Saturday, May. 03, 2008 12:43 pm
Another long catch-up
This week really flew by and was too busy. I had seriously considered being in Mount Pleasant today for Decoration Day, but decided yesterday that my voice wasn't ready for that much talking. It is improving every day, but it is still high and weird and it sounds like I have laryngitis and like it hurts. It doesn't really hurt, but it does get kind of tired.
Sunday Mark and I went to the shoe store and got him some new work shoes and me some cute new fun shoes. I got a purse and some fat jeans, too. I need to get me some new shorts or lighter pants, too. The weather is getting too hot for jeans. It will be a long hot summer--especially if I stay this fat!
Monday I went to the east side and had a ball. Lots of friends were there and it was a very exceptionally good night.
Tuesday I had dinner with John Michael and Kyle to talk about "the Kyle project." I guess I'm committed now (sort of?) to helping him get this new record on the radio. I hope I can help them. My fantasy is that, as hard as this is to do to get started, I'll love it and love making the calls and sending the emails and developing relationships with these radio people and I will develop this business. Just a few clients at a time and I could make a wonderful little living. And, like they said, when you compare me to the four or five people that do this badly and the one or two that do it well but are outrageously expensive, I could find a niche here like Jenni has. And I wouldn't be competing with her since she does Americana. It is interesting. Today I really plan to look at this a little harder.
Wednesday I went to see Matt and make eyes at him. He is so sweet. A little self-absorbed, but aren't they all . . . Brandon Rhyder headlined and was good, but I didn't stay for it all. Sweet to see his little boy.
Speaking of self-absorbed, I had a good phone conversation with Davis yesterday. Mark had suggested I ask him some questions about his days of booking Seth. He said being a booking agent is good because you do have a concrete written agreement for money and time. If he doesn't work, he doesn't make money. There just wasn't enough work, really, but he agreed with the assessment of musicians being self-absorbed. Always get it in writing, he advised, which is good advice, always.
I didn't get to enjoy American Idol as much as a I wanted to. Mark made me fast forward through a lot of it and we missed Paula being weird and talking about "your second song" when Jason hadn't sung a second song yet. I was very glad to see Brooke go away though. I had liked her at some points, but she really got on my nerves these last few weeks.
Thursday I did my thing at the Grove and loved it. Jason Eady opened and really commanded that crowd by himself. I like him a lot, musically and personally. But he is moving to England in September so we need to get him again before then. The Jug Band was stellar, too. I hadn't seen a full show from them in a long time (ever?) and they really have lots of variety and interest. A couple of times I got a little bit bored, but overall is was great.
Got home after the Grove and did two reports for Dr. S. I didn't notice the second one in the email right off, so I messed around and was up really late getting them finished.
Finally Friday. I slept super late and then saw another report from Dr. S. It could have waited until Monday, but it was a hospital one so I wanted to get it back to them in case they could turn it in (or whatever the right term would be). I stopped at Maria's Taco Express on the way to work. I was disappointed. I really just wanted a couple of tacos, but didn't see it the way I wanted on the menu so I got a "dinner." It was three crispy tacos, but by the time I got to M&M's and got to it, the bottoms of the crispy tacos had melted and dissolved. So as I picked them up I ended up having two halves of a crisp tortilla with some cheese gluing it together and a lot of meat in the bottom of the container. There needs to be a new invention to make a taco stay together. So I shoveled in that meal and finally got to working about 1:45.
M&M was gone and didn't call too many times so I was able to get some real work done, but I felt like I was on a sprint. I stayed late to avoid the traffic, but still got stuck in a lot of it.
Oh, and her air conditioner was leaking water from the ceiling and making a puddle near the kitchen. Fortunately, I discovered it and got a towel and bucket. I thought it was a bathtub overflowing at first and that would have really been scary.
So glad to be home on Friday night. I wish I had been home early enough to take a nap, but I had to go by the grocery. Came home and actually made a meal, too. Watched some TV and finished the book "The Corrections." Then we ate some ice cream with fruit. Nice night.
Today I am procrastinating on getting something done. But I'm also telling myself that this is my day off and I can do whatever I want and it isn't procrastinating. Nice thought, but Mark's Mom and Les may come down on Monday. He's had another "setback" she said and they had a scan yesterday, but apparently that isn't stopping them from traveling and they've already left to go stay at his son's for a couple of nights and then down here for a couple more. My older nephew wanted to come Monday and I'm much rather have him, but I'll have to tell him to delay it. Shoot.
We got our tax refund in the bank today. Hooray. It's just a little, but it will help. The big incentive thing that the government is handing out (ha) should be here by May 16. That will help out a lot. I did get a full unemployment check this week, but I think it was probably the last full one. The next one might be $100. Unless they've made the term longer, but I think it is still just 6 months. I only have four more payments on my car and then it is paid for. It will be nice to have that paid for and over. Mark's will be another six months behind that. And we are in Mark's busiest time of year, so he's bringing home good paychecks right now.
I do have another job opportunity that I hope develops next month and that may make everything work well. I ran into a woman I knew from radio days that works with the Texas wineries. She has an opportunity for me to work 20 hours a week at home on my own schedule inputting data into spreadsheets. She says it is really boring, but it sounds right up my alley and I think I'd like it. Especially if it added 20 hours of pay to my week without having to schlep plates to a table! That, plus the man I've talked with about more medical transcription work has emailed again to say "Please continue to be patient, I haven't forgotten you." That is nice to get that. If both of those, or either, comes along, I think we'll be okay. Well, we'll be okay no matter what. We'd just have to downsize or sell something or get a roommate or something, but I know we'd survive and make it work.