Got into a conversation about the old ceiling in St. Agnes Cathedral in Rockville Center. This was the ceiling in the 1980s.

Instead of listening to the sermons, I'd sit in a pew and try to solve the ceiling.

One of my problems is that I tend to overthink things.  In my head, I suspect this question is asking me if I'm a native English speaker, but when I see “professional” I'm thinking, “do I get paid primarily for my English skills?”   I have friends and acquaintances who make their primary living as writers. They make money off their novels, create marketing content, and write television shows, plays and movies. They’ve won awards. They have two hour debates over the use of an Oxford comma. They are professional writers.

When you add in the 260 point chasm between my Math and English  SAT scores from high school I really don't class my English skills as "professional".  I even think I'd be lying if I call my skills advanced. I'm mid-level at best.  I could probably get a B on a regents level High School English class.  I have average skills  so I’d class ,myself as mid-level.

I was filling out a job application for a senior architect position on LinkedIn this evening, and one of the questions I was asked was how many years I've been working in technology. I put in 33 years and it tells me it's an invalid value. Did some testing the largest number you could put it was 29 years.  I seem to have three choices:

1. Lie, which would invalidate my application
2. Track down the company and send an email to their HR department
3. Skip it and move on.

For a long while I’d put a translucent apple rainbow sticker over the glowing apple cutout my on MacBooks Pro. Most people would ignore it, some people understood, a surprising number of people thought it was a statement on gay rights. It was just nostalgia for me. Dating back to my first computer in ’84, my Apples had a rainbow logo.

While I was working with a non-profit I was presenting a new design for their logo and website, presenting from my laptop. This non-profit is one of those places that Sr Democratic operatives work when the Rs are in power. Participants in the meeting included a former Attorney General, a former Assistant Sec of Defense (who would rejoin the Obama Administration as Secretary), someone who would become President Obama’s Chief of Staff and the guy who wrote the 9/11 Commission Report (all very serious people, who I think could have me killed with one phone call). The meeting went off well, and with some minor modifications, they used the designs I presented  

Well, after the meeting the comms director gives me a tongue lashing. About how important people don’t want frivolous things around. She became a dog with a bone, so eventually I removed it just to stop the argument. Now a days The Apple doesn’t glow any more. so the rainbow logo isn’t as fun on my machine. 

Dear Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez:

First off, I'd like to thank you for the hard work you do as a Congressperson. We may not be always in agreement politically, but I respect the work you do and the office you hold.

I was reading the above article about the situation that members of Congress are in, having to maintain two homes in order to properly do their job. This is something I've actually thought about often,because I've been in a similar situation. For several years I had a temporary gig in Northern Connecticut, but still maintained other work back here in New York City. After working the CT gig for a month, spending 4 hours a day commuting on top of the 8 to 10 hours a day working was getting to be too much for me. Since the gig was open to renewals, I didn't know when things were going to end.  So I found some temporary Connecticut housing in a SRO which I rented on top of my Astoria, Queens apartment. I understand something of the costs of maintaining two households as well as a longer than average commute and the costs that entails both financially and personally.

I have to question your discussion is when you say it's difficult  to maintain 2 households on your $174,000 salary. The average New York City salary is about $75,000 a year, so you were making $100,000 more than your average constituent. In my head, I've always justified congressional salaries because of the added expenders Congresspeople have with housing and commuting.

I got to thinking about the numbers.  An average rent for a 1 bedroom apartment in the Washington, DC is just under $3,000.  If you figure another $500 a month for maintenance and utilities on the apartment and $1000/mo to fly back and forth from NYC, you're still collecting $120,000 a year, $45,000 a year more than your average constituent.

In my younger days, like you, I was a service worker. I couldn't imagine how I'd react if somebody at one of my tables was complaining to me that they had trouble making ends meet on a salary that was twice what I was making.  I imagine I'd feel this person who is out of touch with people in the lower and middle class of society.

Again I respect who you are, I respect what you do, but I wish you'd think of the large number of people you represent who aren't earning what you're earning in times where inflation is running amuck and it's harder each day for the average New Yorker to make ends meet. I don't like using the word "privilege" but this is what it feels like.

Thank you again for your service.