Ways in Which the Economy Has Indirectly Screwed With Me Lately

It's screwing with everyone, I know, but at first I was feeling like we were fending it off okay, what with our jobs and our low-ish rent and my hopes of one day having a real job. But then my landlord, the former real estate flipper, had to get a day job and sell all his properties, as I have bitched and bitched about before. So we found somewhere to live, but yipes, with less than 30 days to find somewhere, we settled on we liked but ouch, is about $125 more a month. And we're paying double rent for a month. And paid the security deposit though our current landlord is threatening to withhold ours if we don't do a final cleaning of the gutters before we leave - I don't think you have to wonder if that made me spitting mad. So now we have to do the whole rigermarole of connecting and disconnecting services and all the fun extra charges as a result. And because we have to chase a toddler too, we need to hire some movers for the first time in our life.

Add to this the fact that my one part-time job that I started 6 weeks ago has yet to cut me a cheque due to bureacratic wrangling and yet, somehow, the childcare I require to do that job still wants to be paid. So my big contribution to the financial landscape is my other ten hour a week job for which I get paid once a month.

Add to this that many many months ago I agreed to bring a poster to a conference in Austin which happens this week and involved airfare, registration and hotels - whoops, if I knew we'd be moving, never ever woulda done it. But I didn't know. So I did something I rarely do - I put the airfare and registration on my 1 of 2 credit cards, and reserved the hotel on the other. I have two credit cards - one with a $500 limit and the other is $1500. Internets, I'm telling you this so you can see that my credit card in the great scheme of things is pretty light and breezy. CC Debt is the worst, but mine can never get too out of hand, luckily. But my $1500 limit credit card, the one I booked the hotels with, was from Washington Mutual. Who last year in amongst the meltdown was bought out by Chase. They sent me a new Chase card, I made my payments as usual and all was well. til this week when I got a letter from Chase informing me that effective immediately - they were closing my card. I had a less than 30% balance, don't pay late and never had any issues with WAMU. But too bad - the card was closed. Oh, and by the way, they'd be reporting this to the credit bureau and it wasn't going to look good at all on my credit report, you know, that all important document that can sometimes determine if you get a JOB, a fact which makes steam come out of my ears, I swear. I googled Chase and Wamu and lo and behold - 100's and 1000's of complaints online from other people whose card had been summarily closed. Some reported being told by Chase phone operators that they had to close all the WAMU cards because WAMU would hand out a card to anyone who was breathing, which is a little insulting. So now, I have to maybe apply for a new CC, you know in case of emergency and out of town trips and such, with a big old strike on my credit report that I do not feel I deserve. So that should go well, you know, in this awesome economy.
Tonight, my husband is calling the hotels I had booked (Because even before all this, for economy's sake, I booked two different motels to get a good rate overall) and tell them he has to pay for my rooms. Which makes me feel awfully grown-up and independent.

I just feel a little woozy peeking over the precipice of shaky times - and I know things will get better. But then I read the newspaper about credit report checks to get a job and people getting arrested for being homeless and ex-cons being shipped to live under a bridge ON PURPOSE and I have basically had to stop listening to NPR because I cannot believe the total bullshit - I'm sorry, but there is no other word for it - flying around about health care - and I'm not feeling especially cheery and light.

To circumvent a little of the helpless feeling, today we went to drop off healthcare reform support forms at our District Rep's office. We had to write why we supported it and I wrote something about being a Canadian who would love to see Americans enjoy the same freedom and peace of mind that their Northern neighbours have. The receptionist stopped me and said "You're from Canada?" Yup. "Is it really as bad as they're saying?" and I said "NO!" and told her all about my Dad's story and my sister's story and any story I could spit out, including "we're moving back if they don't fix this system" because that is likely true. I just can't believe people are screaming and lying and spending millions of dollars in order to try and stop people from having health benefits. It's not even religious based, just pure ass-hattery and some misguided and late-adopted fiscal prudence that never seemed to surface during the war.

In other good news, I got to speak to two of my personal heros this weekend, including a two-hour interview with the guy who runs Elsewhere (www.elsewhereelsewhere.com) which is one of the best best art places around, I think. And my kid is s real kid now, shedding baby like a dog in summer sheds fur. Her cheeks are my favourite thing in the world right now and that makes up for a lot.