Who's On First?

Linde Gas has been tinkering with helium allocations for six weeks and it is an abomination before God and man and it needs to stop. I've been hearing about it for weeks now and it's not getting any better. In fact, it might be worse. It is worse. Because it is longer since it worked and there is no solution in sight.

I have had no electricity outside the house for six months. I was not aware of this. But as an aside this morning, I was informed that when the workers come to install a wall, they cannot use the outside electrical boxes because they don't work and they haven't since there was some snafu with the Christmas lights.

The person who is bitterly complaining about the first item is the same person who knew about the electric problem and successfully ignored it for more than six months.

I will never come first.

Right now I think I'm third. First is work, second is golf, and then me. So after retirement, I will move into second place.

Every night I patiently listen to what went wrong at the "nut factory" today. Every day lots of things go wrong at the nut factory. He hates his job. He has hated this job for most of the 27 years he has worked at it. And I've heard about quite of bit of the trials and tribulations involved in supporting a family.

When I loved my job and he hated his job it was horrible. It was a glaring difference. So we moved so I would have to give up that job. When we both hated our jobs I was not being supportive in his loathing being too busy loathing myself. I managed to escape to another job.

I opted to return to school and get a second degree and then amazingly enough managed to capture another job I loved. We moved again. The job is gone. I've tried a couple jobs since I've been here and they were both horrid AND low paying. I am now unemployed. But I should get a job because it will help us save money for retirement and make sure we have enough money to be able to play a lot of golf. I don't golf, but I should. If I tried really hard, I might learn to at least tolerate it.

I don't know what I have done or failed to do that puts me so low on the list of priorities. I do get asked every night how my day went. I could speak in tongues or tell of being captured by aliens and get no response. All the question means is "talk fast so I can tell you about my horrible day."

Even if I was treated as a valued business asset it would be preferable. I'm not even that. My house can be falling apart around my ears and nothing is done. Later. We will get to that later. The lawn is mowed and the house is clean. All the cosmetic stuff is done. But the stuff that makes a house livable? Don't worry my pretty little head.

It's been a week since the air conditioner died. But since I am the one who noticed it, I am the one taking care of it and it is being attended to as quickly as possible. The part is on order and will definitely be here by Monday but hopefully we can get it fixed today.

I have no idea when the electrical outlets will be fixed. I guess now that I know about it, it will be up to me to take care of. He is busy with work and can't be expected to deal with home maintenance. How do we have two sons who learned to fix things? Men who know how to take care of their homes? It wasn't by example.

My dad the drunk could manage to care for the house. He made absolutely sure before he became ill that the house was fixed up as much as humanly possible. But perhaps he felt that his wife was worth the effort.

Apparently, I'm not.