I was dreading this morning.
Electronic transfer of funds from my company to my bank account.
How much would it be?
In fact, I lost some sleep over it last night.
Woke up in the middle of the night and yes, I could have gotten up and come out and got on the computer to assuage my fears - or sit here in panic and wonder what the freak I am going to do if it isn't enough - but I was just plain afraid to.
I knew the 2 hours every single day of OT would cover it, but you pay more taxes on OT than regular time. I mean, I figured out what they did with my pay. They reduced the hourly wage to the point that I would still get the same amount of pay with 10 hours as I was with 8. I had no choice if I wanted to get out here and get a new life started and get rolling with this. I mean, there are other options, yes, but this was the easiest. No looking for a new job, already know the job parameters, WELL acquainted with the product and what is expected of me.
To the point of making sure I had a good enough paycheck, I also reduced my 401k contribution around 3 weeks ago to make sure that this paycheck? Would not fall short, because if it did, I would be in a world of hurt. Well I can safely say that I am not in a world of hurt at this point. In fact, it was over $100 more than I expected. I'm serious, I was sweating this one bad. Just part of the unknowns of coming out here. I didn't know if they were going to give me the extra 2 hours per day for sure - not that I want to work that many hours but to pay the bills I have no choice.
That extra helps pay extra fuel expense.
Well, off to work. Friday! Yay!
ben
Friday, June 13, 2014
Thursday, June 12, 2014
It suddenly popped into my mind out of the blue.
I don't need to buy expensive carpet, tile or wood flooring.
Concrete etching, staining and sealing.
I dunno why this didn't come to me before. Of course. It is a lot of work but in the end it looks great and is a fraction of the cost of any of those other types listed above.
In other words, a doable proposition.
Well I don't have to etch it, apparently staining it is pretty good looking too and much less work than etching it. I dunno yet, not in the position to do any of it. Hoping to get some more paint and get the dining room done. It's huge. All of the bottom floor rooms are huge in the house. The living room is 1,200 square feet, that's the size of a small home. I mean, I have ideas about that living room, it is way too large and could divide that thing in half and make a movie room out of one half and the other half the extended kitchen/eating area.
I dunno. It's not my house and so making decisions about it is kinda tough.
Regardless, these work hours are really kicking my @$$. I am not used to a 50 hour work week and I AM used to getting off at 2, not 5 and sometimes even later.
____________________________________________________________
I mean, I think I started this yesterday. Long days, burning the candle at both ends, trying to get adjusted, going to take some time. Left here at 6am and walked through the door 20 minutes ago - it's 9:30. Way past my bedtime, but it is what it is at this point. When I got to m'lady's house today, I was greeted by a lot of kids wanting attention and love. M'lady too, obviously, lol. She made the pork chops I took over there the other day and they were delicious.
Then totally by accident - we were sitting on the couch and the kids were just sitting around watching us and talking about everything - something came out that one of the boys had done today. Because of the nature of what it was and a minor child I just can't go into it on the web. I can only say that I talked with this person about it as long as I could before I just had to leave, it was getting late and I told him I would continue with him again in the near future. Prayed with him and that, he said, made him feel peace and he liked that. No, it's not Josiah, he has a range of his own issues but not anything like this.
I'm trying to give them all attention, it's hard. There are 6 of them and they have been neglected by their own father and are craving it badly. Especially the girls. It is unnatural, IMO, that a dad neglect his own girls and not want them touching him or getting close to him at all.
Whatever. The day is long and I am exhausted.
ben
I don't need to buy expensive carpet, tile or wood flooring.
Concrete etching, staining and sealing.
I dunno why this didn't come to me before. Of course. It is a lot of work but in the end it looks great and is a fraction of the cost of any of those other types listed above.
In other words, a doable proposition.
Well I don't have to etch it, apparently staining it is pretty good looking too and much less work than etching it. I dunno yet, not in the position to do any of it. Hoping to get some more paint and get the dining room done. It's huge. All of the bottom floor rooms are huge in the house. The living room is 1,200 square feet, that's the size of a small home. I mean, I have ideas about that living room, it is way too large and could divide that thing in half and make a movie room out of one half and the other half the extended kitchen/eating area.
I dunno. It's not my house and so making decisions about it is kinda tough.
Regardless, these work hours are really kicking my @$$. I am not used to a 50 hour work week and I AM used to getting off at 2, not 5 and sometimes even later.
____________________________________________________________
I mean, I think I started this yesterday. Long days, burning the candle at both ends, trying to get adjusted, going to take some time. Left here at 6am and walked through the door 20 minutes ago - it's 9:30. Way past my bedtime, but it is what it is at this point. When I got to m'lady's house today, I was greeted by a lot of kids wanting attention and love. M'lady too, obviously, lol. She made the pork chops I took over there the other day and they were delicious.
Then totally by accident - we were sitting on the couch and the kids were just sitting around watching us and talking about everything - something came out that one of the boys had done today. Because of the nature of what it was and a minor child I just can't go into it on the web. I can only say that I talked with this person about it as long as I could before I just had to leave, it was getting late and I told him I would continue with him again in the near future. Prayed with him and that, he said, made him feel peace and he liked that. No, it's not Josiah, he has a range of his own issues but not anything like this.
I'm trying to give them all attention, it's hard. There are 6 of them and they have been neglected by their own father and are craving it badly. Especially the girls. It is unnatural, IMO, that a dad neglect his own girls and not want them touching him or getting close to him at all.
Whatever. The day is long and I am exhausted.
ben
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Long day at work. Just unending - which is good actually - makes the clock get to 5 faster, seemingly anyway. But got off late, even later than the 10 hours and was kinda cranking about that a bit because I was supposed to get to m'lady's place to go to a restaurant and visit with her sister and her sister's boyfriend that came into town today - on their way to Austin, TX for some huge bike rally that happens on Wednesday. Well I got back quick enough to head over to Applebee's with everyone and spend a good couple of hours talking with these people. It was cool, nice folks.
Back to her place but no time, I needed to get home, maybe write up a quick entry and hit the sack. It's already 9:30 and that is well past my bedtime. But I can get up later, just have to reset the alarm clock and skip my morning ritual of sitting here drinking coffee for a while and catching up on the news. They want me in a half hour earlier, though, a contractor is out of pipe and is clear on the other side of Louisiana. So get in early and get out of there and on the road.
Meanwhile, this guy kept calling me about installing Dish Network so I succumbed. Those kids have never had tv in that house, only in her bedroom which isn't accessible more often than not and even if accessible, they often can't watch tv in there. She wasn't opposed to me having it installed and it's just basic stuff, so basic nothing will have to be filtered. There is a lot more to this story - but I don't even want to hear from anyone about how tv isn't a necessity in life. It may not be, but I grew up with it and as far as I know everyone else I know grew up with it too. The rest of the story about this is something I am not willing to discuss on the world wide web, so leave it at that.
Josiah - another blowup today. Just flat plain told him he cannot have his gf over tomorrow all day long. Not a happening event and I don't need to explain myself, but I did anyway. He had a combined total of 24 hours with that girl last weekend and that was more than enough, plus his junk he pulled on Sunday with her there, which pretty much pissed me off and the reason why I told him NO. Anyway, he started railing on me and I just cut him off after listening to it for about a minute. Josiah, if you don't shut your mouth and stop and I mean stop right now, you won't be seeing her at ALL this coming weekend.
That was it. He stopped because I was dead serious and he knew it. Not gonna tolerate being disparaged and disrespected by a 16 year old boy. Told him that, too.
Well that's enough. I really need to get to bed and hope and pray I get some sleep tonight. Some nights I do - ----- - others I get 4 or 5 hours of it and that's it. Pretty long day at work when you are running on 4 hours of sleep.
G'nite.
ben
Back to her place but no time, I needed to get home, maybe write up a quick entry and hit the sack. It's already 9:30 and that is well past my bedtime. But I can get up later, just have to reset the alarm clock and skip my morning ritual of sitting here drinking coffee for a while and catching up on the news. They want me in a half hour earlier, though, a contractor is out of pipe and is clear on the other side of Louisiana. So get in early and get out of there and on the road.
Meanwhile, this guy kept calling me about installing Dish Network so I succumbed. Those kids have never had tv in that house, only in her bedroom which isn't accessible more often than not and even if accessible, they often can't watch tv in there. She wasn't opposed to me having it installed and it's just basic stuff, so basic nothing will have to be filtered. There is a lot more to this story - but I don't even want to hear from anyone about how tv isn't a necessity in life. It may not be, but I grew up with it and as far as I know everyone else I know grew up with it too. The rest of the story about this is something I am not willing to discuss on the world wide web, so leave it at that.
Josiah - another blowup today. Just flat plain told him he cannot have his gf over tomorrow all day long. Not a happening event and I don't need to explain myself, but I did anyway. He had a combined total of 24 hours with that girl last weekend and that was more than enough, plus his junk he pulled on Sunday with her there, which pretty much pissed me off and the reason why I told him NO. Anyway, he started railing on me and I just cut him off after listening to it for about a minute. Josiah, if you don't shut your mouth and stop and I mean stop right now, you won't be seeing her at ALL this coming weekend.
That was it. He stopped because I was dead serious and he knew it. Not gonna tolerate being disparaged and disrespected by a 16 year old boy. Told him that, too.
Well that's enough. I really need to get to bed and hope and pray I get some sleep tonight. Some nights I do - ----- - others I get 4 or 5 hours of it and that's it. Pretty long day at work when you are running on 4 hours of sleep.
G'nite.
ben
Days flying by. Seeing all kinds of interesting and different landscape in Louisiana. Work is - also - interesting - because of the people that are working there. One dude is always complaining about the place and constantly threatening to go find another job somewhere else. Good luck. He's young, has little experience in a truck and has attitude. Another one is in his 50's I believe, he's pretty cool and then the 3rd dude is in his 40's and doesn't talk much. The guy that runs the counter is in his 60's and has been with the company for over 30 years. It is interesting that the man runs the counter - but doesn't know how to write up a ticket.
You know, like to sell stuff? lol. I get along with all of them to some extent or another, excepting the counter man who I usually can deal with but his blowup last week ticked me off. Will I stay there? Probably not, but comjpletely undecided at this point. I want to see what my first paycheck looks like before making that decision. Which will occur on Friday.
The stark reality of the house is that it will take quite some time - and money - to get into decent condition. I get frowns when I start talking about trying to find stuff used but still in good condition. The house is huge. Carpet has been torn out of most of it. You're talking replacing flooring on a house that is something like 6,500 square feet. Wood or vinyl flooring probably best in most areas because of all of those kids. The astronomical amount of money needed to replace all of that is - mind-boggling, at least for me. THat is one of the biggest issues in the house at the moment. Another is a dog that poops and pees wherever it pleases, as well as stealing food off the dining room table. It has never been trained and of course if you don't train a dog, you pay the consequences.
Then there is the other stuff. Josiah and his gf. Constantly pushing it. Wanting to spend more and more and more time with her. I mean entire days where that's all he does: sit with her and talk all day long. He asked for her to come over tomorrow after having had her over on Sunday and having had been with her all day Friday and when I say all day, I mean from 8:45 am til' past 9 pm. The problem is his attitude. Another problem is when he's with her, he does nothing. He is expected to work around the house just like the rest of the kids. So I just told him no on Wednesday. Sorry, not a happening event, thanks.
\
As it stands, he pissed me off on Sunday and that is the reason he isn't getting to see her on Wednesday and likely his future visits are going to be pared back. He IS getting better in the attitude department, but ever so slowly. He came and sat down next to me last night while I was over there playing the game. Being all nice and this and that - of course when I said no he got up and stormed off. Lol. It's relentless though, the constant asking about seeing gf. I get tired of it and when he gets mad I pretty much let him have it.
As for the other kids in the house, 2 boys got home from their trip with dad to North Carolina. They had fun, evidently, but I knew the car trip would be hell to pay with those 2 in the same vehicle for that much time. I was definitely spot on about that one. They don't like each other, don't want to be around each other, but one of them is MUCH larger than the other one and can basically beat the snot out of him. One of them wants to come over on Friday - well they all want to do that all the time. In fact, they ask me to take them home on work nights and then take them back the next morning. Uhhh, sorry, that just won't work. Leave here half an hour early to do that, no thanks, plus add 20 miles to the trip to work, no thanks.
Regardless, it came up that the oldest brother - who is in the Navy and the reason they went to NC to visit him - was trash talking mom and also apparently saying s*** about me. Not that I care, I have never even met the - kid - no sweat off my back. Her ex and that one going at it about her and then apparently declaring that I could "find a better person", inciting that she is doing heroin. I can guarantee you that my lady does NOT do narcotics. She has migraine headache issues and takes Imitrex for that, but that is not a narcotic and they just like to spite her at every turn.
I did not move out here to go find some other lady, I don't care about all the junk and sometimes exasperration I have to go through with all of this, I am intent on getting that house spruced up and so, I spent the money I have here and there in doing so. Paint at the moment. But think about painting that much square footage and the amount of money it will cost just to do that and you get an idea of the hurdles I am facing to get this done.
Upon that note, I have decided to expand my range for finding stuff to the Dallas area, which is a much larger population and much more likely to find deals even if a 150 to 200 mile drive - one way. If there is a good enough deal and it's worth the drive, then yes. She has a 15 passenger van with a trailer hitch and a 15 or 20 foot trailer that I can drive over there if need be - if I can find anything at all. I was thinking of learning how to use that tractor of hers and the brush hog attachment and seeing if I can rent out brush hogging at 40 to 50 bucks an hour. Sounds expensive but you are talking about operating a tractor and the fuel, wear and tear, tires, hauling the thing over to wherever, etc etc etc. Easy work, though monotonous, there is a demand for it. I need extra bucks to get this house done and it will take forever at the rate I am going. An equity loan on the house would be another idea, but that means more debt. At the same time, to get that place into shape, especially the main living areas.
Well I have run out of time, time for the daily trek to Shreveport some 47 miles away from here. Not that bad, really, just the fuel expense, gas is hardly cheap anymore. $3.35 per gallon the cheapest I can find it. Well there are some cheaper places over in LA out of town, but I am not driving 20 miles to go fill up, obviously, but I have seen it as low as $3.20 per gallon. Which isn't really low. I need to focus my attention on getting out of the child support.
Regardless, g'day.
ben
Thursday, June 5, 2014
Not much time here,
but got into it with the counter dude yesterday.
He comes walking out to the truck I am trying to strap down and starts barking about why it is taking so long.
Well, cause' I'm trying to remove this strap that is stuck in the groove, the strap needs to be chucked and put in a new one.
F*** that s***, he replies which is when I pretty much let off on him.
The first thing that came to mind - these people don't give a damn about safety. The second thing is that they aren't drivers and don't care if we get into trouble, it won't affect them. The third thing is we are full blown into the roadside check program that is going on through tomorrow - where they are pulling over commercial vehicles for 72 straight hours.
I was fuming pretty good for a while. The funny part about this is that this dude hadn't called the customer I was delivering to - I have no freedoms at this place at all, just do what I'm told and that's that, can't even get into the computer system, no juice to get into hardly any programs at all. Anyway, the dude wasn't answering the phone and it was over half an hour before I could leave anyway.
Whatever. Thursday. 2 more days of this. These 10 hour work days are a bit hard to get used to. I did it at the Chandler branch for a year and a half but that's been a while. About the time I'm hitting 8 hours on the clock my internal clock telling me it's time to go home!
Time's up, off to work.
G'day.
ben
but got into it with the counter dude yesterday.
He comes walking out to the truck I am trying to strap down and starts barking about why it is taking so long.
Well, cause' I'm trying to remove this strap that is stuck in the groove, the strap needs to be chucked and put in a new one.
F*** that s***, he replies which is when I pretty much let off on him.
The first thing that came to mind - these people don't give a damn about safety. The second thing is that they aren't drivers and don't care if we get into trouble, it won't affect them. The third thing is we are full blown into the roadside check program that is going on through tomorrow - where they are pulling over commercial vehicles for 72 straight hours.
I was fuming pretty good for a while. The funny part about this is that this dude hadn't called the customer I was delivering to - I have no freedoms at this place at all, just do what I'm told and that's that, can't even get into the computer system, no juice to get into hardly any programs at all. Anyway, the dude wasn't answering the phone and it was over half an hour before I could leave anyway.
Whatever. Thursday. 2 more days of this. These 10 hour work days are a bit hard to get used to. I did it at the Chandler branch for a year and a half but that's been a while. About the time I'm hitting 8 hours on the clock my internal clock telling me it's time to go home!
Time's up, off to work.
G'day.
ben
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
Long work days mean no time for everything that needs to be done after work. But, no choice. Had to get my oil changed and then found out I have a bad wheel bearing. The mechanic had the car well up off the floor and showed me the play - yikes! Then he showed me the tire! Whoa! Cords showing! That tire ain't even that old, that bad bearing is eating up tires. Well I ain't paying them $300 to fix it, I'll buy the wheel hub and install it myself on Saturda6y. Get a used tire if i can find one tomorrow after work.
They want to charge me $150 for labor and $150 for the part, so eliminate teh labor charge and cut the cost of a wheel hub by at least $25 I am guessing since shops inflate those prices as well and walaah. Pain in the but, not what I want to spend Saturday doing, but I am not rich and I have to cut corners where I can. It's 7 pm and I am not even hlaf way home from work. Was trying to take care of some other business as well.
I was, however, happy to find out what's wrong with the thing. I have had it into a couple of shops getting oil changes and they never figured this out. It's been eating up front tires for a while now, though not this bad aor this fast. I was also glad to see that damaged tire - BEFORE it comes apart and causes a lot of problems. Not happy, I guess, wrong word, finding junk wrong with your vehicle is hardly afun experience but it is something I can fix, so that's good.
In the world of m'lady and her kids, always something going on. Josiah texting me today asking for gas money. The kid burned through his paycheck buying clothes and providing his girl with junk food and drinks when she was over on Sunday. He gets paid on Friday but doesn't have enough gas to make it till then to get to work. School is out for the summer for all of them. 2 of the boys left on a road trip the day after school was out and are with their dad in North Carolina right now. Returning next week. Anyway I'm giong to loan the boy money, ain't giving it to him for nothing and tell him if it happens again, he's on h is own. One would think saving enough money to pay for gas to get to work would be on the priority list, about the time he figures out he can't make it that will be when it sinks in.
Well anyway. I have to ask about where places are at when I am handed a delivery ticket or a pickup purchase order for anywhere that doesn't have an address on it. Remember I am working in Cajun country and people talk pretty - interesting - over there. So this man that works the counter also pretty much tells the drivers where to go. He says things to me and I just look at him. Huh? You turn on sheeeeee ellllll street. With considerable Cajun twang mixed with ethnic twang. In other words, unintelligible. Yes, you can figure out what he meant but what I spelled here, but in person? How he speaks? Good luck. Shell street. I asked him to spell it out. Ohhh, okay, thanks.
In reality, I've had that man and everyone else that works out in the yard busting up with laughter. I don't believe in workplace morbidity, let's have some fun. This dude? Has a belly laugh like you have never heard before.
Time for bed.
Ben
They want to charge me $150 for labor and $150 for the part, so eliminate teh labor charge and cut the cost of a wheel hub by at least $25 I am guessing since shops inflate those prices as well and walaah. Pain in the but, not what I want to spend Saturday doing, but I am not rich and I have to cut corners where I can. It's 7 pm and I am not even hlaf way home from work. Was trying to take care of some other business as well.
I was, however, happy to find out what's wrong with the thing. I have had it into a couple of shops getting oil changes and they never figured this out. It's been eating up front tires for a while now, though not this bad aor this fast. I was also glad to see that damaged tire - BEFORE it comes apart and causes a lot of problems. Not happy, I guess, wrong word, finding junk wrong with your vehicle is hardly afun experience but it is something I can fix, so that's good.
In the world of m'lady and her kids, always something going on. Josiah texting me today asking for gas money. The kid burned through his paycheck buying clothes and providing his girl with junk food and drinks when she was over on Sunday. He gets paid on Friday but doesn't have enough gas to make it till then to get to work. School is out for the summer for all of them. 2 of the boys left on a road trip the day after school was out and are with their dad in North Carolina right now. Returning next week. Anyway I'm giong to loan the boy money, ain't giving it to him for nothing and tell him if it happens again, he's on h is own. One would think saving enough money to pay for gas to get to work would be on the priority list, about the time he figures out he can't make it that will be when it sinks in.
Well anyway. I have to ask about where places are at when I am handed a delivery ticket or a pickup purchase order for anywhere that doesn't have an address on it. Remember I am working in Cajun country and people talk pretty - interesting - over there. So this man that works the counter also pretty much tells the drivers where to go. He says things to me and I just look at him. Huh? You turn on sheeeeee ellllll street. With considerable Cajun twang mixed with ethnic twang. In other words, unintelligible. Yes, you can figure out what he meant but what I spelled here, but in person? How he speaks? Good luck. Shell street. I asked him to spell it out. Ohhh, okay, thanks.
In reality, I've had that man and everyone else that works out in the yard busting up with laughter. I don't believe in workplace morbidity, let's have some fun. This dude? Has a belly laugh like you have never heard before.
Time for bed.
Ben
Monday, June 2, 2014
So here we are, Monday, day one of work week done and over with.
I did not finish the last entry but posted it anyway - a lot has transpired since then.
It isn't anything that I will go into on a public forum accessible by anyone, just to say that the issue is resolved and moving on.
There are a lot more issues that need to be resolved and undoubtedly fresh ones will come up as the clock ticks.
But getting a call yesterday that the AC wasn't working at the house - in Phoenix - was too much. We got to the bottom of it - the blower motor wasn't working. Well, a blower motor is a lot cheaper than a compressor and all that has to be done installing one, so at least that much of a sigh of relief. Eventually, after numerous phone calls back and forth and finding out a bunch of other junk going on over there - right after I left - the issue was resolved from the neighbor behind my house who came over and determined that wire was loose on the motor and simply put it back on and that was that. $35. Not complaining, I know how much a service call is and how much AC companies charge.
Other issues were one tenant wanting to park his tow truck in my driveway and cut down a tree to be able to do so. Thankfully, Mark told him he was neither cutting down the tree nor parking that thing in my driveway, thanks. George apparently turning down the AC during the day. Also running several computers, monitors, printers, etc etc etc in his room. He works from home. Had no idea he was running all of that, explains my electric usage. He's going to have to pay for that electric usage and Mark and Lynnette will have no problem letting him know that. But, he and Susan are at Susan's mom's house basically for the next 2 months so I am not going to concern myself with that right now.
And Mark deposited the rent money today. So at least they are doing what they said they would: manage the house. They won't do it like I did, I hope they don't run anyone off, but it is what it is.
Life here is up and down and all around. Good, bad and ugly. All at once. I don't have time to go into all of it, but I have touched on a lot of it here and there anyway. The drive to work isn't that bad, the fuel used doing it - IS.
Ex contacted me on FB messaging and also trying to call me - calls I did not answer. She unfriended me and then blocked me after telling me she didn't want to talk to me anymore - just completely out of the blue. This is the kind of thing that used to happen in our marriage and it was maddening. I don't know what changed her mind, I just said fine, I'll talk to you, I didn't cut her off, she cut me off. It never even crossed my mind to do that, we were being civil with each other and that was good since we are going to be in Heaven for all eternity, might as well learn to get along here.
My son is now in the Philippines. And island on the southern region of it. I'm so proud of him. I just can't put into words the joy my son gives me for the path that he has chosen in serving the Lord our God.
Well that's it, it's a bit past my bedtime and I need to get to bed.
G'nite.
ben
I did not finish the last entry but posted it anyway - a lot has transpired since then.
It isn't anything that I will go into on a public forum accessible by anyone, just to say that the issue is resolved and moving on.
There are a lot more issues that need to be resolved and undoubtedly fresh ones will come up as the clock ticks.
But getting a call yesterday that the AC wasn't working at the house - in Phoenix - was too much. We got to the bottom of it - the blower motor wasn't working. Well, a blower motor is a lot cheaper than a compressor and all that has to be done installing one, so at least that much of a sigh of relief. Eventually, after numerous phone calls back and forth and finding out a bunch of other junk going on over there - right after I left - the issue was resolved from the neighbor behind my house who came over and determined that wire was loose on the motor and simply put it back on and that was that. $35. Not complaining, I know how much a service call is and how much AC companies charge.
Other issues were one tenant wanting to park his tow truck in my driveway and cut down a tree to be able to do so. Thankfully, Mark told him he was neither cutting down the tree nor parking that thing in my driveway, thanks. George apparently turning down the AC during the day. Also running several computers, monitors, printers, etc etc etc in his room. He works from home. Had no idea he was running all of that, explains my electric usage. He's going to have to pay for that electric usage and Mark and Lynnette will have no problem letting him know that. But, he and Susan are at Susan's mom's house basically for the next 2 months so I am not going to concern myself with that right now.
And Mark deposited the rent money today. So at least they are doing what they said they would: manage the house. They won't do it like I did, I hope they don't run anyone off, but it is what it is.
Life here is up and down and all around. Good, bad and ugly. All at once. I don't have time to go into all of it, but I have touched on a lot of it here and there anyway. The drive to work isn't that bad, the fuel used doing it - IS.
Ex contacted me on FB messaging and also trying to call me - calls I did not answer. She unfriended me and then blocked me after telling me she didn't want to talk to me anymore - just completely out of the blue. This is the kind of thing that used to happen in our marriage and it was maddening. I don't know what changed her mind, I just said fine, I'll talk to you, I didn't cut her off, she cut me off. It never even crossed my mind to do that, we were being civil with each other and that was good since we are going to be in Heaven for all eternity, might as well learn to get along here.
My son is now in the Philippines. And island on the southern region of it. I'm so proud of him. I just can't put into words the joy my son gives me for the path that he has chosen in serving the Lord our God.
Well that's it, it's a bit past my bedtime and I need to get to bed.
G'nite.
ben
Sunday, June 1, 2014
Somewhat came to a head yesterday.
The 16 year old went with me to get stuff for the day's work - and he wanted to spend his money on clothing attire at the mall which I promised him I would take him since he isn't yet allowed to drive anywhere but to work and school. I ended up taking my car to Discount Tire to get a slow leak fixed - which took an hour. We went to Waffle House and sat down and talked for quite a while and then went back to the shop. they still weren't done so headed to Home Depot right behind the place for a paint brush we had forgotten to get earlier.
When finally done with that - and realizing they didn't balance the tire so now I have to go back and ask them why they would put a tire back onto a car without balancing it and probably wait another hour to get that done - we headed to the mall. Had some fun there, his gf told him he should buy pink underwear. So he's looking at hot pink underwear and yes, I was making jokes and giving him a hard time about it. He's a good kid, really, with some mixed-up ideas, that mostly attributed to his upbringing.
We finally got home after a couple of hours of all of that and went to work. He got onto the hallway upstairs that is in a shambles, it was soooo bad. Kids writing on walls and....well anyway, I went into yet another bathroom and started a huge cleanup process on that, starting with the bathtub. Clogged up drain, had been that way for quite a while. She has a hand snake but it isn't flexible enough to make a p-trap turn. She brought up some other device which also didn't work. Well, so it was back to Home Depot to buy the right kind of hand operated snake to get around the bends in the pipe, this time the 10 year old wanted to go so go we went.
Got back, opened up the drain and spent 3 solid hours attempting to clean that tub and glass doors. I'll leave it to your imagination to determine how .... dirty.....it was to have to take up half an afternoon just cleaning that one area alone, sans the rest of the bathroom. These are not projects I take much pleasure in because of the grossness of the situation. Just have to suck it up and get it done. Scrubbing and scrubbing. I should have left and gone and gotten some powerful cleaner, because the cleaner I have? Always does the trick but not this time. Had to take the doors off the tracks to clean them and then the tracks themselves were filled with....well let's just not go there.
I went out into the hallway and she started cranking on the 16 year old about what he was doing. Wrong, wrong, wrong. It's quickly becoming apparent that nothing he can do will ever be right in her eyes. He got pissed and walked off to his bedroom. "I think y'all should finish this job since you don't like anything that I am doing". In reality, he had busted his ass half the day and did that entire hallway excepting the door frames which need a different kind of paint. I'm looking at her, a little encouragement. I went after him and told him he was doing a great job and we would fix the small spills and be done with it. He got a smile on his face and went back to work.
Later, the idea was floated about getting pizza so I sent boy to pizza store - with mom's blessing to drive there alone - and we stood there and she just went off. Look at what he did here and there and everywhere. Not one, single, good word could come out of her mouth of the awesome job, actually, that kid had done. I was glad he wasn't there to hear all of that. I had a feeling, quite some time ago, that this was probably what was going on over there - constant railing of the kids - but I had no evidence other than the feeling that this is, indeed, what's going on.
So now what. Not my kids, no real place to attempt to intervene. At the same time, I cannot sit there, like the other night, and listen to this stuff going on and on and on. It grates me, it grinds my innards, I can't stand it. It's not just the 16 year old, it's all of the teenagers and sometimes the 10 year old. The 2 girls are not immune from it but they hardly get much of that kind of treatment.
She wants to know when we are going to get married. Like a date. I'm not committing to a date yet. I'll go insane living in a house with all of that going on, all the time. Literally, I would pull my hair out and probably just have to leave a lot and go do something outside or leave the property altogether. No, can't do that. This needs to be at least semi-fixed before I'm going in there. At first it was the house itself, now it's the house AND the constant fighting that needs reparations. I got my place to come to for now, it's a nice little abode, I ain't here much but it is still very peaceful and quiet, a place where I can reflect and meditate and think about things without all the background noise.
The problem I have is, how can I deal with these kids and start to try and get them back on the right track when they are constantly in defensive mode? They can't receive anything because they are always on edge about her telling them to do something - constantly and yelling at them that whatever they have done - is always wrong. I do believe they have learned to tune her out quite a bit and she has to repeat herself over and over and over to get them to do anything.
I dunno. I'm not giving up, but I feel like I'm at a dead-end right now and there aren't any openings, gates, trampolines to jump on and over the this blockage. This situation with her kids leaving and never coming back and not wanting anything to do with her will keep playing itself out over and over and over with the rest of them until/if/when something drastic changes it and frankly? That would be her attitude towards them. Oh, yes, those kids have attitude, bad sometimes, but the change has to start with the adult. The parent leads, the kids follow. If the parent leads into a life of constant contention, guaranteed the kids will do the same thing.
So, it's Sunday. I am going over there, we are all piling into the huge van and
The 16 year old went with me to get stuff for the day's work - and he wanted to spend his money on clothing attire at the mall which I promised him I would take him since he isn't yet allowed to drive anywhere but to work and school. I ended up taking my car to Discount Tire to get a slow leak fixed - which took an hour. We went to Waffle House and sat down and talked for quite a while and then went back to the shop. they still weren't done so headed to Home Depot right behind the place for a paint brush we had forgotten to get earlier.
When finally done with that - and realizing they didn't balance the tire so now I have to go back and ask them why they would put a tire back onto a car without balancing it and probably wait another hour to get that done - we headed to the mall. Had some fun there, his gf told him he should buy pink underwear. So he's looking at hot pink underwear and yes, I was making jokes and giving him a hard time about it. He's a good kid, really, with some mixed-up ideas, that mostly attributed to his upbringing.
We finally got home after a couple of hours of all of that and went to work. He got onto the hallway upstairs that is in a shambles, it was soooo bad. Kids writing on walls and....well anyway, I went into yet another bathroom and started a huge cleanup process on that, starting with the bathtub. Clogged up drain, had been that way for quite a while. She has a hand snake but it isn't flexible enough to make a p-trap turn. She brought up some other device which also didn't work. Well, so it was back to Home Depot to buy the right kind of hand operated snake to get around the bends in the pipe, this time the 10 year old wanted to go so go we went.
Got back, opened up the drain and spent 3 solid hours attempting to clean that tub and glass doors. I'll leave it to your imagination to determine how .... dirty.....it was to have to take up half an afternoon just cleaning that one area alone, sans the rest of the bathroom. These are not projects I take much pleasure in because of the grossness of the situation. Just have to suck it up and get it done. Scrubbing and scrubbing. I should have left and gone and gotten some powerful cleaner, because the cleaner I have? Always does the trick but not this time. Had to take the doors off the tracks to clean them and then the tracks themselves were filled with....well let's just not go there.
I went out into the hallway and she started cranking on the 16 year old about what he was doing. Wrong, wrong, wrong. It's quickly becoming apparent that nothing he can do will ever be right in her eyes. He got pissed and walked off to his bedroom. "I think y'all should finish this job since you don't like anything that I am doing". In reality, he had busted his ass half the day and did that entire hallway excepting the door frames which need a different kind of paint. I'm looking at her, a little encouragement. I went after him and told him he was doing a great job and we would fix the small spills and be done with it. He got a smile on his face and went back to work.
Later, the idea was floated about getting pizza so I sent boy to pizza store - with mom's blessing to drive there alone - and we stood there and she just went off. Look at what he did here and there and everywhere. Not one, single, good word could come out of her mouth of the awesome job, actually, that kid had done. I was glad he wasn't there to hear all of that. I had a feeling, quite some time ago, that this was probably what was going on over there - constant railing of the kids - but I had no evidence other than the feeling that this is, indeed, what's going on.
So now what. Not my kids, no real place to attempt to intervene. At the same time, I cannot sit there, like the other night, and listen to this stuff going on and on and on. It grates me, it grinds my innards, I can't stand it. It's not just the 16 year old, it's all of the teenagers and sometimes the 10 year old. The 2 girls are not immune from it but they hardly get much of that kind of treatment.
She wants to know when we are going to get married. Like a date. I'm not committing to a date yet. I'll go insane living in a house with all of that going on, all the time. Literally, I would pull my hair out and probably just have to leave a lot and go do something outside or leave the property altogether. No, can't do that. This needs to be at least semi-fixed before I'm going in there. At first it was the house itself, now it's the house AND the constant fighting that needs reparations. I got my place to come to for now, it's a nice little abode, I ain't here much but it is still very peaceful and quiet, a place where I can reflect and meditate and think about things without all the background noise.
The problem I have is, how can I deal with these kids and start to try and get them back on the right track when they are constantly in defensive mode? They can't receive anything because they are always on edge about her telling them to do something - constantly and yelling at them that whatever they have done - is always wrong. I do believe they have learned to tune her out quite a bit and she has to repeat herself over and over and over to get them to do anything.
I dunno. I'm not giving up, but I feel like I'm at a dead-end right now and there aren't any openings, gates, trampolines to jump on and over the this blockage. This situation with her kids leaving and never coming back and not wanting anything to do with her will keep playing itself out over and over and over with the rest of them until/if/when something drastic changes it and frankly? That would be her attitude towards them. Oh, yes, those kids have attitude, bad sometimes, but the change has to start with the adult. The parent leads, the kids follow. If the parent leads into a life of constant contention, guaranteed the kids will do the same thing.
So, it's Sunday. I am going over there, we are all piling into the huge van and
Friday, May 30, 2014
So I walk into the shop this morning at work and ask if there are any deliveries. I'm pretty much out of the loop as far as what is going where at this point. I just do whatever they want me to do. The dude says yeah - in pure Cajun voice - and then shows me on the map. ??? Well that looks like a pretty long run! He says yeah it's down there a ways. 2 stops - neither of them close to either other, but well down south.
This run took me on back country roads through small towns and all kinds of scenery. the likes of which I haven't seen in ages. Narrow, 2 lane highways. Strange traffic patterns and completely different ways of doing things on the streets than anywhere else I have been. Well, coming around a curve out in the middle of nowhere, I see a semi truck - coming directly at me. Yup, this guy was completely on the wrong side of the highway for unknown reason and approaching that curve --- and me --- fast. I was halfway off the road and in the grass before this guy even noticed, apparently, that he was on the wrong side of the road and swerved back into his lane.
I am fairly confident, however, that if I hadn't gotten off the road as fast as I did - I would not be here typing this message right now. A small truck against a big truck, guess who wins. I was in the small truck. Well I definitely wouldn't be here writing this message, the thought was whether I would be in this world - or the next.
That run turned out to be 300 miles of driving.
Long day scheduled tomorrow. Get up, go to stores, go to m'lady's house - work at least 6 hours - and then off on a date with her. Josiah will stay home and watch the 3 younger kids. He was unhappy that I told him work tomorrow and then see his GF on Sunday instead of the other way around. Nope, I said, I want you to work Saturday and get stuff done. If she's over tomorrow nothing will get done and I won't want to work on Sunday or deal with you working on Sunday, so, so sad, too bad.
Long days. Taking some getting used to. Might take a while to get caught up to it. Like a long while.
Well whatever. Pretty good day, actually, even if a long one. I'm bushed.
G'nite.
ben
This run took me on back country roads through small towns and all kinds of scenery. the likes of which I haven't seen in ages. Narrow, 2 lane highways. Strange traffic patterns and completely different ways of doing things on the streets than anywhere else I have been. Well, coming around a curve out in the middle of nowhere, I see a semi truck - coming directly at me. Yup, this guy was completely on the wrong side of the highway for unknown reason and approaching that curve --- and me --- fast. I was halfway off the road and in the grass before this guy even noticed, apparently, that he was on the wrong side of the road and swerved back into his lane.
I am fairly confident, however, that if I hadn't gotten off the road as fast as I did - I would not be here typing this message right now. A small truck against a big truck, guess who wins. I was in the small truck. Well I definitely wouldn't be here writing this message, the thought was whether I would be in this world - or the next.
That run turned out to be 300 miles of driving.
Long day scheduled tomorrow. Get up, go to stores, go to m'lady's house - work at least 6 hours - and then off on a date with her. Josiah will stay home and watch the 3 younger kids. He was unhappy that I told him work tomorrow and then see his GF on Sunday instead of the other way around. Nope, I said, I want you to work Saturday and get stuff done. If she's over tomorrow nothing will get done and I won't want to work on Sunday or deal with you working on Sunday, so, so sad, too bad.
Long days. Taking some getting used to. Might take a while to get caught up to it. Like a long while.
Well whatever. Pretty good day, actually, even if a long one. I'm bushed.
G'nite.
ben
Thursday, May 29, 2014
Day three of new work. Unsafe, that's what i will call thiat place. The whole place is a disaster. That's pretty much a one word way to describe it. But their trucks and the way they load them. Yikes. All kinds of straps with large cuts in them - totally illegal by DOT standards. Broken fenders and quarter panels and then they load trucks with pallets that are either not shrink wrapped or not sufficientyly wrapped to eliminate the possibility of "load shift", ie: things falling onto the highway. They don't keep the trucks clean on the inside, just filthy and garbage laying all over. They are not receptive to new ideas, n ot that I have pushed myself on that, just made on small suggestion and they said no, that wil take too much time.
No, it will save you a lot of time and you won't have to wrap the pallets the way you are doing now, which is totally inefficient.
Other drivers don't seem to care, in fact, doesn't bother them at all. But it became apparent why they don't care on several fronts - they don't know DOT regulations and try to argue things that are pure fallacy. I've been studying these regulations for quite a long time now, not to mention being exposed to other drivers who are "schooled" by DOT getting warnings and tickets for things that most driverse just simply wouldn't know is a violation.
Whatever. My future at this place is in the air for I refuse to drive unsafe equipment and more to the point, this particular company is all about safety. This particular branch makes lots and lots of money, no reason to bypass having safe equipment. This branch is going to get audited by corporate soon, they are going to be in a world of hurt whhen those people come through and start writing up everything that is total BS going on there. I'mjust really out in limbo here attempting to figure out what's next.
Right now, almost to work and that's what's next in my face for today anyway. Getting home at 6 everyday isn't all that great, either. That's 5 daysa week where I can't get anything dfone that you would normally do on a weekday during normal business hours at most places.
Well whatever, piock this up later.
G'day.
ben
No, it will save you a lot of time and you won't have to wrap the pallets the way you are doing now, which is totally inefficient.
Other drivers don't seem to care, in fact, doesn't bother them at all. But it became apparent why they don't care on several fronts - they don't know DOT regulations and try to argue things that are pure fallacy. I've been studying these regulations for quite a long time now, not to mention being exposed to other drivers who are "schooled" by DOT getting warnings and tickets for things that most driverse just simply wouldn't know is a violation.
Whatever. My future at this place is in the air for I refuse to drive unsafe equipment and more to the point, this particular company is all about safety. This particular branch makes lots and lots of money, no reason to bypass having safe equipment. This branch is going to get audited by corporate soon, they are going to be in a world of hurt whhen those people come through and start writing up everything that is total BS going on there. I'mjust really out in limbo here attempting to figure out what's next.
Right now, almost to work and that's what's next in my face for today anyway. Getting home at 6 everyday isn't all that great, either. That's 5 daysa week where I can't get anything dfone that you would normally do on a weekday during normal business hours at most places.
Well whatever, piock this up later.
G'day.
ben
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Here we4 go. Only in Texas? Some businesses use flashing red and white light like on a cop car apparently to attract business. ......and red lights that seem to take forever.
Driving through Marashall, TX some beautiful mansion style brick homes. Plus a sign that says Shreveport, 35 miles. Nice, rainy day, streets empty this early. I don't think I will mind the work to work so much as I will not be liking having to drive that far to get home and wasting that much time on the road when I could be doing other things.
I left duke at m'lady's place and probably will overnight during the week. It would add another 20 miles of driving every day to take him over there every morning and leaving him atmy place is pretty much out of the question. Not only because a huge chunk of fence that would need repaired but also leaving him there alone for 12 hours at a stretch, he wouldn't do too well. Over at her place a coulpe of other dogs to keep him company when everyone's gone at work and school.
Well, 25 miles of driving to get off of back country roads and onto the Interstate. Speed limjit of 75 mph and following behind a large group of vehicles going 80, should get this trip over with pretty quick. Cropssing over state line, speed limit reductecd to 70. Haven't been in Luisian in decades. My trips have had me heading west, not east, have had no reason to head east though I have been wanting to go back to the east coast for quite some time now.
The longer this drive is taking, the more I am coming to realize that this is not a permanent solution.
____________________________________
Day one over and done with. 10 hours and 18 minutes of work. Rained all day long but it was nice to be in the rain, farnkly, as it wasn't cold and ti felt nice. Air cool, though of course summer is coming and they were warning me about the humidity to come. Yes, I know what's coming, I probably won't like it, it will take quite an adjustment period, but I chose this, no-one forced me to come out here, so0 that's that. All the company vehicles have AC in them at least and it all works.
Nice people at work, only one young-in in his 20';s and like many 20 somethings I encounter, not a very good worker. Slow, too slow. Has an iphone in his ear all day long talking to someone. Just not very productive. They pulled an order off the printer that was maybe 6 pages long and said how big it was. Yeah, when I learn where all the stuff is an order that small will be pulled in a couple hours or less. Their entire yard and warehouses are complete and total disasters. I mean, really, really, reeeeeaaaaaaally bad. I don't know how they find anything with that kind of disorganization going on. They have all kinds of room in that yard, they could make it much better and much easier. They have fittings that you use every back in the back and junk you rarely use in the front.
???? Paper and trash and broken pallet stuff everywhere. I started picking up trash and kept at it here and there when there was time while helping pulling orders as well. I looked in the 6 wheel truck and it was disgusting. If they think I am going to just tolerate that s***, they have another thing coming. Trash laying all over the floorboard, totally filthy and - yes - disgusting. Then I pointed out a completely broken quarter panel on their semi - I mean the plastic was hanging onto the tires it was so broken up, I"m like, really?!!
Then I found several pallets of fittings that were mixed - that should not have been mixed. Just unbelievable. The place is gross.
Anyway, I am finally back home after going to m'lady's place for about 2 hours - that was it for me. I am totally bushed. I am not used to 10 hour work days now because we haven't been allowed any overtime for along time. Here? 10 hours a day, period. You don't get off early. Which is fine - I guess - but have to readjust. Well it isn't just fine, I have to have the 2 hours per day OT or I sink since I took such a pay cut.
But after today and 125 miles of driving to work and then to M'lady's and then back to my place - it's obvious this isn't going to work out. At least not at this pay. The fuel is going to cost me a small fortune. I could shave that back to 94 miles if I didn't go to m'lady's house and I have to probably come to the conclusion that I won't be going over there every day after work. Basically? I'll do this for a while, as long as I can handle it and the fuel bill and then I will just go in and ask for a raise. At least a buck an hour. 2 bucks an hour more like it. Yeah you don't think I'm serious. I know what I am worth and it ain't what they are paying me. They think that since I am going to be working 10 hours a day it should be the same as I was making 8 hours a day in Phoenix, I've got news for them. They are making great GP and AC is really good too so paying me for what I am worth is mandatory, but really, to pay for all this gas. They don't want to do that, fine, I will find greener pastures closer to my new home.
And with that? It's bedtime. I am beat and time to be off to slumberland.
G'nite.
ben
Driving through Marashall, TX some beautiful mansion style brick homes. Plus a sign that says Shreveport, 35 miles. Nice, rainy day, streets empty this early. I don't think I will mind the work to work so much as I will not be liking having to drive that far to get home and wasting that much time on the road when I could be doing other things.
I left duke at m'lady's place and probably will overnight during the week. It would add another 20 miles of driving every day to take him over there every morning and leaving him atmy place is pretty much out of the question. Not only because a huge chunk of fence that would need repaired but also leaving him there alone for 12 hours at a stretch, he wouldn't do too well. Over at her place a coulpe of other dogs to keep him company when everyone's gone at work and school.
Well, 25 miles of driving to get off of back country roads and onto the Interstate. Speed limjit of 75 mph and following behind a large group of vehicles going 80, should get this trip over with pretty quick. Cropssing over state line, speed limit reductecd to 70. Haven't been in Luisian in decades. My trips have had me heading west, not east, have had no reason to head east though I have been wanting to go back to the east coast for quite some time now.
The longer this drive is taking, the more I am coming to realize that this is not a permanent solution.
____________________________________
Day one over and done with. 10 hours and 18 minutes of work. Rained all day long but it was nice to be in the rain, farnkly, as it wasn't cold and ti felt nice. Air cool, though of course summer is coming and they were warning me about the humidity to come. Yes, I know what's coming, I probably won't like it, it will take quite an adjustment period, but I chose this, no-one forced me to come out here, so0 that's that. All the company vehicles have AC in them at least and it all works.
Nice people at work, only one young-in in his 20';s and like many 20 somethings I encounter, not a very good worker. Slow, too slow. Has an iphone in his ear all day long talking to someone. Just not very productive. They pulled an order off the printer that was maybe 6 pages long and said how big it was. Yeah, when I learn where all the stuff is an order that small will be pulled in a couple hours or less. Their entire yard and warehouses are complete and total disasters. I mean, really, really, reeeeeaaaaaaally bad. I don't know how they find anything with that kind of disorganization going on. They have all kinds of room in that yard, they could make it much better and much easier. They have fittings that you use every back in the back and junk you rarely use in the front.
???? Paper and trash and broken pallet stuff everywhere. I started picking up trash and kept at it here and there when there was time while helping pulling orders as well. I looked in the 6 wheel truck and it was disgusting. If they think I am going to just tolerate that s***, they have another thing coming. Trash laying all over the floorboard, totally filthy and - yes - disgusting. Then I pointed out a completely broken quarter panel on their semi - I mean the plastic was hanging onto the tires it was so broken up, I"m like, really?!!
Then I found several pallets of fittings that were mixed - that should not have been mixed. Just unbelievable. The place is gross.
Anyway, I am finally back home after going to m'lady's place for about 2 hours - that was it for me. I am totally bushed. I am not used to 10 hour work days now because we haven't been allowed any overtime for along time. Here? 10 hours a day, period. You don't get off early. Which is fine - I guess - but have to readjust. Well it isn't just fine, I have to have the 2 hours per day OT or I sink since I took such a pay cut.
But after today and 125 miles of driving to work and then to M'lady's and then back to my place - it's obvious this isn't going to work out. At least not at this pay. The fuel is going to cost me a small fortune. I could shave that back to 94 miles if I didn't go to m'lady's house and I have to probably come to the conclusion that I won't be going over there every day after work. Basically? I'll do this for a while, as long as I can handle it and the fuel bill and then I will just go in and ask for a raise. At least a buck an hour. 2 bucks an hour more like it. Yeah you don't think I'm serious. I know what I am worth and it ain't what they are paying me. They think that since I am going to be working 10 hours a day it should be the same as I was making 8 hours a day in Phoenix, I've got news for them. They are making great GP and AC is really good too so paying me for what I am worth is mandatory, but really, to pay for all this gas. They don't want to do that, fine, I will find greener pastures closer to my new home.
And with that? It's bedtime. I am beat and time to be off to slumberland.
G'nite.
ben
Monday, May 26, 2014
Good and bad day.
Good with a couple of the boys, bad with one particular one named Josiah.
These kids simply don't understand what the word clean is and I am going to train them. It may take forever, but that is my agenda and my goal. There is one that is a big culprit in the disaster-making process, the youngest girl. She just dumps things whenever she is done and that is that. The only good thing about it is when she is told to clean up her mess, she doesn't throw a hissy fit and get mouthy, she says yes sir/ma'am and cleans it up.
She's pretty young. Josiah. I told them all they were going to go up and clean their rooms. I have had them cleaning it up pretty good so we are talking a 5 minute job and it's done. Josiah had a cow. Made the youngest boy do most of the work while he stood there texting. I got on his case and told him to do this and that. He blew up. I mean, he blew up to the point of calling me names and insulting me. It was bad. I bit my tongue and definitely warded off my initial reaction which was to smack him upside the head. A mouth, arrogant, punk 16 year old talking shit to me.
In fact, I got so angry that I just talked to m'lady, told her what was going on, had a conversation and then I left. Not all day, to go get gas. Long drive to work, don't want to waste time fueling up tomorrow. 13 year old went with me. Talked to him for quite a while as well. He also has attitude. But, he is different. He is looking for attention. He hangs out with me all day long when I am over there. He asks to throw baseball or football, can we do this or that. Sure why not. Get on my laptop and look at YouTube videos. Still hope for him, I think. Josiah - I think there's still hope, but he has a huge anger problem, he blows up at the tip of a hat and over extremely petty stuff.
So I spent an hour or more with the 13 year old, it was only going to be 15 or so minutes to go get fuel and come back but I realized I was pretty ticked off and needed more time away from there to get myself under control. Cause' honey, if it had been an adult talking to me like that? Yeah. So we went to Walmart and then went to the McDonald's inside the WalMart and had a dollar menu sandwich, realizing I was still fuming, I started to drive home but went to a regular McDonald's instead with this boy - talking about life in general the whole time - had ice cream cones and a cup of coffee and then finally headed back.
But I was fuming all afternoon while Josiah's gf was there. He knew it too. When dinner was finally served - brisket - from one of her grass fed cows, the most delicious beef I have ever tasted in my life and I have been to all of the high dollar steak houses and they don't even come close - I was just glaring at him. I couldn't stop. I am not accustomed to having teenagers talking like that to me and just getting away with it. My initial reaction, honestly, when he was mouthing off to me like that was to slap him silly upside the head. Of course I can't do that to him, but that was what I wanted to do. He said something - you like like you are about to blow up - I said yeah, we can discuss this in front of everyone if you like. He got a smirk on his face which pissed me off even more. Funny, huh?
Her mom finally came and picked up GF and then? We had a conversation. I told him right to his face how it made me feel when he was talking his shit to me and making crude, offensive insults. Told him if it were my own son, well, ask my son when he comes to visit, he'll let ya know how I dealt with him on the rare occasion that he mouthed off - to mom, not me, he knew better than to start that kind of crap with me. Just laid it on the line: don't ever talk to me like that again. If you do, there will be immediate consequences. More to the conversation than that, but the jist of it.
There are a lot of kids there. It's a lot to deal with. I knew this coming in but it is draining. When you have a couple that each in their own right are a handful in themselves and then mix in the rest of them with it - all wanting attention and all needing some kind of correction at some point in the day, some more than others - - - - - - - yup, it takes it out of you. I don't hate or despise this, but it will take some time to adjust to this new lifestyle.
I have no idea how I am going to feel tomorrow after a 47 minute drive to and from work plus a 10 hour work day in between, but I intend on going over there for a couple of hours if I am not too exhausted. Then again, I might just let it go for the first week and try to figure out this new routine and my body and brain need to come into alignment. I just wish they would start earlier - they start at 7 and I would prefer starting at 6. Yes go to bed earlier but yes, get off work earlier as well.
Life changes here to the max. Lots of them in various venues. Just riding it out and letting it all play out. Hopefully not too many months and I will have this down to a routine.
G'nite.
ben
Last day of work freedom. Well I've been working pretty much every day anyway excepting yesterday and possibly today. Tomorrow marks the beginning of a completely new routine and probably a lot of adjustment in getting used to it.
Well whatever.
Spent the week cleaning, basically. Along with a bunch of kids who mad the house that way.
12 man hours cleaning up just the laundry room itself. The laundry room - though - is huge. Something like 30X30 in dimension. And not just laundry; food storage, freezers and refrigerators and all kinds of minutia in there. Regardless, it was disgusting and the boy that I assigned to go in there and clean it? Decided that mopping only the exposed parts of the floor and doing nothing else was going to be an acceptable clean job.
Not. so instead of attempting to tell him what to do, I just decided to "lead by example". But I kept him busy the entire time.
Well, still at the apartment I guess you could call it. Umm, yeah, got up late. 4 kids over here too, playing PS3 and one of them chomping at the bit to get out of here. That because I gave him permission to have his girlfriend over today, even though he just spent all of yesterday with her. Whatever, as long as he continues to behave. Last weekend was a hell with him I don't want repeated and I told him that in no uncertain terms last night. Trying to drive over here and dealing with this while driving for hours and hours and hours.
Anyway, I'm going to enjoy my last day of work freedom and then back to the grind. Oh and Memorial Day. My respects to all of those that died for our nation and the remaining freedoms that we enjoy who gave their lives for us to have that privilege.
G'day.
ben
Well whatever.
Spent the week cleaning, basically. Along with a bunch of kids who mad the house that way.
12 man hours cleaning up just the laundry room itself. The laundry room - though - is huge. Something like 30X30 in dimension. And not just laundry; food storage, freezers and refrigerators and all kinds of minutia in there. Regardless, it was disgusting and the boy that I assigned to go in there and clean it? Decided that mopping only the exposed parts of the floor and doing nothing else was going to be an acceptable clean job.
Not. so instead of attempting to tell him what to do, I just decided to "lead by example". But I kept him busy the entire time.
Well, still at the apartment I guess you could call it. Umm, yeah, got up late. 4 kids over here too, playing PS3 and one of them chomping at the bit to get out of here. That because I gave him permission to have his girlfriend over today, even though he just spent all of yesterday with her. Whatever, as long as he continues to behave. Last weekend was a hell with him I don't want repeated and I told him that in no uncertain terms last night. Trying to drive over here and dealing with this while driving for hours and hours and hours.
Anyway, I'm going to enjoy my last day of work freedom and then back to the grind. Oh and Memorial Day. My respects to all of those that died for our nation and the remaining freedoms that we enjoy who gave their lives for us to have that privilege.
G'day.
ben
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