The Roller-Coaster Way

Here it is, the 9th of September...2009! I don't even know where to start on the past year!

I'm going to give Flo a break here, since I just re-read all her notations from last year. Pretty insightful she is, I have to say.

So here's the update on my life:
*I am still working for the same employer. They keep switching my schedule around, so that's been a major hassle to be constantly rearranging babysitting schedules & such.
*Both girls are now in school full time, which is a major relief. Although the school district seems to have at least 1 day/month with early release or no school. What's up w/ that?
*Ned's overtime was completely cut back in January. You want to talk about financial panic? It's been difficult, to say the very least. Thank goodness I got a job last summer. That's the only thing keeping us above water anymore.
*Gas prices went back down to a very low, but now have settled back into the $2.69/gallon range. So I'm still spending a lot of $ to go to work every day. Ned's car died back in December (before we knew the OT was going to be gone) & we replaced it with a new vehicle. So 2 car payments now. Lovely, lovely.
*I've managed to put on at least 10 pounds since starting that job, maybe 15. I just avoid the scale.
*My biggest downfall now is still stress, obviously, although I am taking Fluoxitine (generic Prozac) I can't take it daily b/c then my breasts become extremely pained. So I try to take it every 36 hours. Often it's 2-3 days between doses. Which isn't ideal, obviously. Need to get better at that.
*I haven't been to any counseling, although believe me I still agree w/ Flo that it might help. My current work schedule is 12-9 p.m.
*On the medical front, I finally got a family doctor that I like, only to have her finish her residency & move on. Sucky! BUT before she left, she did really listen to me about my exhaustion and emotions and she suggested I look into whether or not I have sleep apnea.

I thought she was grasping at straws, but turns out she was correct. It hasn't fixed all my medical issues, but it has helped. I'm having some difficulty finding a face mask setup that works for me (my nose itches a lot) but I am sleeping much better. So overall, I do feel somewhat better medically.

*The construction work continues. Last winter we about froze our keesters off due to the basement heating system we put in (radiant hot water pipes under cement) not working properly. We had a pellet stove installed on the main floor and that became our only heat source. It may be our only heat source this winter, too, so to get ready we're trying to do more weatherproofing.

We need to stud in the tuck under garage area & insulate it. That would help a lot. Also finish the sealing up around the house's sill and basement windows too. Still a lot to do and we're into September already.
*No end in sight for the financial/economic downturn in this country. This is very depressing. And what's up w/ Obama? I totally don't understand what he's trying to do as president. He's just got his fingers in too many things at once, and doing none of them well, imo. I had hopes that he'd be a good thing for our country, now I'm wondering.

Well, I need to get myself going to work here soon. But I've been thinking about Flo's words lately and thinking that even though she is annoying and a bit of a know it all, she proabably is right more often than not.

And considering the fact that I have actually gained weight and not lost, I probably need to let her do her thing a bit more. So Flo, the reigns are back in your ballpark. Go at it.