So Many Roadblocks, So Little Time!

I'm not impressed. First, I didn't get my EI payment from the government. I did my part, now give me my money already! As a result, my tenant and car insurance payment was NSF. So, the bank charged me a $40 fee. Thanks. Then, I found out that the apartment managers quit and vacated and somehow the rent cheque I slid under their door last week got lost in the shuffle. I had to put a stop payment on it. The bank charged me $10. I checked my account today and apparently the new cheque I wrote is also NSF because the government still hasn't deposited my payment. Again, thanks a lot. So not only am I completely fucking broke, I am now being hit by a shitload of stupid banking fees and my account is overdrawn beyond my limit. Besides, my landlord is going to want a $25 NSF fee on top of it all. I'm going to dispute it though since I had to pay for them losing my other damn cheque.

I finally managed to close my eBay account. They helped themselves to what I owed them by charging it to my credit card via PayPal - the one that charges 25.99% interest. Thanks a lot. Today I got an email from a survey company that pays me via PayPal saying that they were unable to deposit my money into my PayPal account. I'm thinking this is no coincidence that it's happening right after I told eBay how much I hated them. I was also expecting a payment for blog postings that was due at the end of May via PayPal. That could have saved me from at least one NSF charge.

I hate this shithole apartment! Now I'm likely going to be evicted. Yippie! I'm really not impressed.

My boyfriend came over straight from work. He works out of town for a week and is home for a week. He offered to help me clean my apartment! He was completely serious. I nearly cried. You have no idea what a disaster state it's in. He estimates it would take about 3 days of hard work to get the job done.

Yesterday he took me to the zoo. I'd been pestering him to do so for some time now. I forgot to bring my camera, though! We still had an awesome time. We spent hours there! I told him he has to take me there again because it was so much fun and because I forgot to bring a camera. Afterward, we went to a picnic area nearby. We collected twigs and such and roasted marshmallows. I'd also been bugging him to do that for awhile. It was also a great deal of fun. The area was all wooded with fire stoves and picnic tables in the clearings. Lots of paved and worn paths. It was very much like camping only without the tents. It was good to relax after walking around the zoo all day. Then he took me back to his place and we watched some movies and went to bed. It was the best day I've had in a very long time and I told him so.

One of the movies he'd rented was an indie film called Wendy and Lucy. It was about a girl about my age who lived in her car with her dog. It was very appropriate. The ending was sudden, though and left a lot of unanswered questions. Then we watched Paul Blart Mall Cop after so we could laugh. It was kind of stupid but also funny. It did the trick of cheering me up after crying at the end of the previous film.

I slept pretty much all day. It was overcast and rainy and I was exhausted from the previous day and night.

Since I accomplished very little today, I think I'll spend tomorrow cleaning. I don't have cable (or even an antenna) to distract me. As long as I stay off the computer, I should be okay. I need to do my dishes. Also, I need to go through everything I own and decide what to keep, sell, donate, and dispose of. I'm likely not going to do much of that tomorrow but if I can get through the dishes I'd be pretty satisfied. I will also unplug things I don't use - such as the TV, my old PC, small appliances I don't use every day. I'm seriously considering dropping my land line as well. Most of the calls I get are telemarketers. The important people in my life know my cell number and everyone else knows how to contact me online.

I'm going to have to research different ways of selling things I don't need/use anymore. I may as well sell my TV. I can watch DVDs on my computer. My VHS player doesn't even work anymore. My PS2 is at my parents' house. I also need to unplug my computer monitor because the boyfriend said he'll buy it off me. It's better than the TV - it's a 22" LCD monitor that I got an awesome deal on during boxing day a few years ago when I had a full-time job. Maybe I'll bring my VHS collection to my parents' house. I could store it and/or watch it there. It may even give my parents something to watch if they're bored.

I'm not too sure what I'm going to do in the short term for money. I think I'm going to go down to the government offices on Monday and talk to them about my options. I am thinking of possibly taking an online certificate class in entrepreneurship and small business. All the classes are geared toward my personal goals. I can likely get a grant to cover it if they agree that it's what I need to do in order to find full-time work. Aside from that, I may have to check out the temp agencies that advertise jobs that pay cash daily. I also have some bottles & cans to take in.

As expected, the philanthropy plea was unsuccessful as well. I guess things are tough for many people these days. I am going to grab the tent when I go to my parents' place on the weekend, though. I know they'll never use it. It isn't especially waterproof but if I could get some tarps it would be okay.

I also finally read the blog about the red paperclip guy. I have a bunch of blue paperclips. :) I was thinking I could try to trade up like he did. I don't have a lot of faith in my ability to successfully do so though. Heck, I don't even know if people read this blog. If so, write a comment and tell me what you think. Can I trade my way from a blue paperclip to an RV? Ya never know!