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