TechnicDragon: Blog

Um... yeah. It's been too long. Let's see if I can summarize what's been going on since December.

December

Morgan and Brenna turned 18. I started my new job then and my first check was huge! At least it felt that way after not having worked for so long. ;) Plus, I got it on Christmas Eve. Child support hadn't kicked in yet, and I had no bills to speak of at the time, so the entire check went to presents. It was a great Christmas.

The only down side in December regarded the benefit checks Morgan and Brenna received from their mother's disability (SSA). Since they were 18, I had to fill out paperwork so they would continue to receive that until they graduated. I got that paperwork turned in the day before it was due.

Another issue I felt was unfair was the state wanted to re-evaluate Morgan for his disability as an adult. He had been receiving monthly checks that we were using for rent and bills. It's what it was meant for, and I didn't feel he was remotely prepared for finding a normal job and dealing with the public. I filled out the paperwork to the best of my ability, going so far as to call my Ex and asking for information regarding any hospital, doctor, or clinic that would have paperwork on Morgan - because the disability wanted a full history of his disability (it was worded more for someone who suffered an accident than someone born like Morgan). I didn't feel comfortable with the what little I could offer, but I had to send in something else the State would simply rule him not disabled and the money would stop.

January

New Years wasn't very memorable. Yeah, we all stayed up till midnight, but no real party to speak of. Suddenly, we were back to school and work. Child Support kicked in and my checks suddenly got cut in half. Now, for those who live in other states, Texas doesn't do the 50% of your check bit. However, mine was complicated by my Ex having moved to Arkansas for a few years and Arkansas decided I wasn't paying enough. They pushed for almost 4x what I was paying. So, now, in an effort to pay back what I owe, my checks are being sliced into ribbons.

I received a letter from the AGO (Attorney General's Office). They wanted to see me about my child support in February. I literally expected to go there and be arrested for what I owed.

February

I went to the AGO meeting. I was pleasantly surprised that they didn't have officers waiting to cart me away. I was further surprised to find out that the Agent I spoke to wanted to reduce my monthly payments due to how much less I was getting now compared to when the last issuance occurred. The agent wanted to cut the amount I was paying per check almost in half! We called my Ex, verified she was okay with it, checked her address and such, and the agent sent her the paperwork to have her sign and notarized.

March

We had a semi-major accident in the apartment. One of the dogs wanted to chew up a scrubby in the bathroom. He pulled it off the knob for the water, which turned on the water. He had also accidentally closed the drain for the tub. As you can imagine: flood! It didn't fill the entire apartment. Only the adjacent bedroom was affected. It took a few days to dry it all up, but my daughter pointed out the horrible smell. I suffer from nasal polyps and cannot smell ANYTHING (I don't know how many times a day I have to remind everyone of this). She had the idea one day to hire carpet cleaners. According to her it didn't completely remove the smell, but it made a huge improvement.

March was also a down point at work. The call center had a point system for calling in sick -- and notes from Doctors made no difference. Here are the rules:

Call in more than two weeks before time needed off: No points deducted.
Call in less than two weeks, but more than 48 hours: 1/2 point per hour or partial hour deducted.
Call in less than 48 hours: 1 point per hour or partial hour deducted.
Don't call in: 2 points per hour deducted.

You start off with 30 points. In January, I missed one day and was hit for the whole day with 17 points. It wasn't supposed to happen. The head of all the managers told me to take the day off. It was a scheduling conflict. I was scheduled to work for the only company I had been trained to take calls for, but that company (a seasonal company) had closed and I would literally be sitting on the phones, getting paid to do nothing. The head of managers told me if I was pointed for the day, she would make sure it was taken care of personally.

During the month, I had to take a couple of days off to take my kids to respected doctor appointments and then there were two days I had to call in because I had the flu. I don't know about everyone else, but I would rather miss a day of work to rest up and not make everyone at work sick than to go in so as to not accrue points against me. The company, however, disagrees. They seem to think we should show up, sick or not, no matter what's going on. A car accident isn't a good enough excuse to circumvent the point system. I doubt death is.

April

At the beginning of the month, I was written up for points at work. This wasn't a simple slap on the wrist either. Another manager head (not the same person who I mentioned before) wanted to know from my supervisor why I had not been fired for accruing so many points. My supervisor said he stuck his neck out for me and had to give me a final notice on points. This was not the SOP for this. I was supposed to be verbally warned, have a first write up, a second write up, and then the final. I'm not sure why my Supervisor was ignoring my points, and I had been quietly praying they wouldn't notice (points roll off automatically 90 days after they're accrued). Suddenly I have this mark on my employment record that keeps me from being able to move up in the company at all.

The write up scared me. I suddenly felt like I couldn't miss any time at work. Not unless I could schedule it more than two weeks in advanced. So, I spoke to the only friend/acquaintance I have here about helping with the twins when they need to go to the doctor for anything, and she was okay with it.

April was also the big push for the Twins in school. Morgan had been struggling with a Programming class during the first semester. To the point that he failed it miserably. The second semester wouldn't be any easier, as the class would get into more complex programming. I realized that my son had problems with abstract thinking and problem solving. If he had something solid, real, to work with - such as lego blocks - then no problem, he could find a solution. Programming, however, is abstract. I went to a meeting in January to talk to some of the teachers and staff to find a solution. We decided to pull him from the class and put him in the Library and office help. It would also allow him time in school to work on anything from his other classes. It helped, but not quite enough.

Both of the Twins ended up attending what the school called Blue Ketchup (catch up). On Tuesdays and Thursdays, they would stay after school for an hour or so and catch up on what they needed to help their grades. The school provided buses to take kids home (for those who didn't have a driver's licence and a car). This helped both of the twins a lot.

We received a letter from the state regarding Morgan's Disability status. The state felt there wasn't enough "evidence" to prove Morgan to be disabled as an adult. He would receive three more disability checks, and that would be all.

The letter stated that we could appeal the decision. The real problem was I didn't find the letter until the last week of April, because my son had left the mail that day in the kitchen, under a stack of pot holders and such. I didn't know about it at all until then. The appeal, however, offered two options: first, appeal within 10 days to keep the payments going while they reviewed their decision (with any new info we provided) with the provision that if they decided against him again, any money beyond the three checks would have to paid back. Second, appeal within sixty days without the payments. Well, the 10 day run was already passed. So, I got the paperwork for the appeal and went looking for help this time.

May

The health clinics here in town where Morgan and Brenna had been going since they moved here (for six years now) offered such help. A case worker could fill out the paperwork for us, but Morgan (as a legal adult now) had to sign everything. We took care of the signatures, and she sent off the appeal with paperwork from the clinic covering Morgan's time there. Recently, I received a new letter from Social Security. Basically, they're looking for a reason we're appealing the decision.

The nightmare is I don't know if I can count on one last check from Morgan's disability at the end of this month. We received the original letter at the beginning of April. They said he would get three more checks. So, that would be April, May, and June. Each check hits at the end of the month. So, logically, we should see one more check hit on July first (for June). What scares me is that if this doesn't happen, I won't have enough money to cover rent, electricity, and water, because my checks are still being hammered by Child Support.

Oh, yeah. Back to that. Back in April, I realized that I should have started seeing Child Support backing off on my checks some. I called Child Support to find out what was going on. They told me that they never received the paperwork back from my Ex. I was sure the address and all had been right, but because so much time had passed since everything had been set up, they would have to pass it on to the courts to make a decision. I called my Ex. She said the paperwork she received was in the wrong name (she had changed her last name twice since we were divorced). The notary wouldn't sign off on her signature because the name on the papers didn't match the name on her ID. However, she had received a check or two already, and her name was correct on those! I called CS back. Told them what happened. They said it was too late. The case had been turned over to the courts. A court date would be set, and I would have to go in to find out what is decided. They would let me know when that would happen. I still haven't heard anything.

So, I believe this catches everyone up on what's been going on. Money is a nightmare. I have medical insurance that I cannot afford to use (not enough money for doctor visits, even though they're highly reduced by the insurance plan from work). I have few bills, but they're more than my meager wages can cover. My son's disability is probably about to end. My Ex probably lied about her name being wrong just so she would continue receiving more from child support than what the AGO wants to deduct. We'll probably lose the apartment, if not in July, then definitely in August. We don't have the money to move, much less rent anything to take our furniture anywhere. Finding help for the situation is impossible because the hours I work now are only when everything else is open (that offers such support). And finding a second job is a really stupid idea because child support will simply hammer that income too, making what I bring home almost negligible.

And here I was worried about planning and writing a book - much less several.

To be honest, if I would love to earn some money off the books I've written. But, why wound anyone want to read something they can get online for free? I've got a Patreon account, and I understand how it works, but without any real content, how do I generate followers? What do I do, point everyone to these first five books for free, and then force them to pay for chapters when I finish them on Patreon?

I hate the idea of doing that, but I've got to do something. I either have to find another job that pays way better than the call center, or I have to find another form of income that won't be hammered by Child Support. Seriously! I'm open to ideas, suggestions, and offers.

I have almost finished my second full week working at this call center. It's not difficult, but the restrictions they put on us so we're not tempted to steel customer info makes the place almost unbearably boring. We're not allowed to have any electronic devices, especially anything that can record. We're not allowed to have any writing instruments - no pens or pencils. We're not even allowed paper in any form - NOT EVEN BOOKS TO READ!! We're not allowed to browse the internet, install software, or have any programs on our computers that isn't put there by the company. Breaking any of these rules are grounds for immediate termination.

Geeze, sounds like a great start to a story, right? My problem is, I don't have anywhere to go from here...

So, yeah, that's the job: Do what you're told. Don't break (or even attempt to bend) the rules. Take all the crap we're going to dish out. You'll be fine.

The last call centers I worked were never this bad. Not that I recall. Next thing you know, those silly pics of a cubical built around a toilet are going to be the reality. And here I thought it would be fun to work a call center again. I can't even draw between calls!!!

So, that said, my writing is still on hiatus. I still want to continue Seth's stories, but at this point, I don't know if I'll even be able to continue any story!

I received a note today from a reader who said that I would have to explain Seth's "ease with magic." Not his exact words since I don't have his note up on the screen, but close enough. I don't want to disappoint, but at the same time I don't want to spoil anything either. I have not given up on the story - there's too much yet to be told - but until I get used to this crappy sleep pattern and have a single day off that isn't planned out down to the second, I might - just might - have a chance to pen some scenes. So, for those hoping for more insight to what makes Seth tick, I'm going to say for now, "You'll have to wait."

Happy Holidays everyone.

TD

The Move

As some of you know, I've taken some time off from writing to move to Wichita Falls to be with my kids. The twins (boy/girl) are about to turn 18 <HOLY FRACK! IT'S SO HARD TO BELIEVE!> and are in their senior year of high school.

Morgan (my son) is classified Autistic, though he's very high-functioning. He enjoys Transformers, Lego, and TF2. His mother and I agree that though we want him to get more real-world skills, he should focus on finishing high school first. So, for the time being, he goes to school, and has wish lists of what he would love to collect. He has a dog named Nero, who is a weiner-dog mix (don't ask what he's mixed with, no one knows), and though Nero isn't an emotional support dog for Morgan, you wouldn't know it to see them together.

Brenna (daughter) - and her name is spelled B-R-E-N-N-A!! -- is bi-polar depressive. She's had some serious low points, but this last couple of years have been really good thanks to doctors who have found the right combination of meds for her. Yes, she has problems remember to take her meds because she feels fine, but she also understands that it's the meds that help her feel that way. Brenna has an emotional-support dog, named Lilith. Lilith is a blue(somthing) mix. Again, no one knows the other part.

My ex moved out at the beginning of the month. For the first couple of days, it was hard on the kids. After all, I was always the one they always left or dropped them off. Their mom was always there for them for the day-to-day stuff. I offered to talk, to listen, to simply sit there and let them cry on me, but Brenna focused on cleaning her bedroom and Morgan played with his transformers and legos. Both with their dogs nearby. By the middle of that week, the two of them felt better and things went back to the normal routine.

Looking for a Job

I have to admit, it's been a very long time since I hit the streets to look for a job. Of course, now, most applications and initial contacts are made online - don't have to hit any streets for that!

I made the mistake of believing those online job search sites would help. Nope. I really understood just how bad it was when one site listed a job I wanted to apply for, but the link sent me to another job search site. That site had a link for the same job, but it sent me to a third site. That site had a link, which sent me to a fourth site. The link on the fourth site led me back to the original site and link. So, I unsubscribed from those sites and looked into getting help at the local unemployment office.

Signing up at the UO was about like filling out an application for work. The information was used to build a resume, but they suggested - just as everyone else does - that I customize my resumes for the specific job I'm applying for. What I wasn't sure about was why my resume wasn't helping me. It helped me land one job after another before I became a stay-at-home parent, but suddenly no one was biting. It was like I was using old bait and the fish in the lake had gone though a change of taste. So, I signed up for a resume class at the UO.

The resume class pointed out what used to happen and the current trends were. Used to be, you gave unique descriptions of your skills, talents, and abilities. You might even list some of your relavent work history to help give prospective employers a good idea of where you applied yourself. Now, while the work history part is still applied, anything more than ten years worth is overkill. For me, I needed at least one previous job for call centers since the last ten years have been stay-at-home. As for the skills/talents/abilities part, it's now recommended you pretty much copy from the list of requirements employers give for the position you're applying for -- something that used to be a big no-no!

So, I completed the class, had a resume, cover letter, references sheet, and thank you letter, and had to customize them to the particular job I applied for. Plus, I had links to the sites they used to help do this. I felt fired up and more prepared than ever.

A friend of the family suggested a couple of companies that were hiring for call center work. Since most companies who offer tech support completely outsource that area of expertise, I had to settle for customer service for other companies. Which basically means all my knowledge it computers is for naught!

Well, I started with the call center that would allow me to work from home. I didn't even get through the application. I got to looking over the details for the job and found the system requirements. I would have to own a current gaming rig to keep up with them. And I don't. So, I filled out the online application for the local call center, plus attached an updated copy of my resume. Two days later, they called me. After a few questions, they sent me a link for an online assessement. No problem. Then I received an email for an interview, which took place this morning!

I completed the interview, filled out some documents online, and start work next week!

Getting back to Writing

Since I start working next week, and I don't know what my days/nights are going to be like just yet, I'm not going to make any promises. I want to work on continuing the Sex Magus series, especially considering how I left off in Orphan Magus. However, once again, I feel like things have gotten away from me in the story, and in this world I've never really settled on a system of magic. Everything is "too easy". All Seth has to do is focus on his intent, let the power flow, and ... anything he imagines is possible!! There are no limitations!

Maybe what I need to do is spend the next month, both getting used to my new schedule and building a storyworld that I can write in where things won't get out of my control.

I could bring back my Powerborne stories. I started a sequel to Crushed Heart, but I've never finished it. I don't know yet. I'll have to give it some time.

Anyway, I thought I would drop this in so everyone knows I'm not dead. Take care all. I'll blog again in December.

Thank you for reading,

TD

I got news today that will cause major delays in my planning of book 6. I have at least, come up with the name for the new book: Free Magus.

I found out earlier this evening that my ex-wife, who left me with our two children in 2003, is having surgery in the next month or so. Worse, she has so many medical issues that ... well, frankly, she didn't sound too good over the phone. After the surgery, she's going to be moving in with her Mother out in Virginia both to recover and to continue to treat her other ailments. There is even the possibility that she has one or two forms of cancer. I believe she agreed to the move (because she can be very stubborn) only so the kids won't watch her deteriorate further.

For those who don't know, she and the twins (boy/girl - they turn 18 this December) currently live in Wichita Falls, Texas. They moved there because she believed Wichita's High Schools offered the level and sophisticated curriculum the kids needed. Both of the kids are very smart - taking more after their mother than me - though both suffer from their own problems. Morgan (our son) is a high-functioning Autistic. My ex noticed certain behavior patterns when he was a toddler and used her connections as a pharmacy tech in hospitals to figure out the best things to do. I don't believe he would be as well adjusted as he is if she hadn't acted as early as she did. Brenna (our daughter) suffers from Bi-Polar Depression. She's attempted twice, but neither instance required more than some band-aides to stop the bleeding. She has an emotional-support dog, Lillith, and works at a pet clinic, bathing people's dogs. She even went so far as to move into a room at the back of the clinic so she wouldn't feel like her mother's slave for the last few months. When she found out what her mother was suffering from, though, she got scared. Now, knowing her mom is moving to Virginia and I'm going to be handling the responsibilities, she plans to move back into the apartment.

I'm moving to Wichita Falls. The twins won't be transferred to a new school - which is good for both of them scholastically, and to maintain the day-to-day for Morgan. The twins are in their Senior year of high school. I don't know what will happen after they graduate. We may move back to East Texas, or simply stay in Wichita Falls.

In the past, I have always been reluctant to do any writing when my kids were visiting. Mostly because I was spending every minute I could with them. I can only hope to get into a good routine where I'm writing again soon, but I'm not going to hold my breath. It could be a while before I'm able to post anything again simply because I don't have anything to post. Have no fears though. I do not intend to leave the series hanging in limbo as it currently is. As a matter of fact, I have plans already for at least seven more books after Free Magus. So, it will come. It may take a while, but it will come.

Thank you for reading,

TD

As the blog title says, planning has started, but the plot is thin. The core plot is simple and straight-forward, though the answer won't be. To be honest, I want to share the sample description I've come up with, but at the same time, I don't want to ruin the surprise either.

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Oh! To Hell with it! Here's the rough description:

Seth wakes up in a magical paradise. The weather is perfect, the people are beautiful, and sex is the primary activity everyone engages in. Seth wants to go home, but with gorgeous women throwing themselves at him at every turn, Magi willing to train him in the use of Magics unimagined and forbidden by the Council, and everyone - both Magi and mundane - believes he is home, how can he find his way?

There you go. That's all I have at the moment. I only have one character planned currently, with only a vague idea on what he is like and what he really wants. I have to put together this paradise and populate it. Beyond that, I have no idea what will happen.

Maybe what I need is some help in the way of tying off any loose threads I've left thru the series. Maybe Seth will find answers to some of the questions nobody else has been able to answer so far? I could use some help on this. If anyone has a question, send it. I'll attempt to incorporate it into this story. If nothing else, your questions will remind me of ideas I've had in the past I've yet to explore.

Thank you!

TD