Car's Ready - I'm Not...

My car has been fixed and waiting for me for 2 days. I'm waiting on $$ to arrive, so I can go get it and be driving again. There's a full tank of gas waiting to be driven up.

My back went out 3 days ago, now. I twisted instead of turning my feet, and I'm paying for it. Ibprophen and Aleve. Not at the same time, but when the Ibus weren't working, I went to Aleve. I get about an hour of relief in every 12.

I feel like a vulture, checking the bank accounts twice and three times a day.

I bought 3 lottery tickets yesterday. I thought the drawing was last night (by date it should have been) but he lottery website said tonight. The tickets are dated for last night's drawing... The third ticket is for Saturday. It's a different drawing, different jackpot. The entire experience of purchase was a let-down. You used to be able to pick your numbers. Now, it's all randomized. I feel removed from it. Not like gambling used to be for me, at all!

If I win, it would be great!

Yikes! Car Troubles...

If there is one thing that gets me going faster than car troubles, I can only think it's money. Car troubles have got to be the worst, next to bouncing a check!

Getting stranded, strange sounds or fluids coming from places they shouldn't be coming from. All this is more than I can handle.

My car has been getting harder and harder to start. The "check engine" (idiot light) has been on since I bought the car, and all the mechanics said it was the oxygen sensor, and no big deal. So, now, when the car is doing things it shouldn't be doing, nobody is helpful.

I want a car without problems. Yeah, Right! If it's got a motor, penis or a checkbook, it's gonna cause trouble...

KEW - Again!

Rachel blew me away again tonight, with her incredible insights into marketing. You really need to join this group ($10mo) and get access to the videos. Only women, though. Rachel won't let any men join. When you see the videos, you will understand.

Anyway, Another great meeting!

Other marketing and advertising guys will give me silver or bronze, but Rachel will give me gold!

Oh! And we get to play "Cash Flow - The Game" starting next month! If you're in town, come play with us....

Woo Hoo! New Brakes!

I got to get new brakes on the front of the car last night. It feels much better!

I don't see the parking brake flopping on and off with every curve in the road on the way to work...

Yep! I stopped in yesterday to make the appointment for next week, and he said he could do it in an hour - and I asked if he could do it right then. He could. He's a good guy. The price was just what he quoted, and the car is running right.

Don's Tire on Western...

Thanks, Randy - (that's the owner)...

Bills getting paid...

I got paid for some work that I did and was able to pay two bills, and schedule much-needed work on the car.

I need brakes! If I can't stop, better not go...

SO...

Brakes on the car. I have 2 more big bills this month, and all the little ones. All I can do is keep at it.

I'm continuing to apply at jobs full-time, and hope to land one that pays enough to take it.

I'm grateful for the little job I have, for sure. I resent it a lot, too, because it takes over the most-productive time of my day, and I feel so tied down.

A friend says I'm scattered. Maybe so. I'm looking at that. I have the cats, the SEO, the job, the body work... Then there's the stuff at the house...

Maybe I am scattered, and don't have enough attention or intention on any single part of my life.

The universe will only get behind me and push if all my energy (or the majority of it, anyway) is concentrated into one section of my life. Is that going to be the cats? The SEO? My health?

Or is that going to be: seeking a job that keeps food on the table but curtails all my creativity?

What a choice! Security or creativity. My creativity is so important to me. Without it, I become depressed and morose. Morbid, even!

Am I content to be a second- or third-class webmaster on a cat site? I can't give it up.... Can I???

Triggers...

I've been helping a friend get certified in a new body working technique called myokinesthetics. It is intense trigger-point work as taught by a chiropractor. She's a licensed massage therapist, and this is her continuing education work.

I jumped at the chance because I always want a massage! However, making $36/day, I can't afford them. So, I'm happy to help - it's a win-win situation.

The by-products are some other stuff coming up. I'm really paying attention to my food and what goes in. I'm really in touch with my diet right now. I'm also getting right with myself about my emotions. Things are getting triggered by these trigger points, for sure!

My mom has been in my head lately. I'm hearing her voice, and hearing her words. I'm hearing her singing. I miss her music, and her intelligence. I'm angry because there were no notices anywhere when she passed - not in Los Angeles, Carson City, or Sacramento. She had friends, colleagues, co-workers and fans. And nobody knows she is gone.

And I signed up to do Story Corps. http://www.storycorps.org

I want to tell her story, but there's no one who knew her in my circle - except my sister who is in California.

So, this is my life today. Money is extremely tight. I'm getting later and later on my bills. I hate the feeling, but at least I'm not giving up yet.

Interview Hell!!!

I hate people who mine data sites like Monster and send shotgun interview requests to every person who ever used the site. It wastes everyone's time and energy.

They don't read the resume...

They just send a request for interview, please pick a time and show up. They don't care if you have the education, experience or desire to work in their line of work or the job that they are offering. And the kicker is that the prospective employee will jump at it, thinking his resume landed him and interview. The letter or e-mail never lists exactly what the job is, either... Another SCAM!!!!

In half the offers, there is an expectation that the employee will actually put up money to take the job!

This practice, like similar data mining, should be outlawed!

For instance, I received a call for someone I used to know, and haven't spoken to for over 20 years. How the company even made the connection, I have no idea. It was my ex-husband's first wife! Come On!!!! Get over yourself! Get Real!!!

Taking a first-person survey is one thing, but mining data on the internet or old and out-of-date records is another.

I used to get phone calls from collection agencies for people who lived in other apartments or even apartment buildings, because I had the only land-line phone in the area. Like I know everybody on the block! Get real....

The poor caller is not the problem, it's his company's practice and data mining techniques that need to be fixed.

Who's Rich?

I just read this blog post...

http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/110876/why-the-rich-dont-feel-rich

And the original blog post here...

http://delong.typepad.com/sdj/2010/09/todd-henderson-we-are-the-super-rich.html

I believe in living below my means. Sometimes, that means I go withtout. Without gas for the car, without new clothes, without "elective" medications, and so on. Perhaps I make the choices I make because I want a roof over my head. Perhaps it's becuase I have a strong desire to never work more than 30 hours a week outside the home. Whatever it is, those are my choices.

Yes, I do make the choice to not work full time. I have way too many irons in the fire to work full time outside. I have my websites, my SEO business, and some other "projects" that are promising to make a tidy sum. So, I need the time more than the money.

As long as the basic bills and the car is paid for, I'm OK. I may have to put off some work on the car until it's urgent, but that's again my choice. I also choose to hire a lawn service.

I love mowing the lawn, don't get me wrong... But it puts me flat on my back for 2-3 days afterwards. I lose all strength in my legs and my back aches too much for comfort. So, I made the decision to hire it out every 2 weeks. I would do it more often if I could. Besides, I get a full-service package this way. When I need rototilling done, I know who to call.

But this post is about being rich. Define rich... Just for yourself, define it. Does it mean money in the bank? Property? Friends? Health? Stuff? To me it's a mix of all of them. More friends and health than stuff, money or property. I used to think that money and property and stuff were what life is all about. But I've lost everything I've owned 5 times now. I lost it in a fire, when I lost my home and storage locker due to financial difficulties, when I moved to Tennessee. And, let's not forget the 2 times we lost everything when I was a kid.

So "stuff is just stuff." I learned that the important things are photographs, correspondence and cards from family and friends, and important documents that are a pain to replace, like your passport and social security card. In my case, I also have family tree and geneological documents that I would loathe to lose. I keep these things above flood stage, near the roof in my office. They are accessible, but safe. And if something happened, I would know exactly where to start grabbing and tossing out the window!

Rich - memories of friends and family. Close ties with special people all over the world. That is what I call my "rich life." I don't have a lot of cash, or property. I probably have way too much stuff, but that's because I'm a clutter junky. I'm learning to tame and reduce it. At least my floor is mostly clear - except for the cat toys and shoes everywhere...

I have enough food so that I won't starve in the next 30 days. My utilites are paid (mostly on time, too!). I have a home of my own - mine and the bank's. I have a brain, and I'm fairly healthy. (I've been doing "body work" with a masseuse, and my health feels much stronger as a result.)

So, am I rich? NO! I would love a car that didn't have a ton of work to be done on it. Maybe one that was less than 5 years old, instead of 12 years old. And I want to be fully out of debt.

That's RICH! To have no payments to creditors...

Wow! I had that for all of one week, once. I look forward to it again. That's why I drive a 12-year old car.

So, that's my definition of rich. I hope you will think of your own definition. Write it down someplace. Refer to it often. Daily, if you can... And be grateful for the stuff you already have.

We live in one of the richest (if not the richest) countries in the world. We have a life style that is among the most favored. Yeah, we like to bitch and complain about "how bad we have it" but we really don't have it that bad. Think about that for a while...

Finishing that pizza slice???