Today I was (this) close to feeling sorry for myself

the finger(s), originally uploaded by toyfoto.

We've been without power (but not without generator) since Friday morning. Effectively this puts us back, I'd say, somewhere in the affluent '50s. Our refrigerator is running, but there's not much else in the way of ammenities:

We're washing dishes by hand

We're able to watch television but not cable. And as a result of limited light we're turning in early.

We're cooking on a hotplate.

The laundry has to wait until the power returns or we can schlep ourselves to the Laundromat, which mightn't be soon as:

I've had a sore throat for two days.

Silas got some vomity illness Sunday night that is inconsistently realized (usually in the middle of the night when the generator has quit or run out of gas).

I will be wearing my prom dress to work tomorrow (If I can muster the will to drag my sorry-for-my-Self out of bed again) because the laundry is piling up with aforementioned vomity duds and no way to launder them until the power comes back up or Silas musters enough vim to make it through a trip to the local Sit and Spin.

I went to a doctors' appointment today and learned that my insurance isn't accepted anymore. I had to pay the full boat and submit the claim myself. Even the lady in the checkout area looked shocked for me when she whispered the total: $180.

So much for health insurance.

I got to work and learned our struggling company will - as of January - stop contributing to our 401Ks (that are only two years old) in order to get itself in better fiscal standing.

So much for retirement.

There's more, but I won't bother you with it. It'll just make me wish I were home with my vomity boy and my silly husband and my ice princess daughter. I'll just try and count the one blessing this week had in store for me:

I filled the gas tank up from empty (for the first time in I can't remember how long) for under $20.

Although, I'll tell you, the cost of petrol isn't going to change my primary philosphy of NOT taking any uncessesary trips.