64 people!

EEEK! We have about 64 people here for some kind of safety meeting/training session. They're like a swarm of incredibly polite locusts, descending on our machines, clink, clink, goes the money, the coils rotate, the snacks and sodas drop and silence. They start eating and drinking and leave.



I love my job. My snack machines were WEAK though, so I had to go to "The Warehouse" and buy candy bars. I should have gotten Cheetos but I'm BRAIN DEAD. Anyway, the machines looked a lot better at the end of my work day than they did when I started. Yay! Snickers, Peanut M&M's, fixed the thing that was going out on my snack machine #2 (I hope), alerted Ron to a coin jam error message, etc.



My back's a little sore from lugging around those candy bars. I really enjoy my job, but who would have thought it'd be vending. Whew. I sure earned my keep today, and I'm not complaining. I kept thanking everyone, because they pay the mortgage.



Speaking of, what the [expletive] is going on with this {!} "Elevation Certificate"? Huh? We got a letter from the Mortgage company "You need to get flood insurance". OK, we don't have a problem with that. All they want is "Structure", not even contents, just enough to cover the balance on the mortgage (about $50K). Ideally, I'd like to get a thousand or so in "contents" because if my yarn and books get ruined in a flood that would be a sad, sad day.



Ron calls a flood insurance place. They tell him they need an "Elevation Certificate". Where does he get such a creature? Oh, it has to come from a surveyor. We call a surveyor. FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS? I'm cutting back on profane language but you can IMAGINE. Hello! That's what I make in a month!



For five hundred dollars, we had a property inspection and an appraisal, or an appraisal and a structural engineer. You get the idea. The poor structural engineer had to climb around in a baking hot hell of an attic for half an hour and then spend more time out in the heat checking out the foundation... you get the idea. I want more than just some weenie with a tripod for 5 minutes.



What. A. Scam. Ron's going to call one of those radio home shows and ask is that the going rate? Why are things this way? We have a mortgage, I thank God that we do. I thank God that we are homeowners and the house is so perfect for us. But I really HATE it that they can say "Go cough up $1,000 (when it's all done, I figure at least that much) or else." And we have to do it.



Well, it's a lot better than a landlord, or some of the places we used to live. At least here the UPS and mail carrier can leave packages on my doorstep. I got my wool! I got some black wool, white wool, and a pound of incredibly soft and yummy camel top. It is so pretty, a nice reddish brown, not that yucky "Camel" beige color.



I'm going to go eat, take my Lithium, do my Bible reading, spin, and think of happy things.