It never rains… [EDIT]
[I added a link to more information about the BMW 6 series, I’ll get pics of mine up as soon as I find/take some]
Ok, where to start…
The last few days at work have been tiring, but not really that bad. Each day, right when I got to the point where playing in traffic seemed like a good idea, either the Senior Manager or Facility Manager would step in and take a few calls, so yay on them!
JB has asked me to take temporary custody of her middle child. Yep, just out of the blue. It seems her ex-mother-in-law works for whatever Minnesota calls their DFCS office and is making trouble. JB mentioned something about an ER visit and some bruises, but the kid is two and a half. I’ve never met anyone under the age of three that didn’t have some bruises, I really doubt she’s beating her kids. I have no doubt that she’s not an overprotective drama queen and probably lets them get into more mischief than she should but I doubt anything more serious than a few bruises would come out of their adventures. So I have no idea what I’m going to tell her. He’s already in the foster care system in Minnesota, and she’s already exhausted all her options for local friends and family. Critter said she’d help watch him on her days of if I have to work, but there are days we both have to work. I work twelve-hour shifts, I have no idea what I’d do for childcare on the days Critter couldn’t help, and even then I’d feel bad about letting Critter watch him so much since she’s already got three of her own. Not to mention the fact that she has no car or driver’s license so I’d have to take a few days off from work to go get him. I’m probably going to end up having to tell her no, but I’m going to call her mother first and see if there’s anything JB has neglected to mention.
My dad wants me to move into the basement of the cabin and pay rent so he and my mom can buy a house in Seattle. He says even though it would add thirty miles (one way) to my commute, the savings in rent would more than off set it. Maybe, but I was moving anyway, and probably wouldn’t be paying the $500/month he’s asking. Oh, and I’d have to pay utilities too, of course, which would run me up to $700 easily. Add to that the fact that moving up there would put two more schools and the chicken plant between me and work and it would probably add forty-five minutes to an hour to my trip in the morning, but not as much at night. And the fact that I’d be driving even farther to spend time with Critter and the kids, I think I’d be spending a whole lot more on gas than I am now. I don’t think he understands that just because I don’t constantly call them sharing every detail of what I’m doing every day that I’m not still the depressed loner that spent all my time at home or at work when I lived in Orlando. Not that he’s ever approved of how I spend my free time when I’m not being a depressed loner, but we’ll leave that for a later date. I can easily get a 2/1 or 2/1.5 down here close to where I am for around $350/month. It’d probably be a trailer but no one but my parents would actually care.
Besides, I’ve come to the realization that the more you spend on a house/apartment, the less you have to spend on stuff to put in it, and less to spend doing things with friends. If I’d put the extra money that I spent on double rent last month into a TV I’d have a kick ass 52" Sony Bravia hanging on the wall. If I added up the difference between the $350 or so and the $1100 I’m paying now, I’d have an up-to-date laptop computer to use and the Xbox 360 Elite I want as well. Not to mention have put a substantial amount of money aside for the BMW project (which I intend to actually get started on this year) and a future down payment on my own place. I could have also made a few trips down to see Ember, and maybe at least one trip to see Amber and Jerm (taking Ember along of course). Then there’s always the local state parks that Critter and I both enjoy but didn’t know it until lately. Sure, it’s only $5 to park, but it’s not like any of them are super close either, so gas is a factor, albeit a minor one.
Assuming I can get moved before bonuses are paid out in March (and I’m really shooting for being out of here before the end of January) then I’ll use it to jump start the restoration of my BMW, which it seems I’ve only mentioned in passing. It’s a 1984 633csi coupe. A nice silvery grey (where it’s still got paint) with a navy blue leather interior. Five speed manual transmission, in-line six cylinder 3.3 liter engine. It’s a sweet car. And it gets much better mileage than the truck, even though it’s fifteen years older. The only way I can account for that is 1) it’s a lot smaller and 2) it’s German, and the "moderates" in their environmental lobby make our "extremists" look like coal-burning, tree-killing, SUV driving dilettantes. Most of the work it needs is cosmetic, but I know it needs pretty much a new suspension (except the rims, those are in good shape, lol) a new starter, new spark plugs and wires, and new brakes. I’ll probably just have them pull the engine and rebuild it, eliminating any oil leaks in the process since most of the gaskets will be replaced in the process. That’ll also give them a chance to replace the wiring harness and get rid of a few pesky shorts that kept eating half of my dash lights and my license plate lights.
That’s pretty much all I’ve got. I have the kids (I’ve actually had K all day) and they are starting to get rambunctious, so I should go mediate/referee before blood is spilled or bones are broken