2020-10-15 — Long Working Day “Off” 🙃

I’ll focus on the positives. 😊

Let’s see, up at 5:30 again, even on the day “off.” Servicize 5x5s, studying, just about the whole shebang this morning. Garden boxes are almost all weeded. Trench is a little longer, though still not deep enough. Good exercise, though. 😁 I need to make the trench about two feet deep, and it ranges… probably from just a few inches to maybe 16 at the deepest, I’d guess? I’ve probably got another 50-70 feet in length to go, and then down two feet the whole length. Realistically, that’ll probably take me a month? Maybe more? So… no having to think up what I’ll be doing for servicise for at least a good while.

I wrote and posted a little, what would I call it… a snapshot post? of what I’m working on in my life right now. Perhaps it’ll be of use to you. Perhaps not. Probably not much you’re not aware of if you’ve been reading my posts regularly. But it will serve for me as a little snapshot of what I was doing, what I was working on.

It was a nice leisurely morning, until I decided to work on my top priority–my commercial property tax assessment that’s now nearly five months late.

I spent hours on it, a goo chunk of that trying to find some of the previous work I’d done toward it. Like I mentioned several months ago, I’d gladly pay twice (or more) what they’re actually gonna eventually charge me if I could just skip the massive time sucker it is. Soooooooo much wasted time.

Certainly tried my patience, and I didn’t fare well today with that, unfortunately. I got pretty angry. No swearing, but darn near close, that’s for sure, darn near close.

I didn’t get very far for all the time I spent on it, but I did make some progress. Maybe I should treat it with the same strategy as my 5×5… just do a little bit each day until it’s done? That might help it feel like less of a massive mountain to climb. Anyway, I had to stop if I was going to get to the Decatur police station about the guy who stopped the check.

Shout out to one of my sisters for reminding me that it’s best to give the benefit of the doubt first. When I learned he stopped the check, I just assumed he was trying to mess me over, since he’d told me that there shouldn’t have been a problem and that he’d talk to his bank and get back to me. But, as my sister pointed out, it could have been embarrassment that brought on the lie, embarrassment for not having the funds but still being fully willing to pay the bill.

So, I went by his house before heading to the police station (a 45-minute drive each way), and unfortunately, I found that he had no intention of paying me at all. At first he lied and said the check was his son’s, and that his son was the one who stopped the check. And then he told me the vehicle was his son’s, which was different than what he said when I did the work for him. He told me the whole story of how he got the van last time. I mentioned that to him, and when he saw that I’d caught him in his lie, he sort of changed his demeanor and finally just said, there’s nothing you can do about a stopped check. Then he mildly threatened me “don’t mess with me” kind of phrase, and went in the house.

I really despise injustice, whether against me or someone else. There’s a bone in my body that wants to mete out “justice” myself. Smash a window, slash some tires, etc. Make him pay. Of course, I’d never do that, but stories like this one and others I’ve heard that other people have had to face get my blood boiling a little bit. It’s only $320 (when you count the fee I have to pay for depositing a check that bounces/has been stopped). And someone only a block away told me that the man had the same day I reported him to the police reported that he’d been scammed out of $12k, so… karma. You get what you give, eh?

Anyway, I don’t want to take him to small claims court, as apparently there’s nothing the police can do. I don’t get that. You steal a candy bar from a store, and you can be arrested. He steals $300 from me, and there’s nothing anyone can do?

Sorry, squirrel… anyway, I could do small claims court. I don’t want to, but someone pointed out to me that until someone stands up to him, he’s just likely going to keep scamming people and others will be out money too. Both times I’ve been over there, he’s had contractors from other businesses there as well–two different businesses today, in fact. He might do the same thing to the other people. I warned them both, but should I take him to court? I really don’t want to, but someone has to stand up to him, no?

Ugh. I’ve seen people go through lawsuits, and I don’t want to deal with this junk. I’d rather eat the money and forget about it.

Thoughts? Feel free to weigh in with your suggestions/opinions. I haven’t decided yet what I’m going to do. I have audio recordings of all but one of our phone calls, showing clearly he wants a battery installed and a quoted price. I have the check. I have the receipt from AutoZone. I’m sure I could mop the floor with him in small claims court. But… that would suck hours and hours and hours of my life away, I would imagine.

Anyway, it’s 9:13… and I just realized I was supposed to focus on the positives. 🙃 I started off with positives. 😅

#1. I’m grateful that I was able to come back from being over the edge. I feel great today, aside from the gassy goodness that the pinto beans are giving me. I didn’t have any problem with the black beans or the kidney beans, but wow, those pinto beans… good gravy, super smelly gassy goodness.

Sorry, you probably didn’t want to know that. If I were married, I’m sure I’d be on a hide-a-bed in the back yard tonight.

Yikes. 🤢

#2. I’m grateful I was able to have a leisurely morning before the tax craziness.

#3. I’m grateful for fruit. I had cracked wheat for breakfast with a frozen mixed berry bag and corn meal mush with more fruit in it. Then for dinner I had scrambled eggs with just salt, banana peppers, and salsa. Tasty. I added to the bugs multi-course meal outside, dumping out a few bottles of old corn syrup into the woods. I’m definitely getting quite the variety of foods. I tend to have a pretty boring, repetitive diet, mostly because I don’t think about that fact that other food exists. I just get what I always get and don’t think about it because eating is a chore, in some respects. Anyway, the diet is quite different at the moment, and when all the old stuff is eaten, it’ll be even more different. But… I think I’ve mentioned that like 80 times already, so… I’m getting repetitive in my old age.

I’ve been going gray super fast lately… crazy fast! 😶 Young face. Gray hair.

Nutty.

#4. I’m grateful to keep making more progress on memorizations. Memorized hymn #19 today (though I pretty much already had it memorized). And I got a little bit better on my 2nd Nephi scriptures.

Progress.

#5. I’m grateful to be making progress in reaching out to people. I sent off some messages to family and friends today. Getting better at using my hands free voice to text tools where I don’t have to hold or look at my phone to send messages. Good stuff.

Eek! 9:29. Off to bed I go. Loves and hugs to all y’all. Catch you on the flip side.

Lift the World.

~ stephen