Hi all!
I was in Québec City all of last week until this morning for a work trip. I'm going to try to post more regularly here, now that I'm back. Here's an update for what's been going on with me lately:
1- State of the HomeI have come home to a clean-ish home, because my mother (unbeknownst to me) came in every day to help get the place in order.
I have to say, the place really looks nice! I still have unpacked boxes all over the place, but some of them (my linens) are actually unpacked and put away. The floors, kitchen and bathroom are all clean, which is huge for me. Two friends also came in to feed and pat the cats while I was away, but the cats were really happy to have me home today.
2- Future State of the Home, or, Pro-Active Prevention of Future Squalor
After nearly two months of dithering, I finally called a professional cleaning service to come in and do the major cleaning every two weeks. In spite of the fact that I'm not totally unpacked, I decided it would be better for them to come and clean around the boxes than for me to wait until I was "finished" unpacking. For all I know, it will take another two months for me to be fully unpacked, and that's an unacceptably long time for the place to go uncleaned. Sure, I could clean it myself, but realistically I know I won't have the time.
Otherwise, I'm doing pretty well at keeping the place tidy. I've managed to keep my dishes washed and my laundry done (although I have a TON of laundry from my recent business trip). I am trying very hard to scoop the cat pans every day, although that doesn't always work.
Now I just have to hook up my new washing machine (I'm still doing my laundry in the old apartment, but I have to set myself up down here, because eventually that place is going to be rented and I won't have access anymore), finish unpacking, and I'll be set for the time being.
3- The Flooring Saga Continues, or, How Cat Pee Is Like Unto An Act of GodSo some of you may remember my comment in the "Smelly Stories" thread, about how cat pee is now equivalent to an Act of God:
takeonestepatatime.proboards80.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=2135&page=1#20428The saga continues, ever onward. The short version is that the people from Qualinet (the post-disaster cleanup people) are coming over tomorrow afternoon to take a look at the place and give me an estimate of how much money this whole fiasco is going to cost me. The floor itself is already costing $1,500 to replace, so this newest escapade is going to make an already-expensive repair even more expensive. *sigh*
Still, it is my squalor, and I will take responsibility for it. I am also lucky enough that I am currently not hurting for money. If this had happened even two years ago, I would have been in serious trouble. As it is, I'm going to have to tighten my belt a lot for the next little while, but I can manage it and still have a small contingency fund for emergencies.
4- Financial SqualorFinancially, things are looking okay. I'm still not used to this: I lived for so long never knowing whether or not there would be too much month left at the end of the money, that it still feels weird to look in my bank account and not see amounts owing.
Right now I'm focusing on rebuilding my credit. It took a heck of a wallop during the years when I wasn't making enough money to truly make ends meet, and especially during the year or so that I was unemployed. It's recovering slowly these days, although not enough to allow me to buy appliances on credit, which was most annoying at the time.
The plan now is to set aside a day to go through the Drawer of Doom, in which I have unceremoniously shoved all my bills and paperwork. It's all topsy-turvy and out of order, although I try not to stick anything in there which I haven't paid. All outstanding bills usually live in my purse until I pay them, but that's not a very efficient system. So I'm going to get myself a proper desk for my household stuff, get myself one of those paper trays for my pending bills, and administrate my household just the way I would administrate an office. Heck, I used to be an administrative assistant: it's not like I don't know how a filing system works!
5- Firing The Overtime FairyI have decided that all the overtime I've been doing at work is taking too much of a toll on my health, both mentally and physically. I am extremely tired, and as a result my energy isn't at all what I'd like it to be, and I tend to be more easily irritated and moody, which I don't enjoy.
So, as much as possible I'm not going to be doing any overtime from now until January. Working my regular hours and taking the rest of the time to actually rest, see friends, and get my cooking and housework done is exactly what I need. Otherwise, I'm just going to burn out, and that's not going to help anyone.
So that's it for What's Been Going On With Mouse these days.
I'm afraid I'm terribly behind on the forums, so I'm just going to jump in where we are now and not try to catch up.
Take care, everyone!
~Mouse
