Broken Resolution

You'd think my New Year's resolution was to never write again. But, ha ha, you are not that lucky. Christmas vacation seems like ages ago. It was a pleasant, lengthy break. Of course, as soon as I returned to work, every project I'd been waiting for prior to my time off came tumbling down the pipeline. I have been swamped since January 2nd.

Sometimes I wonder how I'll ever take care of a child when things now seem crazy enough. My brother-in-law and his wife visited us last weekend. I felt bad, but I had to spend Saturday getting chores done. We did go to Chinatown on Sunday, but I had no time to spend with them on Saturday until the evening because I was getting our second bedroom prepared for a new coat of paint. All of the stuff that was in there except for some of the furniture has been moved to my studio in the third bedroom temporarily. Then, when I'm done painting, it will all be returned and my studio will be transferred into its new location with our exercise equipment and record storage so that the old studio can be turned into the new nursery.

We had childbirth classes scheduled for Tuesday nights this month, but those got canceled and we were shuffled into an all-day affair on the 26th. We've begun looking for infant care, also. With the prices we've discovered so far, my paycheck will practically disappear. It has me a little worried. We can't get by without child care if we both work and we can't afford to live here if we're not both getting paid. I think we can manage, but at our current level, saving is going to become a foreign word unless we can find something or someone cheaper that remains trustworthy.

It's not that I haven't expected things to be this way, though, which is why I've been looking for other jobs for a while. But so far, I haven't had any luck. I did get an actual 'no' instead of silence recently, but it was an automated 'no' without any real feedback as to why. It's more than a little frustrating, but it's the path I've chosen and I can't change it right now. However, I do have a small amount of extra income coming in through my music lessons, which are still being taught on Monday nights. It's not enough to make a difference, but it's something. At the end of last year, another hint that work might be available from Rosetta Stone was a light on the horizon, but I haven't heard anything since November and all emails have gone unanswered. I don't think that train is arriving at the station anytime soon.

Finally, our dishwasher is officially dead. We gave Sears one final try to redeem itself, but they failed miserably by calling to cancel our appointment an hour before it was scheduled. I urge you, gentle readers, to heed our plight and not give them your money for such pathetic service. They have been resolutely and unwaveringly terrible. Anyway, we called an independent appliance repair service to have a look at the dishwasher and they reported that the motor is completely frozen. A new motor and installation will be between $350 and $400. It's time to buy a new dishwasher. Dear Sears, bite me.