STRESSED

I work at a fairly busy station, which I'm grateful for, but I get A LOT less sleep now. My call volume has increased tenfold. I guess I should have seen it coming, but in three years at the slow station I didn't have one complaint. I've been here for a month and I've had a complaint from a volunteer and now a complaint from a patient's mother who stated that I treated her son like "a dirtbag alcoholic and drug addict". By the way, she was never present when I treated her son, so I have no idea where she gets off making that accusation.

I got my first paycheck of the year. The amount I pay for my health insurance has increased, so my paycheck shrank. The amount I pay my union has increased, so my paycheck shrank. The amount I have to contribute to my pension increased, so my paycheck shrank. The county executive took away our physical fitness allowance, so my paycheck shrank. The county executive is now trying to get legislation passed that will make it illegal for us to send our fight for a cost of living increase in our paychecks to arbitration.

I bought my house based on the salary I WAS making. I am no longer making that salary. I was forced to get an FHA loan which makes me pay a Mortgage Insurance Premium. This increases my mortgage by a ridiculous amount for 10 years until I pay off about 20% of my mortgage. Can't get a regular mortgage just yet. Overtime is practically impossible to get.

And then I got a bill for heating oil for $916.06. I keep my house between 55-60 degrees.

I have three weeks to pay it.