Keep On Keepin' On My Friends... It's My Birthday!!!

In Real Time it isn't my Birthday but this will Publish on it.  I don't think The Daughter did the Crazy Ride to Buckeye on her Bike when it was 111 Degrees and I was at Work, after all, whew.  When she's on the Crazy Train with what she intends to do and is Psychotic about it, there's usually no swaying her otherwise.  She hasn't had the Money for her Two Drinks to take The Edge Off and it shows.  And frankly I'm so Tapped Out this close to EOM that I haven't had any to lend to her but I can see it's necessary, the Self-Medicating with Moderated Alcohol is better for her Function than NOT having it.  She really becomes very Schizophrenic and exceedingly Paranoid otherwise.  I'd prefer Psyche Meds and Treatment for her, but that's not happening and might not even Work as well as Two Mike's Hard or this new Purple Canned Liquor she's liking which are 3 for $5.

Anyway, apparently she got thru the Night but was very dramatic and Psychotic as Hell.  Some of her more unpleasant Alters also become the Dominant Personality when she's Feeling very Unwell.  And she was definitely Feeling very Unwell becoz she got bold enuf to be a tad bit confrontational with me, not much, but that's Testing my Waters and I made her aware, before I left for Work, don't fucking Go There Darlin'.  I could tell she was rolling that over in her addled Brain and deciding, yeah, Mom's got a LOT to Deal with, so if she Snaps, it will be very Bad, and... we'll ALL be Screwed.  So, from what I was told she Slept it Off and was no problem for her Daughter, who was left Babysitting her Grandpa, since her Mom wasn't up to it and her Uncle was already closed off in his Room coz after his Drunken Night where he did Set me Off, he hasn't touched a Drink since.  He'll go Cold Turkey for a while without ending up totally Mental like his Sister.

He will never take Psyche Meds again but isn't opposed to Therapy or going to a Rehab, but he doesn't wanna lose this new Job.  He likes it and tho' it's only Part Time and Minimum Wages he can Walk to it if he has to and he gets Paid Daily by it.  He's not good Managing Money so that is better for him to Manage his funds, he's even built up an impressive Savings.  He'd like to get the Restrictions lifted from his License and Buy a reliable Used Vehicle so he can get Work in the Trades again eventually.  But, everyone in the Trades is struggling right now coz Asset Strippers are Buying Up a lot of those Companies and doing what they do to make big Money and leave it Debt laden and everyone holding that Bag.  Society is suffering for the few Asset Strippers and most wealthy Venture Capitalists preying on them IMO.  They don't call them Sharks for nothing.

Anyway, The Niece said she'll be here by next Week, still no Word from The Young Prince about when he and Allen will be showing up or when Allen plans to relocate back to Metro Phoenix?   Whatever they work out, so long as it works out for me too, I'm good with it actually.  The Young Prince is a LOT for me to Manage and Care for without more Help, so if Allen is willing to split the Care and Costs, I can be Okay with that so long as they Manage it without Drama and Headaches.  I know how mine can be, and Allen lived with us long enuf I know how he can be, so, it's Six of One and Half a Dozen of the other with those Two.  So I'm not placing 'blame' anywhere, Allen took on more than he could Manage and Cope with and The Grandson is totally Mental and a Handful... I know, I Raised him, he's been that way and so Unwell since Age 7, Bless him.

The Daughter is doing better Today and has helped me Clean and Price a lot of Inventory to go into the Showroom, I bought her Two Mike's Hard coz she definitely Earned Six Bucks worth of Drink.  *LOL and Winks*  We joked about it, will Work Hard for 2 Mike's Hard.  *Ha ha ha*  I don't want her going thru Withdrawal or going Mental, I'm not Cruel or trying to be and she knows that... so does The Son.  They know I Love them Unconditionally but I have Boundaries that can't be crossed and I have limited Income that has to be parsed out to Support us all and Priorities are set and can't be compromised on this kind of a Budget and with this many Mouths to Feed, Maintain everyone's Medical Needs, and keep a Roof over the Heads of.  We've still got a shit ton of Pokemon Cards to Price, have to look each one up so it's Labor Intensive but profitable.

The Daughter and I had Fun sitting out on the back Porch with Fans blowing on us and talking while we Worked, she's enjoyable to be around when she's not on the Crazy Train.  And she knew she had been all of Yesterday so really tried hard to get a Grip by Today and I appreciate her striving for Sanity, sometimes she even Succeeds... me too.  *Winks*  Hey, we're not Well Women and we know it, so, what can we say, sometimes we Feel like a Nut, sometimes we don't.  *Smiles*

  It's only 11:00 a.m. but now we're getting Tired so we're taking Time Out from Pricing and had gotten Two Banana Boxes filled, plus a Donation Box filled, not bad for a couple Hours of Work we Partnered to get Done.  It emptied out about Four Milk Crates from The She Shed and we're gonna clear out all Inventory from there and then load more Inventory into the Crates, Fresh from The RV Garage Mahal.  A steady Rotation that will go out the Doors either to a Charity or the Antique Mall For Sale. 

Little by Little I think if we consistently slog away at it for perhaps 1-2 Hours Daily we can make some significant Progress again?  And perhaps make some much needed Discretionary Income so Finances aren't so tight every Month?  I don't see the Economy improving so long as this Criminal Idiot and his Sycophant Cabal of Vulgarians are in charge tho', so I'm bracing for at least Two more Bad Years.  Perhaps worse Years, but The Daughter reminded me she Lived impoverished for the past 20+ Years in a 3rd World Country, so we Got This and will Survive when most folks can't or won't, and she's Right. 

 We've been very Poor before and know how to be Content and Survive anything, regardless of what happens to the Society and the Economy around us.  I know that many Americans won't be able to tho' and it will be Interesting to see what happens when those who've enjoyed unmerited White Privilege start to feel the Squeeze, the Oppression, and React?  I think the Wheels will Come Off, I really do.  If some of our Population has never suffered any real Hardship or lack, I don't know how they can or will handle it when it hits them too?   And until it's them, far too many simply don't Care when it's somebody else and very abstract to them coz they have no Point of Reference.

But, until The Hurt is put Hard on everyone, too many will remain complacent, even supportive.   Until the Bottom drops out on them and they realize they've been Played and it's all coming Home to Roost what they've ignored or been complicit of or too complacent about.  People often don't know what a Good Thing they had 'til it's Gone.  I appreciate what we've always had as a Good Thing in America, becoz I have been a Global Traveler and experienced other Countries.  Many are lovely but I always wanted to come Home to America becoz I appreciated what we do have here that many Countries simply don't have and often we take for Granted becoz we've never NOT had it. 

 We're very spoiled and soft really in this Country, compared to most parts of the World, and have much to be Thankful for in America.  It's why so many come here and make it their Home, even tho' they may miss where they came from, the vast majority do stay and make this their permanent Home.  And they have contributed, each wave of Immigrants, and we should be Grateful for those contributions, instead of vilifying Immigrant Communities and resenting them.  America was not built on just One Demographic here.   The Above Thrifted LP always Amuses the Hell out of me, Wish I'd Found it... just the Names of those Fundie Couple is hilarious... Mahulda Ezra and Pastor Deke!!!   And just look at their Dour Facial Expressions... no Joy of The Lord evident there... I can only Imagine what the Recording was like?!  LMAOROTF!

Anyway, some folks will have their irrational Biases and Prejudices based mostly on Ignorance or Fear and Insecurities they have.  If you have to put anyone down to feel better about yourself, then you have Issues of your own Self-Esteem and Self-Worth.  Grievance Politics exploit that Human Weakness, Fears and Insecurities by Scapegoating.  Lyndon B. Johnson once said the following, and this Administration is exploiting this Fact even Today:

 “If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you.”

― Lyndon B. Johnson

I've been watching some British TV on Cable and enjoying it tremendously, mostly on PBS.   It's frivolous Programs but I enjoy seeing the English Countryside and how the Cast on it are being with one another, coz most of it is going to Antique Shops and then taking what they Buy to Auction Houses and trying to make a Profit, as a Game, and they have Two Celebs paired with Two Antique Dealers.  It's Interesting but I think none of them really knows what they're doing.  Coz they almost always overpay on the Buy and don't choose stuff that does well at Auction.  

 So there's no way taking it to Auction and paying a Premium they really made any Money, most of the time they substantiated a Loss even if deemed the "Winner" at the end of the Auction and Show.  So, it's just who Lost Less in most cases.  They start out with 400 British Pounds each and I've hardly seen an Episode where they increase it to even 500 Pounds after Auction... usually they're left with 200 to 300 Pounds, which, any way you cut it, was a Loss.  But they're having Fun and I like looking at what the Antique Stores have there now.

Today's Episode they had Two former Olympians who Won Medals in Track and Field as the Celebs.  The Countryside was lovely, they always give them Vintage or Antique Vehicles to drive in.  The Quartet always have a good Relationship doing the Episode.   Sometimes I'm familiar with the parts of Britain they're Visiting and Shopping at, so that's been Fun to see what is the same, since the 1970's when I was there.  Seems to me Pricing is way higher than it used to be for Antiquities, Britain used to have reasonable pricing for their Antiques when we were there, my Parents brought a lot of it back when we returned Stateside.  And some of my Industry Friends, before the Pandemic, would visit Eleven different European Countries to do Picking and bring it back for Resale.  Few, if any, do that now with the Tariff Fiasco.   A pity coz I prefer Imported Antiquities.   I have a lot of them still.   If I was still a Global Traveler I know I'd always be shipping things back Home to America.  *LOL*

Today I do Plan to go in to the Antique Mall and deposit all the Merch we Priced on Wednesday, before the Weekend.  Hoping Sales will improve, since we only have Three more Days in this Pay Period and my Sales aren't decent enuf to ensure a Profit after Expenses this time... dammit!  I Sold a lot of Smalls, nothing significant, and Rents are high, over $600 a Month for a Showroom now and over $100 a Month for a Locked Case... which takes a considerable chunk out of your Bottom Line, along with the 10% Commission, Fees, and Cost of what your Inventory was... so, it's getting harder and harder to turn a decent Profit Margin on it all now.  I used to make more than I did at the DA's Office back when Antiques were Selling well, just as a Hobby and necessity of Downsizing my Personal Collections, those Days are long gone. 

 I don't know how anyone attempts to make a Living doing it?  I'd be Stressed Out if I had to rely on the Income from Resale of what I Own to Survive and have it be the main Source of Income!!!   I'd say more than half the Vendors only do it as Hobbyists or Collectors having to Downsize coz their Heirs don't want their Collections, or they don't wanna burden Loved Ones with disposing of all of it after they're Gone.  Mine will have to coz too much to dispose of in my Lifetime.  *LOL and Winks*  Plus, there's much of it I want to still Enjoy while I'm among the Living and Bought when I had the Income to indulge myself with Investments, those Days are long gone too.  *Le Sigh*  Yeah, sometimes I still Invest in a piece or Two, but it's much more Sacrificial and I'm more hesitant to even if I'm in Lust with something I'd Love to Own.  The Kiddos are more inclined to encourage me to just get it now and to slow down on what I am getting rid of that will be their Inheritance.  *LOL, who knew?!* 

So, I do regularly Solicit their Opinions on what they'd like for us to Keep in case it is something they want or might feel a Need for?  I don't always know what holds the most Sentiment or Value to them.  My own Parents didn't either, us Kids had Nostalgia about random stuff our Parents Collected, coz my folks were avid Collectors of The Good Stuff too, Mom had a Good Eye for the Finer Things in Life.  Dad liked Kitsch and I know I Inherited that juxtaposition of both Parents coz I know and like Fine Things AND Kitschy Things.   And some Kitsch does have Value and can be an Investment if you know the Right Stuff to Collect of it.  Some Fine Things aren't popular anymore, some Not So Fine Things are very popular now, you just never know what will become most Collectible, Hold Value, Increase in Value, or Decrease in Value over Time and with Demand for it or lack of Demand for it.  Just coz something is Rare doesn't always make it Valuable.

And any Art is Subjective to the Beholder and their preferences.  Something is only Worth what someone is willing to Pay for it.   LATER:  Got my 3 Boxes of Inventory into the Showroom and Locked Case this Morning, barely had room enuf to put it all in, but managed.  Several Vendor Friends and Co-Workers hadn't seen me in a while so visited with me and gave me a big Hug, they thought something had happened to me.  Sometimes I forget how long it's been that I've been MIA there. 

 Then The Young Prince's Social Security Disability Caseworker got back with me, she's a very nice Young Woman, I feel good about her being Assigned to us.  Her Name is Briana, she was upset that the Main Office had given us inaccurate Information when we had our initial Intake Interview.  I'd brought all the Paper Evidence since he was Age 7 and initially Diagnosed all the way to the Present and they had claimed they only needed and wanted the last 2 Years worth, which is false, they need it all!!!  I thought so, but... it's not unusual to get faulty and conflicting Information.  *Le Sigh and Eye Roll*

I told her I thought it sounded incorrect but I wasn't gonna argue with the Interviewer there at the Downtown Office giving me the information, I thought perhaps it had changed from Years ago, it hasn't.  *Eye Roll*  I gave her a Laundry List of Psychiatric Agencies and Facilities he's been seen at over the Years, but I told her I could add to it when I got Home and pulled his File I have all the Information in and had brought to Social Security for our Intake Interview but they didn't wanna even see any of it.   He's been seen, since Age 7, at about a Dozen Psychiatric Facilities in Arizona, plus whatever ones he was seen at in Washington State and New Mexico.  He's been in various Mental Facilities and even Penal Facilities Mental Health Units.  So if that's not enuf Evidence that something has been Wrong for a very long time and verifying extent of Serious Mental Illness and Social and Quality of Life Dysfunction, I don't know what is?  *Eye Roll*

 I do have a good Feeling about this Caseworker, been Assigned enuf of them over the Decades of Raising Two Generations of Special Needs Kiddos, and Caring for The Man's extent of Disability, to know when one Assigned to us is a Good One.  It's the Luck of the Draw really.  They did get back to us quicker than anticipated which was a very Good Sign.  They had said even being Reviewed might take 7-12 Months, but this seemed Fast Tracked and taken more Seriously this time.  Which was Surprising given all the Cuts I know all of these Services and Agencies have had under this Administration, everything is understaffed, massive Firings and good folks Quitting or Retiring Early, underfunding, etcetera.  So, it's kind of a Get Yours While There's Still Some Left scenario playing out anymore.

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Keep On Keepin' On my Friends... Dawn... The Bohemian