House of Pain
by Scott Hardie on January 31, 2015
Happy new year! The first month of 2015 has been so terrible that I'm declaring a re-do as if it never happened. 2015 really starts now as far as I'm concerned.
Kelly was laid off from her longtime job, and received a smaller-than-promised severance pay. She had already been sad about not receiving any art awards in her hobby group in all seven years that she's lived here and made tons of crafts and designs for people, so the new feelings of worthlessness in her professional life made the depression worse. Last weekend was the group's big winter event, and she was promised two awards that never materialized, and awards were handed out like candy to lots of other people. When she said online that she was sad about this (without challenging the decisions), the people in charge of awards circled the wagons and said really harsh, awful things about her. She now feels miserable about both her career and her hobby.
Me, I'm gaining weight and can't manage to stay on diet. I got over a cold, but I still have recurring pericarditis that feels like a hot knife stuck in my ribs for hours at a time while I'm trying in vain to sleep. Four times now I've gone sleepless all night with intense pain, which leaves me wrecked and useless the whole next day. The medicine and advice given so far by the doctors have done nothing. But what I'm going through doesn't compare to a beloved friend of ours who was just diagnosed with a catastrophic illness, and who doesn't have much in the way of insurance.
There have been plenty of other lesser nuisances, from car trouble, to unexplained damage to our home, to a dear close co-worker who informed me that he's leaving. The whole month of January has just plain sucked, and I want it stricken from the record. Here's hoping that the next eleven months are much better.
Six Replies to House of Pain
Evie Totty | February 2, 2015
Oh my gosh :(
Chris Lemler | February 2, 2015
Sorry to hear about all the troubles that are going on around your house so far. It will get better for the both of you
Scott Hardie | February 3, 2015
Thanks, all. I'm sure things will turn around soon. We spent Sunday in Gainesville attending a renaissance faire with friends, and it was nice just to have a simple fun day out with no problems.
Steve, I've heard a friend describe MS similarly. It sounds miserable. I'm glad you're getting over what ailed you in January too.
Scott Hardie | February 5, 2015
The "new" 2015 is already off to a good start: Kelly was just hired today at a new firm. I'll spare the specifics but let's just say that the new job seems better than the old one in nearly every way, so this layoff turned out to be a lucky event for us in the end, as I suspected it eventually would. I'm glad that she's back to work, and sooner rather than later.
Chris Lemler | February 9, 2015
Glad to hear it Scott
Logical Operator
The creator of Funeratic, Scott Hardie, blogs about running this site, losing weight, and other passions including his wife Kelly, his friends, movies, gaming, and Florida. Read more »
Day 14
In lieu of "weight loss Wednesday" since I'm much too busy on Wednesdays even to get online, let me write today that I'm on day 14 of a new diet, which is 13 more days than nearly all of my attempts last. This is, in fact, the second-longest I've ever lasted on a diet, and in a few weeks it will be the longest. This should indicate how lousy my self-discipline is and why I've ballooned to this size, around 450 pounds. Go »The Proposal
By now, the news is out that Kelly and I are engaged. We couldn't be happier about it! Here's the full story for anyone interested. Go »Rambling Phone Post
Does it make sense for me to keep my phone? Work has provided me with a cell phone. I broke my home phone last weekend, and I could buy another one at Target for ten bucks, but I wonder if I should finally kick the $45 monthly bill and stick to either the cell phone or something like Skype (for which I'd have to buy a mic). Go »The Angry Number
Steve Dunn is bemused when people speak out against corporate America, as if it's a bad thing that they give millions of people jobs and create the products & services that enrich our lives. I'm with him, but sometimes I do get tired of being treated like a number. I've been a good tenant at this apartment complex for three years – always paid rent on time, no loud parties or messy pets or maintenance problems. Go »Sarasota
Aaron Weiss likes taking pictures with his spiffy new camera – go figure – and yesterday he captured this beautiful panoramic shot of part of downtown Sarasota. This is why I live here. [I compressed his version for filesize, which caused the pixelization in the sky.] Go »
Steve West | January 31, 2015
So sorry to hear about the troubles you've both been experiencing. I've had a similar month with regard to illnesses. Got the flu to start the year and as soon as that cleared, I shared a stomach virus with Olivia (she started it). I missed several days from work just before my annual review. It seems that because of my MS, every illness seems like pneumonia and it takes weeks to recover fully. I demand a do-over as well. I think your crafts are outstanding Kelly, BTW.