24 January 2009

I am a serious 'holic':

workaholic
newsaholic
weatheraholic
forumaholic

Please make note of my reluctance to call myself a work/news/weather junkie. Eeeeew, who wants to be known as a junkie?? 'Holic is much more socially acceptable.

Yesterday afternoon my workaholism was officially placed into involuntary rehab-although I am the quintessential Employers dream-salaried-the so-called youngr&wisr PTB (Powers That Be) cut me off.

No longer will I be permitted to come in at 0600 and work until 1800 or 1900; no, I must cool my heels until my newly assigned assistant drags in at 0730. When she lunches from 1200 to 1230, I must also, and when she departs at 1600 so must I. And with only rare exceptions, weekends are also now OUT for time to get things done at the office.

OK, no problem, maybe I can find a second job. I'm thinking maybe laundry and housekeeping work that has been sorely delayed around The Tin Shack, LOL.


RighteeO, now I get to feed my other 'holisms, namely news and weather. YIPPEE!

Once upon a time I favoured (heavily) CNN for must-have-news. But ya know, MSNBC has really done magnificent things with their site, and I am now clicking on that link first thing after the "Jeez How Much Longer Is This Boot-Up Gonna Take?!" permits me to avail myself of the lightening fast Internet speed of my Internet provider. I could spend all day on the MSNBC site.

With only one annoying exception. OMGosh, when are they gonna cut the Today Show death trap?? I am really bent when TTS hijacks me to the hideously slow/totally useless fluff site, but I have those r*tB*st*rds-I just snap up to the MSNBC logo and click back to reality. Hmmmm, that logo is getting smaller and harder to find...

I have two primary weather sites, TWC of course, and NOAA. 'Nuff said:)

I am trying to break my very serious forum addiction (Hello, My name is Fox's Mom and I am addicted to on-line forums), recognized when I spent at least 80% of my recent holiday (twelve days, sigh) toggling back and forth between three of my favourites. Frugality, TEOTWAWKI, and Tin Shacks.

Signs of the times, I guess, how to save money while prepping for the end of the known world in a Tin Shack. Kind of a Low-Rent Survivalism, huh?

Maybe I'll sign up for the Cat Lovers forum instead.

Have a great weekend!

17 January 2009

So far I still have a job. Dunno for how long, things are bleak all over.

Yeah, word for the day, month, hell, maybe year, is: BLEAK

I went back to work and have been there pretty much straight through, with quick/brief time-outs to run home for what amounts to a nap-quick shower-change clothes-feed cats-go back.

I thought I'd discovered the perfect quick lunch/snack in low-sodium Ritz Cracker & peanut butter sandwiches until I read the MSNBC news post that the FDA is advising people not to eat peanut butter until they figure out how widespread the salmonella contamination is.

Figures.

Life is rough and becoming more so. I'm finding it quite difficult not to want to shred Crusty for everything he did to ensure that Fox and me would have a terrible time in the coming onslaught, the one I warned him was coming back in '98 and he was furious with me for keeping him out of a sub-prime mortgage and investing the retirement fund in the stock market.

I try very hard not to think about it, but frankly, times like this, when I am sitting here in a near freezing tin shack clinging to the side of a North Georgia mountainside, well, it is damn near impossible.

We were in good financial shape-if he'd been a real man Fox and I would have been OK after the divorce, but of course, a real man wouldn't have needed to use threats of physical violence against me and Fox to keep me from grabbing the kid and running. A real man would have listened before Fox was a glimmer in his father's eye when I said-"No, you're getting too serious, I don't want to marry you, or even date you; a real man would not have pointed a loaded .41 mag to keep me from leaving, and a real man would not have needed a Q'Lude to drug me into bed, but there you go, Crusty was not, is not, and never will be, a real man.

He used to try to say he was a bad machine, a mad dog. Right. Not a viable excuse.

IT IS COLD! My toes are encased in tights, thick socks, AND fake-fur lined boots, yet are still cold.

Last night I huddled on the bed under several blankets while the radiator struggled to keep the house at 50F-oh yeah, thanks ever so, Crusty, you rat s*it bast*rd, where ever you are.

PS, you dirtball-I'm still waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay happier sitting here worrying about my job-rent-car-Fox than I ever was married to you!

Ain't life grand?

05 January 2009

Well, holiday over. I am back to work in the morning-if the job is still there, sheesh!

The news from anywhere is pretty bad. Not much of anything coming up, well, optimistic. So considering everything, I am more than a little worried about my job being there for me in the morning, and I worry like this every night as I try to drift into sleep.

Friday night I had the "Oh hell, what do I do if I lose my job" middle of the night shakes so badly I didn't fall asleep until 0400.

All the positive self talk in the world is not helping (blah, blah, blah, yadda, yaddah...).

Knowing I am one of millions worried does not help one whit because this little bit of misery is vehemently opposed to loving company-"G'WAN, Gid'oudda'here!" I'm just not into feeling better seeing others suffer.

So, we'll see. Obviously, I was unable to find other work over my first holiday in nearly three years. I don't really want to because I like my work but holy moly do I have say that with this economy even if I hated my job I would do everything I could to hang on to it.

Happy New Year, here's hoping 2009 turns out to be fine.