Update

Ok, so at the last minute we are now not going to San Diego for my job test. I was told we have been to so many test and the results have been nothing so why bother. Nice!!! I thought we had come to a meeting of the minds on Friday. I said I could live with a "yes" and I could live with a "no" but I can't live with indecisiveness. If we are not going to SoCal we need to make life here comfortable and work with this new reality. Um, as of Saturday that went out the window. Hubby wants to order cable and internet but with the proviso that we can have it move with us. Um, yeah, since my parents already have both cable and internet we can't get separate accounts. As of this morning, he said we were not going to SoCal for my test. Now, he has us planned to be out of here by the end of the month, even if we move to Mexico. Um... ok.... How has our situation improved? I am still trying to get my daughter eligible to go to school. Problem of a tb test. It is only good for the county in which you reside. If I get her scheduled for her test and we move, she has to do it again. Also, if we move to Mexico, my schooling just went out the window as well. He said he'll know by the end of the week what we are doing. It's going to be a long week!

Philosophy

Wow!!! I got straight A's for my summer classes, and that included the dreaded Philosophy!!! Whoot!!! Go figure. Talk in circles, ramble, and never make a point... and I got an A!!!

Transition

I am scheduled to take a test for a job in San Diego on Monday. With my husband's work up in the air and pushed out, I was wondering how that would impact our plans. He says he still has work at that company just not for a while. So what does that mean for our moving? I have absolutely no idea. He says we are in a state of transition. Um, what the hell does that mean? When I ask I get a blank stare, then an annoyed sigh, and then the response of "what do you want me to tell you?" My daughter is packing and my son says why bother, we're not moving any time soon. I wish I had an inkling of our future plans. When I point out that school starts in exactly one month and my daughter still has not been registered anywhere, he just again looks at me with a blank look. He paid the rent to my parents a couple days ago and told him we were moving soon. When he came back I asked him if he talked to them about my daughter's school, he said why would I, we're moving soon. Moving soon seems to have an entirely different meaning to me than it does to him.

Teenager

I am now officially the mother of a teenager. Let the games begin!

Heart Troubles

On Sunday, my husband finally realized his chest pains and heart issues are caused by stress. Well, duh!!! He was on the diet, watching his food intake, and had cut back on soda, caffeine, and alcohol. It wasn't until he got the text from my parents about paying the rent that his chest pains came back. He was rubbing his chest and complaining of pains yet again. He finally put 2 and 2 together. On the plus side, when I said that for him to get better we had to move he didn't disagree. On the bad side, he went back to the alcohol and soda. Alcohol is required to live here! Viva las rum!!!

Ticking Clock

Again, the warm fuzzies from my parents. Got a test from them on Saturday stating we needed to pay our monthly rent and utilities by Sunday. Yeah, we'll get right on that! Hubby still hasn't been paid for his work, so we have no way of paying them anything. We scraped up money to pay the utilities and he walked the check across the hall. Turns out my mother is retiring in 2-3 weeks and they are relying on our rent money to subsidize her retirement. Oh Dear!! That money is already considered in their budget and is accounted for. No missing of rent to be found. So... hubby explains he hasn't been paid... blah... blah...blah... and we'll pay the rent on Tuesday. He schmoozes a bit more and then comes back to our room. He tells me what they discussed and says they are relying on our money to get them through her retirement, but we won't be here forever and are planning to move. He has work for the next 2-4 weeks, but after that, we plan to leave. (Um, note to self.. find ut where we are going and how we are going to survive there!). I asked him if he talked to them about our daughter. Let's see, the public school system goes back on August 29th, which is about 5 weks away. As of now, my daughter has no way of registering for school. I am still dealing with the medical check-up, dental visit, and last of the immunizations. Oh, yeah, and that minor issue of NOT HAVING A PLACE OF RESIDENCE!!! I asked if he talked to them about filling out papers so she could start kindergarten next month. He looked at me, all confused, and said, "why? we are moving." I about fell over. Number one, neither of us have jobs out of this area, but let's combine that with we have no place to live out of this area. I so wanted to smack him. My daughter is supposed to start school in 5 weeks, but it is looking more and more like it won't happen and I don't know how to fix it. The countdown continues....

Job Interview

Today, I had an interview, or a reintroduction at my old temporary agency. I went through the whole schpiel and took their tests. I scored in the 90th percentile in accounting (and their average was 60ish). After I got through the whole "you did great, have great skills, blah, blah", I got the "well the market is bad so the jobs we are seeing just don't pay well" bit. I am being considered for jobs that pay at about $12 an hour. That would be great if I lived any where else but the Bay Area!!! Good lord, this is soo not going to work!

Job Testing

I am scheduled to take a job test in San Diego on the first of August...Whoop! And then I am scheduled again on the 6th for Orange County.... oh dear! My husband asked how I was going to manage to be in SoCal twice in a week, and well, I had my logic... lol. I said my test was at 5:30... and I read further and it said to be prepared to spend the entire day at the testing site. I needed to take a written test at 5:30, and if I passed it, be prepared to do the pre-investigative interview, and if I passed that - be prepared to take the physical agility test. My husband politely (or not so politely) snickered - ok, he outright laughed nysterically) at the thought of me doing a physical agility test. I then, as offended as I was, referred him to the job description - which was not what was described in the job application. Turns out the office job I had anticipated to be testing for, it was instead, a sheriff's assistant - as in monitoring prisoners, transporting them, monitoring exits, etc. That explains the need to be able to drag a 165 pound dummy 30 feet at the agility test. My husband looked at me and the whole look was a "need I say more" kind of attitude. I hate that!! I am just trying to find a lousy job...

Taco Bell

The diet continues and I think I've had more water in the last week than I have in the last six months. Cut back on soda, with only 2 yesterday... well 1 1/2. My waist should be discovered in no time. We were supposed to have soup last night, using left over chicken; however, with the temperature being in the 90s no one felt for it. Instead, we went to Taco Bell. Yes, that sounds like I ate tons of calories, but Not So! They have a fresco menu which is lo-cal. I ate one chicken taco and one steak taco (so I could see what the difference was between them) and I only ended up having 300 calories total! Whoop! I about fell over when my husband had a taco salad. I have never seen him order a salad at Taco Bell, but it turns out he is getting on the bandwagon too. He stopped soda cold turkey and coffee too! Holy cow! Now my hubby is a Starbucks fanatic and goes there daily and he is a major rum and coke drinker. Night before last he had one, and that was because it was given to him before we knew he cut out soda. Nothing last night! I think his health scare has gotten him worried. Eoe! We're all getting healthy. So if Jarrod can be the spokesperson for losing weight with Subway, maybe we can be the spokesfamily for Taco Bell.... hmmm. How to make that work...

Listening

Doesn't it make you feel great, when you are trying to have a serious conversation with someone and they fall asleep within the first few seconds? The conversation does affect you too... you could at least stay awake for it!

Reality or Should I Say No So Reality Shows

When did reality shows become all about sex? We watched episode 2 of the new season of Hell's Kitchen, yes, day 2, which in their reality is more like day 4 0r 5. Two people had already hooked up and disappeared into a bedroom. Really? You are that lacking in morals... Then we watched Love in the Wild, which is an absolutely unreal and inane show. It is about 24 single people who are looking for love. These people have the opportunity to pair up for challenges and at the same time get to know each other. At the end of the challenge, they can either keep their partner or swap him or her for someone else, and two people go home. Very few have lasted continually, with only 1 couple paired up from the beginning. The others have mixed and matched throughout the game. Add in free flowing alcohol in their off time (they get to live in a compound with each couple having their own cabin for the night), a hot tub and swimming pool and you have a recipe for free flowing diseases. Really?? Yes, people do end up hooking up and are in bed together, then a few days later they have hooked up with another one and are in bed with that person too. Um, really? Developing a relationship with someone doesn't factor in? Just quick sex Goodness... I am thinking the winning couple will end up with more than the monetary prize - a lifelong reminder of their time in the wild. (and btw, not every single person is 20 something and a size 2, or for the guys, have six packs - can you get more realistic looking singles please!)

Calorie Counter

Yes, there's an appfor that. I haven't done well with diets because I never know what to eat. Not being a big eater, I usually end up eating way less calories than I need. I even cheated on Richard Simmon's diet because I would round whatever I did eat up. I have done lo carb, lo fat, Metabolife (before they changed the recipe and it since didn't work), etc. When deciding to go on a diet, my husband asked what kind of diet I was going on. Hmm, didn't know. I knew I needed to eat more regularly because my metabolism is shot and I need to get it to rev up again. I found an app called Calorie Counter and it has been a tremendous help. They have lists of foods and you just click on what you ate that day. Even have a section for exercise (will get back to that). It tells you how you are doing and your calories spent vs. taken in. It also helps you keep track of how much water you need to drink and lets you check them off when drunk.
In the list of exercises there is backpacking (with various pounds of weight), bicycling, cooking, driving, and yes there is sex (foreplay) and sex (intercourse). You click on it and put down how many minutes you engaged in each activity. Now is it me or would it be totally a mood changer, if your partner decides to be romantic and you say, "wait, I need to check the clock" not once, but twice, from when foreplay begins to when it ends and the intercourse begins. Looking at a clock and timing things may put a tremendous amount of stress on your partner. But, yes, there is an app for that!

Diet - Day #1

Yesterday, I did ok. Not having food or a vehicle to get to the store I had to wait until 5:00 to fill the cupboards. I made do with some foods we had, only to discover when I entered the little bit I ate into my calorie counter app, they were high in calories. I still stayed within my range and yes, I even took a walk. Now there is a big difference between getting up at 6:00 and walking and the walk in the evening that includes the 5 year old daughter. But we still got in more exercise than before and even stopped at the park. Jay Leno wonders why the US has such obese people - I can tell you. It is because buying fresh and healthy foods is expensive. I spent $150 at the store and didn't buy alcohol, or tons of meat. I bought a Foster Farms chicken for over $7.00. That is insane! Now if it laid golden eggs or something I could see the price tag fitting, but c'mon it's a chicken people! The only other item I bought from the meat department was a package of ground beef for over $4.00. It's only a pound of ground beef and not even organic. I hate living in the Bay Area as it is so expensive! Fresh fruits and vegetables are insane - $2.00 for a head of lettuce. I can buy chips cheaper. Yeah, yeah... but I won't. Ugh, I can tell I am going to lose more than pounds on this diet! I had better get thinner because my wallet already is!

Warm & Fuzzy

So, we got our monthly statement from my parents for living here. We got a $10 finance charge for not paying them within their allotted time period. Nothing says warm and fuzzy from your own parents than a $10 finance charge! If we are paying them over $900 a month, I sure don't see how we are going to move any time soon. Talking to them doesn't work. They want the $$$ as the finance charge will attest to! As an only child, boy do I feel the love!! Animals eat their young, my mother likes to play with her food first...

Diet

Yet again, today we are working on getting healthier. Why? Because we spent the entire day, yesterday, in bed not feeling well. My acid reflux has been so alive recently I can't eat anything without getting heartburn. And hubby, oh dear, we have a new issue. He has been complaining of chest pains quite a bit lately, he is always rubbing his chest and saying it hurts. Yesterday, he even started the rumblings of going to the doctor. Since everything is closed on Sunday, I had to let my fingers do the walking. Before people freak out about him not going to the hospital, I point out it has been going on for a few weeks and is only slowly getting worse. If it were a heart attack I am sure he wouldn't have been vertical at all. Moving on... it appears he may have some sort of angina. He has the symptoms listed. Yes, it is a problem, and without all of the tests it is difficult to be sure. It seems that without medical intervention, (for whatever his chest pains are) a change of diet and an addint of exercise is the best way to go. He has been eating a lot of beef lately (thank you Restaurant Depot) and eats fast food every day for lunch. I think his arteries and overall health can benefit from more salads, vegetables, and more healthier fare all the way around. I know he isn't feeling well as while he usually jokes about wanting to die (especially when he and his daughter fight) last night he told me what I needed to know about his current jobs and what I needed to know to get them finished. Add this to some other health issues and yeah, stress is high all the way around.

Respond

Why do people not respond to questions? Last week I sent an email to my teacher addressing three issues that needed a response. No response! Yesterday, I left him a voice mail... no response. I have now left another voice mail and am still waiting for a reply. Why am I so stressed out? Because his class ends tomorrow and I need to find out when I can take the final! Only having one vehicle and a husband self-employed in construction, the logistics of getting to school is a nightmare. The teacher is teaching the class on-line, but wants his students to take the final in person. Funny thing, my husband took this same class last year. The class was in person, but the final was sent home and the students had two weeks to fill it out and then just needed to bring it in on the last day of class. Why is this so complicated? Oh, yeah... and the teacher hasn't posted any of the week's work that is supposed to be done by tomorrow.
Side note - I got my paper back in Philosophy - got an A-. Not too bad since I had no idea what I was talking about. I have found out that I get a better grade when I talk in circles and never actually make a statement about anything. Never get to the point and all is well. Go figure!!

Diet Soda

I was reading the paper today and an article stated that drinking diet soda contributed to weight gain. I am at least a 2 diet soda drinker a day (hey, I don't drink coffee and need my caffeine from somewhere) and that puts me in the category where waistlines increase 5 times more than a person who doesn't drink diet soda. Guess I need to find something else to drink now. Hmmmm.... now what do I put with my rum????

Middle Age Texting Codes

ATD -at the doctor.

BFF -best friend fell.

BTW -bring the wheelchair.

BYOT -bring your own teeth.

FWIW -forgot where I was.

GGPBL -gotta go, pacemaker battery low.

GHA -got heartburn again.

IMHO -is my hearing aid on?

LMDO -laughing my dentures out.

OMMR -on my massage recliner.

ROFLACGU -rolling on floor laughing and can't get up.

TTYL -talk to you louder!

Philosophy

According to my "Philosophy Made Simple" book (which is an oxymoron of itself ... we cannot acquire knowledge through learning. One cannot learn what one does know since one already knows it. And one cannot learn what one does not know, since if one doesn't know it, one cannot recognize it as a truth when one learns it. Therefore, learning is impossible, and any knowledge that we can have we must already have." Clear as mud... What I figure is I am guaranteed an A since I do not have the ability to learn it! According to Plato, if I don't already know it, I can't learn it. Hmmm, I need to figure out how to use this to my advantage gradewise.

Facebook

Ok, I admit it... I am addicted to CafeWorld! I have the nicest unknown friends in that realm. I have gotten recipes, chatted, made friends with the nicest people from around the world. These unknown people are just so nice. I never would have met them if it wasn't for CafeWorld. Let's not go down the road of how much time that take up... but going to school online helps me justify it.

Heritage

So, I haven't blogged in a while... been in a bad mood lately, but heck after rum and cokes it's all good...lol. Interesting thing about heritage... I am married to a Mexican and so we figured my kids are 50% Mexican and 50% PDW (pretty darn white). Not so much. Now my son never was an over the top, gung ho Mexican kind of kid. Now that he's been told what I've found he's now extremely excited about it. Turns out he and his sister are quite the Heinz 57, with more of his ancestry coming from over the pond... auntie will be happy! My son is only 25% Mexican, 12 1/2 % Mexican Indian and another 12 1/2% English from his father's side. In doing research I found out that I am 50% Irish so my son is 25% Irish, 12 1/2% French and 12 1/2% German. Goodness, how do I fill out those ethnic forms! My son has quite quickly adopted his Irish roots and now wants to go and visit his newfound homeland.