Sick Didn't Stop Me - A Day of Accomplishments

Despite the fact that I was feeling poorly, I still managed to get my errands accomplished with some small schedule changes. I got my new standard driver's license taken care of. Now I can work on gathering the paperwork for either a "Real" or an "Enhanced" driver's license without deadlines. My local license bureau had been known for long lines and slow service, but to my surprise, they were now open at 7:30 am instead of 8:30 am, and it really made a difference. I had to wait, but it wasn't horrific. I'm sure my photo will look awful. I did use minimal makeup, but decided against wearing a wig - embracing the bald. I'll be curious about how I look on the finished license when it arrives. 

I really wanted a "Real" or an "Enhanced" driver's license,
but it's going to take some time to get all of the paperwork
assembled and together. I went ahead and just renewed my
standard driver's license instead. 

I also got my health insurance policy in the works for my new Medicare policy. That is what I had been bugging Social Security for. Finally, approval number and Medicare number in hand, I was able to fill out the multi-page health insurance form and bring it in to my insurance company. I am now set to switch over next month, just waiting for letters of confirmation to arrive. 

My chicken soup didn't look as wonderful as this, although
my cranberry whole-grain roll was marvelous. 

I got the groceries purchased and the laundry done. I also got two separate naps in - one in mid-morning, the other in mid-afternoon. I only had some soup and a roll to eat all day, I passed on breakfast and passed on dinner. It's one way to lose weight, but I don't recommend it for a regular habit. 

No, these are NOT my tulips. I think I might have
daffodils, but they aren't silly enough to try blooming
until May. 

The snow finally started falling in the afternoon. I went out and shoveled the driveway around 5:30 pm or so. It was wet and heavy, with 1-1/2 inches already down and lots of snow still falling. I haven't taken a look outside yet, but received phone notification that the plows are in service. We should be getting more snow and sleet throughout the day today and it will stop tomorrow. I really hate spring snows, they're always heavy. I'll probably have plow scree to deal with at the shop, too. Ick! 

It's always difficult to lose a beloved life companion. My
heart goes out to Aearwen and her children. 

For those of you who may not have heard, my friend Aearwen's husband passed on around noon (her time zone) yesterday. She texted me shortly afterward to let me know. It's always hard to lose a life's companion. My heart goes out to her and their children. 

So that wraps this up for today. Tonight is Project Runway, so I'll be posting about the episode in tomorrow's posting if all goes smoothly. Have a wonderful Thursday and tell your loved ones how much you love them. It makes a difference - really! 

One Stepping Stone/Stumbling Block at a Time

Yesterday morning, quite early, I received a phone call on my cell phone. It was Stephanie, from Social Security, telling me that all of the paperwork is completed, and has been keyed in. Today, no later than tomorrow, my application should be active and I can go ahead and get things moving for my Medicare number. As we were laughing over the phone, I told her "I know I have plenty of time to get the SS worked out, but to get the insurance change-over, I'm against a wall. If I stay under my current insurance, I'll be spending more than $500 extra on coverage instead of switching plans." She totally understood and I'm moving along. What a relief. 

Do any of you remember the game "Pitfall!" for the Atari
system? I might still have it in my cabinet, along with
my old, original Atari. It was a hoot. It's starting to
look rather indicative of my life over the past few
months, though. That's a bit frightening. 

Of course, that just opens the pit for the next pitfall. On one hand, I need to get a new driver's licence, and on the other hand, our small income tax refund is probably toast and we'll owe. Ouch on both counts. Damned government. 

The "Enhanced" Driver's License has the US Flag because
they've confirmed your status as a US Citizen. The
rest of the license is pretty much the same as the prior
versions. I don't have to get an EDL, but I would rather
like one. It would make things a bit easier if we decided
to swing up to Canada or something. 

I'd like to get one of the fancy-dancy driver's licenses this time - the kind that will allow me to cross the borders into either Canada or Mexico or even go to the Carribean. I'm not necessarily planning any trips north, south or east, but I'd like to be prepared. Unfortunately, the documentation they request is going to be hard for me to get. I may have to start writing the Department of Motor Vehicles and find out what they will consider acceptable. I have a long list of "we accept X and Y", but most of them only want things that expired within the past year. Like a passport. My passport expired more than 20 years ago. I didn't need one, I haven't traveled, so I didn't bother renewing. *sigh* Time for the next bureaucratic nightmare. Argh! 

I'll get the hang of this yet! 

So, one stumbling block at a time. At least I'm only backing up one step for every two steps forward. Have yourself a totally fabulous Thursday. I'll be celebrating the birthdays of three friends on LJ. Maybe I'll treat myself to a cookie. LOL I'll be back tomorrow with a rundown of this week's Project Runway. 

Second Verse - Same As The First

Are any of you old enough to remember a song that went: 

  I'm Henry the 8th, I am
  Henry the 8th, I am, I am
  I got married to the widow next door
  She's been married seven times before
  and every one was a Henry   ...
  
Well, you get the idea. That rotating sameness, that revolving door, that seems to be my life lately. I really want to break out of it. 

When it comes to dealing with government, and especially the
SSA, it's a revolving door to hell. Actually, maybe Satan
actually invented revolving doors and collects a small
royalty every time one of these is used. 

Here's the rub for me. I have been going onto the Social Security website every few days to see when my account would be unlocked and available for me to progress on the road to Medicare. More than three weeks ago I sent the final form out to them, and I keep expecting results. (Insert sound of crickets here. Yeah - no results.) Yesterday, frustrated, I phoned SSA and spoke to Miguel in Texas about the problem. After a lot of dithering, it came down to "I have no idea why it isn't complete, but there's nothing I can do." So, I asked, "How about if I take every piece of paper I've ever had to the SSA Office in person and try to expedite things that way?" 

I'll be taking every document I can think of (and
probably some they won't need) to the SSA
this morning. I've got to get this moving along! 

The verdict - that might work. So, my Manager is covering for me at opening today while I head back out to the far suburbs to stand in line and talk to an agent about getting things resolved and working once again. My clock is ticking and time is running down. It's almost the end of March and I have to have everything nailed within a month. At the glacial pace that the SSA is coming along with this, it's just not happening. Time to light a fire and burn the forest down. Eliminating the dross might actually be successful. At least I'm certainly hoping so. 

Happy Birthday to Shirebound - a friend for many years and one
of those amazingly optimistic people who have a loving heart
and always room for one more. Celebrate madly, love deeply,
and enjoy your Very Special Day! 

Yesterday was so filled with crap that I didn't get a chance to read and comment on anyone's B2MeM stories. I apologize. I always try to read and comment because I think it's important to acknowledge the efforts of others and because I love to read the varied takes on the prompts. I'll try to get caught up over the next day or two. As for today's prompt for me? I'll be working on it while waiting for the doors to be unlocked at SSA. *sigh* Have a great Thursday and I'll be back tomorrow. 

A Win and A Win

We actually succeeded in getting all of the right forms together, contacting all of the right people, and walking correctly through all of the minefields. DH now has his appropriate insurance in place, I have a policy of my own now (a concern since our policies had been a family policy, and now I needed an individual one) and I'm ready to put insurance and the government aside for six weeks. The folders aren't filed away quite yet, I'll have to start jumping fences again next year, but I can finally enjoy the holidays a bit. 

The fences have all been jumped and we're finally
finished getting all of the insurance documents and
legalities taken care of. Whew!!!

Chickie has the buyer's inspection happening this afternoon, and DH volunteered to come out and help me at the shop for the last few hours today so that she could drive to the new house for the inspection. If everything passes and everyone is in agreement, she'll close on the new duplex in early January and finally, after more than 45 years, be a homeowner. It's quite a step. 

Home inspection is crucial to discover things that
may end up costing more money than the buyer
originally thought. In the market for a home?
Here's a quick article about some things that
may be overlooked but shouldn't be. 

It was a shift that was caused by such a minor thing - access to the internet and TV. Her current apartment, the second story of a renovated house, has been her home for more than eleven years. The apartment is nice - a two bedroom with good-sized rooms, a nice kitchen space and a good-sized living room, along with a renovated old-style bathroom. The real kicker was that utilities and cable were included in her rent, and there was a washer and dryer in the basement. 

The landlord wanted to switch from Xfinity to CenturyLink. After
hours with customer service over two days, and having the
service still not operate properly, the landlord gave up and
cancelled the CenturyLink contract, returning to Xfinity for
most services. 

A few months ago, the landlord decided to switch cable/internet from one service to another. It was a total disaster which lasted for less than 48 hours, but when they pulled out of their "new" service, they only brought back the cable internet, not the TV. Chickie's Mom had been planning to put her own house on the market in October and find a place to live that would be easier on her - less upkeep, less stairs. A radical idea was born! 

Duplex houses are either side-by-side styles or
main floor/upper floor versions. The one Chickie
and her Mom are buying is a two story house with
an unfinished attic above the two livable levels. 

Instead of "Let's Write A Play", the idea of "Let's Find A House Where We Could Live Together" was born. Chickie didn't want to actually live together - separate apartments and personal space was a must - but a duplex or a home that could function as a duplex was well within reason. It was a great idea, but it took a lot of looking. Most of the properties were crap. Some were good, but other problems existed. They had actually put a bit in on a house, when a duplex suddenly appeared in the listings and they pushed to get into it and take a look. They loved it, they put down a bid, and after a lot of waiting on pins and needles, it was accepted. If it passes the inspection, they'll have a place to call home. 

Every time I've moved in this state, except for the very first
time, I've moved in the cold and ice of winter. I'm telling
you ... that SUCKS! I'm officially playing the "I'm too
old" card and not helping with this move. 

Of course, since it's always been my luck in this state of cold and snow, they'll end up moving in January, in the Frozen Northlands. Ack! Not the best of timing there! But a duplex that met all of their requirements and that both of them fell in love with? A bit of cold and ice won't stop them now. So ... Santa came through for them with an early holiday gift. I'm really happy for both of them! 

Have a great Thursday, get a lot accomplished, find those last few gifts if you're still shopping. I'll be back tomorrow and we'll continue on our journey through life together. Have a wonderful day! 

It's a Normal Wednesday - Busy, Busy and Busy

We finally received DH's Medicare number, filled out a bunch of other forms, and I'm back out to the health insurance company today to make sure that he's insured, and also that I am. It's the final stages of a long drawn-out process of trying to get his Federal Medicare set up, and it was a good lesson to me - start early! Start WAY earlier than you think you need to. Looking at my time frame, it took us about five weeks, but I'd say give yourself a two-month buffer to get your information and documentation in order, submitted, processed, and locked down. 

Looking from the outside, looking in. There's so much to build a story
on in this photo - the reflections pulling the viewer into unexpected
dimensions. Have you ever stood at a window at an unusual angle and
spotted something you thought shouldn't be there? Maybe that's
a quick view of another dimension you never saw before. 

I also have to review a domain name coming up for renewal and decide if I want to keep it or trash it, get a few holiday gifts ordered, order my calendars for next year, and go grocery shopping. If I have any more time, there's a project I've been designing and I've been fighting it. It's a simple project to put together, but it's fighting me every step of the way. I've decided to change the thread weight, thinking that might make a difference, and I want to check out the results on that today. 

I think this project will work a lot better with a much thicker
thread. The thread I originally chose certainly works, but it
gets tangled too easily and the second stage of the project
is much harder than it should be. Time to switch to a
different thread and see if that makes a difference. 

And, I'll finally have a chance to talk with Aearwen and catch up on what's happening in her life and with her family after two weeks! That's pretty extreme for us since we usually chat every week. I'm having Aearwen-withdrawl! LOL. 

For a bit of whimsy, check this out. This is the work
of one of several self-proclaimed pothole gardener's
works. There are several of these guys in England, and
at least one in the USA. Their goal - to point out
poor road conditions by erecting a small garden
tableau or sculptures. Such fun! 

So, between the usual grocery shopping and multiple loads of laundry, I guess I'll be kept busy today. No grass growing under my lazy feet - as if any would do so in our cold, winter temperatures anyway. I know this is short and sweet, but sometimes that's just the way it has to be. I'll pepper this with some photos, because it's all about the visuals - LOL. Have a great Wednesday and I'll be back after I catch my breath, tomorrow. 

Final Call-Out For Holiday Cards

It was a stressful Sunday. I returned home from work on Saturday to find a phone message from earlier in the day. It was Social Security calling regarding DH's Medicare application. Stating that there were a few more questions they needed answered, I copied down the number and, since it was late on Saturday night, told DH that he should phone on Monday. Apparently that wrecked the entire weekend for him. He's not really good at tabling things until they can be dealt with. We'll take care of this later this morning and life can return to it's usual rollercoaster ride. 

The original software for Lord of the Rings
Online was introduced more than eleven
years ago. We were beta players and have
been playing as lifetime members since
either 2006 or 2007 (not exactly sure which
year without going into some serious research). 

I did have a pleasant Sunday. I alternated between playing Lord of the Rings Online, watching football on the TV (my team won and his team didn't), and painting/doing ink work on my holiday cards. They're progressing, and if I get an equal amount of work done on them on Thursday (Thanksgiving), I'll be ready to start work on the envelopes. THEREFORE .. This is my FINAL call-out for addresses. If you would like a card sent to you, please message me your address. I always change my card list somewhat, but I do a fair amount of retention of old friends and acquaintances too. I enjoy designing and making the cards, sending them to people is a bonus. 

I picked up a set of the Stabilo 68 pens and they're
perfect for what I needed on my cards this year.
I love the super fine tips pens of their 88-series,
but needed a wider nib. The 68-series turned
out to be perfect for my needs. 

So, since there wasn't a lot going on over the weekend, and since I'm focused on a functional time schedule for this upcoming Social Security Administration call, I'm ending my blog here today. Short and sweet. I hope each of you have a wonderful Monday and, if you haven't already confirmed that you want a card, please be sure to message me. I'll be back tomorrow. 

It's Monday - Random Thoughts re Movies and Government Paperwork

Since Veteran's Day fell on a Sunday, today is a Federal Holiday to commemorate the date. That means a lot of people will have the day off, but not me. Like most small businesses, I can't afford to be closed except for major holidays, so we'll be open for business and it will be a regular day in paradise. The weather people are promising we'll warm back up by the weekend which will give us an opportunity to rake up the leaves which have fallen. I suspect it will be our last hurrah before winter roars in, so we'd better get moving on them. 

Bohemian Rhapsody for me was all about the music. Of course I cared
about Freddy Mercury, and the film could have gone much farther into
his sexuality, but it didn't and it was still a good film, worth watching,
and well worth the listen because ... the music!!!! 

"Bohemian Rhapsody" was marvelous. The music was fabulous, of course, and even though the story of Freddy Mercury was slightly altered, the changes were pretty minor. The script dealt with his family quite well, and treated his AIDS in a dignified manner, but didn't go into either subplot in great depth. It's been argued that the film pushed Freddy's sexuality under a carpet, but I didn't feel that way. I thought it kept the focus on the music, so it was successful to me. Even DH enjoyed it, although he's not a Queen fanboy. I, however, thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it highly. 

The next film I want to see is "Grinch". I love the story, have seen
all of the various permutations over the years, and have to add
this to my viewing schedule. 

Chickie and I are looking at going to see "Grinch" soon, probably next week. It hasn't gotten the greatest reviews, but it hasn't been panned either. Basically, the reviews are saying that it doesn't bring anything new to the genre, but that it's better than the Jim Carrey version. Not high praise, but I still want to see it. 

Mountains of paperwork, that's what I'm generating
just to get our plans locked for retirement. It's
totally ridiculous and we'll be shredding things
for months! 

DH's Medicare application is now in the hands of the SSA in Chicago. I envision a piece of paper floating down from a lit opening far above, and landing atop a mountain of other applications. A creaking door opens at the bottom of the vast mountain of paperwork and a single, hooded being reaches out, pulls a single page from the stack reaching far above his head. The pile shifts as the drudge turns, leaves the room. As the door closes behind him, several more pages float down from the light onto the dark mountain. *sigh* 

So, it's Monday and the start of a new week. Go out there and make it a good one and I'll be back tomorrow. 

Freddy Mercury and Veterans Day in the Cold

It's been a really stress-filled week, and tempers have flared a bit over a few days, so DH is giving me Sunday - a gift of whatever I want to do (since his football team has a bye week anyway - LOL). Still, I'm not looking a gift horse in the mouth. We're going to an early showing of "Bohemian Rhapsody" and I'm really looking forward to it. A lot of my friends have already seen the movie and everyone was really happy with it because of the music - which really is the major reason to have a bio-flick about Freddy Mercury anyway. 

In general, "Bohemian Rhapsody" has gotten good reviews, and it's really
all about the music, isn't it? But there are serious inaccuracies and
liberties taken with the movie so, if you're interested in checking
them out, here's a link to one website. 

It's only the 10th of November, but we're in the deep freeze. If this is how the season is starting, I'm already dreading January and February - our true deep freeze months. It's 12 degrees F right now, -11.11 C for my Celsius friends. COLD! We're supposed to climb out of this deep hole into the low 50's (10 C) by next week Sunday. These are the days when it's next to impossible to figure out what to wear and I guess that's how it's going to be. Temperature swings like this also lead to colds and flu, so I'm trying to dress accordingly and stay healthy - a good goal. 

I guess I'm going to be all bundled up for winter today as I head
out. I haven't snapped on my imitation fur hood yet, but that's
coming too. I think my hat and scarf will be good enough while
I wait for the doors to be unlocked at the YMCA. 

I'm thinking a brunch after the movie might be delightful, and then returning home and continuing painting my holiday cards. I've fallen a bit off schedule over this past week because of all of the Medicare debacle. Oh ... got an automatic letter response from the SSA. Apparently our home office is in Chicago and we should have a response within 30 days. That's really pushing things out to the max and means DH won't be officially enrolled in the health care policy we wanted until January. We'll have to see what happens, but I suspect telling him to make an appointment at our local branch to try and push things along won't be welcomed or obeyed. We have other things we have to concentrate on now. It is as it is and we've done our best. Miracles can still happen ... probably won't, but it's still a possibility. 

Now it's a waiting game and I'm not a patient person. 

Tomorrow is Veteran's Day - November 11th. I've lived through too much war and conflict and by now I think that rage and anger are endemic to the human race. At this rate we'll be a small blip on the Earth's history, far eclipsed by the long eons of the dinosaurs; and, of course, the insects will inherit the earth - or what remains of it after we've destroyed it. *sigh* 

World War I was titled "The War to End All Wars". That,
unfortunately, didn't last long. Despite our bloody
history, we still should take some time to remember
and honor all veterans - it's a tough job and I certainly
couldn't do it. 

So, I'm going to wrap this up and call it a week. I'm looking forward to swimming some of this stress off in the pool and then bundling up in my parka, hat, gloves and scarf. I still need new gloves, but what I have will do, and I just have to roll with the punches - I've been TOO stressed over the past month or so. Have a happy Saturday and a great weekend, and I'll be back on Monday. 

Clarification About the Social Security Roller Coaster

Oops! I need to clarify because, sleep-deprived as I was, I may have mislead you and I have to be cautious about that. In yesterday's post, I said...

"Just one word of advice for my US friends who might be looking at their own retirement and Medicare coming up. The window for Social Security is three months before your 65th birthday, the month of your birthday, and three months afterward."

What I should have said was that the seven month window is for Medicare signup, which is governed by the Social Security Administration. If you're a US resident, you can pick and choose when you want your draw from Social Security to start, but you MUST sign up for Medicare right around your 65th birthday. The penalties for not doing that are similar to a neverending hell, so if you're within 3 months of turning 65, get onto their website, grit your teeth, fill in the myriad of information, save the application if you need to look up more stuff and then return to it, and finally submit it. They say it normally takes 10-30 minutes to complete. It took DH approx an hour and it was mucho-frustrating, but he got it down and submitted, also choosing Plan B. 

Some would liken this experience to jumping through hoops, I, however,
equate dealing with the forms and deadlines more like a roller coaster. You
think you understand it and you have all of the information you can, but
when you're confronted with the questions from the SSA, you're totally
at loose ends once again. 

If you have time, but are approaching when Medicare will kick in for you, take advantage of the various meetings and explanations for the public, etc, that are held around your town in November. November is health insurance month - the time when plans switch over to the new plans that will kick off on January 1st. There's a LOT to know about Medicare and it's SUPER confusing. At least get your basics reviewed now in a general and generic meeting. You can meet with an agent specifically for your personal needs later on when you age into the system. 

Another roller coaster - so apt for the convoluted pathway
I've had to walk just to get to this point. 

I'm very proud of DH, though. He was extremely frustrated, even phoned me in the afternoon when the SSA website was asking questions he didn't know, but he persevered and got his application submitted yesterday. Now it's in the hands of the SSA and, hopefully, we'll have a Medicare number for DH before the end of the month. That's the goal. 

We rode the roller coaster, now we're hopefully cruising
into the start platform, a little bruised and with messy hair,
but in one piece. 

Thanks for hanging with me over these past few days. It's been quite the roller coaster. I'm hoping for a nice, quiet Friday and a weekend without too much drama. That's probably hoping a bit much, but a girl can dream. Have a wonderful day and I'll be back tomorrow. 

Looking For A Domino

My Medicare insurance meeting went well - I had an hour time slot and we ran five minutes over. I peppered him with questions but got the answers I needed. Now to get DH moving very quickly because we're WAY behind time for him to have done some things with Social Security. It's a mess, but I think/hope we can pull this out of the fire and make a few miracles happen if everything falls into place. It's rather like those domino sculptures where one push makes the entire thing fold over and open into something miraculous. That's what I'm looking for - a small miracle. 

I'm feeling the domino effect right now. Every action leads
to the next and each needs to happen in distinct order. 

Meanwhile, the stress is really wrecking my sleep cycles. Too much of A must happen before B, and those must happen before C, and all of this has to happen before December, and then D has to fall into place before the end of the year. I turned into a catatonic person last night at around 8:30, so I called it an early night and went to sleep. Then I awakened at 12:30 am, couldn't get back to sleep, so finally gave up and got up at 1:10 am, did some more Medicare and Social Security research, printed out some documents, and went back to bed a half-hour later. I finally got another hour of sleep, but I'm a bit of a zombie today. 

Here's a domino effect that's a bit fancier. It would actually be rather
fun to set one like this off. 

Between all of this, of course, I'm heading into my holiday season at the shop, and my two annual sales - an after Thanksgiving 2-day sale and our after Christmas 3 or 4-day sale (I haven't made up my mind on this one yet). I have to get my mailing lists in order and check prior years sales notifications. It's usually a simple copy and send, but there are always some changes and I have to be accurate with dates and hours, etc. 

Of course, if you don't enjoy dominoes, there's always Rube Goldberg. 
The consequences of each action on every other action to
create an end result ... that's what I need to happen. 

Just one word of advice for my US friends who might be looking at their own retirement and Medicare coming up. The window for Social Security is three months before your 65th birthday, the month of your birthday, and three months afterward. It's actually a generous time frame, but I'm trying to compress this for DH into two weeks. Yeah - a miracle would be handy right about now. I need a Moses to part the Red Sea of paperwork and governmental stuff. 

The entire concept of parting the Red Sea has always been
fascinating to me. I do expect, however, that the sea bed
would have been a wet and muddy mess to walk on. Still,
to walk between walls of water like that - spooky! 

Have a wonderful Thursday. I have a feeling I'll be existing on strong coffee for the day followed by another restless night. *sigh* I'll be back tomorrow, though ... Same Bat Time, Same Bat Channel.