May and June roll on through.

   So, I have most of my stuff here and dont want to organize it yet. Moving is such a hassle and I really dont look forward to unpacking everything to then repack it in a couple of months. I always hate moving and had thought that the house would be where I would stay, but life is always changing and getting in the way. The job is about the same and I have fallen into a completely dull routine of going to work, coming home for a long lunch, going back to work and then back home again to play on the computer for a few hours, then read a little and go to bed (around midnight or 1am). The problem is that I am not doing anything constructive with my free time and can not seem to get motivated to do that. It is just easier to while away the time on that stupid game and let other stuff go.  I am spending some of my mornings making flash cards for the terms & definitions I will need to know for the train test...so I am doing a little before lunch while I wait for my bus. I am not sure exactly why I have let myself sink into this lazy mood, and cant seem to find a way out of it. It is getting hot and I am not eager to go outside to do much of anything, other than work; which makes it much more difficult to get motivated.
   I got good news from the Dr. last month, I'm still non-detectable and the T-cells are getting stronger, so I dont have to go back for 4 months and we set the appt for my birthday!!!!  I'm really twisted!!  Life is rolling along in that "same old thing, day after day" mode and I have gotten completely lazy.  At the end of the month, I check the credit union account and find that the roomie in Austin had not put the money in there for 2 weeks and it was already the  30th. I sent my friend Chuck over the check the place out and see if Mike was around to chat, meanwhile I tried calling and got no answer. I did manage to get his friend Logan to call me back and tell me that he was not going to be moving in after all. It seems his girlfriend was pregnant and they wanted a bigger place. I also got the message (from Chuck)  that the house was empty and the power was turned off, and Mike was obviously avoiding me.  Chuck spent a couple of days cleaning up the place and talking with a real estate agent about the possibility of selling it or renting it again.  Reality check: there are lots of things that need to be done to the house to sell it & there is no money in the budget for any of them. I also need the income from the house in order to pay all the bills (there & here). So, once again, I am stuck in the middle of a catch 22. It seems that most of my life has been in that mode ~ need ____ and dont have ___ , cant get ___  because I dont have ___ ?!?!  It is just so very frustrating and annoying to always be stuck in the middle with no visible way out.  
    I posted the situation on facebook and started the search for someone to rent the house, and we also started the process to try to sell the house (just in case we couldn't rent it). First issue was a water heater that needed to be replaced before the gas could be turned back on. The refrigerator needed to be cleaned out and the house needed a good cleaning. Chuck got started on that and a couple of other friends helped him get these things done; meanwhile, I am stressing out in Dallas because my success up here depends on Austin being successful.  I really love that house and do not want to sell it, but if I have no other option, then I will do what needs to be done. I spoke with the realtor and told her exactly that, so she knew what the situation really was. She started working on it, and did a good thorough walk through with Chuck, to determine what really needed the most attention first.  Got a few folks interested and started talking to them about the situation and what we really needed to get someone in there, and after almost a week we finally got someone that could move in. This will get the budget under control as soon as they start paying rent.
   The reason this is such a big deal is that last month, I managed to read the holiday schedule wrong & was late for work on Memorial Day (which screwed up my holiday pay & the extra money involved in that) and so now the paycheck would be short. Add to that the shortfall from Austin, and you now understand why I was on the verge of panic. The house payment is automatically deducted from the credit union the day after the paycheck goes in, so I now needed to find the money to pay my other bills. I managed to juggle a couple of them around and will be able to float along for 2 weeks until I get some money from Austin. The folks moving in will begin that process in the middle of the month (just in time to save the budget) and start paying then. I am squeaking by until then and barely able to pay all the other things along the way. 
   I have been talking to my friend Zina about her extra car. We have discussed the issue of me taking over her payments when I can afford to. This is an ongoing discussion we started back in December, and it is still being put on hold, yet again. Every time I get close to being able to afford the car, something happens to destroy my budget and I have to start all over again. Maybe this is a sign that I really shouldn't get that car from her?  I need to think about this for awhile, or maybe just get out of GOD's way???!!!
   Something to think about while I drive my life away!!!  Look out now, I got you caught up and now let's roll on down the road.
   

April already?

   April is a new month and Im living across the street from work, which is a really good thing. It will save me time and money getting around town, to work & back, and running errands. There is a train station on the corner as well, which is good because I can now get Martin out and about with very little difficulty, and we dont have to worry about the neighborhood.  
   I make plans to take a day off and go to Austin to get the house cleaned out & the stuff organized into either storage, or a moving truck to bring back to Dallas. This is a 3 day trip, leaving on Sun, packing( & throwing stuff out) and organizing, and then getting ready for the big drive back to Dallas with a loaded truck. Oh, I forgot to mention that I had a Dr. apt & an eye Dr. apt while I was in Austin. Got them both on the same day to cut down on the travel, and make the move easier. My friend Kelli helped me pack up and throw out lots of stuff, and we got most of the office filled. I spent Mon going through most of the rest of the house, setting things aside for Dallas, and moving others into the office. By monday evening, I was through with the packing & storing; then got ready for Tuesdays appointments & packing the truck. My friend Mike helped with the loading of the truck and drove it to Dallas (my eyes were dilated at the eye doctor). We stopped along the way in Waco, for some really greasy burgers & fries from the Health Camp. This is a fabulous burger joint from the 50s and is still one of the most popular places to eat in Waco. I give it 4 ****, and will definately be back.  We made it into Dallas about 8pm and unloaded the truck & dropped it off and went to bed, exhausted.
   Next morning, I took Mike downtown to see some of the sights & then catch the train back to Austin. Amtrak is a good cheap ride, but it only runs once a day in both directions & is not very convenient to most schedules. There were a few aggravations involved in the Austin visit: the current roommate spent most of his time away from the house (possibly avoiding me), there were lots of items in the back yard that had been damaged and he didn't seem to know what really happened/or care, he didn't know what had happened to my bike (which was on the back porch when I left in Dec), there was a big split in the doorframe to his room from obviously breaking into his room.  All these should have been a wake up call for me, but I was too busy trying to get the place cleaned out so his friend Logan could move in soon {getting more money for the house will help the budget & enable me to get the bathroom fixed}.
   The month of May flew by and I decided not to empty all the boxes and try to organize them here, because we are going to move in about 4 months (hopefully we will have a house by then).  I noticed that I was almost out of meds, and went to get them refilled, but the pharmacy didn't have a new prescription, so I had to call the dr. office and get them to send one. That set off a chain reaction that shook me up. I called the pharmacy to see how much the meds would cost, and got the news that I had not met my $1500.00 deductible and so, I would have to pay that when I got them filled. I was used to co-pays for the meds with my old insurance, but this deductible is a new thing for me. DART is self-insured and so they set up the accounts with the insurance, and they have this type of plan available. The problem is that no one was able to explain it to me in terms I could understand. I finally got a friend to explain it all to me in simple terms, and I remembered that there was an account set up for personal emergencies that happened to be $1500.00 and so, I was able to get my meds filled without any major problems.
   There is still no word on Sparky and I have almost given up hope of ever seeing him again. I had hoped that he would pick up on my vibe while I was in Austin and would be able to get to me, but that didn't happen. I did manage to get to see Fez & Wigglez while I was there, Jan was sweet enough to bring them into town for a quick visit; which was so very nice. I was able to relax a bit and just play with them. I miss them terribly and cant wait until they are up here with me, but until then, they are in very good hands with her in Shiner,TX. I only wish I had been able to get them to her before I left (Sparky would probably still be with us). Anyway, that is not for me to know.
   

Class dismissed, time to start your life!

OK, If we can continue where I left off...I spent the first few weeks after graduation learning the routes in the NW Division.  There are are about 55 of them, so I have lots to learn. I picked a shift and started learning those routes first (some of them were in my training, so I had an advantage there). I did this shift for 3 weeks and then the entire system changed routes, which means that folks can change divisions at this time.  I ended up with a decent shift (off Sun & Tues) and working mostly mid-days & Sat. evening. The only problem is that when I get off work Sat. night at 11:35- there are no buses that will get me back to the apt, so I have to sleep in the quiet room until about 6am (then catch a bus to the apt Sunday morning). This made it difficult to go to church at 10:30am and so I cancelled that Sunday morning event for awhile. 

   I forgot to mention last time that I made a new friend, Matt Dudenhofer, that has been extremely helpful in keeping me sane and helping with all the crazy details of life. He fed me very well during those dark days in the winter when I didn't have money for groceries. He drove me all over town getting everything gathered for the replacement SS card & driver's license. He made sure I had plenty of clean clothing and fun to keep me going.  He has been a very special friend and I would not have made it through all this madness without him. Thank you so much for everything, I can never repay you for all your kindness, but am extremely grateful for your friendship. God was so good to send you my way.

     I spent a few weeks learning new routes and getting used to the people on them, same kind of madness from Austin, just lots more because the city is bigger.  During the month of March, I find out that the laptop has been damaged and is now useless.  That was my biggest link to the outside world, and now needs to be replaced with no money in the budget. Luckily, Matt is a computer guru and likes to tinker with them, so he said he would do what he could to fix it. There is still no word on Sparky, but the other 2 boys are doing fine. I had friends all over Austin looking and checking with the animal shelter, but no good word.  Gotta keep going and get the job done, its only been a couple of weeks.  Life is moving along at a quick pace and it is already mid-March.   Schedules have changed and I am rolling along.  My old friend Martin moved to Dallas and we start making plans to get a different place to live (bigger and closer to work).  This helps a bit with the budget, and also adds a few wrinkles to life; always more to think about & be responsible for.  The meds become a major problem at this point.  I have not been able to get into the dr.s office until now, and have run out of  one of my meds, so we get an emergency supply while I am there. I get labwork done and make an apt for  2 weeks later to get a full visit and gameplan.  No major health issues, just a sore throat that wont go away (afraid it might be Strepp throat).  By the end of the month, we are moving into a new place across the street from work, and I get to the dr again. The throat problem is just a major sinus infection that is causing drainage & keeping the throat sore (good news). I get some antibiotics and they help to get rid of it, and life continues. Matt & Zina help us get moved into the new place and we start to unpack everything & get settled in. It's gonna be so nice living right across the street from work, can't wait.