"Post No. 495"

This morning I went by and spoke with a man here locally regarding a position as a security guard at a factory. It's not that I don't like my current position, but now they've cut back store hours by 30 minutes (and are talking about cutting back the open hours even more), and here I've been there now over eight years, topped out on any pay increases, and have absolutely no health insurance benefits.

And too, I'm getting on in years (will be 57 in July) so I think about health benefits even more so all the time, and that all of the heavy lifting I do isn't as easy as it was, say, ten years ago. I need to try to find something a little less strenuous and less hectic.

Unfortunately, they'd already hired someone for that position and the guy said he'd have to give that guy a chance, but he did interview me and took my name and phone number. That position's also several miles closer to home, and what with gas prices and all, it'd just be a better deal for me all the way around.

On the way back home I stopped here in downtown for a while and just walked around and looked in what various stores that are still open. One consignment shop had gone out of business, which made me glad that I didn't put several boxes of quarter comics in it to sell on commission. Last time we did that, my wife put several boxes of crafts in such a store and they went out without any warning or even calling us, then simply disappeared! At the end of the year we had to write those off as either lost or damaged.

When I was at the doctor's office today (took my mom there, not myself personally) I got a phone call from my mechanic who told me he'd gotten the heater coil in the ol' Cheve pickup fixed. $168.00; he had to remove the entire dashboard just to get to the thing. That's over $200. I've put in dad's ol' truck (that I paid mom $600. for), but now perhaps it's roadworthy (especially since I discovered to my joy that the gas gauge does indeed work!

Also today I stopped by the t.v. repair man to get my set that's been in his shop close to a month now. Was going to bring it back home whether he'd gotten it fixed or not, but the place was closed. Forgot that my wife said he'd had a death in his family this week (probably the reason "why"). Oh well. Another week of squinting at this 10" screen on my spare tv set.

In fact, I'd thought about stopping at a couple other places, like an antique store or two and Wallyworld, but this weather has been so lousey today with torrents of rain that mom and I just came on back home. What with the extra expensives and all this week, plus I won't get a weekly check tomorrow (due to my vacation I got both checks together last week) I need to watch "where the money goes" anyway.