My icon has never been so true!
A month on the Lamictal and it's like someone put a new generator in me. I'm getting shit done and a lot of times it's not even stuff I'd planned on doing. Never should have gone off the stuff in the first place, but it was giving me headaches. That was, however, at a much higher dose than what I'm on now. My new shrink says we'll leave it at this if I continue to do well. As for the Klonopin, I seem to be adapting to it and it's no longer making me so damn sleepy in the afternoon. Still feeling the snoozes around 8pm, though. But with all the extra energy during the day, it kind of balances out.
Definitely, it's making a difference around the condo. I got a shit ton done this weekend. All the stuff I should have done last weekend that didn't get done for various reasons. (Well, some got half done, but I hate half-assing a job, so I didn't check them off as done on my task list.) Plus, besides getting everything on my list done, I also started tidying up other areas of the house, getting stuff categorized and staged for permanent disposition (donate, store, trash). Got all my documents to do my taxes. Oh, and that's a fun story all on its own!
I've been in this condo since 2003. The Department of Defense sent my W-2s here for the first couple years and then quit sending them. Finally, in 2009 I called them and gave them my address. I asked why they quit sending the W-2s. "They were returned by the post office the first two years." "But you sent them to me with the correct address!" "But you didn't notify us. We have no way of verifying it's the correct address." So I gave them my new address over the phone and they took it, but then never sent the W-2. In 2010, I called them again. "Oh, but you have to give us written notification." So I faxed them my address and asked for W-2s for 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009. I received one W-2 for 2006, two for 2007 and one for 2008. So I still didn't have a W-2 for 2009 to file my taxes with. ::headdesk:: I was filing through H&R block software online so I didn't sweat it. But, thinking that they now had written notice of my address there wouldn't be any problem getting my W-2. Then, I didn't get one in 2011 for 2010. I just went with it. I can figure out how much federal tax is taken out by subtracting the state tax (which never changes) plus the amount of VSI that is paid into my savings from the total VSI payment (which never changes) to get the remainder, which is what the feds took. Anyway, didn't get a W-2 this year, either. Decided to get off my duff and try again. Found a form online at the DFAS (Defense Finance Accounting Service) site, filled it out, faxed it with another written notification of change of address and a request for my W-2s for 2010 and 2011. Got them both yesterday. Finally. I've kept all this documentation over the years and if I don't get a W-2 next year, you can bet I'm going to send copies of everything to Tammy Baldwin, my favorite Congresswoman, and maybe my favorite Senator by next year. I did it to them once before in 1998 (they sent my money to the wrong bank two years in a row, despite getting all the correct paperwork from me), and I won't feel bad at all about doing it again. I'm a vet, I served my country; you don't fuck with my pay or I will fuck you up.
And I'm going to need that pay. One of the reasons nothing got done last weekend (besides grocery shopping and a half-ass job cleaning the kitchen) was because I took my car into the dealership to have some minor maintenance done on Saturday and walked out two hours later with a loaner until the next Monday since they didn't have all the parts they needed in stock to fix what was wrong. When I picked up my car Monday night, my credit card got socked with a $1300 charge for the repairs. Ouch. Which, however, I will pay off as soon as I get the bill, because my VSI payment hit my savings account Friday. So much for any vacation plans I had this year. It's depressing, but fortunately, I'm on meds!
And, if you're wondering about the overtime fiasco (if you even remember it), I talked with our HR person and she said she could get it converted over to overtime pay vs. comp time, but it hasn't shown up in my paycheck yet. I'll give it another cycle before I bug her.
In the meantime, I've applied for a different position on campus. A job as Director's Assistant for the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery. It would be a lateral transfer, but there's always the possibility of convincing them to pay me more than what I'm getting right now, which is the very bottom of the salary range.
It's a pretty building! Brand new last year. Check it out.
Whoops, Adele is done singing! Time to see about making a Black Plum and Ginger Crumble.
Definitely, it's making a difference around the condo. I got a shit ton done this weekend. All the stuff I should have done last weekend that didn't get done for various reasons. (Well, some got half done, but I hate half-assing a job, so I didn't check them off as done on my task list.) Plus, besides getting everything on my list done, I also started tidying up other areas of the house, getting stuff categorized and staged for permanent disposition (donate, store, trash). Got all my documents to do my taxes. Oh, and that's a fun story all on its own!
I've been in this condo since 2003. The Department of Defense sent my W-2s here for the first couple years and then quit sending them. Finally, in 2009 I called them and gave them my address. I asked why they quit sending the W-2s. "They were returned by the post office the first two years." "But you sent them to me with the correct address!" "But you didn't notify us. We have no way of verifying it's the correct address." So I gave them my new address over the phone and they took it, but then never sent the W-2. In 2010, I called them again. "Oh, but you have to give us written notification." So I faxed them my address and asked for W-2s for 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009. I received one W-2 for 2006, two for 2007 and one for 2008. So I still didn't have a W-2 for 2009 to file my taxes with. ::headdesk:: I was filing through H&R block software online so I didn't sweat it. But, thinking that they now had written notice of my address there wouldn't be any problem getting my W-2. Then, I didn't get one in 2011 for 2010. I just went with it. I can figure out how much federal tax is taken out by subtracting the state tax (which never changes) plus the amount of VSI that is paid into my savings from the total VSI payment (which never changes) to get the remainder, which is what the feds took. Anyway, didn't get a W-2 this year, either. Decided to get off my duff and try again. Found a form online at the DFAS (Defense Finance Accounting Service) site, filled it out, faxed it with another written notification of change of address and a request for my W-2s for 2010 and 2011. Got them both yesterday. Finally. I've kept all this documentation over the years and if I don't get a W-2 next year, you can bet I'm going to send copies of everything to Tammy Baldwin, my favorite Congresswoman, and maybe my favorite Senator by next year. I did it to them once before in 1998 (they sent my money to the wrong bank two years in a row, despite getting all the correct paperwork from me), and I won't feel bad at all about doing it again. I'm a vet, I served my country; you don't fuck with my pay or I will fuck you up.
And I'm going to need that pay. One of the reasons nothing got done last weekend (besides grocery shopping and a half-ass job cleaning the kitchen) was because I took my car into the dealership to have some minor maintenance done on Saturday and walked out two hours later with a loaner until the next Monday since they didn't have all the parts they needed in stock to fix what was wrong. When I picked up my car Monday night, my credit card got socked with a $1300 charge for the repairs. Ouch. Which, however, I will pay off as soon as I get the bill, because my VSI payment hit my savings account Friday. So much for any vacation plans I had this year. It's depressing, but fortunately, I'm on meds!
And, if you're wondering about the overtime fiasco (if you even remember it), I talked with our HR person and she said she could get it converted over to overtime pay vs. comp time, but it hasn't shown up in my paycheck yet. I'll give it another cycle before I bug her.
In the meantime, I've applied for a different position on campus. A job as Director's Assistant for the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery. It would be a lateral transfer, but there's always the possibility of convincing them to pay me more than what I'm getting right now, which is the very bottom of the salary range.
It's a pretty building! Brand new last year. Check it out.
Whoops, Adele is done singing! Time to see about making a Black Plum and Ginger Crumble.