so, 2009 isn't starting off very well, but that means it can only go up from here, right?
*chants to self* claiming the year, claiming the year.
anyway, today was plumber day for starters. apparently the builder did a lot of jerry-rigging of his houses (this was back in the 70's, so, yea 30 year old house, problems are to be expected anyway, add putting it all together in a half-assed manner and it's amazing it's lasted this long), and we had quite an interesting mess to work on. there was, supposedly, a small fix that could be tried, or a large fix that could be done. landlord went with the large fix, which includes moving one of the pipes from the middle of the wall to the bottom. so there was a lot of soldering and stuff going on in the garage this morning, new faucets put in for the washer and so on. not sure if they did what needed to be done around the water heater, but there's some work that needs to be taken care of there so things like the regulator are easier to get to. the amount of time they actually spent in the garage doing things seems awfully short for the amount of work that they said needed to be done, but as long as we're no longer leaking, i'm happy.
i've also been told that the fixes should have at least a small affect on our heating and water bills, which would be absolutely fantastic. not sure how much yet, but if the water bill can be taken down to or under $100/month, it'll be sooooooo much easier to catch up on. the gas bill will be a nightmare every winter no matter what we do (unless anyone wants to help with new, better sealed doors and storm windows to help against the loss of heat? didn't think so...), but even a little bit less of a nightmare is better than continuing at our current level. even trying to keep the heat down means a $200/month bill in the cold months. there's just too many places the heat leaks out from. we are thinking of buying those under the door things that just started being advertised. won't cover all the spaces in the doors, but even a little bit would help.
and hopefully those little bits will add up, and we can get back on track a little sooner.
with that all done (unless they must return and do more and do something more when they have the tools, parts, or whatever), saxy went to lowe's to see if we could qualify for credit enough to get a washer. it was a no go, and they don't have any other payment type plans. and we'd have to buy a washer of at least $400 to qualify for the delivery/install/pickup option. funny how we qualified for a cell phone and a car loan last year and this year credit is so tight we don't qualify for a washer. anyway, right now the only option is to find ways to save money for at least the washer. the dryer just may have to wait.
with all that out of the way, saxy is off taking care of the grocery shopping.
and when he gets back from that, i get to go to urgent care. i would have gone earlier, but someone had to keep an eye on the kids as the men worked on the leaky garage. anyway, last night i went to bed feeling pretty icky. i figured it was just being tired and dealing with the overcast skies again, plus i've been fighting a mild cold (so i thought). but at 6:30 this morning i woke up and my sinuses were trying to eat my face off, so it definitely was a whole lot more than the tireds and clouds, which means the mild cold wasn't either. it probably shouldn't be a surprise that i have a sinus infection considering the amount of stress over the past few weeks, plus all the not so good food we've been eating lately (yes, definitely need to get back on the bento thing and healthier food we were managing before the holidays hit). i usually try to ride out sinus infections, and it usually works, but the level of pain with this one tells me it's already pretty bad so antibiotics would probably be a good thing. and i'll be able to refill my megace as well.
i might end up going tomorrow, though. better timing since we're going to have company for dinner tonight. the kids will be back in school and it's also kitten's regular day off, so tomorrow might be the better day to do this. course, i think then i have to call in and try to get an appointment unless it's after hours. either way, i'm going to have to go in and get this taken care of because this one doesn't feel like it'll go away with a little rest and whatnot.
so, yea, between the weather, the leak and work on said leak, and the sinus infection from hell, 2009 isn't starting off on the best foot. but it will get better. leak is fixed, sinus infection will be dealt with eventually, and in a few months i'll be complaining about the humidity and the heat (especially while on the megace!) instead of the clouds. have to find the good in all the crazy, you know? and that's the start of making it a better year...just trying to see it in a different light.
~*~
word of the moment: presentiment
a feeling that something will or is about to happen : premonition
