On Your Marks.............................

Well I am finally back at my apartment in WI. Thankfully this flight was uneventful, long but uneventful. I also noticed something during my flight on Wensday into Thursday, the new airlines are actually on the right page as far as customer comfort. I have noticed over the past 2 years when flying that leg room was nearly totally gone. Giving the term "cattle car" alarming reality. I just accepted that this was the way things would be going forward. My flight out to CA was this way when flying "Frontier Airlines" (no idea who they replaced), however on my return flight flying "America West" the story was entirely different. I had LOTS of leg room, let me say that again LOTS of leg room! As in a full 8" of leg room, and this was in the areas that you usually have your knees touching the back of the seat in front of you. While they still don't offer free in flight meals (unless you pay that $600+ premium for first class) this made my trip much more enjoyable.

While it is sort of nice being back, one thing I always hate about taking a vacation is all the catch up work when I get back. Getting caught up on my mail alone took over an hour and I really don't get much in the way of mail. I guess everything has its price, and it was definitely worth it.

Yesterday I finalized all the paperwork and followed up on everything that has been in the works. Financial Aid, Veteran's Retraining Grant, and my School Stuff. So nothing left to do but go to school starting on Monday. YEA!!! I am kind of nervous as I haven't been in a school environment since my days in the military. Monday I get my books, and have to go take my Physical for my DOT Medical Card. Ohhh joy. LOL. Books and the medical exam will cost me about $185 total which is going to be damaging to my budget, but there is nothing more I can do. I am committed to this course, and I will just have to find a way to pay of it all. I don't really quite understand how to use, or if I have any say in how I use, my financial aid money. My GI Bill money doesn't come till the end of next month, so no really help for this month there, and I have no idea when I will get word on the Retraining Grant money or how much that might be.

My class schedule runs Monday - Friday.
Monday and Tuesday 7:30am - 4:30pm
Wensday 7:30am - 4:30pm, 5:00pm-8:00pm (night driving)
Thursday 7:30am - 4:30pm
Friday 7:30am - 2:00pm

So I am getting myself geared up for that. The school is only about an hour drive away so the commute won't be too bad. So this weekend is really going to be more R&R than anything else.

It Is Always Darkest Before The Dawn

The title of this post is really so true. Over the past week I really didn't think that things could get much worse. I mean, things between Steph and I really had not gone very well in our talks, my parents car broke down in the middle of nowhereville, I missed my non-refundable/changeable flight, had to get a rental car that cost me $80, and I still had to buy a plane ticket. These events also screwed up my roommates plans to be able to pick me up from the airport, and she was not thrilled. Then once I got the my folks car fixed I got pulled over by CHP cause someone attempted to steal the registration sticker off the car. I got a fix-it ticket that my parents have to take car of. What a bloody mess.

However, things are not always as they appear, and I now find myself thankful for the aggravation of that fateful day. Something knew that it was not time for me to leave just yet. Call it what you like, "god", Fate, or just a Karma reward. The extra time home allowed Stephanie and I to have more time to talk and understand each other position, and feeling on various topics that we were able to work out. Thank goodness, cause for a while there it didn't look good for us. Not to say that "snap of the fingers" and life is grand, but at least we are going to try and salvage our 12 years together. Our biggest problem is communication, (funny isn't it, as I am a telecommunications engineer) so if we both work at that things should improve greatly. Now admittingly most of our problems are my fault, so it is really "I" that has allot of work to do, and changes to make. I just wish I would have seen things more clearly before things got this bad, but hindsight is 20/20.

I finally was able to find a flight out yesterday, $166 so I head back to WI on the 27th. Won't leave me much time to get things done before I start truck driving school on the 2nd of May, but that is the way things go, and I am not complaining considering how everything else has turned out for the better. I am still having problem with the "retaining grant". The head VA office in Madison rejected my Original DD-214 (military record statement) so I had to request on from the national archive, that might take up to a month so things are going to get really tight money wise but there is nothing I can really do about that. I just have to stay the course and try to make it all work out somehow.

You Have To Laugh At Life

Wow, it has been so long since I was able to make a post I was starting to have the DT's! So I will try to get all my faithful readers up-to-date. But I hope your sitting down cause not much of the news is good news.

Where to start...... Ahhh Me and my "wife", that a good painful confusing place to start. In the last week I have brought myself to sit down with Steph and have aour talk all about us and where things stand. And not too much to my surprise, things have not gone as well as I had hoped. I still don't really have any clue if we are ever going to get back together, but my gut instinct tells me, in spite of the last 2 weeks worth of marathon sex, that I have been relegated to the position of a warm body when needed, and while I am gone she is going to be pursuing another person who she spends much time talking to, probaly for the same thing. So this does not bode well for our future together. I will have to take the wait and see approach, and just be ready to make the possibly inevitable move that I hoped I wouldn't have to make.

I was supposed to leave CA and return to WI on the 19th, unfortunately Murphy's Law intervened. While driving down to my parents house to return their car and get a ride to the airport, their car threw the drive belt in the middle of BFE (Bum Fu$& Egypt). I was able to get the car to a little Ford Dealership that was nearby but they couldn't get the new belt I needed till the next day. And as I was 2 1/2 hours away there was no way to make my flight. So now I I have to buy a new ticket (traveler note: While it seems expensive to pay the $30 for the change flight insurance, it is worth it, trust me). Ofcourse I also had to get a rental car to get home or spend the night in my car. And of course the only car that I could get was a $60/day van. The belt that broke on the car cost me $20, the dealership threw in the labor cause of their supply problems which I thought was really nice of them to do. Vasser Ford in Calistoga CA is a good shop in my book. They really went out of their way to help me, even considering that my parents car is a Nissan Altima and not even a car that the dealership supports. So I give them high marks. So far this $20 part has cost me $80 for the rental car, 1 missed flight (that will cost me anywhere from $146 - $178) and enough aggravation to last a lifetime, but that is the way travel goes sometimes.

Be It Ever So Humble, There Is No Place Like Home.

Sorry I haven't been able to update this in the past few days. My little comp at home is having major PMS and refuses to let me on the net, so I had to wait till I got down here to my parents house.

Well, I have made some good progress on the whole financial aid issues I was having. The lady I HAD to speak to came back to work today after being out sick for the past few days. Now that my financial aid is all straightened out, I am trying to get the school to send my GI Bill paperwork through, and get the paperwork processed for the "retraining grant". So things are finally starting to take shape on the whole school front.

The home front is a whole different story. I finally got all the grass cut at the house in clearlake, whew, am I relieved to have that done! Today and tomorrow I am helping out my folks take the dogs (2 cocker spanials) to the vet and to the groomers. Then my dad and I will spend some time together, then it is back up north to the house. As far as my "wife" and I, things are still up in the air, but I think we will have our "heart-to-heart" talk on Sunday. Normally I am pretty good at reading how things are going to go (IE: either ok, or really bad) but unfortunately no such insights this time around; probley because it is such a serious topic this time around and the final answer just might end up being very final. Well I suppose I can't really worry about, what will be, will be, and only time will tell, only fate can see.

A Sunny Day in California

Not much to report for yesterday and today. Yesterday I traveled down here to my parents house for a visit. It is good to spend some time with my folks and my sister who has moved back in after her breakup with her long time boyfriend of 3 years. Tonight I will stay for dinner then travel back up north to my home in Clearlake. I will come back down on Friday and stay through Saturday, as both my sister and my dad have those days off this week. So I will some one-on-one time with my dad which I am looking forward to.

I wanted to call Fox Valley Tech today and check the status of my financial aid, but I left all my paperwork back at the house up north. I will take care of that tomorrow as it will be far too late to call by the time I get home tonight.

So tomorrow is another day.....

The Sun Goes Up, The Sun Goes Down

Well not much to report today. Due to the time I woke up, it was a little late to make the 3 hr trip down to my parents. So I postponed it till tomarrow. I will stay down there overnight, borrow their car for transportation, then make my way back home till Friday. This way I can spend Friday and Saturday with my folks on my dad's days off.

As I said, I didn't due too much today. I mowed the grass that has gotten about a foot and half high. Not an easy job when there is 1/4 acre of it, but it needs to be done and it is easier on my "wife" and her mom if I do it. Her mom had a heart attack about, gosh, a year ago now. I figure if I can get most of the harder work done they will be able to keep up with it, without so much work.

Living in WI for so long made me less tolerant of the sun however, so I got a mild sunburn. Normaly, I would have a near year round tan living here in CA as it is sunny 90% of the year. But with me living in WI for so long, and the very cloudy and cold winters I seemed to have lost my base tan that would protect me.

As they say "No good deed goes unpunished".

But there is still lots of stuff to do. The mowing is only half done, the car port needs to have the tarps replaced.

I am not so sure about things between Steph and I. I am still pretty confused as to where things stand and what if anything can be done to fix things. I am not totaly sure Steph evens wants to try anymore. No matter what happens, we will always be friends but I hope somehow we can save our relationship. We both need to have a solid converstation about these things, yet I find it difficult to bring the subject up directly. Guess I am worried about the outcome of it all.

Ahhh, the rat race of life. So much to do, and only a small piece of cheese at the end.

Home Sweet Home

Well I tried to make a post yesterday, but the Blogger service decided that I really didn't need to make a post and just ate it much to my enjoyment. For those of you that have ever used a blog before will know, re-creating a post is like recreating a work of art. Like asking Michael Angelo to paint 2 identical Sistine Chapels. Once created it can not be replicated. All the purity, and flow of orginality is lost when you try to duplicate it. So I have to take extra steps now when I make a post to ensure I don't lose it.

Yesterday was an enjoyable day, spending time with my "wife". It amazes me just how all the little things about a person we forget when were not arround as much, and how those things are simply not retained in our memories of that person.

We are still trying to work things out, and I think we will be able to. We will just have to try and start over somewhat and see how things go. I hope we can, some day, get back to where we were just a few months ago but without all the problems. Most of which I am to blame for. We are considering counseling, even though a while back I was the one who turned down that notion, I now find myself being the one advocating for it. At this point, I will do whatever it takes to repair our relationship.

I was enjoing the time yesterday with my "wife" that I totaly forgot to call Steven's Transport back. So I called today, and even though I still have 13 weeks or so before I will ahve my CDL they are VERY interested. I attribute this to the school I am going to. When I talked to the recruiter, she was under the impression that I was going to a 3 week "CDL Mill" (a CDL MILL is basically a school that teaches you nothing other than the very most basic skills, but is not long enough for you to actually hone those skills. CDL MILL's are very common because they are cheap for students, however they do not actually teach a new driver how to drive, they just teach enough to get a person to pass the CDL test to get their license.) and not a fully certified training course. Once she heard that the course was 10 weeks and 423 hours, she was insistant that I keep her name and number, and that I call 3 weeks from completion.

I also called VA yesterday and they confirmed what I already presumed. I have to wait on Fox Valley Tech's Financial Aid Office to process my paperwork. So I will call them on Monday to get a status update from them and see if I can rush the processes.

Today was pretty un-eventful. I rained most of the day today, so I just enjoyed the time with the "wife". Tomorrow I will go down and see and visit my folks. I look forward to spending some time with my dad.

Home, Home on the Range.

Well I made it home to Cali! Sorry for not being able to make a post yesterday, but after not getting any sleep Monday night, the long flight and drive home yesterday, I was exhausted and the gaining of 2 hours due to the time zone change didn't help too much.

My flight was fairly dull and routine. It was just long. I was supposed to just have a stopover in Minneapolis, however it turned into a plane change. No big deal though, my arrival gate was 30 Ft away from my new departure gate, but the hour long wait was tedious. The second leg of the flight was un-eventful with the exception of the 8y/o brat 3 rows back giving her parents hell and them doing nothing about it. I swear half way through the flight nearly everyone wanted to toss that kid off the plane at 30,000 Ft. I say toss the parents too!

Getting home was nice. Funny as much as things have changed, they all seem the same. My animals took a while to remember who I am, but after a few hours were happy to see me. I also found it odd just how much the image of my "wife" in mind had changed and lost so much detail over time. Strange how that happens, but god how I have missed her so. We are still dealing with our problems, and I doubt I we will get them all sorted in the short time I am hear but I think there is still hope for us yet.

When I called my roommate today to inform her that I made it, she told me that Stevens Transport called with a Pre-Hire noticed and wants to know when I can start! I will have to call them tomorrow and inform them I won't have my CDL for another 13 weeks. But at least I meet their base requirements. I still have to apply for Crete Carriers, my #1 draft pick, but was asked that I wait till I at least start school. So we will just have to see....

Run, Run, Run Faster........

Whew......... today was allot of running around trying to get things done. Got the taxes taken care of, with the damage of $300, but at least it is done now. Next was to get registered with the WI VA office. Well, I couldn't get that totally done because they need some more paperwork, and of course they have to have the originals or certified copies of the originals which are back in CA. So I will fed-ex that paperwork to them this week while I am in CA.

And of course if one things goes wrong there are always other things that go wrong. I took the paperwork for the "Retraining Grant" to Fox Valley Tech, but I could only get part of it done as my financial aid is still not ready. So I will have to make some calls this week while in CA to find out if that info is really needed or if I can just skip it. (We all know that "Murphy" is not going to let that happen, if it can go wrong ......... well you know the rest.) So it will be a waiting game with the college. But as there is nothing I can do about it, I will just have to roll with the punches and try to make it work out somehow. I have a feeling that my car payment is going to be late this month with all the extra expenses ( like the $200+ more to file my taxes than I had planned for). I will just have to call them and let them know. Not much I can do about it.

One thing that really pissed me off today was when I called VA services. The whole reason VA services exists is to help veterans, answer questions, and provide information and support. In the past when I have called the VA I have always been treated with respect, but today was a different story. Today when I called to check that they received the paperwork I faxed them this morning, my call was answered by "PAM". She was the most rude and obnoxious woman that I have had the "pleasure" of dealing with from the VA. She was rude, arrogant, insulting, and basically refused to help or provide any information based on my request.

Now maybe I am getting on the high horse a bit here, but I served my country and with distinction. Not behind a desk, in the trenches, getting shot at. I expect to treated, by VA at least, with respect. I feel I have earned that much. I am not talking like they have to treat me like I walk on water, but just common decency. This PAM person (she doesn't deserve to be called a lady, woman, or anything else that civilized), had I been there in person, would have received on hell of a talking to from me. I called back, after she hung up on me (I didn't even have an opportunity to tell her off) talked to a different lady there, who was able to answer my questions, and transfered me to her supervisors voice mail so I could lodge a complaint, as he was not in the office. I left a message describing my complaint and promised to call again tomorrow to speak with him regarding Pam's abusive conduct. I hope it gets her fired. No one that has served their country, no matter what roll they have played, deserved that kind of treatment. And I will make damn sure that something is done about it.

Other than these few items that still need to be ironed out, there really is really not much I can do other than wait and hope things all work out. Now I just have to get packed for my 2 weeks in Cali. I am really excited about the trip. Yea, I know. Sounds silly to be getting excited over it, but I am. Like a kid in a candy store with $2.00 burning a hole in his pocket. You would think with the amount of travel I have done in my life, one trip would be no different than any other, and usually this is the case, but not this trip for some reason. Heather (my roommate) is not all that thrilled, but she will get over it. Don't really care actually. Sad, but true. Time marches on.

Getting Anxious

Well here it Sunday, a day to relax a little. I can't really get much done today as nobody is open and I have to wait till Monday for the paperwork from my apartment management company. But I am starting to feel anxious and excited at the week ahead.

Today I read an article on MSNBC that I feel is a potentially dangerous situation waiting to happen. Apparently down in a town called Narco, AZ a large group of protesters are acting like border patrol to keep illegal immigrants from crossing the border, and if spotted they will notify Border Patrol. Well, sounds good in theory till I read a little further and saw these to statements.

IMMIGRANT SPOTTERS

The volunteers will sit in groups along the gullies and flats of the cactus-strewn border around Naco, spotting migrants through binoculars and night vision goggles in what they say will be a peaceful protest.
But some are armed with pistols.
President Bush calls them vigilantes and the Mexican government has warned
it would file civil suits against any who lay a finger on Mexican nationals
during the month-long vigil.
The volunteers, some of whom sipped beer in bright spring
sunshine in pick-up trucks, are not popular with all residents in southern
Arizona, which has a large Latino population.

Full article here.

I can just see the mess that this can create, a bunch of brain dead drunks carrying guns thinking they are Jessie James. I posted this info on my trucking forums to warn my soon-to-be fellow truckers about this hazard.

Now I agree, that the Border Patrol could do a better job, but this vigilante crap is not the answer. I am just waiting for the next headline, "Immigrant Spotters shot by illegal immigrant traffickers." The next will be "Immigrant Spotters File Lawsuit Against Border Patrol for Lack of Protection". Well you get the idea.

Here comes the IRS Man

Well today I tried to get my taxes done. Wow, what a mess. Being self-employed is not all it is cracked up to be when it comes to tax time. Why do I have to pay for Social Security if while self employed it doesn't even count toward work credit for it? In addition to the $287 filing fee, I am still going to owe about $800 to Uncle Sam for allowing me to enjoy my near poverty existence. But I have found some additional deductions, both federal and state. The biggest one being since I run my business out of my apartment I get to take a tax credit from the state. But I have to get a form filled out by my apartment manager. But it will give me some money back that will go toward paying my federal taxes. Sort of a Win-Lose deal. But I can't get that done till Monday. So Monday will be a busy, busy day to get my taxes done, as well as everything else I need to do for the "Re-Training" Grant. So much to do so little time to do it all in as I will have no time on Tuesday before my flight.

But I am really excited about the trip back home. Seems like forever since I have been there, it will be really good to see my sweetheart and my folks. My new career choice (well not that I have a whole lot of choice but....) will keep me away for long periods of time. Hopefully, I will be able to move back to Cali in September when my apartment lease expires. It would sure be nice to be able to see Steph more than I have been able to since moving out here to WI, even if it is only for a few days every month.

The Race Is On!

.............It is Maveric in the inside lane, ........... Father Time is making his move to the outside, ... there head to head through turn number 3 as they head for the backstretch!

Well that is what it feels like anyway. I have 3 days to get a ton of time sensitive stuff done. It turns out in order for me to get this "retaining grant" that I need to transfer my GI Veteran status from Cali to Wisconsin before I can apply. And needless to say, as with everything dealing with the government it is a major hassle. The office of veteran affairs needs me to prove residency with a tax return. Well I don't have a full year tax return except for my 2004 taxes which I haven't filed yet. So have to do that before I go to Cali on Tuesday.

This seems stupid to me, I don't know why I can't just get a letter from my
apartment complex showing I have been living here for a year and half and
show my WI drivers license and be done with it. That to me is better
proof of residency that a tax return. But as with most things dealing
with the government is always back ass-wards.

So today I have to try and get my taxes filed, then get my VA status registered, then take the grant paperwork to the Fox Valley Tech College for them to fill in proof that I am enrolled in a class, and get them to send it off to the office in Madison, WI for approval. Lots of running around to be done between now and Tuesday, so I am in frantic gear. But if it all works out it will be worth it.

On the blog front.......... Things are still ... interesting. The email-to-post feature is still not working, and lately I have to republish the blog a few times before it takes after any posts or changes. I will email support with the error I am getting. You might also notice that I have added a few thing for your visiting pleasure. In the sidebar there is now a "Joke of the Day" link button, as well as "Today in History" section. I hope you enjoy them. And if there is ever anything you would like to see, let me know.

You Ask, You Shall Receive

With the start of the new month I was hoping that my blog would simply archive the March posts, so that your not having to look at every post. It seemed simple enough in the settings but apparently the system is just not smart enough to archive by months. This is slightly disappointing so I am going to be playing with the archive and post count views to see if I can come up with something better.

I finally got a hold of someone at VA regarding my GI Bill, good thing too as they need a signed sheet from me that I need to fax them. I guess when they said "digitally sign" on the online form they didn't mean it. Come on, this is the 21st century, the age of technology, the internet revolution, you would think the federal government would be up to speed. Ohh well.

I also have received a few emails requesting info on my budgeting spreadsheet, and had a few people say I should try and sell it to help raise funds for me to start my new career. So, why not? I took a few screen shots of it shown below. Most stuff I have found on the web like this goes for $20. Well I can't see anyone paying that much. How about $5.00. If you want a copy send me an email to maveric169@hotmail.com. You can use paypal for payment or other arrangements can be made.

It really is a great spreadsheet, simply enter in your income, your expenses and at the bottom it will tell you what you have left over. It will even carry positive or negative amounts over week after week. At the for end it will give you all your stats for the year. Works good and helps you plan your budget. The best part is it is now fool proof, so you can't make a mistake like I did. Here are the screenshots.



www.ImageShack.us

Happy April Fools Day!

Well today is April Fools Day! I always get apprehensive on April Fools cause you just can never judge someone else idea of what is funny. But this is a great day for you if you have a bill collector call you! You can have lots of fun with these parasites, especially since they call 5 times a day.

I like the idea of April Fools, it should be a reminder that you have to keep a sense of humor about things.
So the lesson for today is: Don't take things so seriously!! But other than that,...... it is just another day on the calendar.

As you recall, yesterday was a bit of an anxiety attack for me on the financial front. And not much has really changed in that regard. I did find how the error in my budgeting occurred which is a good step, abet late, but a good step. Apparently I forgot to lock the formula data in my excel spreadsheet, and while entering and playing with numbers, I accidentally changed the formula. Talk about a Homer Simpson moment. But now that I have the sheet fixed and double checked to make sure that all the formulas are locked I have determined I am short by $1500. I could just scream!

But there is a possible light at the end of the tunnel. I called my State VA(Veteran Affairs) office this morning to see if there was any help, loans, grants, programs, anything that can help me get through this period while I goto school. Turns out there is 1 program that I MIGHT qualify for called a "Retraining Grant". If I qualify, and I am really playing in the gray area, I could receive up to $3,000 for living expenses while I "retrain" for a new job. So I am all over that! Hopefully I will get it and will be able to pull through till I get a paycheck from my new career.

I kinda wish I hadn't bought the plane ticket home with all this money trouble, but, nothing I can do about it now. They are non-refundable.

I am also trying to contact VA about my GI Bill application. It has been over a month now and I haven't received anything telling me that my application has been processed. Trying to get a live person is proving just as difficult. So we will just have to see how things go.

Stephanie (A.K.A. SnowKitten) and I chatted online for quite awhile last night. Apparently she got beat up pretty bad on her taxes this year. It sounds like she made just enough to push her over into the next tax bracket, but didn't make enough to see any real benefit. This year she is going to have to pay more per quarter to avoid that from happening again.