Wednesday Morning

Well, my new company truck is ready to roll. Got the new ladder rack installed.

I got the exhaust leak on my personal truck fixed, and found out that I'm sucking air from the gasket under the carburettor. Tightened it down, but I'm going to need a new gasket. The transmission is leaking a little around the pan also. The truck sounds real good. Found two vacuum leaks and plugged them, maybe that will fix the cold-start and idling problem. Will find out this morning when I fire it up cold. I really just took it in to get the oil changed since I'm 2000 miles overdue, but since I had a captive mechanic; I used the time to have him look over a bunch of stuff for me. (I'm so sneaky sometimes.) It's overdue for the inspection sticker also. Need to get that done before I get a ticket.
I rebuilt the carburettor on the lawnmower and it runs perfectly. Just needs an air filter now and it's ready to roll. I may tackle the rebuild of my truck's carburettor also. It's been a number of years since I rebuilt a quadrajet, but I think I still remember how. I just need a picnic table and some peace and quiet on a sunny afternoon. I can't have the truck down for more than a day, so I'd have to remove it, rebuild it, and replace it in one day. I remember it took me two days last time, but that was the first time I'd ever done it, and setting the floats was tricky. No room for mistakes this time.
I don't have to be at work until 8:00 this morning, but I went to bed early so I'm up early. I'm just sitting around drinking coffee. I'll be nice and tanked up before I get there.
You have a great day.
MsAmber

Weird.

I paid my Sprint bill over the phone like I usually do. Something strange is going on there. I used to pay $120.00 month for my air card and my phone bill. All throughout the month of January, it said I had a negative balance - meaning they owe me - of $60.00. I paid $120.00 on the 30th of December. Then it kept saying that I had a negative balance, and just now my bill was $74.00 due on March 4. What happened to January's bill? How did I get a credit? Why has my bill dropped significantly?
I don't get the paper bills, I have them sent to my Dad's house. I should probably ask him to send my mail to me here so I can see what's going on with Sprint. Not that I'm complaining; it's a wonderful thing to have a lower bill and to skip a month, but I don't understand how it happened: that's what's bugging me. I was thinking that maybe I airheaded out and paid Sprint twice in December. I do crazy stuff like that sometimes. (rarely).

Yesterday I actually got dispatched to jobs. My first one was a reconnect aerial and my second one was a trailer, which needed recabled inside also. I don't understand why our uniforms are light colored pants when we crawl under trailers and get dirty. We should wear dark brown or black pants. But it was fun. I handled that ladder just fine. It was all the way extended on a pole, and then I had to reach, and look into the sun. It always bugs me to be on a fully extended extension ladder, but soon it will just be habit. I can't wait. My shoulders were sore last night, so I went to bed early and put the concussive massager on my shoulders. I fell asleep with the massager on. I missed a lot of phone calls, didn't hear a thing.

I got the needle valve and seat for the lawnmower. As soon as it's warmer and/or I have the time, I'm going to rebuild the carburettor on the lawnmower. Spellcheck doesn't know how to spell carburettor. Therefor, neither do I. Carburettor, carburator, carbuerator, carbuerettor. Nah, nothing looks right except the first one. Eh, what the hell. You know what I'm saying anyway.

I gotta run through the shower now and get moving.
You have a great day.
MsAmber

It's Monday!

...and it's March.
I feel that spring is right around the corner.
I'm ready for spring. Gardening and playing in the dirt.
I'm going to fix up the shed and see if Rinea will let me store some stuff out there so I can empty out the back of my truck and take off the campershell. It's best for hauling dirt and stuff. I really want that shell off for a while, anyway.

I had a good dinner last night. I made a steak, mac-n-cheese, boiled okra-n-tomatoes, sliced kumquats with a sprinkling of sugar, and pink lemonaid. Oh it was delicious. I read an article yesterday that said drinking lemonaid with dinner was a good thing because it stimulates the digestive system and regulates acid production. I didn't know that, but I feel like it really works. I've been drinking pink lemonaid with my dinners for a couple of months now and I haven't been bothered by my stomach. I just thought I was finally getting better and the ulcer problem is going away. I may have stumbled upon a permanent cure for my stomach issues. It made sense. Usually tomatoes kill me, as does peanut butter; salsa; cayenne pepper; soda; iced tea; greasy foods; etc, etc. A person who lives with constant stomach pain and suddenly finds it relieved is a very grateful person indeed. But still I'm leery. I don't know when (or if) it will pop up again. The article extolled the benefits of and listed 15 uses for lemon. It cures halitosis, eczema, bunions, insomnia, thirst, acne, the common cold, viruses, tonsillitis, whitens the teeth, sharpens the mind, and it's a pretty color too! ha ha haaaa.

Anyway, that was fun to write. I've got to run through the shower and get ready for work. You have a great day.
I know I will.
MsAmber

I got to play small-engine mechanic again.

I had fun yesterday. I took apart a lawnmower and got the engine un-seized, fuel cleaned out, oil changed, everything greased. Then I discovered that the needle valve was clogged. Of course I damaged the valve seat in the process, but I got the mower running. I need to get a carb-rebuild kit, or just a needle valve and seat. I bought a new fuel hose for it. I would like to scrape off the rust and hit it with some rustoleum also. I went around looking for a valve seat and couldn't find one anywhere. The one small-engine repair shop closed at noon. I'll catch them this week and see if I can't get one.
The mower sat outside for a few years. Yeah. Rust city. Smelly water in the tank and the oil was as thick as tar... Gross.
I had fun though. I just love a puzzle.

The dogs are doing wonderfully in their new home. I moved across town to a nice housing district. Inside a fenced-in yard. The boys don't have to be tied up any more. They were getting used to it, but now they are thrilled with their freedom. Spot doesn't carry-on like he used to. I've pretty much put the kibosh on his barking.

Yesterday got real windy, and the temperature dropped to cold last night. There is a little frost on my northern windows this morning. Glad I refilled my propane tank on Friday. The other tank went empty on Saturday morning. Talk about timing...

My new friend/landlady and I have a lot in common. We won't really get a chance to bond until probably next weekend or so. But we both have a creative spirit, we are both in survival mode, and we like naturalistic and aesthetic things. We've got some gardening to do... woo hoo.

There is a tree full of ripe kumquats outside my window right now. I'm going to look up some good things to do with them. Waste not... want not.

You have a great day.
MsAmber

Brick Walls.

I seem to have a propensity for finding and hitting my head against brick walls. I'm not necessarily paranoid: the world really is out to stop me from doing what I want. Some companies won't call me back, and I naturally assume that it's because I'm a woman. That's not my imagination, it's (unfortunately) a reality in this business. When I opened my checking account, they offered me a line of credit for overdraft protection. I declined: saying I would never need it. Now, I ask for a small personal loan and they reject me, citing the bankruptcy in 2003. I inquired about a pink-slip loan on the truck-title and it was rejected because the truck is too old.
I partially feel that this is God's intervention. He doesn't want me to pursue the loan avenue, but to continue to make it on my piddling little paychecks. I don't disagree, but it would sure make things easier if I could catch up on my bills with a small loan that I could make payments on.

At work, the silly truck still isn't ready. Three weeks' worth of training pay. Gosh that just kills me. Nobody can make it on training pay.
Again, God just wants me to work it out. No pain, no gain. Struggling is good for the soul, and poverty looks real good on me; I'm losing weight from eating rice with fish and drinking black coffee or Koolaid.

Today is my 14,000th day of life. That's a cool mile-marker. I'm going to have a good day today. I really shouldn't worry so much about money. It's JUST money. They'll print more. Keep working, and things will work out. My DailyOM sent a timely message today:

Bad days contribute to the people we become. Though we may feel discouraged and distressed on our bad days, a bad day can teach us patience and perseverance. It is important to remember that your attitude drives your destiny and that one negative experience does not have to be the beginning of an ongoing stroke of bad luck. A bad day is memorable because it is one day among many good days – otherwise, we wouldn’t even bother to acknowledge it as a bad day. Know too, that everybody has bad days, you are not alone, the world is not against you. Tomorrow is guaranteed to be a brighter day.

Okay, well that's about right. I must agree and keep on "persevering".
You have a great day.
MsAmber

Fat Tuesday.

Final day of Mardi Gras is here.
I've got to go take a look at a place to move my RV this morning.
Also, since we haven't made it to any of the parades, we are definitely going to find one today.
Gotta go.

You have a great day.
MsAmber

Awww. Monday already?

But Mo-om, I don't wanna go to school!

Actually, the schools are closed. Most of the restaurants are closed. This is still Mardi Gras. Monday and Fat Tuesday are the big days. We still have to go to work, though. I wonder if the truck got the ladder rack finished?

A guy in Opelousas will set up another RV parking spot for me. I need to go look at it and see if I want to stay there. I should call him today and do that. I've been looking for a permanent place to set up and live. Opelousas is north of Lafayette, about the same distance away as Abbeville is south. There is a real lack of RV parking in Lafayette and I really need shade. I can't put this thing on an open parking lot in the summer- it would be too hot.

I took Tony on a driving tour yesterday. We went all the way across the Creole Scenic highway and I showed him all the damage from Rita. Had the darnedest time finding an open restaurant for dinner. Everything closes on Sunday. Not just this Sunday during Mardi Gras, but every Sunday. This is a very Catholic area. You would have to experience it to know what I'm talking about. Even the smallest towns have two Catholic churches. Usually one for the wealthy, and one for the rest of us.

Well, I have to get ready for work. Hopefully today is payday! Yay.
Have a great day.
MsAmber

Mardi Gras - Country Style

Tony came down to go to Mardi Gras with me. We looked through the local papers and found that St. Martinsville was having a traditional Grande Bouchiere (butchery). So, we went. There was food and live music, and a live pig which was publicly slaughtered (eww, gross). There was dancing and drinking, I took a bunch of pictures. I saw a couple of people dancing that just tickled me to death, so I took their pictures and asked them for their email address. I've already received a "thank you" reply.
Today we are going to find a parade to get beads!
I'm glad Tony came down. I wouldn't have made it to any festivities if he hadn't. I don't have the gas to waste. The lady who I sent the pictures to invited us to go to Henderson tonight for dancing. We just might do that, but first I have to convince Tony to get out there and dance. I'm fairly shy, but he's worse.
When we got back to the trailer at 6:00 pm, it started to rain. Perfect timing.
I cooked boudin for dinner. Oh that's some good stuff. Pork sausage with rice stuffed in a casing. You just boil it. We figured out that you can just squeeze it out of the casing onto bread and spread it like deviled ham and make a sandwich. You are supposed to be able to eat the casing, but for some reason I chewed and chewed and couldn't break it down enough to swallow. So I decided just to eat the sausage out of the casing. Works for me. I had no idea it was so good. I also ate fried alligator at the St. Martinsville festival.

Yesterday we took the dogs on the nature trail. Everything was going fine except that I had to keep untangling the dogs. They are on separate ends of the same leash. So finally I just took Megabyte off the leash and let Spot drag the leash around. That worked good until Spot decided to run and play a little game of "can't catch me". I chased his scrawny little butt all the way back to the trailer. I couldn't even get close enough to step on the leash. Little Shit!
From now on: they are staying tethered together. At least Meg minds, so he can keep Spot from running off.

Well, gotta get ready to head downtown for the parades.
You have a great day!
MsAmber

Had a dialogue with the boss.

I asked the boss for some time and I drew my diagram of the alarm/dialtone/backfeeding issue. He actually listened. Wow.
He told me that the guys admitted that they didn't understand the instructions given before about backfeeding, and asked me to give a little class on Wednesday.
My Pleasure! That makes me so happy that he understood what I was trying to tell him. I was so worried about being shot down that I almost didn't speak to him about it. I'm glad I made myself do it.

Well, it's officially Mardi Gras weekend. I didn't get paid on Friday. Some stupid little problem at corporate. They fired their payroll company and decided to issue checks which will be fed-exed to the office by noon on Monday. This put a hurt on everyone, but it really messed me up. I don't have any gas in my truck and no money to do anything at Mardi Gras. At least the parades are free. I asked the campground host if I could borrow a bicycle. He's looking for one to loan me.

I have plenty of rice and coffee though! lol

Have a great weekend.
MsAmber

Yaaay. It's Friday.

I did four jobs yesterday. I wasn't fast. The first job was running a two pole span, then afterwards a big big house with phone. The big house with phone is the one that gave me the most challenge. The thing that concerns me is that we aren't doing backfeeding with alarms correctly.
The alarm jack is designed to bring in dialtone on the r/g pair and then send it through the circuit board and feed it back out to the bk/y pair to feed the rest of the house. We put a modem in a bedroom and feed dialtone onto the pair which is out of the alarm. So essentially we are sending dialtone after the alarm instead of before it. It seems to work, and the alarm test comes back fine, but I know in my addled little brain that it isn't correct. I wonder how it will affect the alarm in the future? What side effects will it have? I'm speaking of houses that are wired 'daisy-chained'.
I think I will have a dialog with an alarm technician about this.
Maybe I will apply to an alarm company for a job to work for a while when I'm done playing with cable tv. The problem is: I can't prove that it will affect the alarm negatively, and the technicians I work with can't grasp what I'm trying to explain, and in their opinion it works, so why am I "overthinking" it?
I must research this a little more. I can't even go to my boss over this, he wouldn't listen, and there really isn't anything he would do about it anyway. I would simply be frustrating him (as I seem to have a knack for).
When I go to the alarm company, I won't tell them who I am, I will simply ask for an engineer and then a white board to draw on. I will explain the situation and ask for his opinion.
Yeah, maybe I will stay out of trouble?
Then again, maybe I will stir up a hornets' nest. That could be fun too, and there's no shelter for the fallout.
Ah.
Have a great day.
MsAmber

It's Thursday. One more day.

...till payday.

I've got to rant a little. It's not really my style to publicly complain about my boss but this one's a real gem.
On Saturday, my day off, he called and asked me to come to his office. I drove to the shop, thinking it was important, and found that I was there to pick up my two roses that he had bought for us female employees for Valentine's Day. So, it cost me $6 in gas to pick up two roses. This guy doesn't even know how I feel about roses, and it cost me a full round trip's worth of gasoline during a time when I can least afford it. Yesterday, Wednesday, is usually the day off except soon we will start working on Wednesdays. We all had to come in dressed for work just to attend a meeting and get the serial numbers off our company-issued tools. Then go home. Every morning that we DO have work, we must arrive at 7:30 and wait, and wait, and wait until we are dispatched. Usually not leaving the shop until between 8:30 to 9:00 to go do our tickets. It seems he has no regards for our time.
I was in "training" for the first week. Basically there is no training. Just ride around and work with somebody to see how it's supposed to be done. Paperwork and such. My truck still isn't ready to roll, so I'm on my second week of "training". Besides it's killing me financially - I've spent as much on gas as I have earned - I signed a contract stating that if I don't work for them, I owe my training pay back to them. I've signed so many things explaining their fines, penalties, and reasons to take money away. Then I'm told that the handbook is for the Atlanta employees. They don't do drug testing, the pay scale as described is for the Atlanta employees, we are on the "point" system: but there is no document to explain what the points mean as far as pay. Our best techs are making only about $700/wk and our weakest techs are making about $300/wk.
I've been yelled at twice by the boss for nothing. I told him that the truck I have been issued is 6700 miles overdue for it's oil change. Later I mentioned it in front of his boss and he yelled at me that I've told him that already. Well, that was last Friday and the oil still hasn't been changed. Yesterday during the meeting, I asked where Jherric was and he yelled at me that he "doesn't need any help", and looked me straight in the face and repeated himself again - loudly.
I was still so mad when I went to bed last night that I had all kinds of violent dreams. Not only is yelling at me inappropriate and disrespectful, but I haven't actually started working there yet. I'm still just hanging around waiting for my truck.
I guess I'm used to working with professionals. People who can eloquently get their point across. This guy's gonna drive me to drinking. He's a big, random-headed bully, that's what.

Well, I've got to run through the shower.
Have a great day.
MsAmber

Wednesday in Lafayette

They put a new windshield in my Ranger (company truck) yesterday.

I rode with Leon and we got our jobs done just fine. There was no ladder work, it was two apartments and a great big house. Pretty easy day, except for the waiting.

Gosh, I can't wait for Friday - payday. I'm so broke I can't pay attention. Though I'm sure this first paycheck will be quite disappointing. Minimum wage X 44 hours.

I made fried potatoes, eggs, bacon and toast for dinner last night. Invited over my new friends. They are a transient couple in a tent two spaces down from me. They walked in carrying their tent. The guy goes to the day-labor place every morning at 4:00. I don't have much, but I'm willing to share what I do have. Tonight I'm making sloppy joes and cool-aid.

It's time to run through the shower, I gotta go.

You have a great day.
MsAmber

Ah, it's Tuesday.

I got my new company truck yesterday. It's 6,700 miles overdue for it's oil change and the ladder rack is broken. I got it all organized and put my tools inside. I'm ready for some tickets! I got a Blackberry issued to me also.

I was wondering which truck I would get, and then yesterday they fired a kid. Apparently on Saturday, he got into an accident in one of the other trucks; that sealed his fate. I always feel bad when somebody loses their job. He was a nice kid. So I got his Ford Ranger and phone. It's shorter than the rest of the trucks, so I won't need a ladder to reach my ladders. Ha ha ha.

I exchanged my Tom Tom for a new one that has a pre-loaded map. I'm just going to use it this way until I can take my laptop to work and hook up to the network to download the newest map. I attempted the download three times with my Sprint Mobile Broadband (broadband my ass), and each time the file was corrupted. I still need the newest updates, but it will have to wait. I need the GPS working now.

I gotta finish getting ready for work and walk the dogs before I go.

You have a great day.
MsAmber

I bought my Tom Tom . . .

I was downloading the newest maps of the US and Canada. It had 16 hours left to go and I went to bed. Sometime in the night the power went out. I am hoping that it has a "resume" feature, otherwise it will take 26 hours and start all over.
So, I need to get off this computer and let it do it's thing.

Have a great day!

MsAmber

Urg. It's Saturday and I gotta go to work.

Please don't make me go to work today...

I had asked Nate about letting me have today off to take care of some business, since I'm still just a trainee and I have no real responsibilities. He never answered me. I just called in and left a message. If he really wants me to come in, I will. If not, I won't.

Hey, it's Valentine's Day. I'm going to go buy a GPS today and do my laundry. (That is: IF I have the day off.) I also have to find the campground manager and force him to take my money. (yeah, right!) I should also check the fluids in my truck today. It was running a little hot when it was dragging the trailer up here.

I stood up from the bent-over position next to a door-knob, and somehow I got my hip caught under the door-knob and it bruised me pretty good. I'm still not sure how I could get my hip (butt) under a door-knob, but I assure you that's what happened. Hurt like hell, it did...

The attitude I'm getting at work is that I have been labelled: "Cool, for an older lady." The boys have warmed up to me pretty good, and they've been fairly receptive and helpful to me. They are all good boys. A little rough around the edges sometimes, but I see good in all of them. There are no poison apples in this bunch, which makes me feel better and not so intimidated. I'm used to being a project manager and a teacher, now the kids are teaching me. It's cool. I like it. I told them to talk slowly to me like I'm a foreigner, because I need to tune my ears to the french accent. They laugh about that. One of them has been to Oklahoma before and he exclaimed that he couldn't deal with that place.
On that same note: besides the accent being so heavy, I've noticed the cadence of speech is like reading run-on sentences. You can't tell when one sentence has ended and the next is starting. I'm having quite the time learning to listen.

Well, I gotta go run through the shower.

You have a great day. I know I will.

MsAmber

A good day.

I had a pretty good day yesterday. I went to work with Jherric, he's a nice young kid who had the highest score on his QC's (quality controls). It got real interesting at our last install which had a huge ant mound inside the pedestal, and the undersides of the trailer were torn up and there was garbage underneath. I got filthy. Jherric got stung by a yellowjacket on the back of his head. It was a funny way to end the day. We cracked up and just had a good time working all day.

I was feeling a little crampy all day, couldn't figure it out. It's not my time of the month... or is it? Yep. It is my time of the month. Two weeks early by my calculations. I guess hard work brought it on. It also explains my grumpy demeanor.

Jherric was also nice enough to compromise on the music selections. He played Reggae all day. We started out listening to Ludacris, and I mentioned that I have a hard time making out the words, so he changed the cd to reggae and we listened to that all day. That was sweet, and pretty cool in my book. He's got a daughter on the way next month, I must remember to send his wife a baby present.

Gosh I still have a hard time with the extension ladder. Carrying it and setting it up and taking it down. They are damn heavy. It's going to take me a while to build my upper body strength. I got up on the line and changed out the connector, added the tags, and torqued it back on. I wasn't shaky, so that's good. Isn't there some other cheap alternative to a 28 foot extension ladder? No, climbing gaffs aren't appropriate, most of the connectors are three feet from the pole on the span. I wouldn't be able to reach. I just hope the messenger wires are strong enough, and the hooks in the poles are in good shape.

My my my.

You have a great day.
MsAmber

I got moved to Acadiana

Rent was due at the Abbeville park, so I had some decisions to make. It cost me $10/day to stay there plus $16/day to commute. By moving up here it will cost $13/day rent plus $5/day commute. So, I just saved $8/day or $48/wk.
Now I need to buy a GPS. I need a good deal on one. The cheapest one I can find, actually. Maybe the pawn shops would be a good place to go. I'll look. I understand I can buy a TomTom 1 for $128 at Wally World.

The dogs have been doing real good while I'm at work. They hold it all day. I need to decide when is a good time to start closing up the house and running the air conditioner versus letting the breeze blow through. I don't want them getting overheated in here, but it's not quite hot yet.

Spot had his first seizure on Tuesday night. It was very odd and worrisome. His seizure is like a full body cramp. His body was so tensed up and he was hard as a rock, like rigor mortis, and it lasted a full 5 minutes. Afterwards he shivered and shook, I just held him and petted him. The only information I can find on doggie seizures is epilepsy.

I gotta get ready for work.
You have a great day.
MsAmber

Putting in some long days.

This company is confusing.
It's not a 7:30 to 5:30 job. It's 7:30 till whenever you get finished.
I went with Jake yesterday and we did 6 jobs and got finished at 7:15 pm.
The work is not all that cerebral, but it is physical. I desperately need a GPS if I'm going to find my way around this new town. I'm still worried about my capability of handling that big extension ladder. I need to lift weights or something. I just don't have the leverage to pull it back when it's fully extended, especially in the wind.
I found out that we generally work Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and have Wednesdays and Sundays off. Until this week: now we are working Wednesdays and only have Sundays off. A six day work-week. Dammit. Did I mention that I'm not a 19 year old boy any more?
The one thing I'm going to have to get used to is not letting the customer talk me out of any work that is not billable. This work is also not for perfectionists like me. I need to have a dialog about that with the boss. It's ok to have the cables laying on the ground under houses, instead of securing them up like we always had to do in telephone work. I'm told that my work is supposed to be quick and dirty because I get paid by the job and I need to be fast.
That was one of the things I hated at my last job. I was forced to lower my standard of work at a couple of places and it irked me something fierce.

I called Tayla and made sure she was ok. I saw on the news that a tornado tore through Lone Grove and killed 14 people. So I called her at 6:45 this morning to make sure she got out ok. She went to her Mom's, so she's alright.

I gotta go to work now.
Have a great day.
MsAmber

Darn the extension ladders.

Ah. Yesterday was a long day. Didn't get done until 9 pm. I found out that the majority of these service calls I am to use a BIG yellow extension ladder, and hook it on the span. Yep.

I haven't done much work on extension ladders since my fall. I've done some, just to try and "get back on the horse", so to speak, but not extensively. Those muggers are a bear to move around. They weigh probably 80 pounds and they are huge. (sigh)
I'm going to get quite the workout moving it around and setting it up and taking it down, not to mention actually having to climb it while it is hooked onto spans of cables. Yeah, this is going to be fun.

This company has some strange ways. They don't issue a gas card. They act like they don't trust their employees. Currently there is an issue because they need to change the locks on all the truck beds - they are all keyed the same. Apparently that's a big deal, because techs steal from each other. This is a completely different culture than what I'm used to. I'm used to trust, and responsibility. All the trucks are new, but most have big dents and dingers in the bumpers or sides. They are being beat-the-hell-up.

Hmmm.

Have a great day, I gotta go to work.
MsAmber

I'm going to work!

Oh yeah, I'm going to work today!

I had a headache, so I took the benadryl with sinus headache stuff before I went to bed. It not only kicked my headache, but I slept like a baby.

Here's to hoping that Spot can handle himself during the day while I'm gone.

Got to run through the shower and get ready.
Have a great day.

MsAmber

What a night.

Sharri and I went out last night, and I ate raw oysters, stuffed shrimp, and a stuffed catfish roll. Really good stuff. I was so full, I could barely waddle. As soon as I got home I went to bed.

I had some of the weirdest, most vivid dreams last night.

I dreamed that my ex-husband came out of the bathroom completely naked. He put his hands on my shoulders and told me to sit down, he wanted to talk to me. I sat down. He squatted down in front of me - totally naked - and I was trying not to look. Because, you know, we're not married anymore. I was embarrassed and kept averting my eyes, and I have no idea what he was saying because I was so distracted by trying not to look.
Weird, huh? It was so real, that I woke up thinking he was here. I actually felt his hands on my shoulders and smelled Irish Spring soap.

I guess that's why the old timers tell you not to eat seafood before you go to bed.

I just got a picture message from my friend Mark, it shows a huge fire under a lot of trees and the subject says: "Help!" It's a great picture. I'm not sure how I could help. Blow on it maybe?

I've got to get dressed and go to the store. I need a few things.
Lunchmeat, bread, cheese, chips, potatoes, canned dog food, and TST for my septic.
I'm going to pack my lunches this week. Since I'm only making minimum wage for the first two weeks, I've calculated that it will cost me: 2.5 hours/day for gas, 2 hours/day for my lot rent here, 1 hour/day for taxes, which will leave me with only 2.5 hours/day for pay for the next two weeks. Yeah, packing my lunch is a necessity right now. I have to pay for Meg's dental care and my insurance is due again the first of March. Money will be tight, but not impossibly so.

Okay, got to get moving.
Have a great day.
MsAmber

I found a J-O-B.

Yesterday Atlantic Cable called and scheduled an interview for 1:00.
Then JB (the electrician) called me and said he has a cabling job for me on a weekend.

So, it looks like I've found an "in". I'm staying in this area after all.

I start my new job Monday morning at 7:30. I have to be in "training" for a couple of weeks at minimum wage, to learn how they do things and paperwork, but it's going to be fun. I'm going to be doing residential work again. I'm a little worried because of the energy level I will have to expend. This is the kind of work that I used to say: "I work like a 19 year old boy". Then a few years later I'd say: "I'm not a 19 year old boy anymore". Now I have to say: "I'm worth 2 19 year old boys". Yep, time to quit smoking if I'm going to keep up. It's all good. I'm in pretty good shape now, but I'll be in great shape by the end of the summer for sure!

My truck insurance has gone up $48.00 per 6 months. I called them and fussed about it, since I've never had an accident or made a claim and my truck is old, I don't deserve the rate increase. According to them: insurance rates in Louisiana are some of the highest since they've had so many claims to pay out. Well, what kind of sense does that make to have the highest rates in the poorest state? That means that people are going to start running without insurance because they can't afford it. I really wish the insurance companies would take a long walk off a short pier. At the very least, since insurance is mandatory, you should be able to write off your premiums on your taxes. I pay $908/yr on the trailer and $780/yr on the truck (minimum coverage). That's highway robbery!

It's that magical time of the morning when the sun comes up and the birds are singing. This morning there is no mist and I see a few clouds up above, but it's starting to get daylight. This is what time I must leave for work starting Monday. I'm going to miss sitting here watching the sunrise.

I will start looking for a place to park this rig in Lafayette. There aren't many RV parks in Lafayette, and most of them are booked up through the 23rd because of Mardi Gras. I might just stay right here for another month. The problem is that I have a 50 mile round trip just to get to work and back daily. That's a lot of gas in my truck, actually it will be about 8 gallons a day. Yeah, really. Wish I could write THAT off on my taxes.

I just had a thought: an invention. For mail carriers and utility workers and others who are at risk for dog bites. A protective sheath for the calves that send out an electric shock if a dog bites you. Like a neoprene sleeve that you pull on over your calves, under your pants. When it's punctured by a salivating dog, it will zap the shit right out of the dog.

Okay, it probably wouldn't work. But the idea of it just makes me laugh, imagine the surprise on the dog's face when it realizes it just bit into an electric eel.

You have a great day.
MsAmber

Good news:

I got my check today. Woo Hoo.
I made my trailer payment, I have two full tanks of gasoline, and I've done all my laundry (except the sheets and towels), and I'm ready to r-u-n-n-o-f-t.
I'm still going to hang around here until the 11th, but I'm feeling good about it.

Poor Spot was coughing all morning - starting at about 4:00 am. I took the boys for a walk at 6 and he's settled down now.

I've sure got the toots this morning. I'm just about ready to tune it up and play a fart song. Wa ha ha. (We all know how much I like fart jokes.)

Today I shall shampoo the carpets, change the sheets, and get kosherized for the Sabbath. There's not much left to organize, I've just about got all my ducks in a row finally. It sure would be nice to win the lottery, but unfortunately you have to play to win and I'm not spending any money...

Use it up,
wear it out,
make it do, or...
do without.

I like my life. It's a real hoot (or is it a toot?).

I borrowed the movie: Team America, World Police. It's a puppet movie and it's rated PG13, but it probably should be rated R. Gosh it was hilarious. There was a puppet sex scene that just killed me. I laughed so hard that coffee came out my nose.

It's so beautiful here in the morning. My desk faces East and I get to watch the sun come up through the trees, while I blog with my cup of coffee to my right and my ashtray on the left. The window is open and the curtains are pulled back. It's perfect for stimulating the imagination or giving one a sense of belonging with nature. The birds are singing just for me at this hour. I don't see anyone else usually, maybe a stray dog walker here and there, but mainly it's just me. The squirrels are playing 'round and 'round the trees, and everything is surrounded by a light wispy mist. I think I shall always try to make this window face the East from now on. It has brought me a lot of pleasure. It's also probably the reason that I'm blogging so much, I enjoy sitting here in the morning now.

It's supposed to get near 70 degrees today, I'm opening up the house to air it out and enjoy the day.

You have a great day.
Toots.
MsAmber

Could you hear my nickles screaming yesterday?

I ran out of propane and used up all my charcoal, so I counted out all my change. I had $16.95 (not including pennies). So I went to the propane place and the price for a 30# tank refill was $24. I asked the man there if we could just fill it halfway, because I have no heat and I can't even cook. Another customer who was in line asked the guy how much more I needed and he handed the man $10. I looked him straight in the eyes and said "Thank you, very much." Then I had enough change left over to buy a dozen eggs and a half-gallon of milk.

Gosh I hope my check comes in tomorrow. I'm doing alright. It wasn't the end of the world to run out of propane, but I'm very grateful to the stranger for helping me out.
That was really cool.

I emptied out and wiped down the cupboards yesterday. I made a couple of half-shelves and reorganized all the food. Then I sat down to check my email and a woodpecker flew in the door. I had to catch him before he hurt himself slamming into the windows and walls. It sure was a beautiful bird. I caught him up and let him out. He didn't sustain any injuries, thankfully.

It's so nice to be warm finally. It was 52 degrees in here this morning, so I got dressed in my longsleeve shirt, jeans, socks, and shoes. Then it dawned on me: Hey, I've got propane, turn on the heat. So I just did. It took all of 10 minutes to get it up to 65 degrees in here. Now maybe the electric heater can keep it that way. It dipped down to 30 last night, so I guess the electric heater did work it up about 20 degrees or so.

Spot still coughed most of the night. He's sleeping peacefully in here now. I wonder if it's the cold that sets off his coughing spells. It's settled down now that it's warm in here. Hmmmm. Interesting. Either that: or he's just coughed out for a while. Poor boy. He stuck to me like glue yesterday. Had to be touching me or watching me every moment. He didn't bark at passing vehicles either.

Well, I'm gonna get productive.
You have a great day,
MsAmber

Almost done organizing...

Today is the pantry. Maybe the closet also.
It's cold in here today, so I have both electric heaters running. I popped the outside breaker once already this morning, so I have to keep them both on low.

Spot is coughing this morning. It started at about 4:00 am. He coughs until he pukes then he settles down for a few minutes and then starts back up. Interesting though, when I took him out to walk, he didn't cough. He is only coughing while inside the trailer. I don't know what his problem is... but I'm glad Meg isn't doing it too.

I read in the news that Myspace and the Attorney General corroborated to match up the sex offender registry with Myspace accounts and 90,000 Myspace accounts were shut down. There are 170 million people with Myspace accounts and 90,000 of them were registered sex offenders. I think that calculates to 1 in 2000 pages. Mind you: that only includes Registered Sex Offenders. Most sexual predators have yet to be caught or incarcerated or registered. These are just the guys who have been caught in the past and done time for being a sexual predator. I'm betting that less than half of all the sexual predators have actually been caught and registered. That's a conservative figure, so you can extrapolate from that a number nearer to 180,000 sexual predators on Myspace. Yeah, scary. I'll bet I've run into several and didn't even know, what with games like "buy your friends" and "Mobsters" which make you have contact with people generally outside your circle. Also, having a public profile makes you searchable by anyone. "Hmmm. Let's look for a female, age 18, in Guyman Oklahoma..." (Knowing that all the little girls like to change their ages so they can have public profiles.) It's not just a risk for little girls either. Most adult women throw caution to the wind because they are confident that "it won't happen to them".
Okay, I'm done with my rant. I just got a little spooked when I read the news and saw the numbers. It's all a numbers game and the odds are getting worse every day.
How often do you roll a 6?

It's cold outside, but the sun is shining, so I just pulled back the curtains to let the sun shine in, maybe it will help it warm up in here. It's 58 degrees inside. I've already showered, blow-dried and put on makeup. I'm bundled up in a long sleeve shirt with a sweater.

You have a great day.
MsAmber

Dang, It's chilly this morning.

I sure made a mess in here yesterday.
I started out cleaning under the bed. I have that green tupperware tub I was telling you about - full of miscellaneous gels, lotions, hair potions, and old prescription bottles, etc. I sorted that out, then I pulled everything out of the cabinet under the sink, and sorted that stuff. Then I pulled everything out of the hatches that line the ceiling in the livingroom - made some files and sorted everything into files. Well, almost everything. I have a file for: dogs; camper; truck; insurance; taxes & credit reports; and instruction/warranty manuals. Everything else is piled here on my desk. I have certificates, Bicsi correspondence, IBEW correspondence, old invoices, security clearances, timesheets, cheat sheets, old notebooks, clipboards, empty folders, and other non-fileable junk. (sigh)

I'm not done yet... I do intend on getting completely organized. It's the least I can do since I'm not employed. I have "collector" t-shirts taking up precious drawer space. I might go guerrilla on my clothing today and take out the unwearables. I really need to clean out and wipe down my pantry also. Since the sun is shining I also need to string my clothesline and wash my delicates. Now that I have my day planned out, it's time to say goodbye on here and get to it!
Goodbye.

You have a great day.
MsAmber

I've made a decision...

Abbeville isn't going to work out for me. I'm moving the rig to Baton Rouge.
I've applied at 5 different companies in the Baton Rouge area and I feel that it has the best prospects.
I'm going to hold off until the middle of next week and probably hitch up on Wednesday, Feb 11, 2009. Baton Rouge is not very far away from Abbeville, but it is considerably more populated, and I see a lot more help-wanted ads, especially in the technical fields. Shoot, it's only 60 miles from Lafayette. I can handle that. Now, to find an RV park to move into.
I have a lot of research to do, so this is a short post.
More tomorrow...

You have a great day.

MsAmber

Sunday, January 31, 2009

Battlestar Galactica was in my mailbox. Thanks again, Rob.
I watched the first DVD yesterday. I need to make myself watch only one episode per day to stretch it out. It's just so thrilling. Starbuck Rocks, dude!

Today is cloudy and chilly. That's a shame because I was planning on running my clothesline outside and washing my delicates today. I do not want to waste my money at the laundromat.

I've been putting off organizing under the bed. I really need to do that soon. I think I will make myself tackle it today. I have a green tupperware tub full of toiletries - first-aid stuff and makeup and miscellaneous bottles of womanly goop, I need to re-integrate that into my cabinets so it can be used-up.

Ah, here's the rain. It sounds lovely, makes me want to go back to bed so I can enjoy it. No, I'm on my second pot of coffee so I'll just enjoy it awake.

One of the ways in which I'll cut back on smoking is to make myself only smoke outdoors. The problem is: I cheat.
I have the ashtray outside beside the steps and the cigarettes are next to the door, so I will make myself abide by the new rule today. That's a start.
I can do this...

You have a great day!
MsAmber

Everything's gonna be fine...

I evaluated my finances and it appears as though I'm going to be just fine.
I found that I overpaid on Sprint last month - I paid twice - so I have a credit there. I've been overpaying on my RV every month - so my bill this month is only half of what it normally would be.
Rent at this RV park is fairly low - I could find a cheaper spot however and save another $100.
So, I have all my bills covered. There is no money for extras, but I can make it work.

I saw a poem:
Use it up.
Wear it out.
Make it do, or...
Do without.

I got spoiled by being able to just run to Wal-Mart anytime I needed something. I am now stretching my nickles until they squeal. It's all good. I feel like I'm getting back to my roots. I remember a time in the distant past when I pulled the back seat out of my car looking for spare change for gasoline... Yeah.

I feel skinny. I may not look skinny yet, but my jeans are saggy and falling off so I feel hopeful. This is exactly what I needed in my life to get back to my old self again.

Rob sent me his copies of Battlestar Galactica: season 1, 2, and 2.5. I'm going to run to the post office this morning and hope that it's there.

I feel downright happy. I'm relaxed and I have a permanent smile on the sides of my mouth.

I went visiting to the neigbors' with both dogs on the leash. I made them both sit by my side while we chatted. They did exactly that. I got a lot of complements on the good behavior of my boys. Spot is still wary of strangers, so I have to warn people that he bites, but they still insist on getting near him. He's very possessive of me and won't let anyone near. Meg just sits there and stares at me. He won't let me out of his sight. People have been amazed that Meg watches my every move, waiting for his next instruction. Yeah, my boys are good. If I could only break Spot from barking I'd have it made. I'm working on it. The neighbor wants to hire me to train her dog. I don't know... it's an 80 pound Malamute/Boxer mix who is only a year old. I could teach her a few things, but getting her worn out so that I have her attention might be a little tricky. She has a lot of energy, and she has to be on a logging chain because she is so strong. I told the neighbor that I would work with her for free a little bit, but no promises.
First - I need to get the neighbor to stop yelling. The dog should listen and obey at a whisper. Authority is silently earned, sometimes with a well-timed little kick though. I really hate it when people yell, and yell, and yell, the same commands over and over, while the dog ignores. A dog needs to hear and obey a normal command given in a normal tone immediately. It's not the neighbor's fault, that's just her way, but now I've got to show the dog that I'm serious without raising my voice. It just raises the challenge level a little. No biggie.

I guess I just don't like yelling.

Well, I'm going to run to the Post Office now before the guy leaves at noon. I think the package may be bigger than my box, so he will be holding it behind the counter.

You have a great day!

MsAmber

Wow, what a wonderful surprise.

I took Megabyte to the vet for his checkup - the vet wanted to see if the antibiotics were working, and I was greeted with some amusement in the eyes of the front-desk girls. It seems a certain guardian angel sent money and a letter to the vet clinic.
The letter referred to Meg as "The Stud", which I found funny when the girls asked me: "Did ya'll used to call him Stud?" The vet said: "It sounds like he misses the dog more than he misses you." The clinic had received the letter and the money and passed it around to everyone to read, they got quite the kick out of it, and they mounted it right inside the folder for Megabyte so it will always be there in front.
So, I have $100.00 credit in the Megabyte Pain Relief Fund. Thank you very much Rob. This means the world to me, and I'm sure Meg appreciates it too.
Anyway, Meg's infection is almost under control, there is still a little bit of redness, one more week of antibiotics. He actually caught a bone for the first time in years. I thought it was his eyes that kept him from catching, but it turns out that it was his mouth pain. I started him on HeartGuard to keep him from getting heartworms. He has another appointment next Thursday to prove that all the infection is gone, then we will tackle the dental work. Things are looking up.

I went and applied at Kaplan Telephone Company. I was intercepted by the front desk personnel and made to fill out an application. Is it just me: or does it seem futile to fill out applications when all the information is already included in my resume? It seems as though they just want you to sit and write stuff down and hand it to them so you think that you might stand a chance. Actually, I bet half of the applications just wind up under a pile of papers and never get looked at. You can't get anyone to speak to you about your application so you don't know if you have a chance; if they are actively looking to hire; or if you are just wasting time. It's a pain. I'm qualified to be a field technician, or a secretary, or a project manager. Do they even know what position I'm looking for?
There is a position open to be a road warrior. It pays $30 - $50/hr depending on whether or not you negotiate travel pay. It would require me to keep a stock of cable and jacks on my truck. Unfortunately, that's not what I want to do. I'm tired of the travel aspect. I want to be home every night. Actually, I need to be home every night. Who else is going to take care of my boys? I'm not even considering it, but the shameful thing is: I could get that job and start immediately. Aargh.

It's Friday again. I'm going to clean house and get ready for the Sabbath. For someone who's trying to quit: I've been smoking like a fiend. Any day now I'll get sick of them and put cigarettes away for good. Besides, they stink; they're expensive; they are wrecking my lungs; and they weaken me by adding an addiction to my repertoire of bad habits.

The sun is shining and the birds are squawking. It's a little bit chilly outside, but I think it will warm up enough to open up the house and wipe down the walls and ceiling with Pine-sol. I do love the smell of clean.

You have a great day,
...and Rob: Thank You!

MsAmber

Yesterday's "Daily OM" reading

was about shedding the illusion of control and trusting in the universe to provide. I found it's timing ironic.
My best friend Lisa used to forward the "Daily OM" readings to me and I finally just subscribed to the mailing list. It used to be "Mountainwings" every day, but the "Daily OM" seems more my genre.

It's been three weeks since I put in for my "indefinite leave of absence". I'm rested up, and I've just about kicked the seasonal depression. I'm ready to get out there and be my radiant self again. I am feeling a little twinge of restlessness in my bones, and I wish I had the gas money to pick up and move this rig again. I'm not sure that Abbeville is the place for me. It's a little too closed-up - it has resisted every attempt I've made to break through. Even a small example: on the Abbeville news board there is a discussion thread and the current topic is whether or not Vermilion Parish should ban Pit Bull Terriers. I looked up the Abbeville statutes and expressed the opinion that the breed should not be banned, but that the statutes should be enforced. My post was judged: "nuts" and "clueless".
One response to my post was that it is a good idea but "who is going to enforce it?", and another was that the law is good in Abbeville, but hasn't been adopted parish-wide. Okay, so adopt it parish-wide. It still beats the proposed ban on a specific breed. I did link to the site that has the city statutes, so everyone could read them. Apparently the problem stems from a new inhabitant of the parish who brought 15 pit bulls with her and has them chained out and in kennels on the property. Yeah, I can see where there would be a problem... But unless she is a recognized pit bull rescue organization, there should at least be a statute limiting the quantity of dogs she is allowed to keep, and frequent visits by animal control to ensure that they are being taken care of with due diligence and restrained sufficiently to prevent danger to neighbors and other animals. I would want the same rules for someone raising Emus or Ostriches. You know, those derned things are mean!

It's a tad bit chilly this morning, I'm going to have to take a shower just to warm up my toes. I think I'll make the rounds this morning, and pick up some milk and eggs. I really hate to waste the gasoline.
I feel like I need to move on from Abbeville. Unless a job comes through for me today, I might just consider it. Time to get out the map and plan my next move. Even the dogs seem restless.

Speaking of which: Meg appears to be doing good with his mouth. His breath is much improved and he even licked me yesterday. Another cool thing: he caught a biscuit in his mouth. His mouth is usually so sensitive that he quit playing "catch" for a long time, I thought it was his eyes that prevented him from catching, but apparently it was his mouth. I have to take him back to the vet's today so the vet can check on the progress of the antibiotics. Again, money I don't really have. I have the "Care Credit" credit card for veterinary emergencies. I will see if Dr. Prejean accepts it. But the good news is: Meg feels a lot better.

You have a great day!
MsAmber

Time's is gettin' tough...

Still unable to gain employment. My prospects seem to think I can wait a week or so while they make up their minds. (sigh)
When I asked God to grant me patience, this isn't what I had in mind,
but it's probably what He has in mind... so I'll wait. Patiently.

I know everything will work out and it will all be fine in the end. I've never failed at anything. It's just not knowing that is tickling the back of my brain. I feel edgy and restless. I see due dates sneaking up on me, anticipated expenses that really aren't very large but they're coming up and I don't have the money in the bank to cover them.

The truth: I have exactly $25 in the bank and a half of one tank of gas in the truck, one propane tank is empty and the other is pretty derned low.
I'm not in need of anything. I'm stocked up on dogfood, groceries, toiletries, cleaning supplies, even coffee. I just need to get a job. Soon. Now. Yesterday...

Isn't this exciting?!?!
There's nothing like a crisis to bring out the imagination and survival skills in a person. That's a fact. I've been in worse condition than this and I still managed to pull through and shine.
I remember when I broke down in my Camaro at exit 29 in Oklahoma. I had no money, no cell-phone, no prospects, and a broke-down car. I got three jobs, rebuilt the engine, got an apartment, and was back in black in just two months. I lost a few pounds, got a tan, and made some good friends during that time.
Those were the good ol' days, but I don't remember thinking that at the time. I was worried and anxious and starving, hanging by a thin thread of sanity. When it happened, I sat down cross-legged in the middle of the road thinking "I wish somebody would just run me over." I didn't think anything could be worse than that.
The difference now is that this is self-inflicted. Not by accident.
I did this to re-evaluate my priorities, knock out some bad habits, find my humility, and to become the wonderful person that I know deep-down.
I'm fighting some inner-demons: I've been trying to re-evaluate certain bad habits like arrogance. The statement that I am "above" certain work is one of the platitudes that I need to dispense with. Ecclesiastes 9:10 "whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might." I remember how it felt when I worked in a restaurant and caught the attitude of some business-person who thought they were better than me. Like a college-educated person who looks down on a ditch-digger. The world needs ditch-diggers too. The world couldn't spin without them. That is one of my sins: arrogance.
I hope this adventure helps to make me a better person.
I put myself faithfully in the hands of my Father to direct me, love me, chastise me, and mold me into the person He wishes me to be.

Have a great day.
MsAmber

Stinky fart saga continues...

"Whew, I'm gonna have to crack a window or something."
...as I fan my way through a thick green cloud, over to the nearest window, I find that it is melted shut, they all are - Mother Nature's way of trying to encapsulate and isolate the noxious outgassing of my dogs' digestive processes. I finally sit down, beaten. I resign myself to my fate and wait for death to take me. Then I feel a rumbling deep down in my stomach. Hey! I think I have a fart of my own; my spirits start to rise as I feel the gas bubble work it's way through the last two turns in my large intestine. Relief is on it's way. I lean to the right, a tiny smile starting to show in the corner of my mouth. Aaaah. I let it out. It had bass. It had substance (okay, not really substance). It startled the dogs from their slumber and they raised their heads to look at me with deserved respect and admiration. I once again proved that I am Alpha.
Then the smell - the glorious smell. It crept up gently, barely whispering to my olfactories, just a hint of the sublime: Spaghetti, I think it was, with mild italian sausage and pink lemonade. The purple odor malform then drifted down, down, down, and for a brief moment I thought I saw complete sentience in the dogs' eyes: they each stood in turn and bowed low to their Queen, then in utter humiliation and defeat, they slinked to the bedroom and curled up under the bed.
Like an epiphany for the world: in that same moment the sun came out from hiding and the birds started an excited chattering. I reached for the window - victory was mine - and I hesitated a moment. Reveling in my odorific accomplishment, a smile wide upon my face and the sun shining it's approval, I mustered up all my will: I tugged at the window and it opened.

Job hunting yesterday didn't go as well as I had intended. I think I may have a good lead working for a construction contractor. He seemed like a good Christian man, and he didn't have the French accent that I'm trying so hard to tune my ears to.
On that note: I've heard some beautiful accents in my life. Bostonian, New Yawk-er, Southern, Midwestern, Texan... but I'm having quite the challenge tuning my ears to the Louisiana French accent. It's interesting to say the least. I'm not trying to be insulting: but I have found very few forward thinkers, or had educated discourses since I've been here. It's also very clique-y, just to try to break into the local scene or find a friend has proven very difficult. I went to the ship-yard to look for work and the man there "sized" me up and declared that I wouldn't like this kind of work. Humph.
My hands have finally come clean, and I guess I look a lot more feminine than I usually do, but the assessment appears to be that I'm looking for office-work. If they only knew...
I think I will clean my carburetter and see what's wrong with the vacuum advance on the truck, maybe that will restore my hands to their usual beauty and I can be taken seriously again. It's almost embarrassing to have soft clean hands and glossy trimmed fingernails. The funny thing is: I used to be embarrassed about having permanently dirty cracked hands with callouses. I suppose I need to get back to looking like myself and go roll around in some grease or something.
My second job lead is at the Heli-port. The guy said I could be a CSR (customer service representative), answer phones and such. That doesn't sound too bad, at least I will be working. There is no job beneath me at this point, except maybe DirecTV installer. I hope I NEVER have to be a direct burial tech. Sorry, nuh-uh, no way. I'd work fast-food first. Which reminds me: Taco Bell in Abbeville is hiring. I keep fantasizing that I could swoop in there and create a teamwork environment, make the job fun, get the place in tip-top shape... and then what? Yep. That's where I get stuck too. We all know I would get bored fairly quickly. I have 'way too much imagination to be in a "lather-rinse-repeat" job. It's not pride - I'm never too good to make an honest days' wages - I'm just leery about taking a job where I know I will always be dreaming about "the good-old-days" when I was a top-notch technician,
...and watching all my tools rust in the back of the truck.

Well, time's a wasting.
You have a great day.
MsAmber

Spot has hookworms.

I found a live one in his stool. So now I know the culprit, I can wage an all-out war on those little buggers. The home-cure is to sprinkle some copenhagen on his food, but not let him throw it up. It has to run through his intestines in order to work. I really wish I could administer this cure to him outdoors, instead of keeping him inside because I know the side-effects are nausea, hyperactivity, and diarrhea. Oh well, we'll get him fixed up. Now, where to get a pinch of copenhagen? I don't want to buy a whole can just for a pinch or two.

I've got to go out today and find a job. Maybe cashiering or waitressing? Just something simple - I have more out-go than I have income right now and I need to tip the scales back to my benefit.

Oooh. Ew. Meg has some awfully stinky farts this morning. Gag.

Have a great day.
MsAmber

The barometric pressure is high

But the temperature turned cool yesterday. It rained gently several times, and the humidity was at 100%. Interesting. I calibrated the barometer a few weeks ago, so it's correct. I just wonder how it could be cool and rainy with a high barometric reading?

I think I'm going to start a picture blog called "Silly things I see". One of my neighbors has a propane tank sitting on a top-post truck battery. If it were to shift 1 inch, it would be shorting across both posts. I need to take a picture of it so you can all see this. I would be very careful: just removing the tank from on top of the battery, one slip and... Kablooey!

I did my taxes. I nearly cried. My w-4 I claimed 0, single no dependents, with an additional $20 per week taken out. I assumed this would give me a good refund this year. Nope. I've jumped into the 25% tax bracket. If I hadn't had the extra $20 per week contribution, I would have wound up owing over $500. Instead I get back $531. I really anticipated a thousand back or better. I moved up from the 15% tax bracket to the 25% tax bracket. Unfknblvbl.
"A fine is a tax for doing poorly. A tax is a fine for doing well." I read that on a billboard once. So true.

Regarding the job search: Now that my RCDD is expired, I'm getting calls from New York, New Jersey, and Virginia. They want a current RCDD. My resume plainly states that it's expired. Apparently these people are nearly illiterate, or are only searching for the keywords without actually reading the resume.

I put in "To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar", and I'm laughing at seeing Patrick Swayze and Wesley Snipes getting into drag. I have seen John Leguizamo in other movies I'm sure, but for the life of me I can't pick him out.
I'm going to look him up now to see what he looks like out of drag.

Update: HE was Tibault - Prince of Cats in the movie Romeo & Juliet with Leonardo DiCaprio. Dang, I would have never recognized him. That's too funny.

You have a great day.
MsAmber

On Wifeswap last night...

There was a Rastafarian wife with 4 children. She and her husband didn't believe in consumerism, discipline, or brushing/cutting hair, and they home-schooled.
There was a spreadsheet wife and a military husband. They had three children. They believe in chores, discipline, and materialism.
The Rastafarian family kept saying "Ja will provide", and the kids were pretty well adjusted - a little on the wild side, but harmless characters.
The disciplined family had all kinds of issues - "life is unfair" and "I don't get enough attention", issues.
In all fairness, there was a big difference in ages. The Rastafarian kids were young, and the disciplined kids were pre-teen to teen. But still...
I saw the preview of the show as I was walking out the door. I really wanted to stick around and see how that worked out.
I never got into watching Wifeswap, but for some reason this match intrigued me. I know that they choose polar opposites to match up just to make for good viewing, like the really Christian lady swapped with the pagan astrologer. They really made the Christian lady out to be some kind of kook. "Tainted! You're all tainted!"
It's all in fun, I suppose, and the participants get paid.

Hey, the sun is shining and it's silently drizzling outside this morning. You wouldn't know it was raining if you didn't see it coming down. How pretty! You should see what I'm seeing. It smells good too.
Good thing I already walked the boys.

Speaking of the boys: Spot has blood in his stool. Oh goodie, another vet bill coming right up. I've had him for exactly two weeks. It's a considerable amount of blood, so I have to get him in to the vet's soon. Dammit!
Terry and Rhonda... You might want to check the rest of the pack. Hopefully, it's just worms.

I went out last night and shot a few games of pool. I had 4 beers and a red-bull-and-vodka, the music was mainly zydeco with everyone singing along except me: I've never heard most of the songs before. It was a hoot. I don't have a hangover this morning, that's good. It was a nice small smoky place and the owner's sister was having a birthday. The people down here have such a crazy accent. One little gal seemed like we would be good friends, she is as ornery as I am. Ah, good times.

Anyhoo, I gotta get ready for the day. The sun is shining, the birds are a-singin' and the air is warm.

Have a great day.
MsAmber

It's so beautiful here in the morning...

The mist hanging low between the trees. Watching the sun peek through the branches while all the little critters rustle through the leaves searching for worms or nuts on the ground. I had an opossum in the yard last night. During the day there is a gathering of fat red robins that settles in the leaves to look for worms. I counted 9 outside my window, and there are two squirrels - only two.

It appears as though I'm going to have to find another place to move at the end of my month. I've already offended the landlady. On Wednesday, when I took Meg to the vet, I had removed the screens from the windows and cleaned them. I put Spot in the trailer and I closed the two livingroom windows, but I forgot the bedroom window. Meg and I were gone for a little over an hour, and when I got back I found that Spot had jumped out the bedroom window and had been running loose. I caught him and put him on the tether. I usually let the boys go take care of their business at 4:30 am when there is no-one around, otherwise I will walk them on a leash, but yesterday I went out with them off-leash. There was no-one else around, except the landlady. She intercepted me as I was catching Spot to bring him back to the trailer. The conversation quickly turned into a disciplinary lecture.

Me: Hello, how are you?
Her: Good. Do you know that you have to keep your dogs on a leash?
Me: Yes Ma'am.
Her: Well then, why do you think you can do this?
Me: There isn't anyone else around right now, so I didn't think it would hurt anything.
Her: This isn't the first time I've seen them.
Me: I know. Sorry. I'll use the leash from now on.
Her: I have dogs too, and when we go out, they are on a leash.
Me: Yes, ma'am.

Then she said that when others go out to walk their dogs on a leash and mine are running loose that it causes a problem. I understand that perfectly, but mine are never just running loose - except at 4:30 in the morning, and the one time that Spot jumped from the window - but I didn't tell her that.

Her: Next time I see them, I'm going to have you ejected from the park.
Me: Ok. Sorry, sorry. I'll take care of it.

So, I'm duly humbled. Got my ass handed to me pretty good. I have to say she hammered me like a parent. A little humiliation, put me on the spot, asked pointed questions, and then followed up with a threat.
I was a little sulky about it later, but I'm clearly in the wrong. I still think the threat was a little premature, but that's ok.

In my experience, when people threaten you right off the bat, they will find a reason to follow through. I'm not going to specifically give her that reason, but any slip-ups and I might find myself being removed. This time of year is not good because with Mardi Gras coming up, it will be damn hard to find another spot. So I need to either go ahead and find one and get moved, or try to make nice with the landlady, avoiding slip-ups with the dog is a part of it, but Spot has a lot of energy so it's nearly impossible to keep him from bolting when I open the door, and it takes me a few minutes to catch him.
Not only that, but if she is overbooked for the Mardi Gras week, she may be looking for a way to capitalize on that. Keep my rent money but eject me so that she can put someone else in my spot. I don't know for sure if she's thinking that, but the threat was too premature and seemed unnecessary to me. I was being as pleasant and apologetic as I could, but she was clearly working herself into a froth over it. Not to downplay my crime, I know I shouldn't have walked them off leash, but there were no incidents or accidents to justify the threat of eviction. IMO.

Anyway. Whatever happens, I'll just deal with it.
I seem to only go crosswise with landladys. Landlords are easier to deal with. I pick up garbage that is lying around, I keep a clean campsite, and I'm quiet and easy to get along with. I also pay my bills on time. No problems.

You have a great day.
MsAmber

Megabyte is getting 3 teeth pulled

I noticed my boy has been having a little dried blood on his bottom lip, and some stains on the pillow where he lays his head. I've looked into his mouth to see if it's ulcerating again, but it doesn't appear to be too bad. Then I started to see pink dribbles on the floor. So, I took him to the vet yesterday.
For one: I have to say I like this vet. Even Meg liked him, even though he tortured Meg mercilessly by feeling all through his mouth. The prognosis is not too good though. He has a lot of bone loss in his mouth and both canines and one molar need to be removed. I got some antibiotics and we are going to get rid of the infection before scheduling his tooth removal. I asked the vet if Meg will still be able to eat hard food and he said "Yes". He told me that Meg is pretty healthy and the boy still has many years left. Not to worry. The bone loss needs to be stopped, and those three teeth must come out. He wants to see how the antibiotics are working in one week, so next Thursday we go back in for a follow-up check, but it will be two weeks before we schedule the extractions. He was real good with Megabyte. Meg whined a little about the feeling around in his mouth, but the vet petted him and talked to him and was very thorough.
Also, I had him check for heartworms. The good news: he's still negative. I will put him on Heartgard as soon as we are done fixing his mouth.
This vet didn't try to milk me for a lot of extras, he didn't act "holier than thou", his front desk persons didn't act like jerks-who-hate-their-job, and I didn't get any bad attitude as though I neglected my dog until his mouth rotted out. I feel as though I have to explain that I do take care of my boy; this mouth thing has been ongoing for years and I've spent a lot of money trying to take care of it. This vet actually has a plan to make it go away. I'm really happy. Scared of the bill, yeah. But happy that it will finally be taken care of. I can't wait.
The name of the clinic is: Prejean Veterinary Clinic, 1101 West Port Street, in Abbeville, LA 70510
Donations are accepted!

Have a great day!
MsAmber

I should have gotten a new email address

I've officially started the job search. I've applied online to a few postings, and now I get spammed in my inbox. Gosh, that's aggravating. Craigslist, Boo!

So, we have a new President! I'm excited and curious to see how he proposes to fix things. I think he may just be the pill to cure the ill. We needed a fresh perspective up on the hill. I like him. (So far...)
The times, they are a-changin'.

I got the P.O. Box. I went to the Abbeville Post Office and the man there said he couldn't rent me one without a Louisiana state issued I.D. I said: "Are you kidding? Shreveport did." and he told me that they violated a rule if they did. So I drove to the town of Perry and rented one. I think he must have misunderstood some rule. The purpose of a P.O. Box is so that you can get your mail when you are in a different town. My current address is an R.V. park, and I need a mailing address. Otherwise, what address would I put on a State Issued I.D.? That's just crazy to tell me that I can't rent a P.O. Box. But I really wanted an Abbeville address, so I'm kinda disappointed that I have a Perry address. Both of the Post Offices said I could just have my mail sent "General Delivery, town, state, zip", and they would hold it for me. I never considered that. I always thought you had to rent a box. That's cool that you can just have mail sent General Delivery. I wouldn't do it though. I don't need somebody misplacing it, or saying that they can't find my mail. I don't trust that at all. I know how people are...
Anyway, my W-2 is on it's way. Yayyyy!

I found a shop to take the truck. I need the carb looked at. The choke doesn't engage in the mornings, and the vacuum advance isn't kicking in so when I put it in gear it stalls. Also, I'm going to need the AC recharged before it gets hot around here. It is impossible to survive these summers without a good AC. I think I'll scrounge up some money and go ahead and let John fix those three things.

The scar on my nose where I got the skin cancer removed is red and swollen. I really hope it's just an embedded pimple. That skin is too thin and sensitive to try and work it around. Oh, I sincerely hope it's just a pimple. Though a pimple on the side of my nose is not the most attractive thing in the world, it sure beats the alternative. It started acting up after I drove around with the sun shining through the window on that side of my face. I got a little sunburned there, and my neck has a white stripe from the collar of my shirt. I must use SPF 40 face lotion. The last time I bought Oil of Olay, they didn't have the SPF face lotion, so I just bought the plain-jane stuff. When it runs out, I promise to always buy the SPF Face Lotion. I just hope it's not too late.
P.S. I also have three darkening age-spots recently appeared on my face. Two on my left temple, and one on my right cheek. Welcome to middle-age, Amber.
Why, oh why, couldn't I have been born with darker, easily tanned skin instead of raging brilliance? Just kidding.
...or am I?

You have a great day.
MsAmber

Exploration day.

I went exploring yesterday. I drove south and then west. I went across quite a few drawbridges and "intra coastal waterways", and flooded prairies. I saw some farmland (soybeans and rice), and cows, and crawfish farms but what made the biggest impression was all the decimated houses and trailers. This is the area that was hit by hurricane Rita.
We all heard about how devastating Katrina was to the New Orleans area, but very little about the mess that Rita made. I drove down the Creole Wilderness Scenic Highway, and it was anything but scenic. Hundreds, maybe thousands of homes, everywhere you looked, were damaged, abandoned, partially dismantled and most of the people are living in travel trailers similar to mine parked next to the decimated houses.
I have to say that I was amused to see trailers 15 feet up in the air on pylons, though. I always thought that looked funny, but that is the standard when you build on a floodplain. What do you do with the cows?
I saw a few beautiful old brick homes that were abandoned with no windows. I kept thinking that they could be saved somehow, but the owners probably don't think it's worth it, in case another Rita comes through.
Then I drove through a town that is all duck hunting lodges. Every trailer, cabin, RV, or whatever is used seasonally during duck hunting season. This time of year, it's virtually a ghost town.
I saw a sign that said Acadiana Marina, so I turned that way. I found myself at a pretty little marina. Half of it was messed up but there was some construction equipment parked around, and the back half looked shiny and new. I only saw one living person, so I stopped and asked him to explain what I'm seeing. He told me that THIS half is privately owned by the individuals who have rebuilt, the other half is just now starting to be rebuilt, and the damage I see was caused by Rita. Wow. I asked if the bad half was state-owned, he said it was privately owned also. The whole marina was empty and occupied only by about 5 boats. Not a person to be found on such a beautiful warm day. I think I should like to move there and make it a hopping little tourist town with RV spots and a general store and a nice new coat of paint on everything... (I'm such a dreamer, I know.) Then when the owner comes back and sees what I've done, maybe he'll let me stay?
I saw a brown pelican.
(Yep, there's a conversation stopper.)
I have such daydreams when I'm exploring by myself. I stopped heading west when I was near Lake Charles, and I turned back north then east on hwy 14. I discovered that I had wandered 87 miles from Abbeville, so I wanted to see hwy 14 all the way back. I was a little disillusioned however. I had thought the area would be swamps and cypress and old oaks and... forest-y. Instead I saw flooded plains. Not all that appealing to me. I'm thinking maybe I'll want to settle closer to New Orleans or maybe on the east side, closer to Slidell. I still have plenty of time to decide, but I really want to have trees. I need the trees to surround me, shade me, protect me from the wind.
Once again, I took off without my camera. I hope I painted a clear enough picture without it.
You have a great day.
MsAmber

Kids and Camping...

Any of you who know me, knows how much I like kids. But this story is about my recent experiences with some rotten ones... and their parents.

This is a holiday weekend. I noticed sometime last week that all the RV spots were reserved for the weekend, so I asked why. This is MLK Jr. weekend, so lots of families with children like to hitch up their trailers and fill the coolers with beer and go camping. A group of 5 or 6 RVs pulled in across from me to party together, each set of parents had 2 or 3 kids, mostly boys, between the ages of 9 to 13.

The first thing I observed out my window is one particularly mean kid throwing rocks. He hit what I presumed to be his brother in the head. I noticed none of the other kids moved to see if he was alright. They just stood there as if moving closer might mean they were guilty of the deed. The little brother sat on the ground holding his head and he started crying, but then he got mad and yelled at his brother for throwing the rock. Older brother didn't seem to care, and no parents came to check though they were only about 50 feet away standing around the campfire.

Second issue: the little campsite next to me is vacant because it has no drain hookup, it also has no fire ring. There is a stump from a dead tree. The boys huddled around the stump and set a fire on it. They fed the fire with dead leaves and branches scavenged from the ground. The oldest boy in the group was the proud owner of the lighter. He decided that instead of taking the fuel to the fire, he would light the pile of leaves at the edge of the forest. I was eating a sandwich when I saw the flames in the pile of leaves. I ran outside and said "No, no, no, no, no. You put that out. That fire can get away from you faster than you think." The boy says: "Alright", and halfheartedly stepped on it a couple of times and walks away. I asked them to please stomp on it real good and make sure it's completely out. I got some really mean looks from the boys for interfering. Then I walked over to the parents and I told them that they really need to keep a closer eye on the fire situation over there, and they responded: "Yeah, they're burning a bunch of stuff." I said: "It's not just the stump, they're trying to set the woods on fire." I got mean looks from the parents. I walked back to my trailer. I kept an eye on the fire next to my trailer and about 10 minutes later two of the Dads wandered over to see what the kids were up to. They stood around the burning stump for a couple of minutes and all the kids just walked away. (I would have made them put it out before leaving, but that's just me.) The men stood alone around the fire for a few minutes, then they walked away from the still-burning stump. Hours later it was still smoldering. Man, my mother would have kicked my ass for stupid shit like that.
Well, apparently I made myself a target for retribution. I heard a loud hit on the side of the trailer and I went out to investigate. I'd been hit by a big pinecone. There are no pine trees around my trailer. Later, I heard another crack. The mean kid was batting rocks with a badminton racket at my trailer. Interestingly, there were three adults just 20 feet away from him, oblivious or silently permissive, I'm not sure which.
They also throw litter everywhere. There are aluminum cans on the ground at the site next to me, there is a paper plate in the middle of the road, and a bag of trash sitting outside. The place is trashed.
I'm so pissed about these kids and their parents.
...I've daydreamed of walking out there with my belt and just giving "dancing lessons" to the one mean kid and daring the parents to stop me.
...I've daydreamed of giving them all squirt guns filled with peroxide, and telling them "Not to squirt each other", which means that they will, so they will all wear stupid white streaks in their hair and nobody will notice until they are all gone from here.
...I've daydreamed of walking over to the adults and telling them how wonderful they all are for taking these retarded children camping.
I've daydreamed a bunch of other stuff which I won't mention here because it borderlines on the criminal, but you get my drift.
At least today is Monday, and they should all be leaving soon. These kids have worried me crazy for three days. Good riddance!
Now I understand the appeal of "adults-only" campgrounds.
I can't wait till they're gone. I'm going to go pick up garbage and do the happy-dance.
Have a great day.
MsAmber

The Boys... Megabyte and Spot

Yesterday I cleaned...

I went to the Winn Dixie grocery store and bought more dogfood and groceries. I'm completely stocked up on the essentials. I have about a months' worth of dogfood, both wet and dry; enough rice to feed a village for a week; some frozen chicken thighs and drumsticks; and I splurged on three things: Pierogies which I love; fresh strawberries, ripe- on sale; and a lemon cake which I also adore. I needed coffee mainly, the price they are asking for the brand I like almost gives you a heart-attack. $9 for a big can! Oh, and I also bought a 12-pack of coke, another unnecessary luxury. Yeah, I went all-out! You'd think I was having a party or something.
I came back to the camper and put away the groceries, then I bathed both dogs and brushed them well, and started cleaning. I moved most of the furniture outside, put all the dirty laundry in the truck, swept the carpet thoroughly, vacuumed, and shampoo'd the carpets. Then I dusted and windexed the glass, cleaned the bathroom, rearranged the furniture and brought it all back in, changed the bedsheets, fired up the charcoal grill, refilled and washed my oil-lamps, did the dishes, and hauled off the trash. Whew!
I grilled two chicken-leg quarters and reheated yesterday's black-eyed peas for dinner, and I lit the Sabbath lamp at 5: a full half-hour early. My chores were done so the Sabbath could start a half-hour sooner. My back was aching a little so I took two advil, watched some tv, and went to bed by 8.
Yep, I'm a freak. I had thawed the lemon cake for dessert and forgot all about it. Today, I get to eat cake and drink coke! What a treat.
I'm going to get out the camera and see about taking a few good pics of both dogs. I don't have any good pictures of Spot yet. Let's see how photogenic he is.
You have a great day,
MsAmber

I KNEW the dogs understood english!

This morning I woke up just a little bit later than usual. It was 5:13, and I was concerned that the neighbor may be walking her little chihuahua. My boys usually go out at 4:30, and they are back inside before she walks hers at 5:00. So I let the boys out with a reprimand: "You go potty, come right back!", and that's exactly what they did. They went to the stump and peed all over it and ran back to the steps to be let in. Both of them, and the first one back was Spot. See, I knew they understood me, they just fake it with their "No habla ingles" looks. Now I have proof. I bet they both get their cards pulled by the "League of Intelligent Animals' Revenge Club" ("L.I.A.R. Club" for short) for letting that secret slip to the human.

I made a pot of black-eyed peas with bacon for dinner, and I have leftovers for today.

It's Friday and I see that most of the campsites here have "reserved" signs on them. The landlord told me this was a busy weekend, but for the life of me I can't figure out why. There are no festivals planned that I know of. I see that Monday is MLK Jr. day, maybe it's actually observed down here with paid holidays off. Wouldn't that be something?

I hung out the dork lights on the canopy, and I hung the clear Christmas lights back up inside the trailer: just because I think they're pretty. Today being Friday, I need to clean house and make everything kosher for the Sabbath. I also need to break out the beading supplies. I made a bunch of pouches, now I just need to embellish them with the beads and get them packaged up.
I have a busy day planned.

Since I'm in a fairly permanent place (for a month, at least) I need to start walking the dogs around on the leash and exposing them to situations where I expect them to heel or stop. Spot could use the training, and Meg could use the reminders. Meg knows to stop beside the road and wait for my command before crossing, but Spot just bolts right out onto the road. Dummy doesn't know any better. I need to teach him to stop. Scares me to death that I can't call that dog to a halt. He has a lot of potential, but he has that typical "don't beat me" look when you are getting onto him for something. I'm always embarrassed by that; like people think I beat my dog, when actually it's common for that breed to hunker down when you are fussing at them.
Spot's getting a bath today for sure!

You have a great day.
Thanks for listening.
MsAmber

So far today...

I started sewing on my new little project, and did the dishes, and drank two pots of coffee. I decided it was time for a little break. The sun is shining, and it's rather warm out today, so I took the dogs for a walk down one of the trails. It's a 1 mile trail. I let Spot run with the leash dragging, and I had to keep reminding him to "wait for me", and they would stop and let me catch up before prancing on ahead. It was a good little walk, nothing spectacular to see except a bunch of upturned trees.
We came back to the trailer and I made a bowl of ramen noodles and was listening to some music when all of a sudden I noticed how noisy it got. I turned off the music and there was a loud cacophany of what sounded like rusty swingsets. I mean it was really loud. You know the sound when kids are swinging on the swingset and the chains go "scree scree scree scree" over and over. I looked out the door and saw that a flock of birds had settled in the trees right outside my door. This cardinal watched me the whole time. I got my camera out and snapped a couple of pictures. When I came over to my desk and loaded them onto the computer, all of a sudden the noise just stopped and the entire flock flew away. Now, I just hear silence.
It was really cool.
Here's my Cardinal.
MsAmber

Yesterday's adventure...

I left the trailer at 6:30 and went to the store. I filled up the left tank with gas and bought a pack of cigarettes and a soda. I decided to see the downtown proper of Abbeville. Wow. It's beautiful. At 7:00 am, the Catholic school children are just leaving the church, they attend 6:30 mass every morning. It was quite touching to see all the beautiful children in their uniforms pouring out of the church at that early hour. I saw a lady with a hair net looking for something that fell into the dumpster. She looked embarrassed to be seen rummaging through the dumpster, but you could tell she was searching for something important. I almost wanted to stop and help her, but I didn't. I mean, who wants to rummage through a dumpster at that hour of the morning? Poor lady, I should've stopped anyway.
It was one of those beautiful, misty early mornings. The sun wasn't really up yet, but it was light enough to see and the streetlights were still on. I was expecting a sleepy little downtown area, but instead I saw lots of children in their cute uniforms, between the ages of 8 to 16, being let out of church. They all had bright faces and misty halos, their wings disguised by backpacks. It was truly lovely. I wish I'd had the foresight to take my camera. The girls had knee high socks and short plaid skirts, white shirts and vests. The boys had khaki slacks, button up white shirts with sleeveless sweaters and ties or suit jackets. The picture was perfect.
Then I drove around for a while. I deliberately took all the backroads I could find and I rarely knew which direction I was going except for the sun. I took one road all the way as far as it could go and then it just dead-ended on me, so I turned around and followed it the other direction. I came upon a toll-gate that said I was on Avery Island. I turned back around and found another road heading North. I went to Lafayette and bought a newspaper, sat in my truck and read it cover-to-cover. I stopped in a used appliance store and asked about wringer washers. The owner said he never sees any and has no idea where I'd find one. I went to a pawn shop and looked over their sewing machines. I selected a Brother XL-5130 and took it off their hands for $50. (I know, I paid too much.) I went to the fabric store and bought a bunch of swatches of material and some thread, needles, bobbins, etc for the new machine. I got back to the trailer at 1:30 pm. I made a paper pattern and tuned up the machine. In my experience: the reason people pawn or get rid of their sewing machines is because they screw something up and don't know how to fix it. This particular machine had problems which they tried to fix with oil. The needle was stuck and the bobbin tension screw had been loosened by 2 full turns. It was no big deal, but I had to sew around and around a dishtowel 3 times before my thread came out clean. Nothing worse than a machine that makes the thread dirty. I got my tensions adjusted and the machine works great. I'll still do a good amount of sewing before I attempt anything white. It just needs to be run for a few hours to get all the residual oil out of the bobbin casing.
I should have been in the sewing machine repair business. I have a great machine now, and it hums right along beautifully.
So, today I'm going to hang out here in the camper and sew. I think I'll soak a pot of beans, and cook them with the bacon tonight.
You have a great day.
Thanks for listening.
MsAmber

Today, I'm getting out.

No, really. I'm going to fire up the truck and go see what's around.
I didn't feel like going anywhere yesterday, so I did my laundry by hand and hung it outside, swept the floor, and read a book. I had the doors open and I just enjoyed the sunshine most of the day. It wasn't real warm out, mid 50s with a cool breeze, but not bad. The weather forecast is calling for a "hard freeze" by the end of the week, but daytime temperatures in the mid to upper 50s. The news has been reporting that the temperatures in the upper midwest are -35 and blizzard conditions. So sorry for those people, but so glad I'm not one of them.

I dreamed up a pattern for little ID/money holders with beaded embellishments. I have a perfectly clear image of what I would like to make and sell. I just need a sewing machine and swatches of fabric. I think they would sell real good down here.
So, do I buy a bicycle, sewing machine, or a wringer washer?
Goodness.

Early to bed, early to rise. I can't help but go to bed early. When it's dark out I get bored, all my chores are done. I turned on the TV and found that I get one channel: Channel 3. I watched the news and Wheel Of Fortune. I turned it off and went to bed after Wheel Of Fortune. So, this morning I beat the coffeemaker awake. It's set to start at 4:30. I turned it on at 4:10. At this hour, I can just let both dogs out without worrying. They go take care of business and come right back. No distractions and it's too dark and spooky to go exploring. Now if they would just do that during the day, I'd have it made. Meg shakes his collar to signal that he wants back in, and Spot was right there with him. Nothing like having one good dog to train the next.

On my to-do list for today: I must get a P.O. Box and have my mail forwarded. The W-2 from my job should be printed soon and I need to give them an address to send it. I'm not sure what to do about the Oklahoma state taxes this year. I haven't lived in Oklahoma all year. Should I get a refund from them? I'll figure all that out soon enough. I paid a helluva lot of taxes last year. It's shocking to look at the numbers. Are we sure this isn't a communist country? Ok, just checking.

Funny me. I thought today was Valentine's day. I'm off by a whole month.
Well, I'm going to run through the shower and dress warmly for my adventure. I'll let you all know how it turns out.
Have a great day.
Thanks for listening.
MsAmber