Settling In
I feel like I have been just shuffling this stuff around. The piles of boxes haven't seemed to get any smaller. But I think I am starting to see some progress ... just a tiny bit. But progress nonetheless.The path between boxes is wider through the living room. And the front hall closet is now accessible. Most of the kitchen has been put away, or I thought it was. I came across yet another box of kitchen stuff tonight. This one has the kitty treats and cat nip in it. Faith and Dakota are very interested in this one box.
It has been slow going. My back does not allow me to bend over for any length of time at all. Then, somehow during the move, I irritated nerves in my arms or shoulders, and my hands have been almost constantly numb and tingling ... uber carpal tunnel, as it were. Moving is not for old people, that's for sure.
I am trying to get used to being in the old hometown. I lived here in Oak Ridge from when I was 13 until about 12 years ago. I moved to Knoxville to be closer to better job opportunities, and to my parents. Then, about 5 years ago, I got a job in Oak Ridge. The next two significant jobs have been there too. The writing has been on the wall for a while. It took the impetus of my daughter coming to live with me to give me the motivation to move back here.
Many long forgotten memories have been stirred up. People, places and events I haven't thought about in years ... it's like I had this whole other life, left it and now I am returning to it. I go to Walmart and see people I haven't seen or thought of in DECADES. It seriously starts to screw with the head. Oak Ridge is a strange little city. About half the population work out at "the plants" ... Y-12 Nuclear Weapons facility or ORNL ... this is probably the most over-educated city in the world, stuck right in the middle of a region known for under-education. Rocket-heads and rednecks ... living together in harmony.
I don't know if it was coincidence or what ... but my first real grocery shopping trip held a pleasant surprise. I spent LESS than I expected to! I had a cart stuffed full to over-flowing and fully expected to spend well over $100. Imagine my shock when the total came to just $65! Very helpful considering I am down to my last few dollars, with bills due, and child support won't kick in until next month. I guess I will have to abuse the old Visa card for a while.
We got the child support settled this week. It was not as much as I had hoped for ... what I really wanted was for him to pay through the nose, until it hurt. I still have memories of giving him half my check which he then spent on boats, pools, vacations and such, while I begged the landlord for an extra week, busted my ass working 60+ hours a week and learned to cook Ramen noodles 101 different ways. He did sit there and whine about how hard this is on him, our daughter moving in with me and it being primarily because of his sociopath wife. He needs to get a few clues here ... it is not about him, it's about the child, and he needs to pay attention to what has been happening and how that witch has utterly destroyed his family. She moved in, took over and proceeded to drive out anyone she didn't want around, starting with me. She is the ultimate gold-digger. She once waxed rhapsodical about her wonderful marriage ... but it wasn't about him, it was all about all the things he gave her. Materialistic, much? Hoo boy! He is such an idiot ... and he's about to step on his crank once again, if he doesn't let my daughter get her stuff from his house. His excuse? His wife won't allow her in the house. Grow some friggin' nads dude. Geez!!
Anyway ... I am getting used to the much slower pace of the small town. I've not had much of a social life for several years now, so I doubt I will be seeking out much in that area. My knitting group now has several people who work and/or live in this area, so we have decided to start having meetings here a couple times a month, the 2nd and 4th Thursday evenings at Panera Bread. So that will suffice for socializing. My work schedule will change next month to something more "normal"... Monday through Friday, 8 to 5. Yay! I will have weekends!
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