Paying bills: YAY. It’s always a relief. I also got one whole medical bill paid OFF

Working weddings: I picked up another one tonight. Yeah, I would really love to watch the Thunder play. It’s the first game of the finals. THE FINALS!!! It’s a big damn deal. . . BUT. . . I’ve got a happy hour tomorrow night with Guyser, and we leave for Chicago on Sunday. I’ll have my phone charged, download the ESPN app, and pocket a little more cash. I talked to Wonderboy yesterday and between the Mmmhmmm’s and the grunts I gathered that he’s pretty excited.

Gathering estimates for repairs: I got my checks from the insurance. It’s time to start figuring out what can pay for who to do what. Darci recommended a guy that rennovated their kitchen, so I called him. He came over last night and I just felt so comfortable. He started shaking his head at the house.” You need all new windows, not just one” –tell me something I don’t know. “You need vinyl siding. This wood won’t even paint, it’s so bad.” –no shit, lamar. “The doors to the shed aren’t a standard size. We’ll have to customize something for you” –nothing about this house is standard. He did some measuring and wrote down some things in his little notebook and as he left he turned to me and said:

“Everything will be alright.”

I could have cried.

He’s going to get back to me and help me figure out how to spread the money I’ve got into the repairs I need.

Getting the house cleaned, floors mopped, laundry finished, starting to pack for the trip…that’s about it. Work, clean, tv, bills.

Don’t be sad for that, though. I’ve squeezed in some fun. Audra, Joe and I went to the Barry Manilow concert last weekend. Spur of the moment, tickets were less than 16.00 a piece and were upgraded to just off the floor seats. We sang every single song, laughed and clapped and glow stick’d our way through the 90 minute set and were out by 9:30. HA! Awesome. It was good for our souls.

Hope you’re doing something good for your soul this week.

also:

THUNDER UP!

 

I’m tired.

Mentally and physically.

This morning, I woke up and fired up the ole FB and was met immediately with hate filled political postings from FB Friends. (I am fully aware of the difference between real in your life friends and FB friends. I hope you do, too.) I mean, this stuff was just awful. There were mentions of physical violence, and just mean spirited comments. It was also posted along side inspirational quotes, and mentions of faith and love and God, and I thought, WHAT THE F am I doing allowing this in my space?

Hide. Delete. Hide. Delete.

I’m a huge proponent of managing your own social networking. Don’t blame. Take responsibility. Don’t be one of those people who whine about FB or Twitter, manage it to be what YOU want it to be.

SO. I did. It didn’t end there, but it does end here.

Mentally exhausting.

I believe we’re here to love and be kind. I believe that the rights of our country have been fought for by countless brave men and women and that they not only deserve my respect and gratitude, but the right to marry whomever they want as well. I believe that people who hate- be it gays, liberals, welfare, skin color, miracle whip or the taste of coconut- in the name of God, are the scariest people on the planet. I’m not afraid to tell you, hide you or delete you if this is the category that you fall into.

I’m so sick of it. I’m sick of people throwing out blanket statements, or lumping together groups of people. Don’t you dare tell me that everyone that believes in God is a “bible thumping tea bagger” or because I believe in equality for men, women, homosexuals, my uterus, your special needs child and Charles Barkley (bless his paste eating heart) that I’m a Godless, tree hugging liberal. We are better than that.

My tolerance for it is gone.

and I’m exhausted.

So, today I controlled my FB wall, I helped my clients, I ended the day with Delb & Co and laughed and talked and counted a few blessings. That’s all I’m doing today.

Happy Friday night, ya’ll.

 

 

I have to get a new roof. New gutters. New window. New paint. New doors to my shed which are falling off.

The insurance adjuster hasn’t given me my estimate for the damage yet, but I’m working already to line up contractors.

I’m lucky to have some connections and have started making calls.

But damn. What a hassle.

I’ve been couchlocked the past two days. Literally spent two whole days laying on the couch watching tv and napping. I’ve got some nagging things in my mind that I need to do, but couldn’t make myself get up and do them. Oh well. I’ll chalk that up to the first two days of my summer break. School is finished for a few weeks. Woot! Still don’t have a grade posted, but I think my proff is at a conference. Who knows.

Lot’s of money issues whirling around my brain. And I’m pretty much ignoring all of them right now.

Chicago trip is right around the corner. I’ve got three bartending shifts before then that will pay for this trip and for Taos.

Have you seen Google today? They have a doodle honoring the opening of the first drive in movie theatre.

I’ve never ever been to a drive in theatre. Just not something my family did. My family wasn’t into movies, I remember. However there is one on the south side of OKC and it’s 6 bucks for a double feature!!! I might really go this weekend! SIX BUCKS??? That’s crazy.

Another storm moving through the metro. My first appointment isnt until 2, so I got up and put my car in the garage. Just in case.

Guess I’ll sit on this couch until it’s time to get ready.

I just finished my intersession class. Well before the midnight deadline.

and the people rejoiced.

and the cats slept.

All was well with the world.

I kind of want to take a shower and go be social since I’ve been cooped up all day long.

The effort of all of that almost seems insurmountable.

I’ll use what energy I’ve got to make taco salad for supper.

Life has been a blur since sometime last week, perhaps before. Fun and life affirming experiences, facetime with those I love, and then the hail storm.

There are few things in this world that I hate more, than a hail storm.

I came home last night to lights on, ceiling fans turning, Kikimama sitting right in the middle of the floor underneath it. Letting out a whoop! of joy, I turned around and drove to meet Trish to give her my tickets for tonights concert. Just can’t do it. It’ll be one of my last chances to see The Lumineers for 15 bucks, because those kids are going places.

But the thought of getting tonight all to myself, in my house, makes me giddy.

I’m so thankful for the return of power. I’m thankful that the glass damage wasn’t more extensive. I’m thankful that I get off in time to come home and rake up all the debris, pick up the limbs, smooth out the chaos inside and out. I did unload the ice chest foods back into the fridge and vacuumed the carpets but that’s it. I just want to get it back into order. I’m thankful that I have the time to do that.

This week ate me. Whole. It really did. I worry about the house, about the damage, about filing a second claim in two years, about repairs. But I will figure it out.

I’m thankful for the time tonight. And for this weekend. Time to work on my paper, finish yet another class, take care of myself.

It’ll be alright in the end.

If it’s not alright…it’s not the end….right?

Last night, I came home from PseudoSis’ and got things settled and took a pill and went to bed. There was a nice breeze, it was fine. About 11:30, with the line of storms blew threw I woke up and had some zombie like anxiety, but went back to sleep. This morning the temps were so cool, the breeze was lovely, I dozed and dreamed with my kitty.

Then woke up to another day without power.

I just kind of wanted to cry.

But I didn’t. I had a long talk with myself, and pulled up my granny panties (because that’s what’s clean, damnit)

It’s not that bad. It’s really not. I went and got ice, packed my dairy products into a cooler, shoved ice bags into both freezers and the fridge and shut the door. Things were still really cool. So that’s money, time and energy saved.

I called the insurance, and an adjuster will be calling to set up a time to come look at the roof. I don’t know if it’s bad. I know my window has to be replaced. I don’t know if it’s worth a deductible and claim. These are things we’ll all find out together.

I packed my research and computer and brought it to work. I’ve got to get that paper started and finished. It means canceling tomorrow night’s plans, but them’s the brakes. When I get off work tonight about 730ish, I’ll drive down my street and see if we have power. If we do not, I’ll head to the bookshop and start working.

The things that are making me nuts are: the leaves in my house. I want to clean. I need to do laundry. I want to clear out all of the glass from my bedroom disaster. I really want to rewatch this weeks Mad Men, because it was JUST THAT GOOD.

I’m thankful for clients today. To be able to make some money.

I’m thankful that I bought a really good rake last year, so that I can start raking leaves when I get time.

I’m thankful that Cindy was with us last weekend to watch…and document.  Go take a look at the photos. The final one is my favorite ever.

Happy Thursday ya’ll

So last night the mother of all hail storms blew threw my neighborhood.

Just like two years ago. Hail the size of softballs…grapefruit even.

I lost my bedroom window.

I lost plants in the garden.

Worse than that…I lost power.

I still don’t have it. 24 hours and counting.

Last night was awful. My candles were all burned down, and because it’s summer I haven’t replaced them. I could only find one lighter. No intertet, or television. No weather. No news. My cell phone was working for texting, but not phone calls…and it was losing battery life. I plugged it into my car which was tucked safely in the garage, but I’d been driving around with the gas light on for…mmmm two days, and that wasn’t working out.

It was just me and the cats.

It was awful.

Being disconnected, in the hot hot house, no way to communicate with my people, fumbling around in the dark…that weather was just scary.

We have all known that I was not built for frontier life.

Last night it became incredibly clear that I’m not built for any kind of apocolyptic world.

Nope.

Not my forte.

I got my window covered today with Lynns help. I got my car released from the garage with Smurfs help. PseudoSis1 and I went to eat and I’m now camped out on her couch with light and a/c and internet while we wait on the second round of storms to blow through. This set won’t be as bad as last night.  We hope.

I have a goddanged paper to write, ya’ll.

I called my insurance company today and they, after transferring me to several different places, asked me to call back this afternoon. “we have no idea who will be handling these claims.”

My roof is only two years old, but things the size of grapefruit are not flung with the force of Satan from the sky and NOT leave some damage to a shingle. We’ll just see.

I’m tired. I finally took a pill and went to sleep in the guest room for a few hours last night. I hope that when this next round blows through I can go home to restored power.

That’s what I’m hoping anyways.

It’s been so quiet here today.

I went to meet M’lynn at the movies and we saw Best Exotic Marigold Hotel…again. We sat around and had some food court lunch and talked.

I came home and cleaned up, finished putting up groceries, napped a little, watched some tv, this weeks’ Mad Men was stupid good.

I have a paper to write and can’t scrounge up the give a shit to crack open a book. I do have some laundry going and have watered the plants and garden…

I’m listless.

Coming off of a big big weekend, and I’m just kind of listless.

I miss Cindy being on the couch, or looking across the table at faces that I love.

Just one of those nights.

Saturday could not have been more perfect.

It started out with, in my opinion, nerves, nerves, nervous nerves and more nervous with just a side of anxiety. We weren’t communicating, my best friend and I, but it worked out beautifully. We banged some hair, we laughed, we ooh’ and aaahhh’d over dresses and shoes and earrings and in the blink of an eye we were in the 9th grade all over again, and then getting ready for high school graduation and running late, and then preparing for my once upon a time wedding, and now, standing in her hallway, banging her hair into a fabulous beehive, I just kept thinking about these moments that we have both been a witness too.

Once I saw her and her groom to be together, and relaxed, and loving each other, being tender with each other, being happy and laughing together, once the getting up in front of a group of people and speaking aloud was over, I had no doubts. This is a couple that is all in. The highs and the lows and the boring stuff in between. They are all in. They compliment each other, secure each other when things get funky, give as good as they get, and really it’s a nice thing to see. My heart felt really good on this day.

There was a lot of emotion. The good kind, the wishful kind, the mourning kind. Cindy and I kind of took turns with the leaking eyes. But there was always always always laughter waiting to follow that up.

Sunday came and we had plans for brunch at 10 am, then plans to walk around Paseo arts fest, toodle around and do stuff, but we threw in the white flag as soon as we finished eating. Home. Couch. A/C. Blankets. Tv.  A whole lot of nothing. We were exhausted. We didn’t stay out terribly late, we just couldn’t really move. Impromptu family dinner happened that also curbed Cindy’s fix for mexican food, hot spicy food, cold mexican beer, SP, Amanda, Joe, Audra, Cindy, myself all around a table, recapping the night, laughing, loving. It was just good.

Cindy and I came back and immediately got back on the couches.

“I’m glad you drove all of this way to be a couch potato all day long. We can get up and go do something if you want”

“Nope. This was perfect.”

It was just what we needed…

I confess I had anxiety about this weekend. I just wanted her to be happy.

Turns out, she is.

I couldn’t be happier.

 

My weekend began on Thursday. A day in Big D-Dallas, shopping for wedding clothes and shoes, finishing the day with great seats at Kristen Chenoweth’s concert and a mad dash back home by 3am.

Tomorrow, my best friend gets married.

I’m emotional and excited and all of those things that come with watching your best friend since the 9th grade, pledge her love and life to another.

Cindy is en route as I type, and will be my house guest all weekend, which couldn’t please me more. Brunch is happening.

I hope to get some pool time in with my Pseudo Sisters on Monday, and refresh my soul enough to write my final paper for class and get it turned in.

I’m ready for a break.