TheCapeBlog

https://www.forbes.com/sites/tjmccue/2018/08/31/57-million-u-s-workers-are-part-of-the-gig-economy/#7e876ea17118

More than one third (36 percent) of U.S. workers are in the gig economy, which works out to a very large number of approximately 57 million people.

Gallup estimates “that 29% of all workers in the U.S. have an alternative work arrangement as their primary job. This includes a quarter of all full-time workers (24%) and half of all part-time workers (49%). Including multiple job holders, 36% have a gig work arrangement in some capacity.”

There are two types of gig workers. There are “independent” and “contingent” workers, the former being people who are truly their own “boss”, and the latter being the group that work for another company just like a regular employee might, minus the security and all the other benefits that come with being a full-fledged employee (me: not to mention union representation).

Spent most of Sunday afternoon with a dog friend and his owner, who served a delicious brunch of salad and clam chowder.

This morning, I mailed Valentine cards to the Rentonites and a birthday gift to Florida.

Ron had a routine appointment with his doc at 8:30.

We are punting on transfer station until Wednesday.

We signed the P&S yesterday. Closing is March 6. We liked P&B’s lawyer, he seems to have everything under control.

Ron drove by the beach at my request. It was very windy and the surf was up, about as much as it gets around here anyway.

Peter reported today that the bank is waiving an appraisal, relying instead on a Fannie Mae database of home values. This is a new thing, started in 2017.

I did two standouts today, one at Move to Remove and one at the Mashpee rotary. I was thoroughly disgusted by the progressives who gave me a ration about borrowing their crummy signs (I ended up taking none, made my own) but guess what, my Republicans were gracious and warm.

Go *ing figure.

I started the second standout a little before 1:00 with signs that were so ambiguous, the Trumpists liked them. I was inundated before long. So, I went home, made a new sign and stood on the opposite side of the Commons.

It was nice to be outside and though it was pretty blowy, the sun was out and I was quite comfortable.

Between standouts, I stopped at RiteAid in Falmouth for bargains. The store is being converted to a Walgreen’s and this was, literally, the last day for markdowns, some as much as 70%. I found a fine 50th birthday card for Bonnie and mailed it at the East Falmouth post office on the way home.

Ron made me a grilled cheese sandwich and heated up some soup for lunch. I filled out an online application for the fire department to inspect the smoke alarms at Edgewater.

We crashed early; then I remembered that I’d left my white folding chair at the rotary.

It was a little before 8 pm, so I threw a coat over my pajamas and retrieved the chair; it was still there, five hours later. That’s my Republicans, for you! I love those people.

Ron had a decent night and I drove us to get his cath removed. He seems to be on a normal track to recovery according to the brochure he got from his doc. He even drove home.

We splurged on fabulous pastry from the Chocolate Rose: cannoli, cinnamon roll, spinach and cheese Nautilus, almond croissant, blueberry scone, raspberry danish.

I went to the senior center for a helpful lecture on dizziness and brought home liquids from Stop & Shop to start Ron’s “pump”. They worked.

Rebooted Locast.

A cute Norway rat was on the deck yesterday eating seeds that Ron had put out for the birds. Ron cleaned it up and I cut back the autumn clematis, which had created a nice hiding spot, and de-plugged the shop vac.

SOTU last night. Disruption in the chamber. Good.

Made sauce this morning. I figured Ron, who had surgery today in his doctor’s office, wasn’t going to do it, and the veggies were getting soft.

Final claim settlement check cleared so I paid bills yesterday. We are hoping to sign the P&S on Friday.

Ron got through the surgery fine, but is hurting now. He does have his prescription; the pharmacist wished him well!

Mr. Cooper’s Fedex account doesn’t allow for Saturday delivery, so I arranged to pick up the check at their Yarmouth station yesterday. Worked out great.

On the way home, I shopped for salad vegetables at Whole Foods and Stop & Shop.

The CINOs are planning a Trump rally in Mashpee next Saturday. I’ve asked for help with a counter-demonstration.

Moderate Republicans determined that while Trump’s Ukraine adventure was bad, it wasn’t bad enough to remove him from office. Wonder if they are as gun-shy of a Pence theocracy as we are.

Mr. Cooper endorsed and sent the final insurance check yesterday. Our painter has been nervous because he’s never “worked like this before,” whatever that means. What a luxury, to be paid as soon as the job is done. No one gets that kind of consideration, not employees and certainly not contractors.

Interesting that in a trial about the citizenship question on the census, an honest DOJ attorney recommended impeachment if congressional subpoenas aren’t honored. “They are hypocrites and so are we, I guess.”

Received two nice prayers from Betsy yesterday. I’d asked for a copy of David’s grace, which I love, and she included her mother’s favorite, which I believe I’ve heard at the Quaker Meetinghouse.

Phone screen was postponed to Monday because the recruiter was home sick.

The check arrived from the insurance company and is on its way to the mortgage company for their endorsement.

The P&S is ready for signature. We got word that the carpeting will be installed on Friday. The painter has been hard at work; Peter texted “the (stairway) red is gone.” Looks like we’ll be done with updates some time next week.

Had a mammogram yesterday, been almost two years. Glad it’s done.

Bought Ron his promised New Year’s Day cigar, but he won’t smoke it until it’s warm enough to go outside.

Starting to think about how much we’ll need to pay in capital gains tax when we sell Edgewater. We might have to sell Dixon and leave the Cape. Oh, tragedy!

Rented “Judy” from RedBox; horrible, I couldn’t finish it. Watched more episodes of “Trial and Retribution”. Borrowed “Deliverance” from the library. Anything to get my mind off finances.

Made soup from a package that Ron bought a while ago. Made pudding in the microwave. Boiled over, but still good.

Ron and I donated at Falmouth Hospital. Fought with him about lack of trust and disrespect; instead of walking with me, he had to solicit attention by asking for directions.

Then after taking the long way home to get beer at Kenyon’s, complained when I wanted to return the Redbox film to Roche because he “had” to get to Best Buy “before dark” (it was not even 3 pm) for a DVD reader/writer. He’d purchased a reader online which “doesn’t work”.

Turns out, the new reader “doesn’t work” either. I stopped listening to his complaining when he started babbling about how Apple was to blame.

We talked about selling Dixon, especially if we’re stuck with a huge capital gains tax this year. I vote for the Pacific Northwest, he’d probably prefer the Southwest.

I think we’d both be better off by ourselves if we could afford it. I’ll never be Melody and he’ll never grow up.

Geri and Free were over for brunch yesterday. We served quiche, bagels and tarts from Amie Bakery.

I cleaned the bathroom countertop; Ron did the floor. Today I washed the kitchen floor and did some minor cleaning of cabinet and dishwasher doors.

Also made lasagna, did laundry and changed sheets.

The painter came by for a check. I touched base with the insurance company to be sure the final payment was made out correctly and double checked the process for a second check with the mortgage company. Had a chat with the local Fedex about the mis-delivery; they promised to speak with the driver.

Went over the numbers with Ron. Watched some of the impeachment proceedings.

Yesterday I did follow up with the adjuster and he claimed my email was in his spam folder and he never got the flooring quote.

He did provide the figures for the final check and said it would be mailed yesterday. Or Monday.

Meanwhile, the painter has started at Edgewater, and we seem to be on target with the bank.

I retained an attorney to represent us, the same lawyer who’s helped us with real estate matters in the past.

Plowing through French lessons and feeling pretty stupid about grammar, but Rome wasn’t built in a day.

Peter and I did two runs to the transfer station, the second to drop off a mattress and some recycling that we forgot the first time around.

Ron had to go to Hyannis for fingerprinting for his census job. At my request, he dropped me off to 4C’s so I could see the Vex robotic competition, the first one to be held on Cape. Chatted briefly with Amanda Hough and two of the organizers.

There wasn’t a lot to see, so I walked from the campus to the Route 6 rest stop and waited for Ron. He treated us to lunch, then we drove to Spinnaker Records in Hyannis. He found some “treasures”. On the way home, we stopped at Amie Bakery for dessert for tomorrow and ice cream.