Today started out a good day. I woke up feeling refreshed, decently pleasant aside from having to dishes only five minutes after waking, and actually, rather excited. Why? I have no idea, but I did. The point being, it was a good thing to wake up to. I busied myself with checking things out on the internet, as yesterday was full of internet failure, and reminded myself that I did, in fact, want to update this blog today, even if it was just a short: HELLO, WORLD! HOW'S THE WIFE AND KIDS?
In fact, I'm still experiencing minor internet fail today, but it is survivable.
No, today's happy mood was ruined, however.
On the eighth, my best friend, who lives at our house was supposed to get his first paycheck. He makes $8.50 an hour, which is above our current minimum wage. The only issue with him picking up his check? Whoever wrote it out was careless, and made him work for slave labor - a mere $0.50 an hour. So, his check was short a whole ($8.00 x Number of Hours). I don't know how much that was, so I can't give you a hard figure, but...it gets worse. Normally, at most places around here, they print their checks up at the location, so it's a simple matter. This place (and no, it's not Wal*Mart or something) had to send his check to New York. He's supposed to get it tonight, finally. They did compensate him like $31, which was his shift differential, or something like that, but the point being - they messed up his check.
Now, beyond this, one might not be certain of anything, except I got a lecture today - from him, about my life. Why? Because his is oh so easily put together, and mine is currently in shambles. Not that this is new. He's almost constantly trying to give me advice, and it can be very irritating to me, when I just want to point out that he doesn't know how hard it is because he has not been there. Why is my life in shambles?
I got a full ride scholarship to college.
They cut it in half.
I pondered dropping out before school began.
Family and Friends wouldn't let me.
I was told by certain people not to worry, they would get me money.
I worried anyway.
I was denied for loans.
I got a student credit card for school, so I could have emergency money / buy art supplies.
The $800 limit was used on: Art Supplies. Food. Food for my parents. A loan payment for my parents.
I kept up my payments.
At the end of the Fall Semester I owed the school $3710.
I was forced to leave school, because of lack of funding.
I was forced to stop paying my credit card due to no job.
Got a job, began paying on Credit Card again.
September 2009 - Put "on call" at work. Stopped pulling in Paycheck. Stopped paying Credit Card.
Creditors Start Calling.
Dec. 2009 - I TURN 20 (note I'm nearly over 10k in debt at age 19.)
Jan. 2010 - Laptop is Repossessed due to inability to scrimp, save, and sell off items to continue laptop payments.
Also Jan. 2010 - Begin Taking Online Courses for Graphic Design through Art Institute of Pittsburgh, Online Division.
Classes are funded entirely by loans.
Still no job.
Creditors Keep Calling / Sending Letters.
Stress gets to me. I nearly fail first drawing class at A.I.
May 2010 - Due to a miss-communication, my enrollment at A.I. is terminated, and they refuse to rectify the matter.
May 25th, 2010 - payment is due to creditor on Credit Card Debt. I have NOT AUTHORIZED anything about this.
I do not receive letter about the situation until late June / Early July because my father didn't give it to me.
June 2010 - Friend gets job, I ponder going back to A.I., father's unemployment gets cut.
I rationalize that going back to school isn't reasonable at this time due to monetary status.
My father rationalizes that I cannot afford not to go back.
Possibility of losing family home looms over head.
Grandmother's health begins acting up.
Gay best friend who is supporting us begins to nag me about a job.
The prospects of me getting a job are not very good. I have back issues, so a lot of lifting would get to my health. Working with kids doesn't bother me because I enjoy it and I can ignore the pain. Working in retail wouldn't be good because I would either know nothing about the products, or dislike a majority of the clientele based on juvenile past differences that they would likely not throw away, and I would dislike staring at them and trying to be polite. Fast food is out of the question because if I'm in the back, cooking, I will get migraines from the heat, and be unable to tolerate the work. I'm afraid of answering phones, and have a healthy fear of strangers as well. Not only that, I do not drive. I have never had a driver's license, and between procuring me a license and car, in case my father got a job, plus gas and insurance for the car, and my current debt, it's just not happening.
If I had a job, my paycheck would go to the following:
1. Paying off the credit card debt (now totaling $1,277.94 at last notification)
2. Paying off school debt to first college. (Now totaling $4973.33)
3. Pay off loans to the banks from A.I. (total unknown)
4. Get Cell Phone turned back on / pay my part of cell bill (I'm guessing between $75 and $125 a month)
5. Get new laptop. (My last laptop was $141.45 or so a month. Not sure on the change bit. Estimate about that)
6. Sundry items for myself (razor blades, shampoo, deodorant, etc., which I have mostly bought myself since college)
7. New Clothes When Needed (which I currently need new pajamas)
Current Minimum wage here is $7.25. If I work a 40 hour week, at minimum wage, that's about $290.00 in one week. I think I did my math right). That's $1160.00 a month.... and quite frankly, for all my debt, that's not a lot. So, in my eyes, I don't see work being feasible. On top of all that, put in Art Supplies if I go back to school (which can cost upward of $300 to get everything on a college supply list, in one sitting), and it's really not manageable at all.
So, being nagged about needing a job didn't help much today. I think I'll end this rant here, though.
