Monday

Nice work day - really it was. Wasn't necessarily the busiest day in the world - went to Casa Grande and the over to downtown Phoenix before heading back to the yard. I had to adjust my shifting style for the transmission - it's starting to take a dump. My normal style is pretty flawless - but I have had to slow way down on shifting and the timing has to be perfect to smoothly change gears on this particular transmission - it has been driven by too many different drivers and someone along the way - or several someone's more likely - didn't shift correctly and caused internal damage.

Basically, whereas before I paid no attention to shifting - didn't have to and I didn't trash the tranny in the process - now I have to focus on every shift and that, my friends, is alot of focusing. The tranny will not last indefinitely - I don't think it will anyway. Usually once they start a downhill race - it goes quickly.

There is no news at work that has changed anything - there is something "purportedly" coming down the pike, won't be commenting about that here - or anywhere, really. A big, big boss was in town today. I only knew that because my boss said something about it. He was here one day only - which of course causes me to think decision undoubtedly are being made in a person-to-person basis and what happens down the pike - who knows.

I'm just semi-patiently waiting until Thursday gets here. It is not a terribly great feeling to know that if anything happens between now and then, I have no resources whatsoever to deal with it. Exactly the reason I was trying to start saving some money - just to get a cusion if nothing else.

As for going through my finances, well, I really limited to things that you can change. I can't change the car payment; child support payment; credit card payments. I can, however, muddle with how much money is being spent on food.

I think I do very well in purchasing food by going through the ads and getting the stuff that is on sale - but - I don't use coupons - well I rarely do. Yet, I do find that many times coupons are for a more expensive brand of something and the coupon often doesn't even bring the price down to whatever generic/plain jane brand I might be buying. I could probably do a little better - I really couldn't do a whole lot better. I could cut back in eating "lessor" food - bologna/hot dogs/junk full of preservatives, garbage and cholesterol - no thanks, not unless absolutely necessary. Still, I could cut back $75 or so a month and probably still do alright.

So, I'm just sort of in limbo right now. No money, no idea what's going to happen with the loan mod, just a waiting game. Actually I'm okay for everything - just as long as an emergency doesn't come popping up out of nowhere. But isn't that how they usually happen?

ben