I've worked there through the agency long enough that they can do that without violating the contract.

Oh good, cause I was worrying about that too! Whew!

Grr. Stupid debt collector keeps calling my house, and it's a robocall, so I have to have a pen in hand, ready to write the number down to call them and say "Quit calling me, I am not Eric Hendrickson!". Usually they call while I'm asleep, so that doesn't work. Except the rassenfrassen help desk just called on my cellphone while I was waiting (pen in hand!) to write the debt number down. AGH.

Oh, meara, that's a real PITA. I've got some guy who's been giving out my work phone number as his contact # for the past few years and people (I think they're creditors) are calling for him at least once a month. I tell them that I don't know who this guy is, but I've had this number for thirteen years now, and I'm not him!

Yay, MM!

The cut looks great, Stephanie. I need a cut. I may take your picture with me. (For the cut, not as a security blanket, although that might work too.)

The dog is eating a pillow. It's an old pillow I put out when I was washing his bed, which I hoped would keep him from attempting to dig through the bottom of the bed. Not so much. He's making a giant pile of fuzz, and every time I throw some away, he fishes it back out of the trash. He seems to be making a nest.

Hope that works out MM! And with bonus Friday off, nice.

I have a large ponytail in a bag

It took me several moments to get past the Godfather flashbacks and the "but whose ponytail, and is it in there willingly?" disconnects.

Yes, just not through the temp agency. Which may lead to PERMANENT full-time stuff with BENEFITS.

Yay MM!!

Plus, we get to hear to ongoing "Fuckcake o' the day" report. It's a win win.

Will Miracleman finally go medieval on his phone's ass? Tune in tomorrow for our next exciting adventure!

I have a large ponytail in a bag

My hair was never cut until I was 13, when my father decided I was too old for long hair. Of course, long hair became hugely fashionable shortly after. My mother braided my hair every morning, and my hair went below my knees. It's possible that one reason I'm so inept at my hair is that I resented having hair that *I* had to take care of.

Anyway, some four decades later, my mother still has my pigtails in a plastic bag in the bottom drawer of the desk.

Apparently everything in/on the house is past its expected life and should be replaced. Roof, gutters, oven, water heater, wood trim, even the electrical panel.

I don't have the cash to do the roof, which kills me since once we sell the house I would have the cash, but I probably need the roof fixed in order to sell the house and pop goes the weasle.

One point I would make to the agent and to the prospective buyers is "past expected life" ≠ "not working and in need of replacement." It just means that a new homeowner would have to keep an eye on them or replace them at his or her budget allows.

Also, I would hazard to guess that if when I bought this house and someone said "These items are past their expected life, but are in good repair, and not in immediate danger" I would have taken that into consideration.

Also find out what criteria the appraisers used on the roof. Are they talking dry rot, or just another re-shingle job?

Hivemind question:

So, now that it looks like DH and I are going to get a big enough inheritance to solve our debt problems and leave us with room to spare, in addition to all the practical considerations of AB's college fund, a down payment on a house, etc., I want to start saving for my dream 2015 summer European vacation. In an ideal world, I'd like to go for 6 weeks or so, maybe 3 weeks family vacation, at which point DH would take the kid(s) home and I'd spend 3 weeks on my own doing hardcore research (because DH doesn't share my enthusiasm for spending more than a month away from home).

Thing is, I have no idea how to budget for such a thing. Currently we're planning to each take a small chunk of the inheritance as "stupid money" to get some of the things we've longed for but haven't been able to afford because of the debt, and I'm planning to set about half of mine aside as a nest egg for the trip and then add a certain amount each month to the fund. But I need a target number. Should I just figure out what such a trip would cost in current dollars and shoot for that? Given how weak the dollar is right now, I hope that's a conservative estimate!

Should I just figure out what such a trip would cost in current dollars and shoot for that?

It sounds like you really should work with a financial specialist to figure how to divvy up this inheritence.

Congratulations, btw!