Damn! 'N Stuff

Here we are.  We are in that wonderful time of year.  It's that time where bills mount up, money is short, ramen noodles reign over dinner, and Kevin and I walk around scowling all day.  Yup, it's a new year.

Everyone I know tells me that January and February are tough.  We struggle each year, wondering how we'll make it.  Each new year, we struggle, barely getting by, paying bills late, and then something happens.

Sometimes it's a transmission going out.  Sometimes it's a need for new tires.  Sometimes it's a kid who needs new glasses.  This year, you ask?  This year?  Yeah, something happened.  Last night, my dryer quit.  Damn.

Now, you need to know that we are a family of 4.  Four people who shower every day, needing towels and washcloths.  Four people who want to go about their daily business in clean clothes.  Four people who prefer "clean" over "dirty" any day.  The dryer quit.  *sigh*

Because I've never owned a new appliance in my life, Kevin is pretty damned good at fixing a dryer.  He went down and found the problem.  The burned wire was fixed in short order (thank goodness for electrical tape) but it still didn't work.  He was afraid of that.

I guess, when the wire shorted out, it messed up a thingimajig.  That thingimajig shouldn't cost much.  He called our favorite used appliance place, in Oak Grove, and they said, "Yeah, it's about $5."  Kevin got there before 5:00 and saw that they had misunderstood what he needed.  It was the wrong part.  *sigh*

Tomorrow, he'll try again.  He's got one more day to get things done, before he's off work for weeks, post-surgery.  I can dry a load here or there, at Mom's, but that's not going to cut it.  A laundromat is an expensive endeavor.  *sigh*

Here's hoping that the right part will appear tomorrow, when Kevin can take the old one in for comparison.  Here's hoping that it will be cheap.  Here's hoping that we make it through until March. 

Come on, March.  I'm waiting, barely hanging on, here.  Can you cut me some slack?

The past three days, 'N Stuff

I've been away, huh?  OK, here's a timeline of events, for those of you who have no life, and those who are optimistic enough to think something interesting may appear here some day.  *sigh*  Poor, misguided folks.

Sunday:  We got the house clean and shiny.  It was pretty bad, but it always is by the end of the week.  We all four worked our butts off, and we were proud to sit and enjoy it.  Then, somebody farted, and the moment was gone.  Forever.

Monday:  Work was work.  I'm still tying up loose ends and learning things about the web class that I am teaching, and I have to train someone else to do it, while I'm still learning!  She will cover for me on Monday of next week, when Kevin has his surgery.

Tuesday:  The phones at work were all jacked up.  11 times during the day, all calls in progress were dropped, and no calls could be completed, in or out, for 5 minutes or so after.  That results in some frustrated customers, so I got to be a total hag to some useless waste of oxygen at ATT.  That was fun.

Wednesday:  I worked more on my class, and more on training my buddy Michelle to take over on Monday.  It was crazy and busy, but the phones seem to be fixed, and I didn't leave a lot of stuff undone, like I've done so much lately.  Also, a meeting that I hate attending was canceled for this morning AND Friday morning this week.  WoooHooo!

Now, I'm wiped out, and going to bed.  First, though, I should probably talk about next Monday.

Kevin will have his surgery on that day.  He has a torn labrum (sp) and arthritis and bone spurs in his right shoulder.  They will go in with a scope, assess the damage, and set to work fixing what they can.  He'll be off work for several weeks after that.  I swear, he's falling apart.  He hurts all the time, so maybe this will bring some relief, eventually.

I'm not worried about the surgery, exactly, but I worry about the anesthesia.  He has a hard time coming out of it.  It can take twice as long as it should, and sometimes longer.  He has to be placed on oxygen and get meds and all sorts of scary stuff, just to wake him up.  I HATE that part. 

The selfish part of me also hates the hours in a waiting room, reading last year's magazines and wondering when I'll be told something.  Grammy (Kevin's Mom) is going to try to come up, so at least I'll have someone to talk to while I'm there.  This sucks.

OK, pity party is over.  Take your tears and beers and go home.  It wasn't a fun party, anyway.  The hostess is going to bed.

Rectal Glaucoma

I have been diagnosed with rectal glaucoma.  I just can't see my ass doing anything productive tonight.  I'll get off my arse tomorrow.  I promise!

I had to share the picture of the pizza.  Those pizza's from WalMart are huge and beautiful.  They taste pretty darn good, too.  It was an awesome dinner.

My work PC went blue-screen on me today.  After 5 minutes, I gave up, took a picture (it's all about you guys, after all) and did a hard power down.  It came back up OK, but I truly need to push for a new computer. 

I may just convert this MAC into being my work computer.  I've got windows on it, and it's a better machine.  Pushy coworker B is trying to get me to go that direction.  He's probably right.  I HATE that about him.

I've been promising Russ my senior picture.  I haven't been to Mom's to have her scan it, and I haven't had the energy or will to hook up her old one, that she gave to me.  My lazy solution?  I took a picture of the picture, while holding it.  Yeah, I know.  It makes me laugh to look at it, but it also makes me realize how old I am.  I look like SHIT!

OK, I'm out.  I've got lots of important things to do.  Garth is on TV, there are blogs I haven't read today, and I think I may need to drink a beer.

I'm beat

I've been working at home in the evenings this week.  I have a new duty at work, and this is the first week, so there has been a TON of preparation. What I am doing is teaching webinars.  That means that I'm teaching an online class.  People get online and are in the "classroom" and they listen via the speakers on their computer, or they can dial in to a toll-free number and listen that way.

This means talking for 40-45 minutes With. No. Response.  Now, anyone who knows me knows that I can talk for hours on end.  However, when you take out the interaction of the other person, it's tough!  Plus, I have to have enough material to fill just enough time, but not TOO much (we have to allow time for questions in the hour-long time slot) and I have to speak slowly (HARD FOR ME) and enunciate.

I have a helper in the class (when he teaches his classes, I am *his* helper) and he keeps reminding me to "speak slowly and enunciate."  I'm not good at either.  I tend to slip into hick-talk pretty easily, if I'm not careful.  Plus, I talk FAST.  I'm telling you, this is a totally new and different world.

Let me hop slightly off-topic for a minute.  All of my life, people have told me to shut up.  They told me this kindly (please give me a minute) and rudely (shut the HELL up!) and they told my parents (Rachel is doing well in school, but she tends to visit too much with her neighbor.)  I start talking right after my first cup of coffee, and have no plans to quit until I am falling asleep.  People get annoyed by that.

Guess what, SUCKERS?????  I now get PAID to talk.  I landed a pretty sweet customer service job, and the biggest portion of my day is chatting with people on the phone.  Sometimes, I get to travel for trade shows, and I get to talk to people in person for hours!  Then, I take a few customers to dinner, and TALK. SOME. MORE!  HA!

OK, back on topic.  Now, they've taken my fondness for "conversating" (my favorite non-word used on Survivor) and turned it in to an online class.  I can do it.  I AM doing it.  I'm actually doing decent at it, so far.  I've taught 2 this week, and as long as I can talk slowly and enunciate, I'll be fine.

The second was better than the first, and I think that trend will continue.  After the first one, I thought, "well, that was mediocre at best.  *sigh*) and before I got back to my desk from the quiet zone from which we teach, I had an email and two voicemail messages, telling me how great it was!  That made me feel better.

Now, I have to add more slides to my slide show, draw out the content about another 10 minutes, and SPEAK SLOWLY AND ENUNCIATE.  I have no classes next week, so I have time to do that, without working until 10:30 at night, like I did this week.

Holy crap.  All of that nonsense and over-explaining was to get to this point: I'm not doing anything tonight.  I'm not working on slide shows.  I'm not cooking.  I'm not cleaning.  I'm not doing laundry or hooking up scanners to scan my senior picture.  I'll do that tomorrow. 

Kevin is picking up a take-and-bake pizza from WalMart (I love those things) and I'm going to read journals and watch TV and finish by going to bed early. 

This weekend?  I may hibernate again.  Although, if Mom and Dad are home, I need to do a few things to my car in the comfort of Dad's heated shop.  It was -2 here this morning, and I'm just now starting to get feeling in my toes again.

I hate being cold.

But I love to talk!  Call me!

P.S.  Spell check wanted to turn "webinar" into "weiner."  ROFL

I can't BELIEVE you're going to see this. DON'T LOOK!

OK, you asked, I told.  I'm not happy about it.  I'm not proud of it.  I started to "clean up a bit" before taking the pictures, then I didn't.  I decided that if this is what it looks like on a Wednesday, you should see it.  *sigh*  I need an intervention.

We DO clean on Saturday, and the place looks pretty spiffy...for a couple of days.  Today, I overslept, rushed around, and ran out the door.  Kevin's working 13 hour days, I'm logging 12 including the drive, and the house suffers.  Sue me.

I couldn't find Nala (the other cat) when I was doing this, and I have about 2 hours worth of work to do tonight, for an online class that I'm teaching in the morning, so I'll post again another day.  Perhaps when the house is presentable?  Or not.

Are you people doing this?  I want to see your journals, offering to show all.  Russ?  I have to hook up the scanner that Mom gave me, or ask her to scan, my senior picture.  You should SEE the size of my glasses!  HA!  I'll post it, though.  I promise.

Making good on a promise to Amy

I'm hoping that the shots of the moon will distract you from the following two shots.  They are my way of making good on a promise.  Amy asked what I wanted to see.  I told her that I wanted to see her worst piece of furniture, and her messiest child's room.  She showed both.  Now, it's my turn.

The chair is one of a set of 6.  Only 3 remain.  Even those three are sad.  The wheels sometimes fall off.  The wooden parts are scratched and scuffed something fierce.  The seats are stained and yucky, from kids.  Yeah, I need dining room chairs, but they're expensive, you know?

Also, the child's room.  Tonight, Monica's is the worst.  It goes back and forth, but it's Monica more often that Natalie.  Every weekend, we have to yell and whip and beat children into submission until they clean their rooms.  OK, not really, but there is a lot of conversation about it.  Then they do it.  Then, by Tuesday, it looks like this.

I guess I should go down there more often.  But I don't want to! 

OK, so what do YOU want to see?  Let me know, I'll take pictures.  Sheesh.  That's a scary thought.  Be nice, or I'll demand the same from you! 

Seriously.  Want to see the dog, cats, or sharks?  Want to see an appliance?  How about a hamper full of laundry?  Maybe a dirty skillet after dinner?  It's your call.  Let me know. 

(please be nice?)

One video=A better day

One video can make you laugh until a bad day is OK.  This is some funny stuff: