Brrrrrrr! Damn, it's cold! Woke up to an inside temp of 49 degrees inside the apartment and a freeze warning on the weather report. Have to leave outside faucets dripping on the balcony and in the laundry closet to keep them from freezing.



Looks like it is going to be this way all week. And, it isn't even winter yet!
Wonder if we'll get snow in the Sacramento Valley next weekend.


Thank goodness I invested in a good electric blanket last winter. Am seriously thinking about getting another to wrap up in while watching TV or on the internet.

One of my favorite actresses and people, Julia Roberts, has given birth to twins! (a boy and a girl.) Happy birthday to Phinnaeus Walter Moder and Hazel Patricia Moder and congrats to Julia and Danny.

Did some housekeeping around the website. Revised the "Projects" page and included sections for recipes, mom's poetry and stories about Grampa Trumley and Uncle Donald. Also added quite a few photos in the Family and Lynn section of the photo galleries.

The quest for employment goes on. I signed up at an agency for temp work and job placement but haven't heard anything yet. Been going through boxes of papers, sorting and repacking in case I need to move soon. Also started going through the half dozen boxes of clothing I have yet to unpack. Need to see what all still fits and is in good condition for when I go back to work. Goodwill will be the recipient of a lot of clothes that I no longer need or wear.

Stuart and Linda have been having weekend open house for prospective buyers of their Union City home. They are anxious to move to Florida and are busily packing.

Mom is keeping herself busy with a second puppy. She got a shih tzu female and named her Dolly (to go along with Madison, her other dog). Dolly is predominantly white with a black face with some tan and white markings, and with large black patches on her back. She got the second dog to keep Maddy company while she goes to her classes and visits friends, but Maddy is having a difficult time understanding that it's for his own good. lol. Hopefully, she'll take some pictures soon and share them.

Pardon me....I need to rant...

[rant-on]I'm starting to have a much greater understanding of what makes some people go postal.

I've been taking a break from working for the past two years and lived off the proceeds from selling my house. Now that I'm out looking for work again, I figured I'd apply for unemployment benefits since I paid into the fund for 18 years while at my previous employer. Come to find out, my application has been denied because I haven't been employed in the last 18 months. Hello! Exactly why was I paying MY money into that unemployment fund again? And why can't I have the benefit of MY money when I need it?

So, anyway...anticipating a financial squeeze in the near future I put a stop to all the automatic electronic payments I'd been using over the years to pay bills. I was able to instantly stop all of them except one, my rent payment. Never mind that when I signed up for the electronic payment I had written a discontinuation date of September 30th on it that was ignored by the management company and bank. Never mind that I again requested a halt via telephone to the manager. Never mind that the bank would not let me discontinue the automatic payment from MY account, saying that the vendor had to issue the stop order. Never mind that the only way to prevent my account from being overdrawn by the automatic payment was to place a stop payment on the electronic payment for a $25 fee and was told that this still does not guarantee the payment will not be attempted. Never mind that the electronic request did in fact go through and was rejected for insufficient funds for another $25 ding. On top of all that, the apartment management company now wants to charge me a $50 fee for the "returned check" because my telephone request to them had to have been made before the 15th! A check I never wrote or issued, and have tried to stop in every way possible!

Yep, I can very easily understand what leads people to go postal... I really really hate bureaucracy and corporate greed. The sad part is I desperataely need a job and am forced to participate in the very thing I hate.

[rant-off]

Okay, I feel better. It's safe to come out from your hiding places again.