I’ve been penniless for two months now. My divorce hearing is one week from today (my soon-to-be ex threatened to shoot me in the head, so I got a PPO against him). The VA cut off my disability compensation in August because the Social Security Administration somehow told them I’d gotten divorced in 1999 (I didn’t), so the VA thinks they overpaid me for the last ten years, and they took my check away to repay a debt I never incurred. I have a veteran’s service officer (named Tripp) from the American Legion fighting for me in Detroit, trying to get my money reinstated.

I have had a lot of financial help and moral support from my best friend and partner, Nikki, without whom I don’t know what would have happened. My sister helped as best she could. I went around begging to the local agencies, some are helping to pay utility bills (when I get a shutoff notice, that is). I get foodstamps. Other than that… *shrugs*

No jobs here, Michigan has the highest unemployment rate in the nation at 15.2%, and the U.P. (where I am) is even worse than the state average.

I keep hoping my check will resume, so I can eventually move from here and start all over again elsewhere. Hanging on by my fingernails now… living on hope.

I think about all the years and years of unpaid labor I’ve donated to online projects (you know who you are!)… some went on to be huge successes, making millionaires of a few people… but I wasn’t one of them.

Bitter? Hard not to be, from where I’m sittin’ now… yanno?

Want to help? I could use some donations (see the link in the sidebar there).