Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Just Another Day

Back at work again. I have so little time at home for my family and just relaxing I find it hard to do to much of anything else. Tonight I am working what we call a "specail detail". However I have found I have spare time and not too much else to do. Tommorrow I actually have a day off but I have to drive my mother to Lake Worth for a doctors appointment and I have to finish my tax return. I thought all I had to do was get all my papers organinzed but I was going over my 1040 and it's not right. I have a dreadful feeling when I go back and try to fix my mistake I will go from getting back money to owing. I hate owing money to the IRS I really do.

Next month I might get lucky and not have to work as much or I should say there will not be as much overtime to work. The schedule is not out yet but there are 5 other people on my shift that need overtime and I have to share I am not the only one with a mortgage and rising escrow accounts. Everyone I know is getting hit hard by out of control insurance and property taxes. The only bright spot at this moment is I get a raise the first of April. The will either help a little or throw me into the next tax bracket. With my luck her lately I am betting on the next tax bracket. Fred has been working without a contract since October. The PBA finalized the contract two weeks ago and it was suppose to go up in front of the commissioners Monday. I think they did everything but that. Fred is looking at an 8% increase which will help.

I remember not to long ago (before my escrow almost doubled) planning on purchasing a used R.V and researching a summer trip across Route 66. Now I dont think we will be able to afford more than a few weekends trips if that. It will be another long summer spent at home trying to make ends meet and playing the lottery. I am so thankful we have a pool.

I started a small garden last month and I actually have tomatoes growing. I planted 2 Jalopeno bushes and a rosemary bush. I hope to plant more jalopenos and herbs my next weekend off. Downside is I have discovered tomatoe worms. They are yucky. They just eat the leaves so the fruit is still good but I jhave got to get rid of them before they spread. I figure if I dont kill what I already have planted I might branch out to salad greens. I can grow those all year long.....


Until next time.....

Sunday, March 18, 2007

Busy Busy Busy

Busy Busy Busy

I am not sure what I am running on anymore. I ran out of steam about a week ago and I think desperation is the only thing that keeps me going. I am averaging about 60 to 65 hours a week at work and its killing me both physically and mentally. Physically from the seditary aspect of my job, I sit in an office chair for 12 to 16 hours a day. I get a 10 minute break every two hours that a rarely take and we eat out all the time. I get motivated every once in a while and brown bag it but I never seem to have enough time in the morning to make anything. Okay I never make enough time to make anything is what I should say, sleep is so much more important. On top of being inactive at work, I do little at home. On those long days that I work, I go home eat, play on my computer/watch T.V. and then pass out. My exercise consists of walking from one chair to another and the occasional tossing and turning in bed. On my days off when I am not recouperating and trying to recapture my sanity I am cleaning and doing laundry. I have to admit that I do spend much of my free time playing WOW. I have my lvl 64 Elven Hunter 'Falchion' that has to make lvl 70 soon. I call it therapy.

And therapy is what I need badly.

I am mentally exhausted. My brain is fried. I truly hate people. I want to be a hermit.

The 911 center I work for is a catch all. We dispatch animal control and code enforcement alnog with Law Enforcement and EMS. We are one stop shopping. We are the Walmart of St. Lucie County complaints. Sometimes it is ridiculus what people expect 911 to do. Please get comfortable because I fell like a good rant.........

Now I have to admit many people who call 911 do so because they have no other choice and feel guilty when they do. I cant tell you how many times I have listened to people tell me this is not an emergency but they told me I had to call or shock and dismay when they learn that they have been transferred to 911. these are not the people I am reffering to. I loathe the people that start in on you before you can even finish "911 Police , Fire or Rescue!" and it's for something silly. Maybe silly is not a good word but it is the one I am going to use today.

I spoke to two people thuis week about the garbage in their yard. one lady wanted to give me tag numbers of the offenders and the second wanted me to have officers chase the children that had built a fort in the lot next to her cited for littering. I told them they could talk to officers but they refused. One lady asked me my opinion bad idea but i told her "personally I just pick up the garbage and throw it away". I have the same attitude about dog poop in my yard. I dont like it but dog's have to go too. I am not going to burst a vein over it because it is not that important. Pick it up and go on with your day unless you step in it then of course curse until your hearts content because now you have a reason to be upset just dont call 911 because it still not an emergency. It is an unpleasant fact of life and shit will wash off.

I have to go back to the other caller with trash in her yard. She was upset because the children have built a fort and worn a path in the vacant lot next to her yard, they were dragging trash onto the lot (club house) and it was getting on her property. The only problem I could see that officers might investigate is a trespassing but the owner of the lot was not complaining. There maybe a code enforcement issue for building without a permit but I am pretty sure they over look this types of structures unless it is obviously a hazard. I let her list all her complaints but all she was basically doing was complianing about them playing. I am blunt and asked her "your calling because the children are playing?" She immediately replied "yes".
I was silent for a few moments then asked her if there was anything else I could do for her. She hung up.

The road ragers or the tattle tellers as I sometimes like to call them drive me nuts. Understand the road rage is serious business, people get killed or seriously injured in these types of calls but dont call in because someone pulled out in front of you and made you hit your brakes. He almost hit me or almost ran me off the rd is not the same as he did hit me or he did run me off the rd. Agressive drivers are a dime a dozen these days and I agree if the vehicle is obviously reckless please call 911and please know where you are before you do so. Now if you have spent the last 10 minutes flipping each other off and cursing each other but dont want to talk to an officer you might be a tattle teller. Please dont call 911 and tattle because you see someone doing the same thing you get a ticket for like not using your blinker or not making a complete stop at a stop sign, ect...... the officers will catch up to them eventually its just a matter of karma. I'm not going to get into speeding we all do it calling in speeders like everything else is a judgement call.

I have to touch on the animla lovers. I have 3 dogs, a cat, a rat, and a rabbit. I love animals just as much as any animal owner however they are animals and as much as I love them I will save my children before I do my pets if it comes down to life and death. It is the same with 911 human life takes priority to animals there are no execeptions. In my little part of the world we do not have an animal ambulance, animal control dose not work 24/7 and when they do they like everyone else must try to adhere to the speed limits and rules of the road. I understand that your neighbors dog is loose again but dont scream at me about it because I dont care. I have a hard enough time just keeping my own dogs in the yards. I actually have a hard time keeping them inthe house. Butch as old as he is still tries to escape he leaves no open door or unlocked window uninspected.

I can come up with a miriad of things to complain about and in essence I am just like the ones how call in and complain but I prefer to do my bitching on the internet. I do feel better now that I vented a little. I am sure there will be more of this as I dont see my schedule changing any time soon. Maybe I will get motivated and writre something interesting. I switch to midnights soon so maybe I will get the chance.......