Okay...so now I'm putting my stressed out energy into my house. I have this Dirt Devil upright carpet cleaner and I am getting ALLLLLLLL my carpets cleaned one room at a time. So far, I've done the dinette, the living room, downstairs bedroom, the computer room and half the family room. I'm doing the family room in three steps. Yesterday I pulled out the sectional sofa and did that area....today I pulled out the other corner where my chair and other crap sit and did that area....then tomorrow I'll do all the main part. All I will have left to do are the 2 bedrooms upstairs and the hallway, which I will do at a later time. It is so nice to be able to clean them myself and know they are really cleaned. When you call those half-ass carpet cleaner guys, they are zoom-zoom-zoom, done in 30 minutes and out the door, and when your carpets dry all the dirt pops back up and they don't even look clean. I am saving myself so much money besides! I bought the carpet cleaner at an estate sale for $50.

Damn, I wish I could get rid of this frickin headache I've had for a month now...

So yesterday I took my car into the dealership because of some recall thing about my radiator fan blades. I killed some time by treating myself to a lunch at Archie's and read the newspaper. (Archie's is restaurant, not some guy I know...haha) Although if I knew a guy named Archie, I could have had lunch with him too, I suppose. I ordered a grilled chicken caesar salad.

I am really trying to be good about this damn diet I am on, but I think I have lost 1 stupid pound all week....which is REALLY STRESSING ME OUT! Before menopause and quitting smoking I use to weigh under 130.....then after menopause, over 130.....so now without my cigs, I'm over 140....not good. So I quit smoking, gained weight and my blood pressure is worse....go figure!
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So we've been watching the National League playoffs and I think the Tigers can beat either team. But I'm worried about all this time off they are getting. I hope they don't lose their momentum and lose their winning streak.

Jim Leyland is getting alot of credit, BUT the three years Trammell managed the team with Gibson and Parrish coaching helped groom this team and got this team to where they are today.....even Layland is crediting them and said that he merely stepped in at the right time. It's too bad that Trammell wasn't given another year, cause I'm sure he could have still pulled this off.
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I took another huge garbage bag full of clothes...more stuff that doesn't fit....to Salvation Army. I have 4 pairs of jeans left that fit. Whoopie-doo...
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Tomorrow is Oct 20, the so-called deadline to when the Company will do their involuntary lay-offs. So don't know if hubby will be going or what the hell will happen....we'll see.....

Later....ciao

Well, today is Oct 16 and my husband decided NOT to take the voluntary lay-off. He hopes that the company won't lay him off and he can wait and retire when it is a better time.....yeah, like whenever that is. But if he is involuntarily laid off then at least he can collect unemployment as well as his pension.

But here is the shocker I am only now realizing. I thought originally that his pension was low because the company also continues the health insurance benefits for retirees at a reduced rate and pays for most of it. Yeah, they pay some but the premium is so f'ng high that our part is still astronomical.....like over $700 a month until my husband reaches 65....then it will drop to almost $500 a month until I reach 65! Hell, his pension will only be about $1200....so like half of it will be spent on the damn health insurance benefits....and that is NOT including dental.....

I was on the phone today talking with an insurance guy and he said that he has a Blue Cross Blue Shield plan that is not nearly as good as the one we have with the company and it will cost almost $1000 until hubby reaches 65 and over $600 until I reach 65.....and the out-of-pocket expenses will be much higher.

DAMN, DAMN, DAMN

Why can't anything be simple and CHEAP!!???

There is a cheaper plan but it is much worse coverage and NO prescription coverage and that is important....the extra out-of-pocket expenses and the cost of our prescriptions would be much higher than the extra premiums.

Screw it.....my husband can work til he drops dead
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SO ARE THE TIGERS THE GREATEST BASEBALL TEAM IN THE HISTORY OF BASEBALL OR WHAT???? Okay, maybe a bit of an exaggeration, but they are a great team this year and I hope to God they win the Series....they deserve it. I kind of hope they play the St. Louis Cardinals cause that's the same team they played in 1968 and won...wouldn't that be a hoot??
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I've been sick with some cold virus or something and spent most of Saturday....hell, ALL of Saturday laying on the couch in my jammies blowing my nose.

Friday I had an appointment with my Doctor whom I haven't seen in almost a year and a half and my blood pressure was way way up. I tried to explain to him how stressed out I am right now. He spent all of 10 minutes with me and decided to up the dosage on my medication, which will now probably double in price. It was 165 over something. I know at home when I took it, it was 165/101. Whatever.....so if I drop dead will our health insurance benefits go down??
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Also I'm stressed out because my son has decided to join the friggin army....the son with my grandson! What the hell is he thinking? He has done the first part of his physical and goes this Wednesday for the second part. He has to have a more advanced physical because of his age. Jesus Frickin Christ, NOBODY JOINS THE ARMY WHEN THEY ARE 40 YEARS OLD!! Anyway, that's another stressed out story and I'm too stressed out to even type about it.

Have a great day....and stay healthy....

The Last Chapter......

Firstly, I finally returned from Caseville Monday. I had planned on coming back the Thursday before, but hubby talked me into staying throught the weekend....oh how he loves his alone time without me and the dogs...haha...anyway, so I drove back Monday. I did the initiation thing with the Eagles and am now officially an Eagles girl! The only reason I joined was so hubby and I could go to the bar there and eat and drink when we're in town. The bars in town suck....either too many "barely old enough to drink" tourist crowds or you get the lowlife locals. Wednesdays the ladies like to meet up there and drink and play this video bowling game...and I swear I'm like one of the youngest ones there...most of the ladies are in their 70's or 80's, and they have pitchers of beer on the table at 1:00 in the afternoon...wow!...cool!!

So when I talked to my hus last week and told him he should take a day off work and drive up for the weekend, he said that there was something going on at work and he'll have plenty of time later. He didn't elaborate on what he meant. So when I got home Monday, I found out.

Apparently his company is doing a complete reconstructure thing and wants to downsize considerably. My hus works in the auto interior seat department and Johnson Controls wants to get out of that area and concentrate more on the heating and cooling aspect. So they sent letters out to everyone asking first for a Voluntary Separation with an enhanced severance package to entice people to agree to leave on their own. If they choose not to do so, then the company will an Involuntary Separation and start laying people off. Some jobs will be saved but they are not saying which ones. It is all an idiotic guessing game. If you are laid off involuntarily, there is a smaller severance package. So the question is to leave voluntarily or take a chance and not volunteer to leave and hope that they won't lay him off. Everyone has until Monday, Oct 16 to decide....one week to decide. Then the lay-offs will take place by Oct 20.

So basically my husband is looking at an early retirement....not a whole lot earlier as he would be retiring within the year anyway, BUT it is still a big step for him to take and I don't think he's really ready for it to be happening right NOW! Good Lord, that means he will be home with me every single f'ng day!!! WE'LL KILL EACH OTHER..........

Are we really that old now??? Are we really entering the last chapter of our lives??? After this, there is only "The End"!