"You may be right, I may be crazy. But it just may be a lunatic you're looking for!"
14 Mar 2013 Leave a Comment
in Being broke, California, Money, Music, Uncategorized Tags: Mickey Avalon
• March Blog Challenge •
Day 14: What’s on your iPod?
I nominate this tree [en route to G's treasure trove] to be my primary source of funding.
If I had a money tree with unlimited harvest potential– among countless other things– I could shop the Apple Store with reckless abandon. But alas I do not. A $3 investment gave me three songs on my iPhone from this fine fellow.
Hey Mickey!
13 Apr 2012 Leave a Comment
in Adam, Anxiety, Being broke, Child 'Protective' Services - CPS, Employment, Gestapo, HC, Homesick, JiLTED, Legal, Online Materials, Tatum
Visits with Adam give me strength.
Rise Magazine is by and for parents affected by the Child Welfare System. Both the Editor and the Editorial Director thought I had some very interesting stories to tell. I’m absolutely delighted to share with you that Rise accepted my submission packet and they’ll be publishing my w0rk! As of now I’ll be doing several pieces for them– hopefully that number will multiply as time progresses– and am so thrilled to have this incredible opportunity to share my experiences with others.
It is with tremendous sadness that I must inform you I no longer work for the church. Although I resigned [and I truly loved the job] it was an amicable parting of ways. Because I try valiantly to keep my personal and professional lives private, my coworkers were largely in the dark about the magnitude of my situation. I owed them the respect of being straightforward. They did not realize that the second Adam’s free [whether he is returned to me or adopted by my parents]– whenever that may be– I am renting a U-Haul, packing my stuff, and driving back to Memphis immediately. We all agreed that my focus should be getting Adam and reuniting my family as soon as possible. Since I had not yet resumed work following my maternity leave, it made sense that this would be an appropriate time to make my departure. What a tremendous honor it was to work for them.
My phenomenal coworkers, the church, and the countless individuals with servant’s hearts and infinite kindness I met through this special place will receive their own post at a later date.
Bills aren’t going to pay themselves, however. I’m actively searching and have already started the interview circuit for two part-time jobs. Not to sell myself short….but I’m not overly concerned with finding a position that is indicative of my experience and education. Find me a place I can start TOMORROW and where I’m perfectly expendable. 
Tatum, 7 weeks
Remember those pesky bruised ribs and that partially collapsed left lung I discussed? The ribs still hurt like hell, my lung hasn’t gotten any better [though thankfully not any worse], and now I have severe bronchitis which is in danger of escalating into pneumonia. Awesome.
I refrained from mentioning last week’s visitation debacle with Adam on my blog. Facebook friends certainly got an earful but I just didn’t have the energy to rehash the upsetting and infuriating ordeal here. One component of said debacle involved a ‘visitation agreement’ the social worker demanded I sign under threat of having my visits revoked entirely. I refused. Today I took a red pen– like the kind teachers use for grading papers– and modified 5 of the 18 statements on the document. Upon giving it to our supervisor I asked her if she would be so kind as to pass it on to the social worker and if she agreed with my changes then I’d love to put my John Hancock on the bottom of it.
Exciting legal things are happening. Without divulging too much information, all I can say is that Plan A, Plan B, and Plan C are in effect. In the courtroom, behind the scenes, on the web….people are fighting for Adam.
No words can describe the hell I’ve endured since I returned to California alone. Pure agony. It’s a cruel and unusual punishment where the ones who truly suffer are my two innocent children. Despite all the suffering, something’s changed recently: I have a feeling fr0m deep within that this nightmare will be over soon, that we’re not going to be here very much longer.
With infinite love, gratitude, and respect,
Sloane
25 Dec 2011 Leave a Comment
in Being broke, Blessings, Holidays, Single mama, Women
Adam and Tatum's loot from a very special Santa
Every cent I make that doesn’t go to my savings account lands one of two places: supplies/furnishing for my apartment or preparing for Tatum’s arrival. Thinking of how I’d provide an exciting Christmas for Adam sent me into a panic. As much as I want to raise children who understand that I’m not going to gift them with half of Toys ‘R’ Us on special occasions….this holiday most definitely is an exception. After the countless traumatic events my son has endured this year, he deserves some materialistic goodies. Books and playthings will make him feel at home here and enable him to learn while using his imagination and having fun. The only question–or I should probably say fear– involved how I would possibly afford everything I wanted to do for him. Suffice it to say I was getting very creative when it came to how I could reduce my expenses and generate some extra cash.
Such a huge weight was lifted from my shoulders when I received a very special phone call from a very special angel at a very special community organization in San Luis Obispo. I had been selected to come to their facility and select ‘a few toys’ for the kids! Quite possibly I could make this happen after all– some extra help from the organization combined with the gift cards from my family should take care of most of my Christmas needs.
I seriously almost fainted when I arrived in SLO last week during my allotted shopping time. L gave me a ride down there and we were both stunned. In my mind I had envisioned an unused conference room with some donations and I’d select one or two items. Wrong! It was more along the lines of an massive storage unit crammed full with all sorts of children’s items. I received an large basket draped with blankets and filled with stuff for Tatum. I got to fill shopping cart with things for Adam– books, crayons, a fire truck, puzzles, a remote control car, and countless other things. They even gave me a Visa gift card and gift certificates to a children’s shoe company and a toy store. And I also received a turkey and holiday food. The piece de le resistance was a brand new car seat still in the box!
To be constantly reminded such good people in this world– and I’ve met so many of them– brings me comfort and joy. Despite everything that has happened to me since my arrival in Paso Robles I can honestly say I’ve never felt alone. I’ve never once worried that people don’t care about my family or that they want anything less than my success. How lucky I am to be so blessed.
* The stockings and the red gift back were sent to me from my parents– just added to this photo for artistic value.
With infinite love, gratitude, and respect,
Sloane
06 Nov 2011 Leave a Comment
in Being broke, Money, Paso Robles
Do you see that fine Paso Robles establishment? That’s the One Stop, otherwise known as the location where I buy my lottery tickets. Because that’s just what you do when you are poverty stricken….spend money you don’t have hoping to win ridiculously large sums of cash that will ease your fiscal burden and move you into nouveaux riche territory.
Apparently I’m not the only one who subscribes to this train of wishful thinking– lots of lottery tickets are purchased here. Just last week there was a big winner.
To.
The.
Tune.
Of.
78.
Million.
Dollars.
Life is so good. But, uh, it’d be a lot better if I was the lucky owner of that still unclaimed ticket! If nobody takes ownership soon it defaults to me, right?
With infinite love, gratitude, and respect,
Sloane
18 Jul 2011 Leave a Comment
in Anger, Being broke, Caylee Anthony, Family, Frustration, Illness, Injustice, Sorry White Trash, Welfare, Will Reed
Sickness permeates the atmosphere of the Wilke-Reed casa. Adam has strep throat, Will has been vomiting profusely, my mom is on the tail end of a bug that made her dizzy and weak and I feel like I have all of the above. Blah. The three of us have been lying around all day trying to relax and stay hydrated. I’ve also tried valiantly to avoid the news because there is not enough Promethazine in the world to eradicate the nausea– and anger, frustration, and disgust– knowing that this callous child killer walks free.
Being stressed to the max certainly isn’t helping anything. I try my best to avoid it but when it surrounds me from all directions from every person I encounter it’s inevitable. Will got hit with a double whammy yesterday: some loans he’d expected fell through and certain members of their family put their sorry white trash on full display.
Excellent product placement
If you’re loaning/giving me $100, a new car, my own private island– whatever– I’m not going to rely on anything until it’s in my hands. This has absolutely nothing to do with the credibility of the individual, it’s just me being cautious and pragmatic. Discussing money irritates me to no end so I’m just going to stop this conversation right here. Luckily we requested money to get ahead– not get out of debt– so it’s not the end of the world that things fell through. Being broke has only strengthened our union. The couple that eats Ramen noodles together stays together! Actually, our diet’s a little better than that because we have food stamps, so we can be poor and still have fresh produce. Win.
As for his family….wow. Just wow. I adore Will’s sisters, Holly and Angela, and his Grandma Elder. And I miss his Grandpa Elder every day. Those are the only kinfolk of his I’ve actually met but even the ones I only ‘know’ through Facebook seem like great people and you can tell they genuinely care for Will and our little family. However, Grandma Dorris and Uncle Jimmy can– to steal a beautiful quote from Miss Britney Jean Spears– “kiss my lily white southern Louisiana ass.” Substitute ‘Tennessee’ for ‘Louisiana’ and there you have it. Part of me wants to chastise these lowlife scumbags for what they’ve done and how they talked to my husband publicly on this blog…..but they aren’t worth anymore of my time and energy. Suffice it to say they’ll have a lot of explaining to do when they meet their maker.
Auto correct always puts a smile on my face
All this complaining isn’t good for my health and does nothing to solve my problems. So I’d like to take a moment to congratulate Will on his awesome new mechanic job that will allow us to live comfortably. We also decided on our apartments so now it’s only a matter of weeks before we are able to move. More on both of those later.
Between feeling like total dog poo and getting riled up about the aforementioned topics….don’t even get me started on June’s welfare rant. The only thing worse in life than talking to computer techs over the phone is dealing with anyone from the ’public assistance’ section of the government. I completely agree with her thoughts and would like to write a companion piece when I get to feeling better. Goodnight all.
With infinite love, gratitude, and respect,
Sloane
25 Jun 2011 2 Comments
in Being broke, Marriage, Moving, WTF?!
I borrowed this from a gallery entitled "Detroit's Ghetto" but this gives you an idea of the gem we saw today.
Will and I had our first appointment to view a potential house this morning. A safe area with quality schools is our primary objective as we know our first rental won’t be the glorious mansion we will eventually inhabit. The property was districted for Snowden Elementary– a great school– so I went in with an open mind and cautiously optimistic expectations. In Memphis you can literally cross certain streets and go from gorgeous homes with luxury vehicles in the driveways to poverty and blight within a matter of feet. We knew the area and the price were a bit of a gamble but nothing could have prepared us for what we saw.
The entire place was boarded up and in shambles. Trash and broken bottles littered the overgrown lawn. Only two other residences in the cove actually had occupants. It looked as if it was a ghost cul-de-sac, the entire street a victim of foreclosures from an unforgiving housing market. I found it very disheartening as the thought of a family having to abruptly leave their life– pile up their treasured possessions in the street as they were forcibly evicted– and became upset when I saw a pink, plastic butterfly hair clip belonging to a little girl caught in the door frame of the front porch. What happens to those people? Where do they go? How does it feel to be in such a helpless situation? I am not so naive as to think that foreclosures and evictions only happen in ‘bad’ areas but being in a place where this seemed to be an all too common norm as opposed to an unfortunate exception was very upsetting.
Once inside the home, I loved it. The previous owners obviously put attention into the interior maintenance as it was very clean and well-maintained. I wasn’t crazy about the small living room but the kitchen was large and open and the four bedrooms were all spacious in relation to the overall size of the house. Suffice it to say the adorable home we saw on the realtor’s website was not a fair and accurate representation of the place we toured today!
With two children, safety is not something we will compromise. If I wouldn’t want my kids– or anyone else’s for that matter– playing outside [even with adult supervision] that is no area to raise a family. And that’s just heartbreaking. Far too many areas are like this. Wake up, Memphis! It’s time to take back our city. We deserve so much better.
Today wasn’t a total failure, however, as it definitely got me thinking…..and we made a very important concession that we’re open to the idea of an apartment. Originally we had limited our choices to rental houses and that was a selfish mistake derived from our desire of ‘our own space’ as opposed to the best interest of our growing family and general safety concerns. Furthermore, we’ve set a budget that includes deposits and are aggressively pursuing apartments while keeping houses on the back burner. Live and learn.
With infinite love, gratitude, and respect,
Sloane
05 Jun 2011 Leave a Comment
in Being broke, Culture, Food, Gender, GLBT issues, Health, Humor, Links, Memphis, Politics, Quacks, Religion, Sickness, Vegetarian
Taking a break from washing the car
One of the most insightful articles I’ve seen in a very long time, Christine Miserandino– who struggles with Lupus– poignantly explains her sickness to a friend who is not ill. This is a must-read, even if you don’t know any people suffering from serious ailments [whether they make you look 'sick' or not], it is sure to make you appreciate your good health if you are one of the lucky ones in terms of health…..and it will strike a chord if you’re not.
Victoria, have we got a secret for you…
The paragraph beneath the beautiful woman on the runway says it all: “Andrej Pejic is a willowy blond Eastern European model who has appeared on John Paul Gaultier’s catwalks, starred in Marc Jacobs campaigns, and graced international editions of Vogue. And this month, Pejic truly arrived– first with a topless magazine scandal and then by sharing FHM’s 100 Sexiest Women in the World list along with the likes of Mila Kunis, Brooklyn Decker, and Megan Fox. Pejic, by the way, is also a man.”
Poverty stricken and bitter [and funny]
Being broke sucks any way you spin it. Climbing out of the hole can be a vicious catch-22. Banks adore expensive loopholes. Your job doesn’t pay enough but it costs an arm and a leg to further your education to get better work. And then your engine blows which drains even more of the cash you don’t have. I hope good fortunes rain on the snarky John Cheese in the form of an entire orchard of money trees. At least he can laugh at his misfortunes!
During the months where I was a vegetarian [and especially for the few weeks I managed to be vegan], I never felt better– light, fresh, and healthy– and I have made the decision to abandon my carnivorous ways once and for all. I’ll blog more about my personal food choices at a later date but I encourage you all to read this article from Zenhabits. While it does require some extra diligence, being a vegetarian can be so easy. Reasons why it’s good to eliminate meat, tips for becoming a vegetarian, and further resources are provided.
Those of you from Tennessee are familiar with the Fords, a prominent political family. John Ford’s ['Operation Tennessee Waltz'] daughter, Victoria, earned the prestigious Scholastic Art and Writing Award upon her graduation from high school. “Unlike others
Breezing by us at The Little Gym
here who recorded rough childhoods and tragic experiences without distance, perspective, or insight, this writer emerges from abuse and tragedy with a lucid vision, a clear and original voice,” says judge and writer Melissa Fay Greene on Victoria Ford’s writing. She’ll be one to watch….for all the right reasons.
Yet another revolting story from the state of Arizona– this time involving a former Marine who was shot during a SWAT team raid of four houses allegedly involved in a marijuana trafficking ring, one of those being the home Guerena shared with his wife and four-year-old son. The Pima County Sheriff’s Office, not surprisingly, has tried to cover this up as much as possible and distort the story to their benefit.
Most people are cognizant of the fact that fish oil is good for your heart but it can also help with your mood and reduce alcohol cravings.
Enjoying the finer things in life makes for happier men.
The world’s not ending after all, oopsie
If you are alive and reading this post, chances are May 23 was a normal day for you. Harold Camping is an elderly Christian radio host who predicted this date would in fact be Judgment Day. After missing this elusive event in 1994 due to a ‘mathematical error’ he is now covering his tracks by saying that 200 million folks will ascend to Heaven in October because this was an ‘invisible’ judgment day. Don’t feel too bad for Mr. Camping, though…..his organization’s only worth $104 million dollars.
With infinite love, gratitude, and respect,
Sloane
