Thursday, August 25, 2005
but I'm not green and I don't live in a trashcan
I'm grouchy. Call me Oscar.
(Yes, I'm aware that Sesame Street references mean I've either developed a strange fixation or have been watching too much kiddie TV with Rabbit. You choose.)
So you really don't want me to be chatting away on this here bloggy journal thing.
I will let you know what's going on, though, since that's the main point of it all.
Okay. I'm broke. It's mostly our own fault, bad planning and no emergency funds, but we are now broke. And you know what happened yesterday? My car died. While I was leaving work to go to Rabbit's follow-up appointment. Dad let me borrow his van, which was very nice, and damn if that vehicle is not a pleasure to drive. Ben came up to the shop after he got off work, and declared my battery dead, which is actually a plus because we thought it might be the alternator. Yesterday evening Dr. Ben frankensteined his truck's battery into my van, which is going to have to do until next week, since this week's paycheck is already spoken for by, oh, the electric company. (Not the fun kind, either.)
The freaking gas prices aren't helping either. I realize I'm driving a huge-ass van, it has low MPG, I'm killing the earth softly with my song, etc. etc. Here's the thing: In a perfect world, I would have a hybrid. I have wanted one ever since they arrived on this planet. However, in this imperfect world we're in, I CANNOT AFFORD ONE. I am driving a van because my dad sold it to me and is letting me wait until I have the money to pay for it. I bought it for $2500. And with the long road trips we have to take, it is nice to have a vehicle that will actually fit all of us and our luggage and allow us to nap in the back if we get too tired to drive. ANYWAY, the point is it's actually getting to the point where it's a struggle for me to afford to drive to work. And no, I can't bike -- it's a 45-minute trip by CAR. Not all of us live in the city. (That brings me to another rant-fueler, the lack of bike lanes in our city, but let's save that one.) I wish I lived in a place where I could walk everywhere, but I'm not willing to give up my land and the ability to see the night sky. Maybe that's a flaw. I don't care.
Also, the bank is screwing around with us again. We're trying to get a home equity loan, so we can pay off some of the 13883456 medical bills we have while they're still manageable. (And whee, we're going to have more coming in after the weekend's fun!) Plus we'd like to paint the house and get some cheapish but good furniture. Frivolity, I know. But the bank, the same bank we have our mortgage with, will not return our effing calls. We turned in the application papers two freaking weeks ago. We're not asking for a huge loan, either. Two weeks. It's ridiculous. And our rep keeps saying he'll call back and never calling back. (And it's not because we make late payments or anything, we always pay our mortgage on time.) This crap is why I hate dealing with banks. So if we don't hear back by today, we're going to apply elsewhere.
And Monday Rabbit has a sleep-deprived EEG, which will be enormous fun. Ben can't make it, of course, so I'm taking off work that day. Luckily I have very understanding employers. EEGs have apparently improved since I was a kid -- when I had mine, they wouldn't even let my parents in the room, and the tech told me over the phone today that I can actually lay on the hospital bed with Rabbit while they do the EEG. And I can read books to her and everything. So that's good.
The medication they gave us to give her when she seizes? Is valium. I found that out after we got to the hospital. So Rabbit had a nice dose of valium Saturday. That seems sort of barbaric, although I guess it's common practice.
Let me insert a(nother) tiny little bitch session here: what is up with eBay sellers leaving feedback AFTER the buyer leaves feedback? That seems crappy to me. And almost every single person I've bought from lately has done it. I've noticed it on etsy, too, but I think that's just because a lot of sellers don't leave feedback period. I'm not sure if they're aware that sellers can leave feedback for buyers; at least, of the five sellers I've bought from, only two have left feedback. And I'm a fast payer, so it's probly not because of my buying deficiencies or anything.
AARGH. I guess I'll end this now. Sometimes you just need to bitch -- I feel significantly less grouchy now. THANKS INTERNETS!
(Yes, I'm aware that Sesame Street references mean I've either developed a strange fixation or have been watching too much kiddie TV with Rabbit. You choose.)
So you really don't want me to be chatting away on this here bloggy journal thing.
I will let you know what's going on, though, since that's the main point of it all.
Okay. I'm broke. It's mostly our own fault, bad planning and no emergency funds, but we are now broke. And you know what happened yesterday? My car died. While I was leaving work to go to Rabbit's follow-up appointment. Dad let me borrow his van, which was very nice, and damn if that vehicle is not a pleasure to drive. Ben came up to the shop after he got off work, and declared my battery dead, which is actually a plus because we thought it might be the alternator. Yesterday evening Dr. Ben frankensteined his truck's battery into my van, which is going to have to do until next week, since this week's paycheck is already spoken for by, oh, the electric company. (Not the fun kind, either.)
The freaking gas prices aren't helping either. I realize I'm driving a huge-ass van, it has low MPG, I'm killing the earth softly with my song, etc. etc. Here's the thing: In a perfect world, I would have a hybrid. I have wanted one ever since they arrived on this planet. However, in this imperfect world we're in, I CANNOT AFFORD ONE. I am driving a van because my dad sold it to me and is letting me wait until I have the money to pay for it. I bought it for $2500. And with the long road trips we have to take, it is nice to have a vehicle that will actually fit all of us and our luggage and allow us to nap in the back if we get too tired to drive. ANYWAY, the point is it's actually getting to the point where it's a struggle for me to afford to drive to work. And no, I can't bike -- it's a 45-minute trip by CAR. Not all of us live in the city. (That brings me to another rant-fueler, the lack of bike lanes in our city, but let's save that one.) I wish I lived in a place where I could walk everywhere, but I'm not willing to give up my land and the ability to see the night sky. Maybe that's a flaw. I don't care.
Also, the bank is screwing around with us again. We're trying to get a home equity loan, so we can pay off some of the 13883456 medical bills we have while they're still manageable. (And whee, we're going to have more coming in after the weekend's fun!) Plus we'd like to paint the house and get some cheapish but good furniture. Frivolity, I know. But the bank, the same bank we have our mortgage with, will not return our effing calls. We turned in the application papers two freaking weeks ago. We're not asking for a huge loan, either. Two weeks. It's ridiculous. And our rep keeps saying he'll call back and never calling back. (And it's not because we make late payments or anything, we always pay our mortgage on time.) This crap is why I hate dealing with banks. So if we don't hear back by today, we're going to apply elsewhere.
And Monday Rabbit has a sleep-deprived EEG, which will be enormous fun. Ben can't make it, of course, so I'm taking off work that day. Luckily I have very understanding employers. EEGs have apparently improved since I was a kid -- when I had mine, they wouldn't even let my parents in the room, and the tech told me over the phone today that I can actually lay on the hospital bed with Rabbit while they do the EEG. And I can read books to her and everything. So that's good.
The medication they gave us to give her when she seizes? Is valium. I found that out after we got to the hospital. So Rabbit had a nice dose of valium Saturday. That seems sort of barbaric, although I guess it's common practice.
Let me insert a(nother) tiny little bitch session here: what is up with eBay sellers leaving feedback AFTER the buyer leaves feedback? That seems crappy to me. And almost every single person I've bought from lately has done it. I've noticed it on etsy, too, but I think that's just because a lot of sellers don't leave feedback period. I'm not sure if they're aware that sellers can leave feedback for buyers; at least, of the five sellers I've bought from, only two have left feedback. And I'm a fast payer, so it's probly not because of my buying deficiencies or anything.
AARGH. I guess I'll end this now. Sometimes you just need to bitch -- I feel significantly less grouchy now. THANKS INTERNETS!
