Heat and Happiness
8:42 a.m. - 2006-07-27


We survived the awful heat wave. At one point last Saturday, I went out and looked at the thermometer on the patio and it read 120 degrees. I am sure you have heard the expression "The sun beat down on him" etc, well, in that kind of heat, it really does. It feels like a big hot hand trying to shove you down into hell. The house temp ranged from 92 to 102 for 7 days, because the AC, when the power was on, just could not cope. California's primo power system started having black outs, and our power was out on Sunday for about 4 hours, off and on. I went over to Jason's and sat around knitting while I waited for word that our power was back on. We were told to avoid using appliances and computers, etc., during the day, and at night it was much too hot to sit in front of the computer, so I was out of the loop for the duration. Tuesday, Jason's power was out for awhile. This makes me so angry because technology exists so transformers don't melt down in the heat, and they have the good ones in Vegas and places like that, so why are we doomed to suffer blackouts when we need the energy the most? But all in all, ours was only out for one miserable evening, and there were people in other states who had it out for days, so I should quit complaining. We woke up this morning to temps of 61 degrees, let us offer up thanks.

In other news, I have been working on something but can't say because it is Abby's birthday present. Other than that, the big news is that I am no longer employed. I got called into the Big Lady Boss' office and was told that I was now in an eliminated position so had to go. I felt a surge of fierce joy at the thought of never having to go back there again and was so happy that they didn't know what to make of me. As long as I had the job, I felt duty bound to continue making money, but once the decision was made for me, all my negative feelings about my job caused me to have an almost incandescent happiness at finally being allowed to leave. My boss asked me kindly how I was doing (shortly after being canned) and I said the truth "I really shouldn't be so happy!" which startled her but made her feel better. She said that she really fought to keep me (she liked me, I think - she is the one who said I was a 'hoot'). I cheerfully packed up all my stuff and left and am now sitting in the cool feeling like I got my life back. I managed to dodge the other cutbacks for 4 years and lasted through the horrible heat wave (so I could at least sit in good AC during the day) so I guess I did pretty well. He got a raise this year, and the girls are pretty much done with the college we have to pay for, so I can afford to sit around for awhile. I think I may go look for temp work in the fall, but for now I am going to do all the things I was missing so much, like knitting on the machines, sewing, and having time to do the whole exercise tape instead of just a short version.

But first, let me say some nasty things about that company: it is one thing to have no loyalty at all to the employees or their welfare, but why do they put on a big show about 'our valued employees' and 'your future with this great company'. We all knew we were doomed, one way or another, I just managed to hang on longer than most. When I started there, there were 60 employees, and now there are 11. As the BLB was giving me the 'bad' news, I thought to myself that she has had a tremendous lot of practice at canning people. I will never work for a title company again.

So now I am poor but happy. I have free time, and a tank full of gas, so I should go use both!