Monday

Well, I slept pretty well last night.  I'll take a win when I can get it. 

I hit the snooze button a few times, blaming Torbie all cute and plump (hopefully not for long), in the bed.  I finally got up. 

I was depressed.  My hair looked OK.  I said screw it and didn't take a shower.  I got dressed and ready for work, taking my pills and all that.

We went to work.  We had another pickup, actually past work, in an absolutely terrible neighborhood.  It took us forever to find the house because none of the houses had numbers.  Nothing on the mailboxes, either. 

We finally stumbled across it.  Three cars parked in the driveway.  "If I had 3 drivers living with me" I told the driver "I would NOT be riding paratransit!"  She agreed, but said it's common to pickup someone at a house with several cars parked out front.  I guess they can't be bothered to help.  Ron said maybe the client is just a horrible person and no one wants to help them. 

We honked.  We waited.  The driver asked for a "callout" (just what you think).  Eventually someone came out, dressed in pajamas.  It was 7 AM.  The driver, Ron, and I had all been up for hours. 

"The pickup isn't for another half hour" they whined. 
Actually, it isn't, the driver said.  You have 7 minutes to get the client out here or we are leaving without them. 

About this time, someone inside the house took the callout, and told them to send us away, they would call later for a pickup.  Good luck with that.  That is 1.  Asking for a change (you only get 5 in a month), and 2.  A no-show (only get 5 of those in a month) and bad will with the driver who had to get up at 3 AM and find your sorry butt.  Not to mention Ron and I waiting to go to work to be productive citizens. 

On our approach to the driveway at work, we had a pickup behind us, also wanting to turn into the parking lot.  It didn't want to wait until it was "safe" like our driver did, and we were in the center turn lane.  He drove into the oncoming lane of traffic to make his left turn, happily not causing any accidents, and then parked in a handicapped space.  He did not have handicapped plates, and based on the way he ran into the building, didn't have a disability, either.  He must have been late for work.

We finally got to work and I got Ron inside the building.  We got to work.  Snacks didn't need a whole lot, but I did need to stock peanut butter on cheese crackers.  I find all crackers revolting, but I'm not selling to myself, I'm selling to people who love the damned things, so I sell them. 

I worked on the coffee machine, filling the ground coffee (a nice dark roast) and various powders (French vanilla, creamer, cocoa powder).  That should keep the customers happy for a while. 

I helped Ron stock the bottled vendor, it needed 3 cases of drinks and a whole lot of water.  Ron managed canned sodas by himself.  Pretty soon we were done and we headed out the door. 

Our driver was already there, upset he hadn't been able to get through the gate.  I guess he didn't read the notes on our trip "Please wait in visitor parking".  We left the note for a reason! 

One time one of our drivers backed up a whole line of employees at shift change, trying to get through the gate.  It's a single-file entrance, and he couldn't get through, so about 15 cars backed up behind him.  Someone had to get out of their car, walk up, tell him to go to Visitor Parking, and then back up so the guy could turn around. 

In the meantime, the other employees were furious, and probably ended up late.  A lot of employees come in at the very last minute. 

We got home.  I took a nap.  Someone was trimming a tree with a gas powered chainsaw, I don't know who, I think it was the guy behind us.  Then the #6 kids came out for a rousing play session.  I was tired enough I drowsed through it anyway. 

My medication makes me REALLY tired.  I know it is medication, specifically lithium-related, because it only got really bad when I went up to 4 lithium capsules a day.  But, I need it. 

I got up and took a shower, then did my God time.  I guess I was a little more able to do both now that the antidepressants were firmly on board.  I accidentally shot a stream of water up my nostril during my shower, irrigating my left maxillary sinus cavity.  Oh, that was unpleasant. 

Both Ron and I have been coughing, I think the allergy levels are bad right now in Houston.  We've had very mild weather the last week and that encourages things to release pollen.  The rain also adds to the mold level. 

I need to buy a new air filter for the house.  I forget when I bought the old one but I'm sure it's due for a change.  I have a 16x20x1 inch filter.  Happily they are still available. 

I did most of my God Time and we headed off to Arby's.  Ron didn't want to wait there very long.  Paratransit was going to leave us there for an hour and a half.  So he called a cab to take us, so we'd only have half an hour. 

"A waste of money" the cab driver said.  I agreed, silently. 

We had a good meal.  I love the curly fries. 

Our ride home was supposedly (per the computer) going home after she dropped us.  Ron was very rude when she came.  She was waiting outside.  I waved at her to indicate we were the clients.  Then Ron deliberately took his time finishing his meal because "It wasn't time for the pickup yet, I'm not playing games, and I don't want the driver bossing me around". 

She's just an exhausted woman trying to get our trip over with so she can go home!  Instead of "playing her game" as he saw it, he was playing his own game and I didn't like it. 

What happened to the man who walked a mile to the hospital, with pneumonia, because he didn't want to get a cab driver sick?  I wish I knew. 

After we got home I finished my God time and Ron let the cats play in the garage.  2 of them came in but he knew Biscuit was out there.  I heard him on the phone with Chuck "You have it?  I'll be right out!" 

I realized Chuck had come with Ron's case of vodka, and Ron was about to open the garage door, with Biscuit still inside.  I managed to grab Biscuit in time just as Ron opened the door, using the remote.  He didn't think it through, he had to close the door again, go out in the garage, and then open the door to get the vodka.  He left it in a very inconvenient place.  I asked if I could throw out the old case of vodka and he said no, he still had a partial bottle in there. 

I watched Intervention and cried, knowing I was really crying for myself.  My husband is an alcoholic.  He even admits it, earlier he said "Please get out of the kitchen so the alcoholic can get his vodka" today. 

Well, admitting you have a problem is the first step, I guess, but I still cried as Ron and Chuck gossiped about "Jack" (I wouldn't have told Chuck anything about Jack, but Ron practically gave his home address) out in the garage.  Ron didn't know.  Chuck didn't know.  But I cried. 

I guess that is a healthy step rather than bottling up my emotions. 

Ron's vomiting in a trash can right now.  That's a new development.  He's cursing at God as he does so.  That's not new. 

I learned a couple of interesting things watching Intervention.  Long time readers will remember I submitted Ron to Intervention and they were interested in taking him.  However, events conspired to keep it from happening.  I think the fact that my financial life was totally wrapped up in Ron's business, so I "couldn't" leave him without having another job that could support me, was a factor.  Also, my aunt and uncle were uncomfortable discussing his problems on television. 

Anyway, I never blamed the program.  One counselor said "Addicts get very uncomfortable when people around them start getting better".  I just wrote about that! 

Another is extremely personal and treads on things Ron confided.  I can't share that without his permission, and he'd never give it.  But it gave me a little insight. 

All the stories on the program are so sad, it really is awful when someone refuses the help, even sadder when someone gets clean only to relapse. 

The cats are adjusting well to their new diet.  Torbie was begging for food earlier and I put her up next to her 1/4c portion, and part of the canned food.  She opted for the canned food.  Good.  The vet wants her eating wet food anyway. 

I have plenty of wet food and disposable foam plates.  I put the food on the plate and then throw away the leftovers when I give them their next portion.  Although I'm guessing, now, we won't have as many leftovers. 

I just want my cats healthy.  I think that's reasonable. 

Ron gave me tomorrow off because it's supposed to rain.  He hates rain.  It rained a little this morning, and then it was cloudy and even partly sunny for the rest of the day. 

I'm thinking if tomorrow goes like today, I'll go out on the bus.  But we'll see. 

I did all my "had-to's" last night but I still need to do my bank reconciliation.  Ron wants me to buy him some new headphones from Amazon.  He's pretty hard on his toys.