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I had to do something I haven't needed to do for weeks: bop on down to Ex's to get my car, and then again to return it to the Wendling. When I returned, Ex read my mind as exes do and sent the Wendling out to get us burgers from a south end joint. As we munched, I brought up the imminent end of alimony.
Good news: Ex had it down as Feb. 1. I had it down as Feb. 15. I'll happily take the former. My tacky little party may just happen sooner than I thought.
Bad news: Since our son will still be spending at least* five days a week with her and he isn't chipping in enough just yet, she still wants "help" with food & utilities for him. The figure she named, which she says is preliminary, was $500/month. That's a hell of a lot lower than the $4K/month I'm paying now, but I don't believe it's tax deductible for me. She, however, still has to report it as income. Why isn't the Wendling paying more rent? He will be, says Ex, but he does need to save up first, last, and deposit if he's ever going to be in his own place.
And on a completely unrelated note, my college housemate S blew into town and wanted to do brunch in Fremont. I hadn't seen her in person since the mid '90s. Hell yes, said I.
She has had an astoundingly varied career as a materials scientist for a major chip maker, a metal fabricator, a databasemonkey programmer, an Antarctica hand, and I can't even remember what all else. I definitely envied all the mad skillz and experiences she's picked up, but I think she may envy my relative financial stability. I hope we can both get some of what we envy about the other.
But! It turns out S and I have a lot in common: we're both Burners, we went to college together, and we both have... tastes. And regular readers know what I mean by "tastes" in an unlocked entry.
So now that's at least three people I have to meet up with the next time I go to Folsom: months ago I promised Taller Woman that we'd go together; K** is looking awfully promising as someone to go with; and S, who lives in the Bay Area, hasn't been to Folsom in years because she had no one to go with (!) and says she misses it. The Tickler is also wonderful to hang out with at Folsom, but at least historically she's had another girlfriend to stay with.
S & I passed through the Fremont Sunday Market on a sunny afternoon on our meandering way to Gas Works. I can see how the FSM would be a rich vein for Goths to mine for clothing & jewelry, but oddly enough, nothing grabbed me by the collar and insisted that I buy it.
Oh, here's a shallow fashion detail: I was wearing my Red Evil Princess Coat from Dracula Clothing, and I must have collected at least a dozen compliments from strangers about it. I haven't gotten quite that many in a day before, but people have noticed in the past. For a city where people hate to dress up, people sure appreciate you if you make the effort.
*His work schedule is changing to something nearly full time.
**I still haven't given K a moniker. I'm tempted to use a completely misleading pun on her name.
Good news: Ex had it down as Feb. 1. I had it down as Feb. 15. I'll happily take the former. My tacky little party may just happen sooner than I thought.
Bad news: Since our son will still be spending at least* five days a week with her and he isn't chipping in enough just yet, she still wants "help" with food & utilities for him. The figure she named, which she says is preliminary, was $500/month. That's a hell of a lot lower than the $4K/month I'm paying now, but I don't believe it's tax deductible for me. She, however, still has to report it as income. Why isn't the Wendling paying more rent? He will be, says Ex, but he does need to save up first, last, and deposit if he's ever going to be in his own place.
And on a completely unrelated note, my college housemate S blew into town and wanted to do brunch in Fremont. I hadn't seen her in person since the mid '90s. Hell yes, said I.
She has had an astoundingly varied career as a materials scientist for a major chip maker, a metal fabricator, a database
But! It turns out S and I have a lot in common: we're both Burners, we went to college together, and we both have... tastes. And regular readers know what I mean by "tastes" in an unlocked entry.
So now that's at least three people I have to meet up with the next time I go to Folsom: months ago I promised Taller Woman that we'd go together; K** is looking awfully promising as someone to go with; and S, who lives in the Bay Area, hasn't been to Folsom in years because she had no one to go with (!) and says she misses it. The Tickler is also wonderful to hang out with at Folsom, but at least historically she's had another girlfriend to stay with.
S & I passed through the Fremont Sunday Market on a sunny afternoon on our meandering way to Gas Works. I can see how the FSM would be a rich vein for Goths to mine for clothing & jewelry, but oddly enough, nothing grabbed me by the collar and insisted that I buy it.
Oh, here's a shallow fashion detail: I was wearing my Red Evil Princess Coat from Dracula Clothing, and I must have collected at least a dozen compliments from strangers about it. I haven't gotten quite that many in a day before, but people have noticed in the past. For a city where people hate to dress up, people sure appreciate you if you make the effort.
*His work schedule is changing to something nearly full time.
**I still haven't given K a moniker. I'm tempted to use a completely misleading pun on her name.
