Jerkuary

That's right, January.  You are dead to me.  You have been nothing but trouble, trial, and tribulation.

How's that? you ask.

This is the third time my car has been in the shop this month, possibly for all of the same problems each time.  This has resulted in less of a surplus than was planned this month, so some payments I was really hoping to double up on are not really getting anywhere.

This is the month I've had to take a bus to the El train to another bus to get to/from work while my car is in the shop.  The total trip one way is about an hour and twenty minutes.

Work stress.

Frozen pipes in the kitchen.  One kitchen sink overflow as a result.

Painful muscle tension caused by work stress and the general crappiness of this month.

Matt's grandmother passed away.  She was a wonderful woman who will be dearly missed.

Definitely not getting out enough, due to aforementioned car issues.

There was, for certain, a lack of poetry.

Oh, and snow.  Lots of snow.  Snow that gets in the way of travel plans--this is how we were not able to attend Matt's grandma's funeral.  This is how I had a FIVE AND A HALF HOUR commute home last week during the storm.  This is how my snow shovel, which I'd only had for three weeks, was stolen from the front of my house and swapped with a small rake.  I can't make up stuff like this.  If they wanted to borrow a shovel, they just had to knock and ask me!  What am I going to do with this rake now?

And if you are only here to read about diabetes stuff, let's throw in a few sticky, gross, eye-blurring, tongue-drying high blood glucose readings that were tough to bring down, even with site changes and injections.  Oh, right, I attribute that to all the jerkiness of Jerkuary!

Jerkuary did spare me in a few ways.  There were some generous SEPTA employees who took pity on me for not having the proper fare or who rushed us all through the gate without having to pay for the already-late subway.  There was the incredible Balkan brass band show Matt and I attended.  There was the kindness and ingenuity of Matt's brother, who set up a Google+ Hangout session on a smartphone so we could virtually attend the funeral service that we couldn't travel to.  There were friends, hugs, Hello Kitty slippers that I got for $5, there were recipes tried and well-received.

But really, Jerkuary, I'm glad you're heading out of here.  Next month is my month:  February.  My birth month tends to hold lots of good things.  At this point, almost anything could be an improvement.