Stacy Horn

Give them What They Need to Give You What You Need

If you’re emailing someone to ask them for something, spend some time and think of everything you can do to make it easier for them to help you. Is there information they’re going need that you can get for them? Go get it! Don’t make them look things up, look them up yourself and give it to them. Are there questions they’re likely to ask you? Give them those answers in the initial email. Do as much up front homework as you can. The easier you make it for them, the more likely it is that they’ll help you.

If you are not willing to spend the time to think about and gather what they need, your email might be experienced as rude. Think about it. Not only are you asking them for something, you’re making them do work you could have just as easily done yourself.

Tip 1a. Get to the point.
Tip 1b. Be Honest About What You Want
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Watching the ballgame. This is the ball field on Hudson between Clarkson and St. Luke’s that was once a graveyard. Still is, in all likelihood. There was never any mention of moving the graves that I saw.

I’m smiling, Finn is about to rip my face off. Typical.

This is the story of Buddy and Finn, the short version, because I just noticed how late it is.

I got Buddy (the gray one) to keep my remaining cat Beamers company when my other cat Veets died. Given the same circumstances, I will never do that again. I thought Beamers would be lonely without Veets and would like the kitten company, but in reality I think he would have just liked me all to himself in his old age.

Four or five months later Beamers died (my heart is still broken) and that’s when I got Finney.

Finney was extremely affectionate right off the bat and I was afraid he was going to become my favorite because Buddy didn’t like to be held or picked up. Beamers had been my favorite before, I always felt enormous guilt about slighting Veets, and I didn’t want a repeat of that dynamic.

So I showered showered showered Buddy with love and even though he still doesn’t like to be picked up, he responded to the love and he curls up next to me or on me and I can say in all honest I love them both equally.

They both came from a rescue organization called City Critters, so thank you City Critters for the two furballs of my life. Here’s to all the animal rescue organizations of the world!

St. Paul’s Chapel (the church on the corner of ground zero which did not get smooshed) is going to have a picnic for the 9/11 volunteers on 9/10. They’re having special services on 9/11 as well, but because this is the 10th anniversary, and Obama is going to be here, security is going to be VERY tight, etc., everyone felt it would be easier to have the picnic the day before.

I volunteered to call all the various groups that came to St. Paul’s to help in the volunteer effort to let them know. I’ve got a huge stack of papers for phone calls. I’m going to start with the close states, NY, NJ and CT, and then fan out from there.

This morning I’m going to go swimming, take the quickest shower on record, and run to the library. In other words, a perfect day. This is a view of the Empire State Building from within the library.

I saw this thing on the news about using low level cold lasers to treat cats with arthritis, IBD and a whole host of things. So I looked into it for Finney, who has arthritis, and now I have an expensive appointment today at the Animal Medical Center to get him a work up to see about physical therapy (including the laser treatment). Now that I know that there’s something out there that will likely make him feel better, how can I not do it??

Because he’s something special. I got him at the Something Special store (not really).