"Mommy's tired"

Tired today. 

I slept OK, just woke up tired.  Fatigue: it's just hard to remember a time when I wasn't tired all the time.  It's a side effect. 

That probably doesn't bother me as much as the hand shaking and the brain fog.  Those get real old.  Fatigue - well, I was very tired all the time when depressed, anyway, so really tired = half the time is now really tired = all the time.  I'm glad I don't have kids, this wouldn't be fair to them.  "Mommy's tired". 

So I got up and took my shower, washed my hair.  I shaved my legs the other day so they are still fine.  We went to work, not a straight trip. 

Drivers - at least professional paratransit drivers, need to be fairly aggressive in their driving style.  And confident.  The driver we had was neither.  I have my doubts whether she'll make it long term.  She was sweet, but... 

We finally got to work and started our usual routine.  The boss had sent me a message on Facebook: he had a new cart for me.  I really needed a new cart.  So I cleared off the old one with stripped wheels - all the "rubber" had worn completely off, it was just rolling around on plastic.  I cleared off the cart and made sure the vending machines going back were ready to go. 

And, sure enough, right on time (for a change!  We have been kept waiting for hours on some vending machine deliveries!), here comes my new cart.  It was small, and dirty, but it rolled great.  What a nice change from what I had.  And look!  Here's a pretty, brand-new, snack machine rolling in my door!  And a new bill changer! 

It felt like Christmas.  They (the boss, and 2 helpers) took away the old snack machine first.  I won't miss it.  It had a lot of problems.  Upon hearing all the issues with the machine, the boss decided to scrap it.  Normally I feel bad about condemning a vending machine, but I didn't, with this one. 

The old bill changer hadn't worked in years.  Not sorry to see it go. 

They brought in the new snack and installed my lock.  Most of our vending machines are keyed alike on the same lock.  It makes it easier to open them.  Now the new one (Snack 2) has the same lock as the other machines. 

The new bill changer had special locks on it.  We will be keeping them.  They are a very high quality brand and very reliable.  Ron and I each have keys for it, although the bill changers are "Ron's".  I know how to service them, but since that's something Ron can do it's something he does. 

We talked a little about what machines I need (another snack) and the boss kept asking if I wanted to get rid of the "big, old" snack.  I told him no, it has been VERY reliable and I don't scrap good machines.  I only get rid of turkeys.  That would have been a good blog title. 

I had to sign something and then they left.  I liked them, all of them.  They were very efficient and took good care of "my" stuff. 

We tried to get the bill changer to work.  It wouldn't.  "Is it plugged in?"  Yes.  "Is the power on?"  I don't know.  I opened it up.  I found what looked like a power switch and flipped it, and things started happening, lights came on, etc.  We tested it, with a one and a five.  It worked perfectly.  It seems like an easy machine. 

Ron has already figured it out. 

Now, the snack machine will take some research.  I will need to figure out how to fill the change bank, and then how to set prices.  I will also need to figure out how to do a meter reading (cash sales odometer).  Once I master those 3, I should be good to go.  I brought the manual home.  I have tomorrow "off" but I will read the manual and figure out the operation. 

I have never met a manual I couldn't understand.  They make them pretty simple.  So, I don't really have tomorrow off, I have homework. 

But I get to sleep late, praise God. 

We stocked for a while after they left, I helped Ron as usual, and we left a little early.  Ron was very aggravated that one of the postal workers was watching soccer on TV, in Spanish.  He had some complaints about that but the person just laughed at him (a good response, seriously, when Ron gets going).  We left and waited outside for a while. 

Our pickup came early, but it wasn't straight.  We picked up someone at the welfare clinic and then took her to her apartment.  She was angry she didn't get FEMA money even though her apartment flooded.  I wanted to tell her most of the money was for people who lost homes.  If your apartment floods you just move.  You can't do that with a home, you have to repair it, so you need the money.  I am sure the apartment got FEMA money to make repairs, though, but I didn't get into it with her.  She seemed very greedy. 

When someone like that asks about living in my subdivision, I say they are all owned homes.  No rentals.  Even though there is a section 8 rental house several blocks over.  They would just make a lousy neighbor. 

The worst residents on my block, with the exception of #6, are all the ones in the rentals.  Maybe the landlords don't do a good job of screening, but there has just been a lot of drama and uproar with the renters.  They don't keep the houses or yards up, they are loud, they bring down the neighborhood.  And they pay a LOT to live there.  I asked one of the landlords what he was charging, about 10 years ago, and he said $1300.  That's a lot more than our mortgage. 

So we came home, happily we dropped her first, and we told the driver about the good Mexican food restaurant with the fajita specials.  He dropped us at home. 

I laid down for a little bit, didn't sleep, and got up with a horrible headache.  I took some Excedrin and went out with Ron.  I got a bacon cheeseburger, he got an appetizer variety plate.  We had a good time celebrating our new machines.   Eating killed my headache, and I took my pills when I got home. 

We came home and Ron laid down.  I made him take his clothes off.  Biscuit likes to sleep with him and get white cat hair all over Ron's clothes.  Then Ron looks bad, which, by extension, makes ME look bad. 

If Ron looks scruffy in any way, it comes back on me being a "bad caregiver".  One reason I always scrub him so well when he has a doctor's appointment. 

Ron got into the vodka, and I made some grape sugarfree drink.  I have been craving grape lately.  It is easy enough to make a batch, and it doesn't have caffeine so I don't have to worry about that. 

In a couple minutes I will go check the mail and - back, nothing important. 

I forgot I had clipped my hair up on top of my head, until I saw my shadow walking down the street.  Not very "glam" but it's comfortable. 

I plan to stay up for a little bit and then go to bed early. 

Ron had asked me what I wanted to do tomorrow.  I told him I needed to go to Walmart but did not want to go tomorrow.  He agreed.  We will go Monday, probably.  I need to go during certain hours.  And I sure don't want to go tomorrow. 

I have been running and running the last couple weeks: I need a day off.  So we are going to sleep in, eat Mexican food, go home, go right back to bed (God willing), read my manual, and go to bed early for truck day on Saturday. 

God willing.