I have been checking in quickly, but not posting. I am moving along here.

I have found an apartment right across the street from the Magic Kingdom which would allow me to walk to work. It is a little larger than where I am, the rent is $12 more a month but includes water,trash,sewer and pest control. It is way more modern, there is a pool, laundry facilities, a workout room, barbecue areas in the compex. The electric bill will be the only thing, well cell phone and internet access but those will stay the same, where the utilities will drop by two thirds, add to that the gasoline savings and I will be doing ok. I know that those of you who say, I have been to Diosney World and there are no apartments across the street...well not from the main entrance but from the employee entrance! An added bonus is that I have friends that live there and it makes an ideal move for me. I hate the idea of moving but several of my friends at work are willing to help me. A couple of friends are going to help me organize and pack up. I put the deposit and application fee in today so cross your fingers!!

Other than that things are going well. I am the current record holder for largest tip to a single Pirate. I got an $80 tip last Monday. On Thursday, which was a halloween party night, two Pirate Masters working together got a tip of $100. Of course we pool our tips and everyone gets a share, but it is still cool recognition of what we do do get them.

Know that even though I may not post often I think of my friends almost every day and I am thankful to have such wonderful folks in my life!

So I worked 6 1/2 hours today, got home, picked up the chewing mess the dog left, disciplined him, changed clothes and it started to rain. It did not rain long barely a sprinkle so I went out and mowed the yard, and my neighbors yard as well, because I am that way. I then came in changed into my swim suit and jumped in the pool for a nice cool down. I feel like I have made a major advancement in enjoying my holiday!!! Whoop.

The Pirates League is up and running. It has been a stressful, busy time for all of us, but the team is so good that we made a couple of outings on our days off. The hard part is that we are not all on the same schedule anymore, so we do not see each other the way we did. We do manage to spend some time together though, so it is all good.

There is only one real stickler, in terms of people that I would rather not be around,and I believe that is now handled. I am amazed at what people will do to make themselves out the good guy. I called him on his behavior and told him that I would not be trying to help him anymore. If he needs help, he needs to ask someone, preferably someone else, for it. Even with that, the new place is awesome. The guests are really liking the experience and I am even making some tips. We split them up with the others working that day and they get distributed once a week. It is good!!

I am on a regular schedule at work, so things at home run smoother, now if the dogs' muzzle would just get here. He chews things, he steals from shelves and from the kitchen counter and chews them. Fortunately he has not chewed books. He has chewed some things that are not replaceable and that is sad, but they are only things, after all. He is such a love other than that and insists on being near me, even after being disciplined. I ordered a greyhound muzzle, at the suggestion of my friend who bred him. I ordered it a month ago and they finally called me to apologize and tell me that it should get here by the weekend. I hope it does. I want him to get used to it with me here. I am off the next two days so home on the 4th of July but getting paid for it!! Love that.

I am almost out of the bad situation, just need to catch up on a couple of things and then I am pretty self sufficient with this job. This makes a huge difference in my attitude.It also makes a difference with my confidence and spirit if I am truthful. I am only here because so many people believed in me enough to help out when things were really bad and I cannot thank my friends enough for that help. I truly do think that this is exactly where I am supposed to be.

I hope that you all have a happy and safe fourth of July!!
Blessings to all.

I have found two different roommates and they both backed out last minute..What is up with that? I am a nice guy. The price is really good, the house is a little small for two people put ultimately doable...I do not get it. I just want to be able to live here.

Anyone want to rent a room in Saint Cloud. Nice guy with a fun dog. Un heated pool in the back yard, screened in, and a second backyard with table and chairs and a webber grill? Not too expensive either...let me know. Soon.

Keep your fingers crossed for a better paying job for me. I put a resume in and was recommended by someone already there so that should help. They are hiring five people so my chances are pretty good. Regular schedule with holidays off, so I am told.

other than that all is well.

Keep healthy and happy all.
Blessings on all your heads!!

JB

So in case you missed it before, here is the recap.....March 27th returning from an errand, the transmission went out on my vehicle. I had it towed, thank you AAA, to the mechanic I found that is good and sort of medium priced. He checked it out and gave me a choice of two price tags. I spent almost a week trying to find a better price or a different vehicle with no luck on either side, so decided to just get it fixed and pay my mom back a little at a time. The mechanic had the transmission sent over, it took almost a week,and lo and behold, the wrong kind...only a 2 wheel drive instead of the 4 wheel drive required by my vehicle. The sent it back and he got another one sent three days later it arrives and it is in terrible shape with leaks and issues, so the mechanic sends that one back, four days later they find another one and are having it sent by courier on a truck which should have arrived this morning. As of 2:15pm still no sign of it. The mechanic is angry and he told me he understood how angry I must be, but you know what? I am not angry. Tired of riding the bus and borrowing cars from friends, the bus comes with a three hour travel time each way, and the car that I have borrowed has a broken speedometer so I have no real idea of how fast I am going and must rely on the flow of traffic around me, I am giving the car back tomorrow after my early early shift and believe that my car will be ready for Thursday's work day. There is not a thing I can do about it. I am grateful for my life, my job, my dog, my family, my friends, all the help that I have received in the following of this dream of mine. I cannot be angry about the car. I feel blessed. The world is good.Things are good. I am good, broke perhaps in terms of money, but rich in the ways that count. I want you all to know that I think very highly of each and every one of you. I miss you all and that is the ONLY thing I regret about leaving New York. The fact that I cannot see any of you as often as I would like. You are in my thoughts and prayers everyday though, so know that there is someone who thinks about you fondly and often!!!

One last thing and that is a request for prayers. My niece, who has CP, has to go in for a surgery on her foot. Apparently the first one worked for about a month and then reverted to whatever was pulling it out of alignment. Some time in May, she will be going in to get the tendons on her foot switched, as my mother explained it to me, the one on the outside is being pulled to the inside and the one on the inside is being pulled to the outside. The hope is that this will straighten out her foot and that she will then be able to walk. She is severely sight challenged, and speech challenged at this point, although the therapist said that Gianna is a very bright girl and that she makes noise when she is frustrated because she cannot express herself so that she can be understood. I do not know how the therapist knows that, but this is what she told my sister. So, any and all prayers are appreciated.

Be healthy and well all of you. May those of you that have jobs keep them and those that are looking find one soon. There is enough for everyone if we all believe.

Hooray, no more getting up at 3:30am to get to work at 7am!!!!! We like this alot.

Remeber, there is plenty for everyone. Keep saying it, keep thinking it and let's see what we can create!

Goodnight and blessings of health, wealth, and happiness to all.

so I was running errands last friday when the car stopped moving forward. Motor still running just no motion. Fortunately I was not in the middle of traffic but in a turn lane so neither myself, nor anyone else was hurt. Car was towed and I foundout this morning, definitely transmission is dead. 1490 for a used one that looks good, or 3300 for one that is rebuilt with a year long warantee. No money for either at present, but the question is this....the car has 176,800 miles on it. Is it worth fixing?

Discuss.

Even with that, things are well. I am reading "the Secret". WOW. I thought I had a positive attitude...what was I thinking? I am much better as I read through this book. I am going to read it again as soon as I finish.

If anyone would like to talk about it, I am open to that!!!!

I have to get up at the crack of dawn, actually I walk to the bus stop in the dark and by the time I get to work the sun is up. It only takes 2 1/2 hours to get to work by bus!!

Goodnight, peace and blessings to all

I am plugging along. I am enjoying my work still, though the crappy pay is still a sticking point, at least I have a job and a pretty secure one at that. I am continuing my search for another job, had some good vibes from Outback Steakhouse near my house. I have to go back on Thursday for a test, which apparently, if I pass I have a job. That will be a great help.

I am cast in another show with the theater club. Tur-Duc-Ken. It is a mish mosh of short, very short, comedic plays. I am playing a monkey in Words, Words, Words which is put in a room with typewriters and two other monkeys to randomly reproduce Hamlet, and Trotsky in Variations, which is a very funny play of the same scene played different ways with different things happening all ending with Trotsky's death.

So things continue apace. I think of you all often, though I do not post so much.

Peace and health to you all

Describe me in one word - just one single word. Negative or positive.
Leave your word in a comment before looking at the words others have used.
Copy and paste the meme to your journal to find out how people describe you when limited to one word.
Stolen from Danabren via PelicanGirl

to you all.

I keep hearing this advertisement on the radio which astounds me....come to such and such beauty salon for a color couture spray tint...it will not clog your pores, it will help your skin stay soft and supple and will not turn you orange.....a spray tan....in Florida.....just boggles the mind.

Things are going along. I have passed my assessment and tomorrow is my second solo class. I love this animation program. The cool thing is that the kids seem to like it too! I have one tomorrow. and afterward I am meeting some friends in the park who are visiting from Westchester for a week. Nice.

I am putting my resume out there, even applied for a government job. I think I will go back and apply again for another one. The moving thing turned out not to be feasible, still looking for a roommate though I have a part time one right now. I could not believe that this cast member was living without electricity for two weeks even after she paid her share. So she asked if I was still looking and I said sure, she is getting her own studio but not until mid march so I am putting an ad out for April. She is not paying the whole half month, but it will help some. I am a softee I guess, but I did not want to take advantage. Maybe I am foolish, but if it were a permanent thing it would be different. Since it is temporary, I rushed into an answer without thinking and will stand by what I said. Live and learn.

It is not so bad having another person here though we do not see each other much when at home. Our schedules are different, for one thing, and we hang out differently for another. So it is working for now. I am hoping another job comes through and a roommate becomes unnecessary. So we continue. I cannot help but feel there are better days ahead.

Anyway, I have to be up at the crack of dark tomorrow so I am off to bed. Peace and health and love to you all.
JB

Moving may not be the answer. I have looked at two places so far and neither would be big enough to live in, one would end up being more expensive than where I am, to say nothing of the person there speaking of "we" this and "we" that and she lives there with two dogs and a cat, so I am not totally sure who "we" is, and the other while mildly less expensive is not really saving all that much when figuring in the cost of a storage unit.

So I am still trying to get a roommate here and also working on getting another job. I applied and had an interview at Chili's down the road. The manager told me that they had just hired and were in the process of training folks. If one of them does not work out, she would call me, she seemed impressed. I am going to Outback later this week and to the music store in town to see if they need either a voice teacher or an acting teacher. If I can find a place, I will run acting classes/workshops after school and evenings. I can arrange my schedule at work to make this feasible. I also talked with my neighbors' brother who has some connections for an extra job. Something will come through. I had another response to the roommate add just today so cross your fingers.

Things are better, especially since I discovered that I was making myself sick. I was trying to save on the food bill and bought two cases of ramen noodle soups. Unknown to me was that the soup stock is full of MSG which my system cannot tolerate much of. I could not figure out why I was so ill until a friend at church talked with me and pointed out the MSG thing. I have not had any in over a week and I seem to be back to a more normal feeling. I can actually eat lunch at work with relative surety that I will be alright for the rest of the shift. So not to waste the remainder of the cases I bought, I picked up some regular broth, chicken and beef and will pick up some veggies to throw in with the noodles for a healthier dinner!!

I appreciate the help that has been given me more than I can say. I truly feel better about prospects and the future than I have in a while. Moving is not completely out of the question. I am praying for guidance and answers, and as you know, I believe in prayer. So if you pray, might I ask you to add me into the corner of your prayers.

Health, peace and goodnight to all.
JB

does any one know, do you have to be a member to access a journal? Some friends have asked and I am not sure, I thought that if they knew your account name they could read your journal.

Paypal account is masterlyttle@yahoo.com

I have been roiling over this, as you know, for quite some time. I have an idea, it is a longshot but one that could work if I can pull it together. I have nothing. Not true. I have a lot actually. Talent, chock full. Faith, chock full, though shaky sometimes. Friends, chock full. good ones too. Ability, chock full. Possibilities,chock full, Money, nothing. So there it is. Why does it always have to come down to that? I cannot get too much lower.

Here is the idea. If I can raise $900-$1000 in the next two weeks to pay two overdue bills and next months rent, I will have the month of February to pack up what I wish to keep, sell what I do not need to keep, and move into a roommate situation closer to Disney. There are several affordable options on the Employee site even as we speak. Then on my days off in February, I can move the bulk of the things I am keeping into storage in my car, and then rent a smaller truck to finish the move to wherever that may be. If I am successful I will significantly reduce my monthly obligations to a level even the low wage I am currently making will support me. It may also enable me to put some money away each month.

So many things have started to go well at work, my hope is renewed there. I start training on the 26th for an additional position, takes the place of my regular job a couple of times a month. The manager has agreed to mentor me in the leadership front. I have a friend who is asking me to apply for Youth Ministry Positions in the NY area, which I will probably follow through on, just keeping my options open. Good things.

So what do you think? I have a paypal account to make things easier. Do you think this can be done. I am hoping and praying that it can because I cannot think what else to do.

Peace and health to you all.
JB

I find myself in a very difficult place. I am going to have to give up my home internet access. I cannot afford the $48 a month that it costs. I may end up giving up my phone as well, until I either get a roommate, which I have advertised for, or get another additional job, which I am looking for. I barely bring home $850 a month, and most of that goes to rent. Unfortunately, moving is a difficult option because there is not a lot out there that is any cheaper than where I am, I am looking and have friends at church looking as well. And amassing rent and another deposit will not be easy. To say nothing of renting a truck and moving my stuff.

I find it hard to believe that I am in this situation. I have never failed like this. I moved to New York City without knowing a soul. I got a job my second day there and never looked back. Did not live like a king but made ends meet. This is a whole different ball game. I feel like somehow I must have done something truly horrible for this situation to befall me.

I am asking that if you want to keep in touch, e-mail me at masterlyttle@yahoo.com. I can check that from work. Livejournal and Facebook updates will have to wait until I can get to the library as I cannot access those sites from work.

Tonight I had a meeting with one of the managers in my area and she has agreed to mentor me into leadership. There is no movement whatsoever in the company right now so I am pretty well stuck where I am, but at least I will be making progress.

I find it hard to believe that two bill totaling less than a hundred dollars a month could be unaffordable for me. Boggles my mind. Truly boggles my mind. I was trying to get the money to do a second CD but that has been shelved as well. I do not know how much more I can economize. I only buy groceries every other week and as little as possible and a tank of gas a week to get to and from work. that is it.

It also turns out that I have been poisoning myself for the last week. I cannot tolerate MSG. I have been eating ramen soups. Turns out the soup stock is chock full of msg!! Who knew!! So at least I can get rid of the queasy stomach and runny nose, stuffy head feeling.

I will still have access til the end of this week. Feel free to drop me a line either here or at that e-mai address.

Love and peace to all and sundry
JB

Fair Warning: you may want to pass this one by.............just saying.

I am almost ready to open the doors to my house, sell everything I own and move somewhere else. Almost. I need to sell 12 CD's by Thursday. Anyone need some? I just worked 75 hours in one week and it does not pay my rent. Almost but not quite. And since I had to replace my brakes the Tuesday before Christmas, I had no more backup funds. I am really tired of this. Really tired. I know that everyone is in a hard place right now. Somehow, that does not help. I start training later this month for another facet of work here at WDW, I have an audition for a company that does corporate training on Friday, and things are going fairly well at the new position, but it isn't enough. I am feeling like everything I touch seems golden and turns to dust when push comes to shove. I am still thinking, how can this be? What else could I do, what else can I do, what else is there. If anyone has the answer, be so kind as to let me in on it.

The positives....not sick, still have a little food in the house, clothes on my back, talents that God has given me, a job(low paying as it is)

The negatives...the aforementioned low pay, bills, friends far away, low pay, lonely, low pay.........are you seeing a theme here? me too!

Some how this cannot be all there is. I pray that something comes through soon.

peace and love to you all, sorry about the downer post.
JB