I apologize that there hasn't been any blogging lately. I didn't mean to leave you hanging. I have lots to tell you, and had every intention of posting as soon as I got home, but I've been having a rough time here lately. I'll be straight with you, I have never in my life been as homesick as I have been these last 5 days since I got back from Texas. Not when I went to college. Not when I joined the Navy. Not even when I was living half way around the world in a country that doesn't speak English.
All I've wanted to do since I walked in to this house that no longer feels like home is pack everything up and go back to Texas. The plans I had for remodeling and fixing the place up, I no longer care about. I just want to sell the place and move home. The only problem with that is 1) it takes money to move halfway across the country, and 2) I have no money. Truth be told, ever since Cody moved there last July, I've had no reason to stay. Other than that whole being broke thing.
I'm remembering why I don't go home more often. It's too hard to come back here.
That being said, my goal for 2018 is to get this blasted credit card paid off so I can begin to work on getting myself into a position where it is financially feasible for me to move. I would have had it nearly completely paid off in 2017 if I hadn't had all that dental work done. That just about doubled my debt. That's also why I volunteered for all that overtime. Now, with this new schedule, I don't know if I'll be able to get any overtime at all.
I know, they said they were going to postpone going to the new work schedule, but I saw the staffing agency the plant uses is advertising for jobs for the weekend shift. From that, I gather they are still planning on going to it. However, I figure with it being a weekend only shift, they'll have a lot of both absenteeism and turnover. I'm going to talk to the C shift Prod Sup and volunteer to come in as a floater. Maybe I can get a few hours that way. If not, I'll have to break down and get a second job. I've been trying to avoid it, but with this new schedule, it might not be helped.
Some of you may be wondering how I managed to get so deeply into debt in the first place. Well, I'll tell you. Back in 2006, when I bought my new trailer house, I had to run plumbing lines and electrical lines and stuff. I put that on the credit card, plus a few new pieces of furniture. I didn't think anything about it, because at the time, we were working 6 days a week all year round. I figured I'd have it paid off within a year.
The very next week, they put us on 4 day (32 hour) work weeks. I still didn't think too much about it. I figured it was just a slump, and things would be back to normal the next year. Little did I know it would be 9 years -- nine years-- before we would work a whole year without dropping to 3 or 4 day weeks for at least part of the year. And the debt just kept on piling up.
Anyway...
Christmas was good. It was great to see the family again, and I'll be posting more about that later. We did have a tragedy. My cousin Jimmy -- he's Beverly and James' oldest -- had to take his wife Regina to the emergency room. They thought she had the flu, and she just kept getting sicker and sicker. They finally took her to the hospital on Christmas Eve, where she was admitted with double pneumonia. We all thought she would be fine, but on the night of the 26th, she coded. They said it was a blood clot.
They had to shock her three times to get her heart going, and then they put her on life support. Two days and two EEGs later, she still had minimal brain activity, and the machines were turned off. It was all very sudden, and we are still reeling from it. I think that might have something to do with my malaise this last week as well.
And the icing on the cake: I came home to find a jury summons waiting on me.
I swear, some people go their whole lives and never get summoned to jury duty. I get pegged every 12 - 18 months.
Now, just so I can end this post on a positive note, here are my Christmas presents from my sister.
And this is what I got in Texas.
That thing in the tin is a brass fountain pen from my son. The mug, ammo, and money are from Beverly and James. I also got money from both of my brothers and my mother. I ordered some stuff with it, and when it gets here, I'll show it to you.
Well, it's back to work tomorrow. Maybe if I can keep busy, I won't have time to sit around and dwell on how much I want to be home.
Home as in Texas, that is.
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