Estoy Nueces

I get really tired of this feeling of doom that creeps over me. I am usually pretty aware of what sets it off (nothing!), but that doesn't mean it keeps it in check. The feeling was spurred last night by the dryer going out again. It went out last Friday night and I got a repairman through our warranty to come fix it on Monday. He said that the major problem was the venting of the dryer and we needed to fix that before we used it. Mark worked very hard on Tuesday to clean out the vent (which is a stupid long pipe up to the roof) and move the dryer and washer into new positions so that they don't have so far to vent. Then we used the dryer and after three loads, it blew the fuse again. The feeling of dread comes with the repairman being a bit snotty about the vent and the home warranty people saying that the guarantee doesn't cover venting issues. Okay, I can understand that, but if this has worked okay for seven years in the bad spot and it can't maintain the dryer for THREE loads when it has been cleaned out and re-vented, I think there is more of a problem than just the vent causing it to re-heat. So he's coming back on Monday and I am frustrated.

Oh, but that is so much more a minor issue than my dad's cancer treatment. It was supposed to start today, but yesterday they told them there was another delay. So frustrating. Daddy wants to get this STARTED. This is at least the second or third delay. We want them to do it right, but we want to get this over with. My sister burst into tears when they told her. My nephew graduates from high school nine weeks from tomorrrow and our fear is that Daddy will be too sick to be there. That will be sad for everyone if he can't be there at the biggest event for our family for this year.

I had this feeling of doom a lot earlier this week when I was asked to sign a contract for an endorsement I'm going to do for a new client. I just didn't like what it had in there. I'm willing to do their commercials, but the contract said that they could use my likeness and my words anywhere they chose in perpetuity. I know it is highly unlikely that they would, but I just don't want it saying that. I stewed for a bit and then told the salesperson and all was well. She simply said to amend it to my liking, sign it and they would send it back to them. So I did and I doubt if it causes a problem. If it does, I won't do it.

I can't believe I haven't written in almost a week. All SXSW post-exhaustion. Mark is sick and worn out from his hard week. He's still working hard this week, but at least in daylight hours. I had a long weekend driving in the rain to Tyler for his grandmother's birthday party. It was a wonderful trip and fun to stay with the in-laws for a night and see a lot of the family that I hadn't seen in years and years, but my eyes sure were tired from the long drive. And, being gone all weekend means there is still so much to do around the house. And having the dryer out doesn't help matters.

I do feel like I'm catching up at work, but the station in Virginia is still a chore. I don't know if or when it will get easy. I haven't started the features I promised the guy and I don't want to now. One that I promised especially doesn't seem like it will work. It would require a little input from listeners and I've been on there a month and haven't received a single email so I don't think the listenership is there at all. I need to develop something else that doesn't involve listeners directly.

Funny experience Monday on the air. I was talking about my trip to Tyler and the birthday party and I get an email from a guy that says, "Uh... MY aunt had a 97th birthday party in Tyler yesterday. Could this be the same woman?" I knew who he was because I had talked to his parents at the party, but he didn't know he'd been listening to his cousin's wife for years on the radio. That would be pretty bizarre to hear something about your own family out of the blue on the radio.

I would like to write and write, because I am in that mood, but I need to clean up and eat something and get to work.