I choose to have a good day

There are three ways of seeing life. In one people stick fast. In another they go to excess. In the third they see correctly.

In the first way, people take pleasure in all the things of life--in possessions and happenings, in families and continuation. When a teaching is proclaimed that advises nonattachment and going beyond the dictates of the self, their heart does not leap up and they are not drawn to it. In the second way, people are afflicted by hatred of life. Just as attached to life, they nonetheless revile it and make a bad thing of it to excess.

In the third way, people see life as it is--forever being and ceasing to be. They accept it willingly but are not attached and do not despair. It is they who begin to know the unconditioned.

-Itivuttaka Sutta
From "The Pocket Buddha Reader," edited by Anne Bancroft, 2000. Reprinted by arrangement with Shambhala Publications, Boston, www.shambhala.com.


7/31/06 Monday
It is a good morning cause I choose for it to be. I am up, washed, coffee buzzed, ate breakfast, got dishwater run, took my medicine, and happy this laptop again works well. We already have the air conditioning on.

How lucky and pampered we are to have luxuries like this. Most in this country consider it a necessity of life but there many who cannot afford this. The death toll from the heat wave is growing. This strengthens my resolve to make the farm house one that is designed to provide comfort and protection from the intense heat that is standard in West Texas. Passive solar is one of the designs out there but I am thinking up one that employs many of those concepts but is not totally passive.

Cherie made a short list of things for me to do, for which I am grateful. First on that list is to call the credit bureau to get their hours so Cherie and I can both go down there. I called and got a machine so will call again in an hour. Also on the list is to call Jim McGilvray, the attorney handling the estate. I would like to get funds released so I can buy the trailer we found for sale in Indiana on the Homesteading Today website. It is too good a deal to pass up. Think I will do that right now.

I called Jim. He said that Virginia came in Friday and worked through things with him. He said she needed to decide what her fee would be. I suppose I should call her cause she is the one who ultimately controls the purse strings. Hate to be a nudge but would also hate to miss this opportunity for the trailer.

Talked to Virginia. I explained the chance to buy a trailer for a great price. She said she would talk to the bank and also Vickie. I’m not sure who Vickie is, perhaps Jim’s secretary. I encouraged Virginia to treat herself well regarding her fee for being the executor of the will. She earned it. She said Larry had left a message last week but that she hadn’t talked to him. I said that I hoped he wasn’t needing money already but who knows. He has been living on his credit cards so probably had big bills to pay. I am sure he spent some chunks on toys or perhaps investments in housing. Hope he spends it wisely.

It’s 9:49 now. Best wash the dishes before I forget. Then I will run the check to our storage unit. Another thing Cherie put on the list. I also need to wash the towels. That’s easy cause I don’t have to be careful of water temperature, drying temp, or what to hang up and dry. Need to get some quarters though. If the credit agency doesn’t answer the phone I’ll drop by cause their not far. Need to put calling our bankruptcy attorney on the list. Time to post this and get moving.
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So much for choosing to have a good day.
Now the emotional control issues are raising their ugly head. Tried to call the only credit bureau listed in the phone book only to be shunted to a recording. That recording went on about “If you want a copy of your Transunion credit report call 1-800-….” I called another number listed for the credit bureau because we really wanted to talk to a human. Cherie had tried for a month or more to get a credit report with no luck. She sent copies of drivers licenses and everything else they requested and still they would not release the report. That was with three agencies. At the second number a lady answered. She told me they stopped doing credit reports in 2002 but said “Hold on. I’ll switch you to a number that can help you”. It was the same recording. I called the 800 number given but got a message that said “It is ninety five cents a minute to chat…”. That was it. Some jackass chat thing that was probably a sex site. I hung up before she finished talking and hope that we won’t get billed.

Now I am set off. Heaven help the next person that runs into me now. I was going to pay the storage bill and run to the junk yard and get the car jack and crank we need for the truck. The crank is to mount the spare tire under the truck. I don’t think I will go out into public till I cool down. Called Cherie and dumped on her. Then I left a message for the lawyer who handled our bankruptcy. The bank was able to get one credit report and that showed some problems including a wireless phone bill for AT&T. We never had an account with them.
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2:12 - I talked to the lady in Indiana who has the trailer for sale. Will send her a check for $100 to secure it till we get some money from the estate in Texas. Fredrick Boyk returned my call concerning getting the credit reports. He suggested putting his name on letters to the credit agencies. He also said that all debts prior to the bankruptcy were covered. If they still show up we need to write them a letter that included his name. That is a relief. I am settled down now so will venture out to get some things done.

Had to fight this computer again. Need to understand why so many programs are running cause that slows it down.