HOW TO GAMBLE A DOLLAR AWAY

This October 11th, my hubby and I will be married 3 years. This November 11th will mark the three year anniversary of having our house robbed while we slept.

J.D.H is a meth addict who lived in our neighborhood. To support his habit, he started breaking into houses while people slept and took anything he could pawn quickly or trade for drugs. He hit our house one month after we were married.

We had just finished moving the last of my things out of my old apartment at the end of October. We were in the process of combining our households. Going through boxes and cupboards, getting rid of duplicate items and returning wedding gifts we did not need.

The morning of November 12th I woke up early. I was headed across town for an insurance training meeting and had to beat traffic. The house seemed amazingly cold as I left the bedroom. When I stumbled into the bathroom and turned on the water, I noticed that my shampoo and conditioner were missing. Not awake enough to process the situation, I stuck my head back into the bedroom to ask my husband if he had moved them.

ME: Honey, have you seen my shampoo and conditioner?
DH: *mmgrndghm*
ME: Honey?
DH: In the bathroom.
ME: No. They aren't there. Did you move them?
DH: Why would I move your shampoo and conditioner?
ME: I don't know, but I need to find them. I am going to be late.
DH: (annoyed at getting up early) Oh fine, I'll help you look. Geez, what do you think happened to them? Someone broke into the house in the middle of the night and stole your shampoo and conditioner?!?

Apparently the answer to that is yes.

DH came out into the kitchen to make coffee. I followed. It was one of those slow motion moments where you take in one thing at a time and they start to add up to a BIG problem.

Patio door--wide open. Cell phones--missing. DVD/CD shelf--empty. Wedding presents by front door to return--gone. Home Electronics--lots of wires, no electronics.

DH: Holy shit! We have been robbed.
ME: instant tears

We called the police. They dusted for prints. They told us not to count on seeing our stuff again.

About three months later, after the insurance settlement and much reinforcement of the doors and windows; I got a call from a nice detective with the Portland Police Department. Would I mind very much coming down to the SE Precinct to identify some property that they believed was mine?

Turns out J.D.H had hit several other houses in his neighborhood. He thought the cops were getting wise to him, so he was going to 'throw them off'. He kicked down his own front door, trashed the place and then went to borrow the phone of the neighbor across the street. Who had watched him kick down the door. And was also a County Corrections Officer.

They both waited for the police to arrive. Who dusted J.D.H's house for prints and took a report. The Corrections Officer told them in private what he saw. The police went back to run the prints and were none too surprised when the prints they took from J.D.H's house matched all the other break-ins. They were even less surprised when the prints they took from J.D.H (to exclude his prints from the others that should NOT have been in the house) matched all the other break ins. They WERE surprised to find J.D.H still at the same address two weeks later when they went back to arrest him.

He was convicted of several burglaries and is serving a 72 month sentence in the Snake River Correctional Facility in Ontario, Oregon. He is to pay restitution to each of his victims. Money I honestly never planned on seeing!

Yesterday we got a check from the State of Oregon.

For ONE Dollar! One!!! $1.00!!!

I laughed so hard I had to hold onto the wall to keep from falling over.

ONE DOLLAR!!! HA!

I can't imagine that it cost any less than 60 or 70 bucks to send the thing out. By the time it was processed, printed and mailed.

So what to do with my dollar? I do believe that I might frame it. For posterity.

Or I could gamble with it. I heard the most interesting report on the radio yesterday about how the brain responds to framing. (And not the kind I might put my check in.)

British researchers gave 100 people the equivalent of $100 U.S.. They were divided into two groups of 50. Each group was told that they could keep ALL the money if they wanted, but that they would have to use it to gamble. They risked loosing it all if they did so.

However, one group was told that if they KEPT the money they could only keep 40% of it and have to return the rest. In that group 32% of them elected to gamble. The rest gave their $60 back to the researchers. In the second group they were told that if they didn't gamble, they would loose 60% of their money. In that group 78% elected to gamble.

Both groups were allowed to keep the same amount of money if they didn't gamble. However, the group that was the most likely to gamble was the group that perceived keeping the money as a bigger risk because they could LOOSE 60% of their $100, rather than KEEP 40% of $100.

Funny how the brain works. Either way, I know that $1.00 is about 1/2500 of the money that we are out from our little friend J.D.H. I guess he has a few more license plates to make!

***Edit*** Hubby wasn't keen on having the perps name in my blog. Thought the guy might get ticked and come back to make us miserable again when he gets out. So it's initials only for our friend the home invader.

THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL

In my profile you can see that the past year has been, ummmm, interesting. However, I am relieved to say that one of the things on my list is about to drop off.

I left my last job because of sexual harassment, gender discrimination and retaliatory behavior (Okay, so that is the States terminology. Mine is briefer. My employers were jerks.) in the workplace. About a month ago I found out that the State of Oregon sided with me and agreed that my former employer was in the wrong and therefore owed me compensation.

Keep in mind that when I filed the complaint that I never intended to file a lawsuit or to collect anything. I just wanted to prove that I was NOT in the wrong and more importantly, to ensure that there was a record of their behavior so that if it continued in the future, others would not have to endure it as long as I did.

However, the State was insistent that I was owed compensation. So I threw out a number and the battle was on. I apparently should have offered a higher number to start with! They came back with less than half of my original offer. (Which I should mention, was less than the value of my used car. Not asking for a lot here, just enough to cover lost wages when I had to quit) I originally intended to hold out. My hubby was insistent that we hold out. He thought that I was more than reasonable in my request.

However, I couldn't deal with it anymore. Hubby understood and we agreed to the counter offer. Contingent on us having the check by the end of the month.

I pick up my check on Thursday. And then it is over.

Thank God.

WHAT? WHERE AM I? IS IT ONLY MONDAY?

WHAT? WHERE AM I? IS IT ONLY MONDAY?


My poor hubby had a very bad day at work yesterday. He is a mechanic and had a massive malfunction with an engine. A malfunction that will take him a free days labor to fix. He was not happy. He was also very tired, so he was in bed by 7pm.

I stayed up to finish some reports for work, talk to a couple of girlfriends and coordinate my bosses 50th birthday party with a coworker. By 10 I was all cuddled up on the couch with one of the kitties and my favorite tv watching blanket. I had a feeling that I would probably fall asleep on the couch, which I hate to do when my hubby is already in bed, but the blanket was warm, the kitty was snuggly and I thought, "Just til the weather comes on the 10 o'clock news".

Three hours later.....I woke up to an infomercial and no more kitty. She had apparently headed to a real bed and was curled up with my honey.

You ever wake up and for a few minutes are not sure which end is up? I couldn't remember why I was on the couch, why the tv was on and quite frankly if it was am or pm. I decided on pm since it was obviously dark outside. Then my foggy brain decided it was Saturday and thank goodness I didn't have to get up in the morning. I could sleep in!

Somewhere between couch and bed I recalled that it was only MONDAY and that I had a 7am meeting on Tuesday morning. Which was really now TODAY and that I had to be up in 4 HOURS!!! This necessitated finding my cell phone (which doubles as the alarm clock when I have to get up before hubby), setting it (questionable, given my level of braindeadness) and plugging it in on my side of the bed. In the dark.

I always find it great fun to plug things into electrical outlets in the dark. I think it could only be improved by standing in a bucket of water. That way I could really light up the room!

Fortunately I found the plug without further problem and did not jolt myself awake. And the alarm actually went of at 5:30 so I could get up and out the door by 6:15 to drive to Vancouver.
Now I am back home in my sweats. I really need to go into the office today, but getting dressed up is really unappealing. I could get away with it tomorrow. My boss will be gone for the week, and when she is gone the dress code goes out the window.

I suppose I should be a responsible adult and go work for a few hours. In 'professional' attire at that.

I just wish I hadn't thought it was Saturday last night/early this morning. My brain is having a hard time with the idea that there are 4 more days of work this week.

Oh well. Off to be professional. And tired. I think Starbucks might be in order today.

ISSUES

I don't know why, but the post below is having HTML issues and looks all funky. I am not tech savy on the average day, and sooo much less after driving all afternoon and a belly full of yummy burger and fries. Just ignore the non-prettiness of the whole thing! =)

Thanks!!!

A LITTLE ROAD TRIP

The hubby and I just walked back in the door from a little trip north for the afternoon. I have been doing a lot of work in a little town called Clatskanie. It is on the Columbia River, about an hour north of Portland.

I am in love with this little town.

Hubby wanted to see the place, since every time I come back from there I am even more in love with it. So we drove up Hwy 30 to Clatskanie and spent the afternoon driving around, looking at houses, parks, the river, things to do, etc.

Then we had dinner at Colvin's Pub & Grill. I have eaten there the last two times I have been up for business and have yet to be disappointed. Such good food! Hubby had the Garlic Mushroom Swiss Burger and I had a Bacon Cheddar Burger. Both soooo good. And HUGE! I couldn't finish.

Needless to say, even without the amazing burgers, hubby likes the place too. Close enough to Portland we can zip down I-5 whenever we want, REALLY close to my Grandma, close enough to Longview/Kelso, WA that he would have plenty of work options and I can do my insurance sales anywhere in Oregon and Washington.

He was so funny though when we were driving around looking at the town. It is a small town (pop. 1850), so when you roll through town with your windows down everyone waves, nods or says hi. At first he thought they were clients of mine. Then he realized that small town life is a lot friendlier than the city. He grew up in St. Louis, MO; so Portland is small to him. I however grew up in rural Eastern Oregon. You wave at everyone. Weather you know them or not!

I love it!

THE PLANET FORMERLY KNOWN AS PLUTO, GRANT OPENINGS & THE GREAT MEAT CRISIS OF 2006

None of these things is important. All of them are silly. And I have nothing better to say today.

By now you have to have heard that the planet Pluto is no longer a planet. It has been downgraded to a Dwarf Planet. It will not be recognized with the other planets. Now as a kid, I always felt kinda bad for poor Pluto. He was so tiny and lived so far away from all the other planets. I really felt like he got the short end of the stick. Now, after all these years, we find out that poor Pluto was apparently having an identity crisis and he was never a planet to start with.

Seriously, this is the top news of the day?!? With all that is going on in the world, we are concerned about weather or not a rock, that is too far away to visit is a Big Real Planet (BRP) or a Tiny Pretend Planet (TPP)?!?!?!! Insanity.

As for the "Grant Opening", I wish I had my camera with me today. On the way home I saw that a new store had opened in my hood. It used to be a Jewelry Appraisal School (Yeah, totally a demand for that!) and then the building sat empty for years. Now it has been reborn as Spotlight Vintage Furniture (read: Grandma's davenport and stereo cabinet that Goodwill didn't want).

Today was apparently their Grand Opening. They made a large, hand printed sign to hang in their front window. It was well done. Even letter height. Straight rows of printing. Excellent penmanship. However, this new business decided that rather than have a Grand Opening, they should have a "Grant Opening". Who knows, maybe they got a Small Business Grant and they were opening it today? Just a thought. Still wish I had a picture.

Finally, the Great Meat Crisis of 06. My best girlfriend and I participate in a kind of food co-op. We pay $50 a couple of times a month for about $800 in food. The trade off is that we don't get any say in what food is there. And sometimes the packaging is maimed and the pull date is yesterday. But at least you know what you are eating for dinner that night!

Today we had food. Her husband picked up and I met him at their house to sort. There were two bags of meat product. A frozen turkey breast and a frozen bag of chicken legs and thighs. Their fridge was stuffed full, so I offered to take the meat to my house, defrost it overnight and then portion it out in the morning. So I did. My girlfriend, who is working tonight, sends her husband over to pick the meat back up because she doesn't want it to get too defrosted cause then she can't freeze it and will have to cook it all right NOW.

?????????

I finally call her at work and ask what in the world she is talking about. She goes on forever about how she can't eat all the meat at once. I told her she didn't have to. She started rambling about the freezer and the meat and not to let it thaw. That once meat is thawed it can never be frozen again. (Okay, if you defrosted it 3 or 4 days ago, yes. Either eat it or toss it. But one lousy night in my fridge?!?) I finally convinced her to let me thaw it enough to cut it and then I would put it promptly into the freezer. Before it gets so defrosted it apparently demands instant cooking and eating.

She just called me again to make sure I wasn't going to defrost it too much. I told her she was nuts and to go home already.

Meat crisis averted.

I think.

POOR UNFORTUNATE SOULS

I was on my way home from a sales appointment...(Sounds like a joke) and was stuck in traffic. As I waited my turn to creep onto the freeway on ramp I was listening to the Dixie Chicks and had my windows down. A fugly Mercury Cougar, circa 1986, pulled up next to me. Without turning my head, I could not see the driver. Quite frankly, I was too tired to care. As I listened to The Chicks, I realized that there was a musical undertone to the song that I had never heard before. Notes that should not have been there.

I listened closer and realized that it was coming from the car next to me. And that I recognized the tune. I just couldn't place it.

As I dug into my brain, searching for the song, the lyrics kicked in. It was the freakin soundtrack to The Little Mermaid.

Why do I know this you ask?

Well, when that movie came out in 1989, I was in High School. Our choir did a medley of songs from the sound track. The Homecoming Queen won her title with a solo rendition of "Part of Your World" and the marching band played "Under the Sea". Additionally, I saw the movie like 20 kajillion times in the theater and again when it came out on video with every little kid I babysat. And, I owned the soundtrack. On cassette tape, mind you. However, I don't think I have seen or heard anything from that movie in at LEAST a decade.

So I was surprised to hear it blaring from someone's speakers as we approached the 205 in rush hour traffic. Here is the best part though. Could it be maybe a soccer mom with kids? Giggily gaggle of teen girls? Vegas act that made a wrong turn? Nope.

So I sneak a sideways peak and see a young guy, prolly 20-22. Mohawk. Nicole Richie sized aviator shades. Polo shirt with the collar turned up, a la Miami Vice. Rockin out to "Poor Unfortunate Souls". Complete with head bobs and hand motions.

Rock on kid. You made my day.

JUST DONE

I........I don't know. I am so worn out. I don't know if I can do this anymore. By this I mean my job. And my marriage*. And my life in general.

I don't feel like I am doing anything well right now. We are heading toward financial ruin. I work on 100% commission. Until recently (read the past three weeks) I have not really even tried to work very hard at my job. But now we are in a position of not being able to pay bills, including the mortgage. I have been busting my butt trying to make something happen.

Nothing is happening.

I have no sales appointments set. I am exhausted. My poor husband is strained and exhausted too. I feel like I am ruining his life. Slowly. One day at a time.

I offered to leave. He asked if I wanted to. I don't, but feel like he would be better off without me. He disagreed, but I think he is nuts for wanting me here.

I realize I am just rambling, but that is all that is in my head. This endless loop of rambles.

Just so tired. Scared I can't work all this out. Frustrated with my inability to make something, anything happen.

fuck

*Honey, if you read this, I'm not going anywhere. Just scared that I am killing us. Slowly. Each and every day.