Things will be OK if I just keep my head on straight and keep my nose to the plow and my hand to the grindstone

Hand on the wheel, nose to the grindstone, no. Shoulder to the wheel, hand on the plow (nobody but me has touched my plow in--wait), ear to the ground, nose to the grindstone, eye on the ball. Now, punt!

In any case, best of luck with The Place, Erin.

Also, great good luck on the apartment, Askye.

Mmm, I don't think I qualify for unemployment; it's an at-will contract anyway, so they can fire me at any time, no reason, no warning, and I'm just not getting a contract renewed.

I know it varies by state, but that would cut it in New York. I was eligible when my temp agency stopped being able to get me work.

At-will only means they can fire you with no cause at all; it has nothing to do with unemployment. You can get fired in an at-will state and still get unemployment as long as you weren't fired for a criminal activity. (Keeping in mind, like Trudy said, it varies by state.)

I'm in a "don't wanna" mood. I'm not sure what it is I'm supposed to be doing, but whatever it is, I don't wanna. So now I'm watching TV, but I don't really want to do that, either.

I got my hair cut a couple of weeks ago, and she cut it just short enough that bits fall out of my ponytail. Which is inconvenient.

Hmm. Something to keep in mind. I didn't get unemployment the entire year I was looking. I figured since I got fired for cause, I didn't qualify. But you can't get unemployment if you are bringing in any income, like freelancing, right?

Argh, mememe!!

But IOMeN, my hair is long enough to put in pig tails. I want it that length. Dan likes it shorter, but I really like being able to pull it back or up. I think shoulder-grazing is the length for me.

But you can't get unemployment if you are bringing in any income, like freelancing, right?

No, it's not that simple. My sister was getting UI even though she was still gigging every so often. I don't know the details but it's not a deal breaker, necessarily.

But you can't get unemployment if you are bringing in any income, like freelancing, right?

I think it some states you don't get the full amount on the months you are making money.

In NY State you declare the days you work.

So, if I work one, two, or three days I still get UE, but less of it. At four days (I think) I get none.

Helpful! Thanks, guys. Of course, ideal sitch is a smooth transition to another, less stressful job.

But I will do whatever is the most practical.

I gotta go to sleep early tonight. Today kicked my ass, after that flu. I have so much to do, but after getting 5 hours of sleep last night, and still recovering, I can't keep my eyes open any longer.

I'm in a "don't wanna" mood. I'm not sure what it is I'm supposed to be doing, but whatever it is, I don't wanna.

I know this one, Hil!

Spent the day in full battle mode at the hospital. Two of the doctors were making noises about discharging mom. I told them they were nuts. She was able to walk around the block a week ago. Dress herself, go shopping, go up and down stairs. Today she needs 3 people to help her from the bed to the potty. Discharge, I don't think so. All the tests were coming back ok or near ok and I think they just decided she was 89 so this was ok. Not!

Tonight they are going to be monitoring Mom's oxygen level while she sleeps to see if she has a sleep apnea thing going on and tomorrow they are going to do a bunch more blood tests and urine tests related to the low sodium levels.

So she has a primary doctor, cardiologist, pulmonary, and renal. The Pulmonary guy made the most sense to me. He said he didn't think it was one major thing that was causing her to be so weak and unwell, but a combination of several minor things. Her sodium is a little low, her magnesium a little low, she is a little anemic, her oxygen levels are a little low, maybe a little bit of pneumonia, maybe not. Each one making each of the others a little worse, affecting her appetite, etc. until she reached the tipping point and became more severely ill.

So they need to address all the little problems and see if the balance can be tipped in the other direction leading to all of the problems getting better. So I am continuing to work on my laptop in her room until they make it right!