Happy New Year!

Another year over, woo hoo. Our neglected little blogs still hover around. Every so often I wonder what happened to all of you

It's hard enough times with folks losing homes and w#@k. Toilet paper is being test marketed sans cardboard tube and now we can add the loss of the 7th layer to the ever increasing list of suck. That's right, Safeway is now selling 6-Layer dip. What's next? BT minus the L sammiches, Single Bubble Bubble Gum, Denny's replacing the Grand Slam with the You Got Hit By The Ball And Walked to First breakfast? I blame Al Gore.

It was 7 years ago on a Christmas Eve just like tonight I started my first blog. I'm feeling sentimental and missing our old Mo-gang.

hey mon

I've spent some time in an assisted living joint. The client is great but I really love accompanying them to the dining room. There is a wealth of material there. Its like being back in high school. Those old folks love to make fun of the food and the service. If the gravy runs out at breakfast its a major happening. The flank steak is usually tough and they all shout it out to the new comers at dinner.

Yesterday the table behind us was reminiscing and trading stories about when they all had their first strokes. I was only temping, going to miss it there. My lovely summer floral and tropical print wardrobe fits right in with the ladies twice my age too. I dont do ruffles but I love florals. Cant help it. When I was in the big city a few weeks back we were talking to some homeless guy in the park and he looked at me and said I wasnt from around there, I didnt look like the rest of them. I took it as a compliment.

The third agency has just hired me with a schedule consisting of 8 to 12 hour shifts. Right now I'm driving all over the place w#@king shifts averaging 3 hours but up to 12 hrs. I'm putting in 60 hrs this week the hard way. I have one 24 hr stretch w$#king with 4 different people with only an hour or two off in between this weekend. Good thing I'm a coffee achiever.

Anyway I went to quit the second agency expecting them to be understandably pissy and they were so nice. Three people there asked me if I would still stay with them at least a few hours. As luck would have it they sent me reluctantly to their pickiest toughest client who cant stand most of the caregivers and that person loved me. I only temped a few shifts but on my second day with them this person was on the phone with my boss when I walked in their door trying to get the caregiver after me to come in later so I could stay longer. They are high maintenance but we get along. Its nice to be appreciated. So I said I would still try to fit some hours in for them too.

I guess extreme w$#k beats extreme poverty for now. Everyone I w$#k for is so nice and positive. Soon I may not spell it w#@k. NOT! But after 125+ jobs I have found the one most tolerable for me until the powerball comes in. Its really a surprise after all these years.

Cavedog is not getting the 24/7 concierge service he grew to know and love and is getting wilder by the day. One short walk isnt cutting it and no time for the bark park.

poverty with a view

Wish I was here.

I remember back in the days of my semi/unemployment when I could hang out at places like this with a pitcher of margaritas, a couple of dogs and an equally semi-employed man. What a difference a few weeks make. Today is my last day off until I drop dead, pay off Visa or win Powerball.

The phone is still ringing with more and more w$#k. I'm to the point I cant even say yes to shifts without looking at my calendar. The agency I really wanted to w$#k for called and want a second interview. They pay better than the newest place that just hired me and I think they can give me a better schedule so if I get hired I'm going to have to dump the newest one. Kind of shitty but I have to watch out for myself. Make money. Get paid.

This past week alone I traveled 6000 miles by plane train and automobile over 4 days, chased luggage at midnight, w%#ked for both agencies, stayed up 24 hours, hosted a canine sleepover in my twin bed (nothing like being squished between a wall and 100 lbs of mutts during a record breaking heatwave, I woke up furrier than they are), took care of a neighbors garden, cleaned the Trailer, walked Cavedog daily and did my own yard w%$k.

I'm going to w%$k regularly for the person with Oldtimers, unpredictable at times but I'm getting the hang of it. They were in a pissy mood about taking their meds so finally I begged and said "Pleaseeeeee client x." They snapped back at me, "Did you just say please?" gave a big sigh and said "Oh alright." Like the please made them feel obligated. Good manners never go out of style. There are some rough times but I genuinely like them.

Besides the end of Motime and Guiding Light has anyone noticed Kleenex lately? Remember when I used to post about the tastefully decorated boxes? Reproductions of the masters, scenic vistas and holiday designs? They're gone, at least in this town. All thats left are crappy two tone designs in crappy blues, greens or grays. I dont know what happened but its taken some of the joy out of my allergies.

Be careful what you wish for

I knew after all these months of scrounging for w#@k an explosion was in the making.

Agency #2 hired me yesterday and is promising all the hours I can handle. They are in a huge rush and gave me a client schedule minutes after I walked into the office for an orientation after being hired. There was supposed to be a two week delay in my hiring because living in New Hamster 7 years ago popped up on their biographical colonoscopy. Somehow they got the backgroud check rushed. I assured the evil HR there was nothing hiding in New England but a lot of moose.

Our lack of privacy makes my throat close up a little. I never changed any ID's, car tags, billing addresses etc from this here Trailer Park address when I moved to New Hamster. They dont even have a state tax so I never filed but I guess with just a local job and bank account there it popped up. I'm also paying 50 bucks for a fingerprint card with the man. Even more personal info piling up in my permanent record.

I'm going out of town for a few days on a private paid gig assisting disabled. Between the family agency #1 sent me to and the rush of agency #2 they have me w$#king just hours before I get on the plane and hours after I get back.

Even without agency #2 for the past week every day my boss calls with a different temp job or the family adds to my schedule. Its a relief after no w#@k and having a sour stomach everytime I broke out the ole Visa. The bad part is the schedule for the man I love was so crazy I can only w$#k part of it and he'll have to find someone else for the other part. I'm going on the 7 day a week plan until that $@#$@ credit card is paid off once and for all. I was really knocking it down but add a 2 grand dental bill last year and forced unemployment and wahhhhhhhhh!

I now have files, a day planner, a huge notebook, calendar, dry erase board, the all important box of latex gloves and the dreaded cell phone after 11 years of being mobileless. My last phone was the size of a brick and had the features of the two Donald Duck orange juice cans with the piece of string system. But now I have a camera and can text. Only thing I've figured out was the camera. A caregiver who relieved me the other night showed me how to text and last night she used the sneaky gathering of my number to text me at 10 pm asking me to come in early today. I'm starting off on a love hate relationship with that little electronic bastard but I love opening it up and seeing Cavedog's smiling face since thats the only way I'm going to be seeing him these days.

C'mon Powerball.