Hard Things

[ysabetwordsmith]

Life is full of things which are hard or tedious or otherwise unpleasant that need doing anyhow. They help make the world go 'round, they improve skills, and they boost your sense of self-respect. But doing them still kinda sucks. It's all the more difficult to do those things when nobody appreciates it. Happily, blogging allows us to share our accomplishments and pat each other on the back.

What are some of the hard things you've done recently? What are some hard things you haven't gotten to yet, but need to do?

Comments

[gingicat]

This whole summer has been hard, because of family leave with my daughter.

What I *have* to do, though, is help my son:
- sit down with the educational advocate
- hire a mediator
- get him into a school program that will actually move him forward into success rather than just promote to the next grade

I realized this summer that somehow none of the occupational therapists taught him to tie knots once he had the fine motor control, because they were focused on social skills, and now he's convinced he can't do it at all. He turned twelve this week. He struggled through fifth and sixth grade and now he's being forced to go on to seventh grade.

At least he gets praise for dealing with frustration less violently than his sister...

[mama_kestrel]

Finishing the emptying of mom's house and the administrivia of getting my son back into college after medical withdrawal, both in the same two week erid. It's giving me panic attacks, which is not a thing I usually have problems with. And yes, I'm seeing a therapst.

[thewayne]

I've been needing to replace two toilet seats for a long time. They're not terribly expensive, around $26 each. And I've had one replacement sitting around the house for a long time, just needing motivation.

A friend is arriving tomorrow afternoon. Motivation received.

I unpack the replacement: and I'd bought an elliptical, and both of our toilet bowls are round.

Go back to Home Depot, explain that it was bought a long time ago, and the SKU is no longer in their system, so they can't give me credit. No problem, I'll give it to the Habitat For Humanity store.

Buy two new toilet seats. Go home. Open box. Bolt head is over an inch tall, clearly can't close the little cover over where the bolt head rests.

Go to hardware store In The Village. Narrowly avoid pursuit by giant weather balloon. Purchase hacksaw. Cut off head of bolt in convenient niche seemingly designed for such. Write strongly-worded email to manufacturer complaining that the wrong parts kit was included with my two new toilet seats.

Still, I got the job done.

Get a reply to my email later that afternoon. If I had used a box-end wrench, the top part of the bolt is designed as a torque limiter and snaps off when the proper amount of torque is achieved to prevent anything from stripping, leaving the proper amount of clearance for the cover to close.

*facepalm*

Perhaps some day I'll learn to read instructions properly. I read them, it's just some how the part about the top part of the bolt snapping off on its own just did not sink in.

The nastiness awaiting me is taking out part of a wall to replace the valves and head of the master bath wall. That part, in and of itself, isn't too difficult, it's clearing out all the crap in front of the wall. My wife has a bookshelf there covered in fanfic that she's bought at cons over the years that hasn't been touched in the 15 years that I've known here, yet she doesn't want to throw it away.

taxing matters

[callibr8]

Still on my to-do list: file overdue tax returns and pay the associated penalties. >_<

My incentive for doing this, though, is that once *that* ugly business is laid to rest, my partner and I can set a date to "make it legal". :-)

[(Anonymous)]

Surviving the worst few weeks of pain in the year. But the heat's dropping, so soon I should be able to do things again.

-ZB

[we_are_spc]

Freaking out about my licensing exam because not at all ready feeling. *not, at , all, ready!* *freakout*

...

Restless, touch deprived, need to get out. Can't. Not without spending funds I don't have. I hate online classes for that. *HATE* Also? All the cuddle parties in Indy seem to want donations and I'm barely covering myself; I can't spare for anything else right now. :(

I had a concert last Friday that helped some, but not enough. Not near enough. And I meant to writ about that in last week's Good News post because I had just enough money for the tickets for me and a friend (She took care of the transportation to and from) and the artist is one we both like and he is amazing, and it was a much needed good time, and this is the second year in a row seeing him, and it was just...gaaaahhh so good and ndeed, but still not e-bloody-nuff. :( >.>

Granted I have the others here...but physical company. *sighs* )Also, a system we know that we are connected enough to has sent some people over and it's helping, but I'm still like...needing other voices and things. *sighs*

-Fallon~

[pronker]

What are some of the hard things you've done recently? What are some hard things you haven't gotten to yet, but need to do?

I rented a room, complete with signed rental agreement, to Woman who had gone so far as to leave notes on my door in the past wanting to live here. This was 7/31; she paid a deposit to halt advertising the space until 8/3, which was her move in date when she would pay the first month's rent. After repeated texts asking the ETA on 8/3, she texted she was visiting her parents 150 miles away and her dad was unexpectedly ill in the hospital; she had spotty reception for texts and asked for an extension until the 4th, which I granted. No news until the 6th, saying she again had spotty reception and the dad was still ill. Did not answer repeated texts and messages, so I advertised on the 7th and had a tenant move in on the 8th.

I am keeping the deposit. I met my agreement, so this was hard, why? Because a/she had tried for so long to move in, b/is nice, c/lost her sister to cystic fibrosis on 7/10, d/two months back, endured benign tumor of the throat surgery removal, e/had no financial difficulty meeting the rent *if all she claimed is true, anyway*, f/endured knee surgery right after the throat surgery and finally g/wants to stay long term. No contact since 8/6; of course, her sister's death means her parents lost a child and the whole sitch absolutely sucked.

ugh

[(Anonymous)]

Found out that my job is not keeping me past the three-month probationary agreement this ends in one week exactly and they only told me today. I have been asking about status for three and a half weeks and got no reply so I have been trying to look for a new job but have not yet gotten any interviews. I now must face searching for a new job and interviewing while I currently have a job but only for one more week which is frustrating and maddening and sad I really like this position and the people that I was working with. I honestly don't know why they aren't keeping me because they said that I was doing a good job and that they liked me and that I was good at what I was doing but yet that I wasn't a good fit so I am asking for an exit interview on Monday to try and ascertain the real reason that I am being let go and to find things that I can improve upon I hate hard conversations like that. It's going to be very stressful on Monday as I have been developing relationship with people in the office and now we'll have to say goodbye. I want to end this well and I'm not sure how. The whole situation has been frustrating for a while only because there was another person in the similar situation who has been hired full-time and is similar to myself. I'm just hoping I can get through the next week without a breakdown.