Well the week in itself was tiring, work-wise. My boss was in a fit because not only were inbound fees scant at best, our few remaining contractors were all victim to the low morale that’s been coursing through the company for the past year or so, and were acting it out each in their own way, driving the owner into a 3-day fit of micro-managing, harassment and flat out screaming. It’s when he gets like this that people quit. I think a certain one of our contractors in Kentucky will be the next to go. Our Hobe Sound guy almost got cut loose yesterday for wasting 3 days of my time on a project he was supposed to be doing himself.

A new couple has moved into Dana and Gary’s duplex, they are James and Buffy (yes, Buffy, I couldn’t make that up if I wanted to). They’re… “ok.” Typical Alabama rednecks, whose conversational ability thus far is pretty much limited to sex, beer and God. James is always drinking and bitching. Buffy did give my daughter a pair of beginner roller blades the other night, but they’re too small for her. Still it was a sweet gesture.

Dana hasn’t been around much lately since the pool party last weekend. Her fiance and her have steadily been looking for work, and she just started a new job on Thursday. Neither of them have been coming over every 10 minutes to use my phone any more, they’re using James’ phone now. Haven’t heard how her CRC (rehab) is going, or even if she *has* been going. I do hope so. She has such a strong drive to get her life back together and she’s been doing well outwardly.

Clarence…. wow what can I say… to so much as try to get close to him is an exercise in futility. We did have a 4 1/2 hour “date” the other night and I was just in awe. Then he let me in on his little corner of the web and I realized how much we have in common and I was floored. Was also flattered that he told me so much about himself, things you wouldn’t normally tell people, dark things, past things… but he stays holed up inside so much that even when he does peek outside for a moment, he usually just rushes back in. At 1 a.m. the other night, he started feeling the craving for a slurpee lol… so we drove up to get one. In his most recent self-prohibition of caffeine, he weakened and snatched a two-pack of Red Bull’s anyway I really had fun with him that night, and the next morning and half that day I could still feel his arms around me. I admit, over the past month, I’ve fallen for him. But — not to be. He doesn’t want anyone near him. And I will never be that little girl in Russia that he’s in love with and will never see, any more than he will ever be Harry Malin in St. Louis, the one I think my heart will always belong to. I’ve spent many nights sitting outside in tears over my Buddha next door, knowing that he won’t be coming out, knowing that all we will ever be is neighbors until he finds his way back to the city he wants to be in. At least I had that embrace… I needed it.

For the first time in over 2 years, I’ve also broken down and done my hair uber-red. The copper that it is naturally was just getting to me. I don’t like straw-colour. The sun I took in this Summer dried it out badly, so I darkened it up a bit and gave it a deep-condition. Waiting to see what it looks like when it dries. It’s always better the second day anyhow, once the colour settles and the dye on the scalp has worn off (it always sticks to me so bad).

Barely bought *any* groceries yesterday. Even with my club card, the prices are getting just unrealistic. Prices everywhere keep jumping by leaps and bounds, while my income, even still at the same job, has been drastically reduced, as part of it relies on commissions. Everyone in the company is hurting, and things like this don’t help:

The fact that we have a McArthur Dairy plant literally less than ten miles from this store makes the outlandish price even more offensive. It isn’t as if they’re trying to comp the cost of shipping the product cross-country. There is no excuse for this. I have also heard from Eddie that gas is supposed to hit near $5.00 a gallon in the Southeast today — we got into a conversation about this last night (again), due to the shut down of oil rigs in the Gulf. Now… these rigs only supply about 1/5 of our crude oil – I can’t understand the concept of the end price going to excruciatingly high over a few days’ lost production when we have other AMERICAN sources that we can fall back on. I could only afford to do a half a tank yesterday at $3.76 a gallon. Have not ventured out yet today (though I need to go grab my phone charger that I left at the office) but I am afraid to see the prices out there.

I am also handwashing clothes this weekend because even the laundromat is no longer affordable for the amount of laundry I have ($2.50 a load to wash at the laundromat where the machines actually work). My daughter goes through three changes of clothes a day usually thanks to her messy habits, so they fill the hamper quick. I only hope the kids who cut through the yard (despite fences) don’t feel the urge to mess with (or take) the clothes when I hang them out to dry. That would be just low.

Well I am going to tend to some housework and maybe get a pen pal letter or two done before littlebit wakes up from her nap. See you all soon.

Oh — cannot leave without sending Larry my love… you really are a blessing, and I know you know that. <3 for life baby.