*GASP* Has It Really Been That Long?

I really didn't mean for a year and a half to go by before I posted again!  *Gasp*  Seriously, how did that happen?  

I guess when things are going fairly well, I don't feel the need to vent.  And they are going fairly well, right now.  Things are not perfect, mind you, but they are okay.  My spouse has been working, now for more than 9 months, in a job he loves at a place he doesn't.  Co-workers, you know.  The workplace sounds like what I've read is a "toxic" work environment. We are beginning to rebuild our somewhat decimated savings, so that is a positive thing.  

My job is awesome and amazing.  I have been off since December 21 for my annual leave.  Definitely needed the downtime and my daughter is home until the middle of January, 

Life is good!  

I could tell you that my New Year's resolution is to post more frequently, but we all know that probably won't happen, so I will settle for telling you all "Happy New Year"!  

Arrivederci! 

Good Morning!

Good morning! Up early, not sure why. I think it's that old paradox: When you have to be somewhere (work, etc.) your body rebels and refuses to cooperate. On your day off, your eyes will FLY open, even before your alarm usually sounds, and your body screams, "You're wasting your day off!" And instantly, I am fully awake and alert, with no hope of dozing off again.

Mine does that anyway. So, I've learned not to fight it...I just get up and start doing whatever pleases me, in my couple of hours before my spouse wakes up to join me. Which on this day was to play some rounds of my newest game addiction "Words with Friends"--a Scrabble-like game you play with one other person on an iPod or iPhone. Then to check in with my blog (I'm really going to try to do better at updating it) and then I will probably take my walk before it gets too stiflingly steamy outside!

This was a stressful week, but not miserably so. One of my co-workers was on vacation (the receptionist), so the rest of us that make up the clerical staff tag-teamed the front desk. Since school starts again on August 12, in about three weeks, I expect the pressure-cooker atmosphere to reappear. Right now, the stove is on simmer...work is busy, but not "hectic". That will change.

Hubby didn't get any of the jobs he interviewed for this week, so he is kinda down. I am doing my very best to keep him encouraged, though. Something's gotta give soon, in this economy, right??

And, this really made my week! My daughter is flying home for a long weekend! She will get here on August 11, so I have taken the day off on August 12. Her husband had to work, but he didn't mind her making the trip solo. Yay! We haven't seen her since April, although we talk on the phone nearly every day and keep up with each other on Facebook.

Hope this day is awesome for everyone....

Arrivederci!

The Abandoned Blog

My poor blog has been abandoned. I can't even begin to describe how overwhelming it would be to try to recap every event from the past 18 months! My husband (clean and sober for many months, now) has been unemployed for around a year, now. So much for the achievement of going back to college to finish his Associate degree, right? He had a short stint in a temporary position, and was eligible for some unemployment as a result, but that ran out after just a couple of months.

My salary, however, is *almost* enough. We dip into savings just enough to get from paycheck to paycheck, but the student loans are seriously delinquent. *Sigh*

Still there is some joy...our daughter got married in October 2010, and moved with her husband to Daytona Beach, FL. She is so very happy, and when she's happy, the parents are happy, too!

The political scene is infuriating and the unemployment situation/economy is way beyond depressing; but I love my job, my husband and I are relatively healthy, my daughter is happy, and we have food to eat, cars to drive and a roof over our heads.

Couldn't ask for much more, could I?

Ciao!

Just FYI

Just FYI: I got the promotion I had been hoping for, quit my part-time job, we moved out of my in-laws' home, rented one of our own, and my husband turned in his notice and moved back from Houston! (He now has six months' experience with which to begin job-hunting here in Louisiana.)

He isn't sure how he feels about being back just yet. He loved his job, but truly hated living in Houston. His daily commute was one hour in each direction. Because of the cost of gasoline, meals, and helping my dad with expenses, we weren't really saving any money. The experience will prove to be invaluable, however, so it wasn't for nothing.

My new job as the Executive Assistant to the Superintendent will be challenging. It's proving to be especially so, these first few weeks, since they have chosen not to hire for my previous position until after the first of 2010. Several of my co-workers are helping me, by assuming some of my previous data entry and filing duties. (They are so awesome.) Still, I am struggling to make sure I meet all of the demands of my new position, while ensuring that the most critical duties of the other position are completed. I am actually working more hours, now, than I was when I had two jobs! But, I have been assured that they will fill my previous position in January. I can do this....

And, woohoo! Our office is closed all week, and I took the three days off after Christmas for a total of TWO WEEKS OFF! I may regret it when I return (read: extra workload), but I won't think about that just now. I can sure use the downtime.

Ciao!

S. 773: The Cybersecurity Act of 2009

This should scare the bejesus out of all of us. Be afraid...be very afraid.

Here is the text of a letter I sent to our Senators in Washington, D. C.: Mary Landrieu - D and David Vitter - R....

RE: S. 773, Cybersecurity Act of 2009, by Jay Rockefeller, IV, D - WV.

Excerpt from the Bill of Rights, the First Ten Amendments to the United States Constitution:

...I. Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

It has come to my attention that Senator Jay Rockefeller, D - WV, has proposed a bill, S. 773, which would give the President of the United States authority to regulate internet traffic in times of national emergency. Were this to happen, it would be clear violation of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution.

While the founding fathers could never have foreseen the explosion of information that became available upon the development of the internet, they clearly were visionary in realizing that the ability to freely exchange information was crucial to the longevity of our fledgling nation. In addition, many of the history’s most profound humanitarian catastrophes were driven by the proliferation of government-generated propaganda. It is imperative that we, as a culture which champions personal freedom, avoid taking any action giving the government the power to regulate the free exchange of information.

This bill must not pass in any configuration. Please vote “NO” to S. 773

Ciao.

Random

I feel tired and used up. Depressed. A shell of my former self. Nothing is as it should be. I am 47 years old and have been living with my in-laws for over three years. I busted my ass, working two jobs, so husband could finish his Associate Degree--which he did--and the thanks I get is for helping him achieve his dream is for him to start job hunting in HOUSTON!

I love my primary job. I have been working this job for over 10 years! I don't want to quit my job and move. It's the first job I have ever had where I have a real opportunity for advancement! I can't tell you how utterly beat down this makes me feel. I am on the brink of tears every minute...even now.

He knows how I feel. I have told him. He says it isn't that he doesn't care, it's just that there are no jobs for him in this area. Which may be true, but it doesn't make this any less painful for me.

Sound selfish?

Random Updates and Stuff

It's been such a long time since I posted. Could be one of two reasons for this: 1) I no longer need to vent on such a regular basis, meaning that this blog has served its purpose, or 2) I am so overwhelmed that I have no idea where to start!

Actually, maybe it's a combination of both. Is that messed up or what?

Seriously, things are looking really good right now. My husband has taken a skills assessment and been on a series of interviews for a position with the City of Alexandria as an Environmental Technician. At the last interview they gave him a summary of the benefits and a job description. The mayor still has to sign off on it, but it looks like he may get the job!

My daughter will graduate in May. She is seriously beginning to freak out.

My sister-in-law "found her a place" and moved out, but she still hasn't found a job. Why would anyone rent an apartment before they have a stable, steady income with which to pay rent! Auuggghhh! She comes around some, and seems sober, but I don't spend a lot of time in that part of the house when she is around. It may seem a little anti-social, but I FEEL a little anti-social. I figure the less time we are around each other, the less chance there is that I will say something I will regret.

I am still working at both my full-time and my part-time job, but things are looking up, now. I am content, and even beginning to be excited about this job opportunity for Hubby. Living in Alexandria will mean I have to drive little over an hour each way to go to work, but I have 10 years with the school board that I am not going to give up. And, we might find a place to live that is between here and there...

Okay, that's enough for now.

Ciao!

You Can't Make This Stuff Up

She is still here. (The sister-in-law who couldn't complete the rehab program.) She seems mostly sober, but sometimes over-medicated, and doesn't seem to have a plan of any kind. And I am, of course, still biting my tongue.

I know every family has its problems, but this one just seems so unbelievably dysfunctional, that I can't even BEGIN to describe it. My in-laws now have both of their 40-something children living back at home, and still have custody of their 14-year-old grandson, who is on medication for ADHD. My daughter has gone back to Baton Rouge to complete her final semester of college at LSU, so now there are only five adults, instead of six, but sister-in-law is sleeping on the couch. Not an ideal situation for anyone, but I actually have some sympathy for her.

On a positive note...Hubby had a job interview yesterday! He was so excited. He isn't going to be able to take the job, it is 45 miles away, one-way, and only pays $8.50 per hour so the commute would just cost too much. But he was very pleased with how it went, and knows that it is just a matter of time until he is able to start working. It's going to get better, I just know it is.

When I got back to work this week, my computer had bitten the dust. Completely. Not a tragedy, because I actually saved everything to an external hard drive, so no data was lost. The tech who came to look at it said to just order a new computer. (It had crashed two years ago, and they were able to resuscitate it.) The next day, guess what? My external hard drive wouldn't power on! SERIOUSLY, HOW DOES THAT HAPPEN??? Anyway, the hard disk itself was still usable, and they were able to save all of the data to an 8GB flash drive.

But, you can't make this stuff up and one day, I am going to publish my memoirs. It will be very painful, describing the addicted years, but I am certain it will be cathartic as well.

Buon Giorno, Arrivederci

...And a Happy New Year!

Okay, so I all but abandoned my blog. I have been struggling to stay upbeat--not always succeeding--but managing not to post every whine and complaint. (Of course, that means huge chunks of time go by between posts...!)

Since I last posted: Husband graduated with his Associate Degree in Clinical Laboratory Science! The ceremony was a week before Christmas. My daughter was home from college, and the ceremony was really quite nice. (Daughter will receive her Bachelor of Arts in English: Writing and Culture in May 2009!) Money issues will prevent hubby from continuing in school for now, so he is going to concentrate on passing his state licensing exams in early 2009. Then he will be able to look for work, and if he finds something that pays pretty well, he may take part-time classes toward HIS Bachelor of Science degree in Medical Laboratory Technology.

Hubby's sister decided in early December to check herself into a drug rehab facility for drying out/detox and inpatient treatment for her alcoholism and drug addictions. She stayed only ten days (the amount of time to complete detox) and was told there was nothing else they could do for her, because of her poor attitude. Seems she called a staff member an ugly name--think, "female dog"--and refused to attend scheduled meetings. So, she is here because she had no place left to go. She is depressed and sleeps a lot, but she is still taking the meds they prescribed for her at rehab, so maybe they will help her get her equilibrium back. (But don't hold your breath.) We are all "walking on eggshells" around her for the time being, and deliberately avoiding asking the tough questions like: "Why didn't you feel that you needed to comply with expectations at the treatment center?" and the burning question on the tip of MY tongue: "So, what are your plans, now?" And, so far, she isn't trying to jump back into the "mommy" role for her 14-year-old son and seems content to let her mother continue to make most of the major decisions that affect him. When she decides to assert her parental authority again (whether the courts have actually restored that authority or not), it isn't going to be pretty.

So, right at the moment, there are six adults (me, hubby, our daughter, his parents, and his sister) and one 14-year-old in this house. Still and all, Christmas was really nice! Scaled back, of course, due to the tough economic climate, but the gifts are not the point, are they? We had a lovely steak dinner, with several additional family members attending, including hubby's 96-year-old grandmother! There were no major conflicts and a good time was had by all.

Today, we leave for Houston, for our annual stay with my dad and brother. We will celebrate the New Year with them, before coming home. This will be the first time our daughter won't accompay us. :-( She has made arrangements to fly to Florida to meet her boyfriend's family for the first time. (I knew this was coming, of course, but it doesn't go down any easier.) AND...I don't have to be back at either of my jobs until January 5, 2009!! Now, that's what I'm talking about!

Hope everyone has a New Year filled with awe and wonder! Ciao!

Nine Kinds of Hell

Being married to a drug addict is nine kinds of hell. Even one who is supposedly recovering.

Right now, I am so angry, I am trembly.

My recovering addict husband has relapsed. Proof? All circumstantial. But our cell phone records show that he called a known pill dealer at 3:30 and 4:00 this morning. He was unreachable for about 8 hours. Finally, he called and asked where I was. (He had asked me to be at his place about dark.) I asked him why I couldn't reach him. He said he fell asleep. Wrong answer. I had campus police check on whether his car was in the lot. He wasn't home. He hung up on me.

I want out.

I stayed with him for the sake of our daughter. She is grown now. I stayed while he was in rehab, and I lived with his parents while I worked two jobs to make it possible for him to go to school. I'm done.

It's all very sad.

Ciao.

The Good American

Like a truly patriotic American, on this morning-after, I am trying to find the good qualities in President-elect Obama, even though he was not the man I felt best qualified to lead the United States. For one, He is an outstanding public speaker, with much more polish and finess than John McCain. We need those qualities to repair our battered national image in the rest of the world.

Right now, that's all I can think of. Perhaps others ideas will come to me.

Arrivederci.

Better

Okay, I'm better now. I'm in Alexandria, enjoying a MUCH NEEDED three-day anniversary weekend. The weather has been absolutely amazing; who in the world could stay in a blue mood with weather like this? The peace and quiet is awesome...truly healing.

Arrivederci!

Shades of Blue

How appropriate that my layout is done in shades of blue.

The weather has been absolutely glorious...cool, crisp, invigorating, and the sky so blue it almost hurts to stare at it. Perfect. I need to live in a place where the weather is like this year-round.

Still, I feel depressed. I plod along day in and day out, doing pretty much the same thing everyday. Eat, sleep, work, work. And husband is doing pretty much the same thing everyday, too. Eat, sleep, study. There just doesn't seem to be any end to it, although I know that there is. We should be ecstatic about planning and attending the graduation ceremony at which he will receive his Associate degree. But it all just seems like a hassle. And it shouldn;t be that way.

And, our anniversary is Thursday, October 23. We will be celebrating 26 years of marriage. I know that he has class that day, so I have made arrangements to be off on Friday, October 24 and we will have a three-day weekend together.

I have been trying not to think about it.

Ciao.

It's Time!

www.NationalPopularVote.com

If you believe, as I do, that the Electoral College must change (see my previous post), then PLEASE visit the website above. I had no idea that a movement to accomplish this was already underway!

It's the right thing to do. It's time!

Ciao!

The Electoral College

First, happy birthday...to me! I turned 47 this weekend, and got to enjoy my husband, my daughter, and her boyfriend. It was a lovely weekend!

So, let's make this the year we abolish the Electoral College! This body is no longer needed, as we now have near-instantaneous worldwide information exchange. The President of the United States should be selected purely on the basis of the popular vote. The EC served a purpose when our popular vote had to be hand-carried across the country for inclusion in a national consensus. We should not continue to bind ourselves to this antiquated method of selecting our national leaders! In addition, it is designed to give more weight to votes cast in population dense areas--very unfair!

A movement to accomplish this must begin at the level of the people. Join me!

Arrivederci!

A Lovely Weekend

I spent the whole weekend "elsewhere". I drove to Baton Rouge Saturday morning to attend the Louisiana Book Festival with my daughter, and then late that afternoon, I drove to Alexandria to spend the rest of the weekend with my husband! It was so nice. The weather was just fine and I had my tunes cranked up for the drives.

The Louisiana Book Fesitval was really quite amazing. Held on the grounds of the state capitol, here were vendors, book-signings, crafts, live music, authentic cajun cuisine, etc. And my daughter and I went up to the observation deck in the state capitol building--she said she had never been up there before.

It was really quite a lovely weekend!

Ciao...

Why Don't Kids Play in Attics Anymore?

Why don't kids play in attics, anymore? (I realize that this is a most random rant.)

When I was young(er), I spent countless hours in our attic...digging through old photo, looking at old clothes, marveling over dishes or appliances from the past. And then there were the make-believe games we played and secret clubs we "founded".

Did you ever play in an attic?

Maybe kids don't play in the attic anymore because people are no longer storing things in attics. Now everyone has a storage building or room, or leases storage in a mini-warehouse type facility. Or just gets rid of old things periodically in a yard sale

It's really quite sad, isn't it?

Arrivederci.

Dry Ice

Two hurricanes this month. Not good. Ike was more intense than Gustav, but neither one caused any real damage where I live.

My dad, who lives in Porter, TX, (about 50 mi. N. of Houston) got pounded by Ike. No damage to their mobile home, but now they are without electricity, water, and phone service. And one shed got crushed when a tree fell on it. They have given him a tentative date of October 5, for his power to be restored.

So, my in-laws have graciously invited him to come stay with us, in their motor home. At first, Dad (who is 74), said he would just try to tough it out, but yesterday he called to say he had changed his mind. Three weeks without any electricity/water is just too much. My brother will stay...he was told to report to work! (Apparently, Humble has power.)

Now, dry ice. I am aware that dumping dry ice into hurricanes would release CO2 gas into an already greenhouse gas-filled atmosphere, but would it produce enough of a cooling effect to weaken these potentially destructive storms a bit? I mean, they are already flying into and around them gathering data, couldn't they try something to reduce the energy they contain??
I believe that if it worked, it might be worth whatever miniscule increase in global warming occurs.

Gustav, Revisited

To call Hurricane Gustav a non-event would be trivializing the reality of what actually happened.

With Gustav, we dodged a bullet. It was supposed to have hit our area point-blank. We ended up not even losing our electricity, and only received a couple of inches of rain! (They had told us to expect 10-15 inches!)

My daughter and my husband were in Baton Rouge for the first LSU game of the season (which was pushed up several hours, to 10:00 a.m.), then they left town and headed to Alexandria, to my hubby's apartment at LSU-A, which was supposed to have been far enough north to be out of the most violent weather.

Wrong!

Baton Rouge got pounded, and then Gustav drifted just a tiny bit north, which meant that Alexandria got hammered too! Hubby and daughter, who were in Alexandria when the storm hit, said that Gustav was to Alexandria what Rita was to our area in 2005. Not good. Alexandria received nearly 8 inches of rain. The power was out all over Baton Rouge and Alexandria, and Alexandria lost its water pumps all over town. They were actually down to less than half a day's worth of water at one point. (Ironic, isn't it, that an area can be almost out of water after 8 inches of rain?) Classes at LSU and LSU-A were cancelled for the entire week, but are scheduled to restart on Monday, 9/8/08.

Yeah, for us it was definitely a close call. If a mandatory evacuation had been ordered, instead of a recommended evacuation, we would have gone.......to Alexandria!! Gosh, I'm glad we stayed...and I'm glad the other members of the family came home AFTER the excitement!

Ciao!

Gustav: See You On the Other Side

Every parish around us has issued a mandatory evacuation. Jeff Davis, Cameron, Allen, and Calcasieu. Hurricane Gustav will make landfall in South Louisiana in less than 24 hours.

We chose not to act on the "recommended" evacuation order. We will stay.

We stayed through Hurricane Rita in 2005. We were without electricity for seven days, but we never lost water pressure. It was really, really scary. I just knew that one of the oaks in the yard would fall on the house or the wind would just take the roof off. So loud...for so many hours. Trees went down in the yard, but none landed on the house and the roof stayed on.

So, why in the h*** would we stay for Gustav?? Couple of reasons. One reason is that Gustav is behaving differently than Rita. Gustav will come ashore a couple of hundred miles away in southeastern Louisiana and come at us from an angle (we are just a few miles from the Texas border on the west central side of the state). Rita came at us from due south, right up the Sabine River valley. Not a lot of land there to break the forward momentum before it hit us. And it was supposed to have hit Port Arthur!

And another reason, for me anyway, is that I want to come back when I get ready. When you evacuate, you have to remain outside the area until the authorities deem it safe to return. That might be weeks.

Also, we have two, big dogs and two cats. The dogs really don't get along, and the cats merely tolerate each other and the dogs.

So, we are staying. My daughter left Baton Rouge (AFTER the first LSU game of course) and then she and my husband--who had attended the game with her--both left Baton Rouge and went to his dorm/apartment in Alexandria, where they will ride out the storm. Today is my husband's 45th birthday. Happy Birthday, Dear!

See you on the other side!

Arrivederci!