[swingdjted]

I think the new thread would be good, since the troubles you list here aren't really so much "small" or "niggling" the way a slightly flickering light at work would be. What you are typing here is a lot more serious and not small at all. I hope that you are able to get some healthy defense mechanisms and good coping skills to get you through this. It takes a lot of trial and error to figure out what works best for you, but if you work at it hard enough, you will eventually find what brings you to inner peace, even though there are so many stress-causing agents around you.

It seems almost grossly inappropriate for me to redirect to the original topic, but since it's the thread for this:

I mentioned the flickering light at work because that's something that bothered me (and my students) today. The first couple hours weren't so bad, but it really got to me after a while. I put in a request to get it replaced, but the person that handles that sort of thing won't be in until Tuesday. The ceiling is too high for me to reach while standing on a table; otherwise I would have at least removed the bulb that flickers all the time.

Also, yesterday, a shoelace broke in the morning while getting ready for work. First of all, I don't truly wake up and get fully conscious until I turn the key to start the truck to drive to work, so something as petty as a broken shoelace before that time of morning hits me like a hammer to the forehead. I ended up using the longer of the leftover halves, evened it out, and skipped one pair of holes, and still had just enough to tie. I didn't feel like searching the attic for spare laces, and didn't have time to change outfits to match different shoes. I guess it worked out for today. The shoes felt uneven because of that, but the pant-leg covered up the look of it.

Also - today marked the fifth day of being blocked by a long, slow coal train on the way to work in the morning. They've been in my way since daylight savings time caused the clocks to change. There are no alternate routes without driving for around 1.5 hours - mountains are in the way and there are nearly no roads in the area other than the one we all use. The trains are blocking not only me, but also the buses carrying my students, making us all late for school. It's literally 20+ minutes that I sit there waiting. Because the rail yard is right there, they often have to stop, disconnect, back up the locomotives, reconnect, and pull again. It takes forever. They only help you out if an ambulance, cop, or fire truck needs to get through. I turn off my engine to save gas, but then I start to freeze, because I was too lazy and lacked the foresight to grab a coat on the way out, despite the fact that it's become a pattern, and after the first couple days I should have learned. So, now I think I'll have to wake up earlier to get ahead of the train. Hopefully the bus drivers and school administrators will squawk to the railroad people and get the schedule adjusted so that it doesn't cause such a problem.

And, I need to remember to put on a jacket. Mornings are in the mid 20's Fahrenheit (-4 degrees Celsius/Centigrade). In January they'll be a lot lower, but by then I will have learned to dress appropriately... hopefully.