Confessions of a One-Track Mind

Argh, drama. Way too much drama, and no internet to dump it on*. It's been hell. but My god, I've missed youse guys. I'm back, and that's a funny story in itself. Let me see if I can catch you all up with everything.

Spent time at Mb's the week before last, got home and cable/net was disconected. I, being obsessive and resourceful, managed to get my converter box hooked up to my portable TV in time for Person of Interest. I get two channels: CBS and Retro. Route 66 reruns, anyone?

BrightHouse was even nice enough to send someone out to pick up the box, remote and modem...I know it'll be a long time til I can afford it again, but it saves me a drive out to the nearest cable office---which, with the cost of gas, is a Good Thing.

Right now, what gas I *do* have is being hoarded for jury duty, a week from Monday. I'm looking forward to it, and hoping that I'm needed for multiple days, just for the stipend. I haven't had a full tank of gas in months; at the moment, I have a couple gallons, and I'm wondering nervously if I have enough cans to make a recycling run worthwhile.

In the midst of my turmoil and strife, I got a belated birthday gift from Estonia: kukkurkurat sent me a fabulous handbag. It's a soft blue-grey silk brocade, woven with shimmery pastel dragonflies. Definitely not an everyday bag! Am trying to decide what to wear with it to church...possibly the dark grey silk top GK sent me, although it's probably still to warm for that.

Speaking of GK, she's been a busy bee: she's moved across town from where they were, gotten a new part-time job, *and* she's putting together another CARE package; she found a couple tops while she was out and about. (I'd told her that I've discovered that a lot of mine are too big, so I need replacements. She's sending two.)

God bless Mb for helping me stay caffeinated; I know, I've tried to decaffeinate, but after a couple days, I'm so wretched I want to die. No joke, I spent the first half of the week with a thundering headache, moving in slow-mo, wondering how long it would take for my body to be found if I took a Cutco steak knife to my wrists.

Mb rescued me Tuesday evening and took me up to her place. Gave me two 2-liters of diet Coke and the remote so I could watch Sons of Anarchy. What an amazing episode. ( Holy shit! )

I actually did some serious cooking last week, because that was what circumstances called for. Last Sunday, I did a turkey sausage and rice mingle that fed me for three days; the third day I raided my pantry for a can of chili beans and called it red beans and rice. For Wednesday and Thursday, I took the ground beef I got from the food bank and made stroganoff. Nothing fancy, but filling.

Yesterday, my food stamp benefits were loaded for the month. I was out the door bright and early, because I was out of bread and some vital condiments. Came home, and as I was getting out of my car, was approached by the gal from next door asking when I was going to cut my yard. (Last done 4/25. The back yard is literally up to the window sills.) Told her it's not that I like it like that; I just flat-out don't have money to hire anyone. Was open about how incredibly tight things are, basically I'm hocking heirlooms to keep the lights on...a little while later, her friend came over and whacked my front yard down to size. Huge difference! The back would still feed a brontosaurus for a week, but at least now it doesn't look like the abandoned houses on the block.

I went over to thank them profusely, and mentioned that BrightHouse has cut off everything, and she then proceded to give me the passwoord to her wireless. So I'm online, in my office, and after everything I've said and thought about the neighbors from Hell, I'm willing to admit I might be wrong. Yes, their six kids and IDEK how many dogs are freakin' loud, but she's a nice, helpful person. If there *is* anything hinky going on, I don't care (as long as it stays over there!).

I've got laundry going---I'm going to put it in the dryer when I'm finished with this---and I'm contemplating a lebanon bologna sandwich when I've done that.

Tomorrow after church, I plan to shop at Save-a-Lot, where I don't usually go. But I got a flyer advertizing some great 10 for $10 deals, and who knows, maybe they've overhauled the place and it's less squicky. (It's in the oldest shopping center around here, and last few times I was in there, it smelled...off.)

J is away on vacation for a couple weeks...I just hope everything goes okay. Her car is a little younger than mine, but not by much.


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* Actually, it's only my drama secondhand, so I'm not at liberty to dump it, but geez. I've never before been in the position of loathing the person one of my friends was seeing---in the case of GK's other half, it took exposure to him as a husband---but I really want to punch this individual in the face. Repeatedly.

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Excellent news, my food stamp benefits were approved. Not only that, they loaded the benefits onto my old card, so that I could access them immediately---"immediately" being "I just got back from Aldis, and it sure felt good not to agonize about what else I should be spending it on". My biggest splurge was a box of PopTarts. (I talked myself out of baklava and chocolate eclairs and chocolate-dipped wafer cookies.) Got rice cakes as munchies. Bliss! I have missed snacky things.

A timely birthday gift is going to assuage my concerns about renewing my driver's license. I feel like I'm channeling Nic Cage in National Treasure: "I'd really love not to go to prison."... I still have to renew my tag, but that's marginally less urgent. Driving with an expired tag isn't nearly as serious as getting caught driving with an expired license.

An email this morning from Big Red informs me that she has to be out of town this weekend, but where would I like her to lunch me next weekend? Oooh, the possibilities! I've told her I'll get back to her with an answer next week, so I can see what all transpires this weekend---I know Mb has promised me lunch at a place I used to go to with Kat, but on the off-chance that J hauls me kicking and screaming to Olive Garden*, I want to keep my options open.

A box from GK is enroute via Priority mail...it might even make it by the weekend, which would be lovely.

Had an odd dream last night. I was going to marry I guy I didn't care about in the least, but I was incredably excited about the wedding and the ring, which had three emerald-cut diamonds on the band. Part of the time, my maid-of-honor was some girl I don't know IRL, in other scenes it was Mb, which is who I would choose IRL. And there was something about putting ice cubes in a big plastic bag so they wouldn't dilute the punch. Wtf? IDEK.

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* That was me being facetious, because I can happily eat myself stupid at OG. If I haven't had breakfast especially, I can slurp down three bowls of soup, NO problem.

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In some ways, it's nice to be home. I know where things are, for one. I'm not being pounced on by cats at 5AM. I have LJ, at least for now.

On the other hand, Mb is a great force for getting shit done. Last week, with her prompting, I applied for a new Social Security card, reapplied for food stamps (my benefits ran out during the Terrible Toe Debacle, and I hadn't gotten around to re-apping), renewed my Tracfone, sold my solid silver pre-1965 half-dollars for enough money to pay Allstate, and hocked two of my Dad's Gulf service pins to pay Geico.

I had enough "left over" to put $16 worth of gas in my tank, just over 4 gallons at current prices. I lost a chunk of tooth while consuming rice cakes and tuna, had one of my bedroom fans die, and tonight, my toilet is leaking around the base---and it doesn't seem to want to dispose of solid waste. I expect my cable/internet to be shut off by this time next week. *headdesk*

(Oh, and did I mention that by the end of this week, I'm supposed to renew both my car tags AND my driver's license?! I am SO screwed.)

However, thanks to Isaac, the humidity has been sucked away and it's been temperate. I actually dealt with my sinkful of dished at midday without melting down. That was shortly after a phone call from GK, whose fav thrift store was having a Labor Day half-off sale, and she wanted to know if I needed anything in particular. Yay, CARE package!

Anyway, that's what's up with me.

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Got back from Steak'n'Shake just after 1...a nice feast of carbs, so I was able to crawl back into bed and slept til 6. Woke from a dreadful dream wherein I was visiting Peter in NY and had my ID stolen from my wallet. I'd been in a store looking at some exotic spices that were marked down...turned my back for just a minute and my wristlet was gone...found it hanging from a display, money and ID gone. Went back to Peter's and ranted.

Lots of dreams like that lately, bad things happen, very angry at people...the other night, I was cussing out my boyfriend's dad (???), who was trying to take over my house and the last straw was when he damaged some special flowers and said he'd uproot them all when they were through blooming. That set me off; I started screaming curses at him and that it was MY house, motherfucker, and you can just get the fuck out! Where is all this RAGE coming from?! IDEK.

But this morning, I've had a shower and washed my hair, checked the balance and found out that my food stamp card has been loaded for the month. Yay!

This evening, the Memorial canasta tournament is scheduled for 6PM at J's. (Although you're welcome to show up at any time, sbjb, for munchies and schmoozing and loving reminisce. Or venting and telling it like it was, no doubt.)

Right now, I need to get dressed, go feed the ducks, then scan my coupons to see if I have anything to further defray the price of what Publix has on sale this week.

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