random musings and events; tales of lunacy and hysteria; lightning strikes of intelligence accompanied by gibberish; stuff to amuse, rants to abuse; general nonsense that makes up my days, my nights and all the fluff in between

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Why I hate my constant state of financial stress

No immediate means to provide for my future
This thin veil of stress that accompanies me at all times
I cannot refill my prescriptions.
I cannot fix my water softener.
I cannot put up a fence so my dogs can run free instead of being on 10-foot chains.
I can't make my credit rating better because I never have enough to pay everything on time.
I can't afford to go back to school for my doctorate.
I can't paint my walls, finish my floors, tear out the deck and put in a patio or re-side the house.
I can't repave my driveway which is still half gravel from the sewer incident.
I am no longer carefree.

Relevent to the turmoil around the world and the atrocities suffered by it's citizens, these are small, petty and shallow concerns. Which makes me feel small and useless. Trapped. Unable to be a humanitarian or giver, because I am consumed by this constant state of financial hurt. And I must focus all my energies and time on daily and monthly debt instead of on intellectual thought, proactive behavior and just doing SOMEthing unrelated to self.

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Disconnect

So, up until May, I had been working roughly 65-70 hours a week to pay off mountainous debt and cuz I really like both my jobs and didn't want to give up either. But sometime in March I hit what can only be described as true burnout and decided to not teach this summer, so that I could have 3 days off a week, go down to 40 hours of work, and try and rest and rejuvenate.

Except, I don't seem to be rebounding as I hoped I would. I am still grossly out of shape, vaguely mentally tired, buried under mountainous debt and well, still experiencing some burnout. Being a figure it out and fix it kind of chic, I've decided it's time to REALLY focus on me and so, on Friday, for the first time since May, I went to the gym and then I went again last night and then I went again tonight. Finally, for the first time in a long time, I am motivated - for real. And, it's time for me to take stock of my ridiculous amount of stuff (music, movies, clothes, books, tchotchka, etc.) and purge. Also, I need to take control of my expenditures...seriously.

Cuz, the truth is, I have been feeling for some time like I'm just wandering or like I am in limbo - no direction, no goals, no forward movement. I am stagnant. This is cause for borderline depression for me. And I'm not very good at waiting - impatient is an understatement. So why has it taken me so long to get motivated given that I am so impatient and all?

Maybe it's the current economic/political state of things; maybe it's my recurrent financial troubles; maybe it's the state of my marriage; maybe I just need to get laid; maybe it's what burnout really is...I've been fatigued and exhausted, bored, fuzzy, zombie-ish, unfocused and uninterested in just about everything. Restless.....And I have this odd sense of waiting...

I'm waiting for inspiration.
I'm waiting for something interesting.
I'm waiting for some sense of rhythm.
I'm waiting for meaning.
I'm waiting to feel.


Waiting is not something I do well. But I can't seem to come up with anything better and so the disconnect between what is and what was and what should be.

Monday, July 17, 2006

If only...

This arrived in an email about a disgruntled 98-year old woman who wrote to her bank manager. True or not, it couldn't be better -

Dear Sir:

I am writing to thank you for bouncing my check with which I endeavored to pay my plumber last month.

By my calculations, three 'nanoseconds' must have elapsed between his presenting the check and the arrival in my account of the funds needed to honor it. I refer, of course, to the automatic monthly deposit of my entire salary, an arrangement which, I admit, has been in place for only twelve years.

You are to be commended for seizing that brief window of opportunity, and also for debiting my account $30 by way of penalty for the inconvenience caused to your bank.

My thankfulness springs from the manner in which this incident has caused me to rethink my errant financial ways.
I noticed that, whereas I personally attend to your telephone calls and letters, when I try to contact you, I am confronted by the impersonal, overcharging, pre-recorded, faceless entity which your bank has become.

From now on, I, like you, choose only to deal with a flesh-and-blood person. My mortgage and loan payments will therefore and hereafter no longer be automatic, but will arrive at your bank by check, addressed personally and confidentially to an employee at your bank whom you must nominate.

Be aware that it is an offense under the Postal Act for any other person to open such an envelope. Please find attached an Application Contact Status which I require your chosen employee to complete.

I am sorry it runs to eight pages, but in order that I know as much about him/her as your bank knows about me, there is no alternative.

Please note that all copies of his or her medical history must be countersigned by a Notary Public, and the mandatory details of his/her financial situation (income, debts, assets and liabilities) must be accompanied by documented proof.

In due course, I will issue your employee with a PIN number which he/she must quote in dealings with me. I regret that it cannot be shorter than 28 digits but, again, I have modeled it on the number of button presses required of me to access my account balance on your phone bank service.

As they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Let me level the playing field even further. When you call me, press buttons as follows:

1-- To make an appointment to see me.

2-- To query a missing payment.

3-- To transfer the call to my living room in case I am there.

4-- To transfer the call to my bedroom in case I am sleeping.

5-- To transfer the call to my toilet in case I am attending to nature.

6-- To transfer the call to my mobile phone if I am not at home.

7-- To leave a message on my computer. (A password to access my computer is required. A password will be communicated to you at a later date to the Authorized Contact).

8-- To return to the main menu and to listen to options 1 through 7.

9-- To make a general complaint or inquiry, the contact will then be put on hold, pending the attention of my automated answering service. While this may, on occasion, involve a lengthy wait, uplifting music will play for the duration of the call.

Regrettably, but again following your example, I must also levy an establishment fee to cover the setting up of this new arrangement.

May I wish you a happy, if ever so slightly less prosperous, New Year.