Lunch costs how much?

Saturday

I was thinking on Friday night about taking my mom to lunch.  I put the idea on the back burner and low and behold she called me and had the same idea.  Then she went on to tell me about her continued problem with trying to refinance her home.  She filed Bankruptcy a few years back.  Something she said created a spark and I went looking. 

I was able to uncover a serious problem.  Turns out that she actually filed twice.  The first time was a Ch 13 which is a repayment plan.  That case got dismissed because her attorney at the time was arrested because he was duping his clients.  So there were meetings scheduled in her case and no one showed up for her, so the case was dismissed.  After that she was able to hire another attorney and file a Ch 7 which is what you file when you have no assets and no money.  Then you wait 6 months, go through some credit counseling and presto your all done, debt forgiven.  The problem is the Ch 13 petition lists 2 MasterCard accounts with the same bank.  The Ch 7 petition only lists 1 of them.  So there was a clerical error. 

It gets more strange.  So we pulled her credit reports from all 3 bureaus and turns out there is nothing listed that is in collections, derogatory and no mention whatsoever of the MasterCard's in any of the reports.  Now the bank she is trying to refinance through is telling her that there is a problem, but her credit report doesn’t say that.  So I am perplexed at where they are getting their information from. 

I wrote a letter to her attorney for her, she just had to sign it and explained the situation, like I was talking to a two year old and drew a picture of what occurred.  I simply asked him for help in fixing the error.  Mom said that he won’t help because it’s been too long.  I said well it’s worth a try in asking for help.  I pointed out the error and initially was quick to blame him for making it, but then I thought that might piss him off.  So I just said there is an error, left out who made it.  Honestly it doesn’t matter who is at fault, it’s better to just get it fixed and move on. 

We had lunch at TGI Friday’s and I got a bill that was the most expensive lunch I have ever had.  2 sodas, 1 salad, 1 burger, 2 pieces of Whiskey Cake and $45.00 for all of that.  Holy shit, I about had a stroke when I saw it.  Never ever going back there when I am paying for more than myself.  I should have taken mom up on her offer to buy lunch but decided against it.  Between lunch, gas and all of the paperwork I had to obtain from the Court I can easily say I dropped a lot more money than that.

I did wake up in time and got my new specs.  The lens look like they are crooked, I had the same problem with the pair I have now.  It’s going to take time to get them broken in and I will probably have to go back for adjustments.  I got them adjusted while I was there  - it was an in and out type thing 10 mins max. 

I also managed to get my hairs cut.  I had an appointment but the lady who was holding the sharp instrument was running late.  I got a complimentary scalp massage for the inconvenience, plus they gave me my neck shave for free.  Not a bad deal.  I saw a hot guy walk in while I was waiting.  He had a nice butt.  He looked at me, I looked at him and then he picked up his phone.  I was trying to glance over his shoulder, it looked like he was on a dating site but I was across the room and even with new glasses I couldn’t solve that mystery.  Then it’s my turn.  So a potential guy might have gotten away.  I figured if it was meant to be he would have said something to me.

My supper was very late and I had ice cream.  Polished off the Banana Rum Jam.  It was awesome!

Sunday

Woke up – fed the children – went to breakfast.  I don’t know how I manage to do it but no matter what I order at Steak N Shake the total always comes out even, with last week being the exception.  I wish I had the knack to be able to do that all the time, it would be even easier to manage my money.  Made the dreaded trek to the grocery store.  I didn’t get a whole lot.  On my way to the car I got an e-mail from work.  Turns out it was from my boss.  The person who was on-call had a relative pass away so she was looking for someone to take the rest of today.  I thought about it for about 1.2 seconds and then moved on.  I waited and waited finally by the time I got home and had everything put away, someone volunteered themselves.  So off the hook for that but I almost did take it.  Didn’t want it but that is another story.

I started on laundry on Saturday so it was a matter of continuing the process until everything is done.  I took a nap and slept for a couple hours, with Gator laying on me.  Woke up moved her off, rolled over and she jumped back on me.  We do this every weekend, I don’t know why she likes sleeping on me.  It’s nice but I think twice before I go to move.

Woke up went to Target to got cat litter, toothbrush refills, floss and cat treats.  Then on to the pet food store where I managed to use a coupon and got $30 worth of food for $15 – NICE.  Then I went on a little trip to a shopping center just to see what was there.  Things have changed a lot, so some new places to eat at.  Then stopped at Sam’s for gasoline and came on home. 

I want to go back out to eat but it’s simply too hot and I have been Amazoning again so better stay home.  I am thinking Lasagna and Garlic Bread.  It will fill me up and then in a few hours I can try some Cinnamon Roll Ice Cream by Ben & Jerry’s.  Hope it all tastes yummy!

On my latest quest with Amazon I have purchased a couple candles.  One is Yankee #5 which is Vanilla & Coconut, it’s amazing.  The other one was something called Volcano by some brand I never heard of.  Connor Franta (YouTuber) turned me on to it.  It’s suppose to be very good, so we shall see.  I ordered my first ever pride shirt.  It’s the American Flag in a Rainbow Design, the shirt is grey.  I was looking at Target but they didn’t have anything.  They are doing pride shirts this year via on-line only and most of the designs are sold out.  I also ordered Furnace Filters (how exciting) and I picked up some Tenga Eggs.  You can look them up online but don’t do it at work – it might cause you to blush.  They aren’t real eggs but I am very much looking forward to their arrival.

I am still waiting for my replacement headset, Amazon dropped the ball.  They created a label for shipment but that’s it.  Never placed the package with FedEx so there wasn’t anything to be delivered on Saturday.  Not happy.  I did get my money back for shipping.  Hopefully the order will be delivered on Tuesday if not then I will cancel it and get all my money back.  Thankfully I was able to glue the broken headset back together and it worked.  So I really don’t need the replacement but for peace of mind it would be nice to know that I had a backup. 

My Brother & The House

Turns out the deal is off for certain now.  Mom didn’t want to move so that caused a riff between My Brothers Girlfriend and Mom.  Doesn’t sound like things have been pleasant.  The girlfriend and the others that were staying there have moved out.  She went back to her place.  Apparently she told my mom that she ruined her life.  Yeah, well there is more than one house for sale.  It’s not the end of the world.  I am kind of relieved that it’s all over with, for now. 

Mom seems to think they are going to get married.  I said I’m not so sure about that.  She told my brother if you do get married, get a prenup.  He of course won’t listen to sage advice from someone who has been through several marriages.  If he would marry this woman and things wouldn’t work out and they faced divorce, she strikes me as the type that would take him for everything she could manage to get. 

Mom doesn’t like her.  I am not fond of her.  Mom asked me what I thought and I told her that I think she has big boobs and that is about the only thing going for her.  This girl has my brother by the short hairs and anything she wants, he gives to her.  If she wanted to fly to Paris, he would try to make it happen.  It is horrible that one person can take advantage of another person in the name of love.  It happens all the time though.  Doesn’t matter if your straight, gay, bi – man or woman.  Ah well, I have my own problems so I tend to focus more on them and less on my brother and mother. 

Other ramblings

It’s very hot here.  The AC is getting a good work out today.  Right now I am freezing in the basement with the AC going full blast and I have to pee.  Momma is nagging me to go but I want to keep on typing. 

I have looked at the forecast and it’s going to be humid all week long.  No rain until of course the weekend.  I have nothing going all week, except the usual Work – Eat – Sleep.  The weekend is another story.  My next therapy appointment will be on Saturday and this will be my first time at my therapists new office.  Rain would only add a layer of complexity in navigation.

So there you have it my weekend.  I wasn’t as bored as I thought I would be and I managed to accomplish everything that needed to be done, plus entertain my mom for a bit.  Naps were taken both days and it was nice to be able to relax and unwind.  Now it’s time to ramp up for another week of who knows what.

I did find a neat calling feature that I have with my home phone.  It’s called Exclusive Call Forwarding.  You put in up to 20 numbers that you want forwarded to a specific destination and then when someone calls their call is automatically routed to that destination.  The phone never rings at home, kind of nice.  I am using it for the attorney that I am hoping calls me back on Monday.  I can see other uses for it if you only want someone to go to voice mail or if you want certain people to be able to get ahold of you on your cell phone.  Technology is fascinating to me but I only like it when it works. 

Now it’s on to feed the children, feed myself and put away laundry.  How exciting will all of that be?  Then I get to come back to the computer and send in a mileage survey for my auto insurance.  Plus who knows where else I might surf to.  Then on to watch Nurse Jackie & John Oliver in This Week Tonight.  Then lights out hopefully I fall asleep, of course drugs (sleeping pills) will assist with that.

I do hope that you all had a productive but relaxing weekend and that your all doing well.  I shall talk with you again soon.  Until then be kind of each other.  Cheers!

Marv saves the day

Friday night I got a call from the owner of the mortgage broker that I used, I was rather impressed that he reached out.  He had just gotten my letter and wanted to chat.  Once he learned that the issue was resolved he was quick to go but I wouldn’t let him hang up, I took what he wanted to be a 5 minute conversation and turned it into a 30 minute conversation.  He just had one of those voices that was interesting to listen to.  Then I went to bed early on Friday night.  I swore off technology and just watched TV and generally kicked back.  It was nice and I’d like to do it again soon.  I found an old series via Netflix about people smuggling in drugs to JFK Airport in NY.  It is kind of interesting and the criminals think they do a good job of disguising their drugs, (which are mostly found in false liners in suitcases) and they are doing a horrible job.  The best one I saw so far was Heroin in the bottom of a pair of sneakers.  It was crafty but when you pick up a shoe that shouldn’t weigh much and it’s like lifting a brick that sends off bells, not to mention they x-ray shoes as well as luggage so your chances of pulling one over on the good guys is kind of slim, but I am sure there are a few people that have made it.

So on to Saturday morning.  I had so much planned but all I wanted to do is sleep.  Thankfully Marvin was with me in bed.  He kept up his usual racket when I went to adjust the alarm clock the first time.  The second time and then it hit me – you need to get up, your going to be late.  Marvin’s chatter finally worked to my advantage.  I am so glad I haven’t hit him with a pillow yet.  He’s a good boy.  I got everyone fed, decided to skip going to the bank it can wait until next weekend.  Then I made it to the post office to pick up the pee pads.  Then on to therapy where I made it with time to spare. 

I explained my light bulb moment where what is eating at me right now is the fact that I am alone.  I went on to talk about how I have a performance fear in the bedroom because of the amount of porn I watch.  I also talked about my desire, which might shock you to try out Erotic Asphyxiation, which is getting choked shortly before you orgasm.  It’s supposed to be wild and a lot of fun.  However, if you do it alone you could easily die.  My luck everyone would think that I committed suicide and that it wasn’t an accident.  I was encouraged not to try it because just like ecstasy the first time you try it, you could die.  My therapist told me that she knows of a therapist that deals with porn addiction and asked me if I wanted to meet with her.  Nah, what’s the point now.  I mean if you take away my porn now, there goes my sex life.  If I meet someone and we make it into the bedroom and I have a problem, then I would consider seeing that therapist. 

I treated myself to TGI Fridays instead of traveling to the buffet.  Then I came home and laid down to take a nap.  I fired up Grindr just because I feel obsessed to check it.  I got a message from a local guy, no details in his profile but he did have a face picture.  I responded and soon we struck up a conversation and an hour and a half had gone by.  He’s older than me by 3 years, he came to the US about 7 years ago.  With English being his 2nd language he does pretty well.  We hit lulls in the conversation and I kept it going until I started to grow tired and I just signed off.  I woke up and signed back on in an hour or so and he was still there.  We picked up the conversation for a little bit.  He is looking for the same thing as me and lives about a 1/2 hour away.  I will say that based on his photo I am not attracted to him physically but he does sound interesting.  Thus far we haven’t made any plans to meet up.  I’ve been back on today and heard nothing from him.  I don’t want to be the aggressor so I am giving him time to make another move.  He has been single for about 6 years, which is a long time.  I can’t invasion myself single for that long but I suppose it could happen.  It was a pleasant experience to chat with someone who had similar interests, plus he can cook.  He hates cats and has a dog.  It should be interesting to see how this pans out.

I made it back out for cat food and treated myself to a meal while out, I shouldn’t have but I did.  Then it was back home to put away the cat food and play with the computer.  I found a Life Hacker article on Facebook this week about other consumer reports that are available but that most people don’t think to get copies of.  It applies to people in the US so I sat down and went through it and visited a number of websites.  Completed some forms and got them mailed off today.  I am interested to see what I get back in the mail.  I mean I shouldn’t learn anything new about myself that I don’t already know, but given my unfortunate experience last year when my identity was stolen who knows what is lurking.  I can tell you that my credit reports are clean.  I just got my annual copies earlier this week and all looks good.  I will be happy when Bankruptcy drops off but that won’t be for a while.  Given that it’s only 3-4 years old most people don’t really care because I have reestablished my credit and shown that I am credit worthy.  See I didn’t file to extinguish debt, I filed because my back was against the wall and I was out of money with no job.  I didn’t have a choice.  However, it was one of the best things that I could have done I feel a greater sense of freedom or I did until I took on a mortgage.

Sunday has been the usual.  I got a reminder when I went to the store that I will have to shop on Saturday next week or I will be going hungry.  They are closed next Sunday for Easter.  Wow, is it really that time again.  Yeah it is.  Heard from my friend that watches the cats and was there for me after my partner passed.  It was a text message again he wanted to know how I was doing.  I started typing living the dream but felt that he wouldn’t see the humor so  I erased it.  I asked him to give me a call sometime, I wouldn’t mind talking and that I am super lonely right now.  He talked about getting together maybe for lunch soon.  Who knows if or when that will happen.  I got in a 2 hour nap, which is longer than I planned on sleeping but my back has been bothering me since Friday.  I know I screwed it up again at work but life goes on.  Massage this Thursday and I can’t wait, I am still toying around with how long I want, might do another hour.  I am proud of Bear he used the litter box to pee today.  I guess he wanted to try it out again.  I gave him praise and got him cleaned up.  We all ate dinner then he shit on the rug.  Yeah I’m not kidding and it was a huge mess because I let him skip his medication for a day.  I know he hates taking pills.  I told him you were so close to the pee pad, you should have went there.  Thankfully the baby wipes came in handy and I got him and the rug all cleaned up and now it’s like it never happened.  LB has been extra clingy today.  He saw me finishing off the coleslaw from KFC and thought it was ice cream.  His eyes got big and he just looked at me and wanted some.  I told him it wasn’t ice cream and besides I eat that with a spoon and I hade a fork in my hand.  I’m telling you if I would let them try my food no matter what it was they would eat it too.  It’s bad enough that I drop $30 a week on cat food.

I am looking forward to watching Shameless tonight as well as Secrets & Lies.  Then getting into my freshly laundered bed and hopefully falling off into a deep sleep.  I don’t look forward to Monday but it’s coming and there isn’t much I can do about it.  Things that I look forward to in this week are the massage, hopefully seeing the government update the bankruptcy site so I can write my late partners attorney and getting to the bank to finally lock up the mortgage documents – just knowing they are safe will help me sleep better.  Warmer temps would be nice as well.  It’s been back to winter here since Friday.  The office is HOT but if I wear long sleeves I am miserable and sweat.  I’d rather just be comfy but that so far has only happened in the winter.  I don’t think they fired up the AC at work just yet. 

Well off to prep for Shameless.  I’ve got a chocolate cake in the fridge with my name on it.  Time to go dive in and elevate my sugar levels so that the coma kicks in about bed time.  I had 2 orders of Blueberry Pancakes today at Steak N Shake they were so damn good!  I hope your week goes well and that the weather is warm.  I’m always telling you about myself, tell me how are you doing?  Yeah I really want to know.  Take care and I will talk with you peeps later. 

The Fan

Friday night … I went to the pet food store and you know who was working.  When I went to check out, he called for the manager because there was a line of customers.  It was a great way to get rid of me, so he didn’t have to deal with me.  I completed my transaction when he called me by name and said how are you doing?  To which I replied ok, how about you?  He said ‘life is crazy’.  That was the extent of our conversation.  You can’t tell me that your life is so out of control you can’t spare 5 minutes to make a phone call.  I’m over it but him calling me by name kind of tells me that he might be interested, but I am not sure.  If he calls well great but based on how things have gone so far I am not sure that we are compatible because when I make a commitment I keep it and if I can’t I at least apologize.

Any who, I came home fed the muffins and then decided to get to work on the fan.  I got the entire thing apart and there is no way the receiver (I previously called it a transmitter, but that is actually the remotes job to transmit a signal) would fit inside of the fan.  I don’t know who thought it would be a “suitable replacement” but they were obviously impaired at the time they made that decision.  I fought like crazy to get the damn thing back together, finally listening to my inner voice and taking a break to eat supper.  Then going back at it again and deciding well I should give it up for the evening.  However, before I do that why don’t we take the remote control apart.  Gee I wish I would have thought of this first, I could have saved myself a lot of trouble.  In taking the remote apart I noticed that there was some rubbery black film/liquid that was covering the circuit board.  No wonder I had a problem.  I cleaned that up with a cotton swab and some lighter fluid.  Then I cleaned the rubber button.  The challenge was putting it all back together again and seeing if it would work.  I managed to get it back together and it actually works.  My problem is solved.  I couldn’t believe it.  Normally I would have started there. 

Saturday … I woke up early, fed the children and watched TV, then went back to sleep.  When I woke up they wanted their 2nd breakfast, which they didn’t get.  I had something to tide me over for a while.  Then I started in on the fan.  It kicked my ass again for a bit, but finally I got it back together.  I have an extra screw and I know why.  I will fix that at a later date.  I was just eager to get it back together.  Turned on the power and presto the remote for the fan and lights works perfectly, like new again.  I’m very happy but tired.  So I drink a soda and sit and watch TV.  Eventually getting tired again and taking a nap.  When I woke up it was 3.  I decided that I would go to TGI Fridays, the location by me just opened back up.  As I suspected when I arrived lots of other people had the same idea.  I couldn’t get anyone to put my name on the list, so I walked out and went to a BBQ place that I like.  The host was hot and then in walk 2 guys who are eating there – 1 of them was hot.  I kept staring at him but something tells me he wasn’t batting for the same team.  Then I left and came back home.  I did stop and pick up the mail, but it was full of junk, which is why I do my mail runs every 2 days, unless of course I am expecting something.  My mom called while I was out and then again when I got back home.  I didn’t want to but I took the call.  She told me that there was a fight.  My brothers girlfriend moved in and her and mom had words over a lost shirt.  It should have been a non-issue but they all love the drama.  Then my brothers girlfriend apparently left with her clothes, essentially moving out but she still has a key.  She got a new job and mom thinks that she will be staying at her house.  If you own a house then you should live there, isn’t that why your making mortgage payments? 

My mom babbled on for a while, we chatted about different things and managed to stay on the phone, even with long pauses for an hour.  I had to feed the children so I called it and we hung up.  She of course doesn’t want me to tell my brother, but I told her that I don’t talk with him so there was no worry.  She is paranoid that they are talking about her all the time and that her phone is tapped.  At least her eye sight is getting better, that was the one of the few positive things that she said. 

That brings us to now.  I gave in and purchased a 1 year subscription to ZixMail after searching and finding the lowest possible price.  Hopefully, when it expires next year I can find a good price as well.  I have advanced all of the clocks by one hour, so the hope is that I will get to bed early tonight.  I plan on a facial and a nice warm shower to help aid with my plan.  It sounds nice but hopefully I don’t talk myself out of it. 

The weather was great today in the middle 60’s.  Tomorrow should be the same thing.  All of the car washes in the area are packed, lines upon lines.  My car needs a bath as well but I will get there when I get there.  I was driving the truck today and will also be driving it again tomorrow. 

Not sure how things are in your part of the world but in my state they allow Electric Aggregates – so a company acts essentially as a middle man between you and the power company.  The aggregates buy power at a lower rate which saves you money, because they purchase in bulk.  It’s very interesting that the cost of power changes each and every day.  They have a power stock market essentially where traders buy and sell all day long.  I saw a special about it a while back on TV and I would have never thought about it.  California and Nevada are both big time players in the market.  I got a notice in the mail that the current contract was expiring and it was time to call to renegotiate.  The only reason we went with them is because my partner saw the opportunity to sign up and get $100 in a Visa Gift Card, it was free money at no cost and then they were saving him money on top of that.  Well the town I live in has an aggregate and it’s prices are even cheaper, but I couldn’t figure out how to join.  Instead I stumbled on a site that would help find the best rate.  I got locked into 5.6 cents per kilowatt hour and the term is fixed for 24 months (2 years).  They charge $150.00 if you terminate early.  However, the power bill is the only thing that I haven’t switched into my name.  I’ve got 90 days to try it out and if I don’t like it I can break away for free.  I got an e-mail earlier this week from the power company that the budget amount every month is going up by $50.  So my hope is when they do a reassessment in 3 to 6 months that the price of the bill is lower instead of higher.  However, we will have switched over to AC by then and if it’s a humid summer the AC will kill me.  So I hope I made a smart decision, time and my bank account will tell.

There you have my weekend so far.  I am looking forward to enjoying another day off tomorrow and playing with the light timers to get them set so the outside lights power on at the right time.  One of them updates automatically and the other one requires manual intervention.  Oh and the car clocks I will do them tomorrow otherwise I would freak out on Monday.  It will be bad enough that it’s Monday I don’t need to create problems.  I do hope that next week is a better week for traffic, of course the sun will be out and if people get blinded by it there could be more accidents, let’s just hope everyone wears their sunglasses. 

I hope your having a great weekend.  Talk with you all again soon.

Liver Issues

Yesterday about an hour and a half before my Dr. appointment, I got a call saying he had an emergency and had to leave.  They wanted to know if I would like to reschedule or see the NP (nurse who thinks she is a doctor).  I said I would see the NP, even though I hate her. 

I get over and get checked in, was surprised to see my weight on the scale.  I have gained a couple pounds.  Then I got all of the usual workup and finally the NP comes in.  I told her that I thought I still had a sinus infection and she didn’t understand why.  She tried to get me to play a game where I am bounced to an ENT.  I told her that wasn’t going to happen, we have had this conversation before and it really pisses me off.  I need an antibiotic not lip from some nurse who thinks she is a doctor.  Then she didn’t understand why I didn’t want the usual antibiotic, I said I don’t think it’s doing the job.  I’d like to switch to something more potent but that I am not allergic to.  So she put me on what I consider to be a baby antibiotic, she assured me it would take care of this.  I don’t think it will but I am taking it and only time will tell. 

Then she told me that the doctor said my liver enzymes were elevated and she made it sound like I was in the process of dying and that my liver was failing.  I told her it’s from the cholesterol meds, which she already knew.  Then she told me I was on a statin cholesterol drug.  Well they don’t play well with my liver, I say that based on past experience.  However, she said that it was important to get it checked.  I said that is why I made the appointment in the first place was to get an order for blood work.  She said, oh you haven’t been fasting today.  I said nope.  Write me an order and I will get the blood work done over the weekend.  Then she told me that she was going to have me tested for Hepatitis because that is always a concern when you have liver issues.  She wrote down a few other things, just to give me a sky high bill because I haven’t been over to see them in a while. 

She sent in her nurse with the lab order and told me that I also needed an ultrasound of my belly.  Funny thing is we didn’t have a discussion about this so it was a complete surprise to me.  I said why, I am not pregnant.  She said no it’s because your liver is failing.  I said hello, you just gave me an order to get blood work done.  Oh, have you had that done yet?  Uh no you just gave it to me, remember.  I said lets see what the blood work shows and then if there is a major issue we can work on getting the ultrasound.  I was finally able to leave and I was not the least bit happy.  I understand being cautious but there is no need to run up a bill for something that isn’t needed and that is what I feel and think she was doing.  It’s bad enough that she is having my blood tested for things that I don’t need and will return ‘normal’ but to order additional tests, come on.  The buck has to stop somewhere.  

My saving grace was that I passed a Friday’s on the way over.  So on the way back, I stopped in had a bowl of soup which was horrible and a delicious burger.  I did some searching on my phone about liver issues, even though right now I don’t believe I have anything to worry about.  When I got home much later in the afternoon, I checked the healthcare portal and saw a note that there was a slight elevation in my liver enzymes and we need to keep an eye on it, that was last April.  Then in August everything came back normal.  Now all of a sudden the Dr. is concerned about my liver enzymes.  Hello if there was a a fucking problem you should have been calling me and not waiting for me to come back.  What if I never, ever came back?  I am still not a happy camper but I will have the blood work done and we can go from there.  I really think this is all much to do about nothing.  I mean I am not yellow/jaundice and feel pretty well, except for my nose and this sinus infection.  I think she was being a little bit overly dramatically and concerned.  It’s like telling me the sky is falling when it’s just a thunderstorm. 

My research told me ways to fix liver issues were to have medications adjusted and/or changed, cut back on eating processed food and make stuff fresh so that you cut back on the amount of salt, take a fish oil pill, take coq10 and that’s about it.  Since I don’t have time or the energy to whip up a meal at night, cutting back on processed food isn’t an option for me.  If it weren’t for frozen food I would be very hungry.  The fish oil might be an option because I have a huge supply of it.  I got it for the cats to try and they aren’t fans of it.  It’s supposed to help their coat.  The thing is with humans if you take Fish Oil it acts as a blood thinner and if you cut yourself you bleed a lot more, plus you need to tell your doctor/dentist that your on it so before any type of surgery or procedure done, you can stop taking it a few days in advance so your blood returns to normal. 

In the end I and I alone am in charge of my health.  No matter what I do or don’t do, I am still going to die - - we all are.  My action or inaction can either aid in speeding or slowing my demise.  However, no matter what just like taxes, it’s a guarantee that you won’t escape it.

Oh yeah that is the other thing.  She told me that the sinus cavity is meant to be sterile so instead of using a netti pot it’s better to use the saline that comes in a can, it shoots a jet stream of sterile saline into your sinus’.  Sounds like a blast.  I stopped using a netti pot years ago because I found that it did more harm than good for me.  She said that she feels netti pots actually promotes sinus infections.  Yeah, well I have a hard time using nose spray on a daily basis between that and my finger, that is all that is physically going to be put in my nose.  I’m not flushing them out with saline 2 x a day.  I may however try it once, but that requires me to actually buy the saline and it’s not exactly a high priority for me right now.  Another fine example of her trying to spend my money.   

The remainder of my day was pretty well stress free.  I got the car washed, went to my therapy appointment and then back home to deal with the children and the joy of prepping for today.

My mom called on Sunday telling me that they have to put a drain in her eye.  She made it more complicated than that but when you cut to the chase that is all it is, a drain.  It is a surgical procedure so she has to go to the hospital and of course she was looking for a ride.  I told her I was all out of time because I had recently called in.  That is a lie but I need to save my time for when I need it and I can’t play taxi cab driver to her.  I realize she is my mom but I’ve done my fair share with her and then some.  It’s time for my brother to step up to the plate or for her to find another resource.

I had a pretty good evening, even if time did get away from me.  I managed to get all of the de-gaying process undone so all of my photos and calendars are back up – it feels more like home.  Not to mention that got me all hot and bothered, it was fun though.  I printed out some new photos on my late partners Xerox and wow the color just doesn’t seem to be what it used to be.  I printed the same thing on my ink jet and got much better results.  Obviously, something is wrong with it and I didn’t want to fiddle with it.  I am thinking a factory reset should probably take care of it.  I know he was a stickler for color and he made a lot of adjustments to the printer to get things working just right for him.  This again isn’t at the top of my list but I will probably get to it over the weekend.

Saturday is my date with Vampira – I have to give blood plus they are doing two urine tests, so I am sure they will want a fair amount, if not two samples.  Wow, guess I better drink up the water before I head out the door.  I just can’t wait until they are done because then I am headed out for breakfast!  That and the usual chores that I do over the weekend are all that I have lined up for Saturday thus far  I hope to keep the day pretty well open, so that I can relax and ramp up for next week, which will probably be a ball of stress.  Maybe I am wound up about nothing but I always get this way before I go on-call.

As for Uverse I wonder why I didn’t make the switch sooner.  Love the DVR and the fact that neither box has to be turned on in order for it to record.  Plus on the mobile app I can see all of my recordings and schedule or make changes, no matter where I am.  There are certain cable stations that you can watch live anywhere.  When I returned the cable boxes yesterday I found a neighbor in line to do the same thing.  Glad I did it because they eliminated their Saturday hours for the local offices.  They are happy to keep me with the internet but raised the price by $10 so now I am paying $60 for 100mpbs. The funny part or should I say odd part was there was no fight, no attempt to keep me as a customer and they didn’t ask why I was disconnecting.  I suppose they know that AT&T has moved in and people are flushing them because of the bad taste and poor customer service.  With competition it’s better because you can switch from year to year from provider to provider to get the best deal and maybe even get a rebate.  It’s a game of sorts but I haven’t ripped out any of the cable in my house, just in case.  I can’t foresee me ever switching back, but then again you never know. 

Not too bad for a Monday that is actually a Tuesday.  That is going to mess with me all week long but I think I will get it together by Friday, or so I hope.  Here’s to yet another week in 2015.  I hope all is well in your neck of the woods.  I will talk with you peeps later. 

Simple Change made Complicated

So I called the Phone Company this morning.  I wanted a simple change to add Call Screening to my account.  I got a foreign speaking woman who told me that it would be better to change packages because I would get all of the features I wanted as well as unlimited local and long distance calls.  She quoted me $31.00.  Wow at that price I couldn’t pass it up.

So I waited as she processed the order.  The order part was done and she came back to say she was incorrect the price was $59.00 per month.  SAY WHAT!  She wrapped up the call before I had a chance to get a word in edge wise.

So I called back.  I wanted to know the price of the Call Screening Feature by it’s self.  Seems that was a bit complicated and I got hung up on.

I called back and got someone else asked the same question.  They went through a lot of rigmarole asking questions and restating what I had already said, so they could be sure they understood me.  Huh, either you get it when I say it or you don’t.  It’s pretty simple.  Since I could see I was getting no where, I asked for a supervisor.  Then I got hung up on again. 

Now I’m about ready to kill and madder than a Honey Badger.  So I called back and spoke with yet another person.  Turns out the Call Screening Feature isn’t available in my area.  So I had them cancel the order and went back to service as it was before I called. 

Me and the phone company never have gotten along.  I always call with simple requests but their employees can’t seem to fulfill them.  I just don’t understand why.

What was really surprising to me is how quickly that order processed through.  Just a couple years ago you could call and make changes to your account and they wouldn’t process through for a couple days.  Today if you call by the time your done with the call the order has processed.  Amazing how they were able to speed things up.  Also they don’t charge those one time installation charges.  I guess since VOIP has come into play they want to be sure not to loose any customers. 

If it wasn’t for dependable service regardless of the weather, I would ditch my traditional landline phone and switch to a VOIP service.  The other thing that is holding me hostage is our house alarm.  It will work on VOIP but with my luck our house would either catch fire or be broken into when the VOIP service was down.  The Fire Department and/or Police would never know and we would be left holding the bag.  I know they make back up cellular connections but that is expensive and now isn’t the time for me to freely spend money.

My other upset of the day was at TGI Friday’s.  I knew I had a bunch of reward points and haven’t used them in a while.  So we ordered and got yummy food as well as great cold drinks.  Then I go to pay and find out you can’t redeem your points in the store any longer.  You have to go on-line and redeem them, wait for a coupon to be e-mailed to you and then bring that with you to the store before it expires.  It’s all a gimmick, they are hoping that either you forget the coupon or you forget to use it by the expiration date and forfeit your points.   I liked the old system better where you could redeem in the store, it was easier and much more convenient.  Still it was a great meal.

The mail brought me the latest edition of the Under Gear dot Com Catalog.  Who’s on the cover but none other than Mario Lopez modeling his new line of Underwear.  Super HOT.  I don’t care if he cheated on his wife he could do what ever he wanted to me, I’d be his prisoner for a day or longer!  One thing that most of us gay men have in common is this catalog, no matter where we are living we are sure that it follows us.  Even if you don’t order there are some good looking underwear models!

I finally got my bank statement and have been waiting patiently for it since I started using my debit card on a daily basis.  I was seriously afraid that I might not balance.  Sure enough I found an error.  Turns out I forgot to log one of my Unemployment checks.  So now I’m more money ahead.  I’ve never come up with a negative balance and I have never bounced a check in my life.  Those are traditions that I plan to uphold. 

On the Job Hunt I found 3 jobs that I applied for on-line tonight.  Typically Monday’s are a bust.  I know that I’m so not qualified for one of them, but applying certainly can’t hurt anything. 

So that’s a wrap for Monday.  I’m off to surf the web and see what is new with the rest of the world.  Talk with you peeps later!