My Day

I didn’t post yesterday. I figure I post 28 days or so out of the month so I’m entitled to a break now and again. Plus, I posted 3 times the last day I posted. I’m due for a break.

So we left off with my daughter having made the cheer team after all and me heading into an interview at Target the next morning. First, let me say I am so glad I did not send Cousinfucker a scathing text blaming him for ruining Rock Star’s life. That would have resulted in me having some serious egg on my face! I guess I could have not told him. I’m sure if he ever cared to contact her she would have told him the good news.

Speaking of the good news, she has a friend who is currently a cheerleader for football season. This friend tried out for basketball cheer as well and she made it. She couldn’t believe Rock Star hadn’t heard anything and when she told her the next day that she had made it this friend literally screamed with excitement. I was so happy to hear that. This kid needs some good things happening to her.

She also went to a football game last night with another friend! She reported that she had a really good time and saw a lot of cute guys. She was also very impressed with her new school’s student section. She told me they had won “Best Student Section” for four years running. Apparently, there is an actual award for that. Who knew?

She also really loves her job. I don’t want her life to devolve into nothing but school and work, but I am glad she likes her job.

I don’t write as much about Picasso but that is because he is doing great and I was never really worried about him. He didn’t love our old town like she did. He didn’t take his new school by storm the way she did. He always said he was willing to move and he didn’t really like it there, even if he was making more friends and getting more involved towards the end. For anyone curious he is once again playing the cello and reports that after only a few weeks of being back at it that he is one of the best players in the orchestra. He was moved up to Honors Algebra and Honors English. He has a “group” that consists mainly of girls. He’s already been invited over to one girl’s house twice now. He is doing very well and seems to be very happy. Then again, I knew that would happen.

I had my second interview and I was offered the job. I ended up taking it. I’m not sure when I’ll start but whenever I do I’ll go in at 4 in the morning. I’m NOT looking forward to that; however, this position will pay more than being a cashier. I’ll be unloading the truck and helping to stock the shelves. I’ll be done between 8 and 9 in the morning, unless I stay to help unload the grocery truck and stock those shelves. He also said that even though it’s seasonal he doesn’t get rid of people who are hard workers and have a good attitude. There won’t be as many hours after the holidays but he will keep everyone on who has been a good worker. Because of the shift differential I’ll get paid $11/hour until 8 am. Then it goes down to $10.50. It’s crap money but I’m not really being offered anything decent so it looks like this is it.

Currently, I’m debating whether or not to take the other part-time job as well. It would be in a warehouse and I’d be pulling and cataloging books. It only pays $10/hour and would be Monday-Friday from 12-5. My other option is to wait to see if one of the temp agencies finds something for me because the guy who hired me told me that some people only work 3 or 3 1/2 hours before going on to another job. It’s not a problem for him so if I did need to only work until 7 or 7:30 he would be fine with it.

I guess I’m too nice because what I don’t want to have happen is for me to take on the second part-time job and then have someone call me up and offer me a full-time spot and so I then turn around and tell the second part-time people, “See ya later!” I know it takes time and resources to interview people and then more money costs to hire people.

On the other hand, Rock Star and Picasso need to eat! And until the holiday season hits the truck for Target comes in five days a week- Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday. I’m not even sure I’d be scheduled all five days.

I’m still mulling it over but right now I’m leaning towards seeing if I can still be hired on at the second part-time job.

Just to show how I have put on my big girl panties I have already solved the dilemma of my daughter getting to school in the mornings. I should have Wednesdays free to take her. My mom will be back sometime in early November but until then my niece has agreed to take her to school so she doesn’t have to ride the bus (although I did tell her she might have to just suck it up and do it for a few weeks). We’ll see what happens when January rolls around and my mom is off to Florida once again for 2 or 3 months.

Further wedging those big girl panties up: Tonight is Homecoming at Rock Star’s old high school. Her new school does not have a Homecoming dance. They have Spirit Week and a Homecoming game but no dance. While all my friends post pictures of their kids dressing up and heading out my daughter missed it completely. And tonight when she should have been getting ready with a big group of friends and having a terrific night she was actually at work. But, I have wished the others well and focused on other things tonight. I can’t change it so best not to dwell.

Last night I once again acted as a bartender. It was a fairly short gig- 3 hours. But it’s money. We lucked out and got paid for 5 hours even though we only worked for 3. Our boss is my brother and sister-in-law’s neighbor; he told us he knew it was boring so he paid us for more hours. At $15/hour that ended up being $75 so I was definitely happy. Especially since tips weren’t all that great. It was a museum fundraiser and my sister-in-law and I walked away with $10.50 each.

The kids and I, along with my brother and his family, headed down to see my dad today. He lives about 2 hours south of us. It was a nice day. We went to a long-time favorite lunch place. I think my brother and sister-in-law like it because of the homemade fries. Then we headed over to another local place for ice cream.

This was interesting. The man who owns the place named it after his son who died while serving in the Army. From the various things I’ve read it appears that his son suffered from PTSD and committed suicide. I’m not completely sure that is the story, but when he talks of losing his son he doesn’t say he was killed in Iraq or Afghanistan or that he was KIA. Usually those details are mentioned. There were also a few things written about PTSD which made me think he suffered from that.

The whole time I’m reading about this young man who died way too soon I’m thinking about Cousinfucker. Here is something that is very real and he’s using it as an excuse, a ploy to get out of paying what he owes. It is disgusting. I can pretty much guarantee you that if a judge lets him off the hook it will take no time for him to be completely recovered. Other men and women are truly suffering from PTSD; they’re taking their lives. I don’t discount it at all. But I’m not convinced he is suffering from it at all. I think for him it’s catchy and convenient. He never even brought it up as a possibility until American Sniper came out. He always talked of social anxiety; that was something that had always existed for him, not just since he got back from Iraq way back in the early 1990s. He had opportunities to get therapy. He refused them. He quit therapy each and every time. He went off of medication. He told me last summer he didn’t think therapy was effective and he didn’t believe in it so he was just going to go with medication. So, sorry but I’m not willing to cut him a break. I find it way too convenient that two months before our divorce can be finalized he has a crippling bout of PTSD- 25 fucking years after he returns home.

After ice cream we headed over to my dad’s house to see his dog. Everyone except my stepmother took a walk through the woods. Picasso and his cousin were busy swinging and breaking sticks. The two girls were taking selfies. I was on the lookout for snakes. Hey- it was the woods! We saw four deer. Oh, speaking of which, when I went to pick up Picasso from his friend’s house the other night I almost hit a deer on my way back. That sucker was just standing there in the middle of the road. I didn’t swerve but I did hit the brakes.

It has been a promising and busy weekend so far. We shall see what Sunday brings my way.