23:41 - 03.10.06
Information Exchange
When I woke yesterday morning, I heard the radio announcer state that snow was falling. Oh no! Actually I was surprised we hadn't had any until now. Checked out my window and saw - rain. No snow, not even virga - snow that melts as it hits the ground. Melts in your mouth, not in your hand.
Got my youngest off to work, then checked my email. Two responses from leasing agents. The one was phrased so that I could hear the laughter through it as he politely stated the obvious - "no landlord in this tight rental market is even going to talk with you". The other response was a bit better in that a site was offered. It doesn't meet a lot of the criteria Elections Canada has, but something is better than nothing. Fussed around with housework - litter box duty, don't you know and did some research on various issues that had come up with my sister's sister-in-law when we were playing with her new computer. Experience and intuition worked well with a lot of the problems that arose, but it never hurts to read the manual or check in with sources you feel you can trust. I am subscribed to a few tech newsletters, so I perused those for answers.
I called my bank just to check the balance in the account before I went out to buy groceries. Remember that one time last spring when I didn't and my debit card wouldn't work? Learned my lesson then. There is nothing worse than standing at the till, with a huge cartload of groceries rung through, just to have that transaction rejection thing going on. Even worse when there's a big line up behind you waiting for their turn. It was lucky I had thought to bring my credit card that one time - something I usually don't do. When I reached the right menu, after passing all the security checks, I heard a sum that blew me away. I hit "zero" to speak with a human to find out what was going on. The amount was considerably more than I knew I had, yet the "most recent transactions" indicated there had indeed been a deposit and that it hadn't been an early "gift" of my wages from June - which were not nearly as much - from Elections Canada.
When the agent checked and reported the source, the light went on. Remember last spring I had heard from the agency that collects support money from the boys'Dad, stating he was demanding not to help out any more because my son wasn't enrolled in school anymore. I'm guessing that he had heard from my youngest's brothers that he had gotten his first job and decided that meant he could stop paying any support. My youngest had re-enrolled in another round of the home schooling high school program on his own, but I still was sent a request for about a 10 page essay on why the support should continue. Fair game I guess. Since then that agency has been collecting the amount from the ex, but not forwarding that to me. It took a while to get the letter of confirmation from the home school service on my youngest's full history of course enrolment. That last bit of information wasn't submitted until I had it in my hands, of course.
Apparently the approval for the continuation and back payment of those funds must have been approved on Friday. There had been a call from the collection agency that day but with no voicemail left. There had also been another incident, where I found my door open after I had locked it and left the house, that week. What was missing when I checked the house was the copy of that 10 page essay, along with photocopies of the identification I had to submit with it to ensure that my correct name was being used on their files, instead of my married one. Those documents reappeared in my "papers" drawer, where they had gone missing from the top of the heap for several days, on Sunday. That might explain why my ex brought all his reinforcements to the hospital on Saturday. Intimidation is one of his favorite weapons.
For example, the morning after he was served with divorce papers, I was taking the escalator up to the second floor in one of the buildings I travelled through to get to my then workplace several streets away. My ex was only an early riser when he wanted to go camping, yet there he was at 6:30 in the am, waiting at a table located just a few steps from the top of the escalator. That was the workplace where the co-worker from Columbia had noticed, and scolded me about not realizing I was being followed, when we went out for lunch not long after I started working there. I was still really afraid of the ex's physical response and had to make a split second decision to try and cut and run back down the escalator or to move forward. What I did know that decided me choice, was that there was a group of police officers who met just around the corner for coffee at that time of the day most work mornings. I gambled that they would be there and hurried toward that safety. They were there, thankfully, so I carried on past them fairly certain that he wouldn't try anything that morning. I had needed to ask my supervisor for time off to attend the court hearing scheduled not long after. She rarely gave much time away from the work day upon request, but my story about the morning incident, when I met her later in the day, convinced her it was really important that I go.
Anyway, I decided that I would pay off all the bills that had had to wait - my budget having been calculated with those payments included. My own personal deficit repayment before going on that grocery trip. That large sum of money just covered all those bills, with about $20 left over. Nothing wrong with my math, just the cash flow. Hearing all those confirmations that payment had been processed made me feel better than I had in months. It doesn't take much to please me, does it dear diary. Simply the ability to pay the bills and buy food is all I ask. Being able to fix the house without remortgaging it would make me even happier, but I guess that isn't any different than most folks these days.
The grocery store was busy for being prior to rush hour, but it was also the day after payday for a lot of people. I took my time going through the aisles, because the past couple of trips I have forgotten to pick up one crucial item or another. Besides that there was Lionel Ritchie playing in the background. Bliss with a cup of mocha in my hands for refreshment. Got to the checkout and realized I might be a while. The same problem as last visit too. The store just can't attract enough staff to cover all the shifts they have. I chose one of my favorite checker's workstations. She was saying that the young adults were constantly calling in sick or quitting, before they had done more than a few days work. Now, there is a really nasty flu bug making the rounds and I suspect some of the young adults are realizing that school and work can be a very heavy burden to carry at the same time. In some ways, it is actually heartening to see them choose their schooling over money, although I suspect it means some of them are going hungry as a result. Short term pain, long term gain and a very svelte figure without meaning to do it.
I think the solution to the worker shortage is to go back a few decades to when Sunday shopping was illegal. It still is in Atlantic Canada. Less shifts to fill means that the coverage of each can be met with the staff available. It would guarantee most workers one sure day off a week so that maybe family life could go back a bit to what once was regularly scheduled time together. Another option might be to require all but essential services and Mom and Pop stores to close no later than 8 pm at night. Given the number of assaults on late night staff, the benefits include a safer work environment and much lower policing costs. Yes, the change might seem dramatic, but is that such a bad thing? As it turned out, going through the checkout took twice as long as gathering things up to buy in my cart. Called a cab as I was leaving the store just before 5 pm.
The cabbie arrived almost immediately after my call and we chatted about the usual things in the five minutes it takes to get to my home from the grocery store. As we were opening the trunk so as to carry my groceries to my door, a group of five young teens congregated across the street in front of one of the good neighbour's homes. As we were moving back and forth between the cab and my front door, I heard the one boy ask the others what he should say if someone answered when he tried the door. Oh dear!. The others seemed unaware of my presence or the cabbie's, as they discussed different scenarios. A couple of the supporters tried talking the one with intent, to forget it. I turned to the cabbie as he returned to the trunk and tipped him off to the activity. We didn't approach the boys, but we did slow down considerably in moving my purchases to my door. That was pretty cool on the cabbie's part. For me it only cost me time, but for him it would potentially cost him other fares - his wages. Finally the boys seemed to realize that we weren't going to be out of eyesight anytime soon. The arguments of the ones who didn't want trouble strengthened as a result. They left just before that trunk was empty. Said good-bye to the cabbie and hustled those groceries into the house in case the boys returned. I knew those neighbours wouldn't be home from work for a bit, so I got everything put away - the ice cream had begun to melt you see. Looked their phone number up on the net, then called and left a voicemail describing the incident and the boys as well. At least as well as one can see, when one hasn't been wearing their contact lenses anyway.
The woman - who I have sometimes travelled to work with on the bus and train - called about an hour later, just when I had finished starting supper. She was quite concerned over some of the details, because comments among the boys appeared to indicate they had targetted that home particularly, because of words exchanged between her husband and one of the boys. She said her hubby couldn't recall any negative encounters with any young teens, but that he and she had had a very nasty incident where the neighbour who shares the other half of my duplex was concerned. On the August long weekend they returned home from a brief camping trip, to find that the neighbour had parked all that household's cars around the circumference of the sidewalk leading to their home. They wanted to unpack their car and asked the neighbour - who was cleaning out one of those vehicles - if he would mind moving one of the cars closest to their front door - after acknowledging that, yes they were all his. She said that his response was verbally abusive and threatening and filled with more explectives than any other words. She and her hubby decided not to pursue it and parked in the one place left - just in front of the access to their back alley. The neighbour had gone into his home and within 20 minutes a parking control officer arrived on scene saying that he had been told that they were parked illegally. This was on a statutory holiday. It is an enforcement service most of us can't manage to get out within a couple of days, even on a regular work day. Yet here he was ticketing them as they stood there trying to explain tht it was the only place left for them to park within walking distance of their door. Our conclusion was that perhaps those boys at some time had had a confrontation with that same neighbour while he was working on those cars across the street from where he lives. He doesn't park in front of my house, because the neighbour on the other side of my home, to the west has all his extra vehicles parked along this side of the street, including the one or two trucks in front of my house that the cabbies and I always have to work around when trying to bring my groceries to my door. The two bad groups of neighbours know each other and it is as if as though they have divided up all the available parking spaces between themselves - including the driveway that holds two vehicles on the one side - without allowing for anyone else to have any space at all. The good neighbour continued on to explain that not only have the bad neighbours harassed them, but also the other good neighbour on the east side of my duplex. We agreed that all of us would sell our homes and move if we could afford it, but with the housing market here that isn't possible. Still, we all question why it is that they can get away with their continuous harrassment and yet we seem to have no recourse at all. I told her about the behaviour I have witnessed over the year since those families all moved in to the street last May and told her my feeling about their landlord encouraging all of them to make the rest of our lives miserable, so he can buy up our properties for a song. She mentioned the constant traffic going in and out of the one home all day and night and the violence that we have all witnessed among the group as well. So you see dear diary, it isn't just me being thin-skinned. My neighbours are all struggling with the same frustration and fear too. We both wonder if the adults who rarely emerge, don't work and seem to be hiding are on parole or on the run. Yes I know that is melodramatic, but it fits with the pattern of harassment and intimidation that is being directed at each of us individually. In talking with her, I at least felt less isolated and at sea. At least I know it isn't in my head and that I'm not being singled out on my own. The question becomes how do we deal with it. The neighbour has to go to court soon because of the summons about the parking ticket. She said she was going to speak to the judge about the circumstances and ask for guidance. I offered to provide the documntation I've made of their behaviour since they all moved in, but I don't really know what would help other than that. We'll see.
Today was a lot lower key - thank goodness. I did receive another bit of unexpected money in the mail. From one of the survey companies for which I act as a volunteer panelist. About the price of lunch in an average restaurant, but unlooked for regardless. Voicemail from one of the people I really like at Elections Canada. They will be my partner at headquarters in the next assignment. Have I received all my parcels? After listing them off, I realized that I am still short one and ask for a description of the contents so that I can track it down or reproduce the contents somehow from my own voluminous paperwork. I email him with a description of what I have and let him know I am looking forward to working with him. No more responses from leasing agents, but maybe that means they are still looking.
A lot of calls to almost all my family. Decision to have our Thanksgiving dinner on Monday at one of my sister's homes. There had been some hesitation, because almost all the adult males were down with that flu. I guess they actually want to eat something when we get together. I call and let all my sons know, so they can try to fit it into their schedules. At least two might not be able to come, because they are scheduled into work. Again back to that proposal to designate some specific days as non-work, except for emergency services. That one choice might do more to rebuild the recent breakdown of families than anything else. Time together is needed to keep those bonds strong. It was one of the arguments used against the decision, when Sunday and statutory holidays were changed into shopping days several decades ago.
I have some errands to get out of the way early tomorrow dear diary so I think I'll pack it in for the night. Good night.
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