when i originally started this entry, i was thinking the last week and a half hadn't had much going on. then i started writing things down, and while we haven't been running around or really being busy, it actually has been quite...packed with stuff. most of it nothing major, but lots o' stuff. there's money stuff (mostly along the usual veins, but with lesson learned for next year...assuming i remember them with my swiss cheese, adhd brain), health stuff, cat stuff, work stuff for saxy (all good, well, mostly), and even furnishing stuff and book stuff (in this case, not so good yet). for people who haven't been busy beyond the usual, it's kind of mind boggling that there's so much stuff so early in the new year.
i shall endeavor to be suscinct. (ha!)
money is, well, money. we are in the midst of a really rough two weeks that are the culmination of three days off for the holidays, three lost shifts because of an injury (that looked worse than it apparently was but still got saxy scolded for coming home instead of going to the doctor, and no, i don't care that the doctor couldn't do much, he could at least staunch the bleeding better than we could), a weird timing of paychecks for the end of the year (which is where the lessons learned come in), and a change in the timing of youngest's food stamps. we're now three days away from food stamps and two days away from scraping the bottom of the cupboards. saxy also has to get an advance to cover gas and parking for next week. and, yea, we should have the mergency credit card (paid off back in novemeber, remember?), but we used that to keep oldest from losing her place, and they've made no attempt to even begin to pay it back. i know they've been struggling, but there's an attitude behind it all that pretty much has me to the point of not wanting to help them again. i get that it's been tough, but $10 here? $15 there? that would have been enough to show they were serious about paying it back. instead, we're back in hock for them (which we can't afford), racking up late fees, risking the emergency card, and i'm getting calls 7 or 8 times a day by the card issuer. and now when we need it, we don't have it. i am beyond annoyed. we will get through this week, and the next few paychecks will be tight as we recover, but no more handing over our emergency card/safety nets to someone else, not even my kids.
hubs has finally sorted out the work schedules so he doesn't have to worry about anyone scheduling over anyone else and he still gets both his time on the line and stays in touch with the catering he loves. he works lure during the day shift 4 days a week, el taco two nights a week and day shift on weekends, and is available for bold friday and saturday nights. he's told a few of his chefs his goals and why he's doign what he's doing, to get line experience with the hope to achieve sous chef and eventually open his own restaurant, as well as the cuisine he's interested in, and they've been very positive and encouraging. i pointed out that he might even get to open the restaurant under the umbrella of fith group, which would take the financial pressure off us. but for now, he's focusing on learning the line, enjoyign the catering, and learning eveything he can for the next few years. one step at a time, but i'm very excited for him at how supportive his chefs are. my only complaint about fifth group right now is the paycheck mess at the end of the year. and maybe health care, but that's pretty much a complaint about every job he's ever had, so nothing new. lol
we do have a few health concerns at the moment, though. youngest usually gets sick in the winter with bronchitis and/or strep. while neither of those have shown up, she has been on and off sick for months. she's had fevers and throwing up mostly, but this really concerns me with that flu going around. her immune system is obviously in no condition to take that sucker on, but we have no way to get her in to a doctor to find out what's going on. meanwhile, my hormones are finally gone, so now we have to hope i've lost enough weight (56 pounds total) that the severe bleeding won't come back. we probably won't know for a few more weeks whether or not the lost weight has helped. heck, if i'm really lucky, my body has forgotten how to do all that (in the same way it forgot how to make iron on its own) and i won't have to worry about it, but that's really too much to even hope for. lol my only other concern with the weight loss is the clothes. already things are getting too big (i've lost at least one size), and i can't afford to replace anything or things tailored, so i suspect i'll be using a lot of safety pins on my pants and skirts for awhile. :/
related to health but for the cats, it looks like the special food is now to the point of helping vagner with his uti problems, but it's no longer controling it. he started having trouble again and we now have him on the special food, a urinary tract med/aid for cats, and a cranberry pill every day. he's been on this regimen for about a week (a little less) and will remain on it for another week, then i'm going to see if food and just the cranberry pill will do it for him. i'm dreading getting to the point having to make decisions that will be unpleasant if we can't keep him clear, but for now, what we're doing appears to be working. it's hard to believe he turns 10 this year (and ororo is 12!). he sleeps a lot more, but he plays occasionally, and he's become very affectionate again. the most astounding thing abiout him is his size. he's 14 pounds now! o.O i really hope the cranberry pill booster keeps him healthy for a very long time.
the amazing thing with him and the other cats is that none of them have abused the air mattresses we were using for a bed and for a couch. unfortunately, that didn't save the mattresses. they just aren't meant for constant use, i guess. the "couch" developed a hole, easily found, not so easily fixed, so now we're on the floor. we've done our best to cushion it, but it's still hard on me. getting up, even 56 pounds lighter, is such a damn production. i might pick up a new mattress once we're out of the woods in this round of money trouble, but i might also try to pick up a used matress. i have to think about it. the other air bed that saxy and i have been sleeping on is also finally giving up the ghost but in a weird way. it apparently had some kind of "supports" inside, and i guess the ones in the very middle have torn or something, but instead of collapsing, we have this lump going right down the middle of the mattress. it's also losing air enough that i have to refill it when saxy gets up to go to work, and again when i get up. the good news is that j.e. and his wife are replacing their bed and are sneding along the frame, headboard, night stands, and mattresses to us ths upcoming weekend. the mattresses are 20 years old, but they look well cared for, and just about anything (barring the one we had in toxic house with its valleys, holes, and poking springs) is better than an air mattress! i am soooo looking forward to having a REAL BED again!
the book thing is barely worth mentioning. i received rejections on both novels this past week, though one was more disappointing than the other. both are back out again. the problem is that i'm questioning not only my current projects (one the one hand, i'm thinking i should focus on projects completely unrelated to the two i'm submitting; on the other, if either one DOES ever get accepted, i'd much rather be ahead on the next book), but my writing in general. and it doesn't help that i feel pressured to do more than i am for the house (not by saxy; he's assured me that what i'm doing is fine, they he doesn't necessarily want me to go out and get a night job unless i REALLY want to, which i don't, honestly). any money from books would be small and build slow (if at all), but it would be something. the second rejecion was recent, and i'm sure i'll bounce back pretty quickly, but it really was very disappointing.
and that's the majority of all the stuff. there was one thing that was "busy." saxy and i rarely get to go out. we just can't afford it and have taz who needs someone to watch him and there's saxy's crazy schedule, so, yea, going out just doesn't happen much, and even more rarely just the two of us. this last money, though, we got to go to the company annual party. froggy watched taz for us, so all we paid for was gas. there was good food and good music. i danced (saxy didn't, the stick in the mud) and he got to talk with friends outside of work. i think some guy was actually going to attmept to hit on me, but he opened with "what are you waiting for?" he didn't stick around long after my response ("my husband."). lol it was the first time in years a guy tried something like that. i also was complimented by a couple people on my dancing. it was a lot of fun. and it will have to do for awhile, maybe even for another year.
and man has this entry gotten long, but like i said, lots o' stuff! if the past ten days are any indication, it's going to be a very busy year!
~*~
word of the moment: chatoyant
having a changeable luster or color with an undulating narrow band of white light
