Monday, July 8th, 2002 - My Love's Grandfather's Funeral
A week and a day after his passing, we had his service and funeral to attend. My Love and I went with our friend Rand who was nice enough to take pictures of the service for the family. (none shall go here out of respect for the family) The day started with a 1pm memorial service at the funeral home, proceeded to the grounds for a 2:30pm Honor Guard shot off their rifles, presented the flag to his grandmother, and offered a few prayers before leaving the family to themselves. It was a nice tribute, the Honor Guard, and there was something very powerful about the giving of the flag. After that, everyone gathered in the community hall of his grandmother's for food and such. The day was beautiful - albiet hot - with a clear blue sky. We've been recently plauged with near non-stop rain, so the clear day was a definate positive sign. It was a hard day on the whole family. All-in-all, it was a surreal day...both lovely and terribly sad in one. I think it was good though since the week between his passing and the service was a hard one for all. To finally have the funeral really was a closure I feel and the first step in the long line of healing. Thank you to all who've sent your condolances and thoughts during this time. My Love and I appreciate it deeply.
Tuesday, July 9th, 2002 - The Day After
My Love took this day off from work because he didn't feel he'd be able to face his job so immediately after the funeral. I think it was a good idea and was glad he allowed himself to take the time. (He has tons of time off, but rarely takes it and I really hoped he'd listen to advice and use his time through this hard period) To be honest, I don't know what we really did this day besides just kinda be...you know, just hang out around the house and simply relax without thought or stress of anything.
Ah, one thing that happened was we woke up and went to use the cell phone only to find it had been turned off - again. We had paid it only eight days before (a whopping $130!) and already they had turned us off. This was the third such time we had spent a very large amount of money on the bill only to have our service shut off anyway. We called them and tried to upgrade our plan - asking that they prorate us so allow us more minutes since the billing cycle had not yet ended and that way we would have more minutes and thus a phone. They wouldn't do anything and said the change would take place for the following month's billing cycle and that we were just screwed and so what are you gonna do about it? He also found out that they had changed their night time minute start from 8pm to 9pm without telling anyone. So here we were, using what we believed to be the large quantity of "night" minutes, all the while using up our "peek" minutes. This is the point we pretty much told them where they could shove their service. (damn you Sprint PCS you SUCK!) And this is the point where I dug through boxes in my closet to find my old cordless phone. I plugged it in and used the speaker phone on the base (as the cordless phone itself's battery was MIA) and called Verizon. I figured that it's been 4 years since I was ripped off for $350 in phone charges they determined I was responsible for (nice hu?) and that I probably was out of their system by now and could therefore, order new service without them noticing the old bill. And, I was in a pissed-off enough mood that I figured if they did say something, that I'd simply scream at them how it was supposed to have been taken care of four years ago and well, demand service anyway.
Luckily, I was right about the lengthy delay. They just gave me phone service. Poof. Whoo hoo. So, while I was at it, I ordered DSL service too. (ah, why not...) So, I'm waiting for them to send me the equiptment so I can get back online. I don't know how long it will be but I think it's like 7-10 business days sorta thing. Fingers crossed folks, I may just get back online sometime soon afterall! (now, paying for it is another thing, but I'll just deal with that later)
Well, we got our dial tone within the hour or so, but we didn't have a phone. So we went out to Best Buy and bought us a new phone It was on sale, so that's good, and it works well enough and most important, it's a phone. Weeeee! Wow. Having a phone that you don't have to worry about each and every minute you're on the call. It's weird. And sorta liberating. lol
Wednesday, July 10th 2002 - The Diner Not Meant to Be
So...after my Love gets off work, he and I and Joolo and Kali all decide we're gonna go to the game store 'cause she wants some cards and joolo wants to look for comics and stuff. We rumage around there and then all realize we're hungry so we head over to the Ruby Tuesday's for some food. The server comes and takes our drink and food order, brings our drinks and we get chatting. And chatting. And chatting. We then start to realize it's been quite a long time and no food. Next thing you know the manager shows up and apologizes saying that there was a technical error where the order didn't get back to the cooks and they're working on it right now and will have it out to us in a few minutes. We're like oookay then because they were just starting! it then after all that time (like a good half hour). Few minutes later the manager comes back out, food in hand and tells us he's once again sorry and the entire meal is comp'd. That's good - we were expecting to get some sort of discount for the extremely long delay and an entierly free meal is even better. So, then my BBQ Beef Skewers didn't have any BBQ sauce and had to get them to bring that and some butter for my baked potato and more BBQ sauce for my Love's BBQ burger. We all start eating - except Joolo who didn't order anything for lack of cash. Then, Kali and my Love notice their burgers aren't cooked anywhere near the requested "medium well" and are much more like "Rare" and we get the waitress back over and they offer to make two new burgers for them. Joolo takes my Love's and eats it anyway - since, hey, he likes his beef rare - and then we wait again for the second round of burgers. At this point, they tell them to just box them to go since we've been there like an hour and change and just kinda wanted to head home. So the manager comes back over when the burgers come back and apologies a third time and gives us all $10 gift certificates for our next visit - including Joolo who didn't even order anything! lol. (he didn't order, but got to eat a burger free of charge and got $10 for another visit) The waitress then asked if anyone wanted desert - slyly saying it's free so why not? - and I ask her for a piece of cheesecake to go. She ended up giving me half the cake I swear, it was a MASSIVE pic (so much so I took a pic of it but forgot to bring it with me) It was a fun night even if hardly anyone got to eat. lol
Thursday, July 11th, 2002 - Bad News Is Nothing New
I was supposed to come over to Rand's house on Thursday to get some stuff done like fax out some resumes and make a journal entry and such, but then Joolo was going to come over in the day and work on some Postcardx.net stuff. Long story short, he didn't end up coming over at all yesterday but we had our share (and then some) of bad news come our way.
First, I've been waiting to receive a single check from my Unemployment claim since I filed it back on April 28th. I've received nothing. Nada, zero. There are like eight weeks due to me at $167 which is like $1300 worth of money. I need this money so very desperately and I kept getting the run-around on when I would start receiving it and when they'd get "caught up" and such. It's been so frustrating because I filed because I need it, not a pile of excuses and delays. Well, they finally got back to me and told me I was denied because my reason for leaving wasn't attributed to the employeer. I was LIVIDLY pissed. Here I am, checking my mailbox literally every single day to see if my checks are finally there and this is the bullshit I get instead?? So I wrote a three page appeal that's going out today telling them the REAL reason I left - being forced to leave - and detailing all the illegal things they did to me. I will not let them get away with this shit.
Today, Friday, July 12th, 2002
So, today I come over to Rand's instead....but the fun just continues.
We then find out that our apartment complex - for the first time ever - was prompt about the depositing of our rent check and it therefore bounced. Normally, they take as much as three weeks before depositing it and never less then 10 days, so we knew that when it was due last Friday and my Love wasn't getting paid til THIS Friday we had a problem. We took a chance and gave them a check and guess what? We got screwed. Now we have to pay them $150 in fees for it ontop of the rent. Additionally, because of the fees the bank charged us, the check we gave to my Love's car company bounced as well. Now we're supposed to have more money then his check will even be for everyone who is demanding their money today. (or face repo or eviction - nice choice hu?) I'm so utterly and completely worn out. No matter what I do, it's just never enough. I was expecting we'd get the check for the hours I put in for Chris' company by now, but apparently, they haven't even cut the check yet and won't until next week. It's like $500 and it's not going to be here like we needed it to be. We're so fucked. I don't know what to do anymore and I don't even know that I want to bother continuing to try. Everything that can go wrong does, but nothing seems to go right. We are so very, very screwed right now and I'm sick with the stress of it and the pain of it and the fact I've been on three interviews now (two in person, one on the phone) and none of them have amounted to anything.
We're at a point where there isn't any room left for hope and I don't know how much further we can fall before it literally kills me...
Oh great. Now it seems his internet isn't up for some reason and I can't even publish this. Lovely...
~ flowers bloom near Memory and Dream
at 7/12/2002 05:12:50 PM ~
~
