monkey5s

Hoping you have many happy returns on your own personal new year, lavendertook! I finally have the little crocus blooming in the yard, but everything is drastically behind schedule here. Hope you have FULL BLOWN SPRING where you are!

Probably I was asleep when I thought I was updating. It was steady, even rain allllll daaaaaaay looooonnnng. Which makes me nervous with the leaks in the house.

Today I called the bro while s-i-l, niece and friend were visiting. Seems that housekeeping had not been in his room even once in the time he's been there, nor had his bedsheets been changed (from leaking sores and so forth). Also, nobody changed his leg dressings last night, just this morning. Also, the nurse will ask if he wants to do something, he says yes, she says she'll get back to him but never does. He couldn't understand why, if they only have half occupancy, there weren't plenty of people on staff. So I had to ask him if he seriously expected the facility to carry full staff when they were half empty. It's also occurred to him that, although they are diligent about giving him his IV antibiotivc on a 12-hour schedule, that should be ending in another 10 days. So what happens to his level of care then?

Upshot today was, s-i-l and niece went out searching and found the linens closet, so they changed his bed. S-i-l was going to take the dirty sheets home and wash them (which I consider really silly of her), and she is going to presumably have a long list of issues to bring up at the "big meeting" the nursing home has scheduled for this Monday.

But, after a cloudy start with leftover rain, the weather gradually cleared today, and now it's strong sun from the west as it sets. The temperature was in the low 50's this afternoon, but I was amused to note that there are NO signs of spring bulbs in my garden! They are NOT convinced they won't get slammed by hard freeze again.

But I will persist.

Yesterday when I called my bro at the hospital there was no answer. No problem, probably in the bathroom. Half hour later, still no answer? Called my s-i-l on her cell. She answered in the truck, where she was hauling him to the nursing home. Through pea soup fog.

It was sudden, according to him. They had been trying to find a nursing home, the ones they had wanted so far were all full. So the hospital found him one. Yeah, that's right, everything rated "below average" and above were full. So he's in one with the lowest rating, where the rooms are doubles but no rooms have more than one person. S-i-l didn't know its rating or anything about it, but she said it looked clean and well-kept, and the staff were fast, friendly, and efficient. So we will keep fingers crossed. He's got 6-8 months, they figure, for the sores on his legs to heal completely.

I'm doing marginally better at getting my contact lenses out. Last night the right one came out on about the third try, like last time. And this time the left lens only took me about 20 minutes, and only one session of drops. The eye was red and ooky after that, but nowhere near as bad as the last time. So, progress, of a sort. Slow improvement is better than no improvement, right?

Oh yeah, Daylight Savings Time started today. Well, I haven't been to bed yet, so I declare this is still officially Sunday.

Today was my birthday. It was an OK day, for me. Which means that I feel like I handled the bad things fairly efficiently, with a minimum of fussing. And less swearing than usual. AR AR AR!

I also decided to treat myself to dinner at the Mexican restaurant in town, instead of staying home by myself and feeling glum. I posted on FB and asked if anyone wanted to join me, but since I only decided three hours before I was planning to go, I didn't expect anyone to show up. But when I got there, there WAS one person waiting for me! So that was a delightful surprise! We spent a long time visiting, since the place wasn't crowded.

Then when I got home there was a voicemail from another friend who now lives far enough away, and whose life is so frantically busy, that we just never manage to connect. I called her back and we had a good hour-long talk.

So I survived another birthday! Yay! And how is everyone else this early March?

Missed posting yesterday, just too much ugh happening. The s-i-l called me in early afternoon, to tell me they were at the ER, because she finally got a home health care nurse in to look at the bro's open sores on his legs, which she has been treating, unsuccessfully, as per instruction from the Wound Clinic, for months. The nurse unwrapped his legs and said "hospital".

They finally got him into a room in the hospital proper in the evening. Then they realized he has a history of heart trouble, so they had to move him to a room on the heart monitor floor, which happened at 2:30 am. I just talked to him on the phone, and he's all depressed because there was a doctor in to talk to him, telling him he will be going to a nursing home from the hospital to get his legs actually healed, which will be 6-8 months. Which, I had to admit it sucked, but I really think it would suck a lot more if he lost his legs.

Then my own aggravation was opening the mail today. First, it appears I was possibly affected by the Anthem Insurance hack- because they believe it started the month before I took my retirement (and left that insurance behind). AWESOME, huh?

Second hit from the mail was the letter from the vascular surgeon place to give me the print copy of the arrangements I made for my followup. The appointment with the doctor was fine, but the test that was scheduled two weeks ahead of it? I could have sworn I scheduled it at the nearest hospital. This sheet shows otherwise. So I have to call Monday and see what's going on there.

So. My frustrations are minor, yet still irritating. I feel bad for the bro, but I have to admit it's a relief to know he's where he can receive actual help. And life keeps spinning along.

Terrible weather, rain and sleet on top of the built-up snow, with rain heavy around noon. I had planned to go down to the BMV's license agency in the next town south to do my vehicle registration renewal and driver's license renewal, then stop for groceries at the supermarket on the way home.

I finally did make it out to the BMV. I knew it would be best to get that over with, even though I had no intention of stopping for groceries in this weather.

And, for the record, I had the best/most irritating visit to the BMV EVAR. They are super low-tech, there's a basket up at the counter with hand-written numbers on pieces of paper, for you to take when you come in. I walked in, noted that there were only three people there, and took my number. I turned around to choose a seat and got my coat off, and my number was called! WOOT!

Except, when I reached for my wallet to get out my driver's license, it was not in my coat pocket. Hm. Did I put it into my walker bag? I know I left the house with it, and I remember taking it out of my coat pocket to put on the seat belt... Oh. Well. Um, I will have to gimp back out to the car and get it. "No problem!" she chirped. "You don't have to wait again, just come to my desk when you get back!"

So I clomped out through the puddles and slush, only to realize, when I got to the car, that I did not have my key. This is the key that I used to lock the car when I got out at the BMV, so I know I had it in the building. And, that's right, when I was painfully getting back up from the chair at her station, I heard a 'thunk!' as I picked up my coat to put it back on. I had glanced at the floor and didn't see anything, though. But as I clomped my way back to the building to see if my key was somewhere else, a man coming out asked if I had lost one. Seems it had bounced under the desk to where the clerk was sitting (who knew Mazda keys were so talented?!). The man went back in and retrieved it, to save me having to make the rest of the trip.

So. Yeah. FINALLY I got myself squared away, and got the documentation. And this time, my photo for my license looks more like a PSA on the evils of drug use, like, "Kids, don't do drugs or you could end up like this weirdo!" Which was an improvement over the photo four years ago, which was pure "escapee from the women's penitentiary." Also, as I was leaving, I realized that there were now about 20 people waiting. So, GREAT timing for me!

Now if it dries out EVER, I can get the stickers on my license plate and be all done for another year. And, as a bonus, I wore my trial contact lenses and DID pass the vision test (they're multifocal, and the reading vision on the left eye is still adjusting).

So yeah. Good day with a comedy of errors. And crappy weather.

The month has gotten off to a rough start for me. Chronic health issues acting up, one of the cats puked on my bed this morning (on the comforter that I can't wash in my too-small washing machine), and there is enough snow on the ground (and more coming down) that I can't deal with it. Also, trying out new soft daily-disposable contact lenses, and the second one I opened this morning (after getting the first one into my eye already) was torn. I was planning to have four days of wear in for my followup appointment Wednesday, but now I'll have to skip tomorrow. I'm wondering if I should skip Tuesday, too, in case there's another bad one? He asked me to save a pair to wear the day of the appointment, and I only had a five-day sample.

On the other hand, I don't have to be anywhere until Wednesday. Pretty sure I have enough groceries until then.

I watched Birdman on DVD last Friday. It had a lot to say about art, and celebrity, and "authentic"experience, rather than observing through the remove of a viewscreen. I can't really decide if I actually liked it or not.

Did a quick check of the election results for my state. And once again, I feel estranged from the people around me. This time I did not pick the best candidate for the job, I voted for the person most likely to defeat the worst one. And so far, that worst candidate is winning in every race that affects me.

Including the (appointed to fill a vacancy, now is actually running for election) state treasurer, who has repeatedly been found guilty of blowing off meetings that he is required, by state law, to attend. And yet the majority of voters have voted for him. The race hasn't been called yet, but I suspect he will win it.

Sour times, seem to be permanent.

Yesterday I was sitting in the car, petting Dash before I got out of the car. There was a family group traveling along the sidewalk, mom pushing the baby in a stroller, two more kids who looked like around 4 and 6 years old. The sidewalk runs in front of my house, not down the side street where my driveway is. The kids saw the big orange cat, and he saw them. And started walking up the street towards them as they walked down the street towards him. I told the mom that he likes kids, and it was OK to pet him, he liked skritches on top of his head best.

There was a car coming down the street beside my house (the one with no sidewalk), it was still a block away but in motion. Dash started marching past the kids in the street, and they trailed along after him. He went up the steps at the corner so he was on the sidewalk with mom and the stroller. I heard her say to the kids that she didn't know why he did that, so I had to tell her that he wanted the kids out of the street because there was a car coming.

He knows what's right. No little ones in the street when there's traffic coming. He really is a marvelous cat.

Or, signs that I will hate this book.

p. 3, heroine is frantically trying to find a dress (for a blind date), on sale, on her NYC lunch break.

"Unfortunately, the one dress I fell in love with at first sight, a DKNY silk number that was marked down to a ridiculous forty-three bucks, was way too big. No matter how I tried to cinch the waist, it looked like I was wearing a mumu. Empty-handed, I went back to work feeling--for the first time in my life--slightly perturbed that I wasn't twenty pounds heavier."

My reaction? 1. You're not trying very hard to make that dress work. 2. Seriously? Twenty pounds heavier is what you call muumuu sized?

p. 5, she goes downstairs in her apartment building Saturday morning, to find a "monster" blocking the front hall.

"His back was to me, his front facing the window-paneled door. (I guess so he could watch the traffic?) I say it was a he, but that was only a hypothesis. I just could not imagine any self-respecting female-- monster or not-- ever getting as pudgy as this thing was."

My reaction? 1. So, no creature that is not human could EVER have any priorities that do not reflect your human ones? 2. We Will Not Acknowledge the pathetic body-image issues of this woman.

p. 12, she flings herself downstairs to try to save the blind date from the monster, even though she buzzed him in after spending the day isolated in her apartment to avoid the monster. She nearly face-plants on the marble floor, but blind date catches her. And her reaction is?

"He was shorter than me. That was the first thing I noticed. Shorter and fatter than me, with a large head, and small round John Lennon glasses perched low on his long nose. If he had been maybe seven inches taller, I might have been thanking Patience [neighbor/friend who set up blind date], instead of cursing her heartily in my head."

My reaction? Hmm, I think I'm seeing why she's a failure at finding a date on her own.

p. 15, on the subway into work Monday morning, a homeless man steps in front of her and stares at her.

"Now, normally, I would just throw some change a few feet in the other direction, causing a homeless person free-for-all, but this guy didn't even blink when I tossed a handful of quarters at the heavyset Hispanic lady who was taking up the whole row of handicap seats behind me. I felt a little bad about sending Mr. Homeless in her direction, but then I figured she was taking up all the handicap seats so she was fair game."

My reaction? Wow, she's a real asshole. Like, gold-plated. I'm feeling the urge to see awful things happen to this bitch because she's earned all the bad things.

p. 17, she arrives at work and interacts with her boss, Hyacinth.

"She had gone to some hoity-toity party on the Upper East Side the night before, and the hostess had bragged for hours about the organic dim sum she had served, and how Jennifer Aniston only ordered from the place whenever she was in town.

Now I'm no star whore, but even I had to admit that whatever Jennifer Aniston was eating to stay that thin must be worth the rest of us at least trying a taste. So, I couldn't fault Hy for wanting Jennifer Aniston's organic dim sum.

And Hy definitely needed all the diet help she could get. I mean, she did have that glandular problem... or at least that's what she said it was.

Unhappily for me, I was having absolutely no luck, and it was starting to really piss me off. Usually I'm a whiz at finding things on the Internet, but I was starting to get this funny feeling that Hy had made the whole thing up just to screw with my day. She was probably sitting in her office right now, snickering into the nonfat decaf latte I'd gotten her this morning.

Why the woman wanted a nonfat decaf latte was beyond me. The whole office knew it was ordered for appearances only, that she probably dumped the whole thing into the potted plant behind her desk as soon as I had closed her office door in favor of whatever calorie-laden goodies she had stashed in her desk drawer. But hey, I was only her assistant. I didn't care what the hell she did with her coffee."

My reaction? There is NO WAY I am wasting my time on the rest of this 359-page book about this offensive jackass. A character arc that redeems her completely would not be enough to make me care. Back to the library it goes.