Trying Week

It's been a trying week here in my neck of the woods.  The trying part came at some point late Sunday or early Monday when the left side of my mouth began to hurt.  The further I went into Monday, the worse the pain.  I also noted that the left side of my face was getting all puffy.  By closing time on Monday, I was desperate enough to head home to ask my wife about the availability of a drug other than tylenol to ease the pain.  She drug out an expired bottle of hydrocodone... I took a pill and slept well, at least for a few hours.

Tuesday I broke down and did something I had not done since five years before the end of the previous regime.  I went to a dentist.  It started out with a round with the insurance company.  They hadn't heard from me and wondered why I wanted to see a dentist after spending for dental insurance for eight years and not seeing a dentist.  I calmly explained the situation and finally wound up with an appointment with a rather nice fellow by the name of Bang.  He examined me, declared that I had three teeth which had to go, then gave me a letter to take to a dental surgeon to do the dirty deed.

I was in too much pain to disagree.

I walked home, stopping at the drug store to pick up a prescription for some amoxycillin, and encountered a man driving a beautiful black Thunderbird - all original - a 1973 model with only 60k miles.  He told me that he admired the car when he was a kid back in '73.  It belonged to an uncle of his who he seldom saw.  Long story short, the fellow gets a call on his 50th birthday from that uncle who tells him to look out his front door - and sure enough, there was that same T-Bird from nearly 40 years ago!  It sounds like a story in the making.

I got back home to more oxycodone, an antibiotic and a phone call from the people who had been trying to get me into a house of my own.  There was talk about credit scores and errant credit cards which had been shared between the lovely Miss Carol and myself since 1997.  I was hardly amused.  I hadn't arrived in Texas yet, and she was way down near Corpus Christie somewhere leading her other life.  After hand-wringing and lots of time on the cell phone, we finally came to the conclusion that the nice little place in Plano wasn't meant to be, so, we just backed out of the deal.

Wednesday and Thursday were more of the same.  I made arrangements with the realtor to look at three other places more in line with our finances.  One was a total wreck to the point where it would be better to bulldoze the place to start over rather than to try to fix what was there - One was nice, but... it backed up to the enormous football stadium built by the school board, and a busy street.  The one I marginally liked the best was in a neighborhood I had already looked in.  I arrived to displace someone parked in front of it taking notes and in the five minutes it took for my realtor to come to let me in, there was another someone giving the place (and me) the evil eye.  At some point later that evening, I was told that the place had recieved 20 visits in 2 days.  Wow.  Most of the visitors would have noted some of the shortcomings I would have noted and there would doubtless be bids on the place from people claiming to be 'investors'.  Doubtless I will see one of them coming into my corner of the retail world wanting flooring for their 'rent house' or for a place they are trying to 'flip', asking if I could do them a special favor and sell them the cheapest goods I have... no doubt at a discount.

I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that when and if I find a place I can afford, I sure as hell will make sure that it wasn't made over by someone using cheap goods to try to impress me.  Sure, people have to make a buck, but why do it at the expense of someone who is trying his damndest to find an affordable place to live?

Friday has actually ended up rather nicely, thank you.  I only dosed myself with drugs once today - with just plain Kroger aspirin - and have been relatively pain free.  Funny.  The oxycodone didn't work as well as the product developed by Bayer A.G. late in the nineteenth century!  I messaged my realtor and as of a quarter past eight, haven't heard a peep from him.  Perhaps I will find a place to lose that piece of paper telling me that it's okay to take money out of my retirement account for the purposes of buying a house.  There would be a penalty if I did it now, anyway.  The realtor knows where to find me... and somehow I think he might understand.

During the meanwhilst, the writing continues.

I have this kid, Kevin with a screwed up mom about to meet Pastor Dan's kids and Frank the Dog over in Magnolia, and I have a couple of people running from Houston to Tyler because of a robbery and a murder the night before.  They'll be in Magnolia before too long... finding that though they are strangers to each other, they both have a common tie.

Yep... it's been a trying week here in north Texas.  Still, there are silver linings out there.  Just have to go looking for them, I guess...

Be Seeing You!

bdharrell