JA’s union just called. His former company has broken their silence and want to move the arbitration meeting up. It is scheduled for January 11th. Now they want it sooner.
Since the attorney for the company happens to be the owners daughter, I am smelling a rat. But hell bring it on! Sick of waiting for Big Company greed trying to force the union and JA to do things their way even if it means breaking every single rule in the contract.
Time for us to move on.
We will see what happens.
My grandmother turned 96. She lives in assisted living. She has her own room.
And she kicks ass.
She talks way to much about her boyfriends. Believe me. There are boyfriends.
Assisted living is like a cross between high school and Peyton Place. Keep in mind the lady/men ratio favors the men.
The ladies all compete. Having and using a walker VS a wheelchair is the status symbol of health.
The flirting and sex talk is all very real.
If some floozy tries to steal her boyfriend, Grandma will tell the offending senior tart, “Kiss my ass!”
And then she tells everyone what she just said.
Ninety six!
Well who would think that one would step outside on a Saturday afternoon and be treated the sounds of sex?
Loud, undeniable sex. Gross.
Yep. Came from what other direction then The Trailer Trash Mama’s house. You know, she of collecting men collecting, poor decisions and loosing custody of all 5 kids (three different daddies).
She who just recently got weekend visitation rights restored with three of the kiddies.
The disturbing thing is it was cold outside.
Which means…all the windows were closed.
This is just gross to me.
I amazed myself how quickly I allowed a text from my brother enrage me this morning. Within seconds I texted back with a very bitchy message.
In so many words I told him I am fed up with his “imagined” problems and have had ENOUGH!
Then I told him to stop worrying our parents about his worrying. My dad’s health is not that great since he was so sick in September. When Dad worries, it affects his health tremendously.
Normally I don’t say things like that to The Brother. But enough already. My brother gets a worry stuck up his ass and can not let it go. Literally. It consumes him to the point he completely and I do mean completely goes off the deep end.
He takes it to the point that he sometimes has to drugged up with meds (been there, done that), see a shrink and admitted to the psych ward because he starts talking about doing himself in. Not kidding. (do not for one moment I am taking that last part lightly. I take it very seriously) His brain is hard-wired to be like this. It is really hard on his wife and our family. We rally around him and he still won’t let it go.
He started last week with one simple text. “I applied for a new job.”
See the word “job” coming from him sets alarms off for all family members. He is so obsessed with being the breadwinner that the obsession completely, fully controls his every thought and action. It is not normal.
So when my brother starts to worry about his job, it is The Only Thing He Can Think About. Which means all else is tuned out. And he makes life for everyone around him a living hell.
Everything. EVERYTHING FUCKING THING!!! His home, his family, his wife, his entire world. All he can think about his his god damn job. And whether or not he is going to loose the damn fucking job. Last year he misinterpreted an email from his boss. His boss merely mentioned that some jobs would be requiring some training in the new year to keep up with technology.
My brother interpreted that to being he was being downsized. The chaos and crap that ensued was horrible for the rest of us. Not one thing we said got through to him. He was so sure that he was going to loose his job, loose his home and loose his kids. Extreme. I know but that is how he deals with things. He has no mechanism with dealing with stress. He just looses it.
Keep in mind, he is deaf. He has an extra capacity of being able to tune the world out. Completely tune it out like a hearing person can not tune out. He retreats into a self-made cocoon and it is impenetrable.
Turns out he did not read the attachment to that email and missed important info.
So, at last weeks birthday party, talking to him was like talking to a wall. All conversations started with him was returned with a blank stare on his part and a slight nod of the head. I finally told him that I knew he was not paying attention to anything. He said that I was right. That he was worried about his job.
See, he heard that his department, data entry, someday will be phased out to a new form of technology. That combined with an upcoming meeting and yep!
He is going to his bad place again. This time I am not going to be suckered into that again. I am hitting him between the eyes with some hard ass reality. Being nice, kind, supportive just seems to fuel this mess.
So is my sister. We have to protect our parents health.
The text that set me off was simply this, “So I thought Nate (his 14 year old son) could get a job. But Becky (his wife) says he has to be 16.”
Like his wife lied or something. I texted him back that why is he questioning his wife and how here he goes again. Job talk. I asked him why that is the only thing he ever texts me about. Why does any other topic I bring up gets ignored? Just him and jobs.
He has not answered my last text.
UPDATE!
Apparently he thinks it is ok because he texted about his son getting a job and not him. He doesn’t get it. The topic is still about jobs. I texted back and mentioned that there are more important things in life and why is he even bringing that up in the first place. Then I hit him with, “Why do you only talk about jobs? Why have you not responded to my texts involving other subjects, such as Dad’s health?”
Again, no response. See? If I go off the topic of jobs, he just…whatever. You see what I mean?
It has become very dark, widyand well, the first snowfall is coming. The one that happened last week at night does not count since no one I know even saw it,
By the time they woke up, the snow had melted.
But I saw it! In fact I stepped up to the sliding glass door at 4:30 AM and marveled at it.
That was when a big bolt of lightning hit followed by a gingormous clap of thunder.
Scared the pajamas off me!
So I woke up around my now usual time, 3:47 and saw the first snow fall of the season. I stood next to the sliding glass door looking at it and pondering the usual first snow of the season thoughts when suddenly…
Lightning!
Not little lightning but big flashes. Three in all. Followed by big claps of thunder.
Boy did I back away from that door.
Well, jumped up and away is more like it.
Mother Nature. You sure got me this time.
There is nothing like going on a luncheon/interview and spilling your salad all over the table and nearly onto the the potential new boss.
In less then five hours, my babies turn 21. They are both working right now but when they get home, they will go out with their friends for sure.
Through the years I imagined how this would unfold, how I would feel and how they would feel.
All I feel is a huge lump in my throat and tears welling in my eyes.
Why do I just feel like sobbing?
It is not nearly as easy as it looks
. Son of a bitch it ain’t easy at all. Took me well over two hours.
But now it looks so purdy.
