Monday misc.

If you are a government employee, or work at a bank or the post office, the last month has been very good to you.  4 of the 5 last weekends have been three day paid holidays.  This is real inconvenient to me- usually by Monday I really need that paycheck.  There is food in the house – not necessarily what I "want" to eat but there is a need for gasoline that I will have to charge to the Visa, since I have like 1 dollar left in my wallet. 

(If I really really needed to, there is a lot of change in the cat bank on the monitor and the cute ceramic cat on the dresser- I know by how it feels that there’s at least 25 bucks in there in nickles, dimes, and pennies)

The A plan was to quit smoking cigarettes on the1st and be smoke free for 2006.  Plan B was to quit in December after my supply ran out.  Plan B failed, so it was back to the original plan… but then my computer ‘s internet access broke down and it became clear to me that dealing with two addictions at the same time was more than I wanted on my plate, so the no smoking went into suspension. 

Friday, the nicorette gum that one of my favs sent me arrived, so Plan A was back to running out of smokes and not getting more.

Not even twelve hours have gone by yet, so success is in the distance at least.

*

But, on the other hand, I don’t have to freak out about cash for smokes, do I?

*

A got a good bonus for 05 at work, so he bought a used car for him and his wife, J.  For J really, since A’s license is, like, suspended in limbo with unpaid tickets or something.  It’s a 91 Saturn something or other and looks nice. 

 I got lucky with my used van out of a tow yard, but they are finding stuff wrong on the car that wasn’t apparent when they got it.  I haven’t given them a ride to go grocery shopping in a while, but lately the rides have been for misc. car parts.

Cars have gotten way more complex in my lifetime.  Whereas once the "shade-tree mechanic" could keep his/her car running with a minimum of tools and hassel, cars these day run on PFM*, a Navy term for the electronics that control them.  If I don’t have the right tools, there is very little I or A can do with our vehicles.  He is kind of employing the "guess and by gosh" method of car repair, it being expensive up front to go to a shop and have them put it on the scope to find out what’s not working right.

That "G&B-G" is more expensive in the long run, sometimes, and certainly frustrating.

Meanwhile, the both of them, but J more so. are making "we gonna get divorced" noises again.  Being the "good friend" to both, I tend to hear a lot about it individually.  The whole thing does temper my wish to have a relationship, so it could be worse, eh?

*

On my paper routes, the amounts dropped here and there continue to decline.  People buy and read the newspaper less than they used to.  I’ve been doing the Sunday papers for just about two years now, and my loads have dropped by over a hundred papers- almost 200 less than they used to be.  TG the rate of pay has stayed the same.

*

I like my job for a very important reason:  It makes me feel very competant. Things im my "real life" may not be going well, or loniness impinges on my enjoyment of life, but I know that that night, I will be doing someting that I do well and easily.

*

So, that the van lately acting funny sometimes and stalling is a little concerning, as was it not starting right away yesterday… I’ve become the "turn the key and go" kind of guy.  I passed the 12,000 mile mark last week, so I guess it’s not too awefully surprising the van needs/wants attention.

*

So does Blacky Cat, so I need to go.

*****

*PFM= pure fucking magic