Sunday, November 14, 2010

Out

Not sure when I'll be back. However long it takes to sort my life out. If I can.

Friday, November 12, 2010

Sick and Tired

The shower is leaking inside the wall at the shower head and at the faucet. I have to have a plumber come and redo the plumbing.

I called TJ a few nights ago and he is coming up this weekend. My intention was to have him finish up things like repairing some drywall damage in some of the bedrooms, painting doors and walls, and any other odds and ends. I called last night and he said he'll take a look at the shower plumbing. It wouldn't be so bad but the plumbing that was originally in the wall was perfect. I paid to have the shower put in in 1991. It was copper and nothing was wrong with it. I don't know why they ripped it out but now, the pvc is falling apart in there. If TJ can't fix it, it will cost me a small mint to get a plumber. over $500.

It just doesn't end. I'm sick. I'm tired.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

To All Who Served, We Thank You!


What a Mess

It is so bad I do not know where to start. And some things are still to be done. I called TJ and he is coming this weekend to tie up loose ends. I hope. I'm going to get him to do the minor repairs that are left. Holes in the walls, damaged drywall. And if I can get Becca to come and help do clean up, I might be able to stay sane.

I really wish Sue still lived nearby. I might be able to get it sorted out. Frankly, when I look around, I can't figure out what to do. It is all so confusing and messed up that I'm just over whelmed.

I have to be at court at 7:30 for jury duty. I am hoping they will decide I'm either too stupid or too smart to be a juror. While it would be an interesting thing to do, (I've never done it before) I do not know if I can sit all day an listen to a bunch of lawyers yap at one another. We'll see.

I have too much work waiting to miss a day to be truthful. This is just one more lousy aggravation. I decided yesterday, I'm not going to worry about getting caught up there until January. Why kill myself to hand the job to someone else all neat and tidy and a month ahead? I've done 12 years at this job. I've been given every dirty job no one else wants to do. So if I get shuffled out, the favored can figure out what to do with it all.

Have to go so I can eat before I go to court. I'm really tired and my back is hurting this morning.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Decision of the Day

Most of you know I do NaNo every year. That's where you attempt to write 50,000 in 30 days in November. I have a row of winner gifs on the right of the page for four years running. As of today, I doubt there will be a 2010 winner gif. Rather than tell the story twice, I'm including a post of a conversation I had with an old pal in the Pen. If you've read the blog for more than a year or two, you know that one thing I always do during NaNo is play on the forum boards in a room call The Smoking Pen Bar & Grill on the NaNoWriMo website. It is a fictional place where you create events and characters. Serge has been a fixture for awhile, the psychic bartender. LOL, and he a good friend, to have. It is a mental break and fun during a stress filled month. I am including my post today from the Smoking Pen 2010. Just simpler and much easier to read.

I stepped into the Pen and looked around. It was nearly empty at the moment, only a few writers here and there, pounding away at their laptops or frantically writing with pen on paper. I winced at that. I could think of nothing more painful than having to write that way these days. It was a thing I no longer did without pain.

"Good Morning, Madam."

I gave him a small smile and slid onto the bar stool. I stroked the top of the shiny bar, enjoying the cool feel of the finished wood. "Morning, Serge."

He placed the coffee in front of me and waited. I sipped and remained silent.

"You'll regret it, you know."

I nodded. "I already do but I think it is probably for the best."

"You could change track, go in another direction, start over."

I laughed. "You sound like everyone else for a change. That's unexpected."

He shrugged. "Hey, in here I'm who you want, no, who you need me to be."

"Well," I said, "today, I need no pressure. I need to be able to go home and go to bed without worrying about word counts. I hate the stupid story. It was a bad choice. There is no story there. I'm just writing meaningless crap. I don't want to write like that. There is too much else to do that matters."

"Do it for the pleasure."

"That's just it. I'm not having fun with this. When it stops being fun it is time to run." I looked at him. "I do not know if I'm going to ever write anything else. I've felt this coming for a while now. Something happened to me. I don't know what. I just know I can't do it. Not this time. Maybe never."

"Get some rest before you make a final decision," he said, wiping the bar between us.

I laughed. "Rest? They carry that at Wal-mart?"

"Major construction is done. Your brother has gone home. House is empty. Now rest."

Shaking my head and pushing my empty cup to him, I said, "Maybe that's the problem. For a little while, I had someone in the house to talk to and laugh with and do things for. There was sound in the house. You know, I remember saying once that happiness was islands in a sea of misery. You sail from island to island, only allowed to stay briefly at any one of them. Life is a series of losses. We learn to accept them and sail on or we go nuts and drift aimlessly in that sea. I can't afford to go nuts. I need a port."

"Madam, will I see you next year?"

I laughed. "I'm not a prophet nor a seer. Unlike some people, I do not know what comes next. I don't know if you'll see me tomorrow. But I'll be around. If I feel like it I may pop in during the month. But storywise, I'm pretty much finished."

He nodded, reached out and squeeze my hand. "Vaya con dios, amiga."

I slid off the stool and smiled. "Hasta luego, querido."

The door of the Pen closed quietly behind me. I sighed and sailed down the street.

And that is probably that.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Sunday Again Passes with a Monday Chaser!

I began the blog on Sunday morning around 8. As you can see.....it didn't get finished.

Sunday Morning

I'm always thankful for another day, particularly when I get an extra hour sleep. But my body didn't notice. It woke up at 5:52 or 6:53 the old time and the same time I wake up every morning. I went to the bathroom and then I lay back down but was up by 7:30 the new time.

I woke up missing Jerry. I pulled out the computer to read emails to forget how I was feeling. It is only slightly successful.

Another NaNo day is here and I'm still behind... but I did do some catchup last night. I finally had to stop because I couldn't keep my eyes open. My doxepin with the Melatonin is very effective, more so than the muscle relaxant, in fact. I'm probably very deficient of Melatonin.

Now it is Monday again. I'm so tired. The time change has really messed me up. No matter when I go to sleep, I wake at the same time. Now... an hour earlier. I fought it this morning.

I had a virtual write-in last night and was able to get my word count up but it is still not where it is supposed to be. I hope to catch up more tonight and maybe by tomorrow's write-in at the Library I'll be where I need to be.

Randy is getting the little things done. I believe all the outside work is completed. The yard is getting cleaned. I cleared off the back patio yesterday and will be considering how to rearrange the paving stones for summer. He made back steps that are movable so when I take up the patio I can reset the stones under the steps to level them up.That will be really nice. I may pour a small slab of concrete there to really get it stable. The steps are really nice. I can even sit potted plants on them because he made them wide. I'll get photos after the clean up this week.

He will be working inside today. Getting the laundry floor cleared, finishing the bathroom sink and cabinet and trim. And final plumbing issues. Nearly there.

Oh, I really hate for him to go. It has been a mess and stress but having him here has been such a comfort and a help. It will be very lonely without someone to sit and talk with in the evenings. And someone to make me laugh at silly stuff. The other day he was working in that laundry room. I told him he has such a gift for building and that I believe that his talent was a gift from our grandfather, who was a master builder. He looked at me and deadpanned, "I wish he'd been a banker." It is that kind of humor that he handles everything.

I keep missing Jerry so much. I went by the cemetery yesterday. I just wanted to go so badly. Never a good idea. Will it ever, ever, ever stop carving a hole in my chest to see his name on that stone?

Must get back to work. The day is loaded with work and I'm tired so I have to keep moving.

Friday, November 5, 2010

Short Week Ends

I'm tired. Very tired. I did get a shower at home last night but well, I didn't like the shower head. I want my old one back. It saved water and gave me better water pressure. The new one is wasteful and a weak spray.

The floor wasn't ready, the sink wasn't ready, the toilet wasn't ready. But he is getting there. I swept and mopped the kitchen and hallway. They were simply beyond bearing. Every surface of the kitchen was covered in something. I cleaned it up. At least I could make coffee this morning. He's nearly done with the outside. He and Mike were taking trash to the dump as soon as they got the trailer loaded. If I'm lucky, more will be completed by the time I get home.

Tomorrow, I'm going look for a washer/dryer. I'm disgusted because there probably won't be one as low as I was getting that set. We'll see. Has anyone had those stack units that were built together? You can't separate them. Everyone says they are a lot of trouble. But they are cheaper.....

I have a headache and don't feel well but I'm 3418 words in the hole.Tomorrow is the 10,000 mark - where I should be. So, tonight I must get the word count at least in half to avoid a major problem tomorrow. Remember 1667 a day? Add that to my current deficit. That is what it will be at midnight if I don't get it done. The daily total is not hard if you do it but once you start losing ground it is not fun.

My story sucks. I've written myself out of a plot. Ok, so A= Jack and B = Nicole each get letters from a dead C = Wendy (best friend to the B and fiance to A) C has been dead for at least two years. So what? LOL, really so what?

Riker's Mill has become a millstone. Seems easy to set things there. I know the town. Sort of. I know the people... four stories are set there. So what?

My point is WHY? I know HOW it could happen, a valid reason that has nothing to do with malice. But C met an untimely end in a car wreck. Okaaaayyyy. So what?

I need to talk to Doug. He's good at working these things out. He really is an evil, conniving, mercenary. I always find it makes sense after he'd instructed me in mayhem.




Thursday, November 4, 2010

Dust is Settling....

All over the furniture. I've just stopped cleaning because I can't keep up.

The laundry room floor is ripped out and most of the wood for the new floor is down. I won't put on floor covering until later when I can do the kitchen. I'll get some kind of mat for the room and go with it. Cutting the old floor out made a huge mess in dust.

The new washer was standing in the laundry room and the new dryer on the new porch when I left this morning. He moved those water pipes and drain across the room (about 6 feet) and fixed some problems with the drains.

That is something the plumber was going to charge $1100 to do. It took Randy about 1.5 hrs and $20 in materials and another trip under the house. There is running water in the bathroom, a toilet and vanity. There is a window to frame out before the shower can be used and some caulking.

The house outside has only a few more touches to be done. I suspect by the weekend at the latest, most, if not all will be finished and Randy will be flying south.

I'll miss him. He's so funny to be around. But I will also be glad to get my house in order. That may take a while. It is absolute chaos and confusion. I can't find anything. Everything is covered in dust and stuff sitting around.

I've had time to write but mentally I'm not with it. I'm now 2085 words down. That is 1667 for today and my shortage of 418. Not bad under normal conditions but not a great start. I'll catch up only if my story takes off.

What I've learned is that I do not like my environment disrupted. It is extremely stressful. The confusion around me caused a mental confusion that is even more scary. Not being able to structure that environment sent me into an emotional meltdown I couldn't understand or control. I did not like it. Going to bed with things out of place and waking to them out of place and coming home from work with them out of place was profoundly nerve wracking. For it to last weeks,well, by the end of the second week I was in a bad way. Read the blogs, you'll see it. Disorder prevents my functioning on virtually every level. This was not a happy finding. If I can't fix it, I can't function.

Now, the end is near and no one, positively no one, is happier than I. But it will take me weeks to get things back together.

Now is when I need the vacation!

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

NaNo Count and Other Stuff

Well, I managed to get just over 1400 for day 1. Current word count stands at 1942. I couldn't post anything last night because the site was not letting me in. That is annoying to say the least. Still I got it posted this morning. I now have to do the next 1667.

Randy is tearing out the laundry room floor. We have to pick up the new washer and dryer today so we have to have a floor to put it on. It is just nuts how everything is done in this house. Floors glued on top of floors! Nuts. Anyway, I don't think it should take more than today. I hope. I pray.

Now, into the breach. I wish I could do more to help Randy. He's working so hard. Say a few prayers for him.


Monday, November 1, 2010

Keep 'em Coming!

I awoke to a sound outside and went to the back door to see what was going on and check to see if Randy was all right. He hurt his back Saturday moving the washer. I told him he needed hand trucks but oh nooooo, they didn't need hand trucks. Anyway, I have been concerned about him.

TJ was standing looking down at Randy on the ground. Randy was half under the house. TJ said, "Don't go in the bathroom! It's stopped up. It is a mess in there!" That was an understatement. Fortunately, it was contained in the toilet.

I had to take my sister, Phyllis, to work this morning at 5:30 a.m. I went to the bathroom before I left and I noticed it was sluggish. We've had problems with that toilet for years so I thought I'd come back and plunge it out to clear it. I didn't beat TJ to the bathroom this morning. It was ugly.

After they got the lines cleared, they found that that toilet is not properly vented through the roof. So, they have to fix that.

I also found that Mike's habit of lowering the blade of the mower resulted in his chopping off the cap on the clean-out line in the front yard. My clean out was open, probably resulting in something getting in the line and blocking it.

One more in a long series of disasters. Dear God... will it ever end?

I will deal with the bathroom floor another day. I'm not happy and it is too late to deal with it now. Jerry and I laid the last one. I laid a floor in Phyllis' rental unit. I can lay a floor in my bathroom. It isn't hard to do. It is labor intensive. Thankfully, I know how to run saws and drills. That will be a project for the summer. They will put a floor in the laundry room today or tomorrow, put on the final piece of ridge cap, finish the gable on the north side, and hook up the plumbing. As for the rest of the bathroom, I don't know.

Nano has officially started. I went to the Meet & Greet last night and it was very nice. Nine of us showed up. There were three 14 yr olds, three college students and three of us over 30. So, a good balance. Five of the nine I knew already and two I was familiar with. Altogether, we enjoyed it, I think.

There are scheduled write-ins at the library and I'll try and get to some of them. The daytime hours are out but there are three evening ones. So, I'll try to do those... if this mess is ever straightened out.

I have no idea what to write, if I'll write. The desire just isn't really there. Anyway, I've said I'll try.

All right. I have to dress now. I think I have to go to the supply store . . . again.




Sunday, October 31, 2010

Junkyard

I am considering going back to work tomorrow instead of taking that day off. I took the long week with the plan that I'd be spending it with my family and doing things to get the house back in order. Neither is going to be the case. There is no family and the house won't be orderly for a month at least after this is over. They might be done with most of the outside today but I'm not sure. And there is a lot of little stuff to do out there.

My house is a nightmare that I can hardly deal with anymore. The stress of it is reaching critical proportions and I just need to be out of it. Just since Wednesday it has become even more of a mess. I should have left the laundry room alone but the inspector is coming tomorrow and it isn't good. I wanted to put the floor in there yesterday. I could have had it in. It is a 4x6 room, but they keeps telling me they'd get it. I need to do something constructive instead of watching it fall apart. Now, the washer is outside and I can't wash clothes or put anything that was in there away.

Three of us started cleaning the bath to see where things stood. The tub was covered by grout that was nearly impossible to get out because it had lain for three weeks. The drain was stopped up by grout. They've had to go under the house and take out the drain that Brandon put in and have to redo it. The floor is not good. Tile is not level. Brandon laid the floor. Grout is coming out around the unlevel tiles.Randy said he helped but my sister said she saw Brandon laying the floor.

I should have left the bathroom alone. I just had a hole in the tub that I was dealing with and now, I see other things that will be a bigger problem in the end. Cracks where they shouldn't be cracks, uneven tiles, grout coming out. And the plumbing a mess. And I've not even started to use it. I've had to take the pedestal sink back because it wouldn't work in that box of a bath. I have to find some kind of vanity or something. We should have been able to tell this at the first.

I'm really upset about the floor. I had a good floor in there, it was level because Jerry and I made it level and put vinyl on it. They ripped that up and put concrete backer board on it and the tile isn't level under the toilet area and in front of the sink. I got so upset when I saw it I just fell apart. I've spent a lot of money on this and that bathroom was the primary reason. It isn't right, any of it and I can't afford to do it over. I should have stepped in sooner and gotten rid of him. Randy assigned him jobs and so far what he was supposed to do has not been right.

I'm just so upset by the bathroom problems I can't think. I don't see NaNo happening. It is impossible to work in this mess, to think straight. My study is all over the house more or less in boxes. I am staying in my room as much as possible but even it is crowded and cluttered. To get 5000 words would be a miracle and 50,000 is beyond comprehension.



Saturday, October 30, 2010

Saturday

I'm really frustrated. The house is total chaos and I don't have room to breath. We unloaded the laundry room and so there is even more garbage sitting around. I'm not sure what to do with anything. I can't just leave it all like this. I'm tempted to haul everything to the garage but it is so cold that I'd like to be able to park in the garage at some point after this mess is cleaned up. It is just madness.

So much so that my aunt and uncle are leaving today after lunch. I haven't even gotten to visit. I put 100 miles on my car yesterday just running around and I was so tired last night. They were exhausted, too, I think. I guess I should have canceled the whole thing but it just didn't occur to me.

I want my house cleaned up and I want this mess gone. I'm so tired of it and I still have no shower. That is the most frustrating thing. I don't feel like the bathroom will ever get done.

And now I think I need to get the floor in the laundry room ripped out so it doesn't have to be done later. It is horrible.

They whole place is horrible.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Good Morning Vacation

I am officially off for the next seven days. I'm on my way to pick up GFI plugs and some final things we need before getting started for the day. I hope I can pop back in later.

Did I tell you that I have a new front porch?

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

My Friday, Wednesday

I am at work...working hard to not think about five o'clock! The day before a break is always the worst. You can't start a big project because by the time you come back you will have forgotten. And small projects are tedious and often lead to huge ones you can't finish. So.

I'm having a rather mild pain day. I'm supposed to get a shot in my hip around noon. I don't know whether I want to or not. It isn't hurting much and so I'm hesitant. The shot hurts. I've taken my doxepin two nights in a row and slept fine. Dry mouth is the only issue I have with it. I keep water by my bed but since I don't wake up it doesn't help much. LOL, at least I'm sleeping. Rather well. If it would make me sleep this good all the time, it would be just fine. The effect seems to lessen over time so I'll have to see. For now, I welcome the sleep.

Everyone says I must do NaNo. I had no idea people could be so pushy! LOL, but I'll start it. I don't know if I'll finish it. If I can keep my head as clear as it is today, I might just pull it off. We'll see.

Oh, I'm so very tired of all the crap everywhere. I can't believe I'm having company this weekend! My poor aunt and uncle will be stunned at how crazy it is. I hope Saturday is a beautiful day because we could all be outside and spend the day together.

I went home at lunch and took Carolyn with me. I had to go see the porch. Oh my! It is going to be beautiful and such a HUGE porch! I can't believe it. My Sarah was there and hugged me and kissed me and showed me her red boots... "wellies" Jilly and Katey would say. They were just so cute and shiny. She will have a blast in them. Phyllis, my sister, bought them for her.

Everyone was on the porch when I got home. They were all so tickled about it. I gave Randy a hug. He grinned that toothless grin and said "You got your porch." He is just the best brother. Carolyn said it was a good decision to put the porch on it. I am amazed at how different my house look. It is amazing. I will get photos either tonight or tomorrow.

I went and got the shot in my hip. Hurt like. . . . well the devil knows. She used numbing medicine in it to keep the pain from the shot to a minimum but it was still horrible. However, it is numb at the moment. She said it might be a few days before the cortisone kicks in and if it doesn't work, we might have to do it again. It seems that sometimes the needle isn't long enough and the medicine doesn't get in the right place. Happened last time too.

Ok, I'm going now. Don't know when I'll be back. I'm taking my Doxepin around 6-7 p.m. so I get plenty of time to sleep it off. I'll be to bed by 9 or 10 at the latest. I can't wait to be able to sit on my porch! I'll bathe in the sink for that!

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Tuesday, One to Go

I work one more day this week. I am hoping for a very productive week off. NaNo starts on Monday. I made the mistake of telling Doug I did not know if I was going to do NaNo. I am rather not into it at the moment. I do enjoy it but this construction has just thrown me off track. Anyway, when he found that I was off for the first two days of NaNo he replied, and I quote, "You have the beginning of NANO OFF!?!? HELL YEAH YOUR DOING IT!!!!" Like it or not, I think I'm doing it. Out of spite I threw down the gauntlet and he picked it up.

I hear the bathroom is nearing completion. Two people have called today to say Randy was working on it today. Since it stormed this morning he couldn't work outside so maybe the bathroom will be ready by Saturday? Actually, now I'm more excited about the porch...

I took a doxepin last night. Slept great. O.k. why do I always stop taking it? It does help me sleep well. I don't get any weird side effects except a craving for sweets... which I have generally anyway. I had only a little pain when I woke up. After about a week, the slight tired hangover will dissipate. I can't remember why I didn't take it... oh... I needed the SJW for depression. I don't take enough Doxepin to affect my mood. You can't take two different antidepressants. Still.... we'll see. I'll try and take it for the next three months and see what happens.

Home soon and across town to shower. Maybe I can do the spit bath thing tonight. That's where you bathe in the sink.... ugh. I hate it. I don't see how folks did that all the time way back when! I want a long hot shower or a long hot soak up to my neck!

Nearly time to go home now. I'm going to start getting things sorted and put away. May be back tonight. May not.




Monday, October 25, 2010

It Wouldn't Be Monday, Would It?

I was so sick yesterday. I had to take a Tramadol around 1 p.m. because my hip hurt so bad I couldn't stand it. I got terribly ill. I don't know if that is what made me sick but I thought I was going to throw up. I started sweating and my skin was clammy, I felt like I was going to throw up, and I had the shakes. Sounded like either insulin drop or peak. I felt terrible and around 6 I had Randy take me to the ER... where I waited.

I went in and told the girl I had blood sugar problems and that I might be having a diabetic reaction. She sat me down.. 30 minutes later, they came and got me, stuck my finger. Blood sugar was 97. Within normal limits. I went back and waited another 30 minutes. Then they did a blood draw from my arm. I was sent back for another 30 minutes. During this time the sweating and shaking subsided and the nausea calmed a bit but I still felt horrible. And I was exhausted!

At 8 p.m. they took me back and I sat for another half hour. The doctor came in and talked to me, they ran an EKG to rule out a heart attack, which had not occurred to me but the symptoms are the same. My EKG was just fine. I waited another 30 minutes and he came back. They wanted me to have a shot of phenegren but since the nausea was nearly gone why bother! I was sent home around ten o'clock.

I went home, still sick, and went to bed. I'm so tired today. My stomach is still not happy with anything. I am going to get some more metal to wrap the wood, get a shower at Becca's and then home to bed. I am so happy about my house but I wish I could be off to help more. But OH I wish the bathroom was done. LOL

Friday, October 22, 2010

Job Woes

Several have commented on my note about the coming layoffs at my office. To clarify, we got news yesterday that the boss must find a way to cut our spending immediately. I think he was given an ultimatum. "Cut your staff. NOW." Just a guess.

I've been expecting it for a couple of months now, ever since they began to drop people from the program. Fewer people getting housing assistance means fewer people employed to process it. This is the change they promised. Billions on stupid stuff and in foreign countries while housing for low income people is cut every year for Americans.

Now, with the Executive Director leaving it is not an unusual scenario. She was making way too much money since she's been here. I think they told her they would not continue to pay her =$100,000. She had an apartment she didn't pay for, she has health coverage. Worked an average of 4 days a week, leaving on Fridays to go back to her Illinois home and returning on Mondays. Cushy job that cost the taxpayers a bundle.

They would of course like for us to find other jobs. We were told to prepare our resumes and the boss would be happy to give us recommendations if we "didn't want to wait for the decision". He didn't say it but the truth is that would be easy for them. They wouldn't have to pay unemployment on several people at once. I will stay until they take the key to the back door.

There is no one near retirement. I'm one of the oldest in the department. There are a couple a few years older but most are under 50.

I appreciate any prayers you can garner on my behalf. I am immediately looking for ways to cut my spending until I know what will happen. If they lay me off, I would draw unemployment for a bit and I could substitute teach but there's no money in that at all. And the insurance I have is vital. Never mind that there are virtually NO jobs out there. Now would be a good time for that rich guy to knock on the door and say God sent him. LOL. Ok I have to make jokes here. Seriously, I don't want a rich guy... or any guy for that matter. I'd like Jerry to come home now. It won't happen. . . ever.

I don't find my self in a panic over the concept of no job. I think there have been so many blows in the last two years I just can't think about another one at this point. I sort of expect it, I guess. I'm sitting wondering why it took so long. I've managed to stay afloat because of my job. The thought of no job... it is just one more in a long string of bad things happening. They say when you hit bottom there is only one direction to go. I haven't hit it yet, I guess. I was kind of hoping for a ledge to break my fall.


Tuesday, October 19, 2010

More Problems 2

To install a weather head on the roof for the wiring the electrician has to replace my meter, run new wires, and said I can't have water within three feet of the electrical box. Makes sense. However, when I bought the house, the washing machine supply faucets were directly below my breaker box. I didn't put it there. A previous owner installed it before the codes were in effect. Now, I don't know if my water supply for the laundry room is going to be a problem and have to be moved as well.

Mike had a job for two weeks. He only worked twice. They fired him yesterday. He is in a spiral. Downward. I had to leave work and go to my house and make him go home. He was causing problems related to the people I had coming out for the electrical issues. This is the second time this week he's caused problems at the house. I feel bad for him about the job. But it wasn't a surprise to me. He's terribly disappointed and upset. I'm just tired.

I started the new medicine the doctor prescribed for me last week. It is Trazodone, an antidepressant he thinks will help me sleep. It doesn't work as good as my doxepin does. He says it is for the depression and to help me sleep. I may or may not take it. I am not supposed to take my skelaxin with it. I woke up hurting in my neck and shoulders because I didn't take the skelaxin. I don't know why I bother to go to the doctor. It is a waste of time and money.

I looked it up and it is a fairly mild A.D. but I'm not sold on its ability to help me sleep. It made me drowsy but Doxipen literally makes me fall asleep. Eventually, the effect decreases so I will be interested in seeing if this too decreases since it is not nearly as strong an effect as the other medicine. And the combination of Melatonin and Skelaxin makes me more sleepy that this stuff did. I took neither of those last night. I feel it this morning.

They are not going to be able to finish the roof in the back until this weather head is installed. So it will come to a standstill. I am hoping doing this rewiring may actually help with my utilities. If there are wires that are fused on the Vectren side, how do I know how that affects my power consumption? What idiots they are. They came and checked the line and on the places they found a break in the insulation and on the fused wires they simply taped it with electrical tape! I'll have to take photos of that.

O.k. I guess I have to get to work. I have a pain in my neck and sitting here is not helping. I may just go back to my regular medicines. This stupid to do this to myself.




Monday, October 18, 2010

More Problems

Randy just called to tell me that I need to call an electrician and have the wiring looked at where it goes into the house. He feels there is a risk of a fire if it isn't fixed. Apparently there are some melted wires for some reason. I have the power company coming to look at the line going in. The insurance adjuster told me that there was a line up there that the insulation was missing on and needed attention but what Randy found is another problem. Vectren will fix their lines but not mine.

So, another expense but certainly not unimportant. I guess it is better to get it fixed now than run the risk of losing my house. I'll feel safer with all this done. I'm just frustrated by it all. It was really getting bad I guess and we just didn't have any way to fix it. We never would have either.


Saturday, October 16, 2010

On the House Top

Work on the roof began this morning before I got up. Could not find a comfortable position to sleep in and had to go take my sister to work at six. Her car didn't start again. She had it repaired yesterday. I am not sure what she will do. I paid her some money I owed her and that got it repaired but if it cost more I am concerned she can't get it fixed. It is an old car and she can't buy a new one.

After I got up and dressed we went and picked up the lumber necessary to attach the metal sheets to the roof and I just got back with that. It is a beautiful day in the neighborhood, sunshine is really glorious and the fall foliage is probably at its peak. It isn't going to be a long color season I don't think.

Right now it is 67F and perfect for sitting outside. I'm going to get Becca and Sarah in a few minutes. Dave is working out of town today at a concert. He has the part time job with a security company. It isn't enough money to live on but it is something.

Things are moving but still slowly. But then there are only two of them. I am hoping Becca will do some cleaning for me and help me get things a bit more orderly. I'm astounded at how very distressing it is. It is the first time in a long time I've actually felt better at work than home. Crazy.

I am taking photos today as things progress. I hope to have some of the new roof up by dark so you can see it won't look like a barn with this metal roof. For now, I'm going to get some laundry on. I am hoping to go to El Charro for lunch. Depends if I can get over there before three. I'd like to sit down and enjoy some time outside before it gets cold but I don't think I'll get it today. We'll see.