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When all else fails, post LOL pets, right? Not much going on. It's been raining pretty steadily all week, which of course I love. Unfortunately I'm a bit under the weather (pun intended). Went home sick on Tuesday and stayed home yesterday. It's not the flu, but my head just feels really full and heavy, so it's probably a sinus thing. Here's hoping I don't need to go to the doctor. I couldn't even play on the computer yesterday due to my headache, and I spent the entire day half asleep on the couch, under a blanket, with LOCI on in the background. I managed to keep one eye open for that. I couldn't even summon the energy to shower, which is so not like me, b/c I HAVE to shower EVERY DAY, sick or not. I can't remember the last time I went a day w/o showering.

As most of you know, I changed my blog URL to reflect the Tahoma Beadworks name. When I first started my blog (thanks to Val's encouragement), I intended to post Vincent D'Onofrio stuff. I couldn't think of a good blog URL at the time, so I went with 'beadsandvincent'. Then after I saw the fantastic job that all the other Vincent bloggers do, I decided to bow out of the Vincent genre, in deference to those better skilled in that area, and just focus on miscellaneous stuff instead. Still haven't registered with the State of Washington yet but I'm gonna.

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Unfortunately when I changed my URL, I lost my entire blog roll, so I had to rebuild it. I've been into clicking "Next Blog" and seeing what else is out there. I've added a few blogs to my list, on the right side of the screen. I apologize if I've left anyone out. Since Axe's blog is currently closed to all readers, I can't link her till she reopens it to everyone. Axe, honey if you read this, that's why your blog isn't in my current list. For some reason, the paragraph breaks aren't showing up, hence the lines between paragraphs. Urgh.

Work's going OK but I don't think we're getting Martin Luther King Jr. day off this year. This is the only place I've worked where we don't get that day off. Last year I literally shamed my boss into getting the day off: "You call yourself a 60's radical hippie, who went to the University of Michigan AND we have our first black President!! What would Dr. King say??? FOR SHAME, Steve......for shame." Unfortunately, we have a Brief due at the Court of Appeals by next Wednesday or else face $150.00 in sanctions, so it looks like I'll be working on Monday, even though the Courts are closed.

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Brian is going to be doing some contract work for an IME (independent medical exam) panel in Federal Way, called MES. They will email him the medical info and he will provide a report. This way he gets to work from home, so that reduces his anxiety substantially. It's $20 per report, and he'll be treated as an independent contractor. So that means I'll have to talk to our CPA about what that means for Federal Income Tax and Social Security/Medicare withholdings. MES has told Brian that he is the first person in line for their next opening. Unfortunately we don't know if or when that will be. Still, "any port in a storm", right? Even if he only nets a couple hundred dollars a month after I factor in taxes, at least that will cover a few bills.

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Meanwhile the State has yet to make a decision as to further unemployment benefits. When he reapplied in November, they said it could take 6-8 weeks to make a decision. Well it's over 8 weeks and things are getting really tight. It's really pissing me off. But of course the State is understaffed and buried in paperwork, and let's face it, State employees are neither efficient or fast. He's afraid to call b/c he's afraid that his claim will get moved to the bottom of the pile again.

I am on the fence about going back east. I skipped last year and I don't think I can get away with skipping this year too, but truth be told, it's a trip that I just do not enjoy. Air travel is so unpleasant, and I am 100% against these full body scanners. I don't care whether or not my face is shown, I don't want strangers looking at my naked body. They say that the scanned picture is automatically replaced by the person behind you, but how does that explain the copious quantity of airport-scanned images on the internet? And how does that apply to child porn laws? I saw some of the scanned pictures and they show EVERYTHING. What about a woman who has her period and has to wear a pad or tampon? Are they going to pull her aside and force her to strip in the bathroom? It's just bullshit. The terrorists have won. This is exactly the kind of kneejerk reaction they want from us.

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The flight to the Cape is long and arduous. I just hate it. I have to go red eye to Boston, and no one will pick me up at Logan, so that means a one hour wait for the damn bus to the Cape, and another 2 hours on the bus b/c of traffic and all the stops along the way. I get there and am exhausted, but it's mid-morning and I can't sleep. The trip home to Washington is even worse b/c the plane fights the headwind the entire way. Last time I went, in 2008, I passed out on the ride home b/c I was extremely sick w/ a fever and terrible cold/flu. It was a 6.5 hour flight back from Boston and I knew I was going to pass out about halfway thru the flight.

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Then let's not forget being on the Cape itself. There is NOTHING to do. How many more pictures of Sandy Neck, Spring Hill and the Canal can I take? How much more beachcombing on those beaches can I do? Not much, lemme tell you. So I end up sitting around in my mom's house, (which is cranked up to 75 or more b/c she's always 'cold'), with a fan on my lap, trying not to die from the heat. And the TV is cranked up to 11 WITH the closed captioning on. There is barely a cell signal at her house, much less any wireless signals, so I can't even take my laptop. I end up going to the library every single day to check in. I loathe going to Hyannis too. Any place I want to go, I can't go b/c my mom just can't do a lot of walking, so that means I can't even go up to Provincetown to spend the day.

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Being back east just sucks. I hate it there. I am glad that I grew up on the Cape when I did, but it's not 'home' and I don't enjoy being there at all. At least my cousin Sharon is there now, and I have reconnected w/ lots of old friends thanks to Facebook. I really can't afford to go first class, and I just cannot tough it out in coach with the plebes anymore. It's too uncomfortable for too long a trip. And with Brian's mental and emotional state of mind, I truly do not think I can leave him alone for too long. Not that I think he'd do something to himself, because he wouldn't, but he just cannot function normally right now and I would be stressed out the entire time I was away from home.

Not too much else going on around here at all. I have decided to go to the Palmer Wirfs Antique Show at the Puyallup Fairgrounds the weekend of Jan. 23. I haven't been to the antique show in about 2 years and I just love going. Even if I don't buy anything, I just like looking at all the cool things. It's like going to a museum of Americana.

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I spent a good portion of my Xmas bonus and Xmas money on ebay, and am clinging to the rest of it in case we owe any income taxes. The only saving grace, tax-wise, is that the first $2,500 of unemployment is not taxed, he hasn't collected any benefits since September, and I purposely have more income taxes taken out of my paycheck, even though the withholding schedules have decreased, to make up the taxes on the unemployment. Meanwhile our gas prices are still going up and up for some unknown reason. And we still don't have medical insurance for Brian either, so he's been unable to find a decent psychiatrist who is taking new patients on a sliding scale. Such is life.

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Anyways.......

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"Remember, I'm pullin' for ya; we're all in this together!"

Red Green