The "Beo-tch" switch is on.

And it is stuck!

Sometimes having household help is more trouble than it is worth. Inam and I have gotten into a routine. He does what I tell him. He doesn't talk back. He was fired once and he doesn't want to be fired again. That works out well for us. Inam is on vacation. He'll be back in a couple of months. He arranged for his brother, Hadar, to clean for us while he is on vacation. Hadar is only coming three days a week instead of four, like Inam. That is fine. Three actually works and I will cut Inam back to three - maybe even just two - when he returns. Having someone here four days a week can seem intrusive, at times.

This morning I washed the rags. I do it once a week. The rags get set aside in a bag and then I wash them and Inam - or Hadar - take them out of the dryer when they are done and fold them. Apparently I am going to have to be much more careful with the rags. What possessed Hadar to take one of the cream colored hand-towels and a wash cloth from DH's bathroom and put them in the rag bag is beyond me. Now? They're ruined. I bleached them. They are no longer a nice creamy vanilla color. They are off-white. Several shades lighter than they were. I had no idea they were in the rag bag. I am NOT pleased about it, either. Carelessness on Hadar's part. He seems to be in such a hurry to get done that he isn't really paying attention. [Okay, so neither Hadar or Inam are Mensa candidates. I don't hold that against them.] [You reading this Delirious? Can I get a second award from you? It has been at least a week since your last post, though, so apparently you are not much of a blogger. Oh, and just for the record, I still don't care about Haiti.]

The hand towel and wash cloth are now ruined. Completely different color than the rest of the towels. Big deal. They are only towels. I can get new ones. That isn't the point. The point is that Hadar is being careless. Totally unacceptable.

One morning last week Hadar was almost a half an hour late. It was 7:25 in the morning when he finally showed up. I didn't say anything. Should have. Work, at this household, starts at 7. Not 7:25. If he starts at 7:25 that means he is still here at 11:15. I want these guys in and out by 11. It was almost noon when he finally left. Unacceptable. I realize that I'm on the rampage this morning with the whole towel thing and I so wanted to just let it go, but I couldn't. This morning it was 7:15 when he finally wandered in. "Hadar, I expect you here at 7:00. If you are can't be here at 7:00 do not bother coming." He actually started to say, "But..." and I cut him off. "Seven o'clock. Be here at seven o'clock."

We discussed the towel situation - he was totally clueless. And what time work starts. "Yes, Madam." There. Got that out of the way. Still fuming about the towels, though. Inam never would have let that happen. Tell you what, though. Hadar won't be late for work on Tuesday!

Probably a good thing I am getting ready to leave for a while. When I start getting like this, it is time to step away. I really don't want to be like this, but I feel as though I have a right to. This is my house. These are my things. I pay for help - and I pay quite decently. I get to make the rules. That is just the way it is.

I think when Inam finally returns he and I will have another one of our "little chats." I want certain things done - the bathrooms cleaned, the tile floors washed, the windows cleaned, and the patio furniture taken care of. I can do the rest of it. As it is now, I clean the kitchen - I cannot trust anyone else to do that job, I take care of all the laundry - another job I wouldn't trust anyone with. I make the bed in the morning. And all the rest of the day-to-day "stuff." I am going to cut Inam's hours back and he can come two days a week to just do the big stuff. I'll take care of the rest. Inam probably won't be real happy because I will cut his pay. I am not going to pay him what I am paying him and let him come half the hours. Such is life.

Hadar doesn't know it, right now, but while I am gone next month, he won't be coming to take care of things. DH isn't going to get up early enough to let him in and DH certainly isn't going to supervise closely enough. I'll get our "sitter" to come once a week to help DH. Normally I would pay Inam for that time but I don't feel the same obligation to his brother who is not doing nearly as good of a job...

Oh yeah. The bitch switch is on, today. And it is stuck. I'm thinking today would be a good day for someone to try to cut in front of me at the grocery store. Or park behind me so that I can't get out. Or something.