procrastination and insomnia are my two biggest vices

I was up until after 4 am last night checking for updates about the new contract at work. See, here's the deal, the first agreement DID NOT PASS. Oh, it passed just fine here in Minnesota, but in other states, they rejected it. Also, we had extremely low percentage of members who voted. Those who didn't vote just assumed it would pass. I have a feeling that this time, there will be a higher percentage of voters just because who the fuck wants to picket in November?

The deal that didn't pass was a good deal, but the main issue that was not addressed in the previous new contract was the deal breaker for a lot of those who voted. That issue has to do with the company previously blocking union input on work expectations (quotas). I understand that for any business to be profitable they have to have expectations regarding how much work you do, but it is getting a bit ridiculous around here. Not so much in my department but in others. In my department, however, they recently announced that the minimum requirement for the amount collected on average per hour is being raised by $45. Yes, in this tough economic time, we are now expected to collect MORE money than we were when times were relatively better (I hesitate to use "good" there because, frankly, since we've been in Iraq, I don't think the times have been good AT ALL). I have no idea if this will fly now with the new contract or not. The new minimum is an amount that I can usually make if I don't take too much time off in a given month, but the principle of the matter is pretty shitty. In the past few months, my totals have been going down for two reasons - the first is the fewer people are paying. When presented with the option of rent or phone, most people pick rent. There is no doubt in my mind that the media is NOT reporting on how crappy this economy is. We are headed for some serious problems if something doesn't change soon. Second, I goof off too much at work with the people around me. I need to work on that, it will be better for my job performance and my psyche if I could just ignore certain people around me. Typing is easier than doing, however.

I bought my house just about three years ago. This means that my 3 year ARM (adjustable rate mortgage) is up this month. I shudder to think of what my mortgage payment might be come November 1. I could probably go online and check, but I'm scared. If the payment gets too high and/or the company refuses to refinance I will have no choice but to just let my lovely house go. On the plus side, my credit card debt would probably be cut in half as I could use all the mortgage money to pay a bunch of bills.

I slept late this morning and now I've been goofing off on the computer for over an hour. I haven't properly cleaned my house or done laundry since the weekend before Chicago so I am overdue.

Plus, I have a baseball game to watch. The Red Sox are in the ALCS against the Tampa Bay Rays. I love my team, but I'm not fully convinced yet that we're going to the World Series. A guy at work who has been oddly psychic all season regarding the Red Sox thinks they will go. So far we're up one game. In the National League, it's the Phillies versus the Dodgers, the Phillies up by two games. As a bitter, former Manny Ramirez fan, I will be happy to see him not even get a chance to go to the World Series. Same psychic guy, though, thinks the Dodgers are going to pull through. By the way, I love baseball. Truly.

Oh, and I also MET GOMEZ a little over a week ago!!!!!!!