Random Ramblings Are Random

Slowly but surely getting a grip on cleaning and organizing the stuff that was brought into the house when I moved in 30 days ago. It's been slow going because I find myself getting burnt out so easily with it all, but it is getting down to a manageable level. And it helps when I set myself a goal of at least one doom bag a day. Especially while my roomie is out of town and I have plenty of space to move stuff around. Once I get my bedroom fully sorted and arranged, ready to start bringing in my boxes of books, geeky collectibles, and other assorted stuff, I will start bringing in at least one box/bag each day to go through. Put away what I absolutely can't part with and donate/trash the rest. And donating is easier now with a friend who literally lives around the corner and has offered to help me with that any time I feel I have enough stuff to do a run. I had hoped to finally get into the shed today so I could dig out my gaming consoles and assorted games, but that probably s...

My old place was posted for rent only a few hours ago. For $1200 a month, POU, and no off-street parking. Yes, work was done on the place, but not really enough to justify the $400 rent increase they are asking for. Oh, I'm sure it will get snapped up in no time due to the housing crisis in the province. But whomever ends up living there now will find that the windows aren't sealed correctly, the roof leaks, and so much more. Sure, the appliances are all new and there is laminate flooring throughout the entire place now. Oh, and the bathroom was completely remodeled. But it's still like putting lipstick on a pig. I feel for whomever moves in there - they're going to be in for a huge shock when they get their first winter heating bill. Just like I was. In other news, I'm settling into my new living arrangements in Mount Pearl. Buses suck horribly, but I knew that before I even moved here. It was a large part of why I had kept looking primarily in St. John's, but ...

Since my last post here things have definitely changed! I have moved out of the apartment I'd lived in for just over 12 years. But not in with the friend and her daughter like originally intended. That fell completely through, and in the end it is probably for the best. I am now living with a former co-worker. The same co-worker who was supposed to become my roomie last year. It's sort of strange how things sometimes work out, but there is it. I am no longer living in St. John's, which I'm surprisingly okay with. Now, I live in Mount Pearl within easy walking distance of a bus stop. Not that Metrobus has great service to Mount Pearl, but it is better than nothing. I am still working at the gas station job, and for those days I have to be at work for 7am a friend of mine is giving me a ride. Well, either her or her partner. There are two locations of the same gas station within walking distance of my new place, so I will keep my eyes peeled on the internal job posting si...

Packing has started in earnest now. I will be moving at the end of November one way or another. As it looks right now, I will likely be moving in with a friend and her daughter. There is nothing affordable available for me to be able to live on my own. Not to mention that my bills have gotten a bit of out control and I will not have them back under control in time to switch them to a new place. Besides, this will allow both my friend and I to save money. Christmas is coming, and I want to save up for a vehicle so that I can maybe move outside of the city to somewhere affordable. Surprisingly, I have managed to move pretty much all my clothing into my tiny closet in my bedroom. The 'closet' in the other room currently has my bins of fabric and sewing supplies. I have gotten rid of a lot of clothes that I don't wear at all, and I still have more to get rid of. I have a feeling that many of my doom bags are just going to end up straight in the garbage. Well, after I pull out a...

So, I'm taking yet another round of writing classes. I know that over the past couple of years that my writing has gotten better, but I would never have considered myself actually good. Passable, sure. Certainly no better than some abysmal writers who have somehow managed to get movie deals out of the dreck they've produced. Anyhow, one of the things about the writing classes I'm taking is that we do peer reviews. And the two people reading my work this time around are established writers, but only one writes in the same genre I do. The other one writes historical fiction for the most part. The fantasy writer has commented each time on my work that I'm clearly a skilled writer and he can't wait to read more of my work. I'm still beside myself after his comment tonight. Especially after he stated he wants to read the first eleven chapters - I had submitted Chapter 12 for tonight's class. It was re-write that stretched out the much shorter scene I had submitte...

So, I still haven't received a written eviction notice from my landlord. But that doesn't mean that I don't intend to be out by the end of November. It does, however, mean that I likely won't be doing him the courtesy of giving him an actual notice when I move out. My tentative plan at this point is to move out first and then give him notice just prior to changing my phone number and blocking him from emailing me. Does this mean I likely won't get my security deposit back? Yeah, probably, but I have a feeling he'd be trying to withhold it anyway. Just my gut speaking. Also, as an older woman I have to get mammograms done once in a while. And I got the results in the mail of my last one. The results were normal, thankfully, but I do have high breast density. What this means is that approximately 75%, give or take on either side, is glandular tissue. I could probably have predicted that based on the fact that as I lose weight my band size goes down and my cup size...

I haven't yet gotten a written notice of eviction, but I'm still getting my stuff packed and looking for a new place. And I'm wondering how the hell I'm supposed to save up for all of this...trying to save up for a damage deposit and u-Haul rental is going to do me in. It's not like I make a whole lot of money or anything. I make $1.55 more than minimum wage. As an assistant manager. I live on my own and recently started paying $100 more for rent per month. Plus, I've been playing catch up with bills for entirely too long - sometimes food is more important than paying that internet bill, especially when the cat needs food. I've been looking at renting a room and doing the roomie thing, but even the costs for that are insane. Everything just costs so much more than it used to, and nobody can afford much of anything. And, while I've found a few affordable options, they're ready right now...and I just don't have the funds available to make the move ...