Back, yet again.

Yes, I'm still very much alive, and all rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated. The past few months have been nothing short of frustrating. We were supposed to move from Erie to the greener pastures (jobwise) of the Harrisburg area in October, and that fell through at virtually the last minute, as the rental agency that owned the apartment/duplex that we were going to rent added all kinds of extra charges at the last minute (such as paying to use the basement (which wasn't shared), and paying extra for using our own trashcan, and our own appliances (washer, dryer, etc), so we tore up the rental agreement and walked out. Now we're setting our sights on a Late February- Early March move. Once we get what the IRS owes us for income tax overpayment, we'll take another trip down there and see what we can find. My job situation has been one heck of a roller-coaster ride. I transferred to a different store in the chain in late April because it offered me more hours, even though it was a longer commute to work. It was good at first, then my hours began to get cut drastically, and it caused extra stress when it came to paying the bills, since it put an extra crunch on the wallet. I've had a few calls and some interviews for other jobs in the accounting field, but none of them panned out. Yet, I remain hopeful that things will get better. Just today, I got a notification of some class actio settlement against Verizon, that I may be able to collect from, as it is for anyone who worked for them Between 2004 and 2011 that had their jobs terminated as a result of loss of work due to illness (either the worker or family). So I shall read that tomorrow or sometime next week to see what it's all about.
Now, the past year hasn't been without it's bright spots. In an older post, I commented on a reunion with an old childhood (High school) friend. She has been a real blessing and breaht of fresh air this past year. We've gotten together a few times to do things like going to the amusement park with her family, to sharing dinner or lunch on occasion, or just hanging out and enjoying each others' company. It's also a big plus that both her kids like me. I will not neglect to include her mom either, who is just as feisty and fun as I remembered.
There are the other friends that I've enjoyed spending time with as well, both old and new, and I'm going to miss them all when I leave this town. However, I know that we will always keep in touch.