Things I miss...

This isn't quite along the same lines as Babs' recent post, but I didn't feel like I could participate in that topic (what you'd buy if money were no object) without sinking into bitterness and frustration. Tackling the subject this way, however, bears no promise of anything but bitterness and frustration. So with that strong selling point, here's my version of the topic, Things I Miss:

• I miss enjoying the hell of out of this layoff period.
• I miss looking forward to a new day, a new week.
• I miss not flinching every time there's a flash of lightning.
• I miss not seeing every storm on the radar as a roof-damaging, floor-flooding nightmare.
• I miss planning vacations.
• I miss not worrying about my cats' health.
• I miss browsing the weekly ads for places like Best Buy and CompUSA.
• I miss wandering the aisles of those stores and others like Fry's, just to see what I could buy (even though I rarely ever bought a thing).
• I miss shopping, period (hey, shocks me too).
• I miss having my inability to get a date as my biggest concern.
  
• I miss going out and not counting my total tab before I even order.
• I miss organizing social events.
• I miss planning for good things to come.
• I miss being able to talk to my friends without frustrating the hell out of them.
• I miss updating this blog with potentially amusing or at least non-depressing entries.
  
• I miss not wondering if I'm driving people to their breaking points.
• I miss feeling enthusiastic and alive.
• I miss not feeling like I'm stuck in my house.
• I miss believing I'll get a good job.
  
• Most of all ... I miss being happy.
  

Kill me.

The contract job that I supposedly had 3-plus weeks ago just died.

My nightshop

More non-whinyness...

Cal and Ward traveled to Belgium recently and stumbled upon something surprising. Picture's worth a thousand words, so here it is!

Cal in front of "my" convenience store in Bruges, Belgium
Click photo to enlarge

Next on Whineacharya...

I hate that this blog has become Whineacharya. So at least for a short while, I'll limit that to The Layoff Times. If you want the latest on my jobnotjob situation, the cats' health, or my house's status, check there. It's entirely up to date, if you can believe that.

So now for some non-whiny stuff. In case you haven't noticed in the sidebar links, Tom has a second blog, BirdBrains of Austin. I'm claiming at least partial credit for the idea of him starting a bird blog, as well as the bird brains part of the name. He's been updating it as regularly, or even more so, than his original blog. So check out Tom's latest bird sightings!

And don't forget about my new group blog Home Dipu Reviews. We've already got a nice stable of reviews and comment threads. Got a Blogger account? Wanna join the group and post your own reviews? Just let me know!

And finally, congrats to Jerry and Jen on the arrival of baby Sarah! She arrived early a couple of weeks ago. Jerry and Jen's wedding was the reason for last year's amazing Alaska cruise. Congratulations!

Lisa, Barbara, Jerry, and Jen on our way to Alaska from Seattle last year
Click photo to enlarge

Nothing spells L-O-S-E-R...

...like your dad suggesting you look for jobs in their city, renting out your house, and moving back in with them. Except maybe actually doing that.

And no, STILL no word on my alleged contract job.

And now, water in the house

First, no, I STILL don't officially have a job. MAYBE tomorrow the paperwork will be finished. Just like it might have been today. And last week. And so on.

Oh, and this afternoon I realized that a mysterious wet spot that I discovered on the tile in my spare bathroom yesterday wasn't cat pee. I didn't think it was, because it didn't smell or look yellow, but I had no idea what else it could be. Until I realized that a lot of the carpet along that side of the house in other rooms was slightly damp. The side of the house facing uphill, where rivers of water have slammed against the house on their way downhill during these downpours the past couple of weeks. Where mounds of debris have been washed against the house. Could water have seeped up the siding into the house? There's no obvious leak coming from the ceiling, that's for sure.

You'd think I'd be more worried about this, but I've dealt with this sort of thing in Houston at my parents' house. Just prop up the carpet and run a fan for a day. No big deal. Should be okay for my spare bedrooms.

Except. One thing that just now occured to me. The bedrooms should be fine. But that bathroom isn't carpet. It's tile. And the carpet in the hallway, right at the entrance of that bathroom, is also damp. It's the only carpet that's damp that isn't right next to that wall. So does that mean there's water under the tile floor? And if so, HOW THE FUCK DO I DRY THAT?!?!?!?

Meeka and Phoebe have been kindly drinking water normally these past couple of days, so I don't have to worry about them right now. But don't be surprised if Meeka's next high blood sugar regression occurs right after I get this house stuff resolved. Can't leave me with nothing to worry about, right?

Some. Body. Shoot. Me.

A blog ending...?

My second blog, The Layoff Times, is nearly all caught up now ... it's a mere 5 days behind. Tomorrow, I'll catch up on it completely. And then ... will I even need to write another week's worth of entries? Will it reach Day 220? I should know for sure tomorrow. Meanwhile, get off the moody roller coaster that has been Blogacharya lately and get caught up on my other up-and-down blog, The Layoff Times (I know, that's a real selling point, ain't it??)...

Up and down

Course, ever since I posted the last entry, both cats' water consumption has been completely normal. Also, while Meeka has definitely lost a little weight in the past couple of weeks, it now seems she's lost less than it appeared earlier. So it seems I can relax a bit again. And watch the approaching thunderstorms rumbling in the distance. Oh boy.

Yesterday was an up day. Today has been a down day. And I'm sure those around me are getting pretty tired of my down days. I've been riding this relatively mild roller coaster these past couple of months, but even the mildest roller coaster makes you dizzy if you've been on it too long.

Fading hopes

The contract job is still in negotiations with the client. And at the same time, do I have a shot at getting my old job back? Or not? Also, Meeka has lost a little more weight. And Phoebe and Meeka have taken turns this week torturing me with above-average water consumption ... but not every day, nor on the same days. The inconsistency is driving me nuts. On Tuesday, Phoebe drank an unusual amount. Yesterday both were normal. But to prevent me from relaxing too much, Meeka started drinking a lot more today. Not like back in March, but still far above the other days this week. Yet their urine output remains normal. I have no idea what any of this means. But that does mean, at least today, Meeka has shown two of the three symptoms of high blood sugar. Although I suppose the weight loss could simply be her slimming down to the weight she needs to get to (she now outweighs her sister by a pound or less, whereas she used to be nearly 3 pounds heavier, which at their weight is a lot). So even though the vet sounded encouraged when I talked to him last, and we're not going back to check her blood sugar until the end of the month, I guess this still means that Meeka may yet require insulin shots. Dammit. I was hoping that was no longer lurking around the corner.

Yes, obviously, I need to get out of the house. But I can't do much outside the house by myself during the day without a salary ... plus I thought I'd had a job in hand that would have started by now. And yes, I'd backed off on the job hunt this week (though I did have an interview for freelance work yesterday). It's like I'm so close, yet I'm still grasping at nothing but air.

I'm tired. I'm sick of this holding pattern. I just want to move on with my life.