My Take - News to Nuts Archives - Page 3 of 16

Rant: Tried TaskRabbit for first time…maybe the last time

July 14, 2014 by Cathy Healy //

For three weeks I was traveling, then I was the soccer granny taking 12-year-olds to camp (and hosting their two coaches). As a result, I have a pile of ironing.TASKRABBIT!! I thought about an hour ago.I selected a new tasker, Beilin Z., who turned me down…but kept advertising the same time slot for tomorrow morning. (I just checked.)

Taskrabbit sent me another name, a dude named Cornell A, who thought it was cute to have a decorative eye mask on for his profile pic. He volunteered to come over and get the work done today. Nice…but it turns out that he works with another guy so he can get the work done faster. No mention of two-for-one on his profile.

I don’t want two guys ironing my clothes, even if they bring another iron, I have one ironing board. In fact, I don’t want two ironing boards set up in my apartment. I don’t want two guys re-orging a closet which has room for one person to work and one person (me) to direct.

Turns out by canceling, I get billed $20 for one hour of work. I have protested. This may be the last TaskRabbit help I ask for. Stay tuned.

My LA Herald-Examiner editor Don Forst, 81, died Jan. 4

January 5, 2014 by Cathy Healy //

Don Forst – Photo by Richard Drew/Associated Press From the NY Times

Don Forst was the wiliest newspaper editor I’ve ever known. The New York Times called him, “feisty” in its obit. Don wasn’t feisty — he was cunning, he was clever, he was imaginative, tough, outrageous and he was competitive as hell. But not “feisty.” That sounds like a yappy terrier snapping at your ankles, which is a particularly off-putting image because Don, in fact, was petite and still looked like a choirboy in his 50’s.

Not only was Don not feisty, he was calm and centered. He was funny. He was warm and bolstering and he instinctively knew all of our buttons. He didn’t push the fear ones — and we had lots of them — Don pushed the buttons that made us as wily and daring and competitive as he was. All of us. Our shock troop of maybe 30 news reporters competed against the mighty LA Times and its armies of journalists that must have outnumbered the Chinese forces. And we often won.

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Perfect “BirthWeek.” Thank you, all!

October 30, 2013 by Cathy Healy //

You all have overwhelmed me. Thank you for all of the birthday wishes, which I will leisurely answer so that I can savor our friendship and respond in kind.NOTE: This isn’t a BIG YEAR. This is a continuation of a grateful decade.Can you imagine what beautiful people I work with at Cesar Chavez Prep? One of the teachers made me a cake like my grandmother Omenson used to make for me (chocolate with Halloween candy corn) and I must say, Monica’s gift was perhaps the best chocolate cake that I have ever tasted.

AND, I brought ch-cake, ch-frosting, candy-corn cupcakes to my students in my 6th grade and 8th grade enrichment classes. They charm me too.

AND, in the evening, as we have on a number of occasions, Regis Rerruzza, a remarkable man and an exceptional classical guitarist, have celebrated our birthdays together with our hosts, my cousins, Tim and Susan Healy (all partners in the Marlowe Guitar series, now in its 20th year) and close friends. Meagan Healy captured the moments [See above.] As Daniel would say, I still look as “saintly” as I did last year.!”

Question: Is Saintly Cathy the new norm? 😉