A week in retrospect...& don't come back!

May you live in interesting times ~ Chinese proverb.

I have found the last week so difficult I haven't been able to pull order out of chaos enough to write about it. It has been emotionally draining. Let's face it, every job I've ever held they sent me along for assertivness training because I find confrontation so difficult I avoid it at all costs. This is neither wise nor beneficial so a week starting with major confrontation has done absolutely nothing for my headspace ~ especially as that was just the beginning.

Finally we had found an electrician who had time to do our water heater. Yes, we have been without hot water all that time. The downside was I had to do the running round to pick up the new element & some light fittings as we were doing lights at the same time. Ditz & I left early & managed everything nicely ~ which is almost unheard of. I had just pulled out of our parking space & was completely stopped ~ as you do to: change gears; put on your seat belt; respond to the child going, "Waaaait!" beside you. I don't know but we were stopped for one or all of these reasons when a young woman slammed into us as she backed out of her parking space.

Now I wasn't happy; it's not my car, after all, but I am a civilized human being & accidents happen so I pulled back into a parking space [can't clutter up the road, now, can we?] & got out of my car to check our damage & that the other driver was ok. Damage negligable. Liddy wasn't going to be happy but it could have been so much worse.

Then the other driver accuses me of backing in to her. Pardon? We were stationary! I point this out & ask her to check with Ditz. She then says Ditz will lie & just say whatever I tell her to. What planet does this girl live on?! I began narking up. It takes a bit but when it happens it's not pretty. This girl is in full tirade & abusive. Fine, only don't accuse my kid, ok. I gave her my details but as I pointed out, not my car & I have no idea who it is insured with.

I ring Dearest & check with the police that I have done as I should & was not in the wrong & head on to choir ~ which was an extended rehearsal for Saturday's concert. We missed lunch, afternoon tea & dinner. Ditz & I were upset & starving by the time we got home but whatever.

We think the other driver rang Monday & got Ditz but asked for someone who doesn't even live here; total confusion on Ditz's part. There is a reason for that nickname. Meanwhile the Sparky arrived & unpluged all our electricals: no phone, no inter~net, no nothing & ever since we've had no phone at all. Dearest says it's the phone. Liddy & I say it's the line. The phone company people have been up & down the street for weeks trying to fix a problem. Whatever it is this rude individual has not been able to reach us & as I don't deal with rude individuals I have made no attempt to contact her. If her insurance company contacts me, fine, but I'm betting she doesn't want to pay her excess, which will be a good bit higher than mine, & I see no reason for us to pay for her mistake ~ or rudeness. Steam still coming out my ears on this one.

Ditz spent several days playing electrician's apprentice. She was a good little goffer but there is a reason that child does music. Our electricity is old & a simple job became a major hassel that involved us finding & checking every power point in the house. On being checked half had dead ants clogging the wiring. Those had to be replaced. We're lucky we never had an electrical fire. Yikes!

And just to round my week off the costing came through for the Singapore tour. Aaaargh! A good bit more than anticipated. Dearest is adamant Ditz needs to go but we can't afford me as well. None of us real happy about that given Ditz's personality & that the child is barely 14 & that she has been relatively sheltered & rarely away from home. Even then it's been with family or friends who are like family.

I am feeling worn & frazzled & frankly, God, what do you think you are doing~ish?! I don't think we are improving my personality here. Should be, maybe, but somehow it doesn't feel like it. I have anger management issues. I have control issues. I want the script re~written, the one with the happily ever after ending. Oh, you've done that already? Oops. My mistake.