“flunking out” at the co-op

In an article that shows a disappointing lack of perspective and research, Alana Joblin Ain whines in today’s New York Times that at the Park Slope Food Co-op, of which I am a member, she isn’t given the respect that she’s due:

As I was checking out, I reached for my entrance receipt, which I had received at the front because I did not have my long-unused membership card. But I couldn’t find the receipt in my bag. I offered to give the checkout worker my member ID number to enter into the computer.

“No, I need the actual slip of paper,” he said.

But I would not have been allowed in the store without the entrance receipt, I reminded him.

“I can’t check you out,” he shrugged unhelpfully. “You can go back to the entrance worker and get a new receipt.”

I suppose there were reasons for the policy. But as I walked back to the entrance worker, I wondered if being treated like a delinquent was becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Yeah, there are reasons for the policy. How insipid that Ain wrote such a thing in the New York Times without bothering to find out what they are. Especially after having obviously interviewed the co-op’s general manager, Joe Holtz, for other parts of her article. Read the rest of this entry »

New RF Essay: “Passing, Period.”

My own latest essay is up on Revolving Floor, of which I am also the publisher. The piece is about test-taking, bureaucracy, work vs. school, the passage of time, and… well, check it out.

Revolving Floor now has an “I liked this” voting system, for those who want to show support of a particular piece, but are not inclined to leave a comment. Just go to the Revolving Floor home page, find the piece you like, and click on the little heart. Before long, you’ll be able to vote in similar fashion from the permalink pages.

Phuck Phred

Disciples of the reverend Fred Phelps protested today outside a synagogue a few blocks from my apartment in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn. As usual, the group of protesters was much smaller than the group of onlookers, and the Phelpsians carried signs with diverse messages against Jews, gays, Israel, and Obama. As usual, the Phelpsians did not seem to be attacking anything in particular, nor were they advocating any action. Their attitude is essentially Calvinistic: Read the rest of this entry »

My 9/11 Story

I was living in Los Angeles, temping, via Manpower, for the city of Los Angeles, in the basement of City Hall. I was sorting responses to jury duty notices.

If you live in Los Angeles, and you want to get out of jury duty, here’s a hint: just don’t bother responding to the initial notice. Nobody cares. The bureaucracy between you and the jury box is so big that you literally have nothing to worry about. I’m not exaggerating. Read the rest of this entry »

My first Revolving Floor post: Which came first?

I’m not just the publisher; I’m also a contributor, etc. etc. Thrill to wry tales of my own childhood (and adulthood) in my first piece, “Which Came First?”

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