Got another cloudy day in store for us, then it’s back to sunny 70s.

Tom learned that they’ll be getting bonuses that vary between $100 - $300 a month, depending on OT. Unfortunately, he’s the most likely to do OT cuz he’s the only one who knows how to do the job he’s doing. They say, however, that they’re really going to make an effort to cut back the OT cuz everyone’s burned out and complaining. After two months of working Saturdays, we really hope he can have tomorrow off so he can bring all the damn cans to the recycling center which would practically pay for a week’s worth of groceries. Then Sunday we’re going to wash both of the big comforters, pick up Renate’s postcard, and then hopefully pick out a rat or two.

I really appreciate Renate’s daily German lessons. They’ve been helping a lot and it goes to show just how much of a passion she has for teaching since she’s doing it on her own time and without any pay. I’ve learned quite a bit these last two years, but it’s still easier to understand what I read than it is to pull things out of thin air on my own. I’m getting better at it, though, and what’s most important is that even if I’m not always 100% correct, Renate still understands what I’m saying.

But the more I work on my German, the more my Italian becomes neglected. That’s why I asked my Serbian friend to ask me questions in Italian on Ask, which I guess is her second language. My Spanish and SL would be hard to mess up because I learned so much so young. But I didn’t study Italian till 2009.

I really wish this shit with my parents’ estate and all that could be wrapped up so we could know what, if anything, to expect. I’m tired of waiting month after month, though I still think we should settle for something we don’t like that much. Not an all-out piece of shit, but I really, really do think that the more we like where we’re living the more likely something up there will be to take it away from us. After what happened in Maricopa and Oregon (despite how dangerous Maricopa became and the shitty climate in Oregon), what else am I supposed to think? Something up there does not want us in nicer, newer houses. Either way, the longer I want something that doesn’t happen month after month, the more I tend to lose interest. I’m not saying I’m giving up moving, but I’m not actively thinking and planning around it anymore either. If we find a place, fine. If we don’t, fine. There are pros and cons to both renting someone else’s place in the woods and owning our own place in the city. We could buy a comfortable enough although not very nice looking place right now. So if Tom, who’s the one who’s been looking at the daily listings, sees anything worth checking into, he’ll let me know.

I realize, though, that just because we decided to wait for a doublewide which is more expensive and bigger, that doesn’t mean it has to be “nice” or “new” or anything I’d really like that much. I don’t think it’s the amount of space that matters to whatever’s up there. All it seems to care about is that I stay the hell out of anything nice and new. Well, we could get a '70s place that’s not very nice at all but that still has adequate footage and still be “safe” from losing it. It’s just gonna take us a few more months of saving before we have enough for one of those, so I still think we’ll be here well into next spring when you add up the time it will take to save up some more money, pick out a place, and then go through all the paperwork. Like I said, I’m not going to sweat it anymore. It happens WHEN it happens IF it happens, and as always, whatever’s meant to be will be. For now, I’m going to enjoy the fact that no one lives an arm’s reach away from us.

It’s that time of morning when our provider takes it upon themselves to shut us down for a while, so I think I’ll go take my shower now. Not much else to say anyway other than that I’m pissed at myself for putting back half the weight I lost.

It was nice hearing from Alison, too. She did join this year’s NaNoWriMo after all. She might be working with the FBI full-time. I now call her Agent P, LOL.