A Buildup of Crappiness

I have now spent at least a couple hours trying to get our video camera to work on the computer. It is not cooperating. I've uninstalled it and installed it three times today. I downloaded the newer version of software and tried that. I went through step-by-step instructions to make the stupid thing work. Nothing worked. Nothing. The camera used to work. I don't know what possessed it to quit working, but it did. Now it's telling me it doesn't like being on a USB hub when it was on a USB hub for its entire term in our household. I am now ready to use it as a dog toy.

The whole reason for wanting the camera to work was to use it to take a picture of my hair cut. Of course, to take a picture of my hair cut, I might want to look presentable anyway, which I don't. I'm in pajamas yet. They do happen to be pajamas that closely resemble sweatpants, but they are pajamas nonetheless. That would mean I haven't worked out, showered or put on makeup. Today it also happens to mean I haven't even brushed the hair that is now cut. But if the stupid camera doesn't work, none of that matters anyway. I've put off doing all those things because I wanted to get the camera to work first. I don't have much of a sense for priorities, do I?

I think I started the day off on the wrong foot by sleeping until 11:00. I didn't really feel that tired. In fact, I woke up a little after 8 and thought I should just stay up, but the kids weren't even up yet, so I decided to lie back down and enjoy their day off from school. That was stupid. Whenever I sleep without needing sleep, I always feel like poo for the rest of the day.

That's hard enough in itself to overcome, but I had a couple of really crappy things happen this weekend too. Besides that John and I argued each and every day of the weekend, something we haven't done in a while, I also got a call from my mom on Saturday morning letting me know that my brother was in the hospital after falling off a two-story house. He does construction, mostly roofing, and he was laying felt paper on a roof when the paper ripped out from under him, and he fell. Like most people in his business, he doesn't use any type of safety harness because they get in the way. He broke his left shoulder, right wrist (he's right handed), two left ribs and bruised a lung. He's very lucky not to have landed on his head or injured his back, but he's still in pretty bad shape. He found out yesterday after another CT scan that his lung isn't just bruised but collapsed, and his chest was full of blood that had to be drained. It's possible there are more internal injuries than previously expected, and what was to be a two to three day hospital stay is now indefinite. And here I thought this year would be better.

Saturday was definitely the worst day of the lot, because we also found out there's something wrong with our truck. The back right tire sticks and won't turn until there is finally enough of a combination of traction and gas to make it move. It took us an hour after John was done playing before we could get enough of the two to make the tire start moving again so we could get home. The bit of snow we got didn't help matters, but at least we probably know what's wrong with it, thanks to the cop and other passers-by who kept telling us to take off our parking brake which wasn't on. It's likely just the brakes sticking, but it's hard to say for sure. I take it in on Thursday, so we can get charged a ridiculous amount of money to have it fixed. Things could be worse though. My brother's accident puts things in perspective better than usual.

It hasn't done enough to stop me from wallowing today though. I feel bad and worried and irritated (the kids are home from school today too) because of all these things, and I've let it really get to me. I've also used them all as an excuse to seek too much comfort, hence the pajamas, chocolate-eating (which I have yet to mark in my fitness journal) and lack of exercise.

I'm still waiting to hear an update on my brother today. Booie has yet to even clean the floor of her room today, a project that is two days running now, much less pick up anything else. Hammy has his room clean to his eleven-year-old standards and still has to finish his report that remained untouched all weekend long. Even the dog is acting strange today, sleeping in her kennel most of the morning and avoiding me. She must sense the funk I'm in, or maybe it's the funk of staying in my pajamas all day.

Tomorrow has got to be better than this. I can't sleep in, since the kids are back in school. I'm probably going into the office again. My mom will be with my brother. The only thing we can't do is go to our counseling appointment. The truck problems combined with Booie's social calendar (a birthday party) prevents it. That reminds me though, we have to go buy a gift. I better get that much done today.