They put you on a funky table and crack your back and neck, which I imagine is what would happen if I was on a thrill ride and could sit through it without getting sick.

I had to start seeing one since work is kind of screwing up my back and neck. I was waking up every morning with a horrible headache and popping anywhere from two to eight Advil a day, coming home and laying down on my heating pad. I'm hoping a regular chiropractic schedule will clear all this up. The doctor I went to is really nice. He used to be a bodybuilder. Mom recommended him. He even gave me a lower cost since I have no insurance.

( Work blah blah blah.  )

Otherwise, just work. Dave and I don't have the same work schedule anymore so we're not seeing each other a whole lot. Not eating many meals together. No time to really do anything. Money issues are still tight. His car is a POS and he's going to have to put a lot more money into it than it's worth. Even with that, I'm not sure it's going to last a year. I hate for us to have to start relying on my car alone. He turned down the chance for a better job and I'm still kind of irked about it because it was a stupid reason. I didn't really bring it up since work's running me down and I don't want to argue. We've had a few money talks but he usually doesn't realize how bad things are until he looks at his account and sees how low it is.

I got my snow tires on my car. I've been seeing the same shop for this for years, and I only just noticed that the mechanic looks like Hugh Laurie. This suddenly came to me when he asked me about my tires and I just blanked for a minute. O_o

I am employed!

I'm starting at another factory as a parts inspector. This one isn't through Manpower, and they're expecting to offer a benefits package down the road. I start first shift on Monday, but will hopefully go to second soon enough.


It's only $7.40 an hour, but it's better than my current salary of $0.00 an hour.

Woot.

Yesterday I took my car to Joe for a pre-winter check-up.

He found a small leak on the top of my gas tank. Which is why Dave and I smelled gas last week. Joe said I'm not leaking gas out on the road or anything, so it's not serious yet. All my options considered, the best course of action for now is to just replace the gas tank. I hate putting down a possible $700-800, but I can't afford a car payment on a better car, and I've still got a car with low miles and a good engine.

The thing that helped is while I was waiting, I got the mail that was piling up at Mom's. I have a Certificate of Deposit at the bank that is about to mature. Must have been set up by Nannie and Poppie just after I was born. So I'm going to pull most of the money from that for car insurance, repairs, and cover some rent and other expenses that are coming up. I think it was some kind of luck or higher power that resulted in a big car bill and the money to cover it. I didn't want to totally gut the whole CD, but I'm going to put some serious damage in it to keep our heads above water. Then let whatever is left build up for  few years, and hopefully we won't be in a tight spot by the time it matures again.

Joe also found something else. Those brake repairs? 

Illegal and unsafe. Joe said if I was getting my car inspected I'd fail. If I have another near accident like the one that killed my brakes in the first place, they would probably go out again. I can't trust them to keep me out of an accident, hurting myself or someone else. Or killing me or someone else, in the worst case scenario. Sure as hell can't trust them for the winter.

I mean, I've been lucky over the years of my driving and car maintenance. Between Joe and the Chevy dealership in Claysburg, my car has been in good hands. Most of the serious work my car has had to had done is due to age and there haven't been any surprises. I always hear horror stores about bad car repairs and shady mechanics. Guess it's my turn to experience it first hand.

So I'm going down to ask for my money back and then I'm reporting him to the state inspection board. Also sending him the brake repair bill from Joe. I did not fork out $160 for piss poor and illegal repairs. I mean, I don't know if he was trying to get repeat business or something, but his garage is an official inspection station. He KNOWS what's legal and what isn't. Or he should. Guess it's just a "lick and stick it" operation. I'm just glad I double-checked things with Joe.

I'm not all that confrontational, so I hope this guy doesn't give me a hard time. Krista and Justin were eager to go down and "open a can or two" for me. I'm bringing Dave along and I imagine if this guy starts saying BS Dave will drop a few f-bombs. I'm certainly in the mood to.

I felt better about things knowing I had that CD under my belt. With how much I plan to take out, even after all the big expenses, I should have a few hundred left for gas, food, and hopefully no more surprises. Thought about spreading out my Christmas shopping and starting early. Get things for people here and there when I find sales. I should have done that before, but I just never did it. I liked doing in in November and December because of the whole seasonal thing. The Bon Ton circular came through, and I saw a few sale items that seemed like nice gifts.

Once my snow tires go on, hopefully I won't have any more car related concerns for a while.

My car is fixed.
( Blah blah, me worrying too much about my car. )

Getting laid off after three days of work hasn't helped. I'm still not sure why. I know for a fact they've kept people who didn't do their jobs right and consistently didn't do standard procedures like label what parts are good or bad. I received a lot of positive feedback about my job performance those three days. I really don't know why I got laid off, which makes that situation even more frustrating. Manpower told me I would be needed for three MONTHS, not three days. Dave's still there and my old co-workers said they're not even sure why I wasn't kept. I said I'd love to go back if they have openings, so I hope they'll at least keep me in mind for down the road.

A lot of flak and stuff has come in the past week. Lost my unemployment. Trying to appeal that. My cable bill quadrupled and I had to call them three times just to downgrade to a cheaper plan. I found myself wondering how I was going to afford Christmas shopping this year and then I realized I was kind of getting ahead of myself.

Trying to keep my head up. Talking on the phone with Krista helped. Actually kind of grounding, in a way. A facebook chat would have been easier on my jaw, but facebook isn't working. Which isn't unsual, I guess. At first nothing I clicked on would respond after I logged in, and now whatever I click in gives a box that says I haven't added some users to my news feed. The box is empty and it WON'T GO AWAY. I hit the "close" button and it's gone, but whenever I click again it comes back. Wouldn't even let me log out.

Missed NCIS tonight. Have to try to catch it online tomorrow. Not too interested in new NCIS series they made. Unless Gibbs, Tony, Ziva, Abby, Ducky and McGee are there...I'm not interested.

Contrary to what half the people in this town seem to think....stop signs are NOT OPTIONAL. When you come to a STOP sign, you STOP at them. You don't stare down the car driving down the lane (in this case, me) and decide to drive out in front of me in your ugly-ass Durango.

Brake slam #1.

Similarly, driving without your headlights in heavy rain down the middle of a two lane parking lot aisle is stupid. I can't see you coming over the SUVs and pick-up trucks that everyone drives. Remember, in the United States, we drive on the right side of the road. Not the middle. Those arrows painted on the lot are not optional, and if you had your lights on, you might have seen them.

Brake slam #2.

And finally, the bitch in the maroon truck had better pray to whatever her higher power are that they bestow upon her a brain. And the ability to use it. You're probably the only person on the planet who thinks it's okay to just swing out into the middle of traffic without looking.

Brake slam #3

My car no longer has working brakes. I was lucky that my step-brother is a more experienced driver than myself and successfully limped my car to a garage without causing an accident. Unlike you, he didn't drive as though he was driving a tank in Iraq, thinking its perfectly legal to just plow over and/or through other vehicles without any regard to the other people on the road. Like me and a few hundred other drivers.

Thanks to you, I don't have a car. She's sitting in a garage, and I can only pray she's fixed by Tuesday. It's okay. I only just got a job. I only just started working. I only need the money more than air right now. I only have $900 in bills that need paid. It's no big deal.

I'm just trying to be thankful I'm still alive, and that all that was lost was my brakes.

Manpower got me in at a nearby powdered metal plant for what's hopefully a few months. I start today. 2nd shift.

I hope I find some better jobs soon so I don't have to stay with Manpower. I hate all this factory work. I hate constantly standing on concrete. I can't afford any more inserts for my shoes and my back sure as hell can't take it. I hate being left alone on giant machines and no one coming to check on you. I have no experience with this stuff. I hate knowing I'm only going to get a break for lunch. Dave is supposed to be working with me, but he might have to go in early. They're telling him he's supposed to be on ten hour shifts, and that's not what Manpower told me. Or him.

Last night was better. Dave and I visited Krista and Justin and Krista let me play her Sims. I'm trying to get my Sim turned into a vampire but it's not working so far. Dave got to watch football. When we got back to town we got pizza, but it made me as sick as hell last night. I was thinking of taking it with me for lunch but it might be safer to just pack a few PBJ's.

Have to find my lunch bag, too.

Going back for more education. My bachelor's degree is the biggest waste of money and probably one of my biggest regrets in life right now. It hasn't helped me at all. I was in school, working my ass off for five years and I don't feel like I learned anything relevant to the working world. I was updating my resume with a career counselor, and apparently the way two college professors told me to write it is totally wrong.

I'd like to get training for something like medical coding and billing or transcription. I see ads for them in the paper, and people seem to make decent money at it.

Better than not working at all.

To the asshole at the unemployment center who took my call:

I hope you get fired.

It is nowhere near acceptable to hang up when I explain the reason for the way I talk as my speech impediment. While I'm gasping for air, I don't want to hear your frustrated sigh followed by you hanging up.

Maybe you'll get to spend a few months unemployed...like I am...and you can play phone tag all week...like I do.

"She's Coming Back" by Yuki Kajiura, from Xenosaga III.

From the scene where Voyager is trying to leave with KOS-MOS's bed/rejuvenation chamber-whatever. Voyager starts to choke Shion, and KOS-MOS rams her fist through the chamber-thing, grabs Voyager and starts trying to beat the shit out of him.

Last night I dreamed I was dressed in that Gothic Lolita fashion. Big frilly dress with a petticoat, mary janes, knee socks. I was at Mom's and it was like, Thanksgiving or Easter dinner. Some holiday dinner. Not Christmas, though. There was no snow outside. It wasn't too cold, in fact. Still a lot of green outside, but not sunny. In the dream I felt very pretty, but I was afraid everyone else would think I looked ugly. No one said anything though. It was a dress I'd seen while browsing around online.

Then we turned on the TV, and there was some huge disaster going on. I think it was aliens invading. We decided to evacuate. Mom told me to put Tibby in my car and lead the way out. It was cloudy, like it was moments away from raining. I came to a Y intersection, and there was a highway worker directing traffic. All the other cars he waved off to the left side. He waved me off to the right side, and I couldn't tell if everyone else went the same way or not. I tried turning around to see if they were behind me, but I can't remember if I found them or not. Tibby was very well-behaved while we drove. We had MacGuyver-ed a litter box in the back seat.

I ended up at this big store. I can't remember what it sold, but it was kind of dark inside and had large wooden counters. Like, finely carved furniture to match a log cabin.

After that it kind of jumbles up. Megan Fox was there, and she was being tested somehow. Last I remember seeing her was she was getting ready to get in a canoe and paddle up a river. Then I was jumping from windows like a secret agent. Going in and out of a new, big house Mom got; helping her take towels inside, and then sneaking off for something. 

Found the dress I was wearing: http://www.flickr.com/photos/26985461@N08/3328161795/

Already.

Was crazy from Wednesday to Sunday.
( More TL;DR and moving. )

Got some new glasses through Sears. Got two pairs and an eye exam for $374. Don't know if it's a good deal or not, but I needed a new prescription like crazy and it was there. I'm pretty satisfied with them. Also got fitted for my bridesmaid's dress for Angie's wedding. It's the sort of expense I wouldn't indulge normally, but I'm not really going to get to be a bridesmaid again except maybe at Krista's wedding. I'd like to have the experience. It's kind of flattering to be asked, too. Just wish Angie wouldn't have picked a strapless dress. I had banked on my unemployment lasting a little longer, but it just ran out.

 

Absolutely off limits to the public.

Quite frankly, I don't really give a damn what any celebrity does in their private life. It's none of my business. I don't care about celebrities. They're rich and earn more money in a month than I'll earn in years. But that doesn't mean they give up the right to privacy just because all us "regular folks" are just "dying" to know what's up with their personal lives. I don't really give a rat's ass about them, but being followed around by a legion of rabid photographers who are going to give your picture to magazines that write shit about you is a violation of your privacy. It's only for profit. I think it's a sleazy industry.

I've watched the paparazzi on TV, and quite frankly, that's a horrible job. I imagine myself being chased into my car and seizure-inducing flashes going off in my face. At some point I'd probably knock them to the ground and beat their faces in with their own camera.

I don't really remember any commercials from my childhood. I mostly remember hating them because they interrupted my favorite shows. I wanted to watch TMNT, Bucky O'Hare, Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers, Gargoyles, Biker Mice from Mars, Sailor Moon, and or any other show that I loved when I was younger, and commercials were just an interruption and I usually got a snack during this time. Or if I was watching them before school, I used the commercial to get dressed and sat back down to watch when my show came on.

Similarly, I would get mad when my grandparents insisted I be dropped off at school half an hour before the doors were unlocked, and because of this I missed a lot of my favorite shows.

I'd give my mom $12,000 to give to me to pay off my loans.

Then I'd give her some more to pay off her and Rick's credit cards.

I'd give some to Krista and Justin to help them out.

I'd give some to Dave to help keep our heads above water.

I would donate to animal shelters and pet adoption agencies.

I would donate to women's health clinics, including helping poor women obtain the services they need.

I would donate to services for disabled individuals.

And I would donate toward conservation agencies.