. The city was able to work things out. Not that I remember any of this I was less than year old when it happened but I remember my Dad talking about this.

Here an interesting synopsis of the New York City budget crisis of 1975 and the famous Daily New Headline:

New York City on the brink

The headline should read:
Christie to Cities: DROP DEAD!

a bit off topic:
Would it be feesible to build a bike friendly/pedestrian friendly tunnel or bridge to NY from here? It is seriously frustrating trying to get around transit problems. I spent 2.5 hours trying to get to work this morning. I admit part of the delay was my fault for taking the train to Newark in a failed attempt to change to NJ transit. I could have walked to work in less time. Also wouldn't it make sense in emergencies like the blackout (or god forbid worse) to give people another evacuation option instead of relying on the ferries?

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$80 for risotto and lobster bisque?! No thanks. If they brought the price per lb waaaaaay down then maybe.

About train etiquette:

I invite all of you to join me in retraining people. Yes I'm the crazy lady that talks to people and occasionally yells at people when their not following the basic rules. Most of the time you will get people to respond nicely if you ask nicely. Here are some ideas:

1. when people start crowding onto the train before you get off, start yelling "Let us off first!"

2. when people are talking too loud next to you while you're trying to read say "excuse me, terribly sorry to interrupt, would you mind talking a little quieter so I can enjoy my book?" or in the mornings "so sorry to interrupt, would you mind talking in a whisper, I'm really hangover and your voice is making me nauseous"

3. when people crowd around the poles or don't move in say "pardon me, would mind moving in or aside so we can fit more people on the train"

4. when people discard their garbage on the train platforms or on the floor say "Sorry to be a pest, but maybe you could take your garbage with you and discard it in trash can, improperly discarded garbage causes track fires and makes you look like an uneducated a$$hole"

5. when you see a pregnant, injured or older person give that person your seat. if you're standing, ask that person if they would like a seat and find a seat for them. Just quietly ask a row of three people "would any of you mind giving up your seat for someone?"

6. when someone spills coffee, I scold them saying "that is exactly why food and drinks are not permitted on the PATH"


Ok so maybe I'm nuts and have a bit of a napoleon complex. People have barked back at me like mind your own business, but most of the time I see other people smile at me across the train in agreement.

On NJ: I still like my home state of CT better than NJ, but NJ has really grown on me and I love it now.

I wonder how much mercury is in a 513lb tuna?

ps. any lobster over 5 - 7 lbs is generally considered to be too stringy to eat.

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Hey fat-ass-bike,
Maybe you should walk a mile in someone else's shoes before judging other people. You have no idea what it's like to be allergic to cats, the allergies come on gradually over time and increase in intensity. I too am an animal allergy sufferer. I didn't know I was allergic until in my 20's. I grew up with cats and dogs all my life. I had both of my cats for more than 5 years at that time when I found out I was allergic. After having many severe sinus infections and colds, my doctor told me I should go to an allergist. It was then I discovered I was allergic to my cats and was given a list of other animals I'm allergic to. The allergist said that my allergy to cats was more severe than the other animals because the continued exposure to the animals makes the allergies worse over time. I miss my cats but I had to give them away because I was sick all the time. Imagine having a severe cold every day for the rest of your life and then add asthma to that. Fortunately I was able to find friends who would take them in because they saw how much I was suffering. It really sucks having this allergy and unfortunately anytime I come in contact with friend?s cats I get asthma within 30 minutes of exposure. It is extremely uncomfortable not being able to breathe. And then there are the episodes of itchy watery eyes. I'm a knitter. This weekend I found some old yarn that I bought when I still had the cats and started sneezing within 5 minutes of handling the yarn. Every exposure to cats increases the intensity of the allergies. And it really sucks for those of us that love the feel of warm fur snuggling up to us.

HamPark, sorry you have to make such a difficult decision. Goodluck in your search.

Saw some really nice lights around 7th and Jersey Avenue this weekend.

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11th post, maybe 12th.

Seriously though, I think JC list is great and only attracts more people here. I mean look at how diverse we are as a community! The tone of some posters here is a turn off, but I think you have that in any on-line community. If we all got along it would be really boring around here.

BJs has good quality nuts in the baking aisle. I use them for baking and snacking. Bekeley & Jensen is the store brand but you can get a giant bag for about $10

Yes very scary. Something like this can happen in any size building. It's very important to remind your neighbors and new people to not let anyone in even if they say they are there to see someone you know. I live in an 8-unit building and we had a couple of break-ins over several years. Every time it happened because new neighbors let someone in as they were going out, or the person said they were there to see [insert name here] who lives in the building. It's worth a few minutes of discomfort saying I'm sorry I can't let you in rather than cleaning up a mess, dying or filing police reports.
It is so sad what happened to this family.

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When I read the article again I realized it was actually a quoting error:
They could have written
The men broke into the Downtown home while her husband was away on business and found the mother in bed with the two children, Troiano said.
or
"The men broke into the Downtown home while the man of the house was away on business and found the mother in bed with the two children," Troiano said.