Apartment Showing and a Visit to the ER
Mar 29Last night I got to spend from about 10:30 until approximately 1 a.m. in the ER, no thanks to Randy’s back and lack of insurance even though we applied for him in October. We got notice like 3 weeks ago that he was finally approved for the state insurance, but it didn’t kick in until April 1st. This entire time he’s been home he hasn’t had his inhaler, his anti-depressants or his anti-anxiety medication. I love healthcare. Srsly.
His back pain has been getting progressively worse for the past 3 days and we were hoping to hold out until his insurance kicked in before going to the doctor but when he was near tears last night and had to crawl up the stairs, we knew enough was enough. He’s no stranger to pain either. He’s had a car fall on and break both of his feet and he didn’t go to the doctor for 2 days as he fought off the pain, so I knew it was serious. We had to go to the ER 1.5 hours away because that’s where both my mom and my MIL live and I wasn’t taking Gracie to sit there. Anyways, the best they could do was to give him a shot of Toradol and a Flexeril for immediate relief, 3 hydrocodone for the next day and a prescription for 20 Flexeril to last him until he gets into the doctor. He called the doctor today and the soonest they can see him is April 9th, so this should be a FUN week and a half. They think it’s either a disc or a nerve issue, which requires an MRI to identify. It’s also risky for him to be taking medications like these, being an addict and all.
We stayed at my MIL’s house and today when we got home there was a notice on our door to give us 24 hour notice that the apartment is being shown at both 12:30 and 1:30 on Saturday. BLAH. This means I have to bust my ass tomorrow making the house look presentable. I was hoping to avoid that intense deep cleaning until we had to move. I think the biggest thing I need to do is shampoo the living room carpet though. We have until May 1st to find a place. Still no news on the job front though. :-\ Boo. Randy is calling Kraft back on Monday to do yet another follow up. Maybe persistence will pay off eventually.
New Blog Search and Job Prospect
Mar 26I’m on the search for new blogs to read. I generally like pretty much anything, but am drawn more towards blogs where people focus on them. I don’t mind reading daily happenings and such. I’m not really a fan of craft, food, makeup, etc blogs though.
On the job front, Randy FINALLY got through to the hiring manager at Kraft and he said he’ll look at his app. It took him leaving 3 different voice mails and today was his 5th call. I guess they’re doing interviews starting on the 1st so *fingers crossed*
We also put in our notice for this apartment because our lease expires May 1st. We like the place, the amazingly big fenced in yard and our landlords are amazing, but we’re about 1.5 hours from our families and we are driving to visit 2-3 times a week and it’s costing approximately $25 in gas each time. With the new baby coming in September and summer coming up, we like to be able to socialize and do things with our families and it’s just too far. Now next month we’ll be searching for a place in that direction and hopefully get everything situated with the job. It’ll knock quite a few points off my stress load too.
13 weeks 1 day doctor appointment
Mar 14Yesterday I had an appointment for the baby where I got the full monty including a pap smear, breast exam, a full medical history and the ultrasound. I really love my gyno though. He’s constantly making jokes the whole appointment. It’s a little hard to lay still when he’s got a never ending comedy show going on though. Baby is measuring just fine and was active when we saw it (I hate this it crap). The heartbeat was 156 bpm and we got our DVD that we’ll be adding to at every appointment. 4D ultrasounds are really weird looking though. The dr. did say he saw something between its legs but it could be the spine/tail. We’re hoping it’s a penis. Maybe next time we’ll be able to see. Onto the pictures for those of you who didn’t see them on Facebook.
Felony Convictions and Jobs
Mar 01I watch Randy apply for job after job and I cannot help but be so frustrated at the entire process. The question that never fails to appear on any application is “Have you been convicted of a felony?” and “Explain.” It is usually followed by “This does not mean you are excluded from being hired blah blah blah.”
Let’s get right to the point here. Someone who has a felony conviction is likely to get their application thrown in the garbage or passed over without a chance to explain the circumstances. I have a huge problem with this.
All felonies are not created equal. A class A felony (murder) is not on the same level as a class B, C, D or E felony. E is the lowest and what Randy was convicted of (DWI). One carries a penalty of life imprisonment while the subsequent letters mean lighter sentences. Randy’s maximum was 1-3 years. He served 15 months of it in prison and the rest is on parole. He also received a total of about $3,000 in fines when all is said and done.
Now, I would like to know WHY this should impact whether he can get hired or not. A DWI does not determine whether he can work fast food or even sweep floors for a janitorial position. (Minimum wage jobs). The applications for these jobs always have this question as well and some companies do not hire felons whatsoever. I know Wal-Mart doesn’t because my friend was a hiring manager there and felon applications go to the trash.
He completed his time. He’s paying his fines. He has also lost other “rights” such as the inability to get licenses for certain professions, cannot possess or own a firearm (even though the crime was in no way violent), can’t sit on a jury and cannot vote. It’s part of being a convicted felon.
I can see how a lot of convicted felons end up back in prison, especially those that are involved in theft or drug dealing. Unless you know a family member or friend in high places it is fucking HARD to find a job with that label. It will follow him for the rest of his life.
How do we expect people coming out of prison or jail to become productive members of society when they aren’t given a chance in the first place?
Moving and Employment Plans
Feb 15Randy and I have been conflicted about what to do regarding our living situation. We currently live about 1.5 hours away from where either of our families do and we visit once a week or so. It’s too much driving and gas for my liking. I also despise my Sunfire because it’s cramped and lacks cruise control so I hate being in it any more than I have to.
Our lease expires May 1st and we haven’t talked to the landlords about renewing and we’ve decided that we don’t want to. Don’t get me wrong. I love the area we are in and my 3 bedroom full basement with W/D hookup and fenced in backyard half house is awesome, but at the same time Randy and I cannot deny that our parents are our best friends. He talks to his parents at least once a day and I usually do too and we are excluded out here. I also want to be back there because I don’t want to find a new OBGYN. I love the doctor who delivered Gracie.
We’re going to try to get into the trailer park where my parents bought theirs last year. They have a nice 3 BD/2BA and the one we’re looking at is 3BD/1.5 BA. I’ve emailed the company and discussed down payment/financing/etc. Then I went to school and applied for a loan on top of the grants that I have (TAP/PELL) and found out today I was approved for the request. So we’ve decided we are going to give our notice to our landlords next month (60 days, we only have to give 45) and get the process going to move. We think we will be much happier going back to the area.
Randy also re-applied to his old job and will hopefully be eligible for re-hire. It also works with our moving plans because my dad works there and they can car pool (45 minutes one way from where my parents live, one hour from here) and we know that his felony convictions of DWI and grand larceny won’t disqualify him from being hired like 99% of other places he looks. (No joke) They also start you at $9/hr and my dad has only been there a year and a half and is grossing over $1,000/week right now with lots of overtime (1.5 and double time, oh yes). Oh, and also gives things like paid holidays, vacation, personal days and holiday bonuses. I’m just a tad bit excited about having a bit more financial security than I have doing freelance writing for pennies.
Next step is to determine what needs to be done to transfer parole to the other county. Baby steps baby steps baby steps.
