Hogging the Brownie

I love anything British, especially television and film - oh and literature and food and, and, and, and... well, you get the point.

In one of my favorite movies, Notting Hill, there is a scene where Julia Roberts sits at the table with a group of Hugh Grant's friends. There is one brownie left, and each person at the table takes a turn trying to win over the brownie with their sad story in life. Today, I WIN THE BROWNIE, so keep your stinkin' mitts off of it.

This is a venting blog entry, no knitting, no cats, no anything except trying to win over the brownie. You may stop reading if you don't want to hear the sob story. Both DH and I returned to school to earn our Master's in education. It was a career change for both of us, but for me, I got the job at the same time as my student teaching so there was no concern about income. For him, after a heart attack while taking classes and working full time at another job, he needed to quit the job to complete school or run the risk of another heart attack I'm sure. He has worked as a substitute teacher for two years. It was my responsibility to calculate how we would manage financially. No problem! I've done this before! I'm good with figures, I can budget us through anything and have done so many times.

Well, I forget to calculate that after graduating in December 2003, there would be no more financial aid checks to support our finances until he found a job. Since January we have been floating in and out of the red so many times I dream of red. Here we are, no money, no job prospects for him, and two children who shouldn't have to understand that we can't do the things we used to do all of the time. The things that don't cost a lot of money, but when you have none, seem outrageously expensive. Things like camping, going to a movie, renting a movie for God's sake, joining basketball camp, eating ice cream, eating pretty much anything. I have totally failed. I read the other knitting blogs and love looking at the pictures, hearing what other people are working on, and my knitting has become a burden. I am knitting items for the art fair that I don't really enjoy working on to earn money so that we can have a summer vacation that none of us really want anyway. We would prefer doing something else rather than sit at an outdoor water park for a day and fry our skin. We are not touristy people. We like to travel and see things. A road trip around some new states is something we would like a whole lot more, and it would probably be cheaper. But my brother's family has invited us as my niece's birthday present. She is the same age as my girls. I have already committed and we are the only people going. I can't say no now.

Anyway, I can't stand living in this limbo we have been in since February. Will he get this job? Will he get an interview this time? Why doesn't someone hire him with the resume he has? Is it his age? His weight? The mid-life crisis earring? What? He is a great school counselor..... if you need a counselor, let me know. I have someone right here who would love to work in your school. Please!

My apologies for this tiresome entry, but I believe that I win the brownie!