New Life

I'm starting over. My life has changes so much in the last 3 years, I cannot begin to inventory it all. I've divorced, dated, changed jobs three times, met a wonderful man, sold my house, moved on, moved in, stepped up, and jumped head first into a new world. And that only begins to cover it.

The people I have met along the way have changed me in deep and profound ways. Parents, children, advocates, champions, warriors, fearless messes of lives. For every person who has touched me I am grateful. Their stories inform me and inspire me and have made me a better person. So today, I start over.

I'm living in Pittsfield, MA now. I'm just 28 miles from where I used to live and 44 miles from where I used to work. Yet it seems like a world away sometimes. It's amazing to work in the city where I live, knowing that I am making a direct impact on my own community. I have a true partner in this life. Ted has shown me how to live my life again when it took so long for me to break away from my suffering and pain of the loss of my marriage and love and the loss of the work that used to bring me passion. Because of him and his support, I am more like myself than I ever was before.

Ted has three teenage children who bring all sorts of new challenges on a part time basis. I never thought I would have this in my life.While it was not my plan, it is with humble gratitude that I get to be a part of their lives. I'm not saying it isn't one of the hardest things I've done, being a co-parent for teenagers who don't always want me there. I know I complicate their lives and I'm not the easiest person to live with. But dammit I care and I am drinking them in as they grow and change and complicate my life in ways that I never could have imagined. I love it even when I hate it.

Today, I am a passionate voice for social justice once again. Today, I am a leader in my community. It has been seven years since I had a job I love. It has been seven years since I woke up excited to get to work, not dreading anything, knowing I am in the right place. Berkshire Bridges Working Cities is the perfect combination of community organizing and public policy that I am really good at. I'm stretching and learning and giving in ways I never thought I would again. I'm amazed at the people in this city who are so resilient and powerful. I love showing them their strength and lifting them up. This is what I have been waiting for,

This is where I belong now. I found the soil in which my roots can thrive. I am digging in deep and calling this place home. It is with pure joy that I spread my leaves to the sky, drink in the sun, the rain, and the Berkshire air. This is my new life.

Enough is Enough

Honorable Chris Gibson
1708 Longworth HOB
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Representative Gibson:

Enough is enough. I've enjoyed getting to know you since your election and have appreciated our many conversations about SNAP/food stamps and how important they were to you. I truly believe that you know the value of government services and the role they play in improving lives and building success for individuals and families. But at this point, I cannot stand by and let your colleagues destroy those essential programs and our economy.

Enough is enough. It is time for you to step up and speak out in more than a token manner with your "No Labels" campaign. It is time for you to be a loud voice in your party against this insanity. Make this country stronger by standing up to bullies and standing up for democracy. If you fail to move your colleagues on the government shutdown and debt ceiling, you will have failed your constituents, including me. You must make it very clear where you stand on this issue.

I urge you to speak out publicly against the shutdown, against the attempt to defund Obamacare at the treat of our financial security, and against your colleagues who do not understand the meaning of democratic elections.

Enough is enough. And I need to hear those words from you.

Sincerely,

Alisa Costa

Healthcare.gov

I've been unemployed for five months and without health insurance for four. It's the first time in my life that I've been uninsured and I have to admit it's a little scary. I was in the middle of a bunch of medical stuff when this happened, going to an ENT to try and find the source of my recurring benign positional vertigo. I was scheduled to get an MRI when all this happened and have not been back. Fingers crossed that I don't have another episode before I get health coverage.

I could have continued my health coverage with COBRA at the insane amount of $740/month for a plan with a $10,000 deductible. So I'm not sure why I would even consider that. So when October 1 rolled around, I was pretty excited to see my options and what subsidies my be available to me. Why October 1? Well, if you haven't heard, you must be living under a rock! The new health exchanges required under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) aka Obamacare were up and running. New Yorkers, including myself, will have to be enrolled in a health insurance plan by December 15 or face a tax penalty.

On the plus side, there are tons of subsidies. So while most people will have to pay something out of pocket, they will be getting health insurance out of it, the government will be giving tax breaks that will make it much more affordable. Total bonus! Check out this great story out of Utah as an example.

Sure it's been a rough start. So many people have gone to healthcare.gov to learn more and to apply for coverage that the system was overloaded and many people, including myself, were denied access to the web site. But hey, I'm patient. So today I went to the NYS site to see my options. It was easy to set up an account, and it walked me through creating a household to determine which plans are available to me and my husband. It turns out there are 106 plans available to us! WOW! Where do I even begin?

Well, first off, the site lists them in cost order, low to high. This is great. You can click on different plans and compare to see if your meds are covered and your doctors and hospitals are in the plan. There is a filter that is not working yet that would make it even easier. Really great stuff.

The disappointing part? (There had to be right?) The plan rates start at $466/month for a plan with a $3,000 deductible. WHAT? So if I don't qualify for subsidies (I know I do), I will have to pay $466/month for absolutely nothing because my health care costs never reach $3,000. This is exactly what the anti-Obamacare Republicans were waiting for: healthy people getting pissed off about paying for a product they don't need/think they don't need.

I've always been someone who believes in health insurance. It's a bet you hope to lose. You may lose money on the deal, but that's because you're healthy. Yahoo! You never want to need health insurance to pay for cancer treatment or bypass surgery, but you're glad you have it. But America's deal seeking, bargain hunting, bang-for-your-buck mentality is counter to this. Will this mentality lead Americans to seek more car than they need to feel they are getting their money's worth? Will there be a rush to MRI centers, CAT scans and surgeons? Probably not. But it may lead to grave dissatisfaction with the law and it's requirements.

My next step is going to be figuring out how to apply for subsidies. The web site section related to this appears to be down at the time. My friends in that world have suggested I contact a "navigator," someone who is available to help people like me figure it all out and assit you in your application. I'll keep you posted on how that goes.

Despite the bumps and concerns, this is a BIG deal. It's going to change our lives for the better. I'm excited about the implementation of Obamacare. And I hope you are too. Check out your options at Healthcare.gov.

The Brat Pack

Someone recently asked me why I like The Breakfast Club so much. I always include it in my list of favorite movies. It's an iconic film for my generation. But as I opened my mouth to answer, I did not have a specific reason to offer. My list of favorite movies includes great films with complex characters and relationships, amazing acting, beautiful cinematography, excellent directing, or some combination thereof.

So what is it about this iconic film that when it flashes before my eyes as I surf channels I must stop and  finish it? Of all the "Brat Pack" films like Pretty in Pink, Sixteen Candles, St. Elmo's Fire, this one is it for me.

I guess to start with broad strokes, it's the theme of stereotypes and fitting in and the common enemy of the ridiculous detention teacher. But it is the clever one-liners, witty banter, great music, not-so-typical relationships that give it longevity. How many times have you  quoted the movie over a glass of wine at a party? Ok, maybe it was beer and tequila shots, but it was always epic.

The Breakfast Club came out when I was 11, a time when I was having trouble fitting in. It's a reality check about the boxes in which we place people. While the characters started out as seeming like one dimensional stereotypes, the film reveals more layers in funny ways. I was everyone in that film. I AM everyone in that film. I am the brain, the athlete, the basket case, the princess, and the criminal. And at the end of the film, you feel like you know that about each of them and they are friends.

Maybe I'm over romanticizing a bad film. I don't care. It's a classic and I will watch it with you any time.

Dear Mr. Vernon:

We accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention for whatever it was we did wrong, but we think you're crazy to make us write an essay telling you who we think we are. You see us as you want to see us... In the simplest terms and the most convenient definitions. But what we found out is that each one of us is a brain... ...and an athlete... ...and a basket case... ...a princess... ...and a criminal.

Does that answer your question? Sincerely yours, the Breakfast Club.

Characters

What is it about the Fall television season that fills me with dread? It's not that I enjoy the endless trough of reruns, made-for-tv-crap, or endless bad movies that pop up during the summer months. Although it does drive me out of the house to do more engaging things.

When I was a kid, I pined for the new TV season. I would await my favorite shows with anticipation and talk about premiere episodes and pilots on the bus in the morning. Whether it was Family Ties, L.A. Law, Growing Pains, Full House (what is wrong with me?), I had something to say about it. Now it's as though the memories of television shows from last season are better than they actually were.

I think I've grown as a viewer (I really hope so anyway). I don't care about the plot as much as I do character development. And if I can care about the characters, and they can pull off even the most ridiculous scenarios, I'm hooked. This is why I enjoyed TV like Grimm, Once Upon a Time, Dr, Who, The Walking Dead, True Blood, etc. The characters, even the secondary ones, tend to have depth, a back story, something that makes me identify with them, or like them. Therefore, I care about whether they are injured, hurt, kidnapped, maimed, or killed. The ridiculous plots, and even more ridiculous plot drivers didn't bother me so much. I took my suspension of disbelief to a whole new level because I wanted to see how my heroes would pull through.

All of these reasons are exactly why I see some shows as complete failures. If you don't give me something to cling to in the first episode or two, you've lost me. And here lies the problem with Sleepy Hollow, the new supernatural series based ever so loosely on the story of the same name. I watched the first two episodes and not only have they given me nothing on the main characters (I have no idea of their motivations and very little history). Even worse, they eliminated the bad guy/arch nemesis after just one episode. How on earth do you only have the headless horseman for one episode???

Dear TV writers (and you movie folks too): please develop your characters, especially your female characters. Quickly. I know you can do this. Please do not create a female character who needs to be saved by a man (Yes I'm talking to you scyfy and Haven). Thank you.

Car Trouble

Anyone who knows me knows I love my car. It's a 2004 Honda Civic EX. When I bought it, it made me happy. I had just totaled my 1997 Civic on the Northern Parkway on Long Island. A person in the right hand lane decided to stop dead in the middle of a busy highway. As I rounded a bend, there he was. My car looked destroyed, but aside from a dramatic moment, my passenger and I were fine. Of course, then I got sued, but that was another story that ended anti-climactically with the suit being dropped. 

When I bought this car, it was a moment of pride. I got a great deal. I paid as much for it as I did my 1997 Civic. And this one has automatic locks and power windows, a CD player, a sun roof, and drove like a dream. I say ‘drove,’ because after almost 10 years and 160,000 miles, it's having some challenges.

Last month, the heat shield fell off. This is no big deal. It fell off my 1997 Civic. It doesn't impact the way the car drives, but it does make it noisy. The car now rattles a little at low speeds. So getting out of the driveway or the parking lot is like listening to a steel drum band.

Next, the A/C cut out. If you know me, you know I love the A/C. I'm a sweater, so even slightly warm days make me unhappy. Also, I have hair that responds dramatically to any kind of moisture in the air. In short, the A/C keeps my windshield from fogging up and my hair from exploding. It's a win-win. The A/C just needed to be recharged, which I could take care of at my next oil change, or so I thought.

Then, the inevitable happened. And I say inevitable because it is unexpected, annoying, and ridiculous. And those three happening all at once to me periodically is a given. The car was left outside, with the trunk open, overnight, during a torrential downpour. The names of the guilty are being withheld to protect the innocent. Emptying the trunk and sopping up the water was no small feat. Fortunately, the weather dried up and I think it's finally dried out after three  days. But at the same time I pulled the car back into the garage, my husband noticed a flat tire.

So today I headed out to get the flat fixed. Hubby used the bike pump to get me out the door. Easy fix. $8 and a smile. Sweet! Next, I headed to Valvoline for an oil change and to get the A/C done. 45 minutes later the nice man explained it's not the coolant, but the compressor. They can't do it, but they know someone who can...for $500. Um...no thanks. I called my mechanic and headed over. Okay, he can do it for $400. Crap.

Really? Really??? This is just great. My beautifully running, favorite car that was a dream at 140,000 miles has quickly turned into a piece of crap right under my nose. It seems to have happened all a once. I had always planned on running this car into the ground, but I thought it would be different. I take good care of it and maintain it well. I thought if things went wrong, it would be one or two things a year, not ALL AT ONCE while I'm unemployed. 

They say timing is everything right? We'll see.

Mac and Cheese (revised)

My husband and I are huge, HUGE mac and cheese fans. We eat it any way we can get it: from a box, gourmet offerings, frozen meals, deli case... it's our go to comfort food as vegetarians. We add stuff to it: broccoli, onions, spinach, black beans, peppers, jalapeños, spicy cheeses, salsa, and more. But when it comes down to it, we really love his mom's tried and true creamy baked mac and cheese recipe. 

This is a recipe that gets handed down for generations. It likely was originally taken off the side of an elbow macaroni box, but hey, if it's that good, it should be published. So, I am deeply committed to this recipe. My mother-in-law passed away before our wedding. At one of our last Christmas' together, I asked for her family recipes and, thankfully, her "Baked Macaroni and Cheese" recipe was included. 

I typically make this with very few changes. Every time I try to mess with it, well, let's just say the results are disappointing. Lately, I even tried trading out classic elbow pasta for cavatappi. Now that's a winner. I have also tried whole wheat pasta. But in the end, the delicate béchamel needs a white pasta. 

So, at a recent visit with friends, I was intrigued when they urged me to try brown rice pasta as a substitute for regular durum wheat pasta. It has similar nutritional value to traditional white pasta but it is safe for gluten allergic friends. He sent us home with a bag to try. So here is our experiment with the recipe:

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

2 TB butter
2 TB flour
1 tsp ground mustard
1/4 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups milk
8 oz. cheese (cheddar, or american)
8 oz. elbow macaroni
buttered bread crumbs

First note: I doubled the recipe. I always double the recipe.

Thickened milk mixture
before adding cheese.

Over medium heat, melt butter, add flour, and remove from heat. Stir until well incorporated. Do not brown the flour. It's okay if you get distracted, and it cools off. You can add it back to the heat later. Add mustard, salt. This is also sometimes where I add other ingredients like garlic black pepper or cayenne, depending on how I'm doctoring it up. Place pot back on heat, add the milk, then stir until mixture starts to thicken and clings to spoon (roughly 10 min).

Add 6 oz. of cheese, a little at a time, stirring constantly over low heat until a smooth, creamy sauce is created. Reserve the remaining cheese for the topping.

Note: You do not want the sauce done before the pasta. It can get a film on the top if you stop stirring. If this happens, stir it again until smooth.

Cook pasta according to package directions (minus 2-5 minutes). This is what got me in trouble. I did not look closely at the package which says to cook over medium heat and to rinse the pasta after cooking. The instructions said to cook 15-16 minutes, and I cooked it for 10, knowing the pasta would finish cooking in the oven. I did not rinse it.

Add pasta to baking pan. (This is also where I added some broccoli this time) Pour sauce over the pasta and gently stir until noodles are mostly covered. Sprinkle remaining cheese followed by the buttered breadcrumbs. I use panko bread crumbs which get super crunchy.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 20-25 minutes until the top is nice and brown.

The results: Well, let me just say that brown rice pasta is YUMMY. It tastes similar to white pasta, but a little sweeter, which in this case was a bonus. It holds up well to the cheesy  béchamel sauce and the crunchy breadcrumb topping, by is not overpowering. My big disappointment was in the texture: the noodles seemed overcooked and mushy, almost gelatinous. I'm not sure if they did not hold up to baking in a casserole, if they needed to be rinsed, or what. Disappointingly, the noodles fell apart.

Next time, I will follow the rice pasta’s cooking instructions more carefully, cooking the pasta over a lower heat and rinsing in cold water after cooking. Then, I will report back. As for now, I will consider this rice pasta as a viable option for our mac and cheese.