HOLY CRAP, I'm back.

You're not going to believe this, but after years I'm back. I lost two computers in the past three years, and I've been searching for lost passwords and gmail accounts ever since. The only reason why I'm here is because I was stumbling about looking for an old email account that's linked to a MySpace page that I can't seem to access.

Holy cow, have things changed. I had a couple of jobs in the last four years, got laid off AGAIN, moved thrice, and now am sort of happily situated in my sister-in-law's house. Sure, I'm renting it from her, but boy, the changes I've been through!

After the house near the river (which was a dinky little apartment) I found a little cottage in Mastic Beach. It was a nightmare. The landlord lived in the garage next door. He was a freak, and used to spy on us and tell us that we used too much electricity and such.

Then I found an upstairs apartment (ugh, those stairs!) in a house that was huge, but had nightmarish neighbors downstairs. I did a lot of work on it, and it was a good place, for a while, until we had troubles paying the rent. We decided to move out, and got into my sister-in-law's place just in time. She mnoved to FLorida for a while and we were doing just fine until I suddenly got laid off. My unemployment doesn't pay for much, and Hubby couldn't take a job (his RH drives him nuts).

We've weathered out a full year here, and I'm already wondering how we'll pay for oil this winter. Last year it was okay, we got HEAP to pay for most of it. I'm not sure that'll happen this year. Our electricity bills are out of this world, though. I'm still wondering how we paid them last year. Oh, yeah...that's right, we didn't pay them. I'm up to my ears in LIPA debt.

One thing's for sure, though. I've been writing like a fool for the past year, trying my hand at all sorts of stuff from advertising, to reviews, to press releases, to doing business listings on search pages. Writing is really my life right now. I've teamed up with Associated Content/Yahoo Content, and have been writing like a madwoman. So far the biggest catch in terms of salary has been $150 in a month. I know I can do better than that, but it's hard to write about trending topics that you don't give a damn about. I prefer to write only what I feel is good news, or bad news that means something, or about subjects like the movies that I've seen. I shy away from celebrity news, especially about rich, vapid airheads like Paris Hilton or the freaky chicks from Jersey Shore. I'm sorry, all you paparazzi freak news sites out there, I do not do columns on what shoes everyone was wearing to what club. That sort of thing makes me feel like puking.

It's 2:16am, and I'm hunched over the keyboard, tapping away in my little computer room (why are computer rooms always the tightest, littlest, stuffiest rooms in the house?) As soon as I have any money I'm going out and buying a good laptop or a padd, so that I can sit on the couch again with my cats and type away to my heart's content. If you could see me right now you'd think of the frazzled news reporter, huffing ciggs and chugging coffee, and typing insanely to meet a deadline at 5am. That's not really me, because I hate deadlines. Deadlines make me into an Alzheimer's patient. I lose all capacity to write, I flounder, I flop about, ignoring the project and generally giving up on it. I don't like the pressure. Some writers say that writing is all about that, but it's just not for me. I prefer to sit here brainstorming away by myself, enjoying every little keystroke 'til I begin to yawn. *YAWN!* Shucks. And it was just getting really good.

I'll be back tomorrow, to tell you the harrowing tales of battling the jungle of Mastic Beach, making strange friends, and raising a glass to more kitties gone bye-bye.