In which I quit my bitching (for a minute)

 Oof, what a week. For everyone else. Me? I'm doing fine. Oh, I was feeling put-upon earlier, but... perspective arrives and I need to be grateful when I looknat what others go through vs what I went through and cried about. 

      So, me first: the fill-in guy hasn't woken me up once to answer questions in the dark. He's not my cup of tea, personally, but that's no big deal. I'm sure now that he's a decent human being. He can load and discharge with direction and independently solve some basic problems. He maybe lacks initative, but appears to have been trained to not change anything as a visitor, to the point where he won't touch anything he does not have to,  but he's also not familiar with the layout here, as the HQ is a simple beast, if heavily modified. He works on a floating Swiss Army knife (capable of more things, but awkward and uncomfortable for the user).  

        So, for all my bitching, beyond that he talks too much, isn't looking to up his game and doesn't seem comfortable with companionable silence, it'll be fine. My first impression of him was brutally bad; but he seems ok. 

    Given that, I can't cry too loud because relative to what some others are going through, in my network, I've got it good, and I got reminded of that several times.  One of my friends out here, also one of my favorite tugboat captains to work with, and just 3-4 years older than me, had a stroke while in his room about 2 weeks ago. He's alive, and facing a long recovery I think. Insanely high stress life, not enough exercise, and carrying too much weight. Also the family breadwinner, so this won't help. 

 Blogfriend BCE lost his job and his estranged stepdaughter took her own life (in front of her mom, who was trying to help her) as a final eff you) on the same day, while I was bemoaning my lot in life a few days ago. Jesus, I gotta quit my bitchin. People have real problems and I'm getting all cunty about things not being perfectly ideal here in my self-chosen oasis of... well, this fuckin' place. 

 One of my brothers is partially disabled, with a severe back injury that limits his mobility, but he works full time at a job that physically pushes him to (and past) his limits regularly. 

My sister has early-onset rheumatoid arthritis, and a weird ass massive seizure last year that came out of nowhere, and may or may not have had a mini-stroke chaser, had to move back to Sodom Boston to live with her daughter. 

   I feel (and see) tragedy all around me, and I know everyone can look and see people worse off around them, but as things pile up on others, I see myself, and I am ashamed to not be more grateful. I know my time will come. I think I had better start reminding myself that I need to be more grateful and positive. 

   Also, today is Sunday, and while it's rainy and dark, we tied up in Brooklyn at a dock with shore access, around 2am, and are free for the day, maybe. If the rain holds off, I will go for a walk, maybe go to mass up at the church about a 30 min walk from this pier.  Feel like I might need it.