The Haps (Old Post Finally Posted)

NOTE:  This post was in draft format on 3/6/18  - I am publishing it today because the events of the weekend referred to below are just now coming to light.  Stay tuned. 


I text or email J. lately to ask 'what's the haps at the homestead?'.  I like to know what is happening 'cuz there are supposed to be things happening.

But first...some other happenings.  Last night, we were in the study binge watching the first season of The Good Fight and I kept hearing something.  Sounded like a helicopter - which isn't unusual.  We live quite close to the small airport in our city and there are often helicopters coming and going.  I'm pretty sure there are folks commuting to the Bay Area in a helicopter daily.  Anyway....I kept asking him to mute the TV to figure it out only he couldn't hear it.  So I finally just went out to the backyard and the minute I opened the door, I said 'Holy shit!  What is that?'.  The LOUDEST noise I've heard in our neighborhood, ever!  We have a paper company just to the west of our neighborhood and something major was going on there.  We think they were steam washing out their trucks and their equipment.  It went on until around 9.  Weird.

As always, the Facebook neighborhood watch page lit up - I don't follow that page anymore but I still look if something's going on - but I quickly stopped reading 'cuz it's always the quickest way to realize just how ridiculous people can be.

There was something else I've been meaning to document here but at the moment, I can't think of it.

We had a long weekend here - very long.  H. kept insisting he was on his way home - but he never showed up.  Didn't come home on Friday - though he tried to convince us he did briefly.  Definitely not home at all on Saturday.  When I reminded for the umpteenth frickin' time that we had been told repeatedly they had the funds they owed us, he kept saying 'we need to talk to you'.  It was a mess.  Story after story about where they were - 'driving like crazy, riding with R. '.  On Sunday, I reached him on his phone...I finally just said 'H., you got paid on Friday so where are the funds you owe us?  No reason you shouldn't have them - what did you spent the paycheck on if you don't have the money'.....and it sort of all came tumbling out.  He was laid off on Friday - 'lack of work'.  Typical 'reason' in warehouse jobs.  He said they laid off all the people they hired in the group he was in when he got hired.  He is devastated to lose the job - completely unhinged.  And then R. had a lot of technical difficulties and was essentially 'fired' from Lyft as well.  So on Saturday, the two of them ate at a taco truck - and got so sick, they had to get a room near Saratoga to spend a night throwing up and on the toilet.  All.night.long times two people.

They spent yesterday recuperating and today...well, we don't know what they did today.  There's a list of things they need to do - H. can file for unemployment and may be qualified.  And they both need to find work - ANY work.  They have bills to pay - and owe us as well.  And there's a car payment due - for the car we sold her that she hasn't paid a dime for yet.  We're on the hook for the storage unit - $253 a month charged to our credit card monthly - and they have no way to pay that, either.  Never mind the agreed upon 'expense sharing' amount that hasn't been paid, either.

So instead of having the cushion provided by their expense sharing monthly pitch-in and them paying the storage bill in full as well, we are now dealing with figuring out how to survive with two more people in the house, added expenses for things like storage units - and what will happen in a few weeks when her monthly bills are due and there's no money to pay them.  No, we're not paying them.  Though I'm sure they hope we will.

I don't understand why H. can't hold a job - but I have a lot of ideas.  It's so hard to watch him work hard - he says he got good feedback, never called in sick - and it ends with the company deciding that (apparently) none of the people they hired being worthy of a benefited job.  Just lay them off instead of incurring benefit expenses and making them 'permanent'.  Not that any job in this day and age is ever permanent.....but still.

H. struggles with sleep issues and huge anxiety issues - and has physical symptoms pretty frequently because of the anxiety.  Stomach issues are common and the more he stresses about having them, the more he has them.  I think he does work hard...but who knows how

He is exactly like me when I was his age - except for the difference of I did actually hold down a full time job, put myself through school, etc. part of it.

Tomorrow, H. is going to get an earful from me because they have to find work.  Any work.  He said 'for sure' on Sunday but now it's end of day Tuesday and the urgency is seriously lacking.

We're leaving for our vacation a week from Friday and are gone for two full weeks - they will have no funds of any kind from us during that time for reals - 'cuz even if I/we were inclined to loan funds, I won't do transfers online from a hotel room or cruise ship.