I Ain't Afraid of No Daleks

Sitting here with the sweat dripping off my hair. The storms are all going around us, and it's just hot and steamy and overcast at half-past five in the evening. ...and it's only going to get hotter, before it cools down, so I hear.

I'm scarfing down a quick--and not very nutritious lunch, but I'm just too hot to care. I nuked some Jeno's pizza rolls in the microwave, and am tossing them down with a diet orange soda.

I'll probably have a better meal tonight, perhaps. For only having $35 to spend on a week's groceries, I didn't do half-bad. I had to do without "luxuries" like orange juice, bacon, frozen veggies and chips (crips), but still got enough to keep the wolf from my door--they even had some pork ribs on sale for less than $3 a package, so I reckon there's a dinner of BBQ ribs in my future, this week.

They had tinned chilli on sale as well--I prefer to make it from scratch, but in this case, I'm going to use the tinned chilli to make some Texas Straw Hat---that's a type of pie--it's simply chilli (tinned or home made leftovers) that's been poured onto a bed of corn chips and topped with shredded cheddar cheese, then baked. After it comes out ot the oven, some people like to top it with more cheese, or a dollop of sour cream and/or some diced fresh tomatoes.

Might sound disgusting to some of you, but for a chili-head like me, it's yummy, trust me.

Well, actually, I now have all of eight minutes to type this stuff.

Happy news!!!

I'd thought I'd irretreivably lost the silver filigree heart pendant/necklace that my late mum had given me 15 years ago...but it "mysteriously" reappeared this morning...okay, now you'll have to believe me when I say my mind has gone on permanent holiday...

I EMPTIED that blinking jewlery box out, the day I discovered the necklace was misssing--it's the first thing I did--but, this morning...as I was rummaging around for another necklace my mum had giving me--one with a silver horse and rider pendant--the missing necklace was right there on top of the pile!!!

That knocked me back a bit, that did. I SWEAR, I emptied that blinking box out on the bed--it's not like I own much jewelry, only about 6 or 8 pieces...very weird experience.

But, I'm well-chuffed to have the pendant back. Mum had gone out of her way to buy me this, and I really do treasure it. In fact it's only one of two pieces of jewelry that I do truly value. (the other being the antique broach which was my very last birthday gift from her)

Wow. I'm not even 50 yet...and already I'm going senile....unless I've got gremlins...(wishful thinking, it's just me and my wonky brain).

"And now, by the power invested in me, by Shakespeare, the United Federation of Planets, The BBC, the Scottish Haggis Council and the Royal Overactors Society, I now pronouce you, husband and husband. You may now both snog each other 'till the cows come home. Mosseltoff!"

Well, considering that I haven't had any alcohol in over a year--not since I made the mistake of trying a cheap wine-cooler last June...BLEH, why do I feel so hung-over this morning?

I slept in 'till nearly 10am--not something I normally like to do, but seems to be a habit lately, for some reason. I suppose long gone are the days when I'd jump out of bed at the crack of--and even before the crack of--dawn...just beccause.

No more Sunday morning hikes at 5 or 6am (so I could be home on time for church), no flea markets to drive to, no horses to feed at a riding stable, no fish waiting for my fishing line, no journeys to interesting places, no sitting under an apple tree watching the sun rise, no classes to get to, no busses to catch, no 1st shift job to go to....nope. Now, the crack of dawn arrives and I'm a city girl and an old fart....snoring away oblivious.

Going to be a rather long day--cash my pay check after work--make sure I pay the 85 dollars I still owe on my electric bill--the bastards at National Grid....the bill is due on Thursday, one day before my next pay day...if it weren't for that...I'd have 100 for myself this week, with the 85 dollars I have to pay today, with the 10 dollars left over from last week's pay check, that gives me 75 dollars between today and next friday--so it will be a lean week with the groceries, I'm afraid, as I also have to shell out that 18 dollars in cab fare for going for those stinking Procrit shots---not to mention paying a $20 co-pay every time I have to go....yeah, being sick in America SUCKS SUCKS SUCKS when you're poor!

Here's the tab EACH WEEK for me to get these stinking shots--this DOES NOT include the cost of the medicine, by the way: $78 a WEEK. I have to go three times a week for a month, and then two times a week for a months. That's over $300 in just one month's time--and doesn't include my expenses for other medical issues or prescriptions...this is just the shots. That's more than half my monthly salary, just for the treatment of ONE of my medical issues--I know NHS has some awful problems over there, which need adresssing...but at least none of you are FORCED to go hungry just to get well. Put things in prospective, ey?

Speaking of which, let's put this in true perspective---I make, anywhere from $50 to the maximum of $166 dollars a week. Fortunately, I can--up to a point--have the health center bill me for the co-pay...heaven knows when or if I'll be ever able to pay that. Fortunately, now, I finally have good prescription coverage, and instead of paying $20 to $50 (or more) for meds, my costs have dropped to $10 or less---huge, huge relief...especially as these Procrit shots cost $500+ for 8 or 10 vials.

Oh, and I'm sooo---sad!

I so was looking forward to seeing Two Gentlemen from Verona, but just found out that the trolley-bus doesn't go that far--it's way to far for me to walk--I'd thought the park where they were showing it was in Lake George, but it's way over in Bolton Landing, and the bus doesn't go all the way into the town, just to some state campground on the outskirts of town, and it's a good couple of miles on a dangerous B road, to get there.

Life sucks and then you die...well, when that happens, at least I'll finally get a proper holiday.

Meh--maybe I'll just stay home and read or listen to some music on the radio or something...not like I'm rolling in enough dough to take in a film or go to an amusement park or whatever...can't even afford a round of crazy golf or a game of ten-pin bowling...no swimsuit now either, apparently...I've hunted and hunted for it...must have gotten lost in the move last year or something...so I can't even go to the blinking beach.

...blocking out the scenery, breaking my mind--'do this, don't do that, can't you read the si-ign...'

"Meh--Big Brother is boring...wonder what's on the Playboy channel? Oi! Rose! Bring us a cider, will 'yer? And, some of those cheesy-onion crisps! Oh,and put on that maid's outfit you wore for the Cyperman episode..."

The full moon tonight was ENORMOUS!!! No, really, it looked (and I know it's just an optical illusion)--SCARY. I mean, it looks three times bigger than it normally would, and was a dusky orange in colour.

Truthfully, it didn't even look like the moon, but some mysterious other planet--okay, who's been watching too much Dr Who? Could it be moi?

Anyway, it was rising in the east, and was hanging low in the twilight skies, just above the distant foothills of vermont. Amazing. Times like that I really regret losing my old Kokak E-Z load 35mm camera. What a picture that would have made!

Well, it sort of looked like this...

...and it only took two and a half hours, instead of three, so that was a good thing. However, the bus to get there was twenty minutes late!

I ran up to Lake George to do something--well, I suddenly realized that I literally had nothing clean to wear to work tomorrow, and was genuinely surprised at how jampacked the town was, with tourists. These people DO know there's a recession on? Apparently, not for some people---lots of number plates around the city and adjoining towns, from New Jersey, Ontario and Quebec. Much of the crowd is there for the Thursday fireworks show, on the lake...held every Thursday night after dusk, in July and August. Meh--it's alright I guess.

nearly three quarters of the trolley-bus passengers were foreign workers, mostly trendy young students of Eastern European origin: Macedonia, Russia, etc, who work at local hotels, amusement parks and restaurants, at jobs no one else around here wants ('cos the pay totally sucks and there's no benefits and often bosses conveniently forget labour law regulations regarding work breaks and lunch/dinner breaks...I know that from actual real experience, btw). Hey, sort of sounds like my job...wait...it is like my job, only the pay's slight--very slightly--better.

Speaking of pay, a LOT of workers (including myself) are VERY disgrutled about not getting any pay raises. Traditionally, on MOST jobs, after a year you get reviewed and USUALLY are accorded some sort of pay raise...anywhere from 10 cents ot X number of dollars an hour, depending on whom you are working for. I've been there over 1 year and nine months, and have only had a 25 cent raise in pay, my third month in. They didn't waste time on the pay cut though, I noticed. Some workers are talking about lodging a protest with the NY state Dept. of Labour, but I sincerely doubt that anything will ever come of it.

Speaking of New York...lots of cuts and lay-offs in the future. Used to be, working for the state was considered a guarenteed concrete solid life-long job, with loads of cushy benefits....but now state jobs are being axed, with vital departments serving the poorest and/or most vunerable state citizens, being the first to go--naturally: Medicaid--the state medical insurance programme for the poor, elderly and disabled-- and Office for the Aging--who assists the elderly and disabled in finding assistance with home heating and utilities, food, housing, medical transport and home repairs-- will be downsizing their workforce (who happen to have offices on the same floor I work on).

Also, 11 Worker's compensation offices closing--"But," one pompous arse--erm, I mean state official says, "no one will have to travel over 50 miles to an office to attend a hearing or collect their benefits." Yeah, someone who is already hurting for money, can afford to travel 100 miles 'round trip?

I have a theroy: Politicians are really aliens in disguise, from the planet Moronia.

THIS IS WHERE I WAIT for the trolley-bus to take me back home--The laundromat is down the street from this popular brewery-pub-- (popular only with the tourists--the locals mostly go to Davidson Brothers brew-pub here in the city).