Mount Everest. STILL Forbidding. Aloof...

[LoisB]

...Terrifying. Still, the mountain with the biggest tits in the world.

Sound of gong.
Second Voice Over: Start again!
(A very silly loony leans into shot, on overlay -i.e. in front of the picture--, and waves to the camera. He goes out of shot again.
Voice Over: Mount Everest. Forbidding. Aloof. Terrifying. This year, this remote Himalayan mountain, this mystical temple, surrounded by the most difficult terrain in the world, repulsed yet another attempt to conquer it. This time, by the International Hairdresser's Expedition.

(cut to shot of pup tent in blizzard)

Voice Over: In such freezing, adverse conditions, man comes very close to breaking point. What was the real cause of the disharmony which destroyed their chances at success?

Cut to three head-and-shoulders shots.

They look like typical mountaineers: frost in their beards, tanned, with snow glasses on their foreheads and authentic Everest headgear.

First Climber: Well, people would keep taking my hairdryer and never returning it.
Second Climber: There was a lot of bitching in the tents.
Third Climber: You couldn't get near the mirror.

(Cut to a colonel figure, digging in a garden in Jersey.)

Voice Over: The leader of the expedition was Colonel Sir John 'Teasy-Weasy' Butler, veteran of K2, Annapurna, and Vidals. His plan was to ignore the usual route around the South Col and to make straight for the top.

(Cut to a photo of Everest with dots superimposed, showing the route.)

Colonel: We established base salon here, (on the photos, we see the words 'base salon') and climbed quite steadily up to Mario's here. (at the top of the route we see 'Mario's') From here using crampons and cutting ice steps as we went, we moved steadily up the Lhotse Face to the North Ridge, establishing camp three where we could get a hot meal, a manicure, and a shampoo and set.

(Cut to stock film of people actually climbing Everest.)

Voice Over: Could it work? Could this eighteen-year old hairdresser from Brixton succeed where others had failed? The situation was complicated by the imminent arrival of the monsoon storms. Patrice takes up the story.

(Cut to interior of hairdresser's salon. Patrice speaks into the mirror, as he is blow-drying and curling a lady's hair.)

Patrice: Well, we knew as well as anyone that the monsoons were due, but the thing was, Ricky and I had just had a blow dry and rinse, and we couldn't go out for a couple of days.

(Cut to stock film of some people leaving a little tent on a mountain.)

Voice Over: After a blazing row, the Germans and Italians had turned back, taking with them the last of the hair nets. On the third day a blizzard blew up. (close up on the tent in a blizzard; no people in shot) Temperatures fell to minus thirty centigrade. Inside the little tent, things were getting desperate.

(We cut inside the tent. The wind is banging against the side of the material, sounds of a vicious blizzard. Ricky is sitting next to another member of the expedition. Both are under hairdryers, in full climbing gear up to their necks. One is reading Vogue. Ricky is doing his nails.)

Ricky: Well, things have got so bad that we've been forced to use the last of the heavy oxygen equipment just to keep the dryers going.
Woman: (off-screen) Cup of Milo, love.
Ricky: Oh, she's a treas. (he takes the drink)

(Cut to a wide shot of Everest.)

Voice Over: But a new factor had entered the race. A team of French chiropodists, working with brand new cornplasters and Doctor Scholl's Mountaineering Sandals, were covering ground fast. The Glasgow Orpheus Male Voice Choir were tackling the difficult North Col. (quick cut to film of lots of people climbing up Everest; dubbed over is the 'Proust' song as in 'Proust Competition' item)

Altogether, fourteen expeditions (cut to a diagram with hundreds of dotted lines over it, fourteen different routes) were at his heels. This was it. Ricky had to make a decision.

(Cut back to Patrice in the salon.)

Patrice: Well, he decided to open a salon.
Voice Over: It was a tremendous success.

Last Thread:

http://www.divorcebusting.com/forums/ubb...t=11&page=1

[LoisB]

[b]Long-Term Goals:

1. Earn $60,000 per year with a great health insurance plan.
2. Be a buff, healthy woman at 125 pounds.
3. Have a new, reliable car I'm proud to drive.
4. GAL. Feel contentment with my life, travel, TAKE JOY!
5. Give my kids the things and time they deserve. Like my own company.[/b]

[LoisB]

Ok. So, I've reworked the goals a bit.

Now, I'm breaking them down into manageable increments.

(By-the-by, I have been working out daily. Definitely helping my PMA!!)

First Goal:

1. Earn $60,000 per year with a great health insurance plan.

-Starting with a spending plan. I need to get the finances in order to achieve this goal. I need to spend what I have wisely in order to invite more into my life. I'm giving myself 12 months to get my finances in order. I want bills paid on time, have a spending plan.

-Going through the bills and mail today to sort through stuff. I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed. I have business receipts, personal receipts, house receipts, D19 college expenses...Not sure how to organize all this stuff!!! It makes my mind cloudy. Hence, the visit to the boards after an hour of sorting.

So, I'm going to put all of the 2013 receipts together. Not going to sort through them at once. I will, first, put them together. I can do this in the next hour. I will get this done first.

[Wonka]

Heather,

Have you thought about scouring Craigslist and other similarly online avenues to obtain freelance writing assignments? Sometimes making these contacts usually leads to a full-time job offer with benefits.

[LoisB]

Thanks Wonka. That's a good idea. Not quite there yet. Or maybe??

So. All receipts are in a Rubbermaid container. I went through all the unopened mail. I have a lot of duplicates because of medical bills I need to sort out with Smokey. NOT TODAY!

I made a file for D19 with all of her mail and college mailings.

So, now what?
I feel a bit torn about what to focus on next.

Ok. It didn't take a day to get into this mess. It will take more than a day to get out of the mess.

Alright. Earning seems to be the top priority right now. Back to Goal Number One.

Today thru Sunday:

1. Work on Spending Plan (I'm going to include some GAL expenses)
2. Ideas for earning for the next 6 months
3. Summer earning ideas.
4. I'm going to put together the rental car costs from the this semester. H didn't visit or help with getting, moving, taking D19 to college at all this semester.
5. Get some clarity with tutoring business. Take a look at students I have right now and where I'm at--earning potential. Workshop ideas.
6. Get D11's homeschool outline complete. Email lady about outline.

[Portia]

You go girl!

I like lists. I live by them. If it helps, break things up into really small steps. Big lists with big things on them can overwhelm me.

[LoisB]

Thanks Portia!!

Ok. My total for the bottom line basics = $1360.

This doesn't include debt (which is less than I thought!!), gasoline, food, car insurance (Smokey is currently paying because I paid for it for about 15 months straight).

Mortgage $700
Internet/Landline $115
Cell Phone $225
Electric $300

= $1370

Groceries = ??

I used to be able to budget $650 for groceries when H and D19 were home. Now, I'm lost with what I actually spend. I need to track this for January to get an idea. It's more, obviously, when D19 is home.

Car is paid for. Needs some repairs. Gas is about $240 per month.

I used to have separate category for Pets which always helped me keep track of what is spent. Then, I can go, once a month, for pet supplies.

Pet Supplies = $135

Dog Food/Bones = $30
Cat Food = $30
Cat Litter = $30
Chicken Food = $35
Chicken Straw = $10

My expenses for the animals is higher than what I want. I'm tempted to get rid of the chickens and coop. I could sell the coop for about $400. I like having the chickens, but they are a pain.

The dog stays no matter what and, to get rid of the cats would devastate D11 and D19.

Two of the cats need their shots. One needs fixed.

This is where I begin to spin.

OK. Back up Heather. You broke down the bottom line for what's really important. Basic bills/food/gas...

$1360 (mortgage, electric, internet, cell phone)
+ 240 gas
+ 650 (average includes pet food/supplies)
_______________________
$2250 Total

[LoisB]

My expenses are low. I like that, but I'm missing a lot of stuff.

I have clothes, prescriptions, house maintenance, debt, home improvement, car maintenance, D19 college expenses, D11 extra-curricular expenses...

Holy Shid. This is where I shut down. I hate HOW MUCH families cost!!!!!!! I get overwhelmed. There are always expenses coming out the ying yang. It drives me crazy how I will plan and, then, SURPRISE! Somebody needs something or something breaks. I know I'm not saying anything here that no one else feels--I'm just writing down where I get stuck.

Money overwhelms me to begin with...I need to keep it simple and it seems to spin so quickly outta control until I feel like "What's the point?"

[LoisB]

KML,

Girlfriend, where are YOU??? This is your thang!! I need you.

Break it down for me.

[LoisB]

Ok.

Based on what I've come up with so far, I'm going to set a short-term of goal of $2,000 monthly with a deadline of July 31, 2014. H is supposed to contribute $1,600 monthly.

Part of this goal getting H legally committed to $1600 per month. I'm going to ask for $1,800 based on his lack of parenting, but I expect I will get closer to $1,600.

This means outlining the last six months--especially financially. I have a lot of other stuff going, needing my attention, so I need to make this do-able. I will commit to two hours this weekend devoted to this task.

I'm taking a break now. I've gotten a lot done. I will read more of my organizational book today. I may also take a nap. My brain is tired. I heard back from the firewood guy. He will be coming on Sunday. I texted my other student who is due back on Monday. I need to re-text her so I have this set. Still need to work on D11's outline. We did manage to get grammar, math and spelling done this morning.