This post has no theme.......
 
So I was leaving work today and as I stood next to the open door of my car while I opened my electric bill I heard a super loud belch from not too far away.  I got in my car and as I backed up and drove off I saw two guys sitting on the patio of the townhouse two buildings away.  I could only see part of one guy but could see the other guy completely.  He was watching me drive off.

At least it wasn't a big noisy fart........... 

Single For A Week.....
 
So...I packed my son up and mailed him off to his grandparents.  Priority Mail.
 
Not really.
 
I put him on an airplane Sunday afternoon and as soon as he was gone I didn't know how to act.  Again.  This happens everytime he goes off island.  I've been a single parent so long that I've lost my identity.  I feel like everyone is whispering behind their hands "oh look, she's all alone, and doesn't know how to act."
 
Anyway, I got an escort pass from the airlines so I was able to get through security and wait with him at the gate for his plane to board.  It was really weird being asked to remove my slippers so they could go through the x-ray machine.  They didn't ask my son to remove his shoes.
 
And the airline forgot to give me the "meet and assist" paperwork to fill out at the check-in counter that I arranged for 48 hours in advance as required, so when we got to the gate I asked about it.  The guy there said it cost $20.  They didn't tell me that on the phone I told him several times.  And they only take cash at the gate and I didn't have $20 cash with me and didn't want to go back out to the check-in counter so I could pay with my debit card so I said just forget it.  Called my mom on the phone and asked her to pray that when he arrived in Honolulu he made it from the gate down the escalator to baggage claim.
 
Then as soon as I got off the phone a supervisor came over with the paperwork for me to fill out and apologized for the mix-up saying that there was no charge.  So I filled out the form and took it back to the counter, sat down and called my mom and told her we were back to the original plan.  Retrieve him from the check-in area and then go get his bag.
 
Then the supervisor came back with the filled out form and a new boarding pass stamped FIRST CLASS!  Cool.  So when it was time to board they escorted my son onto the plane before anyone else.  Good thing because I had already composed a complaint letter in my head.  But they redeemed themselves so I was appeased.
 
So it's actually kinda nice to have some time to myself.  Aside from the fact that I toss and turn at night worrying about when my son will be getting into the adult day program and what I'm supposed to do with him next week while I work things are going well.  There's less dishes to wash, less nagging of showers to be taken, less shopping to be done and less laundry to do.
 
Good thing being single for a week isn't a permanent situation or I'd be forced to actually make some friends so I'd have a social life and someone to do stuff with.

 
 

Taking It Day By Day.....
 
I'm still in a holding pattern with the DOH about getting my son into the ARC day program.  I've been talking to his case manager every day and as nice as the guy is he just doesn't have the answers.  I finally told him last week that one of the reasons I'm so frustrated is because everyone has know for the last three years that he would be graduating in June 04 and I don't understand why this whole process has taken so long.  I've had to rearrange my work schedule, take time off work (which translates to no pay) and find someone who's available during the day for my son to stay with.  I asked his case manager when the application was submitted to DHS because it's been five months since we met for his ISP, three months since he signed the application and one and a half months since they said he needed a psych eval.  He evaded that question by mumbling his way through the conversation and mentioning something about medical records being submitted.  Well that form was mailed back to him on 5/12.  So much for a seamless transition.  Can anyone say bureaucratic red tape?
 
So.....I traded in 10,000 miles and my son is going to visit his grandparents on Oahu for a week.  After that I have no idea what I'm going to do.
 
And......I just figured out that after I pay rent for August ($250 more because of the increase) and pay $250 to bring the deposit up to the new monthly rent amount I will have $8.53 left for the next two weeks.  How do I pay my credit card bills, car insurance and the phone bill which are all due before I get paid again in mid-August?  And I haven't even mentioned gas for my car, food to eat, etc.
 
This is extremely depressing.

OK, here it is....This Land Is Your Land....
 
 
http://jibjab.com/

Rocky Coastline
 

Near Pt. Allen looking towards Poipu.

 

Panic Attack Prescription.....
 
.....one very large spoon and 1/2 gallon of Baby Ruth ice cream.....
 
 

I've Tried To Remain Calm.....
 
So here's the story on finding someplace for my son so I can go to work.  Last week I had to juggle job #1 and job #2 because my son had no place to go on Thursday and Friday.
 
So on Thursday I took my son with me to work for 4 hours.  It worked out ok.  He watched videos and one cat hung out on the couch with him.  The other cat, who's afraid of his shadow, dove under the bed and never came out, even to eat (cuz I feed the cats when she's away).  After we came home and ate I called the DOH and talked to the case worker about the status of my son getting into the day program.  This guy is nice but I don't think he's qualified for his job.  You see, my son needs to get a psych eval before he can get approved for the program.  Only they don't mention that until 2 months after the application is signed.  And then I find out there isn't anyone on Kauai who can do it.  We have to wait until July or August (I was told this in June) when the Dr. visits Kauai.  So then in another phone call I'm told they are trying to find funds somewhere else so my son can get in the day program until the eval is done and he's approved for funding.  And I've explained to them that if I cannot work because my son has no place to go that I don't get paid, therefore bills don't get paid, food cannot be bought, rent not paid, etc., etc.  So the outcome of Thursday's phone call is that someone will call me back that day or the next.
 
Friday we did the same thing and my son was fine for about 2.5 hours.  Then he got bored.  Only 1.5 hours to go.  So after work we came home, ate and headed for the beach.
 
Now I'm entering panic mode because no one has called me back and I only have someplace to send my son Monday thru Wednesday this week.  I don't have the $ to pay someone to stay with him while I work.  I can't leave him with a total stranger because I don't trust people.  I have to either call my parents and ask if he can visit them (BUT I DON'T KNOW FOR HOW LONG) or call my sister and ask if she can come to Kauai and help me out (BUT I DON'T KNOW FOR HOW LONG).  I would prefer he visit my parents cuz I don't really have room here for anyone.  I know my mom is going to suggest that my dad come over here.  We've done that before when the teachers went on strike but as much as I love my dad he just gets in the way.
 
So........panic mode sets in.....I hate having to ask for help because that's just the way I am.  I hate to inconvenience people and like to take care of things myself.  So I have three days to make a plan and put it in motion.........

The Cat In The Box

 
 

 

Tracking TT40.....
 
About a month ago a Hawaiian Monk Seal (an endangered species) was spotted off the coast of Kauai trailing fishing line from his mouth.  He was trapped, flown to Oahu and operated on to have the fish hook embedded in his esophagus removed.  He recovered on Oahu and was returned to Kauai and released last week at Salt Pond beach.  Some time ago (prior to his operation) a transmitter was attached to the monk seal so he could be tracked.  I believe this is the monk seal I saw a few months ago at the beach.  It's really amazing how so many people and agencies cooperated to save this guy.  Sometimes goverment does work.
 
Below is the link to track his movements around the islands of Kauai and Niihau.
 
http://www.pifsc.noaa.gov/pifsc_hot.html

Thought For The Day.....

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us."
 
 Oliver Wendell Holmes

What Next?

So.....I walk into the laundromat this afternoon and see that the price of one load of laundry has increased by 50 cents since last week.

That's right.

Laundry last week was $1.50 per load.

Laundry this week is $2.00 per load.

Add that to the $250.00 rent increase and I may be living at the beach soon........or in my car at the beach.....or in a cane field.....

And gas is $2.52 a gallon for regular pump-your-own.....

And I have nowhere to send my son this thursday or friday and I might have to take off work which means less money at the end of the month to pay that rent increase.......

are we having fun yet?

I So Rock.....

i finally got the code right and have haloscan comments back in my blog.....

when you're hot, you're hot.....

Technically Challenged.......

It's taken me awhile to figure out how to get photos in here but I finally spent some time and did it. So here's a couple photos. I have to admit I'm a little nervous about posting a photo of my son and myselt on the internet but what the heck......everyone else does it.

The monk seal photo is from February of 2003. That's taken at our favorite beach - Salt Pond. We try to get there at least once a week and we were just there on Saturday. I think we saw some of the RIMPAC exercises taking place. There were a couple military helicopters flying offshore towards Niihau and two navy ships sailing back and forth.

Today we went to Baby Beach. It must have been high tide because you couldn't even see the reef which usually sticks up out of the water. The current was super strong today and you had to fight it the whole time you were in the water. I just planted my feet in the sand and leaned against it. Kinda like leaning into the wind at the Pali Lookout.

Ugh....work tomorrow. But it pays the bills.........

on the kalalau trail...one year ago 

mom & baby monk seal at salt pond beach 

stinkerbelle is poisonous! Induce vomitting if ingested.

N POISON

Username:

From Go-Quiz.com

Eight Things In My Frig.....

-vanilla yogurt
-angelo pietro sesame miso dressing
-pepsi vanilla
-2% milk
-vanilla caramel creamer
-sliced cheddar cheese
-arizona green tea w/ ginseng & honey
-tomatoes

Five Things In My Freezer.....

-baby ruth ice cream
-michael angelo's eggplant parmesan
-country hearth 100% whole wheat bread
-hawaii's own mango/orange juice
-totino's three cheese pizza

Things I've Accomplished - Day Three.....

1. Gave myself a pedicure
2. Scrubbed the kitchen sink
3. Went to the beach

So I accomplished about 5.33 of the things on my list. Not bad. But could be better.

I did figure out how to get the links back on my blog. Next I have to work on moving the sitemeter graphic.

Back to work tomorrow. At least it's only a four day week.

PS - The ex-boyfriend just called (collect from jail - that's a buck eighty on my phone bill) to tell me that a friend of his is going to leave his red BMW in my driveway because he owes him something. Huh?

I'm like what? There's no room in my driveway. The studio couple have two cars, one of which has two flat tires, a busted rear window and doesn't run and isn't going anywhere soon. In other words it's a derelict.

So he says if I go to the stop sign at the end of the road and turn left I'll see a red BMW. I never turn left at the stop sign. I never go that way because it's just more houses and then the road gets narrower and it's all pasture land, then a resevoir and it hooks up with another main road. So anyway, this is supposed to happen on a weekend and I'm supposed to give the owner of the red BMW a ride to a boat at Nawiliwili Harbor. I'm thinking, wtf, I'm supposed to let a total stranger park his car in my driveway and give him a ride. I don't think so......

We'll see how this pans out...........

Things I've Accomplished - Day Two.....

1. Ran errands
2. Went to the beach
3. Could not find a ringtone I liked for my cell

Things I've Accomplished - Day One...

1. Changed back to the old template
2. Went to the beach today
3. Cleaned out the rain gutters

Comments on the above:

Blogger Sucks - I shouldn't complain because it's free. I'm back to using blogger comments. I installed, uninstalled and reinstalled the Haloscan comments code but it just doesn't seem to work. I give up. I've also installed, uninstalled and reinstalled the sitemeter code and that doesn't work either. What the ....? This is totally frustrating.

Got sunburnt today. Amazingly the beach was not crowded. People must be doing fourth of July stuff. Whatever that is. I'm clueless, we went to the beach.

You would not believe the stuff I got out of the rain gutters. There's an entire ecosystem up there. Dirt, moss, plants, who knows what. Actually the moss is cool but what the hell is it doing in the rain gutters? I don't have a ladder tall enough to actually see into the gutter so I was blindly grabbing stuff and pulling it out. That was scary. Considering we get centipedes in the house. I just killed a four inch one the other morning in my son's room.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's accomplishments.

PS - Wouldn't you know after I publish this post the sitemeter icon appears. Why don't they tell you that you have to publish something for it to appear......grrrrrrrrr.......

Less Than 24 Hours To A Three Day Weekend.....

My List of Things To Do This Weekend

1. Change my template back to the old one
2. Give myself a pedicure
3. Vacuum my car
4. Go to the beach at least once a day
5. Run errands
6. Clean out the rain gutters (seriously-weeds have sprouted)
7. Scrub the shower, sinks and toilet
8. Disconnect my long distance service. Need to cut expenses. Will use my cell phone for long distance calls.
9. Download a new ringtone for my cell.
10. See how many of the above I accomplish.

We got haircuts today after work and went grocery shopping. When I commented to the cashier how crowded Safeway was he said it was probably because of the strike. I had completely forgotten that Young Bros. was going on strike. Good thing I got groceries today. I may go back tomorrow.

Then I said to the cashier that shopping was bad enough on this island without a strike. And he said, yeah, the tourists should bring their own food instead of buying ours.

I totally agree with that. Because just about everything has to be barged or flown here, more often than not, the shelves are empty. Unless you get there right after the container has been unloaded.

I'll definitely be watching the 10 o'clock news to find out what's happening.