Worst Month

I am having what could be one of the worst months of my life. And you know what? I'm not going to go into detail about it. At least, not all of it. No matter how much you beg!

Due to some serious financial non-planning, my cell phone provider cut me off because they couldn't withdraw my monthly payment. Not a big deal, but still a pain in the ass.

About a week ago my home phone line (and DSL) was not working at all. No calls in, no calls out. This went on for about 12 hours. I called the phone company, who scheduled a repair person to come out and see what was wrong, but the phone line came back before the person showed up, so I called and canceled the appointment. This happens frequently, but has never lasted so long.

Due to the same serious financial non-planning, the city came and turned off my water WITHOUT ANY WARNING!!!!!!!! This is the city of Gatesville, Texas. They did this early on Monday morning before I got to take my shower, and I was pretty stinky. So, instead of calling and saying, "Your check bounced. Please come in and pay us or we'll turn your water off," they just shut my water off. No shower. No toilet flushing. No hand washing. No teeth brushing. Nothing. BASTARDS!!!! By the way, I should point out that I have lived here and paid property taxes for SIXTEEN YEARS!!! (I wrote an angry letter to the city manager and I'm waiting for his response.)

Fortunately, a friend who lives very close by let me come over to her house and take a shower so that I could go out in public without offending too many people (although it did occur to me to get as stinky as possible before showing up in person to pay the water bill). (Thank you, Donna.)

My lawn mower has quit working, so the grass (and weeds, mostly) in my front lawn is way, way too high. If I can't get the mower to work (it worked for about 30 minutes two weeks ago), I'll have to pay someone to mow the lawn, which I can't afford this month! The city loves to send out little notices if they think your grass is too high. I'm expecting on at any moment.

I've also developed a new medical problem. This is where I won't go into detail, because it's a little personal. (More personal than serious financial non-planning.) I looked this up on the Internet and found that it's either caused by stress or cancer. I'm rooting for stress! Yes, of course I'm going to go see the doctor. I called for an appointment and was told that I need to "walk in," and that walk-in hours are 8:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Monday through Friday. If you know me, and/or if you've been reading my blog, you know that getting out of bed is the hardest thing I do every day. So I will get in to see the doctor, but it's going to be a chore. An afternoon appointment would be much better. (In case you've noticed that I'm making this post at about 6:45 a.m. and you're wondering why I don't go today, I can only say that there is a reason I can't go today. I can't say any more.)

Add to all this the continuing stress of planning a move, and figuring out what I'm going to do with my cats and my house. And a couple of other smaller problems that I haven't discussed here. I think I could really use some Valium. (Do they still give that stuff out?)

Really, this doesn't sound like much to complain about. I mean, these problems are miniscule compared to what's going on in the world, and in other peoples' lives. But I'm not the world, and I'm not other people.

I feel a little bit like Job.  But I keep telling God that I love Him. I do love Him. And I know He's not responsible in any way for this sh*t that's raining down upon my head.

The one thing that keeps my head up is that I am going to move to Oregon with mom, and that will help a great deal. Call it a fresh start. I'm excited about it and I'm looking forward to it. I'd say, "it can't happen soon enough," but that would be a lie. I'm a horrible procrastinator, and I'll need a few months to actually get ready for the move. I need to get rid of a lot of stuff, either by giving it away or selling it. I need to find a real estate agent who is willing to help me sell a home that can only be politely described as a "fixer-upper." I've already mentioned dealing with the cats. (Mom says they're welcome, but that really wouldn't be fair to her. I'm used to them. Mom isn't. I'm sure they'd stress her out.)

Anyway, except for that, life is good. And that's about all I've got to write about for now. Please don't forget about the "donate" button over there in the right hand column!! ;-)