You know I LOVE Friday!!

It makes me go "Ahhhhhhhhhh" This one started grouchy and early. Daughter had to make up a test and since I have New Job I can't pick her up after school much so she goes in early for stuff like that. I was tired and so was she. I went to work early which was nice because I got to leave early. Work is good. It's work, though and just not my favorite thing, but then that is why they pay me nicely for it. I appreciate it very very very much. More than I used to. Much more.

Especially today. The tenant at my old house has been paying late. I have been patient and trying to work with her. This time was supposed to be her last late pay month. Last week I came buy to pick up the rent on her payday right before we had to leave on vacation. I was offering her a payment schedule that I thought would help her budget. Half the rent on the first payday, the other half on the second, so long as it fell in the same month of course. She said she'd think about it (sheesh) and made a remark about being concerned about paying for her cruise. Yes, that is right a CRUISE. She said she has been paying on it (while getting her gas shut off, and paying me late) and still has to come up with plane tickets (gosh, I feel so bad for her..) Okay I was flabbergasted.

So I took the check and deposited it in the night drop. I left for our vacation the next day. When I was leaving the hotel with the kids for our walk to the museum that afternoon she called me with a (tall) tale about the bank ATM giving her too much money. Yea, I get too much money at the ATM all the time. It was bizarre. Anyway long story short she said her check would bounce. I said, take care of it. She had a story about the bank being at fault and it being fixed in five days, blah blah blah. I said take care of itand that the check was already in the banking system.

I got back from vacation and called her to follow up. No return call. Today my bank charged back my account. They had tried running it through again with no luck. I called her bank and they said there still was not enough money to cover the check and were puzzled with the tall tale. So I have a felony sized bad check on its way back to me. I called her two times in the morning and left messages to call me right away. No calls. I called in the afternoon and she picked up. She said she'd have to pay me Thursday and I said, the November rent would be due by then and I could not subsidize her lifestyle. She said she might have to move. I noted the bad check was something I could prosecute. I asked if she could come up with any money at all and she said she'd call back, and of course no call back.

I am writing so I don't eat over this. I have been angry. I have been disgruntled. I am not going to turn it on myself and punish myself with food. What I am going to do is pay people to deal with it and let it go. I am submitting the bad check to the prosecuting attorney's office when it comes in the mail. I am hiring an attorney of my own to evict her. I am going to try and sell the house or rent it out again (not my first choice) and take my losses now while I can absorb them and use them to offset taxes on the double income that I am getting for the next couple of months. That's my idea right now. Turn it over to the experts and let it go. No more Ms. Nice. I am fed up.

I wish I could just not think about it at all but it has preoccupied me over and over. It shocks me when people do this stuff. I did not want to be a landlord but it was a choice I made to deal with that situation in 2007 when we needed to move. It has worked up until now for almost three years so I can appreciate it for what it has been and appreciate the fact that now is the best time to absorb the loss. I have a good job, I have severance I have savings and I can pay someone to take care of it. My landlord friends recommended their lawyer who has helped them in two evictions.

So, no food for me. Just a good night's sleep. Sorry for the rant but I had to lay it out there. It bugs me. Taking it personally does not help but I have held up my end of the deal and been more than forgiving and kind. I waived late fees and so on. Trying to prolong the inevitable I guess. But the CRUISE for Pete's sake - that was the last straw. I feel like some airline got the rent money and now I am stuck providing free housing. Okay, that's enough. I want to put a lid on this.

I still love Fridays. And it is STILL Friday..

There was a beautiful sunset tonight after days of rain. It was very pretty and I enjoyed it while driving in my car.

My food was good today but a little more than I wanted this evening when I started thinking about the tenant thing. We will have to think of a nickname for her. Something silly. But now I have shared my tale of woe or perhaps my window of opportunity and I am going to drink a big glass of water and go to bed. Tomorrow morning could be a glorious bike ride, or a snuggly morning at the coffee shop (oh how I have missed my coffee shops) reading if it rains. Yea, I gott clean house, too but need my happy time. It's my prozac.

More will be revealed...My life is full of endless possibilities!