But she is always gone, but I still love her.
Oh yeah, that was how Catherine’s mother’s day poem ended. Can we say guilt?
I know I have been working a lot. But the car repairs were expensive. I worked overtime to pay for the car, but due to an unforeseen paperwork error, my work now owes me 47 hours in overtime pay. Yeah. Oh, I should be getting it on this next paycheck, but in the meantime I still had to pay for the car payment, the repairs, the bills, food and other such. As a matter of fact, currently, our cell phones are shut off because they were last on the list of priorities and they didn’t make the cut. Oh well, they will be back on Monday. I am sure it will be all for the best when soon we can buy our own home and it will be awesome. In the meantime, I think I will spend more time with Catherine. I don’t see her much since she is at school when I am at home.
I hope everyone had a fabulous Mother’s Day. I have to go to work soon.
Showing posts with label Bills. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bills. Show all posts
Monday, May 10, 2010
Tuesday, March 09, 2010
Tuesday Ramblings
Something happened today that never happened before. I went to work at 6am and I worked until 7am, then they sent me home. I wasn’t feeling well. I have been stressed out a bit lately trying to take care of some stuff… the broken car, Carolynn and her home school, work, bills… It’s been a lot to handle. I haven’t been sleeping well and I have had a sinus thing bugging me. I have had a stomach ache and I have this terrible toothache. I guess it all kind of just hit me at once. I was working, but I was spaced out and I just started crying for no reason when asked a question by a coworker. No one was mad, they just thought I was sick and they sent me home. I came back home and went back to bed. I slept all day off and on. I feel a little better.
Tomorrow I am going to the dentist. Hopefully that helps. I am going to spend some time going through the bills and getting things all taken care of. It’s not as bad as it seems. I know it. Carolynn is doing great at school and she is a much nicer person. The car is fixed. I just need to have it smogged and registered. Work is going good. One of my supervisors said I was doing a great job and that he would like to be able to pull me from my regular post to do some other stuff if I don’t mind. He said people have been saying good things about me. Another one said I was turning out to be an outstanding officer. My evaluations are always all positive. I just have to take care of some more paper work stuff and then I can try some more new stuff. I have just been avoiding the issue and scared I won’t be able to do it. I need to stop that.
I switched banks. Chase was charging me practically for everything and then making it difficult to use my own money. I went to a couple of local banks, checked some stuff online, and called and asked a bunch of questions. I finally decided on Alaska USA Federal Credit Union. So far, I like them. Their online banking is easy to use and they are friendly.
I have the next few days off. It will give me a chance to take care of all this stuff and catch up on some sleep. Plus visit the dentist and possibly the doctor. Things will get better.
Last night my sister in law Nicole had her first party for her new business. I think she did pretty well. I purchased one of her warmers for me and one for my friend Trisha to put in her new house when she gets here. Maybe I should have a party here to help her get started. The warmers are cute and not too expensive. There are a bunch of scents too. Check it out www.scentsy.net.
Okay, things are looking up. I know it. Think positive.
Tomorrow I am going to the dentist. Hopefully that helps. I am going to spend some time going through the bills and getting things all taken care of. It’s not as bad as it seems. I know it. Carolynn is doing great at school and she is a much nicer person. The car is fixed. I just need to have it smogged and registered. Work is going good. One of my supervisors said I was doing a great job and that he would like to be able to pull me from my regular post to do some other stuff if I don’t mind. He said people have been saying good things about me. Another one said I was turning out to be an outstanding officer. My evaluations are always all positive. I just have to take care of some more paper work stuff and then I can try some more new stuff. I have just been avoiding the issue and scared I won’t be able to do it. I need to stop that.
I switched banks. Chase was charging me practically for everything and then making it difficult to use my own money. I went to a couple of local banks, checked some stuff online, and called and asked a bunch of questions. I finally decided on Alaska USA Federal Credit Union. So far, I like them. Their online banking is easy to use and they are friendly.
I have the next few days off. It will give me a chance to take care of all this stuff and catch up on some sleep. Plus visit the dentist and possibly the doctor. Things will get better.
Last night my sister in law Nicole had her first party for her new business. I think she did pretty well. I purchased one of her warmers for me and one for my friend Trisha to put in her new house when she gets here. Maybe I should have a party here to help her get started. The warmers are cute and not too expensive. There are a bunch of scents too. Check it out www.scentsy.net.
Okay, things are looking up. I know it. Think positive.
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
Let It Snow
Yesterday was a stormy day. It snowed off and on all day. Nothing stuck. The wind howled. The lights flickered. The Christmas lights are now falling off the house. It was so cold. It is still cold. I have to work tonight. It is going to be super cold. I know it. At least the weather is Christmas-y.
I am still having trouble getting in the Christmas spirit. My car is a piece of crap. Seriously. I hate it. If I don’t have to go to work, I am not driving it. Not until I can afford the repairs. Why do cars find the most inappropriate times to break? I still have bills to pay and Christmas presents I want to buy.
Here’s another added stress for you… Drizella has been digging out. She digs out and Gibby goes with her. She knows she is bad. When we catch her she slinks back and won’t come close to us. I don’t know what to do about her. Frankly, she isn’t a very good dog. She doesn’t listen. She steals food. She chews stuff up. She bites. And she digs. What am I supposed to do? If animal control finds her, we will get a big ticket and the added expense. Just what I needed right now…
And one more suck-fest to add to my Bah-Humbug spirit… Knott’s Berry Farm is free for me and the family until the 20th. It’s free for all law enforcement officers. I knew it was coming and we had been looking forward to it. But now, it looks like we won’t be going. Even though it is free to get in, we’d still have to pay for gas, parking, food (you have to get Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner), and maybe a souvenir or two. And with my stupid car being stupid, I wouldn’t try and drive it that far anyway until it is repaired.
Okay, sorry I am such a Scrooge. I am trying not to be. We are thinking about having a New Year’s Eve party. A long time ago, I used to throw a New Year’s Eve party every year. At the time, we had this grouchy neighbor who called the cops on us at about 10:30 PM. Every year. We were never that loud. She was just a Scrooge herself. Then for a long while, I had no one to invite to any sort of party. Now I do. And if my work schedule continues in the way it is, I will have New Year’s Eve off. So keep a look out for party e-vites. (They are cheap.)
Here is some more good news… Yesterday I talked to my friend Paula. I had not talked to her for a couple of years. She moved and lost her job and I lost contact. But thanks to Facebook (again) she found me again and we talked last night. She is going through some rough times too, but like me she is working through it. Her husband is having trouble finding a job right now. I suggested he apply where I work. At least it is something.
Well, I guess that is it. I have to get ready for work soon. I will take my Scrooge attitude to prison. I am sure the inmates will enjoy.
Merry Christmas To All.
I am still having trouble getting in the Christmas spirit. My car is a piece of crap. Seriously. I hate it. If I don’t have to go to work, I am not driving it. Not until I can afford the repairs. Why do cars find the most inappropriate times to break? I still have bills to pay and Christmas presents I want to buy.
Here’s another added stress for you… Drizella has been digging out. She digs out and Gibby goes with her. She knows she is bad. When we catch her she slinks back and won’t come close to us. I don’t know what to do about her. Frankly, she isn’t a very good dog. She doesn’t listen. She steals food. She chews stuff up. She bites. And she digs. What am I supposed to do? If animal control finds her, we will get a big ticket and the added expense. Just what I needed right now…
And one more suck-fest to add to my Bah-Humbug spirit… Knott’s Berry Farm is free for me and the family until the 20th. It’s free for all law enforcement officers. I knew it was coming and we had been looking forward to it. But now, it looks like we won’t be going. Even though it is free to get in, we’d still have to pay for gas, parking, food (you have to get Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner), and maybe a souvenir or two. And with my stupid car being stupid, I wouldn’t try and drive it that far anyway until it is repaired.
Okay, sorry I am such a Scrooge. I am trying not to be. We are thinking about having a New Year’s Eve party. A long time ago, I used to throw a New Year’s Eve party every year. At the time, we had this grouchy neighbor who called the cops on us at about 10:30 PM. Every year. We were never that loud. She was just a Scrooge herself. Then for a long while, I had no one to invite to any sort of party. Now I do. And if my work schedule continues in the way it is, I will have New Year’s Eve off. So keep a look out for party e-vites. (They are cheap.)
Here is some more good news… Yesterday I talked to my friend Paula. I had not talked to her for a couple of years. She moved and lost her job and I lost contact. But thanks to Facebook (again) she found me again and we talked last night. She is going through some rough times too, but like me she is working through it. Her husband is having trouble finding a job right now. I suggested he apply where I work. At least it is something.
Well, I guess that is it. I have to get ready for work soon. I will take my Scrooge attitude to prison. I am sure the inmates will enjoy.
Merry Christmas To All.
Monday, November 30, 2009
1000 Wishes
I cannot seem to get into the holiday spirit. At first I thought it was because we were so sick over Thanksgiving and we kind of missed out on the food. But I don’t think that is it. It’s more of a financial issues thing. Now don’t get me wrong, I get paid enough to pay all my bills and eat and put gas in my car. But that is pretty much it. It seems like every time I get a little ahead something happens. Last year put me in quite a hole. Sure, all the bills were being maintained, but nothing else was being taken care of. No clothes or household items. Once I started working we started taking care of that stuff… and if it wasn’t one thing it was another… Car repairs, broken appliances, broken TV’s, more car repairs…
Every time I would get a little ahead so we might enjoy a little money, something else happens. Like this time, the bank issues. In case you hadn’t read before, I had always gotten paid every other Saturday. So two weeks ago, on the Saturday I normally got paid, I had set up several bills to be auto paid and sent David out on some errands for me. He didn’t get far, because there was no money in the bank. The bank then charged us overdraft charges for all those things. Just over $130 in fees! Now, the money got to the account on Monday so I don’t see what the huge deal was, but they refused to reverse the overdraft fees. Anyway, I didn’t realize there were over draft fees until midweek, so those over draft fees caused more over draft fees. So I was short. Now I have to play catch up. At Christmas. When I could have used some of that money to buy presents… or pay for car repairs.
Yep, my car needs new front wheel bearings. Repair shops estimate $300 to $500 to fix it. Woo. Just another added expense right at the holiday season.
Anyway, I love the holidays usually. I love the decorations and the baking and the food. I love Christmas music and shopping for gifts. Thankfully, I had already purchased most of the girls’ presents. I also got a great deal on a huge artificial tree. But I just am not feeling it.
I figured it out… I don’t need a million dollars to be better. Just $1000 dollars. It will fix the car, and make some bills go away. Leaving my next paycheck available to pay more bills, buy groceries and baking goods and have some leftover to buy some gifts. I don’t have piles of debt. I have no credit cards. I just need one extra paycheck or so. Maybe I should play the lottery.
I am going to try to combat this holiday depression. After all, it isn’t about the presents…
Tomorrow I am wearing a Christmas shirt. My mom bought me a whole bunch of Christmas shirts last year. I think she was trying to fight off the Christmas blues I had last year when I was unemployed and miserable. So tomorrow I am wearing one. I made a Christmas playlist on the iTunes and loaded it on David’s computer so I could play it on his speakers. (I love iTunes home sharing!) David put up the tree. I haven’t decorated it yet. The Thanksgiving decorations are still out. I am making a Thanksgiving feast for dinner tomorrow. And I will give two hours to bell ringing at the K-Mart. Maybe that will put me in a Christmas mood.
Wednesday we will do the Christmas decorating and maybe watch A Christmas Story. I always love that one. I even have my own leg lamp. Also, on Wednesday night maybe we will have another game night. That always cheers me up and I remembered to buy a bunch of snacks to keep on hand. I know it is mid-week and all, but I have Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday off this week.
Anyways, if anyone is interested in game night on Wednesday, let me know. You can come check out my leg lamp in person.
And this concludes this year's NaBloPoMo. Thanks for reading!
Every time I would get a little ahead so we might enjoy a little money, something else happens. Like this time, the bank issues. In case you hadn’t read before, I had always gotten paid every other Saturday. So two weeks ago, on the Saturday I normally got paid, I had set up several bills to be auto paid and sent David out on some errands for me. He didn’t get far, because there was no money in the bank. The bank then charged us overdraft charges for all those things. Just over $130 in fees! Now, the money got to the account on Monday so I don’t see what the huge deal was, but they refused to reverse the overdraft fees. Anyway, I didn’t realize there were over draft fees until midweek, so those over draft fees caused more over draft fees. So I was short. Now I have to play catch up. At Christmas. When I could have used some of that money to buy presents… or pay for car repairs.
Yep, my car needs new front wheel bearings. Repair shops estimate $300 to $500 to fix it. Woo. Just another added expense right at the holiday season.
Anyway, I love the holidays usually. I love the decorations and the baking and the food. I love Christmas music and shopping for gifts. Thankfully, I had already purchased most of the girls’ presents. I also got a great deal on a huge artificial tree. But I just am not feeling it.
I figured it out… I don’t need a million dollars to be better. Just $1000 dollars. It will fix the car, and make some bills go away. Leaving my next paycheck available to pay more bills, buy groceries and baking goods and have some leftover to buy some gifts. I don’t have piles of debt. I have no credit cards. I just need one extra paycheck or so. Maybe I should play the lottery.
I am going to try to combat this holiday depression. After all, it isn’t about the presents…
Tomorrow I am wearing a Christmas shirt. My mom bought me a whole bunch of Christmas shirts last year. I think she was trying to fight off the Christmas blues I had last year when I was unemployed and miserable. So tomorrow I am wearing one. I made a Christmas playlist on the iTunes and loaded it on David’s computer so I could play it on his speakers. (I love iTunes home sharing!) David put up the tree. I haven’t decorated it yet. The Thanksgiving decorations are still out. I am making a Thanksgiving feast for dinner tomorrow. And I will give two hours to bell ringing at the K-Mart. Maybe that will put me in a Christmas mood.
Wednesday we will do the Christmas decorating and maybe watch A Christmas Story. I always love that one. I even have my own leg lamp. Also, on Wednesday night maybe we will have another game night. That always cheers me up and I remembered to buy a bunch of snacks to keep on hand. I know it is mid-week and all, but I have Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday off this week.
Anyways, if anyone is interested in game night on Wednesday, let me know. You can come check out my leg lamp in person.
And this concludes this year's NaBloPoMo. Thanks for reading!
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Some Good, Some Bad
Well, the bad news… we ended up getting hit with a bunch of overdraft fees for the bills that came out Saturday when I thought I would get paid. It really blows. But there was nothing I could do. I tried talking to the bank, but banks are cold, heartless organizations. The good news… The TV company decided I didn’t have to drive my TV all the way to Yucaipa to have it repaired. They arranged for us to return it to Wal-Mart and get a new one. David and Carolynn are out on that mission as I type.
I am off today and tomorrow. I am using that time to recover. I thought I was just coming down with a cold, but it kept getting worse. My chest hurt and was coughing and coughing. It got to the point that I actually called the doctor. If you know me, you know I HATE going to the doctor. But I couldn’t breathe right and I could barely go two minutes without hacking up a lung. I really had little option. So today at 2:00 I went to Dr. Sawan’s office. He is a very nice guy. He said I have a mild bronchitis and gave me a prescription. I picked up cough syrup and cough drops while I was at the pharmacy too. I will be fine in a day or so.
Anyway, I mentioned that last weekend, and the weekend before, I spent time having game nights with friends. I also mentioned that earlier this week I got a new Scene It game. So why not put them together and have people over here for game night this week? Is anyone interested? I promise not to cough on you. Should we do it tomorrow night, Friday night? Or should we do it Saturday night? We got the new 80’s Scene It, plus we have 2 Xbox Scene it games. We will have snacks and it will be fun. So who’s coming? Let me know what day works so we can get it planned! I am sure it will make me feel better. Get back to me soon… via Facebook or Twitter or text, or you know, call. (I know, that last one was a novel idea wasn’t it?)
So that is about it today people. Let’s get this game night started!
I am off today and tomorrow. I am using that time to recover. I thought I was just coming down with a cold, but it kept getting worse. My chest hurt and was coughing and coughing. It got to the point that I actually called the doctor. If you know me, you know I HATE going to the doctor. But I couldn’t breathe right and I could barely go two minutes without hacking up a lung. I really had little option. So today at 2:00 I went to Dr. Sawan’s office. He is a very nice guy. He said I have a mild bronchitis and gave me a prescription. I picked up cough syrup and cough drops while I was at the pharmacy too. I will be fine in a day or so.
Anyway, I mentioned that last weekend, and the weekend before, I spent time having game nights with friends. I also mentioned that earlier this week I got a new Scene It game. So why not put them together and have people over here for game night this week? Is anyone interested? I promise not to cough on you. Should we do it tomorrow night, Friday night? Or should we do it Saturday night? We got the new 80’s Scene It, plus we have 2 Xbox Scene it games. We will have snacks and it will be fun. So who’s coming? Let me know what day works so we can get it planned! I am sure it will make me feel better. Get back to me soon… via Facebook or Twitter or text, or you know, call. (I know, that last one was a novel idea wasn’t it?)
So that is about it today people. Let’s get this game night started!
Monday, November 16, 2009
Mostly Worked Out
The TV will be fixed. Like I said, it’s under warranty so as soon as I take it to the repair shop in Yucaipa, I will be all set. The paycheck came today so luckily all was well in the bank account. Unfortunately, I was unable to get to see Angela sing. I was supposed to get off at 2, giving me plenty of time to get down there. You know what time I got home? 5! If I would have driven there, I would have missed it. Plus I would have been in traffic the whole time. I feel really bad because I promised to be there and I really wanted to be there. Chris and Sherri have a couple of extra TV’s in case we need one when ours is in the shop. That is nice of them. I had ordered Taylor a video game for his birthday and it comes out tomorrow. He ended up wanting a different game, and I already bought it for him and he is already playing it. So when the other one comes tomorrow, I am saving it for Christmas. Hopefully he can wait that long. He did just get the other one I bought. He should live. I did a little Christmas shopping tonight since I didn’t go see Angela. This is going to be a great Christmas. I also got us a new game for game night… 80’s Scene It. TV, Movies, commercials and other pop culture of the 80’s. It should be fun. We are thinking about game night on Friday night. Anyone interested?
Well, that is all for today.
Well, that is all for today.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
It Can Only Get Better
The TV breaking last week, was just the start of things to go wrong.
Due to some banking thing, my paycheck, which is direct deposited every other Saturday like clockwork, didn’t get to the bank. Of course, my bills are set to come out the day I get paid, so unless my paycheck shows up tomorrow, we are in trouble. It should, but until it does… I can’t buy groceries, put gas in the car or anything else. Luckily, we have food in the house and David has a full tank of gas, so I can use his truck to get to work. I drove it today. It was an experience.
Another bad thing… If my check isn’t in the bank tomorrow, we won’t be able to go to Angela sing. I have been looking forward to that for weeks.
I have had a nice steady post at work for a while. I worked hard for it and worked hard doing it. But in reality, I was just filling in. The guy I have been filling in for was out with a knee injury. Well, he came back. I am glad for his knee, but it really messed with my schedule. With his post, I had Thursday’s and Friday’s off. That would have meant all holidays off. But now, I have no idea. I won’t know my Thanksgiving schedule until later this week. They were kind enough I give me Thursday and Friday off this week since that it what I had before the other guy came back.
Last night we went to Tabi and Kathy’s house for game night. I made cheesy potatoes to take. But I didn’t have time to bake them. I decided that I could just bake them there. As we pull out of the driveway, I asked David to hold on a second (we were in his truck) so I could take another look at the address. I put the casserole on my lap. He didn’t’ hear me and went, so I was now covered in cheese sauce. We go back in the house so I can clean myself up and regroup. We get back in and I am trying to be as careful as possible. But when I get out of the car at Tabi’s, I am again wearing cheese sauce.
Other than the sauce, we had a great time. We had so much food. All of it was good. We played games and talked and just had fun. We played Disney Scene It, Scene It, and Trivial Pursuit. Next time we should have game night here. We have two Scene It games for X-Box. We have a whole closet full of board games. (All of last night’s games were ours.)
I hope you all enjoyed yesterday’s Blog Swap. Thank you Rammi for switching with me.
Until tomorrow…
Due to some banking thing, my paycheck, which is direct deposited every other Saturday like clockwork, didn’t get to the bank. Of course, my bills are set to come out the day I get paid, so unless my paycheck shows up tomorrow, we are in trouble. It should, but until it does… I can’t buy groceries, put gas in the car or anything else. Luckily, we have food in the house and David has a full tank of gas, so I can use his truck to get to work. I drove it today. It was an experience.
Another bad thing… If my check isn’t in the bank tomorrow, we won’t be able to go to Angela sing. I have been looking forward to that for weeks.
I have had a nice steady post at work for a while. I worked hard for it and worked hard doing it. But in reality, I was just filling in. The guy I have been filling in for was out with a knee injury. Well, he came back. I am glad for his knee, but it really messed with my schedule. With his post, I had Thursday’s and Friday’s off. That would have meant all holidays off. But now, I have no idea. I won’t know my Thanksgiving schedule until later this week. They were kind enough I give me Thursday and Friday off this week since that it what I had before the other guy came back.
Last night we went to Tabi and Kathy’s house for game night. I made cheesy potatoes to take. But I didn’t have time to bake them. I decided that I could just bake them there. As we pull out of the driveway, I asked David to hold on a second (we were in his truck) so I could take another look at the address. I put the casserole on my lap. He didn’t’ hear me and went, so I was now covered in cheese sauce. We go back in the house so I can clean myself up and regroup. We get back in and I am trying to be as careful as possible. But when I get out of the car at Tabi’s, I am again wearing cheese sauce.
Other than the sauce, we had a great time. We had so much food. All of it was good. We played games and talked and just had fun. We played Disney Scene It, Scene It, and Trivial Pursuit. Next time we should have game night here. We have two Scene It games for X-Box. We have a whole closet full of board games. (All of last night’s games were ours.)
I hope you all enjoyed yesterday’s Blog Swap. Thank you Rammi for switching with me.
Until tomorrow…
Monday, October 05, 2009
Stolen
I know I have been busy. I have been working so hard. I had some car trouble. I have been trying to get all my bills caught up and see if we can try and sneak a vacation in. The girls are on vacation right now. But it isn’t looking like a possibility. Car problems and bills came between us. Then, to make it worse, my debit card number got hacked. Luckily Chase caught it and canceled my card. However, now I have no card and I will have to re-enter my new card number for my Netflix and car insurance. It is so inconvenient to have no card.
Like I said, Carolynn and Catherine are on fall vacation. We have gotten a lot of chores taken care of and got the Halloween decorations up. Yesterday was my dad’s birthday. The girls and I went to see him today and take him a gift. My Grandpa got the girls some shirts on his vacation to Reno. David has some family coming to visit this week. His dad and sister will be arriving on Thursday. I will be at work.
I’ll try and write something more amazing tomorrow.
Like I said, Carolynn and Catherine are on fall vacation. We have gotten a lot of chores taken care of and got the Halloween decorations up. Yesterday was my dad’s birthday. The girls and I went to see him today and take him a gift. My Grandpa got the girls some shirts on his vacation to Reno. David has some family coming to visit this week. His dad and sister will be arriving on Thursday. I will be at work.
I’ll try and write something more amazing tomorrow.
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Broken
Yesterday morning, I got up and my iPod wouldn’t turn on. I figured it needed a charge. I plugged it in to the computer to charge it. It said it was charging and it seemed fine. I left the house to go run some errands. When I got home, my iPod still wouldn’t turn on. It no longer said charging and my computer wasn’t even recognizing it. I took that to mean something was wrong with my iPod. I have only had that since December. I got it for Christmas. So, I took it back to the Best Buy. The girl was going to give me a new one, no problem. However, she decided to talk to the Geek Squad guy first, to see if he could see what was wrong with it. No sense in having to reload everything in it again. Turns out nothing was wrong with it. He turned it on. The battery was still low, but it worked perfectly. He said perhaps I was trying to turn it on while still connected to the computer and it won’t do that or maybe I didn’t hold the button down long enough. I felt like suck a dork. I took my non-broken iPod home. I sat down and turned on my computer and downloaded some new songs into my iPod. It seemed to be fine. I ejected my iPod and it was charged and loaded and fine. I went on to checking my e-mails and such when my computer said something had updated and it would need to restart. Okay, seems reasonable enough. The computer is new and updates certainly became available since it was programmed originally. So it restarted. Problem was… It never actually restarted. No matter what I did, the computer will not turn on. So obviously, the problem was not the iPod. It was the laptop. It still will not turn on this morning. Luckily, most of my stuff is backed up. Everything but my bank account registers. I spent hours balancing my check book the other day and now it is gone. I only have it through when I bought the computer. Now I have to start over from there again. That part sucks. But what sucks even worse is my computer, the one I bought on the 24th of January, less than 2 weeks ago, crashed. Of course I will return it to the Best Buy and of course they will give me a new one, but that is still stupid.
The dishwasher in our house has been broken since we moved in. They sent someone to fix it about two weeks after we moved in and it worked better but still not great. It makes a terrible loud noise when you use it, like a fork in a garbage disposal. It got worse and worse. The dishes never got clean in it. They sent another person out a few weeks ago and they said they needed to order a part. We never heard back. Yesterday morning, when I went to pay the rent, I mentioned that no one ever got back to us about the dishwasher. Yesterday afternoon, Midway Appliance called to set up delivery for today of a new dishwasher. Midway is where I bought my washer and dryer. So today, between 1 and 3, we should have a new dishwasher. The rental agency we use generally does a fabulous job. This house is older and was empty for a long time before we moved in. It was bound to have some problems. But they ensure everything gets taken care of. They have to go through the owner of course, which is usually the hold up for things, but they never forget and usually take care of it as soon as they can.
Anyway, yesterday and today are my days off from work. Work is going better. I am getting the hang of it. Once you get past the part where they are a bunch of felons, it isn’t bad. You just stick to the schedule and keep an eye out of anything unusual. Before you know it, it is time to go home.
We never did find our cat. We tried the shelters several times. We asked the neighbors. We looked all over. We miss her. Carolynn still thinks we should go get a new cat, but I don’t want a new cat. I want my cat. Since we can’t find her, I guess we are just down to 1 cat, 2 dogs, and a turtle. Gibby is enough for like 10 pets anyway with all his energy.
Well, the Best Buy should be open soon and I have lots to do. Why does it seem like days off are almost harder work than days on?
The dishwasher in our house has been broken since we moved in. They sent someone to fix it about two weeks after we moved in and it worked better but still not great. It makes a terrible loud noise when you use it, like a fork in a garbage disposal. It got worse and worse. The dishes never got clean in it. They sent another person out a few weeks ago and they said they needed to order a part. We never heard back. Yesterday morning, when I went to pay the rent, I mentioned that no one ever got back to us about the dishwasher. Yesterday afternoon, Midway Appliance called to set up delivery for today of a new dishwasher. Midway is where I bought my washer and dryer. So today, between 1 and 3, we should have a new dishwasher. The rental agency we use generally does a fabulous job. This house is older and was empty for a long time before we moved in. It was bound to have some problems. But they ensure everything gets taken care of. They have to go through the owner of course, which is usually the hold up for things, but they never forget and usually take care of it as soon as they can.
Anyway, yesterday and today are my days off from work. Work is going better. I am getting the hang of it. Once you get past the part where they are a bunch of felons, it isn’t bad. You just stick to the schedule and keep an eye out of anything unusual. Before you know it, it is time to go home.
We never did find our cat. We tried the shelters several times. We asked the neighbors. We looked all over. We miss her. Carolynn still thinks we should go get a new cat, but I don’t want a new cat. I want my cat. Since we can’t find her, I guess we are just down to 1 cat, 2 dogs, and a turtle. Gibby is enough for like 10 pets anyway with all his energy.
Well, the Best Buy should be open soon and I have lots to do. Why does it seem like days off are almost harder work than days on?
Saturday, January 03, 2009
Would You Like Fries With That?
Last night, the McDonald’s that David works at was out of French Fries. People were yelling at him all night. They were also out of salads, parfaits, barbecue sauce and buffalo sauce. That is the most ridiculous thing I ever heard. How can McDonald’s be out of fries? This is not the first time that David has been working there and they were out of something. They are frequently out of ice cream and shakes. One day they were all out of regular hamburger patties. Another day they were all out of buns. At one point, they only had small cups. People are always calling in sick or just plain not showing up. Then they are understaffed and slow. Throw in the out of fries… and there are many angry customers. I don’t think $8.00 is enough to take that kind of abuse. David is still actively looking for a different job. New things are opening up soon; Sonic, Jack In The Box, a movie theater, Red Robin, Buffalo Wild Wings. Maybe he can get in on that. The Mervyn’s went out of business, but they will be opening Kohl’s there before too long. There was not much excitement here today. We took our cans and bottle to the recycling center. We went to the bank to get the check for the rent. (I told you I would work it out.) We took down our Christmas decorations. The garage door is fixed again, so we cleaned out the garage and I put my car back in there. Later we will have chicken fried steak for dinner. I know, we are so wild party animals.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
The End Of A Year
For those of you interested, I am skipping Wordless Wednesday today. I’ll make a come back next week.
I was going to give you an in depth analysis of my year gone by. I was going to give you my new resolutions. I was going to fill you with the promise of hope for a new year. Instead, I am going to give you a bit of a rant first.
I began my day in a happy little mood. In just a matter of days, I will be off to work. 2009 is almost here and all it can bring is happiness. I was expecting a check in the mail today and I planned to go to the bank this afternoon, drop off the rent check, and buy a few snacks for our celebration. I cleaned the house, read some more of my book, watched some TV and added more to my iPod. I joined the Modern Mom Challenge, I listened to the President-Elect’s Podcast, and I baked my Grandpa some Snowball Cookies.
Anyways, my mail brought me to the bank. I went to the window to deposit the goods. I then wanted to get a bank check for $995. Please note, I just deposited around $1300. I don’t see a problem with that. Part of that money came from a government funded check, but the bulk of it came from the check my ex-husband sent. He sends the same check, for the same amount at the same time every month. I have never had a problem. Today, problem city.
I bank with Wamu. Well, I used to, now I bank with J.P. Morgan Chase. I didn’t think it was a big deal. Everything pretty much works the same. Apparently, they experienced quite a few losses though recently. And much like the Chrysler people, they decided to take it out on it’s customers. They informed me that there would be a 7 day hold on the personal check. I said that was ridiculous. I have been getting that same check for over 2 years with no problem. They told me it was the new Chase system that was being more strict. There was nothing I could do. I spoke with several people. They were all just as helpful. Carolynn was with me and getting impatient. Whatever. Perhaps I need a new bank. I have been thinking about switching to Bank of America.
Usually, this is just an inconvenience. Right now, it is a problem. Without this extra money, I am just about $200 short of the rent. I had some in there already that I was holding for bills. Of course, there was no hold on my other deposit. Nevertheless, the rent is due by Monday at 4 PM. The check will be released on Tuesday evening.
The old, 2008 me, would have cried and lamented. That me would have fallen apart. The new me, henceforth known as Officer Jennifer, spoke calmly to everyone I could. I came home and called several people at the bank. I got nowhere. However, I am still calm. I will figure something out. I am a survivor. I am an officer of the law. I am tough.
That is the point of this story. 2009 brings a new and improved me. This new me comes complete with a new career and a new outlook. The new me promises to be more positive. The new me plans to be healthier, happier, and hopefully thinner. The new me has a plan.
I have made a chore chart that so far has shown some improvement. Catherine will still need to be pushed. She keeps losing her stuff. As in, I keep taking her stuff. Tonight she will be going to bed at 9:30. I made a budget and I plan to stick to it. (As soon as they start paying me) I joined several weight loss and exercise groups on-line and am hoping they will help me to eat better. I am sure my new career path will help me get the exercise.
As I start on my journey, I have friends and family supporting me as they did through the tough times. It is nice to have them.
As we say goodnight to 2008, I would like you to think of the promises of tomorrow, not the nightmares of the previous year. Tomorrow I will bring you a video of highlights of 2008. Tonight we look ahead. I know I am looking ahead at a bright future. Enjoy your evening and do not drink and drive. Finally, I leave you with this video, because, when all is said and done, all we really need is more cowbell.
More Cowbell - video powered by Metacafe
I was going to give you an in depth analysis of my year gone by. I was going to give you my new resolutions. I was going to fill you with the promise of hope for a new year. Instead, I am going to give you a bit of a rant first.
I began my day in a happy little mood. In just a matter of days, I will be off to work. 2009 is almost here and all it can bring is happiness. I was expecting a check in the mail today and I planned to go to the bank this afternoon, drop off the rent check, and buy a few snacks for our celebration. I cleaned the house, read some more of my book, watched some TV and added more to my iPod. I joined the Modern Mom Challenge, I listened to the President-Elect’s Podcast, and I baked my Grandpa some Snowball Cookies.
Anyways, my mail brought me to the bank. I went to the window to deposit the goods. I then wanted to get a bank check for $995. Please note, I just deposited around $1300. I don’t see a problem with that. Part of that money came from a government funded check, but the bulk of it came from the check my ex-husband sent. He sends the same check, for the same amount at the same time every month. I have never had a problem. Today, problem city.
I bank with Wamu. Well, I used to, now I bank with J.P. Morgan Chase. I didn’t think it was a big deal. Everything pretty much works the same. Apparently, they experienced quite a few losses though recently. And much like the Chrysler people, they decided to take it out on it’s customers. They informed me that there would be a 7 day hold on the personal check. I said that was ridiculous. I have been getting that same check for over 2 years with no problem. They told me it was the new Chase system that was being more strict. There was nothing I could do. I spoke with several people. They were all just as helpful. Carolynn was with me and getting impatient. Whatever. Perhaps I need a new bank. I have been thinking about switching to Bank of America.
Usually, this is just an inconvenience. Right now, it is a problem. Without this extra money, I am just about $200 short of the rent. I had some in there already that I was holding for bills. Of course, there was no hold on my other deposit. Nevertheless, the rent is due by Monday at 4 PM. The check will be released on Tuesday evening.
The old, 2008 me, would have cried and lamented. That me would have fallen apart. The new me, henceforth known as Officer Jennifer, spoke calmly to everyone I could. I came home and called several people at the bank. I got nowhere. However, I am still calm. I will figure something out. I am a survivor. I am an officer of the law. I am tough.
That is the point of this story. 2009 brings a new and improved me. This new me comes complete with a new career and a new outlook. The new me promises to be more positive. The new me plans to be healthier, happier, and hopefully thinner. The new me has a plan.
I have made a chore chart that so far has shown some improvement. Catherine will still need to be pushed. She keeps losing her stuff. As in, I keep taking her stuff. Tonight she will be going to bed at 9:30. I made a budget and I plan to stick to it. (As soon as they start paying me) I joined several weight loss and exercise groups on-line and am hoping they will help me to eat better. I am sure my new career path will help me get the exercise.
As I start on my journey, I have friends and family supporting me as they did through the tough times. It is nice to have them.
As we say goodnight to 2008, I would like you to think of the promises of tomorrow, not the nightmares of the previous year. Tomorrow I will bring you a video of highlights of 2008. Tonight we look ahead. I know I am looking ahead at a bright future. Enjoy your evening and do not drink and drive. Finally, I leave you with this video, because, when all is said and done, all we really need is more cowbell.
More Cowbell - video powered by Metacafe
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Always Be Prepared
In just a few short days, I will be back at work. With my new job, I will not be available to be here all the time to remind my children to clean up after themselves or to shower and brush their teeth. I must have the laziest children in town. Anyway, in the time I have before I go, I am developing a new system. We are going to start with a total house clean up. We are implementing a new point based chore system that will be easy for me to monitor and see which member of our team in sitting on the bench. Team members who play ball get allowance and other incentives. Benchwarmers get their stuff removed. I hung a sign in the girls bathroom reminding them that no one likes stinky people and showers and soap are needed. We developed a system for organizing the schedules of four people- that includes jobs, school, and activities (Carolynn’s band and track and Catherine wants to play softball). I developed a new budgeting system to make sure each bill is paid in full and on time. It also allows for savings and fun. Look, I can afford fun again. Once the new job starts things will need to be purchased in order to keep everything running smoothly. I will finally get my washer and dryer. New laundry hampers will be in order. David will be purchasing a bus pass to easily get him where he needs to go. Catherine will be reactivating her cell phone so I can even more easily access anyone I need to. All need dressers. Carolynn needs more shelves.
In a short time, my life will be again under my control. No longer will I sit sadly and look for jobs. Well, I already stopped doing that. No longer will I have to struggle to pay my bills. No longer will I be unable to afford the slightest hint of fun. I will be able to do the things I once enjoyed. Things such as eating out, shopping with the girls, reading books, filling my iPod, and more.
It only took 6 months, a move to a new city, 526 e-mails, countless applications, many interviews, a strange stint as a fish tank cleaner at a pet store (that still has not paid me), and the help and kindness of my family and friends to finally get my life back.
In a short time, my life will be again under my control. No longer will I sit sadly and look for jobs. Well, I already stopped doing that. No longer will I have to struggle to pay my bills. No longer will I be unable to afford the slightest hint of fun. I will be able to do the things I once enjoyed. Things such as eating out, shopping with the girls, reading books, filling my iPod, and more.
It only took 6 months, a move to a new city, 526 e-mails, countless applications, many interviews, a strange stint as a fish tank cleaner at a pet store (that still has not paid me), and the help and kindness of my family and friends to finally get my life back.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Just Sunday
I did a lot of baking today. I made the peanut butter cookie dough this morning. It had to chill. I baked them later. I also made brownies, chocolate peanut butter cookies and sugar cookies. I am still not done. I am making presents. Just because I have a job now doesn’t mean they are paying me yet. I do not start until January.
Today Carolynn and I went out with my mom. We have been doing that Sundays. My dad and Grandpa watch football Sunday. We went to the Circuit City because her computer was being a jerk. They fixed it up for her. While they were fixing it, we went for Chinese food. It was so good. We got egg fu yong, chicken lo-mein, and sweet and sour chicken. It was fabulous. After we ate, we went to the Mervyn’s. It only has 4 days left before it is gone forever. I got Carolynn two pairs of $42 jeans for $12.50 each. She loves them. My mom got a few things too. Then we went back to the Circuit City to pick up my mom’s computer. I got a little speaker dock for my iPod. It was crazy out there. I am glad I don’t have to go out more. It seems like every time I come home, I remember something else I need.
I went to the grocery store this afternoon because I needed powdered sugar. I got dog food and some other junk I needed. I got me a bottle of Bailey’s with Caramel. I thought it might be tasty in hot chocolate. It was too. I got home and realized I forgot to buy smaller Ziploc bags. I have big ones.
Well, that is all for today. I got my car insurance bill in my e-mail and I didn’t even have a panic attack. It was good.
Today Carolynn and I went out with my mom. We have been doing that Sundays. My dad and Grandpa watch football Sunday. We went to the Circuit City because her computer was being a jerk. They fixed it up for her. While they were fixing it, we went for Chinese food. It was so good. We got egg fu yong, chicken lo-mein, and sweet and sour chicken. It was fabulous. After we ate, we went to the Mervyn’s. It only has 4 days left before it is gone forever. I got Carolynn two pairs of $42 jeans for $12.50 each. She loves them. My mom got a few things too. Then we went back to the Circuit City to pick up my mom’s computer. I got a little speaker dock for my iPod. It was crazy out there. I am glad I don’t have to go out more. It seems like every time I come home, I remember something else I need.
I went to the grocery store this afternoon because I needed powdered sugar. I got dog food and some other junk I needed. I got me a bottle of Bailey’s with Caramel. I thought it might be tasty in hot chocolate. It was too. I got home and realized I forgot to buy smaller Ziploc bags. I have big ones.
Well, that is all for today. I got my car insurance bill in my e-mail and I didn’t even have a panic attack. It was good.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Relaxing
I cannot remember being this happy. I really feel like a whole new me. Now wait, not a new me. I finally feel like the old me. I want to go back to all those sad, pathetic blog posts and stamp them all "Not Anymore" or something. I can not believe just days ago I was worried how I would pay a car payment. Now, not only is the car payment paid, I am employed.
Today, I got up early and went to the Salvation Army to count out the money. I did not do any bell ringing yesterday because I had my interviewing. I counted money from 7:00 this morning until about 12:30 in the afternoon. My fingers were black. Money is so filthy. After I finished counting, I picked up Carolynn and her friends so they could do the bell ringing today. Carolynn’s friends Makayla and Diamond are spending the weekend. David was going to go ring the bell today and Makayla was excited and really wanted to do it, so I said they could. Gary, the person who runs the Salvation Army, gave them all their own aprons and jingle bells. They rang the bell from 1:00 to 5:30. And it was very cold today. They sang songs and got a lot of donations. They were very proud of themselves. Here is a picture of them. I took it with my phone so it is not a super great picture.
David supervised the girls most of the day. I did it for the last hour and a half. While he and the girls were ringing, Catherine and I went over to my mom’s house. I was telling my parents and grandpa about my new job. While I was there, my Grandpa and I planned a trip to Palm Springs. He gets free rooms at some of the casinos he frequents and he has one for Agua Caliente. I have never been to Palm Springs and that is Grandpa’s favorite casino. Therefore, he and I are going to take a trip there. We are going on Wednesday morning after Grandpa’s doctor’s appointment. We will be back on Thursday. He gets to play his favorite slots and I get to hang out and relax with no kids. Woo Hoo! It would be cool if Trisha lived near enough to come hang with me. She could use a day off too.
Well, that is it for now. Carolynn and her friends are watching Titanic. Catherine has a friend over too. She came late this afternoon. They are playing dress up. Earlier they roasted marshmallows in the fireplace. There are five kids in my house for a sleep over, but I do not care… because I have a job!
Today, I got up early and went to the Salvation Army to count out the money. I did not do any bell ringing yesterday because I had my interviewing. I counted money from 7:00 this morning until about 12:30 in the afternoon. My fingers were black. Money is so filthy. After I finished counting, I picked up Carolynn and her friends so they could do the bell ringing today. Carolynn’s friends Makayla and Diamond are spending the weekend. David was going to go ring the bell today and Makayla was excited and really wanted to do it, so I said they could. Gary, the person who runs the Salvation Army, gave them all their own aprons and jingle bells. They rang the bell from 1:00 to 5:30. And it was very cold today. They sang songs and got a lot of donations. They were very proud of themselves. Here is a picture of them. I took it with my phone so it is not a super great picture.
David supervised the girls most of the day. I did it for the last hour and a half. While he and the girls were ringing, Catherine and I went over to my mom’s house. I was telling my parents and grandpa about my new job. While I was there, my Grandpa and I planned a trip to Palm Springs. He gets free rooms at some of the casinos he frequents and he has one for Agua Caliente. I have never been to Palm Springs and that is Grandpa’s favorite casino. Therefore, he and I are going to take a trip there. We are going on Wednesday morning after Grandpa’s doctor’s appointment. We will be back on Thursday. He gets to play his favorite slots and I get to hang out and relax with no kids. Woo Hoo! It would be cool if Trisha lived near enough to come hang with me. She could use a day off too.
Well, that is it for now. Carolynn and her friends are watching Titanic. Catherine has a friend over too. She came late this afternoon. They are playing dress up. Earlier they roasted marshmallows in the fireplace. There are five kids in my house for a sleep over, but I do not care… because I have a job!
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Seriously?
Today just sucked. Well, not totally, parts of it were pretty okay. However, over all the suckiness of it all out weighs the good parts.
I had a job interview today. The ad looked like this…
Seeking enthusiastic receptionist!
Conducting interviews right away for seasonal tax office.
Please email your resumes to XXXXX@whatever.com
Make sure to have contact information available!
• Location: Victorville
• Compensation: TBD
So I replied and they called me yesterday for an interview today at 11. First, it was not in Victorville, it was in Adelanto. Not that it was a big deal, I would have gone anyway. It is just a lot farther is all. I get there at a quarter to 11 and there was no one there. Therefore, I waited. About 10 after 11, a couple of guys came. They let me in and gave me an application to fill out. I filled it out. They came back and they interviewed me. Everything went fine. They were nice and the office was nice. Then, they inform me that they would like me to work there. WOO HOO! However, they do not need any receptionist. They just put that ad up to attract more people. What they really wanted were people who wanted to be tax preparers. Okay, I am not an accountant. Then they tell me it is okay because I can take a class and the class is free. Okay, I am on board. But, wait, there is more. Then they tell me the job is commission based only. I could get $20 to $50 for each tax return I file. And, here is the kicker, they want me to give them $250 for testing. The class is free but the testing and certification will be $250. This is the part were I say, heck no to that. That is not a job at all.
So I was a bit mad. I wasted gas and time to go all the way out there for no good reason. What a bunch of jerks.
Then I came home to change before I headed out to ring my bell. When I was at home, a delivery man brought a package for David. It was from his dad and in it was a very nice box of candy for me and the girls. Chocolates always make me happier.
Anyway, off I went to ring my bell. That went fine. After that, the girls and I went to my mom’s house. The girls made some ornaments for my mom’s tree. My mom got the tree out of storage but not the ornaments. She bought some silver and gold balls and some candy canes. It still looked bare. Therefore, we put up some ornaments we made and it looked much more festive.
Then we came home. We were making some dinner when I started going through the mail. In the mail was a letter from the financial company that I make payments to for my car. I am not behind in payments. I paid them for November. My payment is due on the 25th of each month, and I already gave them about $125 for this month. Last month, they offered to let me just pay the interest for one month, about $250. Since it is Christmas, I was going to do that. I already did half and planned to pay the other half on the 19th. I managed to get all of my other bills paid for this month and I went out and actually was able to get a few presents. Therefore, when I saw mail from them, I did not think much of it… Until I opened it.
It says that due to the excessive lateness of my payments I am in breach of my contract with them. In order to rectify this unfortunate situation I have the following choices:
1. I can allow them to take out the payments by automatic payment on the 19th of each month allowing time to process and have the payment post by the due date of the 25th. In the event that the payment is rejected, repossession of the vehicle will take place immediately.
2. The payment due date can be adjusted to the 15th of every month, thus allowing the financial company better assurance that they will receive payment at a reasonable time. If payment is not received by midnight, Eastern Time on the 15th of every month, repossession of the vehicle will take place immediately.
3. I can return the car as a voluntary repossession.
Okay, seriously… I have not been excessively late. Therefore, I call them and I get some guy named Aaron on the phone. I ask him hey, what the hell. He told me, very rudely, that they have the right to their money. They have a contract with me and I am breaking it. I asked him to define "excessively late". He said it was because I was late twice in a six-month period. I was late, about 8 days on July’s payment and 3 days on November’s payment. However, I paid August’s payment the same time I paid July’s. I paid September’s payment two weeks later, still in August and I paid October’s payment in September. Therefore, I tell this to good ol' Aaron. He says it does not matter, one day late is late and my contract says I will not be late. I told him this seemed a little excessive to me. He actually said if I did not like it, I could choose to do business elsewhere. WRONG THING TO SAY DUDE! I asked to speak to his supervisor. Jolene was slightly more helpful. She told me the same things, but when I asked why they were so uptight about it all of the sudden, she told me that they are having a lot of trouble with people missing payments and having late payments. She said the repo rate has almost doubled in the last few months. So starting on December 1, they are showing no leniency. I asked her if I could do like they offered last month and pay just the interest this month and she said no. I asked her if she could extend my payment due date and she said no. I asked her if there was anything I could do, she said no. I asked to speak to her supervisor. Steve, her supervisor, said there was nothing I could do either. I told him there was no way I was going to come up with another $350 in 5 days. He asked me if I would like the address to the place where I could give back my car. They are just so helpful.
I hate people. Just when I think, okay, I have this under control, some stupid thing happens. I hade a little savings and then needed an unexpectedly high cost repair on my car in August. There went the savings. Then I get a job at the pet store and think I have it, and bam, no more jobs. Then here I am all good to go, and bam, jerks.
So, does anyone need a kidney? I hear you can live with just one. Better yet, how about someone give me a job? A real job, where I do not pay you… That would be cool. Yes, a job would be awesome.
I do have one glimmer of hope. One tiny little hope I cling to. A job, a good one, which I have interviewed for and I think I have an excellent shot at. However, it does not start until January and I have not heard for sure yet. However, I hold that thought as my hope that there is a light at the end of this tunnel of crappiness.
Of course, if they repossess my car, that kills my light. They will not hire me if that happens.
So there you have it, my day of fun. On Monday, while I was ringing my bell, a woman came up to me and hugged me out of nowhere. Her husband put a bunch of money in my kettle and she said, “Bless your little heart for doing this honey. Good things will come to you.” I try to believe her. On Saturday, while I was emptying the buckets and counting, one bucket contained a fortune that read “Success and good fortune will soon come to you”. I hope so. I also found a ketchup packet, a glass bead and a token from the local fun center while counting the buckets, but I do not know that those are good omens.
Now back to your regularly scheduled Wordless Wednesday.
I had a job interview today. The ad looked like this…
Seeking enthusiastic receptionist!
Conducting interviews right away for seasonal tax office.
Please email your resumes to XXXXX@whatever.com
Make sure to have contact information available!
• Location: Victorville
• Compensation: TBD
So I replied and they called me yesterday for an interview today at 11. First, it was not in Victorville, it was in Adelanto. Not that it was a big deal, I would have gone anyway. It is just a lot farther is all. I get there at a quarter to 11 and there was no one there. Therefore, I waited. About 10 after 11, a couple of guys came. They let me in and gave me an application to fill out. I filled it out. They came back and they interviewed me. Everything went fine. They were nice and the office was nice. Then, they inform me that they would like me to work there. WOO HOO! However, they do not need any receptionist. They just put that ad up to attract more people. What they really wanted were people who wanted to be tax preparers. Okay, I am not an accountant. Then they tell me it is okay because I can take a class and the class is free. Okay, I am on board. But, wait, there is more. Then they tell me the job is commission based only. I could get $20 to $50 for each tax return I file. And, here is the kicker, they want me to give them $250 for testing. The class is free but the testing and certification will be $250. This is the part were I say, heck no to that. That is not a job at all.
So I was a bit mad. I wasted gas and time to go all the way out there for no good reason. What a bunch of jerks.
Then I came home to change before I headed out to ring my bell. When I was at home, a delivery man brought a package for David. It was from his dad and in it was a very nice box of candy for me and the girls. Chocolates always make me happier.
Anyway, off I went to ring my bell. That went fine. After that, the girls and I went to my mom’s house. The girls made some ornaments for my mom’s tree. My mom got the tree out of storage but not the ornaments. She bought some silver and gold balls and some candy canes. It still looked bare. Therefore, we put up some ornaments we made and it looked much more festive.
Then we came home. We were making some dinner when I started going through the mail. In the mail was a letter from the financial company that I make payments to for my car. I am not behind in payments. I paid them for November. My payment is due on the 25th of each month, and I already gave them about $125 for this month. Last month, they offered to let me just pay the interest for one month, about $250. Since it is Christmas, I was going to do that. I already did half and planned to pay the other half on the 19th. I managed to get all of my other bills paid for this month and I went out and actually was able to get a few presents. Therefore, when I saw mail from them, I did not think much of it… Until I opened it.
It says that due to the excessive lateness of my payments I am in breach of my contract with them. In order to rectify this unfortunate situation I have the following choices:
1. I can allow them to take out the payments by automatic payment on the 19th of each month allowing time to process and have the payment post by the due date of the 25th. In the event that the payment is rejected, repossession of the vehicle will take place immediately.
2. The payment due date can be adjusted to the 15th of every month, thus allowing the financial company better assurance that they will receive payment at a reasonable time. If payment is not received by midnight, Eastern Time on the 15th of every month, repossession of the vehicle will take place immediately.
3. I can return the car as a voluntary repossession.
Okay, seriously… I have not been excessively late. Therefore, I call them and I get some guy named Aaron on the phone. I ask him hey, what the hell. He told me, very rudely, that they have the right to their money. They have a contract with me and I am breaking it. I asked him to define "excessively late". He said it was because I was late twice in a six-month period. I was late, about 8 days on July’s payment and 3 days on November’s payment. However, I paid August’s payment the same time I paid July’s. I paid September’s payment two weeks later, still in August and I paid October’s payment in September. Therefore, I tell this to good ol' Aaron. He says it does not matter, one day late is late and my contract says I will not be late. I told him this seemed a little excessive to me. He actually said if I did not like it, I could choose to do business elsewhere. WRONG THING TO SAY DUDE! I asked to speak to his supervisor. Jolene was slightly more helpful. She told me the same things, but when I asked why they were so uptight about it all of the sudden, she told me that they are having a lot of trouble with people missing payments and having late payments. She said the repo rate has almost doubled in the last few months. So starting on December 1, they are showing no leniency. I asked her if I could do like they offered last month and pay just the interest this month and she said no. I asked her if she could extend my payment due date and she said no. I asked her if there was anything I could do, she said no. I asked to speak to her supervisor. Steve, her supervisor, said there was nothing I could do either. I told him there was no way I was going to come up with another $350 in 5 days. He asked me if I would like the address to the place where I could give back my car. They are just so helpful.
I hate people. Just when I think, okay, I have this under control, some stupid thing happens. I hade a little savings and then needed an unexpectedly high cost repair on my car in August. There went the savings. Then I get a job at the pet store and think I have it, and bam, no more jobs. Then here I am all good to go, and bam, jerks.
So, does anyone need a kidney? I hear you can live with just one. Better yet, how about someone give me a job? A real job, where I do not pay you… That would be cool. Yes, a job would be awesome.
I do have one glimmer of hope. One tiny little hope I cling to. A job, a good one, which I have interviewed for and I think I have an excellent shot at. However, it does not start until January and I have not heard for sure yet. However, I hold that thought as my hope that there is a light at the end of this tunnel of crappiness.
Of course, if they repossess my car, that kills my light. They will not hire me if that happens.
So there you have it, my day of fun. On Monday, while I was ringing my bell, a woman came up to me and hugged me out of nowhere. Her husband put a bunch of money in my kettle and she said, “Bless your little heart for doing this honey. Good things will come to you.” I try to believe her. On Saturday, while I was emptying the buckets and counting, one bucket contained a fortune that read “Success and good fortune will soon come to you”. I hope so. I also found a ketchup packet, a glass bead and a token from the local fun center while counting the buckets, but I do not know that those are good omens.
Now back to your regularly scheduled Wordless Wednesday.
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Quiet
Maybe too quiet. I am not used to being home alone. David is off ringing the bell for the Salvation Army. The girls are at school. I am catching up on some shows and looking for jobs. (I do that every day.)
I still do not want to bring my doom and gloom to you. I made it through November, but now I have to make it through December. I hope that I can be employed before I have to try this through January. I am getting sick of this “my life is a downward spiral” stuff myself. Therefore, here is another picture.
This is a picture of Catherine the day she lost her first tooth. It was January of 2006. She was so excited. She was telling everyone. The tooth fairy came and brought her a buck. I can’t remember what she did with it. Probably bought candy.
I still do not want to bring my doom and gloom to you. I made it through November, but now I have to make it through December. I hope that I can be employed before I have to try this through January. I am getting sick of this “my life is a downward spiral” stuff myself. Therefore, here is another picture.
This is a picture of Catherine the day she lost her first tooth. It was January of 2006. She was so excited. She was telling everyone. The tooth fairy came and brought her a buck. I can’t remember what she did with it. Probably bought candy.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Something Else
My mind is very occupied with my financial and jobless situation. It is all I think about or talk about. Catherine found out yesterday that we might have to move because I cannot afford our house. She was crying in her pork chop and could not eat. I felt like the worst mom in the whole wide world.
So in an effort to take our minds off of the gloom and doom, here is a picture.
This picture of Catherine was taken at my mom’s house on Thanksgiving 2001. It was just after Catherine’s second birthday and right before we moved to Wisconsin. In fact, we had Christmas at the same time because we left for Kenosha the Monday after Thanksgiving. All of our stuff was packed up.
So in an effort to take our minds off of the gloom and doom, here is a picture.
This picture of Catherine was taken at my mom’s house on Thanksgiving 2001. It was just after Catherine’s second birthday and right before we moved to Wisconsin. In fact, we had Christmas at the same time because we left for Kenosha the Monday after Thanksgiving. All of our stuff was packed up.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Just An Update... Nothing New
Monday I had an interview. I thought it went really well. The lady said she’d call me today. She has not yet. I called there and I was told today is her day off. I am still hopeful. The interview I had on Wednesday did not go so well. Did you ever go to an interview and get the feeling that they chose someone else earlier and there was no hope? That is how I felt at my interview on Wednesday afternoon. What really sucked is that it was the best job I have had an interview for in a long time. I have applied for at least 15 jobs this week alone.
I am exploring other alternatives. I am running out of time though. Bills are mounting up. If I cannot pay the car payment, I lose my car. If I lose my car, I have no transportation to get to jobs. I have a huge blotch on my credit and I will not be able to get a new car, even if I had a job. In addition, that huge credit issue would disqualify me from certain federal jobs. If I pay my car payment, I will not have the money for the rent. I called the finance company and they said they could arrange for me to skip a month, but they need me to pay now as a “good faith” then I could “skip” the next one, but I would still have to pay the interest. That did not help at all. Look at me… right between that rock and a hard place.
I really don’t want to move, but that is looking like a real possibility. I love the schools here. The girls are having the best school years of their lives. Carolynn has friends and activities. Catherine got all A’s, and made the Honor Roll. She also got an Academic Excellence award. She is in G.A.T.E. and her school focuses on arts. She gets special attention in her reading because she is at such a high reading level. She gets challenged and is reading great books. Even Catherine has friends. I would hate to move them, but moving schools is better than living in the car.
Yesterday, Catherine had her parent teacher conference. As I said, she got all A’s. Except they do not call them A’s. The children are scored on a one to five scale; three is at grade level, four is the goal. Catherine got all five’s. He teacher said she is very good. She does her work and gets along with the kids. She is reading at a seventh grade level. She is one smart cookie. Too bad getting dressed and brushing her hair are apparently something she just cannot learn in school. Last night they had literature night at her school. They had stories and a book swap. Catherine brought books she has out grown and traded them for one her level. She got Around The World In 80 Days by Jules Verne. There were refreshments and a raffle. It was fun. Today Catherine had an assembly where she received her achievement award and her honor roll award. I got me one of those “My Kid is an Honor Roll student” bumper stickers. Here are a couple of pictures. I forgot my camera and took them with my phone.
Another reason I do not want to go from here, Nicole called me this morning and told me the doctor said she is having a boy. I am having a nephew! Okay, so I am so excited. However, I will not believe it until I see it. They told me Catherine was a boy when I was pregnant and you can see how well that worked out. I understand Allison was quite upset that she did not get a little sister. That is another reason not to move, Allison can have “big sisters” in Carolynn and Catherine. It is such an exciting time. I would hate to miss it. I have always lived far away and missed stuff. I finally live close.
I am taking it one day at a time, but the days are flying by. As each day passes, I am more and more stressed and frustrated.
Breathe.
Tomorrow I will go to the store to get some groceries. I will do some cleaning and hang out with the kids. Maybe tomorrow will be the day I get a job.
I am exploring other alternatives. I am running out of time though. Bills are mounting up. If I cannot pay the car payment, I lose my car. If I lose my car, I have no transportation to get to jobs. I have a huge blotch on my credit and I will not be able to get a new car, even if I had a job. In addition, that huge credit issue would disqualify me from certain federal jobs. If I pay my car payment, I will not have the money for the rent. I called the finance company and they said they could arrange for me to skip a month, but they need me to pay now as a “good faith” then I could “skip” the next one, but I would still have to pay the interest. That did not help at all. Look at me… right between that rock and a hard place.
I really don’t want to move, but that is looking like a real possibility. I love the schools here. The girls are having the best school years of their lives. Carolynn has friends and activities. Catherine got all A’s, and made the Honor Roll. She also got an Academic Excellence award. She is in G.A.T.E. and her school focuses on arts. She gets special attention in her reading because she is at such a high reading level. She gets challenged and is reading great books. Even Catherine has friends. I would hate to move them, but moving schools is better than living in the car.
Yesterday, Catherine had her parent teacher conference. As I said, she got all A’s. Except they do not call them A’s. The children are scored on a one to five scale; three is at grade level, four is the goal. Catherine got all five’s. He teacher said she is very good. She does her work and gets along with the kids. She is reading at a seventh grade level. She is one smart cookie. Too bad getting dressed and brushing her hair are apparently something she just cannot learn in school. Last night they had literature night at her school. They had stories and a book swap. Catherine brought books she has out grown and traded them for one her level. She got Around The World In 80 Days by Jules Verne. There were refreshments and a raffle. It was fun. Today Catherine had an assembly where she received her achievement award and her honor roll award. I got me one of those “My Kid is an Honor Roll student” bumper stickers. Here are a couple of pictures. I forgot my camera and took them with my phone.
Another reason I do not want to go from here, Nicole called me this morning and told me the doctor said she is having a boy. I am having a nephew! Okay, so I am so excited. However, I will not believe it until I see it. They told me Catherine was a boy when I was pregnant and you can see how well that worked out. I understand Allison was quite upset that she did not get a little sister. That is another reason not to move, Allison can have “big sisters” in Carolynn and Catherine. It is such an exciting time. I would hate to miss it. I have always lived far away and missed stuff. I finally live close.
I am taking it one day at a time, but the days are flying by. As each day passes, I am more and more stressed and frustrated.
Breathe.
Tomorrow I will go to the store to get some groceries. I will do some cleaning and hang out with the kids. Maybe tomorrow will be the day I get a job.
It’s Not Just Me
In recent weeks, I have seen things I never even considered. My bank, Washington Mutual, that had been in business over 100 years, went out of business. Then Mervyn’s, a store I have shopped at plenty of times, went out of business. At the same time, went Linen’s and Things. I recently saw a news article about a major Las Vegas casino that went bankrupt. I think it was the Tropicana. Then this week, Circuit City filed for bankruptcy. These are the kind of things that happened a long time ago, in another era. The Depression.
Is it any wonder I cannot find a stupid job? Both Mervyn’s and Circuit City had interviewed David. There are places that have signs up that say they are not hiring, stop asking. Places that are hiring are getting more applicants than they can quickly handle. People are losing jobs daily. They are letting people go at the plant where my brother works. He just bought a house and has a baby on the way. When Nicole was here, she said her dad just lost his job. Every place I go seems to be having the same problem. My mom’s office took down their job opening listing. That means now at a time when more people will be using her office, they are not hiring any new people. There will be more cases and less people to handle them. It seems counter productive, but they cannot afford to pay more people. Businesses are predicting a slow holiday season and are not even hiring as many seasonal employees as before.
The jobless rate for the country is going up. The sales for stores are going down. I read online that Starbucks profits dropped 97%. 97%!!!!! I am out there doing everything I can to get a job and be able to stay ahead of the bills. I am trying to take it one day at a time. It is not working.
Jobless Claims Hit 25 Year High, Imports Plunge
Is it any wonder I cannot find a stupid job? Both Mervyn’s and Circuit City had interviewed David. There are places that have signs up that say they are not hiring, stop asking. Places that are hiring are getting more applicants than they can quickly handle. People are losing jobs daily. They are letting people go at the plant where my brother works. He just bought a house and has a baby on the way. When Nicole was here, she said her dad just lost his job. Every place I go seems to be having the same problem. My mom’s office took down their job opening listing. That means now at a time when more people will be using her office, they are not hiring any new people. There will be more cases and less people to handle them. It seems counter productive, but they cannot afford to pay more people. Businesses are predicting a slow holiday season and are not even hiring as many seasonal employees as before.
The jobless rate for the country is going up. The sales for stores are going down. I read online that Starbucks profits dropped 97%. 97%!!!!! I am out there doing everything I can to get a job and be able to stay ahead of the bills. I am trying to take it one day at a time. It is not working.
Jobless Claims Hit 25 Year High, Imports Plunge
Friday, November 07, 2008
Throwing In The Towel
Over four months ago, we moved here in hopes of a better life. Our apartment lease was up and they wanted to remodel so we had to move anyway. The business I was working for was falling apart and I would soon have been jobless. By moving here, we could rent a place for much cheaper than anywhere in San Diego. The schools here are a million times better than where we were. It seemed like a good idea at the time.
David and I left our jobs to move. By leaving my job shortly before it finally went bust, I gave up my right to unemployment. David could not get unemployment either. So we had nothing to fall back on. We began a job hunt. We were ready and willing to do anything. We filled out applications. We sent out resumes.
In August, David was hired on at McDonald’s. The hours there have been scarce and erratic. We found out today that they were not giving him hours because they did not think he had a valid food handler’s card. He has had one the entire time. He proved it to them and so they gave him several days next week. He asked them several times since he started what the problem was… why he was not getting any hours. They said nothing.
Late in August, I was hired on cleaning fish tanks at a pet store. The hours were good and the work was easy. It was part time and gave me time to look for better things. Too bad the owner had some issues and she and I unfortunately had to part ways. Even more unfortunately, she refuses to pay me for the time I worked. I am pursuing legal options to get the money. It may take some time.
I have taken tests for county jobs, school district jobs, and federal jobs. I have interviewed at a variety of places. Still no luck. It is draining. I spend everyday scouring the world for job leads. I spend the day sending e-mails and resumes and filling out applications. It is practically a full time job looking for a job. Too bad you don’t get paid to do it.
I am tired of struggling. Each month I panic as each bill comes. I have narrowed it down as much as possible. I have rent, a car payment, a water bill, trash bill, electric bill, cable bill, cell phone bill, and an insurance bill. I considered moving somewhere cheaper, but to rent a place they will want proof of income. When we rented this place, we were technically still employed at the previous places. I thought about selling my car, but I owe a bit more than I could get for it. Besides, how would I get around with no car? This isn’t a big city with mass transit. I cannot even buy a cheaper car with no job and no money. Right now, I simply worry about repo men coming to take it back. (Not right now... but sooner or later) We keep the water bill down. We are all about water conservation. The bill is usually less than $20 a month. The trash bill is only around $40 every other month. There is nothing I can do about that. We try to keep the electricity down. I mentioned the other day that we have an all-electric house. We have not run the air in a couple of months. We have never turned on the heater. Of course, it is getting colder and I worry about the amount of electricity the heater might use. We have a wood burning stove, but I don't have the money for the firewood. My mom got us some wood and we used some and found that the stove works very well to keep the main part of the house warm. We use energy efficient bulbs and turn off lights. I have the cheapest plan the cable company offers. It includes cable, Internet and phone. I thought about turning it off, but the phone and Internet are needed in my job hunt. If I do not “bundle” it ends up costing nearly as much for two services as it does for three. Besides, the kids would really miss the TV. Truthfully, so would I. I have very little going for me, TV is all I have. I can’t shut off the cell phones because of the contracts and besides we have given out those numbers for jobs. (Same with the house phone) Finally, the insurance just went down $20, and you cannot be without insurance.
So I cannot get reduce my bills, but I cannot pay them either. I have been barely scraping by until now, but bills return every month. This month I have no hope. Soon, one by one, things will be shut off. Eventually, rent will be due again and I have no idea how I will pay it. I am sick of feeling like such a deadbeat. I have had to borrow money from my mom to put gas in my car. I have been known to search the house for change to buy gas or for laundry money. I hate telling my kids no for everything. No movies, no toys, no fun.
I am out of ideas. At this point, it is clear to me that this was a bad idea. I think I need to move somewhere with more opportunity. I need to come up with a new plan. I need to think quickly.
I have an interview today at a place I don’t remember applying to nor do I have any idea what the job is. I do not care; I am still going and intend to do my best to get that job. I have an interview set for next week too. However, most places are cutting back or have budget cuts… There are so many people looking for jobs and so few available.
If I come up with a job in the next week or so, then that is my new plan. If not, God help me, because I am all out of plans.
On Tuesday, America voted for change. Change seems like a good idea for me too. This certainly isn’t working for me.
David and I left our jobs to move. By leaving my job shortly before it finally went bust, I gave up my right to unemployment. David could not get unemployment either. So we had nothing to fall back on. We began a job hunt. We were ready and willing to do anything. We filled out applications. We sent out resumes.
In August, David was hired on at McDonald’s. The hours there have been scarce and erratic. We found out today that they were not giving him hours because they did not think he had a valid food handler’s card. He has had one the entire time. He proved it to them and so they gave him several days next week. He asked them several times since he started what the problem was… why he was not getting any hours. They said nothing.
Late in August, I was hired on cleaning fish tanks at a pet store. The hours were good and the work was easy. It was part time and gave me time to look for better things. Too bad the owner had some issues and she and I unfortunately had to part ways. Even more unfortunately, she refuses to pay me for the time I worked. I am pursuing legal options to get the money. It may take some time.
I have taken tests for county jobs, school district jobs, and federal jobs. I have interviewed at a variety of places. Still no luck. It is draining. I spend everyday scouring the world for job leads. I spend the day sending e-mails and resumes and filling out applications. It is practically a full time job looking for a job. Too bad you don’t get paid to do it.
I am tired of struggling. Each month I panic as each bill comes. I have narrowed it down as much as possible. I have rent, a car payment, a water bill, trash bill, electric bill, cable bill, cell phone bill, and an insurance bill. I considered moving somewhere cheaper, but to rent a place they will want proof of income. When we rented this place, we were technically still employed at the previous places. I thought about selling my car, but I owe a bit more than I could get for it. Besides, how would I get around with no car? This isn’t a big city with mass transit. I cannot even buy a cheaper car with no job and no money. Right now, I simply worry about repo men coming to take it back. (Not right now... but sooner or later) We keep the water bill down. We are all about water conservation. The bill is usually less than $20 a month. The trash bill is only around $40 every other month. There is nothing I can do about that. We try to keep the electricity down. I mentioned the other day that we have an all-electric house. We have not run the air in a couple of months. We have never turned on the heater. Of course, it is getting colder and I worry about the amount of electricity the heater might use. We have a wood burning stove, but I don't have the money for the firewood. My mom got us some wood and we used some and found that the stove works very well to keep the main part of the house warm. We use energy efficient bulbs and turn off lights. I have the cheapest plan the cable company offers. It includes cable, Internet and phone. I thought about turning it off, but the phone and Internet are needed in my job hunt. If I do not “bundle” it ends up costing nearly as much for two services as it does for three. Besides, the kids would really miss the TV. Truthfully, so would I. I have very little going for me, TV is all I have. I can’t shut off the cell phones because of the contracts and besides we have given out those numbers for jobs. (Same with the house phone) Finally, the insurance just went down $20, and you cannot be without insurance.
So I cannot get reduce my bills, but I cannot pay them either. I have been barely scraping by until now, but bills return every month. This month I have no hope. Soon, one by one, things will be shut off. Eventually, rent will be due again and I have no idea how I will pay it. I am sick of feeling like such a deadbeat. I have had to borrow money from my mom to put gas in my car. I have been known to search the house for change to buy gas or for laundry money. I hate telling my kids no for everything. No movies, no toys, no fun.
I am out of ideas. At this point, it is clear to me that this was a bad idea. I think I need to move somewhere with more opportunity. I need to come up with a new plan. I need to think quickly.
I have an interview today at a place I don’t remember applying to nor do I have any idea what the job is. I do not care; I am still going and intend to do my best to get that job. I have an interview set for next week too. However, most places are cutting back or have budget cuts… There are so many people looking for jobs and so few available.
If I come up with a job in the next week or so, then that is my new plan. If not, God help me, because I am all out of plans.
On Tuesday, America voted for change. Change seems like a good idea for me too. This certainly isn’t working for me.
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