Friday, August 29, 2014

Microphone entry. Meaning there will be errors and not going to fix them. Three day weekend coming up. Tomorrow will be workday, Sunday a trip to hurricane Harbor and Arlington, Monday probably barbecue and four wheeling.

I figured to get close to a full days work out of the kids tomorrow considering the opportunities that lie ahead and having fun and not having to do anything. At least that's my take on it if you can get them to work a whole day give them a day of fun afterwords. Very much want to start on the master bedroom bathroom. The tile won't have to be torn out of it as well as the bathtub and at least one wall.

The countertop in that bathroom was destroyed by older teenage kids that were going to turn that room and another one into some sort of party place for kids to come to. Somewhat this main considering that particular countertop is pretty much a high dollar set up as was the rest of the house when I was originally built. Replacing such things with other high-quality material is not exactly a cheap expenditure.

The cabinetry and there is also high quality craftsmanship, but those are not trashed and all that needs is a good paint job. It will undoubtedly take quite some time to renovate that bathroom but it will be well worth it. It is currently yellow including the bathtub and the tile has a crack running through in about 8 to 9 feet long. Personally I cannot envision coming into an ugly yellow bathroom every morning to take a shower to get ready for work.

Hurricane Harbor was a good night D at first, but then a serious issue arose that made it seem to be not such a great idea after all. However, the damage was done the kids knew about it and it would've been very disappointing for them for us not to go. I was, in fact, opting to go to the lake for reasons and I simply cannot go into here. Weather hurricane Harbor is going to be a fun trip for a total disaster remains to be seen. Again, for reasons and I simply cannot going to be here it's personal business.

I am guessing the kids will have fun regardless of what happened so I suppose it won't be a total loss anyway. As for tomorrow's work I demand that they do some work at least for five hours of it to get some stuff done around the house and show that they really do appreciate the amount of money and the time and the effort and the energy it's going to take to take them all over there.

Frankly I would've demanded the work regardless. Mud we have some toys now which is also helping to motivate them greatly. In fact the motivation from these toys is far more than I expected that it would have been terms of motivating them to get stuff done. These kids are extremely bored because there is is not that much to do at this place. TV is restricted to the point that there is no sense in even having satellite television in the house. A straight authoritarian dictatorship is obviously not having the intended effect that those that are in acting it intended it to have. Much to the opposite, it feels feelings of presentment and I anger.

But who am I to say anything? 

It's Friday another five hours of work and the three-day weekend does begin. It is always unfortunate that it seems like three-day weekends go by so quickly. Like they never existed. Be that has it maybe it is definitely welcome to Monday Tuesday morning will get here quick enough but definitely would not be on my mind during that time.

I wish I can say that I'm settling into some kind of groove in living my life over here but so far that isn't happening. Long work days followed by visits have me up early and I have me  home late. The problem is that there is not enough time to get everything done that needs to be done, much less time to get things done that I want to get done. 

A nice compromise at work would be at least a couple of days where I can get off early, but then the bills wouldn't be mad because I rely relay on the overtime to make up for the lack. The only real alternative to getting my life back to some hours that would give me more free time would be to find a new job somewhere. Though I am considering and it isn't necessarily something that I really want to have to do.

Meanwhile, the place that I am running apparently the woman that owns the land has put the sale of it on hold. I guess she was informed that if she did a number of upgrade she would get exponentially more money for the land and property and housing etc. which is good for me because I don't really feel like moving.

Just an update on things and I haven't done on the on here in a while, I am doing much of my journaling on a different site at this point.

Good day

Ben

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Been  sick - or down - or whatever - since Saturday night.  Extreme fatigue, as in, no energy to do much of anything.  Just laying around sleeping.
Went into an emergency care place yesterday and had a barrage of blood tests done.  The results today were negative on everything that had come back so far, still the thyroid and testosterone ones yet to come back.
I have been off work yesterday and today.  Spent Sunday night at her place at her insistence, she was worried and I didn't really have the energy to be staying by myself without any help if needed so I caved in on that one.  Just came back tonight.  I intend on going to work tomorrow - unless I simply cannot drag my butt out of bed tomorrow morning.  I have plenty of sick hours available and if that weren't true, I am back up to 91 hours of vacation time available.  But yeah, I had 49 hours of sick leave available as of Sunday night, subtract 18 from that and I still have plenty left.  I just don't like taking too much time off of work for sick leave.  Vacation another story.

Spent the entire day today with 4 of the kids - mom went to work and told the nanny to stay home today she can come back tomorrow.  In other words, save her some money.  I felt fine this morning, actually and took them out to Denny's cause' they kept asking and I was hungry and didn't want to cook. But after I got back from that, look out.  It hit me like a ton of bricks and I laid around the rest of today.

And that's it for this update cause' energy levels aren't particularly high and I don't want to stay up late, going to go to bed early tonight.

ben

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Talking with a co-worker today.  He is unhappy with the pay.  In fact, all 3 other drivers complain about the pay frequently.  Yes, it is not very good, I totally agree but they are making even less then  I am.  I mean, I am not going to work for this kind of money forever.  Yes, I am getting a little bigger paycheck than I used to but I am working 2 extra hours and then some each and every day to get it.  I replied to him that I have been encouraged to find a job in Longview and I am considering looking.  If I am going to work 10, 11, 12 extra hours a week, I want to see that on my paycheck as extra not as gee, I got what I used to get at 8 hours.

"Beeeeen (that's how the black folks always say my name),  ever since you started working here I have been all happy that you are here! I won't blame you for going and finding another job somewhere else, but the workload has been greatly reduced off both Tony and I since you came here!  You have made us all happy!".

I'm not patting myself on the back, but I learned at an early age a good work ethic.  I also learned that if you want better pay, go above and beyond for it.  That contradicts two driver's philosophy that I am working too hard and I must be getting paid a lot versus them not getting paid much and therefore doing whatever the hell they want and taking their sweet old time about things.  You should hear the scoffing directed towards me as they see me thoroughly cleaning out the cabs of the trucks.  I refuse to drive in squalor and filth, these trucks are DISGUSTING.

I'm going to start looking around the area for whatever is available.  I don't see a lot online, but I have found that the good jobs are usually not posted online, you have to go out and find them.  My BIG problems is if I quit my current job and I lose some crazy good paid vacation hours.  At least in my opinion they are, 151 hours per year.  That's only 9 hours short of 4 weeks paid vacation per year, plus 3 floating holidays, 3 personal days and 5 sick days not to mention 6 major holidays, no weekend work and generally good management.  I'm telling you, if they would up my pay I would consider staying and just deal with it.  It doesn't take long to get vacation hours back up, especially with that much overtime which also counts towards vacation pay.

I'm in no hurry to make the wrong decision, so I'm just taking each step as I see to take it.

Waiting to hear whatever from IRS about tax returns I sent in - 3 years worth.  3 grand worth as well.  My paperwork arrived in the Philippines,wait and see what's going to happen with that.  Josiah in a reported serious car wreck today, apparently he pulled out in front of someone and basically totaled the work van he was driving.  Not sure why a business owner would allow a 16 year old driver who just started driving drive a work vehicle, that doesn't really make any sense to me.  If that business owner knew what I know about how Josiah drives, he definitely would not let him drive anything.  Josiah is okay, thankfully, but some lessons to be learned.

That's it for today!

ben

Sunday, August 10, 2014

The end of another weekend and facing another week of - whatever - at work.  This weekend's "stuff" consisted of a lot of bickering between Josiah and his mom - all 3 days actually I think they got into it - about a myriad/large assortment of things.  Nothing new under the sun here.  Saturday morning, though, I was wasted tired.  I just couldn't get moving.  I had some of the kids over and they didn't care if they went home or not anyway so I just laid in bed until - 10:00 pm?  I think, finally got up, still dragging and just finally got over there at around noon, lol.

But yes, we did get to work.  There is a huge amount of stuff to be done over there, sometimes figuring out what to do is somewhat daunting because there is SO much, what takes priority over what?  But since we had started the stairwell several weeks ago, it was time to get with it and finish the trim.  Meaning putting up a 20 foot 2X12 from the top of the stair well over to a ladder leaned up against a wall and a support in the middle - and standing on this while having people hold it to ensure my safety that the whole mess wouldn't fall over and having me falling 15 plus feet.

Unfortunately, I am going to have to put a second coat on that trim.  Oil based paint on the trim in that house, you have to put oil based back on top of it.  The first coat looked semi okay but just not anything you would call the finished version of it.  So next weekend - or whenever - going to get up there and do that all over again and get that misery over with.  Today was my third straight day in a row over there and tomorrow no different.  Kids are gone and we are going to spend quality time alone together.

Anyway, I'm blasted tired and need to git to bed.

G'nite.

ben

Thursday, August 7, 2014

Time.
Very little of it that I consider "free" at this point.  Days are consumed in their entirety.
Concerning work, I have completely cleaned out the F550.  It's a ford pickup on the front but on the back it's a 17 foot long flatbed with duallies. The interior of the cab of that truck was disgusting.  The first time I got into it - well it was revolting, it was that bad.  Filth, grime, dirt, spilled whatever and trash all over the entire interior of the that truck.  I get switched around from truck to truck every where. One week the F550, the next week the straight truck (heavy duty 10 wheeler) and the next week the semi.  I cleaned out the 10 wheeler but I didn't do anything on the F550.

The reason is that I was afraid that I would clean the thing out and then?  Other drivers would just trash it out again.  But, this week, I couldn't stand it any long and scrubbed the entire interior of the thing and it is a pleasure now to drive in it!  I know that next week, the driver that is an absolute pig will be in it and then after that - well whoever, whatever.  When I finally get back in that truck again and if it's trashed out, I am going straight to the manager, who handed out a paper today with directives on it which included "keep the cabs of the vehicles clean".

Yes, it is an issue with me, a big one.  When you are driving in a filthy vehicle all day long, you take no pleasure in it.  You get into the thing and it just feels gross.  Especially a vehicle in that bad of condition.  I went through rolllllllllls of papers towels cleaning it out.  I was doing it at stops when I had a minute here and there.

Anyway.  I didn't get back from yesterday's final run until 6:20 pm.  I mean, I knew that run was going to keep me out late but it turned out even later than I expected because of issues with traffic (I-20 in Louisiana there was a 5 mile back up going from 0 to 5 mile speeds the entire way - when I finally got to the source of the problem, it was a bridge that was having new concrete poured and workers were all the way into the lane we were driving in, mean everyone was slowing WAY down), an issue finding a contractor's - house I found out at the end.  This and that.

It's odd but at the same time enjoyable really to be driving out on those country roads out in the middle of nowhere with thick, dense forests EVERYWHERE.  That is no joke. I walked into it the other day to - go pee lol no bathrooms around and had been holding it in too long - the denseness of it was astounding.  The humidity is a different story.  But I am dealing with it, just have to start sweating to feel cool again.

Issues on the home front as on tenant is giving - hell - to my caretakers and both they and I have had enough. I am going to text him and ask him to leave.  If he refuses, I will send a 30 day notice of eviction and hope he leaves without me having to take him to court, cause if I have to do that?  Uhhhh, yeah. Fly back to Phoenix to deal with a tenant issue.  Gag.

That's it, it's late, gotta git to bed.

ben

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