One of those days.....
10/25/2011 07:40 a.m.

Today hasn't gone so well. I'm going to write about it in chronological order, not in order of importance...

I got a speeding ticket today. I was going 31 mph in a neighborhood that is a 20 mph throughout the entire neighborhood, and I thought it was 25. Even then, I still would have been going 6 mph over the speed limit. Oy. And, I'm just the kind of person who, if pulled over, ALWAYS gets a ticket. It doesn't matter why I guess. *sigh* It just feels horrible because 1) I don't have a job/way to pay for the ticket myself and 2) I'm generally hyper-vigilant about obeying traffic laws. But I was talking to my sister (who was with me in the car), and NOT paying enough attention to the speed signs. We had passed one, and I missed it. So I AM guilty, and I deserve the ticket. It just sucks. 11 mph over the speed limit is $105.00 here. I have $4 in my wallet, and some change, and maybe about the same amount in my checking account. Ugh.

Then, my son called, and he's having some tests run on his heart. He just turned 27. He said he'd had a weird episode last night. Dizziness, heart palpitations, shortness of breath, and then his entire left side went numb and he got a horrible headache all at once. My son is not one to hype anything physical. Infact, he's the opposite in that he tends to try to shrug things off. But he was so concerned that he took himself to the ER. His blood pressure was elevated, and they ran and EKG which turned out to be normal. So today they've had him on a Holter monitor. But he was, understandably, a bit shaken. I'm worried, of course, but not overly so until we know the test results. No sense in borrowing trouble at this point.

Then, and this is VERY minor, my sister wanted to treat me to a pedicure. I argued at first, and then relented, feeling blessed. I got my nails painted, but I'd worn the wrong shoes and the nail polish was all smudged up when I got home. Infinitesimally small potatoes, I know. Just added it because it's just been a heck of a day all things considered.

So, I shall take some deep breaths, and tomorrow is a new day. I haven't had much luck finding a job here. Adam, bless him, has been sending me some money every week so I can at least contribute a little to the household here and pay the two personal bills that I have that are non-negotiable at the moment.

I miss Journey, my bike. I miss my kids. I miss my grandson, Atreyu and my son, Joe. I miss my dog, Keefer. I miss Astoria and the girls I worked with. I miss my grandmother and my Dream Group girls, and my "sister wives" (my group of besties from high school).

In other news....my grandmother isn't do so well. I mean, I'm not surprised. She just turned 92 after all. She tells me 20 times, every time I call, how much she misses me and wishes I would come back to The Dalles. Breaks my heart.

My short term plan at the moment is to go apply, tomorrow, for a temp position. I'll be available to work until my sister, Carla, has her surgery on Dec. 1. Then, I'll help out here until she is recovered. And then I'm considering going back to The Dalles. I REALLY don't want to be a burden to my sister and brother in law.

Adam and I have been unable to save any money yet toward my going to the UK, and as it stands, the computer situation here doesn't really lend itself to my being trained to help with his business, so I can't help him take any more work on. On a positive note, though, I did get my passport. YAYYYYYY!!! So, WHEN we get the money saved, I'm ready to go.


I am currently: teary-eyed
Listening to: Pandora Radio - New Age ambient