And that's the way it is, this 15th day of December, 2010. And, YES!! I DO know how it dates me to quote Walter Cronkite!

1. I saw New Guy last night. I figured out why his email to the Old Guy corner of the Peanut Gallery helped me so much. It's because he sounded a lot like... Rambo. At a time when Rambo was not around and I couldn't even conjure him up by posting old hate mail. Now I know why he wasn't here. It's because there was no real danger to defend against. Because Old Guy is not here anymore. New Guy is, but he won't hurt me. And Rambo responds more to 'real time' stuff. It's just how he rolls. Perhaps he doesn't have PTSD? Yes, this last bit makes ME laugh, too. :-) But who the hell knows how all this shit works.

2. To those readers who are less afflicted than I, I hope I will not horrify you, but in case you haven't already read about it or intuited such from my writings, sometimes I hear voices from the inside. I told New Guy what I 'overheard' the other morning. It was such a small piece of conversation, yet it sparked a panic attack (because that makes it end and then I can be alone in the comparatively quiet panic). I don't want to speculate about what that tiny snatch of conversation may have meant and I told New Guy that I simply decided not think about it or speculate because speculation would make things worse for me. He wrote down the conversation I described to him, we talked about it a little and then he said, "You don't have to think about what it means right now if you are afraid. Let ME think about it. Don't worry about it, let ME worry about it." I trust him with this because he thinks it is a GOOD thing that I heard from... those I heard from. And I will let him worry about it because I have other fish to fry right now.

I will let New Guy help me this way. Especially since --

1. I'm freezing my fucking ass off. IN FLORIDA. The cold triggers me.

2. I found two ticks on me. One on the top of my foot and one on my side. And one on the littlest daughter, too. And one on the wall in the front hall and one on one of the dogs. This is not good. Why isn't the fucking Frontline working for my doggies? Do I have ticks hiding in my house? Will anyone get sick? Jesus. I've got to figure out what's going on and fix it.

3. House cleaners were supposed to come on Monday. They were no-shows.

4. I need to get some stuff to my accountant.

5. I have a new rental vacancy to fill. Tenants seem to be more and more strapped for money. Don't be sucked in by the current 'rally'. It has no basis in reality and will crash and burn sometime between the middle of January and the middle of March. Remember, you read it here first. :-)



SURVIVORS UNITE!!! -- If you are fed right the fuck up with assholes who resent you for having been abused, then please go support Butterfly at her post. Jesus H. What the fuck is wrong with some people? And why is it considered assault if we slap hell out of them? That shit just ain't right.



Edited to add: The hub is up now. He's an early riser. I fed the dogs and went to take a whiz on my way to bed. And then the toilet backed up. It wouldn't go down. Second time in a month. First insects in the house. Now we had to suck out the goddamn toilet with the shop vac before the sun is even up over this freezing ass, god forsaken place. And I told the hub - we need an exterminator and a plumber. And don't forget to fix the water softener. And of course later this week, when the power company is not too busy to show up at the rental because of the cold, we can get the power back on over there and get the place ready. Again. Animals, bugs, cold, plumbing problems and back-breaking work... but I am not without a sense of humor. Yeah, I'm the chick who can suck out the gd toilet and entertain the hub by singing the theme from Green Acres at the same time. But that doesn't mean I'm not creeped out right now. This kind of thing just ain't my bag after a certain point, ya know? Bring on the pros! In the meantime, have a song and a laugh. A couple of beers won't hurt, either.



(Yeah, I KNOW!! First Walter Cronkite and now Green Acres. Break out the wrinkle cream, right? I'm already on it, folks. I've got lots of that shit in my broken down bathroom.)