K-GEEZ!!!

With only one month left in this semester I finally got paid. For those who don’t understand I am a veteran and receive benefits from the Post 9/11 GI Bill towards college.  One of the perks of this is trying to balance my student life and my real life. The latter of the two includes bills. Sure everyone loves green bills. If you can flow them from your wallet like water while spending that’s a plus. Unfortunately for me, this isn’t a problem. Yet, I finally got paid three months into the semester.

A friend stopped today after his girlfriend dumped him. They had been dating almost a year. She called him over to clean out her gutters then dumped him afterwards. Don’t feel bad, he’s a Boston Mass-hole as he calls it and chances are he probably deserved it. The point of the story is in his drunken stupor he claimed, “I don’t care, I got a truck, a motorcycle, house, and a car.” Sounds like a nice problem to have. Instead, I have bills. 

The highlight of my day was paying the water bill. The only good thing is that my significant other manages the money. She’s good at it. Our fridge is stocked. That can’t be cheap. Gas to and from Morningside cost well over $100 a week. Thank God I only come three times a week.

I did laundry tonight. During that time I noticed we’re running low on detergent. Guess I’ll add that to the list. We should have just picked it up with the toilet paper yesterday.  Winter is also coming soon. In Holstein the city mandates that we keep the sidewalks free and clear of snow all season. Should I buy a snow blower? I live on a corner, and that’s going to suck. But I do own two shovels. Here’s hoping for another light winter.

Don’t get me wrong it is easy to live in Iowa financially. Let’s face it though, nobody likes bills, myself included. We have electric bills, Netflix, and the heating bill. With that in mind, perhaps moving into a three-story home with a basement wasn’t such a good idea after all.  At least it’s not California prices. There’s the Dish Network bill bundled in with our Wi-Fi and unlimited long distance landline. Cell phone bills, printer ink and miscellaneous knick-knacks every now and then add up. Who could forget car insurance, gold for X-box live, and dog food?

 A rock hit my windshield today. One thing every Iowan experiences is a rock to the windshield. The highways are full of tractors and whatever other clever names they have for their tractors. I ‘ve learned what a Combine is over the years. Another version mirrors an erector set on stilts. A lowered sports car could drive under it, though it’s something I can’t condone. Today however, it was the John Deere bumblebee that got me.  Another $200 down the drain. I’d pay good money for any shop that gives the tenth one free.

Let’s hope my safe driving holds up. Nothing like looking up and seeing a camera mounted everywhere in Sioux City.  One Siouxland resident accidently paid his late. With frustration and anger he moaned, “That costs an extra $35….*&!@.. A$$*#!+.” I wonder if Sioux City residents will ever stand up to that? With only 285 violent crimes annually, the latest crime statistics are impressive compared with the rest of the nation. Last year author Laura Byrne found that, “Approximately 23 of every 1,000 Americans were victims of violent crime in 2011, compared to 19 in 2010. Overall, nearly 6 million Americans were victimized last year.”

In the 2011 Annual Report, Police Chief Douglas Young says, “The City of Sioux City can continue to be proud of the fact that again, the crime rate is well below the national average.”  I’ll try not to smile for the cameras.

Bills. Bills. Bills. I’m quite sure I could list off a few more, but let’s not try to dig to deeply shall we. Vehicle registrations and property taxes are for another day. Don’t forget to thank whoever bought your turkey this Thanksgiving too. Me, I’ll bring the cranberry sauce.