Personal Update – 9 Sept 2020

Greetings and Salutations!

I know it’s been a while since I last posted. I’ve been blessed with yet another life change, and this one is turning out to be better than I’d thought it would be.

I grew up believing I had to have a steady job with benefits and such outside the home to have a “real” job. That it wasn’t a proper job if I didn’t have to leave home to work. With my health issues, I’ve struggled to find work that wouldn’t cause my condition to worsen, even a little bit. Time was doing a great job of that all by itself, it didn’t need my help. Anyway, because of this, I never felt right trying to get a stay at home job, not even when I had kids.

Covid-19 has thrown everything for a loop, and it has caused me a lot of sleepless nights worrying about work and my financial stability. I lost my job at the plant early in the year and was in a panic until I got a job at a gas station about a month later. While out of work, I started paying more attention to my freelance writing efforts as I may have mentioned in another post. Then, a month ago, or so, I lost my job at the gas station – I can’t abide fools and the general manager there is one of the biggest fools that I did my best to deal with before I had to give it up or go to jail. Seriously.

I’ve been forced to really focus on my freelancing efforts, and I have joined several sites. Upwork and I are not on speaking terms right now, and I’m not feeling too friendly towards Freelancer.com right now either. I don’t have the time or patience to deal with searching for work and bidding. I have tried on Freelancer but most of the people whom I’ve dealt with so far have had language issues with me. They also wanted me to work for far less than I get paid on other sites, and I can’t do that. My two biggest sources of revenue are Textbroker and Guru. I was surprised by Guru, but it has panned out for me. In fact, I’m working as a Virtual Assistant now because of an employer on Guru. The income I will make from these three sources will take care of my debts, and I’ll eventually be able to move closer to my gentleman friend.

Other than scrambling to pay bills, I have spent some time with my gentleman friend, he is still tied to a traditional job though I am gently encouraging him to spend more time on the business he has started and only uses as a side hustle. He could do so much more on his own and have a lot less stress. Still, it’s his choice.

That’s it for now folks, I hope this finds you well and doing what you love. See you on the flipside and don’t forget your towel and sonic screwdriver!!

Update Jan. 17, 2019 – for lack of a better title…

My life has been like a rushing river, throwing me all over the place, bashing me against obstacles and pushing me along before I can even catch my breath, much less get my bearings.

I was working at Taco Bell in Lufkin from February 2018 until September of the same year when I was asked to be the caregiver for a good friend of mine with terminal cancer. She didn’t want to go to a hospice, but she didn’t want a stranger living in her house either. So, with some experience caring for someone at the end of their life, I agreed. I quit my job, moved in with her and her hubby, and I took care of her 24/7 until she passed away in late August.

I have never sat vigil with someone who was passing away. My late aunt in law passed away in the hospital after I cared for her for the last six months of her life so, I wasn’t in the room during her final 24 hours. I sat with my friend, her husband and her best friend for her final hours. None of us, least of all her I’m sure, expected her to go so soon or so quickly. Even then, the hours seemed so long as we all sat with her. Her husband held her hand, and her best friend sat with him on her bed. I stayed on the couch and simply watched, the pain growing even as I tried to understand. It wasn’t until she was pronounced and the funeral home was called that her passing became more tangible. I had to leave the room and call my son – I needed to hear him and express my sorrow to someone who would be able to handle it. The others had enough pain of their own, they didn’t need mine. Even now, months later, I am still not sure it wasn’t a dream – a horrible nightmare. I just have to look at her Facebook page, now a memorial to her, to know it all happened. It doesn’t stop me from missing her…

I started work in October for a company called Super Bargain helping set up and stock the new store they were opening in the town over from where I was living. The store was open by Thanksgiving, and I was asked to move to Cleveland to work in the store there – the company owned three stores by then – while another store was being readied in Beaumont. I got a car, and I moved. I started work at the Beaumont store doing set up and stocking just before Christmas. I am still commuting back and forth six days a week. I am away from home for 14 hours a day. Three hours a day, I am either winding down for the night or I’m getting ready for the day – I take 1 1/2 hours in the morning and evening for this. I have one day off a week.

All of this leaves very little time for me to do anything and yet, I’ve decided I need to try. I am tired of not getting things done, of not enjoying my hobbies. My writing is falling behind as well though I must admit I am finding it hard to want to write. After all this time of trying and working, I’m not really seeing the point of continuing. Crimson Knight has been available in paperback since about 1999, and I have only sold one copy. That’s pretty pathetic. Please, don’t innudate me with marketing advice – I have plenty of that but very little of the very important component – ready cash. It takes money to make money after all….

I have tried finding someone to be with, to date. I had thought a former lover might be someone to be serious with, but despite his words to the contrary, his actions tell me he’s not interested. So, I guess I’ll try the dating sites again. I found him, maybe I’ll find someone else, someone who is interested in a relationship. We’ll see.

Anyway, you’re now caught up on my life, such as it is. I shall endeavor to write a bit more often, but you know how things are.

See you on the flipside and don’t forget your towel and sonic screwdriver – you never know what’s out there!

Personal Update – June 5, 2018

Public: Hello there! Nice to see you so soon after your last post!

Me: Hi! Yep, I’m scheduling more time for blogging, but I’m not going to do it every day like I was because it becomes too much like a chore and isn’t much fun.

Public: We fully understand. So, what’s new?

Me: I took down my Etsy store – I hated the name was the main reason. I’ll open another one when I’ve had some time to really do some research. I can’t afford to put money into something that isn’t going to do much.

Public: We don’t think anyone does. Are you still making things for charity?

Me: Oh yes! I’ve just sent off a bag full of hats, nearly finished a lapghan, and I’m getting ready to make more squares for two granny lapghans I’m working on.

Public: Have you heard back about The Inbetween yet?

Me: No, but the submission said I’d hear back by the end of June so, still waiting. I’ve scheduled time to work on Mr. Nobody so I can get it on Wattpad by the end of the month. I’ve decided not to make it into a full novel because the story just won’t gel for me.

Public: At least you’ll be writing again.

Me: Very true. I’m also making time for reading, and I’m about to start on Jeffrey Deaver’s Solitude Creek.

Public: Sounds interesting.

Me: I hope it is. Well, I’ve got to go, I’ve got to work tonight so I need to get some sleep.

Catch you all on the flipside and don’t forget your towels and sonic screwdrivers!!

What’s Happening Now

In my little world, not much is happening. Across the street from the motel where I live, the Kentucky Fried Chicken has been renovated and is almost ready to reopen. Graduation at the local high school happened last week, and I was on duty that night at work – it was a major night for the business.

Other than that? Not much. I did close my Etsy store because I was unhappy with the service I wasn’t getting from Etsy itself on some things that were going on with the store. I know it’s not a big deal, but I thought I’d mention that. I’m shoppping around for other places to park my shop.

I took a test at work that’s supposed to help me get promoted, but I’m not holding my breath until that happens – I’d die first. Still, I’ve taken the test which I’m sure I passed – just need to wait for the boss to get back to me on it.

My son, Joe, is engaged to his lovely girlfriend, Macy, and they’re getting married some time next year. No time has been decided upon just yet. It’s going to be a Handfasting Ceremony 🙂

The annoying bird outside my door that has been voicing the same annoying sound since close to the end of winter is now making a softer sound and being answered by high pitched trills I can only imagine are babies. The bird and its mate made a nest in one of the light fixtures close to my front door so I’ve had to listen to this bird for months now. I never got mad at it because I figured it had a reason for the sound, and I was right.

That’s it for my random post. What’s happening in your little world? This inquiring mind would like to know – seriously.

See you all on the flipside and don’t forget your towels and sonic screwdrivers. A shotgun with salt filled shells wouldn’t hurt either come to think of it. 🙂

A Book Review

Well it was what I had planned on writing for this posting but then, when I sat down to write about a book I’d finally found time to finish, I went blank.

I actually have had very little sleep today since I had to stay up after work this morning to go run errands until almost noon. Then, I had issues going to sleep – the world outside my door and window is very loud at times – so there was that. I got maybe five hours of sleep which is supposed to be great. Me, however, I take a medication for my medical condition which zonks me out, once I get fully asleep and waking up is almost as hard as going to sleep. I know, cry me a river why don’t you.

Still, I’m going to say a few words about the book and later, I may do a full blown review – I haven’t decided yet. Here it goes:

Blue Labyrinth by Preston and Child is a good book. I have read them before, but I didn’t like their main “good guy” Aloysius Pendergast. He’s grown on me since reading this book so I’m going to go back and read the beginning book – when I can find it. I recommend it for those of you who like a good “what the hell is going on” book.

As always, don’t take my word for it. Read the book yourself. Following someone blindly will only get you run into a wall, or worse. I merely give you my own honest opinion about something, and it’s up to you to listen or not.

So, it’s that time again. I need to get ready for work soon. I’ll see you on the flipside and don’t forget your towel and sonic screwdriver.

Well, okay…

Just met a woman from Champagne, Illinois who is here getting medical treatment at a local hospital. She was very nice and kept repeating my name – she said she’d had a head injury but didn’t say how long ago. I wasn’t bothered by it, I meet a lot of people who are just as bad at names as I am.

What got me was this woman who has only just met me, starts asking me about my religious affiliation. She asks “So are you a Christian? Are you a Catholic?Are you a Muslim?” I’m not sure what other religion she mentioned after that except that she was focusing on mainstream religions because I was thrown by her asking if I was a Christian or if I was Catholic. Since when are Catholics not considered Christians??

Not only is she standing well inside my personal space, but she’s asking questions about something I don’t discuss with complete strangers, not on purpose anyway. So with her smiling at me from less than two feet away and clearly expecting an answer, I tell her I’m non-traditional. The smile wavers just a tiny bit and then, she ends the conversation, heading off to the store. I went on my own way with a little smile of my own.

Tell anyone with a religious bent looking for converts that you’re non-traditional, and they don’t know how to react. They are especially thrown when you don’t choose to elaborate, and they don’t want to offend by throwing out the name of any of the many pagan religions being practiced today – just in case you aren’t a member of one of them.

I get a chuckle out of it, and I get left alone. I consider asking me what religion I practice when you first meet me to be quite rude and intrusive. Religion is a personal thing to my way of thinking, and you don’t ask strangers personal questions like that.

Just thought I’d share that with you – take it any way you like. 🙂

See you on the flipside and don’t forget your towel and sonic screwdriver – Spring is on it’s way!