Got Nothin' but Time

Since I have nothing  - 

Here is my Youth in music.

This was my first concert. It was being held at a local college.

I wasn't even close to being able to drive yet. 

My father was letting me go only because my mom had died recently. 

I certainly knew it and took advantage of it.

Dad drove Sue and me to the concert. I begged Dad to drop us off down the street, the same block, but far from the front entrance of the college doors. Shockingly Dad did as I asked. 

I remember my Bobbie Brooks red white and blue big bell bottoms that I wore to this concert. Oh, I thought I was looking great. Fringe vest to boot.  🤣😂

Sue and I have talked about this so many times. We found it so funny that dad dropped us off but drove ever so slowly so he was still watching us by the time we got to the entrance. He kept pace with us walking and we pretended not to notice. But in our minds, we at least weren't little 14-year-olds being dropped off by Dad smack dab in front of all those older college kids. Sure we were, but in our minds, that drop-off made it all better. 

This little ditty we heard while perusing albums at the local 'head' shop. Now, remember this is the early 70s. It was on a street that we called the Neil Young Causeway because it was nothing but bars and head shops. 

It was actually called 8th street. But to the "hippies" it was the Neil Young Causeway.

My boyfriend was looking at bongs, pipes, and the like and I was on the other side of the store which was all music. This album was playing in the store the entire time we were there. 

I heard a song and I said, wonder who this is? We listened to most of the album while there so we bought it. A regional band called The Good Rats, who were big in the northeast only. (NY and LI primarily)  I believe it was Rolling Stone Magazine who said they were the best band to never get famous. Rolling Stone Magazine was my bible back in the day of good music. Long Long ago in a galaxy far far away is what it feels like.

I remember getting this album of the Guess Who in like '70 or '71. I was in junior high. When we moved last year this album was sold with the other 300+ albums I got custody of. (truly splitting our albums was the hardest part of dividing up our stuff for us).  This song is truly the only cover I've heard by someone else that I like as well if not better than the original. Lenny Kravitz does such a good version!  More modern version for certain. And let's face it, he may be a shorty, but Lenny is mighty fine to look at!

Then there is this song by Creedance Clearwater Revival. 

Vietnam was my youth so this song hit a cord at the time. 

I recall kids who weren't rich or going to college so off to war they went. Sometimes Canada but more often than not shipped to Vietnam.

This song struck a nerve and besides CCR was just damn good to me.

This is not my youth but around 2015 is when I discovered her.

She was at the Chesapeake Blues Festival in Annapolis MD in the spring of 2015. (I think). I always enjoyed this festival on the beach.

I don't recall right now for certain that it was 2015 but it was a while ago.

Love this song and her voice. She did not do this at the Blues Festival. I think this came out 3 or 4 years later.

Pharmacy

I have certain pharmacies I can use that are in my insurance network.

Sadly CVS is the place.

For whatever reason, I have been picking them up instead of mail order and I can't change mid stream unless the doctor sends a new Rx. 

I am seeing my doctor on the 7th or 8th of Feb and I'll have her be sure she does it correctly this time.

There is a price difference too - $3 if I go inside, $0 if mailed.

If there is an issue I have to go inside the CVS store.

Sadly there are always issues. And you can't use the drive-through. Some days someone is there, most days not there or they tell you to come inside so now I don't even bother with the drive-through.

Now all of my medications are covered except my thyroid medication.

It is not covered by any insurance. (it's not a big pharma drug is the reason why)

I had one refill left. I called to have it refilled. I went to pick it up and they said it wasn't available. But I did this 3 days ago, now I am getting low on my meds.

They tell me to come back. I came back on the day I was instructed, now having no pills left. I waited 20 minutes in line. Then the snotty young thing with dirty hair told me that they didn't have it. 

I asked, "You don't have it filled or you don't have the medication?"

She said,"yep"

OMG

So again I ask, do you have the medication in stock or was the Rx not filled yet? Again, she says, 'yep' and snickers.

I told her to cancel the Rx and she said okay and walked away.

I went to Walgreens across the street since it's using Good Rx. I stood in line for another 15 minutes and then got frustrated and left. I got in my car and looked up the goodrx.com site and saw that Walmart down the street has them. I then drive to Walmart.

I asked the pharmacy tech if I can transfer this Rx (showing her the bottle I had with me that was empty) and she said, "certainly" 

Then she proceeded to explain.  We can call CVS for the transfer, but they never answer the phone. We will text you and email you when we have it filled. You may also want to try asking them to transfer it as well.  

I tried to call CVS but no one answers.

I waited another 2 days for the transfer. Thankfully I had the pills in a higher dosage so if I cut them in half with my pill cutter it'd be the same amount. So that is what I did for two weeks while waiting for my Rx.

I went to CVS and told them I was trying to transfer and before I could finish she had me pulled up in her system and said, "we've already transferred it so there is nothing I need to do from here." I thanked her and go back to Walmart.

Walmart says they never got it. So she says to hold on. We both dialed them. They picked up for me. I said I had just been in there and was told that it was transferred but I am at the other pharmacy and it wasn't transferred.  She then proceeded to tell me that their fax was down that is probably why. (I doubted that) So I said, "here you can speak to the pharmacy"  I handed her the phone. The person in front of me says 2 words and then looks at me, "they hung up on me" 

She said dealing with CVS is pure hell, you may wish to call your doctor to just send a new Rx into us. 

I email my doctor and tell her I feel like I am caught in the middle. CVS won't transfer and is the most difficult to deal with. The CVS pharmacy says they got it, then they never got it, fax is working, but now the fax isn't working and they won't speak to the Walmart Pharmacist, can you please send a new RX for 30 days until I see you? Can you please send it to Walmart  - I gave her the address and phone number of the pharmacy.

Within minutes I get an email from WALGREENS telling me that my Rx is not covered by insurance but ready for pick up. 

OMG, now my doctor called the wrong place. 

I show this all to Rick and he said, "so now the doctor isn't helping the situation but piling onto this mess"  Yep!

I wrote back to the doctor and said that I appreciated her doing this on a Sunday but I did say WALMART as you can see in the earlier email thread. 

She apologized and immediately called the correct place.

All of this is for a lousy 30-day supply of thyroid medication.

I'd hate to think how this could affect someone who didn't have a higher dosage to cut in half for the last 2 weeks or if it were heart medication etc.

I called Aetna who is my service provider for prescriptions. I want all things done via mail so I don't have to go in there and there are a couple of the Rx's I couldn't change on my profile online. They helped me make the change to the ones I could. She asked why I was doing this. I told her. She apologized when I was through and said she hears this way too often. I told her I will likely go to another insurer next enrollment period because dealing with CVS is not worth it. She asked if someone called me would I share this. I said sure!

And get this, the good Rx price was higher than the negotiated rate with Walmart so now I only have to pay $12. Better than $25.

I was a pharmacy tech in high school for 2 years. We didn't have computers and the job wasn't easy but my goodness you could train a monkey to do better than what is going on at the local CVS!

Chocolate and Desserts

In the early spring of 1987 Rick and I went out to dinner for the first time.

At the end of the meal, he asked if I wanted to share a dessert.

I said, "Oh no."

He said, "you really don't want dessert, they are well-known for them here."

I said, "Oh I want dessert, but you asked if I wanted to share. I do not share dessert. I'll share my meal, but not my dessert."

Well, Rick let out a hearty laugh at me. 

He said, "I have never met a woman who doesn't want to share her dessert."

I told him that no woman wants to share her dessert but she feels she has to say this to look demur, petite, whatever you men need to think of us as.

I went on to explain how my BFF goes out to dinner with men and barely eats a thing. Then goes home and downs a pizza or a sub. She just doesn't want to look like a big ole pig at dinner with this guy. I find that darn right silly!  

So we both got dessert and it was delicious. 

Just so you know, I feel the same way about chocolate. 😁

Insomnia and Docs

Insomnia for me usually means a documentary. 

Rick doesn't enjoy them like me so it's a good time for me to watch them.

The other evening I found myself with more energy at 1am than one would ever believe. I cleaned out the refrigerator. Now what? 

What can I do that is quiet at this hour. The disadvantage of living in a small home. At least before Rick was sleeping upstairs and I could be on the 1st or 3rd floor. 

I decided if I tried to sleep that would be helpful. 

I lay there and listened to Rick. After 55 minutes of staring at the ceiling or the clock on my nightstand, I got up.

I turned on the TV and saw a documentary on Mario Batali.

Now I have never liked Mario. Molto Mario was his first show I recall on the Food Network. I didn't care for the food he made but there was also something dark about him that I didn't care for. 

Then years later he was on one of my favorite shows The Chew. 

I like 3 of the hosts. 2 of them I couldn't care less, Mario Batali and Daphne Oz. Mario to me was just creepy and Daphne was an entitled snob to me.

Neither were the warm and funny ones who made food I'd eat, like Clinton Kelly, Chef Carla, and Chef Michael. (my boyfriend if you recall) 

When I mentioned to a friend how I felt about Mario she laughed and said, "yeah what is it about him? I wouldn't trust him as far as I could throw him either"  

I laughed and said, "He's large, you can't throw him" 

She said, "Exactly."   

We laughed and that was the end of that.

Then we find out several years later he was gross and disgusting just like we thought. He lost his empire and still didn't get it, his apology for his disgusting behavior ended with a recipe. 

My God you clueless insensitive man, that didn't help your cause.

The documentary isn't long. (discovery +)

It laid out all he did by his accusers who were willing to come forward (think Bill Cosby) The victims, the police, the detectives, and the co-workers who were not victims.

There was a man who was his friend/partner in a restaurant, who saw the disgusting behavior but said nothing. Even after Mario was arrested the man still feels like he betrayed his friend by admitting to police what the women were saying was true. That man is a big fat turd. If that was your daughter would you still feel bad for admitting what he did to the police? 

As these women cry and lost everything including their jobs?

During all of this, I wondered why his wife stayed with him. (like Camille Cosby) His wife comes from money, big money. Her family is the dynasty of "COACH"  So unlike Camille Cosby she has money of her own one would assume. Why stay when you hear all the things he did to women while married to you? 

So now he lives in the upper peninsula of Michigan at his summer home. 

The locals say he was never friendly or warm or wanted anything to do with them. Now, he talks to them. I found that interesting and telling about his character. 

Then I made the mistake of watching a documentary by Rory Kennedy. 

If you watch Docs you know she is an awesome documentary filmmaker.

I saw that some of the producers were Brian Glaser and Ron Howard. 

We all know they make good films. I figured I'd give this a try. 

A friend that is a pilot for United and I talked about this situation. 

So I wanted to see how the film played out.

It's called Downfall: The Case Against Boeing. (Netflix)

This film will make you sick to your stomach over Boeing's cover-up that killed a lot of innocent people. It will make you not wish to fly again. 

I can't stop thinking about it.

This one I watched one afternoon when I was not feeling well. 

Rick came inside and sat with me for the rest of it. He kept gasping. 

He made me chuckle. Then he began swearing at those on the screen. 

I said, "hey settle down or we're going to ask you to leave the theatre buddy!"

He laughed and said, "I'll leave the theatre and not ever fly again!"

Yep, that is how I felt after this.

Plinko

I had some time and thought I'd write a post.
I sit here in my office with the door open. 

I have nothing to write, I just stare at the screen.

Then I pay attention to my background.

I hear the TV, "Haley, Come On Down." 

I smile.
This is retirement. 
This is Rick. 

He loves The Price Is Right. 

While he preferred Bob Barker, Drew has grown on him.

This is his bucket list.

A grown-ass man who would love to be on TPIR

Truth be told I want it for him.

I am still crazy nuts in love with that nutjob in the living room watching TPIR and yelling, one dollar!!

Let The New Year Begin!

The oddest holiday ever.

You've all had those days, weeks, and months where you are out of sorts.

We both were on the 31st. It was a very odd day.

We had no plans for our anniversary or this made-up holiday.

It was a relatively warm day for this time of year, 63 was the high.

But it was very cloudy and overcast.

Rick was spending time in his workshop since it was warmer. He does not have insulation out there, and it was too dang cold for him. Besides epoxy doesn't dry quickly when this cold nor does the stuff he puts on plain wood designs.

So he's been in the house underfoot.  

I still need to understand how people do this all day long together. 

I love the guy but even I get sick of him from time to time. :-)

Anyhoo, we did things needing to be done in the house. 

That night we planned on a nice dinner. 

Oh, you know sitting at the table instead of the kitchen island. 

Food, meaning meat, salad and veggies. No taco's in the living room. 

Rick's sister with all the money sent us a very, very nice bottle of wine that we could not afford. We thought that would be perfect.

Rick made the steaks, I made a salad and we did a baked potato. Very boring but we haven't had steaks in a year and we were craving them. 

They were the price of a small car but we decided this was a treat for our anniversary.

The steaks were awful!! They were tough. 

I mean, these were nice-looking ribeyes. But they were awful. 

Rick cooked them perfectly in a cast iron pan while basting them with butter, garlic and thyme. It's how he always does them even if grilling.

Then into the oven to finish. He put the meat thermometer to get them exactly how we like them. Rick is a medium rare guy and I am a medium girl. If overdone for me, I am fine with that, Rick isn't. 

I prefer shoe leather over rare. I'm one of those.

The salad was great, my baked sweet potato was delish and the broccoli was very good but that steak was just awful. I had 2 pieces and quit. 

I was full with the potato, broccoli, and salad anyway. 

The wine was superb!

There are so many things I miss now that we are so tight on money. 

Good wine is one of them!! 

Oh, I just didn't want this bottle to be done. But it was.

Oh well.

Rick didn't eat all of his steak either. I want to bring them back to Wegmans and tell them they sucked. But it's not their fault. So much for craving a steak. We'd have been better off at a low-end place like Logan's Roadhouse sadly. I like it there but we thought a good steak was elsewhere. Oh boy were we wrong.

We thought it was a fitting ending to a very shitty year. 

(I know Bobi, you don't want to hear about superlatives describing the year. But it fits for us.)

We were cleaning up the dishes when Rick said this was a perfect ending to 2022 for us.

I think he was correct. 

So here we are in 2023.

I want to have hope. 

I want to have a glimmer of good things on the horizon. 

I am squinting and I see some. 🤨

This lottery tomorrow is pretty huge. $785 million is nice.

We know what we'll do should we be so lucky.

Move!!

Going to spend a week at the Salamander Resort and Spa for some R & R.

While there we will find a financial planner and think about what we are going to do next. Maybe a trip to sit on the beach in Maui too. 

Yep, that is our dream for tonight.

After that lousy steak, I could go for 2023 starting off with a winner.

Good Riddance 2022!

Whether you prefer to stay home in your comfy clothes eating popcorn on New Year's Eve & watching a movie or you prefer to get all dressed up and go out on the town -----

Have Fun and Be Safe!

Kindness

I have friends in Buffalo. Yes, they are used to bad weather but this one took the cake even for them. This was bad on a Buffalo level. Can you even imagine as the snow melts you find dead people? In snow mounds? or in cars? on sidewalks? Being trapped in your house or worse, not at your home for days. They have already reached 100 inches of snow and it's only about to be January. They have a lot of winter left. Their record I believe is 200 inches. I recall a few years ago when they were in a contest with my hometown and my hometown lost by just 2 inches or something like that. Wild to me. It's 62 today as I type this. I don't want that kind of weather in my life that is for sure! Then who does? 

I found this story to be a heartwarming story of kindness. Everyone in this story went above and beyond. Because she put this on Facebook live she got help. 
But as you can see when she went live she was frantic. She didn't want this man to die. My understanding was she called everyone including the National Guard to come help get this man medical help. But strangers on FB showed up to help. 

I hope this man survives and doesn't lose his hands and feet. I also hope someone repays this woman somehow. My God, she was an angel!!

I have seen such nice stories too with a tour bus that got stranded outside a couple's home. Did you see this? A tour bus of mostly South Korean tourists was heading to Niagara Falls when they got stranded.  They knocked on the home's front door asking for help. They were invited in for dinner - here's the story.   I love how the homeowners had many Korean foods in their home pantry and their guests made them a feast!

Then there were a group of young people whose flights were canceled and they were all stranded. They were trying to go from Tampa to Cleveland.  Here is their story.  They were all so young and cute, check out the video.

I lived that last story but with only 2 other women. I still think about it and the moments of quiet over the bridge always make me smile.

Still on holiday break -- so here's my canceled flight story and my drive home with strangers.

Kindness - it's out there if you look very, very hard.

Crest Strips and 2023

Do you recall my story about my attempt at using Crest Strips?

Well, we saw a commercial for them last night.

Rick reminded me of this event and how much he was so grossed out by what he thought I had done.

To this day it makes me laugh because he's known me for 35 years how could he know me so well and yet think I would do this? Gross.

But he reminded me last night how much he was shocked, appalled, and disgusted, and listening to him tell this just makes me laugh. After all of that my teeth are no whiter. I don't have a lot of porcelain left and what I did have chemo has done a number on them so I guess teeth that look like chicklets are out of the realm of possibility for me. 

Here is the crest strip story because I am still under holiday sedation. LOL

2022 was a shit show but not as bad as 2020 and 2021. So let's hope Nostradamus is wrong and 2023 will be far better. Please?

The Holidays

  MERRY CHRISTMAS!

¡FELIZ NAVIDAD!

BUON NATALE!

HAPPY HANUKAH!

I hope each of you has the holiday you wish for in every language!

Blizzard Fun

There are times when I think people have gone mad.

Then I think, well, you were in the industry so you know what to do so give those people a break.

Then I think, Nah, they're nuts.

So far we are warm and toasty inside. It's bad but it could be far worse. Like my friend in Bismark. Those poor folks have -7 without wind chill and lows in the -20s.  Yep, we're doing just fine here. We have power and a great many around us do not. We have food, wine, batteries, and candles. 

We are set.

This weather system has been on the news for a week. 

If you were surprised I'd ask, where have you been?

I knew my niece who was just up here in Raleigh from South Florida was going north to see the family.

I asked if she ever watches the news when she appeared surprised by my comments on her flights. No. Only social media. First mistake.

She said that if she doesn't see it on social media she doesn't see it. 

Oh my, was my first thought. Ah, Millennials.

We never ever will go up north again during the holiday season after one year of being stuck there for days longer than we were supposed to. 

We missed work and it was crazy stupid of us to go up there during winter. 

So we will normally go up in the fall and say, "see you in spring." 

My niece was flying into Buffalo from Florida she told me. While arriving in Buffalo makes it a quick 80 minutes to my parent's home along lake Erie, I suggested she not do this during winter. But no one listens to me. I get it, it was cheaper to fly into Buffalo, but guess why? Bad winter weather in Buffalo, I know shocked aren't you? 

She booked a flight into Buffalo and was renting a car to drive to my parents along I-90.  I was watching the Today show and saw the weather, I saw it on the evening news and then I text her earlier in the week.  The forecasters were worried about I-90 closing due to visibility and blizzard conditions. 

I suggested she call the airlines now and rebook before you don't have a choice and they pick the date. BUT, she kept saying, BUT what if it isn't canceled. Oh, but it will be, it's Buffalo for 1 thing and 2 it's a blizzard. 

This may impact the plane coming into you or the stop in Atlanta, etc. 

I suggested calling the airline reservation line or the travel agent you booked it with. "Oh no, I did it online." 

Oh, then you are on your own. You can call the airline but well, you'll see.

She didn't call the airline to be rerouted before others called the airlines. 

Nope, she waited until I saw it was canceled and I sent her the site link. 

Then the airlines rescheduled her on their terms so she now leaves on Dec 27th, not the 24th. Told ya. She now asks me my opinion. I told her what I had told her before. If you had called before the flight was canceled they were waiving all change fees so you could have said, can I get the 25th? You'd still be there for Xmas dinner. The day after the blizzard.
But you waited. You get what you get. At least the highway will be open again by the date you arrive.

The moral of the story is don't fly to Buffalo NY or Erie PA in winter. 

Wait until the thaw, around May. 😀

So far we are warm and toasty inside. It's bad but it could be far worse. Like my friend in Bismark. Those poor folks have -7 without wind chill and lows in the -20s.  She is visiting her family there from Vancouver. I can't even imagine that kind of cold. Brrr....

Yep, we're doing just fine here. Hope you all are toasty warm inside as well.

Me, The old fuddy duddy

The hair salon I've been going to since moving here is making me testy.
They will not talk on the phone. 

They are millennials you know, so they only text. 

To make an appointment you must go online. They make changes that I would prefer to discuss. Like when they raised the price $21.00. 

When I got to the salon I asked why it was costing more this time vs the last time I got a haircut. Why Kyle was now a Level 3 stylist she tells me.  

Okay, I understood that, but I wasn't thrilled. When this happened at another salon, it popped up that they were letting me know my stylist has moved up to Level 3 or whatever and that this time they will honor the old price but her new price was going to be XYZ from now on. I thought that was a nice way of doing it since it was all online.

Today I had to cancel my January appointment because I am attempting to grow out my short pixie haircut and felt it didn't need to be trimmed just yet. So I had to text that I wanted to cancel since they don't allow you to do that online. Then to rebook it stated I needed to pay 50% down upon making the appointment. 

F-No!!

I text them and asked why I must do that. I was told because that is how it works if you chose to book online. Choose to book online? I'd surely prefer to call you and make an appointment but you don't allow that. When I asked why you could only book online the first time I went they made this lame ass excuse that with all the blow dryers going it is difficult to hear the phone.  I laughed and asked how many people believe that? She too laughed and just said, "well". I understood. they don't wish to use the phone.

Today when I text I told them to cancel my appointments. 

When they asked if I wanted to rebook I said no. Then and only then did they say, well if you tell us what you want we'll rebook it this time for you. This time? No. This time only is not what I want. Kyle is booked 2 months in advance. I am not paying for a haircut 2 months in advance. 

Yes, 50% is only $31 but it's the principal for me. do they keep it if you need to cancel? It didn't say and I didn't ask because frankly, I knew the answer. 

I am not doing this. Period.

Now I need to find someone all over again. No one I've researched does anything with a human touch. Must all be online. Can't ask questions. 

I was considered a barber cut in the drop down menu online at the last salon which is why it was only $62. So looking at other places what is it called? Argh! And since I am growing it out is it still a barber cut? What is their name for a haircut? How I dislike all this impersonal way of doing business.

I will find a new place. I am certain I will have a much longer commute but if I can get a cut and speak to a human I will be fine.

The doctors here make you schedule online, the hair salon you must schedule online, and physical therapy you must schedule online. I am an old fart who doesn't like this way of doing business.

I'm old and boy does it show. 

Friends

Friends come and friends go. 

But do real friends really go? Or it's just their time is up? 

Has the friendship just run its course and now everyone needs to move on?

I'm leaning toward the latter. Has this ever happened to you?

I have had friends, maybe more acquaintances who just disappeared of late. You call to check on them and they say they are fine, but you know that isn't true. You reach out via text, call, etc and they don't respond. I am no longer chasing them. I am too old. If you don't wish to be friends anymore fine. It just can't be one-sided all the time. It is hurtful, and mean, and not something I wish to tolerate anymore. 

If they don't care why should I? How many times do you get ignored that is appropriate to stop the one-sided communication?

I am thinning the herd.

There are two bloggers who stopped blogging who are my good friends now. One lives here in my backyard. One is 2 hrs away. They are more friends to me than others. They reach out. They both sent me the greatest cards while ill. They respond when you text or call. They drop notes to see if you're doing okay and when you do the same for them they respond. We make plans to get together and do. We share. They both have very busy lives and yet friendship doesn't stop for them. I hear it all the time, I'm so busy. 
A lame excuse.

So those who just chose to check out I'm done too. It really is okay, the friendship just ran its course I think. They can do that I suppose.
I don't have time to play games or be involved in toxic relationships. 

I'm too old to play that game. And truth be told I should never have played that game when I was younger either. If you say, I'm not dealing well with things can I get back to you later? Absolutely! That would worry me and I would continue to check in in a roundabout way (maybe a spouse or other friends of ours) to be sure they were okay but there is a fine line between bothering them and being sure they aren't going to jump off a bridge. 

I'm lucky to have friends all over the country because I have lived all over the country. I also worked in the travel industry and those of us in that industry know your friends /family are all over the globe.  

But you miss them. You still stay in touch. Calls, texts, emails, and the like are all small pieces of the rope that ties us all together.  

None of my real friends say things like oh I'm too busy. 

If a man did that to a woman everyone would chastise those men! 

Too busy for a quick text women would scream. Too busy for 20 minutes in your day to reach out? You would say those men just don't care enough about you and you'd be right and you'd move on. So I am doing the same with fair-weather acquaintances and friends. 

I admit that at first you're hurt but then you realize this is your last chapter in life and why are you doing this to yourself? Move it along. It ran its course. That's okay and we have to learn it's okay.

It was nice until it wasn't and that's your sign as Bill Engvall used to say. 
A big sign, flashing lights, and flares.

My cousin B. is like a brother/friend to me. His life at times has been difficult. His life at times has been more stressful than any of us can imagine. But he never lets you down. 

He just had surgery on his brain. He called me just as I was finishing my 6-month journey of drugs and chemo to see how I was doing. 
He said no more text, I need to hear your voice. He sounded just fine.  

He was funny and loving and all that B. is. We were on the phone for an hour mostly laughing and joking. He and I get one another.

Then I heard 2 months later he went to his hometown and mine and my mom and others were concerned because he just didn't look like himself. A swollen face for one. No one knew what was happening to him and why. He began to have cognitive issues as well as falling etc. I worried that like his mother he may have dementia. They finally figured it out. He was leaking spinal fluid into his brain. They had to drill a hole and release the fluid. After they saw it worked, they then went into his head in surgery to put in a stent so the fluid could drain. He is doing so much better, his cognitive skills are coming back, his balance coming back, his face is back and he's funny again. 

I sent a funny card to him and he text me yesterday asking where I find these cards. (em and friends online) It made him laugh so hard it hurt his head. SORRY I explained, sure didn't mean to do that. But glad it made him laugh because he said he has needed a good belly laugh. I told him that is always what the doctor orders. I was just so relieved he is coming back and they found the issue. If he wasn't related he would still be a friend that I would think I was so lucky to have in my life.

I have a great many wonderful friends and I can't imagine my life without them. They are all like a warm hug. I don't wish to lose them. 

To the others, it was sure fun while it lasted. 

I've decided it was fun until it wasn't and it is just a natural course of life and everyone moves on.

Have you ever just watched a friend disappear?

Google Maps

A while back I told you all about Rick being in a clinical trial for RSV. 

After his initial shot, he was sent home with a thermometer and a diary link. The first week he had to report in every day via the link. His temp must be taken and reported on this link daily. 

After the questions, he could tell them if he had any issues at all. 

Simple things like a headache were even to be mentioned.

After the first week, he only has to check in via the link on M-W-F. 

Last week he had a headache, then sniffles, then just feeling like, what's that professional term? Oh, like crap.😉

On this Wednesday check-in, he wrote how awful he's been feeling since Monday and they immediately called him. They asked him to come in for an exam. All of this is free including any medications he may need. Plus they pay him to come in and see a doctor. (if hospitalized they pay that too)

He was examined this morning and thankfully he has a common cold with the onset of bronchitis. The rattling just began. They gave him a steroid inhaler that normally costs $600 on Good RX and due to being in the trial he got this for free as well as they paid him $120 for coming in. Wild right?

They were glad this was not RSV and he will take this until better and continue his check-ins and if things change - they will see him again.

Each time he goes in whether to see the doctors or for something they request it is automatically $120. The monthly pay for doing the diary is $80. Honestly, it feels like we're stealing. But there ya go.

Rick got home and shared the experience and said, I'd go to the doctors more if they just paid me. Yes, who wouldn't? 

They again stressed to Rick to mask up. 

Right now it's very bad out there he was told with the flu/RSV, covid, and pneumonia. 

I do mask up already. I have seen more masks lately than I did during the peak of Covid. But there is no way I wish to get anything so mask-wearing is my thing. I've had a flu shot, all my boosters, and I've had a pneumonia vaccine so I SHOULD be okay but why chance it. Besides a mask means no makeup for me. 

 At some point last night our mailbox was knocked over. We had a delivery at 5:00ish (AM) from Amazon. I was up when I heard it hit the front door. By the time I got to the door to see what the sound was, I found no one was there except for my package. I never even saw that the mailbox at the end of the drive had been knocked over. It was too dark. Did the Amazon driver do this? It was fine yesterday when we took our walk and then got our mail.

It was intact when Rick brought out the garbage last night too. 

I'm thinking the amazon driver did it.

On Rick's way home from his exam today he stopped and got some things needed to fix it, like cement. It is rainy, cold, and damp today. Okay not cold, 60-61 but it's damp. I told him to let it go - it is upright now and this can wait. I mean he's sick and he wants to go pour cement outside in the rain. Men! He wasn't going to listen to me but if he gets sicker I will remind him of what I said because I am a ball buster. And yes, I said that to him and he laughed knowing full well I will. 

I used to get bronchitis every year like clockwork. 

But since my discovery of having celiac and changing my diet, I no longer have seasonal allergies, have not had bronchitis, no more eczema etc. So while it sucks to eat like this I don't mind not getting sick all the time. I have had bronchitis every year since my teens. I do not wish to get this from Rick so I told him to not kiss me. Bad enough we breathe the same air and are together 24/7, but I don't need to swap spit and get this. I am not in a clinical trial so my medicine won't be free. He laughed. He's been staying far away for some time now so I didn't get this. But I mean how far can he go? It's humorous really.

Today I also dropped off some books at the library. As I was leaving I was heading toward Target. But I didn't know how to get to "my" target from here. So I put it in my phone. But google maps wouldn't come up. I tried several times. Then I began to laugh alone in my car probably looking like a damn fool. So I remembered there is a Garmin GPS in the middle glove box. I took it out and put in the address not noticing anything else. It told me it was over 4hrs away. WHAT? Then I realized it was still set to Virginia. 

So then I'm playing with settings and not finding what I need. 

Which makes me giggle all the more. I am stranded at the library and honestly, I can think of worse places to be stranded. I tried my phone again.

I had internet but not google maps. So I then pulled up a map and tried to see which way to go. I thought I had it when Rick called me. He asked where I was at. He needed me to pick something up for him. I began to laugh and I told him I'm in the library parking lot because I don't know how to get home.  He told me to shut my phone down and then turn it back on. 

I did that and it worked. 

I need maps people!

I made it to Target and I made it home.

Whew!!

A conversation in our home.

R: How many years has it been?

P: Been for what?

R: How many have we been together?

P: Together or married?

R: Both.

P: 35 and 29.

R: For which?

 Now I am laughing.

P: Seriously think about what you just asked me?

Now he is laughing at himself.

R: Well, you knew what I meant. You just have to bust my balls, don't you?

P: Hell Yeah, that is the glue that has held us together for 35 yrs. 

R: Oh is that what it is?

P: Well and that we're too tired to leave one another.

R: Well, that is certainly true.

P: Oh, I so don't wish to train someone all over again Rick, you can leave me but I'm going with you. You know that's my rule.

R: Ah, I can't handle two women now anymore anyway and I'm too tired to run. Remember I no longer bend or run.

I'm laughing

P: Good, then we'll have our 29th anniversary in a few weeks.

R: Yep.

He says yep as if he knew that was the correct number. I could have said 36 and he'd say yep.

Weather Outside is Frightful.

My niece's husband is one of the coaches for a small college football team in Florida. 

His team made it to the playoffs and they are set to play in the NAIA Football National Championship being held in Durham NC on the 17th of December. 

She will be coming up from south Florida for the games and she is bringing her daughter and asked if we could meet them. Are you kidding me? Of course, I can't wait!!  Her in-laws are also coming so they have made all kinds of plans. 

The school has arranged their hotels etc. 

I asked if we could babysit Avery while they did adult things. She said Avery goes to the games too. Damn it. I bet grandma and grandpa will probably have her. 

I so wanted to have Avery stay with us for a bit. She is just the cutest little shit. 

I don't get enough time with them. Oh well, at least I will see her on Saturday. 

Rick said, 'let's hope for a flight cancellation and they have to come to stay with us"

I laughed and said that is a horrible thought but I so understand!

They arrive Friday night. The game kick-off time is 12/noon Saturday. 

We are meeting for dinner Saturday and then they live early morning Sunday.

It is a whirlwind. 

My niece lives in Florida and it's going to be cold here so I warned her. She's been in Florida for less than 5 yrs I believe but she like me can no longer deal with the cold.

The storm that is dumping snow and rain on the west coast is moving here.

I saw where our weather will be changing by Thursday and it's going to be very cold. About 20 degrees colder than normal. I wanted her to know so she could plan accordingly. Sitting at a football game does not sound appealing to me in cold weather. But then I don't care for football so I wouldn't enjoy it in the summer either.

She asked the temp. I told her right now 62 but that storm you are seeing on TV will be coming our way. It will mean colder than normal temps beginning on Friday when you arrive. Highs only in the 40s and lows in the 20s. Brrr....

That is so not the weather we are used to and I know she is gonna freeze. 

I am gonna freeze and I don't live in Florida.

I asked if she had gloves, thermal anything, etc. She has a hat, scarf, gloves, and her coat from living up north. Last night we were texting. I told her I had to be in Durham on Thursday for a gyno/specialist appointment at Duke. 

I can drop a box off for them at the hotel which is about 3 miles away from my doctor's office.

I called the hotel to be sure this was something they would allow me to do. 

I've done it often but each hotel is different so I thought I would check. 

No issues, in fact, they said it is done all the time. 

At least now when they arrive on Friday night they can just give this box to them at check-in. They will be all set for Saturday's early game. 

I know she wears a medium but I have a size large thermal top. It is silky and thin like a pair of silk panties but it is a Thinsulate warm top. Think modern long johns. 

I also have heated socks. I will charge them and they will be ready to go. I asked her about the top if she wanted to try it even though it is a size large. She said OH MY GOD YES. So she didn't seem to mind that it is a size larger than she wears.  

It's thin and under a sweater or sweatshirt who will know except she will be warm. 

I then asked if they were going to take blankets from the hotel to use at the game to wrap around their legs etc. She said they really didn't wish to pack that so they were hoping they could take things from their room. I told her I would give her blankets too.

I washed all the items Sunday. These blankets were in the garage storage because I used them at the beach a lot. So they needed washed they smelled stuffy even though I knew they were clean when they were put away.  

I have put together a box of two big Mexican blankets, a Thinsulate top for her to wear under her clothes, hand warmers for 5 people, heated socks for her, a pair of Merrells, and some fun things for her daughter.  We will be having dinner with them Saturday so she can give me all the stuff back and then they fly home very early Sunday morning. 

I told her what was in the box and she was so excited. The blankets she kept saying were such a good idea. She and her MIL were concerned about sitting in the stands and freezing. They really didn't wish to pack things like that. They just wanted a carry-on. The blankets are both huge and they are very warm blankets. I literally got them in Tijuana which is a long bad story. 😊

I charged my socks and then this morning after I saw they were fully charged I tried them by inserting my hand in them. Rick kept saying to try them on to see if they were working. I had washed them I wasn't going to put them on my feet. 

They got warm quickly so I know they are ready to be worn.

She is gonna love them. As she will all the warm things in the box. This weather is going to be a shock for her and her in-laws. They are from Florida so unlike her who grew up on lake Erie and has lived in the tundra, they do not have clothes for this.

When I saw I had so many more hand warmers I decided to put enough in there for everyone. I would bet they may poo-poo at first but by the end of 1st quarter, they will love them.

She asked me why I had all this stuff since I've been in the south for so long. 

The weather in VA and here is almost the same. 5 degrees give or take if they are different. Of course, if it is not the same temp then it's warmer here. 

I explained that since I have lived in VA and here totaling over 25 yrs I am no longer able to deal with the cold like I used to. So I have all this because I had a dog to walk. My dog preferred cold weather. She could walk forever if cold. I could not. So I had hand warmers, heated socks, hat, gloves, scarves, and Thinsulate tops. (I lost the bottoms somewhere in the move which is odd.) I said I am no longer a tough snowbird, I am a weather wuss now. If it's in the 40s/30s I am freezing and I need all that stuff to be walking a dog. Now I walk every morning and find it helpful to wear some of these things when it does get cold and I can't blame Izzy. But it hasn't been that cold until this coming week.

She is going to be flying up to our hometown on lake Erie over Xmas and it will be far colder up there that is for certain and I can bet my house on the fact that they will have snow and lots of it. So she will be going through this again in another week. Her daughter, 3 years old, has never seen snow so this will be a real treat for her. 

She asked us if we wanted to go to the game. I told her that we really want to support Myles but in all honesty, we don't understand football so we will have to find another way to support him. She howled. She knows we are not football people but she wanted to ask. 

I hope where you are the weather is not bad, no mudslides, no tornados, no heavy snow or blizzard conditions. Stay Warm!

Password Breach

 Last evening I made "my" popcorn as Rick refers to it and we settled in for a movie. Nothing like popcorn and wine with a movie. 😁

The movie is called Don't Worry Darling and it was on HBO and HBO max. 

When it was over Rick turned to me and said, "What the hell did we just watch?"

Good question!

I will say that Harry Styles was far better than I would have ever thought and that Florence Pugh is the reason to watch it at all. She is very good here.

Cross between Stepford wives and I have no idea what.

If you've seen it please tell me what happened at the end. What was the experiment that they wouldn't share? It was a bad movie and honestly poorly directed. That was the other thing, Olivia Wilde was being hailed as this great director. 

Oh no, this was not her best.

We received a message from google a few months back stating that our passwords were all compromised. So I had to change 150 or so passwords. I started with banking which I felt was most important and ended with media like Sirius, Hulu, hbomax, Netflix etc.

Because I share with my niece I had to give her my new sign-in. I also share HBO max with my friend Melanie so I had to let her know of the password/sign-in changes.

Then this week I received an email from HBO Max saying we see you added a profile. And they give you the customer support number if you need help. I went into our HBO account and saw that the profile added was Gary. My friend Melanie's husband is Gary so I assumed it was his. I text her to ask and she said NO he says he didn't remember doing that.

Because she said it wasn't him I changed everything again to be safe. Today I got an email stating she thinks it was her husband. He was doing something with Roku in the bedroom. He doesn't think he did the profile thing but he also isn't certain he didn't. She was apologizing profusely. I told her it was okay. We made the change and we're all fine.

Gary has just been through the wringer with esophageal cancer and radiation etc. Then some issues with prostrate and more radiation. So the guy has been through hell in the last year. He hasn't had chemo though.

She told me that he has been doing a lot of 'stupid' things more often than usual. She is beginning to worry about his mental health. I said I found out that chemo brain is a real thing and it will take up to a year for me to feel back to normal. Could radiation have done this to him as well?  I'd ask the doctor before you panic.

I get it though, we're in our mid-60s and shit begins to happen.

I told her if she was going to watch Don't Worry Darling to please explain it to me.

She asked what it was about and I said I don't know. Part Stepford Wives and part who the hell knows. I was as confused as ever by the end as was Rick. She laughed and said that isn't a good recommendation.  I told her to watch for shit and giggles and let me know her thoughts. I can't wait to hear from someone who has watched it. What was that? What was that ending and what does it mean? Did everyone die? I feel stupid because I did not get this.

Have any of you seen it and can you please explain the ending? 

What was the Victory Project besides a misogynistic treatment of women? Oh they know too much, they must be insane, let's drug 'em, kill 'em, give them electrical shocks.

When it was over I googled reviews. 

This line from one review says it all to me.

Should have read them before I watched huh?

'Don't Worry Darling is a pretty film to look at, and has a partly intriguing mystery on its outset, but it ultimately succumbs to a lack of development and a predictable, half-baked ending that just isn't worth the two-hour wait to get there.

I put a trailer up but blogger said it was too racy so I took it down. Have they been out into the world? This stuff is in prime time now. Geez. 

Friday

After my appointment with the chiropractor on Thursday I headed to the library. I wanted to get a library card. 

It's a nice small library. Not really small but smaller than the one I went to in Fairfax. Anyway, everyone was so helpful and nice. Then the woman helped me put some books on hold and showed me which computers to use for that.

I came back with 2 books to check out. 2 were put on hold for me and they will alert me via email when they come back in.

In the meantime, the ladies showed me their book club. They have a book club for food books/cookbooks and they have a book club for novels. 

I saw the novel for the first book club meeting in January. I googled the book and it is something I most definitely would read. The book club is at 10:30am on the 2nd Thursday of the month. I can't wait. 

As I said to Rick, it could be a bust, or I can meet like-minded people. 

It's something I want to do so whatever happens happens right?

I win either way because I am reading again!

I came home with books and pamphlets about the library and its activities. 

I may consider seeing if they have any part-time jobs available. I would love to work around books. I don't want a full-time job but a couple days out of the house may be something I would enjoy.

As I was filling out forms at the library the wonderful woman who was helping me was peppering me with questions. How long have I lived here? Are you from NY?  No, I asked why would you think that? She said your sweatshirt. I looked down and laughed. Duh!, I said. She laughed. 

I explained it was a baseball thing. Oh, she says, I guess I shouldn't assume. I told her well I would assume from my sweatshirt too. This is the woman who gave me a tour of the library, my pamphlets for the book club and then passed me on to another woman. 

The 2nd woman reminded me of an aging hippie. She was dressed a bit like Frankie on Grace and Frankie. She had almost waist-length wavy gray hair. She was a feisty bird and was making wisecracks. 

It was so friggin' refreshing after Wednesday's day of awful people and awful service. 

I left there on a high. 

See what I mean, I drove 4 miles outside of my county and was in Wake county where people are somewhat normal and nice. The county I live in is filled with rednecks, farmers and bigots. When the woman asked me if I lived near such and such in Garner I said no I live in south Garner, Johnston county. The smile left her face and she just said, Ooh.

I said, I understand that 'Ooh', I hate it too, and probably for all the reasons you said, 'Ooh.' But your realtor isn't allowed to tell you that unfortunately. 

We both laughed and dropped that topic!

Rick began a movie with J.K.Simmons and Sissy Spacek. I love both of these actors a great deal. It is on Prime and it's called Night Sky. 

I saw the first episode but I have to be in the right mind set to watch this and I just wasn't. I was tired and my body is sore from the chiropractor visit and I just didn't feel like watching a movie.  Sci-Fi too which normally isn't my genre but it isn't like star wars or that kind of sci-fi. 

I read where it deserved better than it received from people. Because no one was watching it was not getting a second season. 

Here's a trailer in case it is something you may enjoy. 

Again, it's on Prime if you subscribe to that.

Just a quick drop in

I did not plan to write today but wanted to share this.

I went to my old chiropractor this morning. I had manipulations/adjustments and dry hydrotherapy (which is wonderful) and walked out paying nothing. So that just proves to me that this other place was a big scam!!

I am so tight and so sore and he said this is what happens after someone has been hospitalized or sick for a long time. Yep all that laying around.  He suggested a massage. (Wanna give me $200 for it?)  Maybe at the first of the year, I will do just that. 

Okay just wanted to share what we all knew but now we know for certain.

Big scam yesterday. 

Appointments

I had an appointment with the cardiologist in early November and they called and canceled it. They said they would switch me to Dec 10th at 3pm. I said fine. But unbeknownst to me because he didn't write it on the calendar as asked, Rick had an appointment there the same day at 9am. 

We are down to 1 car right now. So Rick has to drive to Cary at 9a for 2 hr appointment and then hurry back in this direction and then I drive back there. I thought I could sit there but then I'd have to sit for 6 hrs until my appointment. (at 3pm) then Rick would have to sit there for 4 hrs. It wasn't a great option. I realize we are retired but who wants to sit in a doctor's office. Especially this one with no TV to amuse me. 
I called the doctor's office and explained and asked if it was possible since they canceled my first appointment to help me make this work out for us. Can Rick come in later? Or closer to my time? Can I come in closer to Rick's appointment time? 

No one said, "gee let me work on that and get back to you" 
But no, I was met with "Sorry it is what it is what are you going to do?"

I said I would think about it and get back to them.

Now every day at my old job I would call customers and say, 'this customer is selling her house and her tub must be done before closing and they moved her closing to such and such, would you be willing to switch dates with them? 90% said yes. Or a contractor was working on the remodel and they weren't ready for us because they were behind so I would switch folks if they were willing. We normally threw something in like a free non slip surface ($50) or offered something for the inconvenience. It was not their fault or the former customer's fault or ours. It was generally a contractor's fault.

Some said no, I understood. BUT I TRIED TO HELP THE CUSTOMER. 

I didn't just blow them off. The fact that they canceled on me with no notice the day before my appointment and inconvenienced me causing me to move things to make this work doesn't bother them one bit. 

Rick and I talked about it. If this were close by the 6 hrs in between appointment times, it wouldn't be a big deal. But it's not close. So I called back today and asked again if they could help me in any way. She said her job was to schedule not to move people for my convenience. Okay then bitch. 

"Can I move my appointment then?" 

She flipped out. "You know the doctors in this group are very busy and I can't just overbook for you." 

"I wasn't asking you to overbook for me but to make me a new appointment on a different date that would work for me. I didn't chose this date, you called and canceled my original appointment and gave me this date/time"

"Fine, how about in March will that work for you?"

Oh my god, the snarky bitchy tone. I so wanted to respond in kind but knew it wouldn't help my cause, but I was livid. 

"If March is the soonest I guess I will take March. I will need refills on my Rx then."

"pfft, That's not my problem."

That did it. I'm sure she could even have meant, it's not her area of work because she is a scheduler. But at that point, it didn't matter this young bitch was all I could take. I instead said, "Okay then let's cancel this Friday's appointment and I will find another doctor. Thank you for your time today"

She exhaled loudly so I would know she was fully annoyed and then said, "Good." and hung up.

So I canceled my appointment and decided since everyone at Duke has been top-notch for my eye why not just see if there is a doctor taking new patients at Duke. I certainly didn't wish to drive to Durham. They have many offices and I am certain there will be one near me. So I did my google thing. Yep, an office in Raleigh right by Wegman's and Costco. Yea I know where it's at and I love the location so I jumped on it. I picked out doctors that interested me and called and made an appointment. But 2 of the doctors were retiring this summer so they weren't taking new patients. I also didn't want someone right out of school either. I know, pain in the ass that I am. This doctor came from St Louis Heart and Vascular I was told and honestly, that means nothing to me. But I'm giving it a go. She works at this location M, T and Wednesday only. I want this location it's a quick 20-minute drive. So I go on January 3rd now. In the meantime, if I should need refills my regular doctor will have to do it for me.
No one makes anything easy. 

I bet Rick will say something to this doctor when he sees him. I told him not to but Rick feels he should know. The problem to me is that I don't think they give a flying F. That's where the problem begins.

Then if that weren't enough I am having a neck issue. I found a chiropractor here that I went to twice but it's so hard to get into him. He works 3.5 days a week and takes 2 hr lunches and then back to the office. Nice gig right? I couldn't get in so I called another. I asked if they took medicare. They said they did indeed. I said in the past it has covered everything including my co-pays is there anything I need to know? She said Nope.

I get there today. Fill out more paperwork than I ever did at Duke for Pete's sake. The last page is telling me what they are going to charge me today. Office visit, this and that of which I had no idea what it was. So the visit was going to be hundreds. So I opened the door and said can we go over this financial page. The woman walks into the room and explains that my medicare doesn't cover the office visit. So I have to pay just shy of $400 out of pocket, then she went into all other things. I told her I just wanted one thing I don't need all this. Oh but that is what they do. 

I asked, then what does my insurance cover? Spinal manipulation. That's it? Yes. 

I gave her my paperwork and said the following, "I called and I asked about charges and medicare. I was told it was covered and you accepted medicare as well as our supplements. So I made an appointment here. Now you are telling me I'll be lucky if I get out of here paying shy of $400. I have gone to other chiropractors and have not had to pay a dime. What could I have asked you to get this information?

Then the hand goes on the hip and she says, "well they probably didn't file it incorrectly."

I said, "do you know what EOBs are?"

"Of course, an explanation of benefits that are normally sent to you from your insurance."

I said, "yes and I read them and I see what they paid for, office visits, manipulation, etc. So telling me they did it wrong would mean that wouldn't be on the EOB. Something feels wrong here and I am not comfortable with this.

And honestly, I wasn't planning on paying $400 today. So I am going to leave (as I hand her my paperwork.) I'm sorry for wasting your time. But may I recommend you tell people all this when they ask. Because not doing so makes me feel like it's a scam.  I'm sorry.

I left and drove home with my neck still in pain but again I'm livid. What is with this place? Did I not ask the right questions?  This was the closest I've come to flipping out I was so angry. But I kept my cool until I got in the car. I screamed and pounded the steering wheel. I'm exhausted, I hurt and I'm broke. I am not paying $400 for something I can have insurance pay. I'm certain most people would just stay and hand them a credit card. But I'm 66 now. I don't do that. At 40 I would have paid it and been angry that I did but I would have been embarrassed to just leave as I did. For some reason being old now has made me not take their shit. I was polite but said what I had to say. Gee, I should leave a review. LOL