Sara

The good news is that the pending fraudulent charges are gone. They are no longer pending nor were they cleared so they got declined like they told me they probably would be.

The bad news is that my new debit card isn't here yet so I've been reduced to using my credit card for purchases, which sucks. I hate using the credit card for things like groceries.

Still. Life should hopefully be back to normal sooner.

Wait.

Can I get life to be better than normal? Normal has been pretty shitty to me lately.

I feel that I should explain a little more to everyone I freaked out a bit.

Everyone with the bank and their fraud department has been really nice so far. The card in question has basically been canceled and a new one (new number and everything) is being sent to me. The charge for that card can even be refunded. So far none of the charges have gone through. If they do my bank will contest them and get me the money back but so far it looks like the fraudulent charges won't even affect me all that much, which is good.

Last night's posting was a bit of a giant, stressed out knee jerk reaction. I know how much you all love me, and I'm very thankful to have you.

I still have not heard about the other job position because the head of that department is on vacation.

I also have my period so that's making me more RAWR and WOE than normal.

For the most part things have been pretty good, and I love my IJ RPG so much. Go Blackwater.

I currently have a headache and need to eat, but I wanted to update you all and say thanks for all the support.

ETA: As far as the car, well, that was a $500 money suck, but it no longer leaks when it rains, which is good because it was leaking into the dash and all over wires. So that needed to be fixed and there isn't much I can do about it other than suck it up. All this shit just has terrible timing.

Dear World;

I didn't really need this. No, really. I didn't. The car, the job and now my fraudulent charges on my check card?

I can't deal.

You win.

I'm a miserable ball of fail and no one loves me. I'm sorry for even trying.

My weekend is shorter than usual. Or, well, I guess I should say that I got as many days off as normal it's just that I didn't take them all together. I swapped my Saturday for a Tuesday off so that a co-worker could attend a friend's wedding. I am a nice person underneath it all.

A lot has happened that really isn't anything at all.

I had a power surge that killed my cable modem (swapped at work), NIC (replaced), crippled the TV (gone for repairs), blew the HDMI port on the cable box (to be swapped once I get the TV back so I can finish recording things from the DVR that are irreplaceable) and killed the Wii (currently trying to decide whether to pay the $75 for repairs or save the $200 for a new black one.) I've also replaced (almost, one to go) my surge protectors. It's been a bit expensvie because other than the devices I can swap through work and the TV, nothing covers anything. My renter's insurance has a $500 deductible, and I have to somehow prove that these things were damaged by lighting. Um. Unless there are giant scorch marks on things (sadly absent) it's very hard to diagnose lightning or power surges. As such I have basically rolled my eyes at that and given up the ghost.

So money is a little tighter right now than I like thanks to having to replace things. Not to mention that I tend to overspend on Monther's Day and Father's Day.

Fortunately there's one more back tax check to come in from Kentucky that should help me pay off credit cards and still stash a little away for my trip to North Carolina this October. I'm going to go see [Bad username or unknown identity: <a href=]!

This past Monday I had something weird happen health-wise. I had a strange sensation in my throat most of the day. It was almost as though there was a big lump or my throat was closing up from the inside. It did not hamper my breathing or swallowing, but it was annoying and basically driving me crazy. I was distracted through work and there were times when I seriously had to restrain myself from clawing at my throat to try and make it let go. It would get better when I ate or when I drank hot liquids. Fortunately I drink a lot of hot tea at work because the place is kept so frigid I wear my jacket inside. It lasted pretty much all day long. When I got home I did a little research on the internet, and it actually sounds like it might have been a cricopharyngeal spasm. Based on what I found, I took half a muscle relaxer with some hot tea, which both helped, and then knocked out since I didn't have to work the next day. It did help. Just another sign I need to stop stressing myself out, I guess.

So.

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So. I called my dad to tell him about the accident (late I know) and to ask him to come down next weekend to help me find a new car. His suggestion was to call the lot I bought Ophelia from and see what they had. Turns out they had another 2007 silver Chevy Cobalt only with about 17,000 less miles on it and a sunroof. The payments are about $10 more. I bought it. I'll get it tomorrow after I return the rental car.

Wow. That was over a lot quicker than I expected.

I am out more money than I'd like, but most of the down payment for the new car is from the claim payment from the old car. Tax rebates will cover the rest.

How to Name Your Car:

Do not name your car after:

• spaceships that continual break
  
• famous literary characters who off themselves
  
• vampires who have the propensity to sparkle
  
• prisons
  
• disasters

Name your car after:

• literary characters with longevity
  
• spaceships that never need fixing because they are badass
  
• gods
  
• He Who Shall Not Be Named

My car is totaled. This could either be good or bad. Either way it means more headaches and waiting and finding a new car and expense.

So, um, I think I'm going to just sulk at home tonight, order a pizza, crack open a bottle of wine and watch movies and crochet. It's pathetic, but it's all I can do right now.

I won't know if the payment from the insurance will cover my load with enough over for a good down payment for another car until tomorrow. I can't go get my things from the Cobalt until tomorrow. I can't sign anything until tomorrow. And there's certainly no point in going to look at cars until I not only have a good idea of what I can spend but also have the money, which will take much longer than tomorrow I can assure you. I'm stuck at the point where I'm going to be using this rental car for an unknown period of time.

Argh.

As of this morning, I have not heard anything back from the body shop about the estimate/time frame on the repair. I'll give it until after noon then I'll call them for an update. I also went ahead and booked a rental car to start tomorrow and go through March 5th (for now). I can apparently extend/shortage that as need be. Hopefully I don't need it longer than that because the damn thing is going to cost me a little over $200 a week. I don't have that sort of extra cash floating around all willy nilly shouting, "Spend me! Spend me!"

Currently the insurance deductible is going to eat up (and then some) the $400 refund I got from KY for 2009 taxes. I have another $1500 they owe me for last year, but it's not here yet. Since it's for a previous year, it could take a while. This means that I'll just be hitting up the poor credit card for the rental fees and then paying those off after the refund comes in. It really sucks. I wanted to use the refund money for a PS3 and for a vacation somewhere. There were also a few concerts I was interested in. Guess I'll just suck it up and wait for the outcome. I'll put those things on hold. God, I hate putting everything on hold. Sometimes it seems like my whole entire life is on hold just waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Today I'll get little chores done. Dishes, laundry, go to the store for light odds and ends. I'm sure I could get Mom to take me to the store but, really, not interested in that. And I don't feel like calling other friends and putting them out.

I think I'll do a Buddha Box card later, too. I could use a little uplifting. Hopefully I'll have a good card for today.

Hey hey stupid high gas prices.

I'm going to have to either move or see if they can switch me to four ten hours shifts rather than five eight hours because this driving fifty miles in a day is going to kill me on paying out for gas. Add to that the two new bills and the sum total of the grocery shopping, and we're probably talking zero dollars in actually getting ahead of what I'm paying out of each paycheck.

I'm not sure, though, because I haven't been able to do the new budget yet as I don't have good figures for either the gas or the electric.

Argh.

The new schedule hasn't been all that bad, though we all still pretty much remaining in queue. I've considered taking the OT. Really, I have. It would be nice to have that money for Christmas shopping and paying off credit cards, for saving for a Mac computer and an external HDD.

But I somehow can't make the equation of money in return for misery work. Even if it's double OT. Maybe next weekend. It's being offered until Labor Day, after all.

ETA: I just offered myself up for some OT tonight. I'll be going ahead and working until midnight.

Was doing some calculations while in the shower (don't ask, every moment must be as productive as possible) because I had just paid some bills and I was trying to see how much money I still have to pay in order to have everything paid for December, when I realized something. My original estimation of how much money I made versus what went out a month? Was wrong. Because I, somehow, managed to make 350 x 4 = 900 rather than it's true sum of 1400.

Yeah, money trouble? Not nearly as dire as I thought.

In fact, now money in is greater than money out, which is what one wants.

Remind me to do all my calculations in the shower from now on. Because they were apparently better than when I'm trying to work them out on paper.

*headdesks*

Still may try and sell dreamcatchers on eBay for extra/grad school money, however.