h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Just checking in for a few moments to let everyone know I'm still okay, just putting in a few extra hours this week and a bit pressed for time. I've been recruited to train some of the second-shift temps and also as one of the few who can process certain types of orders (in addition to my own stuff) so I've got quite a lot on my plate just now. If I'm a bit absent, it's just cause I'm sleeping!

Anyway, I'll still be around as much as I can at weekends, although I have decided to unsubscribe from the Survivor's Group. The friends I've made here and I have plenty of contact through journal entries, phone calls, email, and other conversations here, and I neither really *need* that kind of support group, nor have much to contribute. I've decided, much like Kaz and Terri and JEllen and some of the others, to live proactively, leaving the past in the past where it belongs and having a good life worth living in the here and now. Wish more people could do the same, but such is life.

Not much else to report of late, haven't seen any interesting new films or read much, or anything terribly exciting. That's always subject to change, but for the time being it's just been more of the same.

Hope everyone is keeping well, and I will be popping on as time allows and catching up with you all on Friday evening. Hiya Abbi, Terri, JEllen, Kaz, Vixen, Hellbound, Willem, and anyone who I've forgotten. Take care, and s.

Oh, and apologies for not yet having posted parcels to Terri and Superdogmonkey... I'll have a Saturday off eventually and will be able to get to the post office.

I'll see you on the flip side

Also, thank you to Mikey and Terri for chatting with me on MSN tonight, I've missed you, and I needed to talk with you. Now I just need to chat with Kaz and JEllen and I'll feel all loved and stuff.

And thanks for the advice as well as the small talk. It's a huge relief!

Sort of Instant Relief Message?

Sleep well m'dear!

*waves to Mikey"

zdt

Sounds like a hard week ahead, but you sound good, able to move forward and keep going.

Keep it up! You can sleep in the summer!!

You are much stronger than I, I really admire you being able to work so hard in planning for the future. Well done!

Hi, Kaz. Thank you for those encouraging words! I don't know as that I'm stronger than you, we just have strengths in different areas. I admire you for your strength lots of times, too. And thanks for all of the good advice and loving thoughts your last couple of emails sent my way.

Thank you to Terri and to Mikey for all of your encouragement and support these past couple of weeks as well.

Turns out I'm going to wind up working from around 5:30 AM till 6:00 tomorrow evening as well, after working 5:30 till 7-ish every day this week. I will have just over 80 hours worked this week. Just thinking about it is making me feel tired! I did brak down for a moment this afternoon, frustrated with an uncooperative spreadsheet- beating my head on my desk and laughing and crying at the same time. Today was insanely busy, and in addition to all of the phone calls and my own orders to deal with, I've taken on entering extremely difficult and detail-intensive orders which other people can't handle, training two temps (who have been incredibly brilliant and productive, which might indicate I do have some ability as a teacher!), and assisting with troubleshooting and problem solving. It is earning me a hell of a bit of money to keep me afloat, and some brownie points with management as well. My team is reported as being the *best* of them all, most productive, hardest working, and the three people most likely (and inclined) to be helpful to others. That is almost as rewarding as the paycheck, and makes the work less strenuous.

Anyway, 'nuff abut all that... it was a glorious day here weatherwise (I was able to sneak a 15 minute lunch which I had outdoors), so I've got windows open this evening, enjoying a lovely glass of and a cigarette before I shower and crawl into bed in about an hour.

The trees are beginning to bloom, birds are singing, children are playing outdoors, and the ice cream truck is meandering down my street playing "Sheherazade". Think I could do with a treat for diner, haven't had time for anything other than a small salad and a handful of prunes all day! (Incidentally, what they say about prunes is true, won't be eating *those* for breakfast anymore! )

I imagine I'll be online for another hour or so, and will be around tomorrow evening if anyone fancies a chat. Otherwise, hope to catch up on Sunday!

Well done on all your progress at work, I hope they take note and let you have a rest next week.

Today was lovely here as well. I normally get up at 11 or later, today I got up at 8.30 and havn't been back to bed yet. Which is rare for me, and I have caught up on all my pagan fed paperwork!!

That last sentence gave me a double-take for minute, Kaz -- at first I thought you were talking about paperwork that ate pagans!

Mikey I see what you mean!! Fed, short for federation that is!!

I wish I had some paperwork that ate coworkers!

Glad to hear you were able to stay up today, and get some productive stuff done Kaz! It feels *so* good to catch up on things, doesn't it?

I'm beginning to wonder if it might be worth paying someone $40 or so to come in and tidy up my house. I need laundry folded, floors washed, and a whole lot of clutter dealt with. All I've been able to muster is shoving it by armloads into the closets and shutting the doors.

*ahem*

I should like to formally apply for the post of butler, valet, maidservant, companion & general dogsbody at your esteemed establishment.

references are available (once i have blackmailed them)

zdt

I do it, once a month or so. It's totally worth it for me. For the money I make in one Saturday of teaching, I can pay to have someone clean my place from top to bottom. Takes a lot of stress of my back to know that I don't have to be the one doing absolutely everything, you know?

Terri, you would be well compensated for your services! Just find a way to get your little self on over here!

You've got that right, Mikey, I could easily pay for it with an hour or two of the overtime. How much nicer to come home from a grueling day every day to ahouse that isn't a bit of a mess. And not to have to waste a big part of my one day off cleaning house. I'd only need it a few months out of the year, and I think it would be a HUGE help, both physically, in terms of time and energy, and emotionally, in terms of not having this battle between my obsessive need for tidiness and cleanliness, and my overwhelming need to just relax in what little free time I've got!

Terri, maybe this is the solution to both of our housing needs... you could make painting and cheeseboxes to flog for cash, and help keep things tidy. I could work my ass off during springtime and we could both spend the autumn and winter in relative poverty, whinging about lack of funds and thinking of creative ways to come up with some extra dosh! If only my landlord would allow pets... he's got cats, after all!

PS- no need for references, my dear. You've already proved yourself at least trustworthy.

*wishes it were possible to seek "emotional" asylum in US, would have had Krispy here a long time ago, and could help Terri out as well...*

*wishes even harder that love was a practical basis for sponsorship, for same reasons..*

When i escaped from Pakistan & returned (reluctantly) to UK, the only work i could get was as a cleaner & i did pretty well at it, in commuter belt for London, to find an intelligent & honest cleaner is like discovering an oil rig in your backyard for most hard working people; i did OK money wise but....

Can't do it any more, the bod won't let me, i am now the one who needs it really, can do anything that doesn't involve bending too much, but nothing like what i used to do; oh well.

But for anyone who is prepared to forget "pride" & apply themselves to an honest task which is actually pretty rewarding in terms of "look what I've done!" i recommend it. Leaves the brain free for other stuff too, whilst paying the rent nicely!

zdt

I did cleaning for a while at a church in my old hometown. It was nice, quiet, rewarding work. I've done lots of other stuff lots less rewarding, far more grueling... was a court appointed advocate for family services for a while, which was far too depressing (they just keep sending them back to their biological parents, no concern for the well-being of the children, just for the legal rights of the sperm donors or the ones which gave birth to the poor things), and then nearly a decade of managing a retail auto service center, which eventually made me physically ill...

Honestly, I don't know how I cope with the hours I'm putting in with this chronic fatigue and the pain I'm in most days. My managers know I've got it, and they worry about me sometimes... but somehow, I manage to keep it up okay. I guess I'm lucky, not to mention more than a little bit ornery. I'll keep fighting till there's no fight left. Then... I guess I'll get my second second wind.

Here, the court-appointed-advocates are all volunteers -- and the system wonders why they don't have enough of them to go around!

The 2 most draining jobs I've ever had were:

1) court-appointed visitation supervisor -- largely this had to do with accompanying children on their visits with dads who'd been accused of abuse

and

2) being a state-paid respite care worker -- taking care of disabled children so their parents could take enough of a break to keep them from being homicidal, but not enough of a break to actually relax. oh, and one of my charges put me in the hospital.

Both of those sound really depressing as well. I also once worked for the state board of health.. caring for elderly people. I had one charge whose daughter lived in the flat downstairs but was just too busy to be bothered... I got fired for going in on a holiday off and spending it with her, because she had begged me to, not wanting to be alone and to not have a bath that day. I spent the eintire day with her and it was lovely. That job really woke me up to how cruel people can be to each other, and I'm glad I did it even if only for a few months and even if it was depressing as hell.

I always remind myself how much worse it can be, though.

I have a friend who's a family court judge -- I don't think I could do that in a million years.

I had to sit in on her court one day for a school assignment.

At least here in our state, if a kid is under 13, the parents can deny the child mental health services, even if the kid is in foster care.

I got to see a girl who had ended up in foster care due to sexual abuse from her father, beg the judge to let her have counseling. Her father was there, and he refused, because he was afraid it would lead to something that would affect his criminal case. For a 12-year-old to *ask* for mental health treatment, it has to be really, really bad. And for her to have to beg for it like that in front of her father, and to have to see how powerless the judge was in the face of her father's resistance -- that just really, really, amazingly sucked.

I could never in a million years work that job.