Yesterday our printer ran out of color toner. Frick.
You see, there aren’t any office supply companies that I’m aware of (certainly not near my office in the San FernandoValley) that are unionized … and I can’t find any toner cartridges for my printer that are union-made. Double frick.
As you may have read from one of my recent blogs, I kind of slipped off the wagon a bit with my misadventure at Macy’s. But after all, it’s the holiday season and I’ve got to buy presents.
I’ll come clean here.
Some of the more challenging aspects of this Buy Union experiment hasn’t really been the changing of habits (that was what I thought would be most difficult), it’s been having less options and paying more. Luckily, I’m not totally addicted to material things, but I like being frugal when I can.
I love what I do because I believe in it and I believe in the movement, but I’d be lying if I said it doesn’t wear me out sometimes.
Yesterday was one of those days. After a late night, I had to be up at 5:30 am to get ready to brave traffic for an early meeting in downtown L.A. Then it was back to the office in Canoga Park (again through traffic, I love L.A!) where I was barraged by more meetings, phone calls, press releases, deadlines for newspapers, enewsletters and L.A. Labor 411’s ever-approaching publication date.
So, my in-laws are coming into town for Thanksgiving and between two dogs, two cats, two kids, a husband, and my big personality, it can get a little busy at my home when family comes to stay. Truth is that I get a bit stressed by the holidays. I love them, don’t get me wrong, but with everything else going on sometimes the tryptophan in the turkey is not enough to completely mellow me out. So, I thought we’d make things a bit less complicated this year and put my in-laws (as wonderful as they are!) up in a hotel for their stay.
With my Buy Union! Challenge I was afraid that Thanksgiving would be a nightmare, but I may have been over-thinking things. Actually, as I began to investigate my options, I was surprised to find that so many of the brands we grew up on that have helped define the most important meals of the year for many of us are union-made. So when one of our family’s dear friends invited us over for Thanksgiving, I said yes, but with two conditions.
The most difficult part of my challenge so far has been lunch. Sure, there are plenty of union-staffed restaurants in Los Angeles, but none of them are anywhere near my office in the San Fernando Valley. I’m not the biggest girl in the world. A friend of mine once called me a hummingbird—that kind of suits me right because of my metabolism and my typical day is a whirlwind of activity. Between managing an office, running two newspapers, and dealing with an ever-changing number of union PR campaigns, I barely have time to think. My one quiet spot in the day for years has traditionally been stepping out and getting myself something to eat for lunch. Well, I can’t do that now unless I’m near downtown or Hollywood for the most part.
I admit it. I like shopping. I’m a girl. What did you expect? The problem is there aren’t a lot of retail stores that are unionized. An exception is Macy’s. Many Macy’s stores are UFCW represented. So, I found one and decided to have a few hours by myself.
I like Macy’s. Always have. I like their merchandise. I like the layout of their stores. I like their history. I also particularly like that Macy’s has been active in the green movement. They were voted in the top 50 most green corporations in the 2009 Newsweek rankings by adding solar power to many stores, using biodegradable packing products, and significantly expanding their “eco-friendly” product lines. We need more of that in this world.
While the rest of the country veered right on Nov. 2, California did what it always does best – it took the road less traveled. Democrats swept nearly all the top state offices, and may even squeak by to get Kamala Harris in office as Attorney General despite early predictions of losing that office to the GOP.
What makes California so different from the rest of the country? The list is a long one, but when it comes to politics, Californians seem to have the ability to separate truth from television. Despite the ridiculous amount of money that Meg Whitman spent to try to buy herself a political career (a record-breaking $140-million-plus of her own money), California voters weren’t taken in by her slick advertisements or the barrage of media that her dollars bought.
The burglary was the last straw.
As I’ve mentioned before, my dog Daisy is an amazing athlete, but she’d been getting crazy cooped up in our backyard all be herself for long stretches at a time and she had stated snapping at people on walks. Finally, on the advice of friends, I began taking her to doggy day care a few days a week while I was at work so she could re-socialize herself and have more interaction with other canines. Good idea, right?
Well, my house was broken into while my guard dog was enjoying a play date with her friends at the local vet. Great.
My dog Daisy is amazing. There’s no ball she can’t catch. We’re always entertaining our friends and neighbors with her astonishing athletic prowess. Daisy will plunge head first over the guard rail and down the hill on our property, retrieving the tennis balls with 95 percent accuracy.
We’ve had Daisy for three years now (we rescued her from the LA City Animal Shelter – all union city employees) and she never disappoints. But an athlete like that takes a lot of maintenance – and TLC. She’s just the latest addition to our pet menagerie. In addition to Daisy, we have two cats that our dog loves to chase around the backyard.
