Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Stuck in Scrubbing Mode

I'm tackling all those big chores that have piled up. To be honest at the end of the day I just can't think of anything to write. Work, come home and scrub, or, wake up then scrub and then get ready for work. They wanted me to work a sixth day again this week and I asked them to please find someone else. I'm exhausted.

Today is closet scrubbing day. It's really gross but mold collects along one wall of our closet. I removed all the clothes the other day. In a few minutes I will scrub the entire closet clean. Tomorrow I will wash the clothes and put them back when everything is dry. This is one of the big annoying chores that I put off for too long. I did convince my husband to get rid of a lot of clothing, so there will be a lot less to put back. I got rid of a huge pile of shirts and skirts that I haven't worn in a long time too.

We made forty dollars by recycling some aluminum that had been taking up space in our garage. We still have a few more bags as we couldn't fit everything into the car. Next time we drive that way we can make another ten to twenty dollars.

In the midst of my cleaning a few days ago I received a phone call from an old friend. She had called me the month before to offer me a part time job in the store where she works. It is in the next county so I declined for the time being but I did consider moving and working there if my husband could find employment. She called me this time to vent her frustrations because she just found out her store will be closing and April will be her last month. She told me it was the hardest thing to gather her employees and tell them they would not have jobs after April. It's still very difficult to find employment here. I'm glad I didn't rush to move now. I'm saving for a bigger move this Spring or Summer. I still have no idea where, but not knowing is half the fun.

On technical notes, there is a lot I need to learn about blogging. I plan to get the pesky household chores out of the way, so I don't think about them all the time. I must quiet my guilt over the extreme dust in the bookshelves, the stained carpeting, and the pile of laundry. I want to fix the blog, learn a bit more about how to do things properly, and buy a camera that will work well with it so I can glam it up a bit. To be honest, I just slapped it together without learning much and ran with it. I hear others are patient and have a cue of articles waiting so they never have a long silence. I want to put more into it. I enjoy being here.

Now your turn. What big projects are you working on? And, are jobs still just as hard to find in your area?

8 comments:

  1. WP: So many days of mine are spent in the small chores, the little projects. It has been a long winter here and that has sapped my focus.

    Re: jobs. "They" say times are getting better, but don't believe it. Even with the lower unemployment rate in the state, this county has a lot of hard times. We had a court mediation last week where one of the two parties broke down crying at the end, saying she has been looking for work for almost 2 years--has worked since she was 16 (now probably about 30), applies and applies everywhere, and just cannot find work. It hurt.

    Then, even if you are working, try to stay even in this economy. I stopped at the grocery this morning for a couple "must have" items--oatmeal (old-fashioned rolled oats, not pre-packaged instant or flavored). The store brand, cheapest anywhere in the area, had taken a $1 jump since January. (Actually, $1.20 jump.) So has everything else that I consider staples foods--eggs, bread, milk. I closed my eyes and thought "how are some people affording to eat?" The answer is, of course, they're not. That's why our food bank is seeing record numbers.

    Sorry--a sermon to one who knows it and could preach it better than me. I am just feeling particularly stressed over the lay of the land.

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  2. Funny, but winters bring me down too. I cleaned the kitchen on Saturday. Even the stove. Not my favorite job. But its done now.
    Gonna move on to dusting all the bookcases soon. Also working on adding to the pantry since the food prices are going up,up,up. Also getting water saved too. Just in case of emergency.

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  3. All you frenzied cleaning people COME ON OVER! I am so involved with blogs and blogging and whatever that cleaning is the least of my concerns. Good thing my husband is not picky and the Health Department is somewhere else! ha

    Here's some advice from one who sees the tail end of the life cycle inching ever closer: DO WHAT MAKES YOUR HEART SING. If it's cleaning, that's cool. If it's spending time daydreaming or cooking or mulling over old love letters, that's great, too.

    Life is entirely too short. Cram in as much as you are able that gives you joy and leaves your spirit feeling clean. A clean spirit beats a clean house hands down, imho.

    I love coming by here. Your posts and those who take the time to comment give me hope for the next generation and the world. You are a very special bunch, and iamtheworkingpoor, you are the Leader of the Pack!

    Love
    Mother Connie

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  4. I am an underemployed teacher who has been searching for a teaching job for 2 years. I am currently in an aide position but now have heard inklings that even that job may be cut for next school year. I have sent out many, many applications. I have had interviews but no job. And even no follow up after the interview, not even to return my calls. I am in MN which is supposed to be doing better than the national on unemployment. I am also in my 50s, which does not help me. But unfortunately I cannot fix that. Barb

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  5. I'm in the Northeast and the economy seems to be booming for all of those who have kept their jobs. I ride by the mall and by restaurants and they are crowded. All of my friends have good jobs & doing extremely well. I, on the other hand, am unemployed and have not been able to find a job over the last 6 months. I do feel like the odd man out. I worry about my prospects as I am 53 years old & there is a lot of age discrimination. The only thing I have going for me is that I have always lived frugally and don't have any bills. My friends kids who have graduated from college with degrees such as business, nursing, IT have all found jobs. However, jobs are extremely hard to come by if you are over 50!

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  6. I live in Arkansas and jobs are scarce here but that's always been a problem for this state. My parents moved to California in the fifties just so they could work. The job situation hasn't improved much since then.
    As for big projects, the biggest one is trying to keep my mouth shut and not tell manangement where to go and how to get there. I worked for a company for over twenty years, then they got taken over by a much bigger company. The bigger company hasn't treated us any better than the old one. I'd be making roughly $5000 more a year IF I'd been getting the raises and bonuses I deserved. I have to keep reminding myself that I'm not the only one who's been screwed over and that jobs are scarce, especially for those in my age group. So I've tied a knot in the end of the rope and I'm hanging on with all my might.

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  7. In Illinois where I live things are pretty bad. We lost our construction business two years ago (along with around 80% of our competition) and have no immediate job prospects. Actually, a big worry for me is my teenagers and their friends. They came of legal working age just as the crisis hit and they are looking at a future that is much more bleak than ours in that they don't have the opportunity to gain either experience or skills on the job which would serve to gradually make them viably competitive in the workforce. BUt most of all, many cannot afford college without working as
    well and so are opting out of that until they find work. It's no win all around.

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  8. April, I wish I had small projects instead of monstrously huge projects. Grocery prices rise every week. I give a lot of refunds at the counter because we can't keep up with changing all the shelf tags with the new prices.

    Anonymous #1, I'm still not done with all the bookcases, what a job!

    But Connie, it has piled up too much. I have to clean up. :(

    Barb, I see more age discrimination every week. Big corporations seem to be getting by with a lot of wrong during this recession.

    Modadesign2, I'm glad you had the frugal skills to survive. Hopefully things will improve...

    Catseye, We are all shutting up and putting up with unfair practices at work now. I can't wait until we can stop saying, "I'm grateful to have a job." repeatedly.

    Linda, seems it's a grim situation everywhere.

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