Sunday Morning

MonsterMustDie finally made a good treasure find yesterday while we were out shopping in Greensboro. He found a George Nelson serving cart someone had just brought in. It needs a little restoration but he already knows someone he'd like to do the finishing work for him.

After that success, we swung by WholeFoods and picked up a few things to take with us when we had dinner with new friends at their house. Beautiful home, friendly pets, and brilliant children. I really like this couple and I hope we spend more time together.


It rained all day on Saturday, a cold mist, while we were out. It is forecast to be a bit on the cool side today. MonsterMustDie is now back to some of the interior projects in our house today, painting and changing fixtures in the mud room and main bathroom. I can hear him cursing from the other end of the house as I write this.
Ah, the sound of progress...

Spring Market Week

This is my first experience living in High Point during the Market. A lot of the empty, locked up store fronts, restaurants, etc. suddenly become alive. Most of them sport some sort of temporary signage - usually a giant banner or a portable sign of some sort - and are open for business. It amazes me that High Point thinks it is perfectly acceptable to exist only two weeks out of the entire year but this is exactly the case here. Showrooms are re-filled and become active all over downtown High Point, only to close down all of the storefront buildings immediately after the Market closes, staying empty and deserted until the next High Point Market.

For lack of anything else to do to make money here, I became an Uber drive last week. I only get 3 or four trips a day at best - yesterday, I had two side-by-side for people going out to eat - and I believe I will not see any more of the Uber ride business after this week. Today is the last official day of the High Point Market. My big paycheck for Market Week is $37.09, most of it going to gas.

This city and state are not working out for me. I will hang in here a while longer, now that I have gone through the work of moving all of my legal registrations here (taxes, car registration and drivers license, insurance, etc.) but I am miserable, broke, friendless and lacking even in the ability to have a space of my own at home to do things freely. I hate my fucking so-called life now.

Still the same

Today's positive notes: 

1. Everyone got home safe and sound in Connecticut after their 10-hour drive home on Monday. 

2. I went to a very enjoyable meeting this evening at The Forge in Greensboro for the Art + Tech group. The discussion this week was about "projection bombing" projector street art. Most of the tech and 3D rendering aspects of the discussion are far over my head but I still found the meetup very encouraging and inspirational. Good group of people, these creative geeks. 

Mother's surgical procedure went well but my uncle sent me photos of her under anesthesia in the hospital with the words "You should be here." No one would expect that of my brother or sister-in-law, who live only half an hour from her. I know she wants me to come back to Georgia and live with her in the retirement community flat. I know I can not do that. 

I had a job interview on Monday for a possible position at a signage company that also does fabrication. I was more-or-less told that I could expect a call back on Tuesday morning if they decide to bring me in. It's late Wednesday night now and I never heard back from them. I sent out "available for work" messages to temp agencies and have only heard back from one this week, just a phone call to touch base and let me know I am not forgotten. 

MonsterMustDie is woebegone over his taxes and dwindling finances but there is nothing I can do about that either, since I have no work coming in. 

Easter weekend

We got the kitchen and bathroom sinks functioning just in time for the arrival of our weekend visitors from New Haven CT. Time ran out on putting up the mirrored cabinet in the main bathroom so everyone had to make do without checking their look on anything larger than the small shaving mirror in the shower. Other than that, we had a lovely visit with R&R, who were contemplating the possibilities for the future, including relocating themselves and looking for work. She is losing her job as an art professor at the university. Fortunately, he is still gainfully employed at a corporate job. She is facing another round of surgery in a couple of weeks. It seems like a never-ending series of fixes to her skeletal and circulatory systems and it is getting harder  to keep calm before each surgery, anticipating the recovery period of very limited movement. Still, it is so much better not to have to face each crisis alone. We made trips to Greensboro, where we checked out the local art space at Elsewhere, and Winston-Salem, where we had some a very nice dinner together at The Honey Pot. I wanted to go back to The Forge, a maker space, and some nearby artist studios but everyone ran out of time and energy.

While we were in Greensboro on Saturday, they also introduced us to a couple of friends, Lonny and Jennifer - a very nice couple with two amazing daughters. They spent Easter with them and the girls, decorating eggs and making Easter bonnets. The Easter Bunny even made a surprise visit to them while they were there. I saw lots of pics of crafting girls and adults in paper bunny ears. One sign this is a couple I'd like to know better: at one point, Lonny wondered aloud how to make black dyed eggs and his oldest daughter said "Like your soul?" I consider that a sign they are doing it right. R&R say they are two of the most well-adjusted and smart children they have met. I'm sure they are.

It is a 10-hour drive from Connecticut to North Carolina. I think MonsterMustDie found their willingness to travel very inspiring. He started to suggest driving 5 hours to Atlanta just for the Scott Antique Show and then, rather than staying overnight or visiting with anyone, turning around and driving 5 more hours home the same day. I told him that did not seem worth the effort at all to me. I am still sad that I had no time for any social activities other than a very impromptu lunch with Chaz & Sandra last time we were in Georgia. He is welcome to only drive down to the Scott show and back on his own if he wants to. He would certainly enjoying picking and treasure-hunting around friends of his who are also dealers of Mid-Century Modern antiques. Maybe he could even bring back some plants sold by Beech Hollow Farms, who have a booth outside the Scott show sometimes. It would just kill me to be "so close, too far" again.

Meanwhile, my mother has surgery tomorrow to install an implant for her dialysis treatment. It is a very routine procedure but things are always complicated by her diabetes, anemia, and age. Every time I talk with her, all she does is cry. She is in a very dark place these days and there is nothing I can do for her. Sadly, I think she would much rather pull me down into the pit with her instead of let me try to pull her out of it.

Sometimes you just have to call in a professional.

The pedestal sink in the main bathroom is up now and the faucet appears to be working with no leaks.

However, now we have a non-functioning kitchen sink. It started when we decided to replace the broken sprayer before we had guests from Connecticut here this coming weekend. I had the sprayer in my condo sink replaced a couple of times and it seemed like a very fast, simple, cheap thing to do. I wanted to ensure there were no crazy messes if either of our guests tried to use the malfunctioning sprayer. However, everything under the sink is so old, dilapidated, and cobbled together that I just ended up turning off the water supply to the sink until we can get a plumber in. We were able to schedule a visit on Thursday – one day before our guests arrive. Hopefully, this will go smooth and quick.

I have been feeling especially sad from having no work but perhaps, just this week while things are going on at the house, it is fortunate that I can be home to deal with any contractors who need to come in.

Looking out the kitchen window

I don't see what they have to mow other than a few wild onions. That,  and they are tearing branches off of small trees instead of cutting or pruning.

another whirlwind tour

We returned home yesterday around 6:30 pm from a weekend trip to the old neighborhood, with very little notice ahead of time for planning any schedule of visits and activites. We spent the weekend staying in the old neighborhood with John & Cindi again, who are excellent hosts every time we are able to come for a visit. I had two very good dinners with them that included things I can not get at home - good Vietnamese food and Indian food. I had been craving curry this week so I was happy to go to one of our favorite Indian restaurants on Saturday night.  Sunday, we were able to have an impromptu lunch meetup with Chaz and Sandra & her mother at So Ba in EAV. I would really love to be there on a late night some time when it metamorphs into the Octopus Bar, an after-hours hangout for bar & restaurant industry employees. Kinda reminds me of how everyone would meetup at Back Street on late nights after the clubs and restaurants closed years ago.

We needed to accomplish two things on the trip: 

1. Deliver a very large piece of hard-to-ship furniture to the Atlanta showroom from his company facility in North Carolina (the main reason for the trip).

2. Visit my mother, who is in declining health.

The only thing we accomplished was the delivery. I kept the rest of our time in the city on hold, trying to schedule a visit with my mother, but she would not see me. She has no energy to do anything for herself because of a combination of kidney disease, diabetes, and anemia. She refuses to let anyone visit her at home because it is a wreck, including anyone in the family (again) who might want to help clean and maintain her home because she is so ashamed of it. The anemia leaves her so weak she doesn't want to get out of bed. So she refused to let me come to see her. After waiting all weekend to visit her and being otherwise without a car of my own (I drove MonsterMustDie's car down to meet him at  the U-Haul lot), I spent most of the weekend just hanging out and waiting on everyone else to do something.

MonsterMustDie was too exhausted to do anything after loading, driving and unloading the truck. There was one birthday party involving a group of friends I have not seen in a very long time that I wanted to join in but I could not make that happen. Everything else would have needed more long-range planning with people who have active lives in circles I am no longer a part of. And then, I have no real budget for entertainment, anyway.

I never felt so much like a ghost.

Cause for concern

... so I was talking to John tonight on the phone at the airport in Atlanta, waiting for his 10pm flight to Greensboro, and it is obvious that he is quite drunk.

I said I wanted to pick him up at the airport but he insisted he would be fine to drive home when he arrives. 

Update: Yeah. He made it home okay without having to phone me. Quite late. 

Locked doors lead to broken windows.

We had an impromptu dinner with Mr. Pitbullpotpie and a business associate last night. The forecast was for ice from the sky but we decided to make the rendevous in Greensboro anyway and I am very happy that we did. The visit and dinner at US Sushi was good and the business associate we met was a very nice guy, who we would enjoy seeing again. MonsterMustDie had dumplings and beef while I shared a sushi boat with our companions. When we returned home, he parked his car on the street just in case the driveway was iced over in the morning.

As it turned out, while there were flurries as we drove north last night, nothing else fell and there was just a light frosting on things this morning. While MonsterMustDie was getting ready for work, I heard the bell at the back door. Our neighbor across the street had walked up to let us know his car had been vandalized and broken into overnight. She had heard something in the night, around 12:30 a.m. and saw what happened. A couple of guys in a two-tone, dropped down Toyota Celica that had been checking out houses nearby and took advantage of his car parked on the street. The Drivers side window was smashed but nothing had been taken from the car. The change that was still sitting in the holder between the seats and his Ray-Ban sunglasses were untouched. There was nothing else of any value kept in the car.

So, this morning was spent waiting for Police officer and a crime scene investigator to come buy and make a report, then driving to work a few hours before taking the car into a dealership to replace the glass and make any small repairs that were necessary. This also means this will likely be a very long work day for him to catch up on all the time he missed this morning.

Someone, please give me work or send me pocket cash

I need money now for this:

 - Groceries when I want to do something creative in the kitchen on empty days.
 - Continuing my online education.
 - Taking some local studio classes to feed my head and heart.
 - Automobile Insurance policy payments. 
 - New prescription glasses.


I need money in the near future for this: 
 - Dental hygiene appointment and x-rays (maintenance). 
 - New MacBook Pro.
 - Software updates (another part of my ongoing education). 

If I had a job, I would have money. While I would like to work in my field (Graphic Design) or something related to it, I would  be happy to take a retail, general office, or customer service job. I would not have to make that much money - I would work at nearly any rate if it was close enough to home not to cost too much in wear on my car, fuel, or hours of my life lost in travel.

PayPal donations are perfectly acceptable.

This is not to say I am at all ungrateful for what I have - a place to live, online access, a car that works, my health, etc. but I need to do so much more. This would be a huge relief for MonsterMustDie, also, if I could contribute to the household or at least be more independent.

Home improvement

Pizza for dinner and a new toilet paper holder. 

MonsterMustDie is quite proud of his new Arne Jacobsen chrome toilet paper holder and we tried Lubrano's Pizza delivery for the first time tonight. 

 

They managed to fill the entire box with a square thick crusted pizza. 

 

Behold the new mid-century designer tp holder.  

Snow

Lots of white outside this morning.

Winter flowers

lost week

Between cold temps, icey driveways, icey streets and lack of work or money, I spent most of the week after my niece's wedding indoors doing nothing. The weekend that was supposed to be filled with working on the house was instead spent with one grumpy old Dutchman sitting at his computer twittering on facebook and pinterest.  The house stayed stagnant. I still have no full bathroom or large mirror for dressing in this house. Valentines day was spent with MonsterMustDie watching TV or staying on facebook. That's another week of my life I'll never get back.

This week, I had one day of temp work and one day of volunteering for Habitat for Humanity. I had two calls from companies out of town asking if I would drive 30 minutes or more to work for $10 an hour at industrial sites. One was at a place that required me to regularly lift 50 lbs or "just a case of paper" on a regular basis. I have tried to raise my base salary requirements for something not so pathetic when I am required to drive more than 30 minutes and do physical labor that I am too small to do. I am not an athlete. I will do anything within my physical capacity even if it is outside my job description with no worries. If I am adequately compensated, I will drive any reasonable distance to work anywhere in this area. Otherwise, I actually lose money on fuel and wear on my car at the end of the day. Every job and location has a negotiable payscale.

It looks like I'll be doing the one-day volunteer and one-day work schedule for a while but I could always be wrong and pleasantly surprised by an opportunity close to home doing what I do best.

Some progress on the house was made this weekend. Yesterday was dedicated to painting one wall of the den.



Also, as a make-up for last weekend, MonsterMustDie bought flowers - something he never does - and made a nice arrangement for the mantel in the living room, which has an overall Japanese modern theme.