I lived to tell this true and tragic story. I write this on be half of my friends and the fellow employees who died. I write this so people will remember Ann Raponi, who died at age 35 years old. Ann left two children the same age as my children,now 19 and 16, she died when they were just 1 and 3. I write this for Sharon Vanetten, she died just after being released from her maternity leave. leaving her new born with out a mother. I write this for Marianne Knight. dead at age 38, mother of four. I write this for my two children who played on my bed as I lay comatose from the poison. I write this for my ex-wife who woke up with me defecating in the bed, unable to control my bawls. I write this for John Kopsa dead,and for Sally Lewis the first to die in the Biggs building accident in Tompkins County - Ithaca ,New York . I write this for the five of us still alive, Sharon with cancer, Yvonne still on medicine and a hole in her head that wont close or heal. Claudia who is wrenched with pain daily and bouts of sever depression. Margaret, who lost her life, her health and eventually was divorced due to her illness. Then there is me. I suffer daily with pain. I lost so much and I have so much to tell. I did not mention everyone who became ill, or who died or who's baby's were effected out of respect for their privacy. This like I said is a true a true story covered on national news by many stations before a cover began. I will unquestionably show John Stosell from 20//20 news as a pithic fool and lair who falsely reported facts,for his own fame and purpose.
I was working in a factory in up state New York and going to school nights. I promised my self if I ever graduated form the local community college, I was going to work in an office. I did just that I graduated from Tompkins Community College with an Associate degree in Liberal Arts with a minor in human services. I was very proud to have been able to actually work full time and finish school. I soured the local cities to get a job in an office. I say cities because I lived in Cortland, NY which was in the center of three cities Syracuse, Ithaca and Binghamton. I finally got hired in Ithaca, New York. Ithaca was/is a very progressive city, it is home to Cornell University, Ithaca College and Tompkins Cortland Community College. The dirvisity of the population makes Ithaca a wonderful place to live, with it's artist community and some of the most educated people in the world.
I was the happiest guy ever,to think I raised my self from a factory worker, to a respectable job, as a County employee at the Tompkins County Department of Social Services. When I got hired I went and bought a all new wardrobe, so I could look respectable in my new office job. I had a lot of reservations, when I first started.I knew I would work hard and I was no quieter. My office was on the sixth floor and the office building was located in downtown Ithaca. If you have never been to downtown Ithaca , in the direct center of the city, is a large rectangle area called the commons. The commons was/is where all the progressive stores of city are. The clothing stores for the college students, the art stores where the semi wealthy, would shop and some very exclusive stores and many restaurants for the diverse population, each catering to different clientele, but welcoming everyone. The commons would always have many students day and night that would just gather and hang out on the benches and side walks. It always feels exciting there. Well, my office building was just one block from the commons and I had a very large window, that looked down to the street and people below. The inner office was a large room with nine desks in lines of three - You could look around the office and tell, a lot of work took place there. Some of the desks were buried in files. I must attest that a very lot of work went on in the office. The chaos of different desks, were a reflection of the peoples ability to handle the work load. I learned quickly there was a large turn over in office staff . that made it hard for the in coming new workers because they not only had to learn the new job, but they had to try to clean up, what was left, by the last person at that desk. My desk only had sat vacant for approx six weeks. I assure you that was plenty long enough, to make mountains of catch up work. I had one thing going for me, I am extremely organized. I Don't like clutter and I was going to actually work when I was at the office. I noticed lots of people, who would take breaks and chat, for what I felt was too long. The majority of the office were woman all the supervisors were female, except one. Most of the men were not highly liked as I soon learned.I didn't really care I was too busy learning the job to really notice or care. I did learn the job and got very very proficient. Which, always meant you had to do others peoples work, while they chatted. The office worked just like all work places do- the favorites had it easy. The ugly supervisor were dictators trying to bring you to their level of un- happiness. The incompetent got paid any ways. The hard workers always got extra work dumped on them. I have to say, I don't know why I able to adapt so well but I thought the job was a breeze. I worked in a factory the shift was seven days on, seven days off -four days on ,four days off and twelve hour shifts. Doing office work was a dream job , just do the paper work according to the twenty five pages of code cards, do the interviews , handle emergencies as necessary and do your monthly reporter monthly. Yes , there was a lot of paper work, but it was not factory work,Just after I got hired I became engaged to my wife we had courted since high school. I was totally happy I was making a great salary and i was in love and my wife to be ,was becoming successful in her employment. We were becoming middle class Americans and were just in our twenties. After several years employment. I realized I needed to a Bachelors degree,to get any of the really high paying jobs. I could even become the commissioner of social services, if I could get a bachelor degree I had the ambition and I felt I was certainty as intelligent as the acting commissioner. Talk about losers. that for later. I enrolled in a program to get my degree as I worked full time. I also took on a part time night job at Stanly Kaplan preparatory school so I could use their programs for free and the extra money I bought my wife presents - diamonds mostly. My ex wife always wanted diamonds and I was a good husband and provided her some fifteen thousand dollars in diamonds. My wife, my took advantage of my hard working drive, to be hard working herself and better educated also.My ex wife excelled on her own merits
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Last update: 08-11-2010 19:52 |
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