Nothing about this break in bothers me more than seeing my dogs so upset. I know it probably sounds ridiculous to those people who are anti-pet but they were so shaken up that even the Vet called to check on them. My Slinky apparently got kicked in the face and ended up having 2 teeth knocked loose. So on top of the stress of having someone in my home, my gram and mom being terrified, and the hassle of trying to deal with the insurance company, I had to have my dog go into surgery and got an $800 bill.
I really hope I can figure out who did this... I plan to make sure someone kicks them in the teeth. Jerk. Who does that? Obviously the kind of person who steals from old ladies and takes family heirlooms for drug money.
I'm feeling very incompetent because of this. I feel like a complete failure for not being able to find my family's things and solve our crime since it's my job. I know it's not my job to solve MY case, but being in law enforcement and solving other people's burglaries is my job. I'm starting to wonder if it's worth it... if it makes any difference at all that I stress myself out and lose sleep over this job that takes and takes and I can't do a damn thing about my own problems.
I guess I'm just down today. I'm overworked and tired of dealing with scumbags who kick dogs.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Bringing Work Home
I came home to half of my house completely ransacked this week. What little we actually owned is gone. Someone broke in during the ONE HOUR that no one was home (thankfully in a way since my gram would have been scared more than she is now). So far what I can tell is missing includes my gram's wedding set from the 1930's, the pearls I bought her for her 92nd birthday, my mom's wedding set, her class ring, my grandfather's gold pocket watch, and my great grandfather's fire chief badge. All sentimental and irreplaceable of course.
I am taking it surprisingly well. Maybe it's because I came home expecting my dogs to be dead and was thrilled to see them run to me. Or, it could be that I'm just so desensitized from all these thieving bastards that I can't even feel bad for myself. I have been on a mission to figure out who was in my house and stole from my sick mom and old defenseless grandmother. I really hope I'm successful even if I don't get any of their stuff back the satisfaction of having my guys pick up the burglary and take him for a ride would be worth it.
The worst part of the whole situation is the dogs are traumatized. The dachshund fought hard to protect her home. I know it sounds silly because she's a short, fat little porker but I had to take her to the vet today to get 2 broken teeth removed. She did everything she could to make sure that whoever was here wouldn't want to come here again. She's resting right now, her mouth is all swollen from the stitches and shes moaning. Poor girl, I would have rather been home than have someone hurt her.
I haven't been able to focus on much else the past few days and I have zero patience for other people. I haven't talked to my boyfriend in days and he sent me a text this afternoon asking if I was mad at him. I am mad. Just not at him. I'm mad that people are stupid and take other people's stuff, I'm mad that some loser could scare my family and not care, and I'm really mad that my dog paid the price for it all. But looking at the bright side I'm happy she's here sitting next to me on the couch and not being buried in the back yard.
I am taking it surprisingly well. Maybe it's because I came home expecting my dogs to be dead and was thrilled to see them run to me. Or, it could be that I'm just so desensitized from all these thieving bastards that I can't even feel bad for myself. I have been on a mission to figure out who was in my house and stole from my sick mom and old defenseless grandmother. I really hope I'm successful even if I don't get any of their stuff back the satisfaction of having my guys pick up the burglary and take him for a ride would be worth it.
The worst part of the whole situation is the dogs are traumatized. The dachshund fought hard to protect her home. I know it sounds silly because she's a short, fat little porker but I had to take her to the vet today to get 2 broken teeth removed. She did everything she could to make sure that whoever was here wouldn't want to come here again. She's resting right now, her mouth is all swollen from the stitches and shes moaning. Poor girl, I would have rather been home than have someone hurt her.
I haven't been able to focus on much else the past few days and I have zero patience for other people. I haven't talked to my boyfriend in days and he sent me a text this afternoon asking if I was mad at him. I am mad. Just not at him. I'm mad that people are stupid and take other people's stuff, I'm mad that some loser could scare my family and not care, and I'm really mad that my dog paid the price for it all. But looking at the bright side I'm happy she's here sitting next to me on the couch and not being buried in the back yard.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Cupcakes
The upside of being home with 2 other generations of my family is that every once in a while one of those Kodak moments comes along that overshadows the whole embarrassment of being 31, broke, and perpetually single. Today my mom and I decided to tackle cupcakes. These are the super fancy, more work than they are really worth type cupcakes. We are planning a 95th birthday party for my gram in a few months so I figured if I'm making cupcakes for the event I should try it out first to make sure they don't end up a sloppy mess.
So, for the last few hours we have been a pair of sticky fingered bakers with neon icing. I made ones that looked like pies and apples (practicing for gram's party ones) and mom make hot pink and cookie monster blue monstrousities. It was a great night and the laughing at our stained fingers and the dog running around with the dropped cupcake made the stress of work melt away.
It makes me sad when I think that my mom will be gone way too soon. She is terminally ill and when it was first discovered we were told it would be a miracle for her to survive 6 days. It's been 7 years since I sat in the hospital listening to the doctor tell me that horrible news while my mom lay in a coma. I'll get into more detail about that in another post. For now I want to smile, etch this night in my memory, and be thankful for those 7 years of miracles and cupcake making.
So, for the last few hours we have been a pair of sticky fingered bakers with neon icing. I made ones that looked like pies and apples (practicing for gram's party ones) and mom make hot pink and cookie monster blue monstrousities. It was a great night and the laughing at our stained fingers and the dog running around with the dropped cupcake made the stress of work melt away.
It makes me sad when I think that my mom will be gone way too soon. She is terminally ill and when it was first discovered we were told it would be a miracle for her to survive 6 days. It's been 7 years since I sat in the hospital listening to the doctor tell me that horrible news while my mom lay in a coma. I'll get into more detail about that in another post. For now I want to smile, etch this night in my memory, and be thankful for those 7 years of miracles and cupcake making.
Monday, March 5, 2012
March Money
I'm hoping to motivate myself to pay off all my debt by putting it out here publicly. One of the biggest problems with living in the middle of my family is handling the constant nickel and diming. I have a paycheck so therefore it is assumed I always have bailout money... apparently, I have a big neon sign above my head that spells ATM. I understand it is my responsibility to help out at home considering I live here and eat and use the water/heat/etc. but somehow I am the emergency fund for the house. I've been more conscious of this lately (thank you Mint.com) and have done my best to restrict the cash flow to true emergencies and my responsibilities in the house. It's hard to say no sometimes but it's the only way I'll ever be out of debt.
My debt story starts like most 30-somethings... I went to college. Not only did I attend college but I paid for it on my own. There was no such thing as college savings in my home as my parents were barely making it. I got a lot of academic scholarships and was fortunate enough to have my Master's Degree completely paid for by working for a University (i.e. slavery) for 2 years. The rest of cost I handled like every red blooded patriotic American does. I took out loans. And when my University got caught up in the student loan scandals of the early 2000s, so did I. The result was about $75,000 in loans scattered between private and federal agencies. Couple that with my low-paying, local government, public service job and there is a mixture meant for disaster.
As it stands now, 7 years after my last college class, I am in possession of 4 higher education degrees and 2 full time jobs. I also have paid my loans down substantially and my current debt is the following:
Student Loan - Federal: $17,600
Student Loan - Private: $10,500
Credit Card Debt: $7,600
Car Loan: $7000
TOTAL = $42,700
My assets are meager since I own very little. I have a retirement account through work as well as a Roth IRA from a previous job. I also have a pension plan at work that I pay into and pray will still be there by my retirement.
I am expecting a check this week from my second job which should be about $2,000 after taxes. The checks from this job are considered a bonus in my budget since I can't predict how much work I will get from this job. This year is shaping up to be a good one though and I expect another $3,400 check in 2 months. Since I don't count this money in my regular budget I use these for my girls getaway annual vacation in November, and the rest is to blast my debt.
My goal for the year is to cut the above mentioned debt in half. Right now I am focusing on it by attacking the credit card first, then the private student loan, and the federal and car loans at the bottom of the list. $21,350 paid off is a lofty goal for one year but I'm going to do everything I can to reach that. I'll update periodically on here and hopefully there will be some lower numbers in April.
My debt story starts like most 30-somethings... I went to college. Not only did I attend college but I paid for it on my own. There was no such thing as college savings in my home as my parents were barely making it. I got a lot of academic scholarships and was fortunate enough to have my Master's Degree completely paid for by working for a University (i.e. slavery) for 2 years. The rest of cost I handled like every red blooded patriotic American does. I took out loans. And when my University got caught up in the student loan scandals of the early 2000s, so did I. The result was about $75,000 in loans scattered between private and federal agencies. Couple that with my low-paying, local government, public service job and there is a mixture meant for disaster.
As it stands now, 7 years after my last college class, I am in possession of 4 higher education degrees and 2 full time jobs. I also have paid my loans down substantially and my current debt is the following:
Student Loan - Federal: $17,600
Student Loan - Private: $10,500
Credit Card Debt: $7,600
Car Loan: $7000
TOTAL = $42,700
My assets are meager since I own very little. I have a retirement account through work as well as a Roth IRA from a previous job. I also have a pension plan at work that I pay into and pray will still be there by my retirement.
I am expecting a check this week from my second job which should be about $2,000 after taxes. The checks from this job are considered a bonus in my budget since I can't predict how much work I will get from this job. This year is shaping up to be a good one though and I expect another $3,400 check in 2 months. Since I don't count this money in my regular budget I use these for my girls getaway annual vacation in November, and the rest is to blast my debt.
My goal for the year is to cut the above mentioned debt in half. Right now I am focusing on it by attacking the credit card first, then the private student loan, and the federal and car loans at the bottom of the list. $21,350 paid off is a lofty goal for one year but I'm going to do everything I can to reach that. I'll update periodically on here and hopefully there will be some lower numbers in April.
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