Week 12...unemployment...

Here we are...week 12 of Marvin's unemployment since the closing of Netlink. He is applying for all sorts of positions...at all sorts of places...with all sorts of salary ranges. He has had several interviews, and each one sounds hopeful...but then the position goes to someone else. I know he is so discouraged. I feel awful for him...it has only been a little over a year since I was in his place...I remember all too well how hopeless it begins to feel.

My birthday was last week...I turned the dreaded 60. At least everyone around me seemed to think that it was dreaded. I honestly don't feel any different than I did a week ago, or a month ago, or a year ago...it is only a number...I will continue to be as old as I feel.

I have been trying desperately to lose some weight for a couple of months now. I got a fitbit from my son for Christmas and have been logging a lot of distance each day/week. I really thought that I had cut down on my food intake as well...but it has not helped. So...today I began to log my food in Spark People again...hopefully I will turn a corner this week and begin to see some tonnage fall off!

It was a good weekend! On Saturday, my daughter and I took my granddaughter to see Disney On Ice Princesses and Heroes. It was amazing! My granddaughter (S) is only three and a half...but she was mesmerized! I have to say that I was as well! The costumes, choreography, and performers were stellar! We had an amazing time!

After Disney On Ice, we went to my sons house for a barbeque followed by S'Mores on the firepit! It was a beautiful evening to be outdoors! We had a great time with my son, his partner, his partners parents, and friends! They have such a lovely home and patio...and they always bring entertaining to a whole new level! It was wonderful! We left a bit earlier than we wanted to...due to my husbands pain meds wearing off and not wanting the pain in his leg/foot to get out of control.

I am trying to write again...it seems like there is never time for me to sit down and put pen to paper. Blogging is part of that effort!

Be Well!

Grammy Fashion???

I usually browse YAHOO on Monday mornings…to see what has happened over the weekend in the world at large. As I was perusing it this morning, the first tab was Best and Worst Grammy looks. Naturally, I clicked on it…expecting to see some gorgeous attire…and of course, a few not so gorgeous. What I found was so ridiculous that I had to comment.

When did the red carpet become a runway for Halloween costumes? Seriously….what is going on in the minds of…a bunch of people???? The following were absolutely unbelievable…

1.       Yahoo Style Editors said that Beyonce in Custom Proenza Schouler, was one of the best. Apparently they are huge fans of the Morticia Addams look.

2.       Yahoo Style Editors said that Rihanna in Giambattista Valli Couture was one of the best. This dress was absolutely ridiculous…it looks like a gigantic pink blob of cotton candy with a head poking out the top…or possibly the worst bridesmaids dress of all time.

3.       Yet another of Yahoo Style Editors best includes Madonna in Givenchy Couture. Holy cow…are you serious? A nightmare…void of any semblance of class or elegance. One has to wonder if perhaps she took a wrong turn…and was possibly en route to a costume party.

4.       In the midst of all of the horrific best choices…they actually labeled Taylor Swift in Elie Saab as one of the worst. While I don’t care for her music…she looked classy, elegant, and appropriate.

5.       Another of the awful best choices is Nicki Minaj in Tom Ford.   Hmmm…apparently, Ms. Minaj has no mirrors in the house…and Yahoo Style Editors are blind.

6.       I was really disappointed in their label of Best for Kelly Osbourne in Christian Siriano…not so much for Yahoo Style Editors as for Ms. Osbourne. I am a fan of Kelly Osbourne…she always looks fabulous. Sadly…she looked like she was wearing her grandmother’s cast off…matronly and boring.

7.  Pharrell Williams in Adidas 3M also ranked among their best. The caption read, “Chicest couple in     town”. I don’t know what town they are referring to, but I will make my best effort not to ever go there. He looks like an overgrown school boy on vacation…with his gym teacher.

       8. Last, but not least…Kim Kardashian in Jean Paul Gaultier was called out for being one of the worst dressed. I absolutely agree with this assessment.  She is becoming almost cartoonish…a caricature of herself. We have begun to wait to see what her ridiculous look will be each day…what new fashion faux pas will attack her…sad…sad…sad.

New Year...

And so we begin the New Year…as always hoping for prosperity and good fortune, health and happiness, and that thing so elusive…peace of mind. I say to 2014…not a fond farewell, but a bitter goodbye. It seems that we have struggled for a very long time now…in all things really…but particularly in job and financial issues.

 

My husband worked his last day on December 19^th, 2014. He had been with this company for almost three years. The company that he worked for contracted with a larger company and the larger company was sold. All contracts were off and replaced with new companies. So…here we go again.

 

During the last few years, we have been through five stints of unemployment between us. Me twice and him three times (counting this one). It seems that just as we begin to fully recover and settle in…we get hit again. Each time a new job is found…it pays less than the one before it…so our income has steadily declined.

 

We are pretty much resigned to losing the house this time around. Events over the last couple of weeks regarding unemployment have made this even more of a certainty.

 

He initially filed for unemployment and received a letter stating that he did indeed qualify, and including the amount he would receive. The following week he filed his first claim for the previous week…and somehow checked the wrong box…stating that he was unavailable for work that week. As soon as he submitted the claim, he received a notification that since he was unable to work, he would need to submit more forms. He was absolutely aghast. He immediately submitted the required forms…I faxed them in the following day…each one with a hand written explanation from him stating that he was definitely able, willing, and ready to work each day of the week in question, and that he had mistakenly checked the wrong box.

 

We waited…nothing. He checked the status of his claim…and it remained ineligible. A week passed…no word…no change. He submitted the next weeks claim. During the process, he hit a different date in the drop down…and a claim was submitted for the wrong week. Yesterday he spent almost two hours on hold…after calling the number for claims…and received no answer. The two hours on hold did however use almost our entire amount of calling minutes for this billing period.

 

We had figured our income…with his unemployment…and a significant drop in my salary (due to now paying for insurance for both of us) and determined that we could manage about 90 days before needing to put the house on the market. However, with two full weeks of unemployment now lost…and no idea if or when it will be fixed…that time is decreasing quickly.

 

If the unemployment situation isn’t rectified by the end of this week…I will begin to search for a weekend job. I won’t be able to make enough to keep the house…but maybe enough to stay out of a foreclosure situation until we can sell it.

 

It has been so long since I blogged regularly, that I am sure no one is even checking anymore…and that is okay. I just needed to unload my brain a bit.

 

If anyone is out there…

 

Be well and Happy New Year.

Winter hovers silently in the wings…she will spring forth when our heads are turned…

Surprising us with fierce, cold winds and cloudy skies.
Eventually the ice and snow will come, and we will doubtless remark on how we cannot believe that it is already time for this sort of weather…oblivious as we are to the fact that it Is…mid-November.

How is it…that we become blind to the obvious…and accustomed to feeling unaccustomed…to the customary? And so it is…that the human condition remains a mystery.

Be Well...

And so it is, that from time to time, I feel the urge to blog again. Facebook has  become a mainstay…not only do we feel the need to post everything from our daily lives to pictures of our lunch…but not many of us can go a full hour without checking on the status of the lives of friends, family, and even vague acquaintances.

 

I include myself among the masses of folks who are hopelessly addicted to this odd form of voyeurism/reverse voyeurism. Admittedly, I post things that I am sure no one cares about…and things that many readers find irritating at best. As much as I do enjoy Facebook…the abbreviated nature of its content does leave people like me hanging sometimes.

 

Am I the only one? Do you ever find that you have more to say than Facebook can comfortably accommodate? Maybe I’m just a hopeless chatterbox…just wondering. Perhaps we need an expanded version of Facebook…accessible from our homepage…for long, rambling posts…stories…poems etc. ?

 

Be Well...

So, here I sit...again...trying to find a job. One of the determining factors right now (in which jobs to apply for) is distance. How far can I afford to drive to work with gas at $3.50+ per gallon...on a salary which will most likely be less than $12.00 per hour. Then there is the issue of Health Insurance...it is a must. I absolutely hate this. And to top it off...there don't seem to be a lot of positions out there that don't require a degree...which I don't have. Holy cow...any ideas?

Be Well!+

Sitting at my desk...minding my own business. Out of the blue...I am attacked by the "lay off fairy". I'm still a bit in shock. I had assumed that I would remain employed there until I retired. Instead, I just finished filing for unemployment. Hopefully the job search won't outlive the severance pay and life will get on course again.

Be Well!

And so it begins...

And so it begins.

The departing of summer.
Long, lazy days…sun kissed breezes…
Soft lush grass …
kaleidoscopic gardens under
canopies of full green trees …
locusts in the evening…
Relinquishing their place…
To brisk days…chilly nights…
The fading of grass and gardens…
giving way to the onslaught of falling leaves…
in brilliant orange and fiery red.

Vacation!

Vacation was good! The first 5 days were spent enjoying a beautiful cabin in the hills overlooking Table Rock Lake…with my wonderful husband, both of our fantastic kids, and our precious granddaughter!

 

We shopped, and ate…and ate and shopped! I’m pretty sure that I consumed my weight in fudge! Along the way we also went to the Butterfly Palace, Lambert’s (Home of the throwed rolls), and spent an afternoon on Table Rock Lake tubing.

 

After a bit of housekeeping we headed out Thursday to spend the night in Coffeyville, KS with relatives, then on home to Wichita on Friday morning!

 

We had a great week, and it ended all too quickly (as vacations do)!

 

On the up side, it looks like the 100 + temperatures have come to an end! Yea!! With highs in the upper 80’s and low 90’s, it will still be warm enough for the pool for a while…but not so sweltering that it takes our breath away!

 

While we were gone a couple of folks made the headlines…Phyllis Diller (sadly for passing away), and Prince Harry (for having a VERY good time in Vegas).

 

Phyllis Diller will be missed! Her hoarse laugh and fabulous humor are legendary! She is irreplaceable.

 

As for Prince Harry…what can one say? It was all fun and games until the photo’s hit the internet. I don’t know whether he is accompanied by “body guards” or “handlers”…but if so…this might be a good time to review what their role should be in protecting him from himself.

 

Be Well!

Just another day...

The house was run down and shabby, its paint peeling and most of the screens torn, but the

backyard was a wonderland! Surrounded on both sides and across the back, by an old rusty, wire
fence. It’s sagging sections had borne the weight of every child in the neighborhood at one
time or another, either in scrambling over it or riding it like a horse. Huge old trees stood along the
perimeter like soldiers, their massive, lush green foliage protecting the yard and it’s occupants
from the hot summer sun. The three of us spent most of our days from sun up, to sun down
entertaining ourselves in that yard. Mom and her tranquilizers stayed in the house pretty much,
only venturing out a couple times a day to make sure no one was dead. 

I was 8 years old that summer, Tony was 6 and Sarah was 4. Tony and Sarah were tiny kids;

both had dark eyes and chestnut brown hair and they were often mistaken for twins. I was the
odd one, blond hair, blue eyes and a head taller than other kids my age. We had been digging
that day, no particular reason, it just seemed like a good day for making holes! Tony and I sat   
next to the swingset, digging with mom’s serving spoons. As usual, Sarah had to have her own
hole, which she was digging with a stick.

The boys next door, Steve and Gary, had been in and out of their house all morning, watching us dig, and after a while, they climbed over the fence and joined us, the youngest one carrying a bottle of Fresca. “What are you doing?” asked Steve. “Just diggin” said Tony, thrusting his spoon into the dirt. “Why?” asked Steve.
“Cause” said Tony. Steve picked up a stick, sat down, and began to dig. Gary sat down next to Sarah and offered her a drink of his soda.

Suddenly, Sarah began to gag. “Yech, she’s puking…” Tony said, twisting his face up in a nasty expression.

I got up and ran over to her. “Sarah, are you okay?” I asked, grabbing her shoulders and turning her to face me.  She was definitely not okay. Looking up at me, she wretched again, spewing vile, green stuff on
the ground between us. Beside her sat the soda that Gary had offered her. I grabbed the tail of my shirt and wiped her mouth, then picked up the bottle. The moment I picked up the soda, Gary slid backwards in the dirt. I sniffed the contents.

“You little creep! You peed in this bottle!” I screamed, flinging it to the ground. Gary was now grinning from ear to ear. “She’s so stupid she drank it!” he roared, throwing back his head in laughter. “She’s not stupid, she’s 4 years old you idiot!”  I screeched. At that point, Steve made a run for the fence, scrambling over it head first.

“Tell her you’re sorry you jerk!” I demanded. “I’m not telling her I’m sorry, I didn’t make her drink it!” he said, still grinning stupidly as he scrambled to his feet and began backing toward the fence. “I said tell her you’re sorry!”  “I won’t and you can’t make me.” He said. In one quick motion, he reached to the ground and picked up a hefty stick, which he now brandished wildly in the air.

“You’re gonna need a bigger stick jackass!” I said, moving towards him. He was almost to the fence by then.

Now or never, I thought.  Breaking into a run, I tackled him around the neck. He fell backward and I landed on top of him. “So, you want to go home huh? Not until you tell her you’re sorry!” I said, slapping him hard across the face.

“I’m not sorry! Get off me!” He yelled squirming like the worm that he was. “Tell her…NOW!” I yelled, my face almost against his. “SORRY” he yelled, starting to sob. I stood up, dragging him with me by the front of his shirt. “Now, get out of our yard creep.” I hissed, as I pushed him toward the fence. He turned and covered the two remaining steps to the fence with one leap, and as he hooked his foot in the wire, I jammed both of my palms against his backside and pushed with all my might. He flew through the air like a rocket, landing in a heap in his own yard.  “Don’t forget your pop!” yelled Tony, hurling the bottle over the fence behind him!

Just then, mom stepped out the back door, recoiling slightly against the muted sunlight like a vampire awakened before nightfall.  Standing on the crumbling cement backporch, rollers in her hair, cigarette hanging out the side of her mouth, she shielded her eyes with one hand, the other planted on her hip.

 “What the hell’s goin on out here…I can’t hardly hear the TV!” she said.

“Nothing mom” I said, as I returned to my digging.

“Steve and Gary just went home.”

On tomorrow...

Tomorrow…

Tomorrow is a scary place…

Where “if’s” and “maybe’s” live,
Faith and dreams a trail can blaze…
And hindsight always is…

But when tomorrow, is today…

The universe is dim,
There’s little more to do or say…
The outlook then is grim.

Until, of course, we realize…

That tomorrow comes again…
A thought that takes us by surprise…
And hope returns within.


Be Well!

I'm baaaaaack!

After a lengthy absence from blogging...I am going to try to make a come back! Life has been busy...to say the least...and I have almost completely stopped writing. I miss it!

So many things have happened since I was here last time! In fact...too many to recap right now. I imagine that will come in bits and pieces as time goes by.

Right at the moment though, our son is on vacation in Vegas (yes I AM jealous)! And, we just moved our daughter and granddaughter into a new home. By "just moved" I mean...yesterday! They have been sharing a bedroom for a year now...as the master bedroom (in their previous house) happened to be upstairs and the nursery downstairs. Not really an optimal situation for a baby. During the transition between houses (about a week) they have been staying at home with us. It has been great fun! Of course...I would be ecstatic if both of our kids had remained at home forever! But...since that didn't happen...it is always awesome when either or both of them come home for any length of time!

The new house is really nice! I'm not certain of the square footage...but there are three bedrooms...three baths...living room, dining room/kitchen, full finished basement...with large family room and plenty of storage! It will be a wonderful home for them for many years!

It has been almost 16 years since we bought our last home...and things have really changed! I cannot believe all of the hoops that home buyers are required to jump through now! I suppose in the long run...the changes are for the best. Maybe more folks will be able to actually keep the homes they buy with all of the new regulations in place...but it sure seems like a giant pain in the ^#%&^!

The clock is ticking away and I need to wind this up and scoot across town to help with some things at the new house this evening!

Be well!

The past few months have passed with blinding speed. It never fails to amaze me how quickly life flies by.

The past month has been…trying. We spent several months anticipating the birth of a precious baby that my daughter was adopting…only to have the birth mother change her mind after he was born. It is hard to put into words how disappointed we all are and how hard it was to go through that. She is now back on the waiting list.

During the same time frame we experienced the death of a cousin who we were all close to. He had a massive heart attack and died in the cab of the truck that he drove for a living. He was only 53 years old.

Income tax time rolled around and we were kicked pretty hard by “good old Uncle Sam” due mostly to unemployment that my husband received during the last half of his year long job search. After three layoffs in 5 years…and a cut in pay each time a new job was found…paying taxes was difficult…but we got it done.

And currently, we are trying to figure out the best course of action in dealing with my mother. After my step father passed away, she found out that apparently he had signed a form on the wrong line when he retired. Consequently…she will not receive any of his pension… and her life has become a series of financial struggles. This combined with the fact that she is a hoarder (seriously)…has become a constant source of stress for everyone involved.

There are many days lately when we fear that the light at the end of the tunnel may truly be a train. However…it is only April…the year is young… (shudder). I know that things could have been much worse…and I have hope that the next 8 months will be better.

Be Well!

One down!

Monday is over...only four more days till the weekend! Yay! I fully intended to go Christmas shopping tonight, but after a hot bowl of chili and a lesson in using the new remote control...I decided to make fudge instead. I got an Eaglebrand fudge recipe online and tried it. I will let you know how it turns out!

Over the weekend we made a major purchase (major for us anyway). We were still watching an old fashioned 32" TV (not flat panel), so we broke down and bought one as a Christmas gift for each other. So far I absolutely LOVE it. I am not much of a TV person...I have a few favorite shows, but I would usually rather listen to music. And...with the attention span of a gnat...I rarely finish an entire show without wandering off for a bit. Anyway...I have discovered the music channels! More than a dozen channels with every kind of music that one can imagine! I totally love Jazz, Blues, Classic Rock and Christmas music of all kinds! It is awesome!

And...tonight...Closer and Men of a Certain Age are both on! Great night to be in out of the cold!

Be Well.

Tis the season

As we plunge headlong into the season…it is easy to become stressed and frazzled with the hectic holiday schedules that we almost certainly will experience. Here are a few suggestions for destressing a bit and enjoying this wonderful time of year a bit more!

1. Set aside an evening each week to relax in front of the television and enjoy a few of your favorite Christmas movies! My personal favorites include “Elf”, It’s A Wonderful Life”, and Miracle on 34th Street”.

2. Take frequent breaks when shopping… for a soda or a cup of coffee and some people watching.

3. Decorate early so that the hard work that you put into lights, knick knacks, and the tree can be enjoyed as long as possible!

4. Cook ahead whenever possible for last minute parties, surprise guests, etc. Specialty breads, cakes, cookies and candy can be frozen/refrigerated, and ready to use with little notice.

5. Wrap gifts as you bring them home in order to avoid spending hours on Christmas Eve scrambling for enough paper, tape and tags to get the job done.

6. Buy and wrap a couple extra “gender neutral” gifts (candy, nuts, specialty coffees, etc.) for those unexpected folks who drop by with a gift for you.

Be Well!

December 2, 2010

It’s been a long and odd year full of ups and downs and lots of uncertainty. I haven’t blogged in a very long time. Frankly, I simply lost the motivation for a while. I have been thinking about trying to get back in the saddle…and although I am here now…I make no promises about tomorrow.

Just to catch up a bit…after a year of unemployment…my husband was hired as a purchasing agent by a local company. The overall work was not what he was used to doing, but he was so glad to get the job that he has been working very hard to learn and adjust. Unfortunately…it looks as though the company may end up leaving the area in a few months…so we could find ourselves back among the ranks of the unemployed in the not too distant future.

Although we are not looking forward to going there again…we now know that we can survive…should we need to. During the year of unemployment, we came to terms with many things. Among those things was the possibility of losing our home. Toward the end, we began to prepare to sell. I am so thankful that we did not have to do that. However, the experience made me realize that there are worse things than living in an apartment again.

As I watch the news today, and read the scores of accounts of those who are still out of work…I do so with the realization that no one is immune. At any moment…any job can be over. In the blink of an eye…anyone can be on the brink of foreclosure…or homelessness. What a sad commentary.

Well…that’s a start. Perhaps my next post will be a bit more uplifting.

Be Well

Sooo...we thought that everything was finally coming to some resolution. After a year of unemployment...my husband received two job offers in the same week. One was a higher salary than the other, so he turned down the low one and accepted the high one. They scheduled him for some "testing", which he took. We waited for three days on word about what his start date would be, and they finally called today to tell him that according to the "test"...his management style isn't what they were looking for after all. He has been a manager many times and was very successful.

So...not only do we not have the job that he accepted...but the other one has been filled. I feel so bad for him...he has done everything right...to no avail. This week just needs to end.

Be Well

Unemployment sucks....

We are currently four weeks from my husband being laid off for a full year. It has been a long year...full of ups and downs...sadness and joy. We have survived thus far on my $12.00 an hour job and his unemployment check. He has 460 (plus) applications out there and has had numerous interviews...but so far...no offers. He has been diligent and untiring in his search for a job...but it just isn't "our turn" yet I guess. We have begun to consider the possibility of selling the house if a job doesn't come soon...but it is an option that we hope never becomes necessary. Just in case it does though...we have begun to clean out closets, cabinets, and "clutter" in order to properly "stage" our home if a sale becomes our only option.



It is amazing what we have collected over the past few years! I boxed up 2 tall stacks of Eskimo Joe cups, tons of plastic silverware, disposable cups, and coffee cups of every description! I think my favorite though...was a box of assorted toys! Our kids have been grown for several years now...but I am an eternal child at heart. I have been tossing assorted playthings in a couple of dresser drawers in the guest room for years...and every once in a while...I pull something out and play with it! As I looked over my box of goodies, there were several kinds of bubble wands, a bubble gun, two potato guns, super balls, play doh, jacks, weebles, yo yo's, crayons, coloring books, water color paints, paint brushes, sidewalk chalk, giant ball point pins, whistles, bells, blow up toys and a couple of miniature chairs (that was the top layer).

After cleaning out closets, drawers, cabinets, and shelves...we met with the realtor and realized that there are MANY more things yet to be done in order to put the house on the market! The next few weeks will be very busy (provided mother nature cooperates and gives us halfway decent weather). The outside of the house needs painted, though we have not had any issues...we need to have the roof checked in order to insure that there is no need for replacement/repair, windows need washed and some screens repaired, and the final step (should we need to proceed) will be to put about half of our furniture in storage and take all personal items out of the house (except those necessary for day-to-day life).

Who knew selling a house would be so involved!

Hopefully, this will all be unnecessary and we will have simply done the best spring cleaning ever!!

Be well!!

It's been a long five days! I've observed some things this past week:

1-Family tragedy pulls people together in unexpected ways.
2-Family tragedy pulls people apart in unexpected ways.
3-People are unpredictable...at best.
4-Ignorance is sometimes the best protection against bad behavior.
5-Your family might be Red Necks if (a) the grieving widower almost dumps his dead spouse on the floor as he lifts the side of the casket (during the viewing) in order to ascertain the number of poll bearers needed to carry her (b) current family feuds must be considered during seating arrangements in order to limit the number of "guests of honor" to only the one mentioned in the obituary.

Be Well!

Here I am...back to blogger! I so love writing...but it seems that life has been so busy for so long that I have all but abandoned it. I was looking back over poems and stories that I wrote last year...and I realized that I had forgotten how good it felt to write them. I know that I will most likely never see my work on a best seller list...or even on the midway at Barnes & Noble...and that's okay. But I need to write. It's what I do.

This week has been odd and short. It really began to unfold on Saturday evening as I sat in the kitchen with the cell phone in one hand and the wall phone in the other. My sister was informing my left ear that my mother was in the emergency room and was very ill...while my cousin informed my right ear that my aunt had just passed away. And just to keep things interesting...my husband stood directly in front of me pointing frantically at the ring finger on his left hand...which was naked. The doctor appeared suddenly in the emergency room, so my sister hung up promising to call me right back and my husband raced off down the stairs in search of the missing wedding ring. Obviously...my aunt remained dead. The ring was later found in the washing machine, mom was given IV fluids and antibiotics, and funeral arrangements are pending (for my aunt).

In the grand scheme of things...the past several days are just a tiny glitch on the radar. Life goes on and in ten years...no one will even remember the emergency room visit, the lost ring...or sadly...my aunt's laughter. Isn't life peculiar?!

Be Well!