Just when you get comfortable....

Its that time of year again and the rhetoric is amping up.

What dear T are you referring to you might ask...

Spring Training? (Hope springs eternal, but not in Seattle)

New Springsteen record?

Fergie and Josh got married?

Nope, gentle readers, now is the time of year where my ex and I argue about money.

The amount her highness gets is really a pretty simple equation. And this year even simpler than most because I can't get a raise, so really it should be exactly the same as last year... but really the only thing that will be the same is that she's gonna act all entitled, disagree about how to get to her % and somehow assume that just because I'm making the same or less as last year, she should somehow be getting more. And while the discussion can generally start after my last paycheck in February - this year she's already started. For the record, last year it didn't get settled until almost May.

What does this mean? Well, it means that for the next two months I'm going to be in this constant vortex of bitchy negativity. I'll be a pain to be around. Coping in ways that aren't great for my health. And always a bit distracted. And often afraid to check my email, knowing that the latest round of character assassinations are just around the corner.

I know its coming. I can see it. I hope that this year I can do a better job of not getting sucked in. Unfortunately, when I stay above the fray, she plays dirty and gets our kids involved.

The other day someone said something to the effect of "I wish she'd never entered our lives." I have two great kids that I wouldn't have otherwise so I would never say that, and I always stop others and remind them of that fact. But that aside, times like this, I have to agree with a good friends assessment. She is a "#$N@"!

For the record, today I found another $7000 dollars that I've overpaid her over the years. Combine that with previous findings and its getting close to more than my salary for a year.

No wonder I'm not rich. I only have to pay her for 17 months more. Of course I fully expect she'll try to take me to court around then to extend it. How else will she live?

Vodka Hahn,
T