Well Hell

The apartment we thought we were going to get fell through. Now that hubby has a job we make too much money. WTF is that?? We still make crap wages, and yet now we make too much because they are government subsidized. When the hell is the government going to realize that one single poverty standard does not fit all? The money we make may be a good living in say, Michigan where you can buy a house for less than the cost of buying a new car, but not everyone lives in Michigan or a place like that. I love living in Colorado, but the downside is that the cost of living here is much higher than it is in Iowa or some other mid-western state.

My wages would have paid for the apartment, and hubby's would have gone to paying other bills and for once we would have actually been able to save a bit of money. But apparently if you can save money, you make too much. And what if hubby wasn't working nights and we had to pay child care? We'd be right back where we started, broke all the freaking time.

I'm not looking for welfare or a handout, I just wanted a hand UP. Just a chance to pull things back together, get our feet under us again. A chance to be able to let my kiddo do something fun for a change, rather than having to worry about every penny we spend.

Now we are in full blown panic mode, trying to find a cheaper place to live in less than a month.

Argh!!!

Just when I thought things were looking up. We were moving into an apartment that is a boat-load less in rent than what we are paying now, and hubby got a job.

But hubby HATES the new job and we're still waiting to hear about the apartment, which is stretching our last nerves, since we're supposed to move in the 1st of June!

Part of hubby's hate is the schedule, it's nights and he's having a helluva time adjusting. He's surviving on very little sleep and a lot of caffeine right now. And of course the current landlord wants to show the place every 5 minutes, or the handyman shows up to fix the sprinklers (and then fails).

And it doesn't help that school is now out so the kiddo is home and already bored. Right now it's not such a bad thing, because she can go out and play with her friends. But when we move, we're a bit hesitant to let her roam around by herself in a new area where we don't know anyone.

But really the biggest thing for me is seeing my hubby absolutely freaking miserable. It hurts to see him this way, and frankly at some point if things don't get any better for him, it's going to hurt our marriage.

I have been so very lucky with jobs. I've ended up working with such awesome people in each of my jobs. And awesome people can go a long way toward making a shit job a decent one. My previous job for instance. I stayed for 7 years because of the people I worked with. I stayed until the very end because of the people. It had nothing to do with loyalty to the company (because at that point I owed them none).

My current job is great. My boss stands up for me when I need it (he just got me a raise, because he felt like my previous raise, when I got my promotion wasn't enough. I'm due another raise in July after my yearly review. That's pretty cool!) Yes, my job can be stressful and yes, there are clients that I want to smack upside the head. But the people I work with make it better.

The people my hubby is working with are all miserable. So when things get chaotic at work, it's not in a good way, because no one talks to one another except to tell him to go do something or ask him why in the heck he's doing something (because the other guy told him to). Everyone is just there, grudgingly putting in their hours so they can go home.

I'm holding on to the thought that things will get better once he gets used to the hours, but I'm thinking too that I may be deluding myself. Hell, I know I am deluding myself.

So send some positive vibes our way. We need to hear back about the apartment, and we could really use one of the other jobs that hubby continues to apply for to pan out and be better. Honestly, I'd rather pay daycare and have a happy family.

Book blog

I read. A LOT. Like at least three books a week (ok, we aren't talking War and Peace here, but still...)

Mysteries, Fantasy/ Sci- fi, a good old Romance. There are certain areas of non fiction I am fascinated with, like ghosts and Old West histories, especially tales of woman in the west (I live in the west, afterall.) I don't read Westerns though. Not my thing.

So last year I participated in 52 Books in 52 Weeks through Ravelry and blew it out of the water. So now my book blog just sits. So I've decided to start blogging over there more. Mini reviews maybe. So anyhoo, look for me over here every once in a while.

Spring!

Playing with depth of field at the Sculpture Park

Reading Challenge Update

How am I doing on Pollyanna's Terry Pratchett challenge?

Well let's see. This was the plan...

1. Read a biography of someone who isn't dead. Started that one today. I found this one at my local library quite by chance when I went to pick up some books I had on hold. It's called I Am Ozzy, and it is of course by Ozzy Osbourne ;)

2. Read a book about an animal, or with an animal as an important character or plot point. This was supposed to be Cat of the Century by Rita Mae Brown. I couldn't even get through the first few chapters and returned it to the library unread and very disappointed. I will not read another book by this woman. So I guess this part of the challenge is a fail at the moment.

3. Still haven't picked a book for this one.

4. Read a book with an anti-hero or anti-heroine. Read Guards! Guards! and then followed it up with Men at Arms, just to be sure that I covered this part of the challenge ;)

5. Still not sure on this one yet.

6. Read a mythological book, or a book of myths, or a book about mythology. As previously stated, I re-read the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

7. Go to the library and wander into an aisle you do not usually frequent. Pick a book from the shelf and read it. One way to do this is to look in the new books section, and pick something from a category you don’t usually read. Haven't really made it down any new aisles. Too many new books by my regular authors right now. But I will eventually.

8. Read a book about money. Read the only Grisham book I've read, The Testiment. On the recommendation of a co-worker I read this book and highly enjoyed it.

9. Read a book about politics. Nope not there yet. Unless you count Rita Mae Brown's skewed political views in Cat of the Century. But I didn't finish it, so it doesn't count.

10. Read a book about a protagonist going through a mid-life (or later in life) upheaval. Highly enjoyed A Year in Provence. So much so that I then read Toujours Provence and enjoyed that as well.

11. Read a book about the truth – a non-fiction book, in fact. What the Dog Saw and Other Adventures. Mostly a very interesting read.

12. Read a book about a strange new land, or a travel book – fact or fiction. Stuck with Pterry on this one and read The Last Continent. As always, a wonderful read. I find something new to giggle over every time I read a Pratchett book.

13. Read a book about sex, sexuality, and/or sexual politics. Read The Heretic Queen and Nefertiti. I liked them both, though I have to say I thought The Heretic Queen the better of the two.

That's as far as I am going today ;) So that leaves me with 2, 3, 5 and 9 left to tackle so far.