Every couple of weeks I have to sit down and sort everything out. It really shouldn't be that complicated, but right now it is, because the house has cost a lot more than I thought it would, and I have to decide who gets paid off, who gets a teaser, and who gets ignored until next time.
So I will sit down and lay out all the bills on my living room carpet. I'll add it all up and shake my head in despair.
Then I'll add it again, hoping I made a mathematical error in my favor. Inevitably, if I have made an error, it's NOT in my favor.
Then I will sigh deeply, get up and go to the kitchen to find something else to do. I'll do dishes. I'll scrub the counter and mop the floor.
Mysteriously, when I get back to the living room, the bills will still be there. Waiting.
So I will whip out the almighty checkbook and begin writing checks, and the inevitable train of thought chugs out of the station:
The house payment always comes first, that's an easy one. Student loans? Those are low interest, and not too bad as far as fees, so I might put those off. They won't report me to the credit bureaus yet, right? Have to put some more out for the furnace, have to pay back Forest's dad, who loaned me money for the furnace. Got to pay the phone bill, the gas, the water. Insurance gets withdrawn from the account automatically, so I don't have a choice. When is that credit card due again? Car payment's caught up until December, no stress on that one. Damn, I need to get the tires rotated, though, and weren't there other things you are supposed to do after the first 30,000 miles?
I can't believe I already put that many miles on my car. Maybe I should sell it while it's still worth something.
But I like my car.
Look at this carpet! We HAVE to buy a vacuum cleaner, right now. But it will have to wait until next pay period. I wish the house payment wasn't so damn big. I wish the car payment wasn't so completely insane.
It's a good thing I got another job, Christmas is coming so soon! I wonder when they will pay me? I wonder when I will get my corporate bonus from work? I wish I knew, because then I could delay paying some of this stuff until then, and not worry about it.
After much cursing, tallying, scratching out, adding, subtracting, scheduling and planning, I will finish writing all the checks, lick the envelopes, and affix the self-stick stamps. Then I will check my math about 5 times, to make sure I didn't switch numbers around, or otherwise screw up the checkbook. Don't laugh, it happens a lot.
Then I'll debate whether it's safe to put these in the mail. Inevitably if I mail them right away, something in my house will explode, implode, leak, collapse, or otherwise find a way to cost a lot of money in a hurry, and I will wish I could chase down the mailman and get my checks back!
Tonight's a good night to py bills, because Forest will be out until probably 3 AM, and I will be home with Kirstin, lonely. It will be quiet. I'll be glad I have something productive to do, at least for the first few minutes.
So if anyone wants to come over to my house tonight, feel free! I'll throw all my bills in the bonfire pit, and we can dance naked around it. It's supposed to be nice out tonight.
This afternoon I have to make a trip to Shiawassee County Hospital to attend a meeting and basically act as the Encyclopedia again. I will sit there, and no one will ask me anything. But I suppose it's a nice day for a drive.
I'm stunned to be already making plans through the weekend. I used to not be able to plan in advance, because Jeff preferred not to be too busy, and he thought that if he didn't plan ahead, this would lead to more free time.
I think that's a load-o-hooey, but whatever floats his boat, right?
I have Friday night (after I close Natural Wonders) Kirstin-free, since she will be spending a much-needed overnight with Jeff and Alex. I think Forest and I are going to go have dinner somewhere, and then try to get to bed at a reasonable-ish hour. Since I've been dating a 22-year-old, a reasonable-ish hour is now defined as "before 2 AM". It takes some getting used to.
Saturday Forest has the Big 10 Tae Kwon Do tournament, which I will be missing because I'm going to a baby shower.
Tick, tick, tick
Saturday evening I think we're starting our new gaming group, but I'm not sure. Sunday afternoon I might or might not have to work, and then Sunday evening we're planning to go see Shelly sing in the MSU Women's Glee Club concert. I will sit there and be jealous of her for getting to do that. Glee Club is really quite a lot of fun.
I got a call out of the blue from Jane Wright last night, asking me if I would be able to come back to bell choir. For year I used to ring handbells. I was actually really good at it, and used to teach at festivals and stuff. I belong to the American Guild of English Handbell Ringers. (AGEHR). It's not a union, but it's a big ole nonprofit... well anyway, from 1991 until 1994 I rang in a choir called the Capital City Community Ringers. It is a competition-level group or very talented ringers with a 6-octave range (that's a lot). They have really nice equipment, and we rang *challenging* music. It was a blast.
I had to quit when I got divorced because I just couldn't afford to pay for the babysitting to keep it up.
So now, 4 years later, they need me. I told Jane I would have to think about it... I'm really not sure what I should do. It would be every single Monday night for the whole year. A big commitment, I assure you. During their performance seasons they usually do about 1 show per week on top of that, which is also a big challenge. During my time with CCCR I never missed a concert.
They also go on two performing tours a year, which are long weekends with usually 7 performances packed in, and then during the summer they attend festivals, some of which are as long as a week.
Obviously, the time factor worries me. First thing on my mind is that I should talk to Forest about it, and see what he thinks. This is a lot of time I can't be spending with him.
Then there's work. Can I possibly get all this time off? I *would* like to take an actual vacation next year, not just ringing bells. They have a June tour of New York scheduled for a Wednesday through Sunday. Can I afford that?
Then there's theatre. Most of the time if I do theatre it rehearses four nights a week, and Monday is an old standby. This would mean I probably couldn't do any shows for as long as I was in the choir.
Then there's Tae Kwon Do. A couple of years ago I made a commitment to myself to live the life of a martial artist. I meant it. So I need to attend Tae Kwon Do for myself, and improve in any way I can. I also want to be able to help Forest out, so he doesn't have to be the only one shouldering the responsibility of the club.
On the plus side, I'm a musician at heart. I love to ring bells. The complexity of it fascinates me, and I love that you can't possibly play out of tune. It's very relaxing, because you really can't think of anything but what you are doing, it requires a high level of concentration. It's also a fun excercise of one's problem-solving skills, since you have only two hands, and between 6-8 bells to cover, as well as chimes and mallets. There's limited space, and you have to free your hands enough to turn pages. If you ring with a partner you must coordinate with that person very carefully, too. The music flies by, and your carefully planned juggling technique is what makes it happen. I love that.
I really enjoy a challenge.
Well, I obviously had a lot on my mind today. I will have to stop blathering and get to work.
