Passing the mid point of the week!

Good evening,
8:47, is this a record? I'm considering going to bed early tonight. Still no orders, no money in the mail and continual calls from creditors. The one for AT&T told me today through extremely broken english that they would be calling every day. After that enlightenment I called AT&T and a very nice and well spoken lady listened to my comments about the last billing, she answered some questions and said she will write it up and submit my thoughts to someone up the chain. It all has to do with my efforts several months ago to lower my costs. I asked AT&T to reduce my monthly service to the minimum instead of a unlimited full service plan, it dropped from $69 a month to $16. I explained that the only long distance I needed was a local plan to cover when I call forwarded from the business line to my cell phone. The guy assured me that was covered in the new less expensive plan. He was wrong. All forwarded calls go to Pleasanton and that ended up being a long distance call every time and was charged at their highest rate, $150 worth in one month. She said that at the most it would be been about $35. So she is going to try to help reduce the amount owed. Meanwhile I'll get the nice call from who knows what country trying to force me to pay all the while speaking broken english. At least I won't be lonely.
One nice thing did happen this morning, just as I was delivering the girls to school and the sitter a referral called with a request for a local appraisal to be paid with a credit card right then. Well I took the info as I drove and the money is already on its way to the bank and I've already seen the house. What a cute home, kitchen looked like Sunset Magazine, dock was huge and well constructed and it backs to deep water. What a gem. The buyers are just concerned that they might be offering a bit too much money in light of the falling values of homes surrounding the subject property.
I spend more hours today trying to determine what dozens of homes might be worth is we do new appraisals for them, so far, not one order out all that work. I hope it is not wasted effort.
This morning I picked up a registered letter from the board of equalization, the State of California, they are seeing about $600 from me for something from the past, I'm not even sure what is for. The humor was the direction of the letter, they were threatening to put a claim on money coming to me from the IRS, right, like I have any money coming to me in Tax refunds. I owe them over $12,000 and have just arranged a payment plan which begins in November so if the state thinks they will get money that way, good luck. I owe the money and I'll have to find it somewhere, somehow.
Have you noticed the dropping fuel prices? Our regular is now down to $3.26 and diesel is dropping also. It helps at the pump, it helps a great deal.
This afternoon I went to Modesto to inspect a property. In public record it shows as having 2,700 SF of living area but a quick check with the calculator proved the house to only have about 1,780 SF. So all of the comps I had researched were wrong and they were a long ways from the subject property. I'm afraid that the afternoon will be a waste with the only good thing to come of it was dinner at Olive Garden, eggplant! oh yum!
Sometimes I get so frustrated with the constant barrage of bill collectors, the lack of incoming checks, the long long waiting time to get payment from clients, my inability to dump weight, my various aches and pains I do not mention much. I just feel like screaming, OK that is a little more self disclosure than I intended. But I do feel somewhat trapped. I feel like most of what made life livable is gone, that were it not for the wonderful chances to see the kids and to have their friendship life would be totally bleak.
I am thankful for faithful friends who call, who write, who send thoughtful emails, I just feel like I'm impotent, that I have nothing to share or give anyone any more. For so many years Nan and I were in a position to help whenever a need came up and then as her life became more delicate I was able to focus on meeting her needs and really light up her life over and over again. Now there is nothing like that. Nikki and Steve thank me for helping with the kids but if they could only know I should be thanking them for allowing me to witness the joy and zest the little ones show for life. The drawings that reflect the maturing skills of Keanna, my doors and walls are covered with these treasures, they are like moving history of a person growing up. As friend Steve often said, "good stuff".
Art just called and what a lift a friends word convey. Do you solve any of the world's big problems? Nope but we do provided a sounding board for each other and I have learned so much about life from him. Art lived alone for years and made it successfully through that time. That in itself holds encouragement for me.
Well I sort of tell you how it is here, unfortunately I don't get to hear how it is with you. I do know that Bob and Carrol said their final goodbyes this afternoon to Bob's mom who lived a very meaningful life for nearly 94 years. Mixed feelings for them as mom wanted to fall sleep, she had lived her full life but still, when someone is gone, they are gone, no more phone calls, contact, smiles, tears, gone. Its hard no matter what age.

Good night my friends and family members,
love to all

Tim