Ways of Counting Out Time While Hovering In a Holding Pattern

For the past several months, and inching closer and closer to the one-year mark, I have been in a holding pattern ~ a holding pattern that has not let up, let alone give the slightest inkling when the light at the end of the tunnel will appear.

In trying to find some comfort and reassurance, albeit on a superstitious level, I have taken to unusual and creative ways of counting out time with the hope that I will find myself in my new, hopefully permanent home, before I finished counting.

Because of the quick amount of time it takes to use up dog food, kitty litter, and Attila's piss pads, I do not use them as calendarial measuring devices. So, I cannot say that I will be in Texas before I run out of kitty litter because that is an impractically short amount of time.

So I have to use something that will take much longer to finish up.

I first started with a bottle of melatonin ~ 240 tablets, thus 120 days, worth ~ saying to myself that I will be in Texas before I finished the bottle. Well, that bottle was finished and pitched into the recycling bin a few nights ago, and yet I still have not inched one step closer to rejoining my family.

The next 2 methods of ticking off the days involve toilet paper and a tube of toothpaste.

I have 12 yet-to-be-used rolls of single-ply toilet paper with 1000 sheets to a roll. One roll lasts awhile, although I have not measured how long it takes for that roll to disappear.

Toothpaste takes longer to use up than toilet paper. I can make one tube of toothpaste easily last several months, especially since I am very frugal with its use.

Already the Tom's Cinnamon-Clove tube is nearly spent. The Crest Vivid White, which received a head start before Ariana left for Texas, lies waiting in queue.

I dare not think what I'll use to count time after the toilet paper and toothpaste have been spent [and sadly] replaced.

Well, there still is all the food that remains in the cupboard and fridge. Will my holding pattern continue after I am reduced to making soup out of the jars of condiments that remain?

In the meantime, a new development to the holding pattern has occurred.

Last week, Neil's boss told him that work has gotten slow, and as a result he does not know how much longer he'll be able to keep Neil's position. In fact, the company had to let go of its temporary workers.

Ouch.

As such, Neil has started his job search process last week, up-dating and up-loading his resume. Since he posted his resume on Friday, I suspect that the calls from head-hunters will start coming in tomorrow.

(The last time he posted his resume on Monster, he started getting calls from head-hunters all over the country within 24 hours.)

Whereas before I had my sights set on moving to Texas, who knows where those sights will be this time. And they could not only be anywhere in this country, they could also be anywhere in the world, especially seeing that Neil has applied for a senior mechanical engineer position in New Zealand, of all places.

The thing about holding patterns is that when it comes to aircraft, the length of time a plane can safely remain in a holding pattern is determined by the amount of fuel left in its reserves.

How do we ascertain the limits of how long a human can remain in a holding pattern? By counting how long it takes to use up 12 rolls of toilet paper and an already-started tube of toothpaste, perhaps?