Officially Unemployed

The check I received two weeks ago was part of last winter's unemployment. I had to file again for a new benefit year. And wait while the wheels of the state of Maine slowly turned. Yesterday I received three envelopes. We wouldn't want to save postage and send three pieces of paper in ONE envelope. This is government work. Waste, whenever you can. But there was good news. No federal income tax on the first $2400 of benefits paid. I will not rant on the fact that they WERE charging tax on unemployment checks before December 31, 2008.

Now the fun begins. I have to go out looking for a new job. Until I go back to work at my regular, old job. And, I am going back to my old job on Saturday, for three hours.

G and I had reheated, leftover pizza last night with salad. G had salad. I had salad. And then we went into the living room and sat down in front of the television with our books and promptly fell asleep. Woke up at 10:30 and went to bed. This is something G does every single evening of his life. It was new for me. Welcome to Geezer World.

I got all the laundry done yesterday but no ironing. I sat and read my Wallander. From what I read on the cover of this new collection of Wallander short stories, the author wrote eight books about Wallander and then stopped. This new book is a collection of little bits that begin before the books. A prequel. I had hoped for more about Rydberg who dies in the first book. No. I ordered the PBS DVD of three Wallander mysteries from the library and can hardly wait. And the third and last Larsson book "The girl who kicked the hornet's nest" is in print in English. In England. And one of our librarians was just on vacation in merry old England. And brought a copy back. I'm waiting my turn. She said it was fantastic. Most of my winter is going to be spent reading Swedish mysteries. Wonderful.

G took my car to work yesterday and filled the gas tank on his way home last evening. For most of my driving lifetime, age 30 to now, I have only pumped gas, myself, about 6 or 8 times. I come by the "prissy princess" title honestly. G no longer brings me flowers every Friday, which I think I told him to stop doing. American shops don't have nice cut flowers. He was bringing me loaves of bread, which he knows I adore, but I made him stop doing that, also. I'm usually happy enough just to see him come home each evening. Riley, too.

Today is G's day off and I have no idea what we will be doing. I have a feeling we might be eating a meal out. And I have the ironing waiting for me. And my book to read. And, I am thinking of the bag of magazines which H brought to Art Club on Tuesday, for me, and I didn't go. sigh! Architecture magazines which could have pictures of big chairs. I love pictures of really big chairs. I wonder if H is home today?