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

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.

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 »

It's All About Me

I regret if my rantings around this site have come across either whiny, as I coped with illnesses and a busy schedule, or hypocritical, as I griped about Christmas cheer while still participating in the holiday. I don't regret if they came across as self-centered. Go »

Retrospection

If I recall the dates correctly, yesterday would have been my grandmother's 100th birthday. She lived to just shy of her 89th, despite a lifetime of chain smoking. I remember her as a sweet, generous woman who liked to laugh and teach me life's simple pleasures; a typical afternoon for us was playing crazy eights and baking cinnamon rolls. Go »

Revisiting Survivor: Australia

Since I'm a fan of Survivor and I missed the first halves of early seasons when they aired, lately I've rented them on DVD to see what I missed. And it's given me an opportunity to reflect on how the show has changed over twelve seasons. The first two seasons had a special quality that has largely been missing every since, which is the genuineness of the cast. Go »

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 »

Firsties

It's been one year today since Kelly and I got married, but that feels strange to say, since it's been nineteen years today since our first date back in high school. I don't mind that it took us so long to get to this "first" anniversary; I'm just glad that we got here at last. We spent the day out feeding flamingos at a local animal sanctuary and eating at some favorite restaurants before I go back on diet tomorrow. Go »

Day 86

The diet continues, but I haven't lost as much as I would like by now. Four pant sizes is something to be proud of, but three of them were lost in January, so you can understand my frustration. I've wound up taking a fourth meal most days, bringing me to ~1200 calories, and so far I've had a lot of trouble going back down to three. Go »