"Don't touch that dial. And, if your TV has a dial, go buy a new one."

I have no focus this morning, so I might be all over the place here. What�s different about today than any other day I update, I don�t know, but there you go.

Nickelodeon is having Jack Black host the Kid�s Choice Awards this year, so Nick is playing Jack Black commercials every five seconds. In my opinion, they�re not playing them enough. I�m telling you! I could watch the bit with him rapping (three of him) over and over and over. �Nickel-ickel-o-deon�. He�s definitely increased his fan base with the under 12 crowd, that�s for sure. My kids now think that Jack Black is the coolest shit ever and they never knew who he was a month ago. Well, that�s cuz he is.

We just won�t mention the time he was all stoned on the red carpet and was going off about the super hero powers he would like to have. While Mom thinks it was funny, we can�t possibly let the kiddies know that their heroes might smoke some wacky tobacky. It�s a slippery slope!

I�ve had my van back for like three weeks and it was only gone for a week and a half but I am still grateful for it everyday. Now if I can get this month�s payment paid, I�ll be even more grateful. Baby steps, baby steps. Like I said, things aren�t so much �getting better� as they are �starting not to suck as much�. I�ll take it.

Ya know, I really do believe that people put themselves where they are and are not as affected by �bad luck� as some like to claim. I think there are exceptions to the rule, certainly, and I do know some folks who are sincerely hit by bad luck and unfortunate circumstances.

My friends Gina and Joe are one of those exceptions. Joe is the one, few may remember, who, in early 2005, got pinned between a tractor trailer and a warehouse wall for 45 minutes before anyone found him. It fucked him up but good. Joe is in his 50�s and in excellent shape, so he�s recovered quite well, even though he still isn�t able to work. Gina has had her own issues, including her back which is totally wonky.

Anyway, they really were hit by hard luck but still managed to keep their roof over their head and live the way they�re used to. That�s what I mean by exception to the rule.

But some people refuse to take responsibility for the circumstances that put them where they are. Like, my brother. Like, Nina�s mother. I�m talking about folks who are really, really down and out. Some who aren�t so much, but really responsible for where they are nonetheless.

I think that Hub and I could have taken certain steps to have kept ourselves out of the pickle we got into financially over the past few months. One thing that really bothered me about it is that there were ways to avoid it. Ya know? I should really be working, for one. Next winter, that�s my plan. As much as I�d like to go back to school, I am just not disciplined enough to juggle kids, school and the business. Maybe when my little ones are older, as going back to school is something I�d really like to do in the future.

Hub should have gotten a part time job like he talked about earlier this winter, I should have applied for assistance, yadda yadda yadda. Hindsight is 20/20. Hopefully, we will have a better winter next year. I�ve definitely abandoned the �pray for snow� income tactic.

I certainly did appreciate everyone�s support through the tough times, though. I just want you all to know that I realize I helped put myself where I was.

Anyway, yeah, Nina�s mom, Pat. There�s a piece of work. She has no license, rarely works, and has living on handouts down to an art. The thing about her is, though, she�s kind of intelligent. She reads voraciously and I can sit down with her and discuss things with her and she has a clue about what�s going on in the world.

She blames her inability to work on her back right now. She was working at Dunkin Donuts for a month or so, but had to leave because of her back. Her chosen profession was as a stitcher, but evidently in the past 20 years or so, all those jobs have been shipped overseas, and she never tried anything else. She kind of floats though life.

So, her brother Dave is in real estate and he�s made quite a bit of money in it. He rented Pat her apartment in Nashua, and the only reason she kept it for a long time was because Jay and Nina had to move in and Jay paid the rent. Then, Dave sold that house at the same time Nina and Jay moved out here, so he bought a trailer in Milford for Pat. They�re cheap, I think he paid about $25,000 for it, and lot rent is like $200 a month. She was set with a cheap living situation. Dave expected her to pay $400 for the trailer and her lot rent. $600 for a roof over your head is extremely cheap by this area�s standards, even for a trailer.

Milford is a small town like Hudson, but even a little more spread out. The trailer park she was living in is so typical white trash trailer park. Ho. Lee. The area has some trailer parks that look like very nice communities, I�m not trying to diss trailer parks cuz they�re not all crappy. Anyway, yeah, she was in the sticks. I suppose walking could be an option into town, it�s not much more than a 20 minute walk to downtown Milford, maybe 30.

Anyway. Pat had trouble finding a job because of the distance and her no car status. When she did, her back acted up. She relied heavily on roommates to pay rent to support the house, but she�d get losers who wouldn�t pay every week. So, she lived there for six months and never paid Dave a dime. Dave paid the mortgage on the trailer and the lot rent for those six months and he�s done now.

So, Pat has had to scramble to find a place to live, as Friday is her last day. She�s had no money and no job and no hope, so she called Nina and Nina, actually, is the one who scrambled. Nina found a friend who had an extra room who would rent it to Pat and Nina was going to pay her first $200 a month rent. I mean Jay was.

Last minute, Jay decides he doesn�t want to pay her rent, so the room at the friend�s house is not an option.

Jay�s SO going to regret THAT decision. Guess where Pat�s moving to on Friday? Nina and Jay�s.

Pat is: extremely unhygienic, loud, non-stop talker (put her and Nina together and I don�t know how either of them knows a fucking thing about the other. All they do is talk over each other), a BITCH when someone pisses her off (which is often), lazy, and a MOOCHER.

I wouldn�t let her live with me if she were my mother. But, she�s about the only family that Nina�s got aside from Dave and his wife and kids. Nina feels responsible for her. I�ve tried to tell her that it�s not her responsibility to take care of her mom when she�s got so much on her plate to begin with, but she�s afraid her mom will be on the street.

It�s going to be interesting. Nina was telling me yesterday it�s just for a month, which I fucking �LOL�-ed at. It�s not going to be a month. Pat�s now a permanent fixture, watch.

Anyway. Hub is building his waterfall today, and he�s like a kid in a candy shop. He wants me to go by and take pictures, which he says he needs �in progress� pictures, but I really think he wants me to see his work.

With that, I end yet another extremely lame entry. Just so you now, my period is due in the next few days so I�ll be all riled up about some shit really soon and give you all a good rant.

Sayonara!

Listening to: "You Make Me So Very Happy" Blood Sweat and Tears. I like to sing this monotone and sarcastic.

Currently reading: "Solomon Vs. Lord" Paul Levine. Haven't had much interest in reading, but when I do, I pick this up.

Thinking about: FOOD>