On Mon, 02 Sep 2013 11:22:50 -0700, Hiram Johnson thetruth@thetruth
wrote:
Im running out of steam, desire, and ability to jump into another one.
Why would you want to jump out of this one, gummer?
"Hummmm? I get $75 an hour, .55 cents a mile out and back, and
$25/hr travel time."
gummer arsch - 08/31/2013, 9:48PM PDT
$75 an hour is $75,000 a year even if you only work 20 hours a week,
ayup..it sure is. And during the Shining Times...I was knocking off
about that much money. Spent a fair amount of it on fuel, materials,
etc etc..but Id bring home at least $37k after taxes. Insurance
(medical) was a significant percentage of that $75k, liability
insurance was a smaller amount, and so on and so forth. But...$35-37k
paid for a lot of my toys, kept me in vehicles, kept a second place to
live in So Cal during the week, paid off the wifes medical bills, her
schooling and so forth. Course I had a boy who had 3 major surgeries
before he was 15..and that ate a lot of money as well with his
continual medical needs..most of which were not covered by insurance.
When they removed his kidney at the age of 14...insurance paid for
half. One of my two back surgeries was covered..I ate the second one.
My sons long term addiction to meth cost me a ****load of money
getting him treatment. 3 stays in managed care cost me every bit of my
rather impressive savings..the last being in 2003. He is off drugs
now..and has been for 12 yrs. He is married and has three kids..but he
is never going to be able to work.and SS pays him $831 a month. So I
have to pay the rest ..for the 3 grand kids.
But...all and all..I was doing pretty damned good. Being on the road
5-15 days at a time, I let the wife pay the bills..which I would later
regret..as many never got paid (property taxes for one). I
unfortunately married an airhead of massive proportions who didnt
discover common sense until her late 40s..and even today she has
massive blank spots in it. Shrug... thats neither here nor there.
But I was doing pretty well. Then the Second Great Depression hit in
late 2008 here in California. Things really started slowing down and
the first companies started closing their doors. Then in January of
2009..I had the heart attack, the triple bypass..and then six weeks to
the day later..I had the stroke.
I had gone to the Bakersfield Heart hospital in Nov of 2008 with chest
pains..and they told me it was bronchitus. Shrug..they were wrong.
Since Id had to drop my medical insurance in September of that year
when the slow down hit...I wound up with an $18k bill for a 45 minute
visit and a false assurance that I was just fine..just had bronchitus.
Fast forward 60 days..and Im in the hospital being gutted like a
trout. That bill was $184k. 6 weeks later..I had the stroke..and the
original surgeon told me to drive to another hospital to seek
treatment. Which I did..the next day..being rather clouded in
judgement..I had just had a stroke...shrug.
That bit of buffoonery...1 IV and 2 shots and 4 days of boredom cost
me $135k. I was visited by a doctor (1) time in those 4 days.
So now I was in hawk for a quarter million dollars that came right out
of nowhere. Then the first hospital contacted me and asked for money.
I mentioned some things the staff had discussed about some "problems"
with my treatment (they managed to kill me 2x before getting me back
to my room..and some issues with the surgery which caused the later
stroke)...and suddenly..they dropped the entire bill and zeroed it
out. Which left me with the second bill of $135k. Ive managed to pay
some..some of it..but given that it was not the full amount...the
County of San Bernadino put a lean on my fully paid for home and
property. Which remains. If I sell it...I dont get any of the money,
and I have to start from scratch someplace else.
Now in the mean time..work has gone right into the toilet. Ive lost 19
clients in the past 36 months...11 went out of business...owing me
$15k..me being one of the small creditors..shrug...6 have moved to
Texas and one to South Carolina..all to escape California.
Last year..and yes..I do bill $75 an hour, plus travel and mileage as
noted..I grossed..grossed $27k before expenses.
Thats 1/3rd of what I made for many years. So Im hanging on by my
fingernails.
My son, his wife and 3 kids live here, as well as another couple..and
Im largely paying the bills for their expenses. Son and DIL are on
welfare...so they are able to provide food for their kids and
themselves. And Im working on training her how to save money and put
it to proper use..rather than buying clothes for the kids at the big
money stores etc etc etc. They have finally discovered the joys of
yard sales and second hand stores. She was raised Mormon in Utah..and
when she hit the Real World (tm) of California...she had to become a
Californian...and didnt have the resources to do it. But..she was
trying until I finally had to slap her down and give her the options
of either the street..or a place to live. She is learning the facts
of life rather quickly. Shrug..but she is learning.
But yeah..its been a rather interesting downhill slide from Doing
Good..to Barely Makin it.
On a personal note..Yup..Ive made a ****load of mistakes in my
life..from my choice of wife, to passing up a quality education, to
taking care of others before myself and so on. Ive never claimed I
could walk on water. Nor would I ever bother. Ive got as many flaws as
most, not as many as people like yourself. I drop money into
charities, do animal rescue (Anyone want a dog?) and do the very best
I can to take care of my rather large and unexpected "family"
Hell yes Ive got toys. A pretty goodly number of toys of all kinds.
All bought with cash during the shining times, and seldom bought new.
But they serve my purpose. That $200 sailboat a few weeks ago was a
treat for myself..and it makes the 5th one I own. Ive owned at least
10 sailboats over the years.
Shrug. Ive bought and sold toys for years and generally either broke
even..or made a bit of money doing it, after having enjoyment with
em..and then upgrading to the better version. Hell..I simply gave
away a Hobi 16 worth about $800 to a friend, simply because he wanted
one..but like everyone else around here..couldnt afford one.
Im looking for yet another sailboat..and when I find it..Ill snag it
if I can. But I do it the smart way...
http://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/freesailboats
Do I need another one? **** no. But given the little I spend on
myself...its a cheap treat for Myself. And others get enjoyment out
of it.
I pay $40 a week in dogfood. Thats $160 a month..but its my choice to
do animal rescue. It gives me pleasure and harms no one..and saves
lives...and the dogs I adopt out..go to their Forever Homes. So that
means a lot to me. The wife is out at the moment introducing a very
nice pup to her possible new owners. If it works..thats another one
that gets a Forever Home. (Joey got his Forever Home..YAY!!...4 more
to go!)
https://picasaweb.google.com/1040422...37575370814946
https://picasaweb.google.com/1040422...PupsAugust2013
In The Real World..Im pretty well liked and respected by quite a few.
Shrug..something you would never understand or experience. Sadly.
But I do have a nasty cynical side...comes from dealing with people in
the Real World..which I manage to camoflauge pretty well most of the
time..but when someone Really needs an ass chewing..Im not at all shy
about it. Usenet gives me the ability to speak my mind openly..rather
than simply keeping a blank face and keeping my mouth shut.
Something that you obviously do too..else folks would have murdered
you long ago.
Im pretty sure you are the Walter Mitty type...a fat or skinny little
whimp with no hair on your ass or chest who wouldnt say **** to a pile
of dung..but the anominity of Usenet allows you to think you are Super
Stud..snicker..as you try desperately to make others think you are
something other than a mear cog in the machine. Shrug. Cuts no ice
with me. Your castigating me with lies and near lies and your
buffoonish swappiing of nyms 2-5 times a day simply shows me you are
mentally ill. Badly and terminally nutz. ****ing Fugazi.
You spew the " I never change my nym", to "I always change my nym
because no one has the right to a name on Usenet"...to all the other
bull**** you spew and have spewed for years. Its just a sign that you
are as unstable as frozen and thawed nitro...and its one that I
usually simply laugh at you when you do it. Sometimes you **** me
off..but its actually quite rare and Ill ponder for a moment..laugh
and get on with it. A couple weeks ago I weeded through through my
Facebook friends list..removing those that hadnt been on in a long
time..leaving me with 189. And you have used EVERY one of those
names..including 3 dead people from before the weeding. And you
think its funny, or bright, or Unique or simply Tactics.
Sorry ****wit..its none of the above. Why the hell dont you use your
friends names? Oh..sorry..you dont have any friends...do you?
You remind me of a sorry old ******* named Cliff who used to post on
alt.machines.cnc. Odd that he died rather suddenly. But hey..he
****ed off hundreds of people regularly..so it could have been natural
causes..or by direction..who knows? Shrug..who cares? He isnt around
anymore. Thats ALL that counts.
Your time is coming to meet that big guy in the sky..and frankly its
not my decision where he sends you. Or the Big Dark...you pick one.
Ill only be tickled that you are gone. And with luck...much sooner
than you expect. And yes,,.you have been added to the List.
Shrug..Ill keep playing your game now and then until you suddenly
arent around anymore. And then the next nutball will poke up his
pointed head and become the very next contestant in Wack A Mole. Its
the only way I can give a treat to that previously mentioned Nasty
Evil side I own..a little bit. If I gave into it..there would be wide
spread bloodshed on the streets. But...Im older and wiser and unless
really given a good reason...will simply laugh..or shrug and sigh and
get on with my life (such as it is)
But at heart...Im basically..by choice.... a nice lovable harmless
fuzzball who has seen some of the nastier sides of life played out in
real life. A past Master at it. And one whom hopes never has to put
on the hat again...but for the right reason ...will do it in a heart
beat.
Just think of the crap Ive put up with FROM my family. Doing
something nasty and cruel and very very wicked to people I dont
like..would be like giving candy to a child. So lets hope you never
put me in that position..else Ill most certainly enjoy doing what I
once was very very good at. And you most certainly...will not.
So keep on bull****ing, lying, "reinterpreting" and carrying on.
Someday you will suddenly vanish from here and life will go on. And
Ill simply smile..nod a thanks to those responsible..and carry on with
my life. No harm..no foul.
So off your newest nym goes into the bozo bin. Ive got work to do
outside and Im not going to bother timing your next nym change ..I
only do when I want to show the others what a ****tard you really are.
Im sure your family is most ashamed of you...if they only knew your
games..Mr Mitty..tsk tsk tsk.
Be off little man..Ive got adult things to do.
plink
Gunner
"The socialist movement takes great pains to circulate frequently new labels for its ideally constructed state.
Each worn-out label is replaced by another which raises hopes of an ultimate solution of the insoluble basic
problem of Socialism, until it becomes obvious that nothing has been changed but the name.
The most recent slogan is "State Capitalism."[Fascism] It is not commonly realized that this covers nothing more
than what used to be called Planned Economy and State Socialism, and that State Capitalism, Planned Economy,
and State Socialism diverge only in non-essentials from the "classic" ideal of egalitarian Socialism. - Ludwig von Mises (1922)