Generous offers
.
Hey, folks!
When I first posted about selling my stuff, a couple of you asked about my situation. So here's a capsule rundown.
In 2008, I was working as a temp. I suffered a workplace injury which resulted in a condition called "frozen shoulder", as a result of an impingement. Basically, I couldn't lift or even move my right arm without blinding pain (although my right hand was fine). A workman's comp lawyer got to work on my case and sent me to a physiotherapist. After about a year, I regained the use of my arm - somewhat, and not reliably - and about a year after that, the case got settled. Up until then, I had been getting disability money, first from the state and then from the insurance company. But stupid me, I hadn't done my homework, and found out much later that the lawyer I had hired wasn't of the best, and the money I got was pathetic - only about $10K, which didn't even last a year. By 2011 I was flat dead broke, with no way of getting a job. In the three years since I got the settlement, I have had only one interview. My age, the fact that I was a temp, and the fact that I cannot with any truth say that I know I can work every day at full capacity means that I'm just not hireable, certainly not in this market. So I try to scrounge money where I can, by filling out surveys online, trying to sell my stuff, occasionally making cakes or pies for friends' parties, having garage sales, etc. I'm lucky that I don't have to pay rent, as I'm living in a house owned by my family and they've been kind enough not to charge me. But paying the rest of my bills is hard, and I basically have no life. I had to give up my car because I can't drive one, but even bus fare is prohibitive most of the time. At $3 a ride and $5 for a day pass, I have to avoid going most of the time in order to buy things like cat food and dish soap, since cash is so hard to come by. So I basically stay home all the time - no movies, no outings, not even fast food. (I really only go out to the bank or supermarket, and whenever I'm out for more than an hour, I make sure I have a sandwich in my bag since I know I can't buy anything to eat.) Food stamps have been a blessing, but that has been cut, as you all know. The electric rates just got raised in L.A. nearly 20% - yeah, right before the holidays, can you believe the pricks? It gets especially scary at this time of year, when the energy bills climb higher than normal because of the cold (yes, it does get cold here, though thank the gods I'm not somewhere where it's REALLY cold). So at this time of year, I just put out the lights and crawl into bed around 8:00, and spend a couple hours either reading or watching movies on my portable DVD player. The upshot of all this being that somehow, with no job, I have to find at least $80 a month to pay all my bills, and more than $100 a month at this time of year.
Yeah. Fun.
So that's my situation. You can see why I'm not inclined to talk much about my life here, as I would be bumming people out constantly, and I don't want to do that. Which leads me to this post.
When I posted about selling my stuff, a couple of you asked for my Paypal address, which I assume you wanted because you kindly intended to send some bucks to help me out. At first I didn't want to post it, not out of pride (I don't have any, believe me), but because I really, REALLY don't want to be "that" person, who starts whining for money every time there's a problem and eventually ends up making everyone eyeroll. But things are really hard this year, so I've done some thinking on this, and here's what I've decided:
If any of you want to send money to help me out but aren't interested in the items I've put up, I will take it with great gratitude, but you're going to get something back. I don't know what it is, but you'll get something for your money. I will look at my LOTR collection and send you an item based on what I know of your fannish tastes and what I've got to send. I've got lots of interesting stuff, and I'm fairly sure that most of it is things you probably don't have lying around (although the gods know I could be wrong about that). So if you don't want to buy what I'm putting up outright, you'll still get a neat thing, and if it's something you already have, you can use it as a holiday gift for someone else. That way, everybody wins, and I don't feel like a putz (a feeling I've had quite enough of).
So my Paypal address is under the next cut, and if you want to be Santa, go for it. (Once again, please pimp if you can.) Many hugs to all of you, and I'll be posting with more items today.
Blessings!
My Paypal address is lameiga1@yahoo.com
That first "l" is a lower-case L, and the second is a numeral one, just in case the font you're viewing doesn't make it clear. Please be sure your Paypal has your mailing address, so I can send you your present.
Hey, folks!
When I first posted about selling my stuff, a couple of you asked about my situation. So here's a capsule rundown.
In 2008, I was working as a temp. I suffered a workplace injury which resulted in a condition called "frozen shoulder", as a result of an impingement. Basically, I couldn't lift or even move my right arm without blinding pain (although my right hand was fine). A workman's comp lawyer got to work on my case and sent me to a physiotherapist. After about a year, I regained the use of my arm - somewhat, and not reliably - and about a year after that, the case got settled. Up until then, I had been getting disability money, first from the state and then from the insurance company. But stupid me, I hadn't done my homework, and found out much later that the lawyer I had hired wasn't of the best, and the money I got was pathetic - only about $10K, which didn't even last a year. By 2011 I was flat dead broke, with no way of getting a job. In the three years since I got the settlement, I have had only one interview. My age, the fact that I was a temp, and the fact that I cannot with any truth say that I know I can work every day at full capacity means that I'm just not hireable, certainly not in this market. So I try to scrounge money where I can, by filling out surveys online, trying to sell my stuff, occasionally making cakes or pies for friends' parties, having garage sales, etc. I'm lucky that I don't have to pay rent, as I'm living in a house owned by my family and they've been kind enough not to charge me. But paying the rest of my bills is hard, and I basically have no life. I had to give up my car because I can't drive one, but even bus fare is prohibitive most of the time. At $3 a ride and $5 for a day pass, I have to avoid going most of the time in order to buy things like cat food and dish soap, since cash is so hard to come by. So I basically stay home all the time - no movies, no outings, not even fast food. (I really only go out to the bank or supermarket, and whenever I'm out for more than an hour, I make sure I have a sandwich in my bag since I know I can't buy anything to eat.) Food stamps have been a blessing, but that has been cut, as you all know. The electric rates just got raised in L.A. nearly 20% - yeah, right before the holidays, can you believe the pricks? It gets especially scary at this time of year, when the energy bills climb higher than normal because of the cold (yes, it does get cold here, though thank the gods I'm not somewhere where it's REALLY cold). So at this time of year, I just put out the lights and crawl into bed around 8:00, and spend a couple hours either reading or watching movies on my portable DVD player. The upshot of all this being that somehow, with no job, I have to find at least $80 a month to pay all my bills, and more than $100 a month at this time of year.
Yeah. Fun.
So that's my situation. You can see why I'm not inclined to talk much about my life here, as I would be bumming people out constantly, and I don't want to do that. Which leads me to this post.
When I posted about selling my stuff, a couple of you asked for my Paypal address, which I assume you wanted because you kindly intended to send some bucks to help me out. At first I didn't want to post it, not out of pride (I don't have any, believe me), but because I really, REALLY don't want to be "that" person, who starts whining for money every time there's a problem and eventually ends up making everyone eyeroll. But things are really hard this year, so I've done some thinking on this, and here's what I've decided:
If any of you want to send money to help me out but aren't interested in the items I've put up, I will take it with great gratitude, but you're going to get something back. I don't know what it is, but you'll get something for your money. I will look at my LOTR collection and send you an item based on what I know of your fannish tastes and what I've got to send. I've got lots of interesting stuff, and I'm fairly sure that most of it is things you probably don't have lying around (although the gods know I could be wrong about that). So if you don't want to buy what I'm putting up outright, you'll still get a neat thing, and if it's something you already have, you can use it as a holiday gift for someone else. That way, everybody wins, and I don't feel like a putz (a feeling I've had quite enough of).
So my Paypal address is under the next cut, and if you want to be Santa, go for it. (Once again, please pimp if you can.) Many hugs to all of you, and I'll be posting with more items today.
Blessings!
My Paypal address is lameiga1@yahoo.com
That first "l" is a lower-case L, and the second is a numeral one, just in case the font you're viewing doesn't make it clear. Please be sure your Paypal has your mailing address, so I can send you your present.