Same Ol' View

Time for an update I’d say. Still working the temp job on the project for Sara Lee. Very glad about that since the project was supposed to be completed in May but it looks like the end will be delayed for another couple of months at least. I’m told they expect more work after that, but they also offer no commitments beyond this project. And as a temp I get no benefits apart from a 401k, and they can let me go without cause or warning – even had me sign a paper to that effect when I was hired. This means I can leave with the same carte blanch, but I search the job boards every day and the pickings are slim. It’s hard to maintain a degree of excitement about the job when you know all they see you as is head-count. Ah, well, it’s definitely better than nothing, and I do enjoy the work.

MLM still hasn’t had that dental work done; each time we had an appointment she was too ill to travel that day. Hopefully we’ll get it done this month. My knees are really killing me some days because I need a new Synvisc® injection but without health insurance there’s just no way – the meds alone are a grand for each knee plus the physician’s charge for shooting me up – and I just don’t have the cash for that. So I get by with Tylenol and Advil and wear my patella straps when it gets too bad. The fun never ends.

I’m studying SQL which is Microsoft’s database management server tool. Much demand for this skill and not much demand for the skills I currently possess. So after going through the books and online tutorials I will take a certification exam and hopefully get that big-paying job I’ve always dreamed of.

Back on the health topic: I have had a weird thing going on for a while now – I’m losing weight. And I’m not even trying. Since the first of the year I’ve lost a little over 50 pounds! Now recall I have Type II Diabetes and you’ll see why this is odd – I mean the big D made it really hard to keep from gaining weight – besides which I’ve had a “weight problem” my whole life, so this is quite a change. All that’s happened is I got the job in December and it requires quite a bit of walking (in a big building and everyone’s spread out), and I am eating more regular and less amounts than when I was unemployed, so maybe that’s all there is to it. MLM of course thinks I have cancer or some other wasting disease – probably should check it but that would require a doctor visit which, again, I can’t afford. So for now I will just enjoy the phenomenon – it’s a great blessing to my knees let me tell you! The only very real problem with this is that my clothes don’t fit anymore! All my pants keep falling down (I’ve had to punch two more holes in my belt so far) and most of my shirts look like I got them from the Goodwill and they were allll out of everything except extra-husky sizes! I plan to get a new pair of Dockers with this paycheck at least.

Been working a lot of overtime the past couple of months which is really helping us catch up with some things (not everything – still making payments the bankruptcy attorney) which means I’m pretty tired most of the time. However, looks like that might be ending for a while as they complete one phase of the project and get ready for the next. It’s actually a bit of a relief – MLM and I seem to spend almost no time together and I hate that. Trouble is, I work a 12-hour day, get home late, make dinner, and then just want crash. Sucks! So I will be finished with my stint in Chicago the end of this week, then back to Downers Grove and a shorter commute. Then I resolve to bring a sense of order to my house. Mmmm, sounds good!