Saturday, January 21, 1984

I cry once a month, whether I need it or not. Today I wanted to sit down and bawl all day. My period must be just around the corner. I could become a professional waiter once a month, but I doubt if there's a market for it or one that coincides with my period's schedule. On these days I can also laugh uncontrollable, and sometimes either cry or laugh at the most inappropriate times. The rest of the month I am totally dry-eyed, also at the most inappropriate times.

The weather is going to become warmer next week, above thirty-two degrees. That is definitely terrible news for me, and the many others in my position. Cilco has told me that they have the legal right to turn off everyone's service when the temperature reaches above freezing, if their bills are delinquent, or two month's behind. Since I now owe $313.00 and am two months behind, I will face that prospect next week. I will be watching the weather reports very, very closely, and hope it doesn't get above freezing. The funding for the Home Energy Assistance Program doesn't come through until the end of February. Since Mom's here temporarily, the only thing I know to do is to bundle Mom up and go over to the Regional Planning Commission, who administers the funding program, and sit in their office until somebody doesn't something. I could also call the Township Supervisor and the Salvation Army to see if they can help. I hope Mom doesn't have diarrhea that day.

The Illinois Commerce Commission planned an investigation of the explosions at the local Commonwealth Edison plant after the third explosion, but never investigated. Now they have waited until another explosion occurred and more people have been hurt. I wonder if they will investigate this time. Commonwealth Edison now says that because the nuclear reactor they built isn't safe enough to obtain the required licensing, our cost are going to go up again in 1985, and that doesn't include the regular rate increases already allowed by the Commerce Commission, Commonwealth Edison is going to have to find other sources of energy, buy coal, and/or buy energy from other companies, all of which increases our bills. Nice, huh?

Why is one channel of my television set louder than the others? Every time I change from the other three channels, I have to adjust the volume. I know that commercials are legally allowed to be louder on all channels, but what is the difference between channels? I'm still wondering why commercials are allowed to be louder.

Maybe I'm slow, but Mom wouldn't let me know anything about her financial situation before the psychiatrist prescribed her anti psychotic medication, and now that I am becoming cognizant of her financial situation, I know that I may need more life insurance on her, just to be able to straighten out her affairs after she dies. Unfortunately, obtaining insurance on her should have been done years ago. The age of seventy-seven is hardly the time to realize additional life insurance is needed.