Michael

Fin made a good point - it was a reply on one of my other blogs that I am using as a backup site.
The event of Michael moving out will start to see the reduction in food costs.
I had already thought about that, but - the cost savings go beyond that.

First, I have numerous new readers to this blog - probably a little light shed on Michael and who he is and what his relationship to me is would be good, considering the potential ideas people might get.

When I first moved to the property I am living early months of 2004, the house that was here was uninhabitable. I placed an RV trailer on the property to live in while I was basically tearing the house apart and replacing everything inside of it.

The first few days here were uneventful. Until one day, less than a week after living here, I do believe. My son was bored and I suggested he go out and find some new friends to play with instead of bugging me to death about how bored he was.

He left - and came home - several hours later with a kid in tow. This kid's name was/is Michael. Michael and Caleb (my son) came into our trailer, they sat down in the miniature living room and proceded to start playing video games. Michael didn't want to go home that night. I didn't let him stay - I didn't know his parents and thought it a little odd that a kid would stay overnight on his very first day of meeting my son.

Michael was over the next day. As is my want, I make dinner every night - well just about every night, sometimes I get lazy and just throw something easy together. I was making dinner that day while Michael and Caleb were again playing video games - Michael was making comments about the food and the good smell in the air. So, being an extremely hospitable person - just ask anyone that read my JS journal for the time it was there and you will hear from some people how I go way overboard on that particular subject - I offered him dinner. He gobbled whatever it was (I have no recollection of what I was making) down in a few minutes. I gave him more.

That was the beginning. It wasn't long before his "parents" came over - the father getting angry about his son being over here and -- well you would have to know this person, his drug use, his lack of care for his own children, the fact that he doesn't and won't work to support his family - a long list. I wasn't about to get into a fight with some guy over something as petty as a kid coming over to my house, eating my food and visiting with my son and I - so I just calmed the situation down and introduced myself.

From there - the rest is history. A rather LONG and ARDUOUS history, I might add, of my interactions with this family - all of them. All kajillion of them. Michael ended up moving in with us. The facts eventually came out that there was no or very little food in the house, electricity was on whenever they could afford to put money on the card reading device and the water was always shut off. Further, that Michael had literally been kicked out of his and his brother's bedroom so that drug users could inhabit it. They were sleeping on a carpetless floor.

It was a week or so after Michael showed up that he came one day with another kid. This kid turned out to be Anthony, his older brother, of which, I assume, Michael was telling him about the fact that - there's everything here. You know, things like water and electricity, on and on.

Now, it all sounds strange - but for me not really. I was a full-time missionary for 5 years and ministered in various capacities in a church for another 10 or so after that. Helping people has been infused into my blood. Seeing kids that aren't getting the things they need in life to - live - well, I didn't think too terribly long about it before just letting them stay.

Skipping over volumes of JS entries worth of stuff that has occured since those boys moved in with us and up until now. Anthony - I kicked out early in 2008. He was getting into drug use and was getting drunk - to the point of violence. The situation came to a head one day and I invited him off the property. I have not even considered him coming back - again - another long story. Michael, however, is the opposite of Anthony. He doesn't do drugs, doesn't want to do drugs and is basically a good kid. I had figured that sooner or later, his mother would put the pressure on him to move back. I figured right. He moved out - basically - 2 weeks ago. This week is the first that he actually hasn't been here at all. I miss the kid - yes, we have grown pretty close in that 4 plus years.

But - my expenses have gone down noticably. I was doing Michael's laundry, feeding him and he loves to take showers that drain out an entire 40 gallon hot water tank. He eats like a pig - literally. He is skinny as a bean pole but will sit there and eat, and eat and eat. Fortunately, he's not a picky eater and prefers "simpler" foods, read: cheap - but consuming that much of it still costs money. I have found this week that I have had to adjust the amount of cooking dramatically.

I was not, however, buying him clothing. Well, I wasn't buying him much clothing. He's into designer this and that, stuff that costs too much money. His mother apparently MUST have got on the free rent program, cause she is living in a place now and still has money to buy junk. I say junk because in their situation, one would think they would find better ways to spend their money. But, if you have read this blog on JS for any length of time, you know these people and you know what they do. For those that haven't been here - they are the most irresponsible, careless, reckless people I have EVER met.

It's amazing the amount of money it costs just to have a person in a house.

It's also interesting that with each financial blow, something seems to happen to help shore it up.
Unfortunately, winter won't last forever and those $350 plus per month electric bills will be coming back.

BTW, I did not ask Michael to leave, or even intone such. His mother basically told him he needed to come back. Purportedly, Michael will be coming over on weekends, don't know, remains to be seen. They moved into a place all of about 2 and a half miles from here, though their tenure at their new address remains to be seen.

Well, anyway, as I attempt to mitigate the "damages" with the loss of OT and now the proposed/demanded increase in mortgage of which I still have yet to be able to get through to anyone at this new mortgage "company", and other things - I MAY be able to survive this storm. Who knows? If I don't, plenty of apartments around for $700, $800 and more per month. Of course, they probably don't allow 4 dogs, 2 of them Great Danes...............no, I'll do everythingI can to save my place, stay in it and continue living the life I currently have. It may not be the greatest, but it's better than being homeless, dogless and a host of other things.

ben

Thursday

I didn't feel good this morning when I woke up and the alarm didn't go off for whatever reason, so I was 20 minutes late - but not out the door. I just skipped some of my morning routine and got out of here asap. Not that my boss would care - as long as I get 8 hours on the clock it's pretty much irrelevant unless there is an early delivery.

Which is tomorrow. The load MUST be there by 7:00 am. It's just one spool and the place is less than 40 minutes drive, no big deal.

Today I drove almost 300 miles - pretty good for a local delivery area.

Anyway, it's Thursday - almost over actually - one day closer to divisional finals weekend. And then conference, and then - the Superbowl! Who (if any of them) are you rootin' for?

I forgot about dealing with the mortgage company. Beginning this month, this newest company that has acquired my mortgage raised the monthly payment by almost $100. I can ill afford that. I tried to call yesterday - the wait was so long I just ended up hanging up. I'm going to askl them to renegotiate the loan to a lower percentage rate. If they aren't going to do that, then - I don't know. I don't know what they are raising the mortgage rate for to begin with. I mean, did they purchase yet another insurance company's policy that is more expensive? Cause if they did, I'll get another insurance company at a lower rate and they can go blow.

Whatever. Always something. Such as coming home and finding a pickup truck parked in MY parking spot. Big no-no at BenB Properties. The newer tenant saw me and went into the house and told the guy to move his truck. Lol. It was Mary's carpenter - he's in here finishing installing this door that I don't really care about at this point because Mary has decided that installing the door is more important than paying her rent.

Whatever again. I don't even want to go into that.
I have been waiting every day for my company to post this month's recipients of the safe driver award. I have not received any tickets in 2008 and didn't cause' any accidents - though I was rear-ended, totally not my fault. It's a paycheck award, take out 40% taxes (blahhhhh) and still some money leftover. It will undoubtedly all go to bills. I have yet to get motivated to go down to Fry's and apply for the job in person. Just don't have the feel for it - yet. Get the feel when my finances are so depleted, I don't have enough money to eat from.

I'm a bit tired and apparently cranky, so I'm going to end this one.
C'yall later!
ben

Wednesday (already?)/Claim to infamy

"At Dorrie's Fun Forum, a virtual watering hole for a number of journalspace users, annoyance over the outage (sample quote from "benb" on December 18: "Will JS ever get their act straight? How many times do we have to go through this before this kind of nonsense stops happening? My fear is what is happening to all of our journals right now -- what kind of carnage will we return to? Oh well. Nothing new under the sun.") through a remarkable amount of fretting within the community over various personality issues connected with the small firm. "

I actually went to the site and read it there. Then I found a bunch of sites on the internet that are reporting this JS disaster. Reaming is a good definer for I have found concerning the statements regarding the site's administrators.

I'm intrigued by this AOL auction and wondering who is going to end up buying it. Have to wonder with all the bad press whether anyone in their right mind should be paying ANYTHING for it. I guess perhaps whoever is bidding is considering a bunch of us might come back and actually PAY to use the service again.

Meanwhile, someone posted a blip about LiveJournal laying off workers. How many sites do I need to back up my journal, anyway? I have a CD burner in this computer - never used it. I wonder if I could just burn each entry into the same CD until that CD is full, or do you have to have a new CD every time you want to burn something? Surely someone knows the answer to that. If I can just burn an entry on their every time, that would be the easiest and safest thing I could possibly do.

Back to work - this week is really going by quickly for me. I spent most of the day today driving all over the AZ creation - in all directions, too. 2 more days and the weekend is upon us. I'm drooling over this weekend because of the NFL playoff games that are in-queue for both Saturday and Sunday. I'm a little nervous because I want the Steelers to win and move on - never any guarantees there.

Mary did not respond to my message to her - I demanded a reply by this morning - meaning I am going to print out a 5-day notice and attach it to her door today. If that doesn't get her to take action, I will continue on with the forcible detainer. Mainly, I just want the RENT! I'm sure that may be too much to ask for from a person making $22 per hour and getting OT every week. Yes, she has a 25% garnishment taken out of every check, still a chunk of change left over. She picks and chooses her priorities - time to give her a fresh priority that should top the list.

I haven't seen Michael all week - though I didn't expect to - kinda strange not having him around playing video games and such every night. Almost eery the quiet I can find in here at various times now.

Umm, well I'm out the door to take the dogs for a walk, a thing I have been neglecting of late because I have been sick. I haven't mentioned that I am still coughing from the sickness I acquired must have been well over a month ago. The thing is just hanging on, lingering. I didn't want to do much of any exercise until it passes, but these dogs are going stir crazy. It's literally messing with their heads the fact that I am not walking them - after taking them every or almost every day for at least a 2-mile adventure. So - just gonna do it. Take a slower pace so I don't get to breathing in this cold air too much - it just starts making me hack away.

Anyway, c'yall later and hope to find enough time to visit everyone's journals.
ben