A Sobering Reminder

I bitched and moaned constantly about not having money, to M's chagrin. Fear of what's to happen when I finally let this job go when I head on to Chicago. What's gonna happen if I can't sell these 2 houses of mine, or rent the one in Augusta.

Then I found this story on msn.com:

I make $6.50 an hour. Am I poor?

Here's how I slipped from the middle class into near poverty, and what I'm doing about it.

By Karen Datko

As a single professional woman, for years I sat securely among the lower rungs of the middle class.

Now I've fallen off the ladder.

In a matter of months, I went from a comfortable life with decent pay and health insurance to a $6.50-an-hour job with no insurance, no furniture and just enough resources to keep the wolf from the door.

I no longer buy anything unless it's absolutely essential. I spend $40 at the supermarket and make it last for more than two weeks. I never turn down a free meal. I've learned to graciously accept money, furniture, elk meat and encouragement from worried friends.

I am no longer proud.

I have no romantic notions about being poor. I'm not nobler than others, and I'm not a victim. But I am one minor medical emergency away from welfare.

Simply put, I'm in survival mode.

Here's my story in a nutshell: I lost my job as a managing editor at a small newspaper in Montana after the ownership changed hands. Six months later, I moved to Pennsylvania to take a similar job. My living arrangements fell through, and as I searched for a rental that would accept my three dogs, I lived in a campground. When it became clear that I'd be a campground dweller for a while, my boss fired me, telling me my living situation was "bad for business." I sold off my household goods -- everything from a sofa to pots and pans -- and drove back to small-town Montana.

I still own a house here. And I have a network of loving friends.

But now I know why most of my single women friends here work two or more jobs and think about the prospects of a bleak, impoverished old age. Good jobs with benefits are hard to come by here.

Life at $6.50 an hour

Once I got back to Montana, I started out my low-wage career working part time at a discount department store for $6.50 an hour (less than half of what I used to make) and part time as a salad maker and all-around kitchen slave at a local steakhouse, for the same low pay. But 13 hours a day on my feet and too little sleep were more than my 52-year-old body could handle. After a month, I quit the mind-numbingly boring shelf-stocking job.

The restaurant job isn't much better, making gallons of salad dressing, chopping lettuce and assembling relish trays. But it has its upsides. We can cook up "meat bits" on the grill and eat salad or baked potatoes. And the crew there is well worth the price of admission: Two of the servers bought me a gift certificate so I could afford to eat my birthday dinner there.

My take-home pay is about $660 a month. At $310, my mortgage takes the biggest chunk of that. Phone and Internet cost $70. Heat in winter is usually more than $100 -- it's Montana, after all.

Water runs $41 a month. The car takes $127. So, just about every penny is gone even before I buy gasoline or food for myself and the dogs.

Since I'm in the hole every month, I dip into my small savings to pay the difference, plus things like car insurance.

There is no room for error. At these wages, anything unexpected is a financial emergency. I worry especially about my health. I can't afford prescriptions, though I have used the county's health clinic rather than my own doctor.

Listing the wants and won'ts

Down to one job, I came up with new rules to govern how I spend:

• When I think about buying something, I think about how many hours I have to work to pay for it. That's a sobering thought.

For instance, washing the steakhouse kitchen counters down with bleach water gave my fingers the consistency of coarse sandpaper. The gloves provided by the restaurant didn't help. My fingers began snagging the napkins and tablecloths when I folded the laundry.

The cost of good hand lotion? Three hours of labor. The cost of better gloves: a half-hour. But that's also $3 subtracted from essentials like paying the heating bill.

• I try not to touch the small safety net I still have in the bank. It's there for emergencies, like a new transmission if my old van needs one or a new gas tank. The patches on the old tank have lasted far longer than anyone thought they would.
• I will not touch my 401(k) and other retirement accounts. I'm better able to fend for myself now than I will be when I'm in my 70s.
• I won't sell my house. It's cheaper than rent and provides more old-age security.
• I have only one credit card and I use it only to purchase gasoline so I can monitor my spending on gas. I walk when I can, and if I have to drive, I combine several trips into one.
• The programmable thermostat in my house is set at 63 degrees when I'm home, and at 60 when I'm not or I'm asleep. I sleep in pajamas and a flannel robe underneath a comforter and blankets.
• I use half the recommended amount of laundry detergent and wash everything in cold water. I stopped using face cream and I buy the cheapest soap I can find.
• I don't turn down free food. At a recent community gathering, people -- apparently noticing my dramatic weight loss -- gave me leftovers to take home.
• I refuse to let my situation depress me -- most of the time.

It could happen to anyone

For Thanksgiving, I helped cook dinner at the home of the same couple I've shared the holiday with for five years. I looked at their kitchenware and wished I still had my own. Then I realized I was feeling sorry for myself.

When work at the restaurant is slow and I have time to feel the pain in my back, arms, feet and hands, I try not to think about what will happen if health problems mean I can't work. There's no sense in indulging such worries.

I remember there is no shame in being poor. Others seem to share that view. I was talking to one of my bosses about something I'd done in better times that involved spending money. I said, "I did that . . ."

". . . Before you were poor," she finished my thought matter-of-factly, without condemnation or pity.

The fact is, a fall from financial grace can happen to anyone. And in reality, I'm not really poor. The official poverty line for a one-person household is an income of $9,800 a year, and I'm still above that. And can I really be considered poor if I still have some savings, or still have my house?

I've decided that the only acceptable course of action, poor or not, is to consider this an opportunity. I used to wake up with the notion that my situation was temporary and that I'd somehow return to my "real" job. Now I have no illusions. But I do have solutions.

I've put in my notice at the restaurant in favor of a much better paying job at a new discount giant moving into town. The pay still will not be enough to live on, but it will do wonders to reduce my stress.

I've begun a pet-sitting business, taking care of pets in their own homes when their owners are away. I charge $10 to $15 a day, competitive with local pet boarders.

I volunteer my writing services for local nonprofits that I support. I've gotten active in community affairs that my previous occupation required me to keep at an arm's length.

I no longer define myself by what I do for a living. On the flip side, I won't base my identity on my income.

A number of readers have contacted us to find out how they might help Karen. Her response: "This really made my day. But I'm going to tell them to find someone closer to home who needs it more than I do." Karen hopes to deal with her circumstances through additional work and budgeting.

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Jeremy: Great article. It reminds us all that poverty is in the mind of the beholder, and that we are all just a few paychecks short of being less financially well-off than before. It is hard to remember that when you're dealing with the situation, but a little perspective is always beneficial.

Me: There was another story that tells of how a family on a $150,000 are struggling. Can you imagine?

Bob: Really a wake up call to all of us, I guess. You can earn alot and be poor too. Kind of depressing read

Patrick: "When it became clear that I'd be a campground dweller for a while, my boss fired me, telling me my living situation was "bad for business."

Excuse me? What kind of fucked up business lures someone clear across the country to become a freakin managing editor of a newspaper and then fires them when she has trouble finding a house? Either there's more to this story than she's revealing, or this is the single best case I've ever read of the need for stronger wrongful termination laws.

Me:From what I can surmise, a "small" newspaper may mean small circulation or weekly, which if is the case, managing editor means a do-it-all low-waged slave. I've heard of people who have to maintain a certain standard of livelihood befitting of their position. Why do you think that the new chancellor of Tech is living in a $1.65 million house? This expectation within or without such person would be met by where and how one lives, how and where one entertains, dresses etc. For instance, here at the A-J, the sales department women are forbidden to wear sleeveless tops, as that smacks of unprofessionalism to our clients (it really arises from ONE badly dressed gal and like the army, the rest of us suffers). It's all in the image. Despite what we choose to think, we not only represent ourselves to the public, we also represent what we do to them. Afterall, why do strangers often ask "Where do you work?" within the first few minutes of introduction?

Jeremy: We constantly have to have "dress code" reminder updates at every staff meeting thanks to a woman (who really should be gone from us, but was saved by the grace of a bureaucrat higher up in the university) who thinks sweatpants, sweatshirts and fuzzy house slippers are appropriate for work.

Patrick: I agree, it's silly to expect a managing editor to live like a homeless person. But if the paper is too small to help her with her housing needs, it shouldn't be hiring folks from Montana in the first place.

Say it to my face if you have the guts

Hmm, where shall I begin?

I took a turn into a near-vacant parking lot of an upscale strip mall this Sunday, almost near closing time, when I spied a guy walking across the lot, acting too cool with his layered shirts, and disheveled rock star hair. It wasn't his appearance that put me off, but you can read the attitude of a bloke who thinks he's too sexy for his looks and all that, cuz he didn't employ the basic road-crossing 101 and that is to look both ways.

Anyway, I was going in what M called my Mario-Andretti lead-foot pace and decided to teach this guy a lesson - that the world doesn't owe him shit.

No, I didn't floor the car and rev the engine. When he looked over at the last minute and spotted my car, he expected me to stop for me. Instead, I just glided by and he was the one who had to put on his brakes. Ha!

After parking, I made a hasty visit into a women's clothing store and not finding anything, I bounded out of the store and headed into another store. It was here that I got a rude awakening; although in looking back, I shouldn't be surprised.

The bloke and I crossed paths in opposite direction, and I heard him muttered loudly under his breath "Bitch."

I was taken aback as I don't recall having anyone call me a name before. I have professed to being a bitch myself, but to be called one at such close proximity, that was interesting, to say the least.

I evaluated the situation as I was browsing. And I thought that was quite chickenshit of him. And I was glad I didn't turn around and dared him to say it to my face cuz I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of a reaction. I was pleased with my handling of the situation until I spent the next few seconds still pondering the situation and that's when I started to panic.

Jeez, if he were that angry at me to do such a cowardly thing, what next? He knows my car, the lot is near vacant, he could very well key it.

I hastened my pace out the door and did a once-around on my car. Thankfully, it was left intact. That was close.

I guess what I got out of this experience is that it's not worth it to teach someone a lesson. With his attitude, he'll get his just dessert in due time.

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Bob: You were spoiling for a fight weren't you?? LOL, glad you made it out alive!

Jeremy: I say stalk him, and cut his face up the next time you see him. Or maybe not.

I know it's bad to wish ill upon those who cross your path, but I've been pleasantly satisfied to see people pulled over for speeding by the Georgia State Patrol who were tailgating me--as well as those who wind up flying off the road and hitting trees.

Ling... maybe we have some pent up rage that needs to be let out somehow. Maybe through boxing. Hmmm...

Patrick: I do not doubt that the guy was a complete asshole, but I gotta be honest--there is no way that, if I were in his shoes, I would take it as some sort of lesson to be learned. I would simply assume you were some self-centered, distracted, um, bitch. But then again, in New York, we don't wait when we get pissed off at drivers. I've actually screamed at drivers who've threatened me while I was crossing the street. It's a much more open and honest hostility, you know?

Me: He may not learn a lesson but at least I didn't let him get away with it.

You'll do great in China, where pedestrians and drivers and cyclists at constantly running amok of traffic laws. It's definitely a mob mentality.

How Long will Myspace Last for Us?

Just curious: how long do you think most of us will continue to utilize myspace? Afterall, so many social networking has come and gone -- Facebook, Xanga. And now myspace is being frequented by oldies like us. I doubt myspace was meant to reach my demographic.
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Jeremy: I think MySpace's end will come as News Corp. can't handle how many users utilize the service. I think it will stop being used if News Corp can't/won't upgrade its equipment.

I personally enjoy it because it's an easy way to keep in touch with old friends. A list of everyone with their pictures is on one page, without having to think about who has what e-mail address.

Those who use social networking do it for, usually, the following reasons: A) to genuinely keep in touch with friends made in the real world, catching up with old and new friends, B) To engage in a bit of narcissism and see how many pretty/cute people become their "friends", C) To seek liaisons of the lustful type (why else are their pictures of scantily clad women--and if you ID yourself in such a way, men--plastered in advertising all over the place?). Since I keep my profile set to private, I use MySpace for Reason A.

Me: That's what I use it for as well. So should you and any of my loyal old friends that myspace wasn't originally created for decide to move on, let me know.

Melissa: Wow. Good question! I don't know! It seems like a lot of people my age are just now jumping on the networking-site-bandwagon. Up until recently, whenever I'd ask somone over the age of 30 if they were on Myspace, the reply was usually "Am I on WHAT?" Or they'd bring up all the newspaper articles alleging pedophiles were preying on young children and teens. (And I'm not denying that doesn't happen.) So, I guess with the new wave of networkers, it might be around for a bit longer.

I used to be really skeptical of Myspace, mainly because it seemed like such a meat-market site. Everyone seemed fixated on who had the most friends, or at the very least who had the most attractive friends! But now I really enjoy it. I've reconnected with so many people that I either went to high school with, or who lived down the street from me when I was younger but who moved to other schools. I've also reconnected with old co-workers who have moved out of state. And several of my family members are also on the site, and it's a great central location for all of us to update each other on what is going on within the family (weddings, birthdays, parties, etc). I know it seems easy to just email each other with this kind of information, but a site like Myspace allows us all to interact with each other where we can all see, either via comments left on pages or photos places in blogs, etc. I kind of like this site now and hope it will be around a little longer.

Me: Should you relocate to another e-universe, let me know. I typically decline adding strangers to the list, but I'm glad I made the right exception for you.

Patrick: The funny thing is the site wasn't even concieved to be used this way; it was originally just supposed to be a way for bands to throw together a cheap web site to keep fans alert about upcoming shows. Which, to an extent, it still is.

I will stop using it when I either feel as if my friends have stopped paying attention, or if I discover something else. It's a tough call though, because some of my best friends still refuse to get anywhere near it, and I know I'll have a lot less time to waste on it if (god forbid) I ever get married, get a house and get a kid or two.

Me: True about the genesis. I am just wondering if we'll all be engaged in it when we hit middle age. I suppose we would since we are of the tech-savvy generation, and with all of us being more mobile than our parents, such means of communication will continue to connect the long-distanced pals. I cannot stand the idea of having to constantly move from one platform to another. I mean, I now have 3 e-mail accounts (one in hotmail cuz I am too lazy to move all my contacts to yahoo, which I am using for e-market correspondence, and then gmail for job searches). Unless there's a reason for opening another e-mail account, I'm all set. Like Jeremy said, if News Corp. cannot provide the necessary upgrades and/or god forbid, start charging, we will have to load up and move on.

Jeremy: And you hit another point with the multiple e-mail accounts: people will also use different social networking services to network differently for various reasons. I know that many people use MySpace as their general contact, but others use LiveJournal in addtion for only a specific subset of friends or other networking contacts. (This is more common in the gay community, where there are people who are not out of the closet at work or with their families, or with other friends.)

I envision a world where our generations, in the future, will be in our 70s but still using whatever world wide communications medium comes along to stay in touch with people. We grew up with rapid technological change and I think we'll continue to adapt much quicker than our parents or our grandparents.

Crossroads

It just struck me that I don't know what I want to do when I arrive in Chicago.

The realization that there is a wealth of opportunities there compared to Augusta, Lubbock, Wichita, leaves me with this overwhelming feeling that I can do anything.

But having so many choices pose some challenges: What do I want to do? What should I do? What can I do?

Thirteen years of work, of which 12 are spent in newspaper editorial, and 1 in sales research. It seems I would be relegated to the publishing arena. But those of you who have been loyal readers of my blogs get a sense I want out of the newspaper business. The hours, dwindling profit margin, pay are not appealing. On the other hand, if I return to newspapering, I know I can continue to demand a higher pay scale given my experience (please don't be mistaken I make a lot).

Being more extroverted, sales and marketing seem logical. Here're some options I can think of:

Sales: I've no experience, but I like the idea of pursuing the almighty dollar, that given hard work, will have no boundaries. Real estate comes to mind. The downside of that: first year is a bitch since I've no contacts or connections. Not to mention the hours for being an agent is going to take me away in the evenings and weekends. Agencies are another option.With my newspaper background, maybe they will accept someone with my experience to be the print liason. I can certainly lend my editing/design experience to agency work.

Marketing: Again, no experience. Maybe the research and one year in sales department will help. The downside: event marketing, like real estate, demands odd hours and weekends.

Research: ABC Audit, AC Nielsens and a host of agencies and corporations are headquartered in the suburbs of Chicago. With one year of experience here, will they accept me as a junior member? The pay may not be great to start, but I definitely enjoy what I do. Downside: I don't know what to expect of the REAL world of REAL research. Afterall, I've no statistics, economics or math degrees under my belt.

Any advice for this old workhorse?

Hail the PIG

After waiting 12 years, in exactly 9 days, it'll be Chinese New Year. But more importantly, it's my year. The Year of the Pig/Boar.

For those who don't know me well, or who think they know me, read the following. For the most part, it's pretty right on. (It's quite long, so be prepared to invest some time)

PIG
1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007

Pigs are models of sincerity, purity, tolerance, and honor. When you first meet them, Pigs seem too good to be true. They are careful and caring, obliging and chivalrous. Put your trust in him, he won't let you down and he will never try to. The Pigs simply want to do everything right. Pigs are the people everyone admires most. Make a list of the Pigs in your life: aren't they the nicest, most loving and scrupulously caring people around? Pigs are born to give, to yield and to serve. Frankly speaking, most people take advantage of this Pig nature. Also, not only are Pigs easy to fool, they like it that way too. No matter how old they get, Pig people still only see and believe that all men/women are basically good. Pig people constantly sacrifice their own happiness and comfort for the sake of somebody else. The Pig is a splendid companion. If you have a lifetime Pig friend, don't think that your worries are over. Pigs are loyal, faithful and giving - only as long as they approve of you. In order to keep your lifetime Piggy friend, remember, never try to force your opinions on a Pig - A Pig rarely asks for help and cannot graciously accept it. The Pig doesn't say much - but when he does decide to speak, suddenly, nothing can stop him until he runs out of subjects. Like the Monkey, the Pig is intellectual - a character with a great thirst for knowledge. Some people claim that Pigs are snobbish. Manners, breeding and good taste are of enormous importance to them. In fact, pigs are aesthetic. Pigs are born with an excellent nose for style in everything. Food is another of Piggy's little sins. Pigs adore food, and after-dinner chocolates. The Pig often over-eats, but he eats with good taste. In relationship, Pig people are sensitive, sweet but naive, and caring. They are romantic and certainly are the marriage-type. But on the other hand, Pigs are also possessive, jealous and exclusive.

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When encountering the Pig, we sense his or her quiet sincerity and purity. The Pig is so honest that he feels guilty for the slightest error, and he is more indulgent and forgiving of others than he is of himself. He is without artifice or pretense, and dislikes forcing himself on others or being the center of attention. Chivalrous, gallant, obliging, scrupulous to a fault, the Pig is naive, innocent, confident, and defenseless. He allows himself to be duped easily, accepts his own faults calmly, and those of others with tolerant understanding. He is incredibly sincere, almost to the point of doing himself harm, and always disarmed by the bad faith of others. He lies rarely, and then only to defend himself. Powerless against hypocrisy, he will often crucify himself in an attempt to justify his actions. He is an absolutely straight dealer and it's very rarely that he will accept a compromise. Ironically, though the Pig believes without question whatever anyone tells him, he is always finding it necessary to produce proof of what he himself asserts! People born in the Year of the Pig have a taste for la dolce vita. Possessing a strong sense of luxury, they can be extravagant and take great pleasure in pampering themselves and their loved ones; they delight in the stimulation of the senses. However, when they need to work they will get right to it. At these times a half-hearted attitude just won't do; where they're concerned, it's all or nothing. The Pig is a splendid companion, so much fun, and game for a risque evening. He doesn't say much, but when he does decide to speak, suddenly the barriers are down and nothing can stop him until the subject's exhausted. Like the Monkey, the Pig is intellectual, a character with a great thirst for knowledge. He reads a lot, but reads anything that happens to be around. Although he appears to be well read, the Pig's knowledge is only superficial. Referring to this, a Japanese proverb says that the Pig is "wide of face but narrow in the back." The Pig is sensitive, caring, and indulgent. Not only intelligent and cultured, the Pig also has a streak of bawdiness and earthiness. Their various indulgences can verge on gluttony. Unlike the conniving Machiavellian pigs of Animal Farm, Chinese Pigs tend to be helpless and insecure. During fat spells they suddenly lose all and are unable to defend themselves, much less attack others. Pigs in general are lucky but lazy. Pigs can be very practical, logical and down to earth. They may at times be considered somewhat cool and reserved because, blessed as they are with composure and self-control, they don't usually allow emotion to cloud the issue. They are cheerful and love company and social life. They find it very easy to make friends and also seem to hang on to them for life. For them the Pig is capable of the greatest sacrifices. He is extremely considerate of the chosen few who do merit his affection. The women of this sign like nothing better than to make presents for people and organize parties; they are marvelous hostesses. Whatever his ambitions may be, whatever the tasks and goals he has set himself, the Pig will do his duty with all the strength he is capable of, and that same strength can be an inner force to be reckoned with, a force that nothing can oppose. Once a Pig has come to a decision, nothing can stop him from carrying it out. But before he arrives at it, he spends ages weighing the pros and cons, which sometimes gives the impression that he is indecisive. Nothing could be further from the truth, but to make sure he is avoiding any possible complications, he will sometimes ponder for so long that he destroys his own case. Untiring workers, Pigs will succeed in their careers, especially if they are their own boss. Because they like to accumulate ancient objects and fine pictures, they might become art dealers, specializing in antiquities. Their aim is to live in relative affluence, both for themselves and their families, and to enjoy the pleasures of life. Materially, the Pig will always have all the necessities of life, regardless of his chosen career. Work and money in sufficient quantities seems to gravitate his way without his having to make any particular effort. People will help him all his life, and thanks to this help he will be able, if he wishes, to reach the highest heights in the financial world. Popular superstition in the East says that people help him thus just to fatten him up so he will make a better meal over the New Year. Because of this, the Pig may be overwary and trust nobody. If the Pig's birthdate is a long time before the traditional feasts, he will escape a lot of the disappointments in store for him. However, the closer it is to the Asiatic New Year, the more he will be betrayed, ridiculed, duped, and perhaps in the long run, eaten! Though generally tolerant and fairly placid people, when absolutely backed into a corner, Pigs can turn vicious. When they find that their friendship and good nature have been seriously abused, they will give no quarter and that friendship will somewhat unceremoniously be cut short. Perhaps they can be accused of exhibitionism, of being flirtatious and even licentious at times, but there is no doubt that Pigs in general are very good sorts -- honest, decent, generous, supportive, loyal to their friends, and thoroughly trustworthy. The first phase of the Pig's life will be relatively calm. During the second, every conceivable conjugal problem will be visited upon him. But whatever his troubles, the Pig, discreet and shy, will never ask anybody else for help; he'll try to get out of the mess by himself. His reticence in this respect may do him harm, for nobody will even suspect the torment he's going through. The Passionate Pig Above all else, Pigs are sensual, self-indulgent creatures. They adore anything that smacks of physical pleasure, whether it is gorging themselves with sweetmeats or idling a whole day away with their newfound heart throbs between their satin sheets. Passionate by nature, some younger Pigs could tend towards promiscuity while some of the older ones could well become bawdy and lascivious. Unfortunately for them, love seems somehow to befog many a Pig; when deeply smitten, their emotions become rather transparent and they can become putty in the hands of unscrupulous types who can induce them to behave quite out of character. They may often be deceived, often disappointed, often made a fool of ... and often loved. The female Pig makes a very good mother. Pigs are loving and loyal to their mates, and caring and considerate towards those they love. In any close, intimate relationship it is friendship that the Pig will value most. Settled with the right partner, these generous, warm hearted individuals will enjoy happy and contented lives, developing their talents within that supportive framework and devoting themselves completely to their family and their loved ones. With their simplicity of soul and their sensual appreciation of nature, the Pig always seeks the authentic and the true in personal relationships. The Pig would be well advised to share his or her life with those born under the sign of the Rabbit -- that's the surest way of avoiding arguments. They must keep out of the clutches of the Snake, who will make a complete slave out of the Pig in no time, enmeshing the Pig in his coils to the extent that the poor Pig loses all power of movement. The Ram will take advantage of him. Like the Rabbit, the Tiger and Rat are excellent partners for the Pig, but the Monkey is not honest enough for his taste. December is the month of the Pig. The time of the Pig is from 9:00 p.m. to 10:59 p.m.; their direction of orientation is north-northwest. The Pig's color is dark blue.

Compatibility

(1 - least compatible, 100 - most compatible)

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Rat	88 - These two make marvelous mates
Ox	69 - Why not, it worth a try.
Tiger	77 - They are very different, but this will work.
Rabbit	91 - Very compatible. Everything will be good.
Dragon	94 - Most Dragon/Pig marriages last forever.
Snake	45 - The Pig can never please the Snake.
Horse	75 - This relationship worth a try.
Sheep	98 - One of the happiest possible combinations.
Monkey	81 - This could work. They admire each other.
Rooster	72 - The Pig is patient, this could work.
Dog	84 - They share their thoughts and feeling.
Pig	92 - An excellent match.

Here's the link to find Your Zodiac (just click on the Chinese character of your breed. No worries, there's English translation)

Finance Update

Got the damage taken care of. It's a little more than 1k less than expected. But it still hurts.

For those of you in Augusta who someday need repairs done to the house, these are my recommendations so far (sight unseen for HVAC but good word of mouth):

Chuck Long - plumber (706) 589-4974
Cliff ____ - HVAC (recommended by Chuck) 706 -533-5816

Be sure to tell them Miss Ling of 2733 Edward Drive sent ya. My rep goes a long way.