headphones died, again

i'm on my 4th pair of v-moda headphones. i love them when they work, for about 2 months. i need stereo headphones for listening to music with a mouthpiece for when i make phone calls and moderate webcasts. they're a tool for my business. i need them!

i live in nyc and need to listen to music on the subway, in the grocery store, walking the streets, where i'd have to listen to inane conversations and cell phone calls and eventually loose my mind. plus my music helps me think and focus.

i bought the best at the time, about a year or two ago, for $100. i've gone through v-moda's warranty process 4 times. the last time they agreed to send me a new pair before i sent back my faulty ones so i'd have something to use, and then lost the order. sigh.

anyway, i love these headphones. when they work they're great! they just can't handle my new york lifestyle, apparently. they break in the same way every time. i need the toughskins version.

suggestions for headphones that can take a beating appreciated.

dear mayor bloomberg and pres obama

hey guys, i'm a talented, professional, articulate, thinking person who hasn't been able to find work and would like to help in these difficult times. i imagine you'll need good managers to run projects that will make a difference, find people good jobs and help save money. here i am. use me.

at least it's not bad news

in my seemingly never-ending quest to find affordable health insurance, i went to my foot doctor before i stop my insurance. good news is my feet look good. i have bursitis in my toe joints. she prescribed orthotics two years ago which i've been wearing diligently. she sent them back to be refurbished, which is definitely cheaper than a new pair. once i get them back in about two weeks, i can start running again. yay!!

now i just have to keep hoping for an eye doctor appt before fri, so i don't have to pay $300 or more out of pocket. wish me luck.

healthcare blues

i'm trying to spend less on healthcare, but it's not easy.

i'm also trying not to worry about money so much. it's hard since i feel like money is being spent every second and i'm not making any money.

sending out resumes and replying to postings on craigslist, linked in and whatever else comes my way.

when i see homeless people on the street, i feel horrible, and frightened that might be me if i can't get any work. i realized recently that i can dip into my retirement savings to keep my apartment. it makes me feel both better and worse.

one day at a time.

Dear President Obama

Folks are tapped out and I have a few suggestions that you've probably heard already.

1. If someone needs to take money out of their retirement account to pay rent or health care or college or to live on if their investments tanked, they should be able to without penalty.
2. Give folks who owe taxes a break on penalties and interest. When folks have been bled dry, when they can't get work to help pay back taxes, what do you expect them to do?
   

thanks for listening.

healthcare for the rich; who gets jobs?

As I mentioned, I pay a ton of money for crappy health insurance and the privilege of paying for just about everything else. I'm trying to see my doctors while I'm still paying for the insurance, especially the expensive ones. This is a big fat pain in the butt.

I need to see an eye doctor because I'm at that age where my arms just aren't long enough to hold things out to read. I've been near-sighted forever, so it's very strange for me. My glasses are always expensive ($700 last time), so bi-focals will be out of the question. I hope a new contact Rx will solve my problem.

Instead of continuing to wear my bad shoes and get expensive surgery on my feet, I worked with the doctor, paid $500 for orthotics, got rid of all my bad shoes, stopped running and worked with my trainer. When I last saw my doctor, she was surprised at how good my feet looked. She was worried I would need surgery. I have bursitis in my toes. Sounds silly, but it's very painful.

Now I need to see the doctor again and I know my orthotics are loosing their cushion, so I need new ones for another $500. If I could, I would order two pairs, one for the gym and running and another for walking. I really can't afford one pair.

I feel like I need to get what I can now because if things continue, I won't have credit cards to use anymore.

I've been sending resumes out like crazy with very little response. Many of the recruiters have made it clear they don't have any jobs. That's certainly a first.

Feels like I'm being squeezed from both ends.

Part of me wants to believe that as more and more of us get in these situations, we will realize it's going to take all of us to get out. And we have to work together. None of this "why should I help save her because she made stupid money decisions?" We all did and didn't expect work to dry up, or our retirements accounts to dissolve.

it's sunny!

so i'll stop fretting about money for today. sometimes ya just have to turn it off.

taxes done. back to how to pay the mortgage

I went to do my taxes the other day and I don't owe anything!! yay!! If I did, I honestly didn't know how I would pay for it. (my tax guy is fantastic! Mark Avrutine 212-826-5050, tell him Lisa sent you)

Instead of it putting me in a better mood, it just reminded me how much I spent last year when I thought I would make money again.

I'm starting to panic a little. I guess it's about time. Here's how I got here, in a nutshell:

• I stopped looking for consulting work after a particularly bad stint at an ad agency where no one but me wanted the project to succeed. It also brought up a bunch of old issues I'd never resolved dealing with difficult people by doing everything they want, regardless if it's the right thing to do.
  
• Got a $100K home equity loan based on my retirement accounts on a UWS co-op valued at $550K with an outstanding mortgage of $60K. Basically, I'd paid off about $100K of my mortgage and I borrowed it back.
• I invested the home equity money and used it to pay my mortgage/expenses while I learned to be a figure model and bartered for painting lessons. Problem is, figure modeling only pays $15-20/hr. Bartering for painting works because we're both underpaid. (Karen Kaapke is my instructor. She's a genius with flesh tones.)
  
• I love modeling and it turns out I'm pretty good at it, thanks to the artists who have taught me: Jonathan Soard and Ariel Higgins in particular, along with Karen. My trainer Suzanne (917-691-2115, tell her I sent you) has been working with me for five years now and she gets credit for my stability, balance and tone.
  
• I'm basically healthy. I suffer from allergies and depression, both which require treatment. For the past few years, I have been paying $650/month for health insurance which gives me the privilege of paying for therapy sessions after 20 a year, half or more for prescriptions thru Medco (I'll get to my medco rant later, I promise), orthotics and pretty much anything else the insurance doesn't feel like paying for. Obviously, I can't afford these premiums any longer and it's looking like I'll end up spending less with a high deductible catastrophic plan and paying out of pocket for the rest.
  
• Visiting my psychiatrist to get a new Rx, I found out that he will charge me $100/15 min session that I'm required to have 4 times/yr, even though I only saw him once a year when I had insurance. Ugh! He even acted surprised when I said I pay my own insurance. Hello!! I live in the US where healthcare is a privilege, not a right.
  

I want everyone to know that not making money and healthcare are issues for all of us. I'm competing with every person who has been laid off for project work. Needless to say, the phone isn't ringing. I've also tried to start a home organizing business, but in this economy, no one wants to spend.

Usually, I'm a very optimistic in the face of opposition. But I have to admit, I'm concerned. I sold some land in Costa Rica before things fell completely apart. I never got around to investing the money, so at least I didn't loose any of it. That's what I've been living on and it's almost gone. I've gotten a bunch of modeling gigs lately, but it's almost embarassing how little that will help. I'm probably better off looking for organizing and other higher paying work instead.

I will continue to let you all know how ugly it gets and the issues I run into. I will also send positive energy to you because I believe that will help. Feel free to send it back. thanks for listening.