We Almost Have a Car...

Originally posted December 29/2006 on "Allison Wonderland"


So close! The part is in. The car is in. The mechanics are, in fact, working today. It's going to cost twice what we thought it would, but at least we're going to have a car tomorrow.

And no, it's not Canadian Tire's fault about the money... not this time. Due to circumstances I'm not going to go into here, we also have to get the transmission flushed and the filter replaced. But hey, we're going to have our car back.

So that will be that, I guess. I hope that'll be all for a while, anyway. Can I write about something INTERESTING now?

Down We Go Again

Originally posted December 27/2006 on "Allison Wonderland"


Grrrr.

OK, so the money for fixing the car coming in just when we needed it? Still the Miracle on Cornwall Ave. But there are still obstacles to getting it done, and I can't help being just a little upset by it all... mostly because AJ seems like he's about ready to have a nervous breakdown- and he doesn't even know how to cry.

He put more transmission fluid in the car this morning (using our makeshift funnel- half a Coke bottle) and got the car to Canadian Tire, no problem. Yeah, I know, it's Canadian Tire, but he called Ford this morning and the service department is STILL on holidays. I guess the weekend wasn't long enough... anyway, CT was pretty backed up, but they thought they'd be able to get it done by 5. Good thing, since I have to be at work by 6. Too bad they have to get the part from FORD... which is CLOSED...

No car fixin' for us today.

Thank God (once again) for good friends. C or J will be picking AJ up at work tonight, bringing him home and taking me to work. We're giving them gas money (though J said not to worry about it), and it'll be way cheaper than the $40 it would have cost us to take taxis tonight. I don't know what we'd do without them, or without our other friends (JP squared) who have also helped us out with the car thing. I hope we can repay the favours some time, though I'm NOT hoping that their cars break down. No-no-no. Some other favour, maybe. House-sitting, cat-sitting... slashing the tires of people who piss them off... that kind of thing.

I'm working 11-4 tomorrow, so I'll take a bus in, then get one from the mall to Mount Pearl after work and pick up the car.

I hope...

Miracle on Cornwall Ave.

Originally posted December 26/2006 on "Allison Wonderland"


Thanks to Hayley for that title!)

Well, we had a good Christmas in spite of everything. Christmas eve day we went to C & J's house for brunch. Of course, we didn't have any way to get there on our own, but J was a generous taxi service for us. It was raining that day; we didn't get our white Christmas after all, because the rain melted all that snow we got. Oh, well! We had a great time at brunch. Some other friends were there, including Simon's little friend Raya. She's 2 weeks older than he is, and they used to have trouble playing together because she was crawling and walking long before he was, so he couldn't get away. Now that they're on more equal footing (so to speak), things are way better. They chased each other around, laughing their little heads off. It was hilarious, and I realized while I was watching them that I was really, genuinely happy. That might not sound strange to you, but it was a bit of a shock for me to realize that it's been a long time since I felt that, mostly (I think) because of my meds. I just don't usually feel a whole lot either way, even when I'm "happy." In any case, my heart felt like it was going to explode, and I was laughing along with the kids. It was great!

J dropped me off at work that afternoon, and it was a pretty good shift. My wrist was bothering me, but we got out at a decent time and I got a ride home with my supervisor. I made hot wings and mashed potatoes (with tzatziki- yum!) for supper, and we had a quiet evening after we each opened a present. AJ got new pajamas, and I opened a charm for my link bracelet- Superman! Simon got a stuffed Mandrill to go with the animal theme in his bedroom, and he hugged it. So cute!!!

AJ always has a hard time sleeping on Christmas eve; he's like a giant kid at Christmas. I had a sleepless night, too, but not because I was listening for sleigh-bells. Simon is teething, with at least 4 teeth coming in right now, and he was up 5 times that night. I was ready to sleep in Christmas morning, but we started opening our stockings at about 8:30. We had the video camera set up- it's the same one they used when AJ was younger. The sound didn't come out very well, but Simon looks- you guessed it!- adorable. He found the whole present thing a bit overwhelming. He was just checking out one new toy when another one would come, and he looked like he was going, "Hang on- I just got this one!" We saved some of his presents for the evening.

AJ loved all of the gifts we got for him, which made me very happy. I got lots of great stuff, too! My BIG present is an iPod, which AJ and his parents went in together to get for me. It's a refurbished one that should arrive in a few days, and I'm SO excited! I also got a "Get Fuzzy" page-a-day calendar, my annual planner book, the hair stuff I asked for, new slippers, gloves and socks, a HUGE Lindt milk chocolate bar, Lindor chocolates, another bracelet link (a monkey, like Simon!) and a subscription to Chatelaine. SO spoiled! Our present from my parents came a few weeks ago- our new BED (whoopee!!!). And we still have another "Christmas" coming when the in-laws come up from Florida in a few weeks!

After all that, I was ready for a nap. When I woke up it was almost time for our Christmas dinner. Now, I don't cook the turkey- that could very well be a waste of an expensive bird! Neither set of parents lives nearby, so we would be on our own for Christmas dinner if J's mom didn't take us poor orphans in every year. She and a friend put together an amazing feast, and we joined the family for a few hours. Actually, I think Simon's the one who really gets the invite- we just tag along. :) I have a thank-you card to send...

But you're probably still wondering about that "miracle" thing... unless I've already told you. Last night we remembered that we hadn't opened the card that my grandparents sent with Simon's present. We opened it, and the card said, "Use this for whatever you want or need," and there was a cheque inside for enough money to get the car fixed! Hooray! Every time we think we won't scrape by this time, someone comes through- an anonymous friend sends us grocery store gift certificates just when we can't quite afford groceries, a mysterious card gets dropped in the mailbox with a gift card for Shopper's when we need to get diapers, or a Christmas present comes that will get us back on the road. Some days it's hard to trust that God won't let us starve, but He hasn't failed us yet, and neither have our friends and family.

Merry Christmas!

Wishing You a Merrier Christmas Than We're Having

Originally posted December 23/2006 on "Allison Wonderland"


Just when we thought that as much of he proverbial shit had hit the fan as was going to this Christmas season, on came just a little more- just in case we weren't splattered with enough of it already. The icing on the cake. The cherry on the sundae. The kick to the kidneys when we were already down.

We paid $350 that we don't have yesterday to get the wheel on the car fixed. They said that the transmission, the tires and the other stuff could probably wait until January, when AJ's bonus comes in (and don't think I'm not picturing a Jelly Of The Month Club membership arriving by courier, 'cause that has crossed my mind many times). What a surprise, then, when today AJ left work to find transmission fluid leaking all over the f^*&ing parking lot. So now there's that to deal with, but no one's going to be able to work on it until at least Wednesday- and then there's the trouble of paying for it.

So no, it's not shaping up to be the merriest Christmas ever. Did we piss someone off somewhere? Are we cursed? Did we unknowingly break a whole lot of mirrors at some point? I don't understand. But whatever...

Here I Am Again...

Originally posted December 22/2006 on "Allison Wonderland"


Yeah... Zombie-Robot woman here. I should be depressed right now, but that seems to be impossible. It's good that I'm not having uncontrollable crying fits for no reason, but I think it's a problem when you can't feel anything when you have good reason to be upset. But anyway...

AJ took the car in this morning- and nothing is covered under our Ford warranty. Not a darn thing. Only $350 of the repairs absolutely had to be done for the car to be drive-able- good thing we still have access to overdraft on our bank account. So that's done. We're hoping the rest can wait until his bonus comes in January (though we don't know how much that will be).

Then, of course, there's the power bill. Did I mention that our apartment is a bit drafty? Yeah... I did the test where you hold a candle up by a closed window on a windy day, and the flame was flickerin' all over the place. We're going to talk to H (upstairs) about either getting something done about that or lowering our rent for the winter to compensate for the stupid amount of money it looks like we'll be paying for heat. Yes, we'll qualify for that $200 rebate thingy, but that's not going to cover it.

So that's that. I've got to get happier- Christmas is coming, and it should be a happy time. Not because we're forcing ourselves to be happy, though. We need to start focusing on the good things that we have, and take some time to appreciate all the good in our lives. We're going to a friend's mom's house for Christmas dinner, and that's SO exciting- even though we don't have our own families here, we've been welcomed into another one. We're not having an extravagant Christmas, but we all have gifts to give to each other. We have a warm (if expensively so) home and food to eat. We have a car. We both have jobs that we don't usually hate. And we have each other.

I have this idea that I might try for next Christmas. See, Christmas is my Thanksgiving; I find it's a natural time to reflect on all of those good things that we have. So what I was thinking is that, throughout the year (or even just December) we could write down things we're thankful for on colourful slips of paper, and then make a paper chain out of them to put on the tree. Then, on Christmas morning, maybe over breakfast, we can take turns reading them. Something to focus on besides the presents, you know? Not that presents aren't GREAT! : )

I think I feel a little better already.

Money... or Lack Thereof

Originally posted on December 20/2006 on "Allison Wonderland"


If anyone has been trying to call me lately and has been getting the answering machine, I apologize. Really, I do. But see, I have to screen calls these days. Too many credit cards too far behind means too many phone calls from people looking for their money. Too bad we don't make enough to pay them...

Yes, we've made mistakes. No, we don't spend our income on booze, cigarettes, gambling, or even on clothes. In fact, the only big luxury we spend our money on is the car, and with the bus schedules the way they are, that's a necessity, too. No, our current troubles came from a "series of unfortunate events" (thanks, Mr. Snickett), starting with my Depression. The Great Depression- or one of them, anyway- caused me to have to leave my job less than a year after we got married. Some of our groceries had to go on our first credit card until I got another job; unemployment benefits don't pay what working does, even if you were just barely getting by when you were employed. I was back to work 4 or 5 months later, and we tried to get stuff paid off, but the money just wasn't there. Then came the news we'd been waiting for since the wedding- we were going to be able to move to Newfoundland. AJ was hired as Assistant Manager for the new store in Mount Pearl. Hooray! But oops- the company wasn't going to pay for the move. If we waited, we might never get back, so out came the credit cards once again. It was expensive- a drive half-way across the country in a car and a gas-guzzling U-Haul, with two nights in motels, plus food for three.

Oh, and did I neglect to mention that we found out that I was pregnant just a few weeks before the move? Yep. BIG surprise! Good news... bad timing. What effect did that have on our current situation? Oh, not much... except that I had to go on maternity leave early because of health problems, and I didn't start getting my benefits for almost 2 months after I stopped getting paycheques. Except for the fact that maternity/parental leave benefits don't pay any more than unemployment, so once again, groceries were going to have to go on the credit cards.

And just one other, little thing: A month after we moved, the car got stolen. It was eventually recovered, but it was in quite a state; we got $100 for it at a scrap yard. By then we'd already bought a used Focus, anyway- great car, reliable, safe for the baby... but an extra $250 a month in payments.

I'm back to work now, but only part-time. If I went full-time, I'd actually be bringing less money home every week because daycare is too expensive- and retail pays bugger-all. The credit cards are maxed out, and we can't afford groceries AND the minimum payments.

At least we're happy, if not just the teeniest bit stressed out.

Oh, and in case you're wondering why we don't get a line of credit at the bank in order to consolidate our loans? We tried. Too bad we've been in overdraft for over a year, and for some reason the bank considers us a bad risk. Weird, eh? So we've done the only thing short of declaring bankruptcy that seems like an option at this point: we went in for credit counselling. I know, this can be a good thing or a bad thing, but the company we're dealing with is a reputable non-profit organization. They're talking to all of our creditors, getting interest rates reduced and working out a payment schedule whereby we pay them a certain amount (that we can afford to pay and still eat) each month, which they distribute amongst the creditors. Yeah, our credit rating will be shite for 2 years after we finish paying them off (so about 7 years), but that's the thing: it'll be PAID OFF. The alternative is to not be able to make even the minimum payments and still have a crappy credit report in 7 years, but still be up to our ears in debt. It's not the best situation, but it seemed like the most responsible thing to do. We're paying what we owe, even if it's going to take longer than we wanted it to.

So that's why I'm not answering the phone. Soon the creditors will all be talking to "our guy," and I'll be able to pick up the phone when it rings, not afraid of someone calling from collections. Won't that be nice?

Talk to you soon!