Stepbrothers and people who should not own pets

Saturday Phil and I went to the movies and saw the new Will Ferrell movie Step Brothers. I have always been a fan of his movies, even though they are so stupid they are funny, I just crack up at them, I guess I have that really goofy and stupid sense of humor. It was fun to get out and see a movie together, we haven't had a chance to do that a lot.

Yesterday was a pretty relaxing day, we went to Wal-Mart to pick up some things for dinner, and when we were leaving, Phil was putting my chair on the lift and I saw him talking to a guy who was behind us. He was doing something to a car and then I saw him take a dog out and open up some water for it. I figured he was taking his dog to Petco, which is right there next to Wal-Mart, but then I saw him open the door of the car on his other side and the dog jumped in there. Phil got in the car and said the guy and his wife pulled up and when he got out, he saw this little puppy in the car next to them, with the window cracked a bit. At first the dog was playful, but then it started getting lethargic and he kept waiting for someone to come out, thinking they may have just gone in the store quickly. His wife had already gone in and told them to call over the loudspeaker for the owners of the car and dog, but after 45 minutes no one had come out. The guy decided to stick his hand inside the window and open up the car. I am assuming he must have broken the window in the process, but oh well, he had to get the dog out. Luckily he had water with him, and he said there was water in the car the dog was in, but it had a lid on it. So he put the dog in his car with the water and turned on the air conditioning, and said he was going to call the Sheriff Department if they owners didn't come out within the next few minutes. When he were leaving, we saw his wife come out with a Wal-Mart Manager, and the guy was writing down the license plate.

If there is one thing people should know, it is that you never, ever, leave a dog in a car during the summer, especially here in Arizona. While all this was going on, the temp. reading in our truck showed 107, meaning it had to be almost 120 in that car, maybe even hotter. I am hoping the dog is OK, and didn't suffer any brain damage, who knows how long that dog was in the car before that couple pulled up. There is a big problem here with people leaving not only their pets, but their children in the car. I think since last year there has been five deaths from parents leaving their kid in the car during the summer, for more then 8-10 hours. The same excuse is always given too, that they were running errands and then they either forget the kid is in the car when the get back home, or when they are shopping. One woman, very recently, put her kid in the car with the intention of taking her kid to daycare, got in the car and forgot to go to daycare, just went to her job at Hooters, and went into work for an 8 hour shift, then when she got back in the car, you guessed it, her kid was dead. She said she thought she went to daycare. Or the dad recently who took his kid to run errands, and was taking him in and out of the car all day, then got home and somehow forgot his kid was in the car, and left him there for like 14 hours or something. And people think they can leave their dogs in the car with some water, and it is OK, they will survive. But the truth is, a dog will go into heatstroke when the weather hits 105 and higher.

It just makes me sick, and it has been on my mind since yesterday. This should be a common sense thing, I mean how do you forget that you brought your kid with you and that the kid is in the car and not in the store or your home with you? And if you think your dog can survive in a 120+ degree car while you go grocery shopping, then you have no business owning a pet. Seriously, if I ever see a dog or a kid locked in a hot car, I would call the Sheriff Department right away and tell them the situation and make them come down there, and let them know that while I wait for them, I am breaking the window. I don't care if I get in trouble for it, at least I know I saved the life of an animal or child. And, if I was the one who found that dog yesterday, and the owner didn't bother to come out after 45 minutes of being paged in the store, that dog would have been coming home with me after leaving a note on the car saying if you don't want to take care of your pet, I will do it for you and if you want it, here is my name and address and by the way, the Sheriff will be waiting for you. I just feel that passionately about it.

But instead of getting more upset over this, I am going to focus all my energy on waiting for the UPS guy to hopefully stop by my house today and bring my new laptop. Oh yes, that's right, Kimbo is getting a new laptop, or as I call it, Lappy. My parents were very nice to get it for me (thank goodness for credit on a Dell card LOL). I've been helping my dad with his schooling and will also be helping him when he goes into his Masters program after he graduates in November. So it is a gift of thanks for helping him with his schooling, and also as a belated Christmas/Birthday present. It is a Dell Inspirion 1525, just the basic since I can add all the programs I want and upgrade it myself. But I did get the extra coloring, so the front of it will be purple with a blossom pattern, and a built-in web cam...which means....RETURN OF THE VIDEO BLOGS!! I haven't done one in awhile since it is just a pain in the ass to do it with my digital camera. But I am really grateful for the new lappy, because the one I have took a crap on me. The battery is shot, the charger cord is fried, and the screen looks like some sort of liquid was spilled on it. It is sort of hard for me to use the desktop computer because it hurts my elbow and having the laptop will make it so that I can type better, and also relax in bed with it, especially after I have my elbow surgery.

So get ready for video blogs soon!!

I got my doctor...and getting my ring fixed!

So I went through all my old paperwork at the end of last week, and found all my worker's comp paperwork from my elbow injury from 2002, and was able to get a hold of the insurance company to see about re-opening my claim. When I had dealt with these people before, they were so rude to me, so I was expecting more of the same. This time, however, the were very nice and helpful. They said that in order to re-open the claim, I need to print out a Petition to Re-Open form from the Industrial Commission of Arizona, who is the department in charge of all worker's comp claims. I can print that form out online through their website, and then I need to send that in to them with a medical report showing that I do need the elbow replacement and why. Now, the next obstacle was making sure that the doctor that did my original surgery was still available and would take worker's comp claims, since last time I had seen him he was considering no longer doing any worker's comp claims since they are sometimes just close claims and not may not render payment that they should. My biggest worry was that the doctor would not be able to perform the surgery. He is one of the top surgeons at Banner Desert Samaritan Hospital here in Mesa, AZ, and he did such a wonderful job on the surgery and I felt very comfortable with him. If he couldn't do the surgery, I was going to have to consult with a few other doctors and find one I felt comfortable with.

So I made the fateful phone call yesterday morning and good news, Dr. Purcell is still available and does take worker's comp claims! The first available appointment was August 13th, so I grabbed it. Now I just need to pick up a copy of my x-rays and then I will be all ready to meet with the doctor again. It has been 6 years since the original surgery and as much as I am very nervous and anxious about getting this elbow replacement done, at least I know I will be in good hands with a wonderful doctor who will take good care of me.

Besides the whole elbow thing, things are going well. Phil is really enjoying his new job working as a contractor for Intel. He leaves around 5am every morning and gets home around 3pm. With him having such a great job now has helped us to stop worrying so much about how we are going to make ends meet, because know we will be having a constant income coming in weekly and we are going to be able to finally get caught up on our bills. It really has helped me not be so stressed, since I am the one who is in charge of paying the bills and such. And I still plan on trying to get a job being a greeter at Wal-Mart, because I would love to be able to take the money I make there and just sock it away in our savings, but right now I am going to put that on hold since I am going to need the time available for the surgery and all the rehabilitation needed.

Oh...and remember when I said on my birthday I noticed that one of the diamonds was missing from my engagement ring? Well, we had gone to the store where he bought it twice, asking what could be done, because when we moved, I lost the receipt! I figured we'd be screwed and we'd end up having to get it replaced ourselves, and who knows how much that would set us back. Well, I ended up being near the store last week and the manager was there who recognized me since we had come in together to buy the set. She was so sweet and took care of everything, she found all the information on the ring and sent it off to repair, with no charge to us! She said it will be about 2 weeks to a month before it will come back in, and she will call me personally when it does. So I was so happy and grateful, and she is also having them check the other settings to make sure they are all secure. Luckily the setting in my wedding band was fine, so I still have that, I just like wearing the set together, so I miss it.

Well, that's about all that's new around here. I hope all is well for all my blog friends out there!

Another new job for Phil, Brandi, and Surgery for Me

As I mentioned in a previous blog, Phil was offered a job working as a Maintenance Tech for an apartment complex. He was supposed to hear on Monday as to where he needed to go for his drug testing, then start taking his certification classes on Tuesday. Well, Monday morning he never heard, so he called and they said they were working on where to send him for the drug testing, and that the room he was supposed to be doing his classes was flooded due to the huge storms that came through here this past weekend. He called again yesterday morning, and they are still giving him the run around. So as we were leaving yesterday morning to take Brandi to get groomed, he gets a call from a guy who I had sent in his resume to a few weeks ago. Turns out, they had a job for him they wanted him to start right away, and come in for an interview that afternoon. The job...working for Intel, which is where he was working when I first met him. At the time he was building the Intel, and he has many certifications from his time working there. This job will be working in their Clean Room, which is where they make the Intel chips and processors, and a Clean Room means that you are working in a zero dust environment and when you have to be certified to know how to work in there, and where the whole suit and booties needed to make sure you don't bring any dust in. Lucky for him, he has all that certifications, and has worked in there before putting in all the machines and testing them He went to the interview yesterday afternoon and the pay is the same as the apartment job, and he signed a two-year contract with them, so this is a permanent position and he will be working there for the next two years, and on August 1st he will be able to start receiving full medical benefits.

So he started work today, he has two days of orientation on site, then Friday he will start working. Seeing as he has worked for Intel before, and this job is right up his alley and he has all the certifications, plus seeing as the apartment people still have not called him, he is taking this job. This is a great job for him, and a great opportunity for us to start making some good money.

Brandi was groomed yesterday, and looks so cute in her two little bows behind her ears. We dropped her off at 11am and at 4pm I still hadn't heard to see if she was done, since her pick-up time said 3:30. We were over on the other side of town, he was doing his interview so I was waiting for him in the truck, and I called to check on her, and they said that Brandi had gotten scared of the hair dryer, because it does get loud, and she pooped when they first turned in on her because she was so scared. So they towel dried her and put her in the kennel where there are dryers and the basically air-dried. So when I called she was just about dry and getting ready for her haircut. Poor thing! When we finally got back here, we picked her up and she was done and looking so pretty! As always, we take her into the store and let her pick out a treat, well I guess from all the excitement of the day, plus who knows when she last when potty, she pooped in the store! So being a good doggy mom, I went over to their pet cleaning area and cleaned it up. We got her treats and took her home, where she was so tired she just slept all night.

I also got the call I had been waiting for from my arthritis doctor. He said that the hardware in my elbow has healed well, but that there is significant deterioration to the joint and that he does suggest the elbow replacement, it is just up to me when I go get it done. So I am going to get a copy of the x-ray from the x-ray place, then call the orthopedic surgeon who did the original surgery and see if he will do the surgery for me. If not, then I will get some referrals and do a consults with other docs until I find one I feel comfortable with. So I know I need to get it done, and this really is the time to do it since I will have people here 24 hours a day to help me if I need it. Now its just a matter of finding all my worker's comp paperwork and deal with them to get my claim re-opened since they are required to cover any procedures needed for the rest of my life that has to do with my elbow.

On top of all these, I have to get oral surgery done again. I had 4 teeth removed in Nov. of 2006. and now I have two more broken teeth and a broken wisdom tooth. So I am going to have them remove the broken teeth, and the rest of my wisdom teeth, just to get it out of the way. Of course, I have a huge fear of dentists, the whole having someone I don't know put their hands in my mouth. But as long as I am under sedation, I can do it.

Well, I guess I better head off, seeing as Brandi has now climbed up on the bed behind me, put her two front paws on the arm rest of my chair, and is licking my face and pawing my arms. She's got her ball and I guess she's ready to play...how can I deny that!

Sad News I Found Out

About 6 years, when I had recently moved back to Arizona from living in Florida for 2 years, I tried my hand at online dating and met a man named David, who lived not far from me. We exchanged emails back and forth and I found that I looked forward to his emails, because until other men who can't put an email together to save their lives, or who would take days to respond back, he would write me pretty much every day and tell me about whatever went on in his day, and I in return would do the same. After a month or so of email, we decided to meet in person.

At first, I liked him, but wasn't sure if he was going to be anything romantic to me, or just a new great friend. But we had great conversation, sitting in a Starbucks for a few hours. After that initial meeting, we continued to chat and went out on another date. This time, during our date, something happened to him that scared me, it was like he was having a mini seizure. Turns out, that's exactly what he was having. He told me he had a benign brain tumor and it caused this to happen to him from time to time. I will admit, at first I was sort of scared of the not knowing when this might happen or how to help me when this happened to him, but he told me to just hold him and help him through it, and just be there for him.

Over time, we continued to talk and go out and become really good friends. Then feelings started to develop, and we turned out friendship into a romance. We were friends for a year, and dated for a year. He was the first man that I ever loved, when I really discovered what love was, yet he was never really ready to commit to me. It seemed he always wanted to see what else was out there in life. I didn't quite understand it at the time, although over the years I have come to realize why.

We spent a lot of time doing things together, going to movies and hockey games, he took me to see the Boston Pops when they came in town. His family was so nice and welcoming to me. When I had broken my elbow, he was there with tears in his eyes when I woke up in ICU looking terrible, his dad there with him.

Unfortunately, he had this brain tumor, and I always worried that one day it was going to turn into cancer. The doctors had said that were the tumor was, it was inoperable, but I spent a lot of time researching different options and procedures he could do to help shrink the tumor and reduce the side effects from it. He didn't seem open to the idea of doing anything to help the situation, and his family seemed to know that he didn't want to deal with it, so they didn't really bring it up or be into seeing if there was any possible treatments out there. Now, of course, this is what it seemed like from my point of view, I wasn't privy to their private family discussions, so maybe they did discuss these things. I don't want it at all to seem like his family didn't care about his health.

In 2003 things started going downhill in our relationship, he met a girl and started dating her, while stringing me along. I should have just been strong and said forget this, if you want to cheat on me, then do it and I am gone, but I kept hanging out, thinking that perhaps he would see what he had and come back. Of course, I was young and naive about relationships. We ended up parting for good, with him calling me to let me know he was engaged to this girl he had cheated on me with. He then called me four days before his wedding, telling me that he had thought about just getting out of the whole thing, with it seeming to me that if I had given him the open door that I would take him back, that perhaps he would take it. He didn't seem very happy to be getting married. But I was strong and didn't fall into the trap.

It took me a long time to get over him, I suppose what I really was grieving for was the friendship we had, more then the relationship. I missed doing things with him and just talking to him. Over the years, I've always wondered what happened to him, and if his health was well. I always worried that one day that tumor might get the best of him, and I hoped it never happened.

I went on with my life, and as you know from reading this, I am happily in love with my husband and have taken what I learned from that relationship and applied it to the relationships I've had after that, and grown. The past few days though, something has been nagging me, it has been on my mind that maybe something happened to him. So I decided last night to look up his sister's myspace page, I had seen a long time ago that she had one. And right there on her hero's section of her page, she had that her big brother David was her hero, and said he had passed away in October of 2006.

I wish I could say I was shocked to see that, but I guess I kinda figured he didn't have long for this life, which is why I know now that the reason he acted the way he did, never settling down with me and always keeping options open, was because he may have felt the same thing. I feel for his family, because he was a good man and knowing how close they all were, this must have been completely devastating. And it is so strange that someone I knew so closely is no longer with us. I'm sad over it, but not crying or distressed. It has been five years since I lost spoke to him and we had no contact whatsoever after that. He moved on, and so did I. I just feel for his family and friends. The good thing is that know he is home with the Lord, I know that he happy and healthy again.

Agent Kimbo

Yesterday Mindy took me out for a girl's day to celebrate my birthday that took place a few weeks ago. First, we went to see the movie Get Smart. I know it has gotten some bad reviews in the paper, but I actually thought it was kinda cute, and definitely had funny moments. Then again, I love Steve Carrell, he is hilarious.

Afterward we had lunch at the Cheesecake Factory, which is one of my favorite restaurants. I decided to try something I never had there before, and went for the chicken salad sandwich and salad. The sandwich was wonderful, with chicken, sliced almonds, tomato, and celery. And it was on a toasted Brioche bread...so good! Of course, any trip to the Cheesecake Factory isn't complete without...of course...cheesecake. I decided to the try the Apple Struesel Cheesecake. The bottom of the plate had carmel, then baked apples, then the cheesecake, and the top of it was struesel topping, with brown sugar, cinnamon, and walnut topping. I can't believe I have never tried it before, but it is now my new favorite. If I wasn't so full from my lunch, I would have eaten the whole thing!

I also went and had the x-ray done on my right elbow. They called me back into the room and said they had a new machine that they use now for x-raying extremities. Unfortunately, the machine is new, and they are still getting used to using it. Now my elbow doesn't have much movement in it to begin with, and with it having so many problems, it has gotten worse, so they had me in all different positions to get pictures and it hurt so much that I wanted to scream, but I kept cool, just hoping that it would be over soon. They finally got everything figured out and got the pictures they needed, and they couldn't believe how much hardware I have in there, two plates and probably about 14 screws holding the elbow together, the woman said it looks like someone went to Home Depot, bought a bunch of screws, and just threw them in there. I said yup, I've been told that before lol.

So the dr. should get the films on Monday and I will hear back about what he thinks, or he might call me in to talk to me about it. But it is getting really bad, it hurts to type for long periods of time, and last night we had spaghetti for dinner and I couldn't twirl it because the elbow kept popping. So as much as I don't want it done, I think it is just going to have to happen, whether I like it or not. It is starting to interfere with my normal day to day activities, and that is just not acceptable.

Good news, and not so good news

As I've talked about before, Phil and I have been wanting to get a business starting, with him being an Independent Licensed Contractor. Well, we got past the hurdle of getting him licensed, only problem now is that the home improvement store he wants to work through is not hiring any new contractors at this time. They said with the economy as it is, they aren't getting a lot of sales for new door and window installations, which is what he will be doing. It's not to say they won't be hiring in the near future, but for right now we had to find something else for him to do work wise. I found a job for him a few weeks ago, an apartment company who was looking for a maintenance technician. The apartment company is fairly well known around here, so I knew it was a good company for him to apply too. He got a call back right away, they were impressed with his resume and wanted him to get in with the recruiter for an interview. So he went today and got the job! He is making good money, will have full medical, dental, and vision benefits after 30 days (which is great for me because I need to have more oral surgery done, and get either new glasses or contacts), and they are also going to pay for him to take classes this month to become HVAC certified (Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning). These classes usually cost hundreds of dollars and to be certified for that is going to mean that a lot of job opportunities will be open up to him, and will work well for his licensing. After he passes those classes, in 30 days he will then be making $5 more an hour, and get a promotion. He goes tomorrow to walk through the property and meet the managers and other maintenance staff, then he should start on Monday. He will be working very early morning hours, so he will be home early in the afternoons, and working 50 hours a week, and every 3 weeks he will be on call 24 hours a day.

This really has taken a lot of stress off of us, because it was hard to hear we wouldn't be able to start our business right away, and harder that no one else seemed to be hiring, and if they were the pay was so low we were basically working for free because all of the money went into gas. So now we are going to be able to start getting back on our feet financially, and it looks like I may not have to go out and get a job either, which with being in the chair and only allowed to make a certain amount to still get my social security, it is hard to find anything.

As for me, I had two doctor visits today. First was to my OB/GYN to get my Depo birth control shot. I get the shot every three months and I love it. You don't have to worry about having that time of the month, and it has really helped with my arthritis because I would get mini-flares about a week before my cycle was supposed to start, and now it is not an issue.

I then went to my Rhuematologist, I had blood work done a few weeks ago, and I had to go in to get my results. I also had to tell him about the trouble I am having with my right elbow. In 2002 I shattered my elbow in three places while at work, and I have 2 plates and 14 screws holding it together. I have very limited movement in it, I can bend it up and down, but I can't touch my shoulder, and I can't put my palm up. They told me that within five years, I would need an elbow replacement. So far it has held up amazingly well, until a few weeks ago, when it has started locking up on me, popping, cracking when I bend it, and even now as I type it is popping somewhat and giving me some discomfort. So he wants me to get x-rays done tomorrow, and even though he didn't say definitely, it sounds like I am going to have to give in and get the elbow replacement. Of course, I am not happy about this at all, and very nervous about it, but realistically it is the best thing to do, because I will get more movement out of it, and range of motion, and won't have to worry about it again in the long run. So we'll see what the x-rays show. He also said my liver and kidney function is back to normal after the terrible bout of kidney infections I had, so good to hear, but my other numbers were off the charts, all the numbers the check to see how my arthritis is doing. He asked if I had been getting flares and I said yes, and he said I will keep getting them with my numbers so high. Like, one level they check should be at a 6.5, and mine was at a 65!!! So he put me back on the Enbrel, which is an injectable medication, I give myself a shot of it once a week. I have been on this medicine before, with wonderful results. Only problem is that for a month supply, it will cost you $2000! And Medicare of course, won't cover it. But not to worry, because he said that Enbrel has been sending him limited quantities of the medication for his patients, so I can get it from him, and they will just charge medicare, so that way I can get the medicine I need. So I took my first shot today, and he said this medicine will help get my levels back to normal and stop the flares.

So some good news, and some not so good news today. I still have a lot of thinking to do about the elbow replacement, and I will want to have a consult with the orthopedic surgeon who operated on my elbow to begin with, because he did such an amazing job, and I feel comfortable with him. I'll see what he says, and what the surgery will entail. It's just such a huge surgery, and who wants to go through all that, plus the physical therapy. But maybe in the long run, it will be the best thing.

A few new additions

You might notice a few new things here on Kimbo Central. First, the chat box at the top of the screen. This has become a popular feature on many Myspace pages, so I thought I'd give it a try and see if anyone would want to chat with me, or any of our other blog friends.

I also added a slide show to the column on the right. You can click on any picture you want to see closer.

I may add a few more new things on here as I go along, I am trying to make this little place here on the web fun and exciting for those of you who stop by here on a daily basis and see what it is I am up to.

I hope you all had a great holiday weekend!

Happy 4th of July!

I hope all you blog friends out there had a very happy and safe 4th of July!

My 4th of July started off with a mid-morning trip to Wal-Mart, to get what we needed for dinner that night. Phil and I headed off, and couldn't believe how crowded and busy the place was. With this new Wal-Mart opening, it hasn't been super busy, even on the weekends, because there is another Wal-Mart about 20 minutes away. So people on one side of the town can go to that one, and everyone over here can go to the new one. So we ventured in and I swear, almost everyone there had a watermelon in their cart, including us. I never realized just what a 4th of July staple watermelon is. People were buying them so much, that while we were there, we saw four guys bringing out palettes of watermelon and refilling the bins, while people just stood around them in anxious anticipation, wanting to get their hands on the fattest melon.

We finally got home and unloaded all the groceries, and then it was time for mom and I to start preparing food. We made our homemade potato salad, and then we also cut up the watermelon into pieces for dessert. So mom is cutting up the melon, and she is giving me the rinds that have fruit still left on them, so I am munching away, and this watermelon was juicy! My shirt was all wet and I was sticky and with all the water in the melon, I got full fast! She finishes cutting up the rest of the melon and when she was done, she took her cutting board to throw away all the seeds on it, and I hear her say "Help me, Help me!", but too late, watermelon just flew off the cutting board and onto the floor. We were just laughing as we picked up the melon, and while she went to wash her hands, I decided to move the trash can out of the way, only to knock it over, so there goes more watermelon all over the kitchen floor! It was so comical! So I go get Phil and tell him I need him to take the trash out, not letting him in on the fact that I have now created a huge mess, so he walks in the kitchen and just shakes his head, because he knows me, and he knows I make a mess!

So after the watermelon fiasco, we make the potato salad and rest a bit before starting the hamburgers (turkey burgers for me). Out our kitchen window we can see that there are huge storm clouds brewing, so we tune into the Weather Channel to find there is a severe thunderstorm warning, and the storm seems to be heading this way. This storm looked huge, and since we all love storms, we were getting excited that perhaps this was finally going to be the first big monsoon storm of the summer. So we waited...and waited....and waited...the sky got darker, the wind kicked up a bit....but nothing! Once again, the storm just moved right past us!

The good thing about not getting a storm, however, was that Phil and I were able to go outside and see fireworks. About three miles from us is a farm called Schnepf Farms, they are famous for their peaches in the spring, and there is a lot of activities for kids and families there. Every year they have a 4th of July celebration, with fireworks going off at 9:15pm. The weather was nice and cool, about 87 degrees with a breeze, and lightening out in the distance from the storm that passed us by, so we decided to head down to the clubhouse. We live on a golf course and at the clubhouse you have a perfect spot to watch the fireworks, without paying the $10 a carload to get into event at the farm. We took Brandi, who had never seen fireworks before, and to make sure she was calm and wouldn't be scared by the fireworks and the loud noise, we walked her all the way there. And let me tell you, this was one happy pup! She loves walks anyway, but with it being so hot, she only gets short walks because the heat wears her out. But last night, with it being so cool, she was loving the long walk and fresh air. We got to the clubhouse and I poured some water into her bowl we brought along, and she took some big drinks and just sat next to me, watching the fireworks and the people who had also come down there to see the show. She didn't get scared by the noise at all, which I was so glad to see.

Once the show was over, we took Brandi back home, and she was out for the rest of the night, and in fact right now she is laying next to me on the bed, with her head on my pillow, sleeping away. She had a big night! And so did I, when we got home from seeing the fireworks we were watching a movie and I fell asleep, I was pooped! So today, and hopefully tomorrow, will just be a nice, relaxing weekend, and hopefully storms won't pass us by!

Someone turn down the oven!

It's so damn hot!

I know, I shouldn't complain, seeing as I chose to live in a desert, and I know it always is hot during the summer, but I was reading in the paper this morning that we have hit 17 days of temps being at 110 and above, and seeing as that is the record, we are about to break that. Take about global warming, huh!

Maybe I am just getting older, but I find that every summer it is getting harder for me to handle the heat. I go outside and I feel like I can't breathe, and when it starts getting humid out due to the monsoons that it is almost unbearable to be outside for me. I can't even talk Brandi on as long of a walk that she loves because she gets so hot and I know the ground is hot for her paws.

I guess this blog really isn't about anything important, I just felt the need to bitch because I am hot. Carry on....lol

Job Searching

Well, I changed the look of Kimbo Central again, and I also added a way that you can subscribe to my blogs through whatever venue you want to use. I know some of you might subscribe to multiple blogs and keep track of them through Google or RSS feeds, and for those of you who have no idea what I am talking about, just keep checking back here everyday for new updates :)

So I have been spending most of my time job searching, for the both of us. Right now, Lowe's has said they are not hiring contractors at this time, due to the fact that people really aren't buying things for their home due to the economy, therefore work for them is slow and they aren't hiring anyone new when there isn't much work for those contractors they already have. So instead of getting the business up and running like we had hoped right now, we are looking elsewhere for something to get us by until they begin hiring again. I've been putting out resumes for Phil, and so far he has gotten two callbacks, one for a construction project in South Chandler, and another as a Maintenance Technician for an apartment complex here in the East Valley. I really am hoping he gets the job working as maintenance because the other job would be working for another temp agency, where we run into the problem where jobs last a few weeks, then when the job is over they have nothing else for him. With the maintenance job, he is working for a company as a full-time permanent employee, and there is also a very steep discount on being able to live on-site.

As for me, I decided to try and get myself a little job, to help contribute a little more and help get us on track. I am receiving Social Security Disability, but I contacted them a few weeks ago and they let me know they have a return to work program, where they will pay you your full benefits, plus you get your Medicare, and you can work at the same time. They give you a nine month trial period, and after that as long as you don't make $940 or more a month (they consider that substantial monthly income..ya right), you can continue to receive your full benefits and insurance. So I applied at Wal-Mart, which now is about a mile from the house, being a people greeter. I figure, how low stress is that, and what an easy job to do. I applied there almost two weeks ago, and haven't heard anything yet. I also applied today for a car dealership, they are looking for a part time clerical person, which is right up my ally, and it is only 4 hours a day. It would be good for me to have a little job, it will bring in some more money, plus gets me out of the house and doing something, instead of finishing up my chores around here, and then having nothing else to do all day.

So I am really hoping I get a callback on my applications. It is harder for me to find a job, because most part time jobs are working in retail or restaurants, and you have to be able to stand and move around well for that, which isn't possible with a power chair. But I know good things are going to happen for us and I am trying hard not to stress about finances and jobs, but it isn't always easy. I am just glad that he has gotten some callbacks, and the maintenance job I think might be the winner because the woman said he has the strongest resume she has seen (thanks to me, who wrote it for him).

So wish us luck!