Monday

Everyone - well a lot of people anyway - have today off to celebrate yesterday's holiday.
This is really my first day off - since last weekend. Spent over 16 hours spread out over 3 days helping my manager move. I went to bed last night at 9:00 and didn't get up until 7:30 am. I am totally lacking motivation to do anything, yet I have PLENTY to do around here, I'm drinking coffee and I be forcing myself into action here very soon.

As for finances, same old story, but getting worse. After I pay the mortgage, I will have $300 left to pay for internet, Direct TV, child support, water bill. I have not received the rent from the ex-marine who is out of town (but definitely returning since all of his stuff including his SUV are still here) and I am hoping my dad continues to send money - which will go straight to paying up the water bill if I get it. If he did send it, I should be receiving that tomorrow.

I have been spending money on nothing out of the "ordinary" and am forcing myself to stay on that track. I think I have $150 in my orange savings account - it's going to be transferred back to my checking account. I was saving that money to get the AC in my car fixed, tough. I am just succumbing to the idea that this summer, I am going to be sweating my @$$ off in that car whenever I drive it. I suppose it's a good thing: I don't want to drive anywhere, hence not spending money on gas.

Unfortunately, I have no choice but take a trip to Home Depot. I was going to do it the other day but moving my manager sort of blew getting anything around here done out of the water by engaging my physical exertions in helping him move (not complaining, just my explanation). I have to replace the toilet seat in the main bathroom and also the door lock for that bathroom. The lock - doesn't lock. I have female tenants, I don't think they appreciate that they cannot lock the door in there.

That's going to be around $30 - money I call ill afford to spend, money that can't be avoided BUT to be spent. Oh well. I do what I can and have to to keep tenants happy, certainly those things being kept in good order are mandatory.

I am set for food, however, for the next 3 weeks or so. If I just sit around here doing nothing but projects or just whatever - I think I can survive this. I'm not complaining, at all. I don't like to sit around and whine and have pity parties, it's not my style and it accomplishes absolutely nothing good at all.

I did write my mortgage company and yes, I did ask for further reduced interest rate and also a principle reduction. It may fall on deaf ears, but I had to try - I HAD to try, definitely. I'm guessing their rely is that I already got a modification and that a full year has to pass before they can/will do it again. Wait and see on that one, meanwhile try to figure out how to survive until this summer heat passes - another 2 full months of extreme heat and a couple of months beyond that of moderate heat. It isn't really until October that it REALLY cools down, sometimes not even until November. It's 6 months of great weather and 6 months of not-so-great weather around here, that's the way it goes. If you get lucky, the weather cools down at the beginning of October adding another full month of nice weather (also where you have no expenditure on cooling and very little on heating).

The boys want to go on a vacation. I told them it's absolutely out of the question. I have no money for such and will have none in the foreseeable future. What escaped me is both Michael and Caleb are working now. Yes, amazingly, Michael landed a job somewhere. I WAS amazed. His parents are always broke and if he wants something, well, he really doesn't get it. This came up yesterday. I told Michael if he saved $100 out of each paycheck, in 6 weeks his and Caleb's money combined would be enough to take a trip over to Six Flags.

I am not a fan - at all - of California - anything California - right now because of all their boycotting of us. But, if the boys want to spend their money over there, that's their business.

Oh, and I did find a place that will fix the car AC on payments. I almost went for it. I'm glad I didn't. You give them a small down payment, probably $100 and they take the rest out of your paychecks until it's paid off. Problem? I obviously cannot afford even that right now. Truly sucks, but I have to live within my means. I was halfway there to getting my AC fixed, I just checked - no more, I just put in a request to transfer most of the money out of it and into my checking account. A rather deflating experience, there is nothing I can do about it.

Umm, that's enough of this entry, if I continue to focus on this junk it's going to start getting depressing, considering I am on "vacation" for the rest of this week, this is no time to be going there. Happy happy happy, joy joy joy. Lol.

ben