A Waxy Mess

I made it to my attorneys office this morning and signed away my life on my Bankruptcy Petition.  The document was filed with the court this afternoon.  The next step is the meeting of creditors, which normally none ever show.  That won’t take place until June so I’ve got a while.  Still have to wait about a week before the bill collectors stop calling but hopefully that grinds to a halt soon.  It will probably take about a month before it shows on my credit report, which is kind of good since I’m applying for jobs.

We did our test run to my interview tomorrow, simple enough to find.  Nice place not exactly in a great neighborhood.  We did our running, grabbed a bite to eat and then home.

When we got home my phone was booming!  First was a call from a recruiter about a new position that came across his desk.  I’ve got a phone interview with another recruiter from his office.  That was suppose to happen today but didn’t.  Then I got a call from a Health Insurance Company that called me weeks ago.  I called them right back and now have an interview on Wednesday.  Two days of back to back interviews!  I am so excited.

I am not sure what you are doing for me with regards to my job search, but keep it up.  The calls and emails keep coming and I’ve got a very strong feeling that I will be going back to work soon.  Let’s hope my feeling isn’t wrong!

I squeezed in a short nap, cleaned up the house and got the trash out.  The kids don’t like the vacuum and that makes them scatter.  Poor Big Boy he climbed over the couch, almost didn’t make it then made a b line for the basement.  That is the fastest he has moved in a while.  After I was done I made sure he was okay, I was concerned about his breathing but he was okay.  So I got him to stand up and then picked him up and he started his motor.  I took him to the laundry room where we have a scale and he is a whopping 41 pounds.  Yes, that is not a typo I said forty one pounds.  We are both worried about him.  He needs to loose weight really bad.  I know part of his problem is the fluid in his lungs, then you have the medication that helps that problem out, which causes weight gain.  So it’s almost like we need to fix the fluid problem and then he could come off the medicine and should loose weight.  There are only two problems with that.  First, the money.  Second, it’s major surgery and no guarantee that he would survive.  It would also mean a long trip away from home to have it done, probably would take about a week, maybe two depending upon how his recovery went.  So then you have to factor in a motel and food.  We have a substantial amount invested in him already and while we don’t want to see him suffer, we also don’t want to end his life.  It’s a tough spot to be in.  I wish Jesus would heal him that along with getting me a job would really spread the cheer around here!  We are so overdue.

I did a very dumb thing.  I had a candle burning in my office.  I always get them to blow out with a small squirt of compressed air (non flammable) and that works.  Tonight it was a different candle and I hit it a little too hard.  Now I’ve got green wax all over.  I’ve got to get the steamer and hope that gets it clean.  What a mess.  Thankfully no damage to anything.  Last time wax splattered like that, I was a young boy and blew a little too hard, I got a face full of wax.  Not fun at all.

Speaking of burns, my neck feels much better today.  I will put some more Aloe Vera on it tonight for good measure.  Next time I think when someone tells me they got my shirt wet, I will say that’s okay I’m going home from here and will take it off.  No more hair dryers.  In fact that is my only contact with a hair dryer, my hair is so short that I just towel dry it and by the time I am dressed and ready to walk out the door, my hair is dry.  Wash and wear I like it.  The simpler the better.  Life is far too complicated.

So I’m finishing up laundry and then it’s off to bed.  I’ve got everything else ready to go for tomorrow.  I sure hope this is a productive trip.  I mean they are talking to me for a couple hours.  As far as I know neither of the two references I put down have been contacted.  If they go that far, that will really get me worked up. 

All in all not a bad day.  Now I just hope I get some restful sleep tonight. 

Who’s on first?

Between my bladder and the cats, I woke up at 6am.  I tended to both and then tried to go back to sleep, but it was no use I was up.  I got breakfast and then sat in front of the TV hoping that I would get drowsy.  Well it worked but unfortunately not in time.  I had to get moving so I could make my appointment.  

So I am all prepared to sign and get my petition filed today.  Well that didn’t happen.  This was just a meeting to review the petition, but that wasn’t made clear to me in advance.  So were reviewing stuff and the paralegal started asking me for information that I have sent her twice.  I had to point out to her the information was right in front of her face.  Who’s on first?  Once we got past that point, I asked about my car.  I was told that my lender may refinance the loan and/or work with me but I would have to contact them.  I am really not in favor of doing that but we may look into it.   The lender will probably send a reaffirmation agreement, which I am told I don’t have to sign.  However, if I ever fall behind in payments then they would take the car.  I would think that would happen regardless if I sign or not.  I mean the car is the collateral, duh!

The other big burning question I had was when can we file.  Turns out Monday is the day.  So I have to go back to the lawyers office, sign my name probably a bazillion times and then we can get on with this.  It will take roughly one to two weeks before the collection calls stop.  I am told that typically if you provide the creditor with the case number, they will stop calling because they know your protected by the bankruptcy laws.  

After that disorganized meeting, I returned home to calm down and take a nap.

Next on the agenda was my Phone Interview.  Sounds like a decent company.  There is travel in this job and honestly I’m not to thrilled about that.  However, it would be like 1 to 2 weeks per quarter.  Plus there is an On-Call rotation but I can deal with that much better.  They are very interested in me.  I got an application to fill out and return, A personality or developmental test to take and they setup an in person interview for early next week.  I will be there for pretty much the entire afternoon.  Not sure what is involved in their interview process but it sounds rather intense.  Just provide me water and I think I will be okay.  Plus this is the only interview I was told that I could dress down for.  It’s business casual and I am taking them up on that.  I hate putting on a tie and getting all dressed up.  Maybe this will be the one, who knows?

I called a place back that called me earlier this week.  I have left two messages but apparently they aren’t all that interested in talking with me.  Whatever.  I will be reaching out to the Charity tomorrow, I have pretty well resigned myself to the fact they passed me over.  It would be nice to know for sure and get it over with instead of putting it off.  My partner told me that I should call them two times a week until they respond.  Nah, I won’t waste my money or time.  If the next call doesn’t work then I will reach out via e-mail.  If that doesn’t work then I will give up.  I’ve got too many other leads to chase and trying to keep track of everyone is getting a bit difficult.

Talked with my brother, found out that mom was discharged from the hospital today.  Now she has to take Acidophilus, hopefully that will remedy her problems.  My brother goes to 2nd shift next week.  He is still entertaining the idea of going back to his old job that he lost in December.  I am trying to encourage him to move forward but he really wants to get back to a daytime job.  Grandmas rule was never ever go back, once your gone your gone.  Besides that he can earn more money with his new job.

That wraps up Thursday.  Time for some internet surfing and then to my chores and finally to my TiVo.  Thankfully nothing planned for tomorrow.  I need to get my hairs cut before Tuesday so I look presentable.  I hope all is well in your world.  Tomorrow is Friday, so enjoy your weekend.  I will talk with you peeps later!

National Phone Interview Week

I am happy to report that I have yet another phone interview setup for tomorrow.  All of a sudden companies are coming out of the wood work and dying to talk to me.  That is all well and good but I’m ready for the in person interview and then the offer.  Hopefully, something good comes out of all of this.

We did some running today.  Got the mail, stopped at the bank, went back to the grocery store, stopped at the health food store (yeah it was to pick up a supplement that Big Boy is on), our favorite BBQ place opened and we picked up some of that.  Then back home to eat, put away the groceries which consisted of Frozen Lemonade and Frozen Lasagna.  Fed the children, watched TV and sacked out.

The phone just rang off the hook today but it was mostly collection calls.  I took two legit phone calls from a friend of my family, who I reached out to for help with a job. 

That pretty well sums up the day.  Boring I know but then again most of my days are like this.  No wonder I have trouble remembering things because one day just blends into the next.

I did call my mail order pharmacy to make a payment.  I wanted to pay the amount from the invoice that was sent to me.  The computer didn’t give me an option and charged my debit card the entire amount due on our account.  Ouch!  Ah, well at least we will have a credit balance.  Were both getting medicine by mail.  The other day my partner got one and the total was a whopping $000.00.  I don’t understand why, but then again why look a gift horse in the mouth.  It’s not every day you get free medicine.

No word from my brother on how mom is doing.  My guess is that she is still in the hospital.

Tomorrow is my big day, time to wake up early and drive to the lawyers office to sign my petition.  Unless there is a snag or something I don’t know about, it should be filed by the afternoon or so I hope.  I’m ready to get on with this and stop the collection calls, letters and e-mails.  That gets old very fast.  For people who decide not to pay their bills I don’t understand how they survive all of the attempts the creditors make to collect the debt. 

Thus far nothing planned for Friday but who knows that could change on a moments notice.  Oh, I forgot to tell you about my phone interview today.  It went pretty well the guy said that he would be in touch to arrange bringing me in for an in person interview.  All I know is who ever hires me will be very lucky.  Just convincing them to take a chance on me is the hardest part, once they do that is when they find out what they actually got.  Sort of like playing the lottery.

I don’t normally talk about current events or especially events that are controversial.  However, like most of you I heard the news that George Zimmerman  was charged today with 2nd degree Murder.  The facts of this case must yield some overwhelming evidence to bring charges.  From what has been released to the public things are very sketchy.  I think we can all agree that what happened to Trayvon Martin was a tragedy.  I am interested in how this case will be tried.  I mean it has received national attention and most everyone in the US is well aware of it.  With that how will Mr. Zimmerman get the fair trial he is entitled to?  I mean when you pick a jury of your peers, typically both sides (Plaintiff & Defendant) want people who have no knowledge about the case, because that can predispose one to form an opinion before they hear all of the evidence.  No matter what is done, no one will be able to bring Trayvon back.  It’s just very sad.

Ah well, I hope all is well in your world.  Take care and I will talk with you peeps later!

Blah it’s Monday. Whoopee!

So today started like any normal Monday has.  I got up late, had breakfast.  Then I said good morning to everyone and picked up my iPhone to browse my mail. 

I got a couple e-mails regarding phone interviews this week.  One was setup and the other I had to schedule.  That’s all done so Tuesday and Wednesday I will be busy talking on the phone to impress people.  The one tomorrow is a new place.  The one on Wednesday is for a school and I’m in the 2nd round.

Pretty much as I expected no word from the charity.  I’ve been around long enough to know when I smell BS.  I just have this guy pegged that he can’t say no, so no matter when I talk to him he will have an excuse.  Yeah, um why waste your time and mine.  If I am not your guy for the job then tell me so.  I know you probably want to spare my feelings but come on you won’t be the first place to tell me not and you may or may not be the last place.  Anyway, I’ve been dealing with rejection my whole life and it sucks.

I talked things over with my partner and he said that he would follow up with them.  Don’t let them off the hook until you have an answer one way or another.  It will show your desperate and that you really want the job.  Yeah that is one way to look at it.  I may follow up with the guy, haven’t decided yet.  If you have an opinion feel free to weigh in.  The final decision is up to me.

Talked with my Brother and Mom is still in the hospital.  Country Ass Medicine.  They are just hoping the blockage passes but they really are not doing anything to help things along.  They did an NG tube to relieve pressure in her stomach and to empty anything that was there.  Yes, this is a second one.  Outside of that she can have popsicles, ice chips and that is pretty much it.  They decided to let her have one of her heavy psych medicines but the chief side effect from that is guess what.  Constipation.   I said why not give her an enema or a laxative.  My brother had no answers when we talked but I told him to ask  and of course he didn’t.  He did manage to find out they did get another set of film (x-rays) today and things look better.  Great so they are keeping her in a bed in a private room and it’s probably going for $500 plus a day, some will be covered by insurance but there will be a portion that she will have to pay.  I said why not just bring her home, she could lay around there and at least be a little more comfortable.  Nah they want to monitor her.  So by the time this thing passes it will be the million dollar turd.  I hate Country Ass Medicine.  They really needed to go to a real hospital, we have them but you have to be willing to travel a little bit.  Everything that is close by either their house or my house is all Country Ass Medicine or sub standard care.  Places that are okay for something very minor like blood work or an x-ray, beyond that they are useless.   So I should get an update tomorrow and hopefully my brother will ask some more questions.  He is mostly worried about them discharging her on Wednesday because that is the current plan and that is also the day he goes to 2nd shift on his job.  I told him to tell the hospital of his work status and that if they kick her out on Wednesday that he would be by to pick her up on Thursday morning.  I mean one more day won’t kill anyone!

Wow I sure wish the Dollar Store sold Gas and Jobs.  I’d gladly give a dollar for a job and for a few gallons of go juice for the automobile.  Today we lost our internet connection twice.  Of course the second time was when I was replying to an e-mail message regarding one of the phone interviews.  Murphy is alive and well here!  Normally we have solid always on connection but over the last couple days things have been spotty at times.  Thankfully I can switch to 3G on my iPhone as a backup and always have an internet connection.  It has come in handy more than a few times. 

No word from the attorneys office on my petition.  I thought that we would be scheduling time to get together.  If I don’t hear something tomorrow I may give them a call.  I am getting calls now from two creditors and they are pretty relentless.  I jump when the phone rings in the hopes it will be a call about a job and not a call about a debt that I owe.  I am just ready for things to get better.  Get on with Bankruptcy and get on with getting back to work, where ever my next job is going to be.

That pretty well covers everything for today.  I hope the rest of the week is better.  We never made it to the grocery store or the cat food store, two more tasks that we put off until tomorrow.  Seems like tomorrow comes but were just never ready.  So here I sit hungry for a bite to eat but we only have cereal.  I am so in the mood for Mexican, sounds really good right about now.  Ah, well up to watch TV and relax with the kids before falling asleep.  FML.  Talk with you peeps later!

In the hospital

We had an enjoyable Easter.  The food was okay at our friends house.  I was thankful that they decided to serve the Ham cold.  I would have liked to have made a Ham Sandwich with some Cheese and Mayo but they didn’t serve either of those items.  Just plain Ham.  We also had Corn, Sweet Potatoes, Asparagus and some Freaking Hot Rolls.  Water was the drink of choice.  This is the second time they have not served soda.  That kind of sucked but hey it’s a free meal.  Then we had the most amazing Chocolate Pie.  I’ve discovered a new love.  Chocolate Graham Cracker, oh boy that is the stuff.

My brother phoned tonight around 10 and told me that he spent the day at the hospital with mom.  Thankfully it’s not because of mental issues.  This time she has a bowl obstruction.  I didn’t know but turns out all of the psych medicine has a horrible side effect, constipation.

The brother is all worried, crying and sobbing on the phone with me.  He has just been pushed to his emotional breaking point.  I didn’t say it but I think he would be better off if she were dead.  Not that I want that to happen.  I just wish he could be free of her so that he could resume living some what of a normal life.  He is concerned that his job will start him on 2nd shift soon.  Yeah, that is around the corner and totally what he signed up for, so it will happen.  Right now he is on first shift.  I told him he needed to take it easy, get to bed so that he will be able to give his all tomorrow morning.  That damn alarm clock will be sounding sooner than he wants and he can certainly stock up on sleep.

I’ve heard of the bowl obstruction before but just never knew anyone that had one.  From what I read on-line it’s very painful.  Typically they will be able to fix this with the use of a water and/or air enema.  Sometimes they have to do surgery.  It all depends upon what type of obstruction she had.  He didn’t ask any questions, so no wonder he doesn’t know anything.  I told him if he is going to take care of her and make it in life, in general he will need to start asking questions.  That is how we learn and if you don’t ask you won’t know.

Now I know my brother pretty well.  He will not get much if any sleep tonight.  Worrying about mom and his job.  Then he will shuffle into work and as soon as work is done, he will book it to the hospital and spend most of his evening there until visiting hours end.  Then he will come home take care of the dogs and probably call me all upset again.  I figure that she will be in for a day or possibly two and then she will be back home. 

I know it’s selfish but I am focused on my problems.  I anticipate getting my petition filed this week with the US Bankruptcy Court.  I am hoping that tomorrow (Monday) brings good news from the Charity and they decided to hire me.  I have plenty of folks that will be calling me given how my Friday ended.  I just hope by the end of the week I can say that I have a job. 

I managed to jinx myself by talking about the collection calls.  I’ve got another creditor that has decided to start calling.  They don’t ever leave voice mail messages and I won’t answer the phone so the chances of us talking are slim to none.  Not to mention as soon as my petition is filed they will have to stop calling.

So I will say a prayer for my brother and mother and hope for the best.  As time goes on I think she will be in and out of hospitals and eventually things will get to the point where she will go to an assisted living facility.  That honestly would be good but my brother just has to learn when to let go and he has a big problem with that.  Relaxation is just not in his vocabulary.

So that is a wrap on Easter Sunday.  I hope that yours was enjoyable and that you didn’t eat too much Ham!  Talk with you peeps later.

Went to the Reunion

It was awesome!  I got in some great laughs and recommend that if your on the fence about going, go it will be worth your time and money!  Can’t wait until this comes out on DVD, hopefully I can afford to buy a copy.  The behind the scenes and bloopers reel have to be hilarious.

So It’s been a couple days since I made an entry.  Honestly, just haven’t been in the mood much for web surfing let alone blogging.  I have done my job search and then pretty much walked away from the computer.

Calls and e-mails from recruiters are coming in like crazy.  Even a place I thought I was black listed at called.  So maybe something is going to break here soon.  No word from the charity today.  I’m hoping on Monday they call.  If they don’t it won’t be a surprise.  Next week might be a little crazy trying to keep track of all of these people.  I would sooner speed things up and just talk to the one place that is going to hire me.  I’ve been through enough BS that I am ready to get this over with.

The good news is the bill collector calls have stopped, at least for the moment.  My petition is ready to file.  The final touches will be placed on it Monday and then we just have to work out a time for me to review and sign it.  So it sounds if not next week by the week after it should be filed.  That will be good news.  Because then no one can harass me.

With the exception of Lawn Boy all of the bills for this month are paid.  Lawn Boy will be back this week so then it will be time to get him paid.  I like knowing that I am ahead of the game and that things are paid, rather than having a mountain of bills.

My partner made some Beef Stew yesterday, it was okay.  I had a 2nd bowl and he thought that was a good sign.  I told him I was hungry that is why I was eating it.  It still tasted like it was missing something.  Ah, well it was a good try on his part.  Would have much rather had Hamburgers & Gravy.

I am currently starving and will be headed to the kitchen to see what I can piece together for a late night meal.  So we have tomorrow to ourselves and then Sunday we are going to friends to celebrate Easter.  It will be good to get away, even if I do have to get up a little earlier than normal.  I just hope we have some good food.

Outside of that no major developments here.  I am a little more upbeat but still very much feel depressed and like the walls are caving in.  I am just bracing for impact and hope that something comes through, even if it is totally last minute.  Right now I’ve still got a little time.

Hope all is going well in your world.  I hope that you enjoy your weekend and have a great Easter.  Take care and I will talk with you peeps later!

No good news today

My plan last night was to make it to bed early.  I accomplished that but, since I was all keyed up I was not sleep at all.  In fact it was like I came more wide awake.  It was around 4 AM before I was able to turn out the lights and call it a night.  Of course that early morning wake up call came way sooner than I wanted.

I got up took care of the kids breakfast and then went back to my room.  I gave it a couple minutes past the time we agreed upon and then I phoned the guy for my morning phone interview.  Normally recruiters call you.  Ah well.  We talked for about 15 minutes and I was told there would be 3 hurdles to clear.  I went through the 1st one already.  The second one was a technical phone interview and the third was an in person interview.  Seems simple enough for me.  I’m waiting to hear back that is if they want me to go through the second hurdle.

After that I was in no shape for any more phone calls.  I went back to bed with jumper.  That was really nice.  Problem is I slept in until 1 pm.  Crap I hate starting the day late.

I made my other phone call for the other phone interview, thankfully we didn’t schedule a time.  That went okay, I really don’t think I will hear from them.

Then I called the unemployment office.  Holy crap, I would have been so much better if I didn’t call.  Turns out my claim will expire at the end of the month, so 4 more weeks of benefits and then I am done with unemployment.  If nothing comes my way I will be headed to apply for Welfare and Food Stamps.  Not exactly what I want to do, but then I didn’t ask to be unemployed.

Now for the moment your all waiting for.  I called the charity, I got a live person which I never expected.  On most all of my follow up phone calls I wind up in Voice Mail Jail.  Anyway, they experienced a delay so no decision has been made yet.  There is a meeting I’m told that will take place sometime on Friday and they will make their selection at that time.  The guy said that he would for sure be in touch with me on Friday or at the very latest Monday.  O K sounds a lot better than a NO.  So now I continue to wait.  Ugh!

Talked with my partner, of course since we were talking about money that sparked some loud and tense words.  Then we got to talking about God.  Ah, my faith has seriously been compromised with all that I have gone through in the past 17 months.  I am wondering if George Carlin didn’t have it right that God is just an Invisible Man that doesn’t really exist.  I know that sounds horrible but right now I just don’t understand why this has all been allowed to happen to me.  It makes absolutely no sense.  Still I pray and ask for a job, hopefully God comes through soon!

We grabbed a bite to eat at a local buffet, that helped keep the cost down.  Then we made a trip to the grocery store.  Finally back home to recover.  I talked with a friend of mine to see what was new and then to my brother.

My brother yacked for over an hour.  I was seriously starting to wonder if he was ever going to shut up.  He was telling me all about his new job and how good things were.  Then in the next breath he was telling me how depressed he is that he will be going to second shift.  I told him be thankful that you have a job, if you don’t want it, I will gladly trade places with you.  Yeah, that kind of shut him up.  Then he told me about Mom.  They visited the eye doctor on Monday and it turns out her Cornea is going again.  Her vision is bad right now, but eventually she will be blind.  She could go through another Cornea transplant but that will take over a year before she would get her vision back.  Of course she is deeply depressed over that.

After that conversation, I really didn’t feel a whole lot better.  So I came to do my job search and update my log of contacts.  Suddenly this week there has been a whole lot more activity.  I’ve got recruiters e-mailing me, phone interviews.  Maybe things are looking up and I’m just too close to the forest to see the trees.  I just hope that the Charity job comes through, that would be awesome, even if it didn’t pay much as long as it’s more than the $8.00 per hour I’m making on unemployment I will be happy!

On to Bankruptcy, I received an e-mail from a creditor last night that said they really wanted to talk to me, how I was a valued card member, pouring on the compliments but at the same time reminding me that I was past due.  They have also been calling non stop for a while.  So I finally responded.  I emailed them and told them that due to circumstances beyond my control I had no choice but to declare and file bankruptcy.  I asked them to direct any further correspondence to my attorney and provided his contact information.  So today I got an e-mail response back that they were sorry to hear that and have updated my file.  They still desperately want to talk to me and asked me to call them right away.  Then in big bold letters it said not to e-mail back.  Wow, they just want to intimidate me and try to pressure me in to giving them money that I don’t have.  It was like I was telling one of the cats.  If I had money for them, I would gladly pay them but I can’t give them what I don’t have.  I have no plans on calling them and oddly enough I got a couple calls today but for the most part they have stopped.

I was telling my partner about that and he said, wow you gave them ammo to file a law suit against you to collect their money.  I told him let them sue me.  As soon as I file for Bankruptcy their local lawsuit would be superseded by the US Federal Bankruptcy Court.  So in others words they would just be throwing more money away.  They know all too well how the game is played, after all they do it every day.  It’s unsecured debt and even though I did promise to pay that was provided I had income and since I have no income and am barley scraping by my choice is pretty clear in not paying them.  So as a creditor they are pretty well screwed with no options but to pester me until my petition is filed.

So that sums up how things went for me today.  Nothing scheduled for the rest of the week.  Who knows what we will do.  I am sure there will be some sleeping involved and that is a very good thing.  I love to be asleep because you feel no pain and there is nothing to worry about.  Awake, well not so much that is when all of the pain and worry start.  I will talk with you peeps later!  Sorry for being so depressing, it’s just my world sucks!

The ups and downs of Tuesday

Big Boy woke me up early, like I can ever sleep in on a Tuesday between him and the garbage collectors there is no such thing as sleep, until later in the morning.  8:30 was my wake up call.

So I fed the children and came back to bed.  Jumper and I cuddled but I soon decided that I would be better off getting up.  Had a Diet Coke with Lime and 2 pieces of left over pizza for breakfast.  It was cold pizza and it was very good.  Not necessarily good for me but it tasted good.

My eye was bothering me, so I rubbed it.  I’ve had problems most every morning with the same eye for about 3 years.  It didn’t start until after an eye infection.  Now I wake up with junk sealing my eye shut like glue.  Normally wipe it away or pick it away and all is good.  I think my rubbing might have infected my eye, it’s been itching all day long.  I put in eye drops but that relief was only temporary.  I will have to keep tabs on it and if it still bothers me, guess I will have to make an appointment to get my peepers checked out.  I am long over due anyway, but due to money I have put it off.

I got some additional sleep.  Woke up to a plethora of calls and e-mails from recruiters wanting to talk with me.  They are all head hunters, which I am so not fond of.  However, I still talk with them because you just never know.  We played phone tag, so I have meetings setup tomorrow morning, very early.  Thankfully they are only phone screens but I still have to wake up early.  At least I can be naked and talk with them from the comfort of my own home.  Yeah, there’s a vision you won’t be able to unimagine! 

I checked in at the Unemployment Office.  Then I went to the Urologist with my partner.  He got a Cystoscopy and we learned something that surprised both of us.  He still has a prostate.  We both were under the impression that it was taken out back when he had his surgery in 2001.  Outside of that the doctor found nothing wrong, no stones, no tumors, no cancer.  All looked normal.  So he was put on some medicine weeks ago, he is going to have to add that pill to his daily regimen for at least the next 6 months.  While he isn’t too happy about another pill, he will gladly take it.  He goes back in 6 months and they will repeat the procedure again.  I was in the room for this and that damn scope was huge.  I was so thankful that it was him and not me on the table.  I hope I never have to have that done.  They did a good job of numbing him up, but still the whole idea doesn’t sound so good.

After that bit of fun, we stopped for a bite to eat.  Our waiter came over and I was overwhelmed by his stunning good looks.  Then he spoke and said his name was Jeremy.  He was super attentive and provided great service, with the exception that he forgot to bring me a refill on my soda with desert.  I really wanted to tell him that I wanted him for desert or at least ask for his number but fear and embarrassment prevented me from saying a word. 

On the way home, we were in the city on a major street that we travel all the time.  2 lanes on each side.  Out of no where a baby deer travelled through traffic and was running for it’s life.  Sadly a car hit it and threw it into the air.  We saw the whole thing and that pretty much ruined the evening for both of us.  We stopped and I called 911 but there really wasn’t anything that could be done.  The deer was dead and no one else, not even the car that hit it bothered to stop.  So the conversation the whole way home was depressing talking about the poor deer.  There was no changing it and I felt and still feel bad about it but since I can’t do anything I have to move on.  I’d feel a lot worse if we would have hit it, but thankfully that didn’t happen.  Who ever did hit it, will be sorry they didn’t stop because I’m sure there vehicle has some damage to it.  Ah, animals why does God not give them more common sense?  R.I.P. Little Deer.

I’ve completed my job search, have made an agenda for myself for tomorrow.  Cross your fingers, if I get up the courage I will be calling the Charity about the job.  I personally think they would have reached out to me if I got it, but then again they could still be finalizing their decision.  I don’t want to jinx anything but at the same time I am so anxious to know!

Ah, yes I almost forgot.  Today I got my first Collection Email.  I responded to it telling them that they needed to talk with my attorney.  I’m sure that won’t set well but it’s not like I really have a choice in the matter.  I knew they would call and even send letters but e-mail I never thought that would be the case.  Ah, well at least now they know, they won’t be getting another cent of my money!

I will talk with you peeps later!  Perhaps I will have some good news to share or so I hope.  Have a good evening!

How Now Brown Cow

I woke up to find I had a Voice Mail Message this morning.  It was the Lady from the IRS.  I called her back and found out that they can’t help me because I already paid my taxes.  I found out that all they can do is get the IRS to place a flag on your account so that they don’t pursue collections.  You still accrue Interest & Penalties, they can also get you on a payment plan.  So basically the service is useless to me.  Ah, well at least I tried.  I learned something in the process, and may need to use them next year.

The collection calls are still pouring in but not quite as bad as last week.  I notice they call once or twice in the early morning.  Then maybe once in the afternoon.  Wait until about Supper Time and then the calls really start picking up.  I’m still not talking to them.  I sure hope they have one hell of a Long Distance plan because they are wracking up the charges.

We made it to the Foot Doctor and then I drove us to get a quick bite for lunch.  We stopped at a local BBQ place, was really good and cheap!  We came home and rested a bit.  I tried to take a nap but if it wasn’t the phone, it was the cats and if it wasn’t either of those two then my partner was making noise.  No rest for me.

So off to the Grocery Store we went.  I have been hungry for Chili so we picked up some meat and other things that we needed.  Came home and my partner made chili.  Felt a little odd eating Chili when it is so warm outside but it was really good.  A little too much tomato.  Every time he makes a batch it always comes out tasting different.  The best thing about Chili is that it tastes better the next day when you reheat it.  So I am looking forward to that.

Got a call today from an ad I answered late last month.  I have a phone interview tomorrow to talk with this company further.  I pulled the ad and it’s for an entry level person, so they may not be willing to pay much.  I suppose I will know more tomorrow.

The lawn is growing and our front yard looks like the Serengeti.  I’m still giving Lawn Boy until the end of the week to show up, plus there is more rain in the forecast.  However, it’s starting to look more and more like I will have to buy a mower and start cutting it myself.  So not looking forward to that.  However, we can’t wait too much longer.  So a few more days and then I may have to part with some more cash, not looking forward to that either.

A couple weeks ago I started saying How Now Brown Cow to my partner.  He said you never had a Brown Cow did you.  I said nope.  I had no idea what he was talking about.  Turns out it’s an ice cream treat.  While we were at the store today he spotted a box of them and of course I had to buy them.  I just finished one and it’s basically a chocolate ice cream bar but they leave the plain ice cream showing on the bottom.  It was okay but nothing to write home about. 

So that is as exciting as thing got today.  I will have to wake up a little early tomorrow for the phone interview.  Outside of that thus far there is nothing planned for the remainder of the week.  I hope that all is going well in your world.  Thanks for stopping by, I will talk with you peeps later.

Simple Change made Complicated

So I called the Phone Company this morning.  I wanted a simple change to add Call Screening to my account.  I got a foreign speaking woman who told me that it would be better to change packages because I would get all of the features I wanted as well as unlimited local and long distance calls.  She quoted me $31.00.  Wow at that price I couldn’t pass it up.

So I waited as she processed the order.  The order part was done and she came back to say she was incorrect the price was $59.00 per month.  SAY WHAT!  She wrapped up the call before I had a chance to get a word in edge wise.

So I called back.  I wanted to know the price of the Call Screening Feature by it’s self.  Seems that was a bit complicated and I got hung up on.

I called back and got someone else asked the same question.  They went through a lot of rigmarole asking questions and restating what I had already said, so they could be sure they understood me.  Huh, either you get it when I say it or you don’t.  It’s pretty simple.  Since I could see I was getting no where, I asked for a supervisor.  Then I got hung up on again. 

Now I’m about ready to kill and madder than a Honey Badger.  So I called back and spoke with yet another person.  Turns out the Call Screening Feature isn’t available in my area.  So I had them cancel the order and went back to service as it was before I called. 

Me and the phone company never have gotten along.  I always call with simple requests but their employees can’t seem to fulfill them.  I just don’t understand why.

What was really surprising to me is how quickly that order processed through.  Just a couple years ago you could call and make changes to your account and they wouldn’t process through for a couple days.  Today if you call by the time your done with the call the order has processed.  Amazing how they were able to speed things up.  Also they don’t charge those one time installation charges.  I guess since VOIP has come into play they want to be sure not to loose any customers. 

If it wasn’t for dependable service regardless of the weather, I would ditch my traditional landline phone and switch to a VOIP service.  The other thing that is holding me hostage is our house alarm.  It will work on VOIP but with my luck our house would either catch fire or be broken into when the VOIP service was down.  The Fire Department and/or Police would never know and we would be left holding the bag.  I know they make back up cellular connections but that is expensive and now isn’t the time for me to freely spend money.

My other upset of the day was at TGI Friday’s.  I knew I had a bunch of reward points and haven’t used them in a while.  So we ordered and got yummy food as well as great cold drinks.  Then I go to pay and find out you can’t redeem your points in the store any longer.  You have to go on-line and redeem them, wait for a coupon to be e-mailed to you and then bring that with you to the store before it expires.  It’s all a gimmick, they are hoping that either you forget the coupon or you forget to use it by the expiration date and forfeit your points.   I liked the old system better where you could redeem in the store, it was easier and much more convenient.  Still it was a great meal.

The mail brought me the latest edition of the Under Gear dot Com Catalog.  Who’s on the cover but none other than Mario Lopez modeling his new line of Underwear.  Super HOT.  I don’t care if he cheated on his wife he could do what ever he wanted to me, I’d be his prisoner for a day or longer!  One thing that most of us gay men have in common is this catalog, no matter where we are living we are sure that it follows us.  Even if you don’t order there are some good looking underwear models!

I finally got my bank statement and have been waiting patiently for it since I started using my debit card on a daily basis.  I was seriously afraid that I might not balance.  Sure enough I found an error.  Turns out I forgot to log one of my Unemployment checks.  So now I’m more money ahead.  I’ve never come up with a negative balance and I have never bounced a check in my life.  Those are traditions that I plan to uphold. 

On the Job Hunt I found 3 jobs that I applied for on-line tonight.  Typically Monday’s are a bust.  I know that I’m so not qualified for one of them, but applying certainly can’t hurt anything. 

So that’s a wrap for Monday.  I’m off to surf the web and see what is new with the rest of the world.  Talk with you peeps later!

They are after me

This morning my phone rang with a call from Kansas City.  I don’t know anyone there, so I didn’t answer.  No message.  About an hour later, another call no message. Around 2pm another call and this time they finally left a message.  It was as I suspected my first collection call.  I deleted the message and then decided to have some fun.  I have an old caller ID box from Radio Shack.  It gives an option for a Reject Index.  Once you add a number that has called you to the Reject Index, when they call back they get a voice telling them that you are not accepting calls from their number.  Wow, that was like swatting at a bees nest.  They started calling like crazy.  We stepped out for a bite and when we came back I see they called again but blocked caller id, all they got was voice mail.

Just because the phone rings doesn’t mean I have to answer it.  I mean its there for my convenience not for theirs.  The calls started picking up during the evening hours I forwarded my phone to my partners old phone number that was disconnected.  Of course they didn’t call back.  All is back to normal now and I’m sure they will be calling back many more times.

The funny thing is the guy said it was not a sales call and was instead a very important business matter.  Yeah, important to them because they want money.  Not important to me at all.  I am sure the letters will follow next along with those new statements that say your past due.  Like I didn’t know that in the first place.

Speaking of creditors I got the Cable bill in and paid it.  Then I decided to go hog wild and paid my cell bill (even though I don’t have a paper bill yet), Paid for the Alarm (again no paper bill yet) and then ordered my medicine from Canada.  Now I’ve got a little bit of money left over but I blew a decent amount of money.  I really hate to reconcile my bank account because it seems I use my debit card almost every day.

We have been saying we are going to have Hamburger Helper since Monday but every day we put it off and say where do you want to go to eat.  So today we went to the local bar.  Grabbed a couple salads and got the mail.  Then back home.  It was a rainy day and that cooled things off a bit.  Pollen around here is horrible.

I noticed last night we have what I refer to as the spawn of Satan.  They are like gnats that show up out of no where and now they are biting.  They only show up in the basement for now.  With a little time I am sure they will migrate upstairs.  I broke out the bug spray and gave the basement a good coating.  It smells odd down here but if it helps kill these bastards I am totally okay with it.

Once the weather clears up and we have a nice sunny day again, I will be outside with the bug spray doing the perimeter of the house.  We usually see Ants and every year we try to get a jump on them but don’t seem to quite make it.

I am all for the warmer weather with Spring and Summer but you can keep the pollen, bugs and snakes.  Ick!

So I have made my rounds to all of my regular reads letting everyone know that I’ve moved and what happened.  I have also been to a couple of gay blog search engines and listed both of my blogs.  One place wouldn’t take my adult blog because it said the site was responding that it had been temporarily moved.  That’s what Google/Blogger does.  They move blogs they are shutting down to a sandbox location where only they can get to them.  Everyone on the outside gets the sorry but we can’t find that blog message.  Tonight I went to one of my regulars and was prompted to login to Blogger.  I suppose they shut that one down or are in the process of doing so.

In the job hunt, all is quiet at the moment.  I answered a couple more ads tonight but things have really slowed down.  I have made my quota for unemployment, which is good but I really want to maximize the contact I have so I can increase my chances of getting a job.  Me and My guy talked today about the interview I went on earlier this week.  He really has his heart set on this one and thinks that I am going to get it.  I told him not to be too dead set on it.  Typically once I get that way I only have to face rejection.  I think they were really impressed by me and they are seriously considering making me an offer, but that is all speculation on my part.  I won’t know until I hear back from them.  Waiting is the hardest part of the job search.  I’m getting a little more used to it but I still don’t like it.  Being all keyed up on pins and needles just isn’t a way to live.  I also learned not to spend money counting on an offer, because if that offer doesn’t come you won’t have the money to pay the bills.  Now more than ever that is so important since I am on a cash only basis.  Not having credit does bother me but it also prevents me from falling into a trap of another mountain of debt.

Time to wrap it up here and start my night time chores.  I made it to bed last night before my partner and that is a very rare thing.  I also slept way longer than he did. Who knows what will happen tonight.  I am looking forward to watching some TV and not thinking about anything, just enjoying the company of the kids.

Have a good night.  Talk with you peeps later.