This, That, and Some More of This and That - LOL

So we now enter the weekend. It's Saturday, a usual day at the shop for us, and then on Sunday I'll have to work from Noon until 4:00 pm for our second of three Sundays open. Last Sunday we had no customers (but we got a lot of computer work done, which was essential). Historically, we don't get many/any customers on our Sunday hours, but it's a convenience for our customers, nonetheless. It also means we can get some more work done on the massive project that DH started about 2 to 2-1/2 months ago - repricing ALL of our precious metals products. That's a LOT of product - everything from earwires and earposts to Sterling Silver wire that we sell by the foot. 

If you're really interested in how precious metals pricing has 
changed over the past 100 years, here's an interactive link 
for you. 
https://www.macrotrends.net/1470/historical-silver-prices-100-year-chart
The big spike in 1979 was when the Hunt Brothers were cornering 
the market, but wee broke through that high and moved back 
down. Now we've been climbing again. Today we're at record highs. 

The metals market has gone through the roof, and for years we've been putting an "adder" onto each sale. The adder would be determined by the daily market price of precious metals. DH knows that during our closing sale, we simply won't be able to do things that way, so he dove into the HUGE task of repricint our sterling silver components, as well as our gold-filled and our 14K gold items. I actually think he's getting to the end of that project, but it's been his nightmare over the past eight weeks or so. 

A certified copy of a court decree can only be obtained 
through the courts and, of course, has to be purchased - LOL. 
I bought six certified copies from the court last week, so 
that I can get my driver's license, passport and social 
security changed appropriately, and still have a few copies 
in reserve "just in case". 

I received my certified copies of my official name from the courthouse yesterday. Now I can set up an appointment to get an updated driver's license as well as get a passport going. I haven't had a valid passport since the late 1980's, and my driver's license is set to expire early next year. I'm not sure I'll have the time to deal with the driver's license until 2026, but DH's birthday is this month, and his license will expire on his birthday, so he actually has to get in. He did as much online as possible, but was unable to make an appointment online, so he'll have to be at the License Bureau as soon as they open in a week or two. As I recall, they open at 7:30 am, so not horrible. 

I'm expecting a questionnaire from Travis that both 
DH and I will have to spend some serious time and 
effort on. All of our publicity will be based on what 
we answer and the history that we provide. We'd better 
be comprehensive. 

We're waiting on Travis to send us the next part of our business closing stage. It will be a lengthy questionnaire, and we should take our time with it, and really fill it out with paragraphs of information, if necessary. All our promotional materials, etc will be based on our responses to the questionnaire. I'm anxious to see what the questions are, and I'm sure DH and I will have different answers to almost all of the questions, but we'll see. 

So, I'm wrapping this up, having a quick breakfast, and heading to the shop. I have a bunch of stuff to do, and need to maximize my time today. Have a great weekend and I'll be back on Monday. Slava Ukraini. 

It Was a Week of Accomplishment!

It's finally the end of a very busy and stressful week. I had an excellent fast walk on the treadmill this morning, and have my first cup of herbal tea next to me while I type this. I've started a Xmas Gifts for me list for my DH, leaving in on the refrigerator door in hopes he'll see it. I desperately need a new set of Nike running shoes for my treadmill days, and a set of running shorts for the hotter months would also be beneficial. We'll see if he actually does anything much. His gifts over the years have been getting sparse. 

Today's run went from Venice to Cinque Terre in Italy. There 
were some canyons too. It's one of my favorite runs, except 
for Venice. I'm not very fond of running through cities, even 
if they are as charming as Venice. 

I'm anxiously awaiting the physical court verdict so that I can take that with me and get an updated Driver's License and begin to get a new passport. It's really those two things that spurred the whole issue in the first place. My documentation was not accepted, but with the court order, a lot of things will change - in my favor. As it is, when my driver's license expires next May, I wouldn't be able to renew it. NO BUENO! LOL 

I'm waiting for the paperwork to get a "Real ID" card 
from the state. It's basically a driver's license with a few 
extra parts to it that will allow me to board airplanes, etc. 
Rather important, I suspect, since I plan to travel when 
I'm finally rid of the shop. 

So I'm going into the weekend with a feeling of accomplishment, at least. I found and looked through all of the house documents yesterday, but no problems there. My name is exactly as I have in the court document throughout. I guess things were a bit less strict in the mid 1980's when we bought this place, but I'm very grateful that I won't have any issues with my name as listed on the purchase agreements or the Title of Deed. 

I'll have to start a small "To Do" list. I'm 
not fond of lists in general, but they can be 
helpful when trying to make sure everything 
is completed. My mother ran her life with lists, 
but I tend to run mine with short lists that 
will be current for a day or two only (except 
for the grocery list). 

I'll have to start a list of things to check, however. Things like bank accounts, stock and securities accounts, etc will all have to reflect my proper name. I don't think I'll have any issues with them - most of them are probably already using the name I have now legalized. But, I'm sure there will be something that will crop up as I go through things. Probably something I rarely use, but that still has importance and needs updating. 

Have a great weekend. I'm hoping to get some more of 
the leaves raked up. It'll be the last nice weekend we'll
have, maybe until Spring! 

So, I'm wrapping this up, having breakfast, and heading off to the shop. I hope all of you have a splendid day and a wonderful weekend. I'll be back on Monday morning. Slava Ukraini. 

Today is My Virtual Court Day - A Lot is On the Line

Today is my virtual court hearing for my official name change. It's not like I'm changing to something outrageous or even new, I'm trying to get official recognition of the name order I've used for decades. I use my middle name as my first name, and because I have a hyphenated last name, I just drop my original first name completely out of the picture. 

We'll see how this all goes today. I'm hoping it will go 
smoothly, but there are no guarantees. I have my two 
witnesses lined up to state that they have never known 
me as anyone other than who I say I am, but since I didn't 
supply documentation to back everything up, I'm not 100% 
sure things will be resolved today. *sigh*

It's bittersweet, but it has to be done. My first name was my father's choice, and he was a student and aficionado of Greek mythology. I was raised with Greek mythology for my bedtime stories, not Raggedy Ann and other more mundane tales. But Dad chose a minor character for my name, one that rarely appears at all. I'm fine with rare, but this one was too rare. It was like a chain around my ankle, following me wherever I went. I couldn't blend with others because the name always set me apart. 

Although I like my given name, I don't enjoy using 
it. It's mispronounced and misspelled all the time. 
I stopped using it in late 1966 and have never looked back. 

So, when I entered Middle School in a new area of town where no-one knew me, I switched my name. My Home Room teacher, Mrs Brooks - whom I will hold in high respect for my lifetime - asked each of us what name we wanted to be known by and called in the class. I chose my middle name then, and I've never looked back. 

Mom felt that Paul and Pauline would be 
rather like a circus act. She was totally 
against that appearance, so switched to 
her middle name and used that name for 
the rest of her life. 

There is precedence in my family for that, but it was a lot easier in the days past. My mother was Pauline, my Dad was Paul. Mom felt when she married him that having the two names that similar sounded rather like a circus act, so she switched to her middle name, and was known as Eva for the remainder of her long life. So there was family precedence for what I'm trying to accomplish today. 

I'm really hoping today's court hearing will wrap 
things up, that the court will agree with me, and 
that the judge will rule in my favor. Of course, I 
probably won't know until I receive official 
documentation, but I'm hoping that will be soon. I 
need to get a new Driver's License and can't even 
do that until this is resolved. 

Of course, I can't present documents to the court in a remote session. If the judge decides he needs to have the paper trail, I'll have to schedule a second hearing, probably pay another ridiculous fee, and I'll need to arrange for the documents to be received by the Court for the second hearing. I'm really hoping it won't come to that. But there is a possibility that it will be remanded for a later hearing when documentation has been received.  So, I'm heading out to swim off some of my fears and frustration. I hope you have an excellent Thursday and I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

It Was a Fun Cooking Day, Now Reality is Knocking Again

I spent most of yesterday in the kitchen. My refrigerator looks much happier now - prepared meals and morning fruit are stacked on my side. I always enjoy a good day of cooking, and one of the best things about yesterday is the roast beef that I made. It turned out glorious - perfectly medium-rare, and my slicer still works well. I ended up with 30 slices of roast beef for sandwiches for about $16. A steal of a deal. 

The roast beef I had purchased on Wednesday cooked up 
wonderfully and I was able to slice it super thin, so even 
though it's a tough cut of meat, it's still very tasty and easy 
to eat. Lunch! LOL

We had been waiting for a reply from Travis regarding our next steps for our business liquidation, but frankly, I wasn't super happy with what we got back. We're supposed to schedule another phone meeting. I'm fine with a lot of that, but at some point I'm going to need more assistance and I'm hoping against hope that he'll be able to actually provide that. I'll also have to do some searching for firms we'll need to hire for publicity, mailings and website advertising. More things on my plate "sigh". 

It's so easy to start a business - a minimum of muss 
and fuss and a single piece of paper filed with the 
city you're operating in. Closing a business, on the other 
hand, is a nightmare of regulations, governments (city, 
state and local) and procedures. ARGH! 

I took a bit of time last night to contact a friend about a gift for another friend. Since at least one of these people reads my blog semi-regularly, I'm not going into specifics, but I do hope that Friend #1 can do what I'm asking (I'm perfectly willing to pay a good rate for the job), and that Friend #2 will be pleased with the result. I'll have to wait and see, but I have high hopes on this one. 

Next Thursday is looking like a train wreck already. I have my virtual court hearing scheduled for 11:50 am, and as soon as I'm finished with that, Claire and I will head to the MCI course I'm taking at my local health center. I'll have to tell them we might be slightly late, but we should be there on time, if everything clicks. I'll have to do the Zoom call from the shop, so I'll have to gather whatever paperwork I think might be relevant and take it to the shop with me. My documentation is shit - my birth certificate is almost a joke it's so bad. But, I do have my naturalization papers and other things that back me up as being who I'm claiming I am. If the Judge asks for something I forgot, however, it's not going to go well. 

It's been a while since I was last on Zoom, and both 
Claire and I will be in the same room for the hearing, since 
we need to leave for our MCI group as soon as it wraps up. 
I'm just hoping it will be cut and dried without any speed 
bumps. 

So, stress upon stress for the upcoming week. I'm going to wrap this up and try and enjoy a busy Saturday and a Sunday raking leaves (ick!). Have a great weekend, I'll be back on Monday. Slava Ukraini. 

The Scoop On My Name Change For the Curious

Since many people were asking, here's the name story. I stopped using my given first name when I entered Junior High (Middle School in some districts). I was in a new school in a new part of the city and nobody knew me at all. My home room teacher asked each of us what we wanted to be called, and I gave my middle name. I wanted a new me for a new start in a new school. 

I attended Merril Middle School in Denver, Colorado. It was 
a brand new start for me in a new area of town where I knew 
no-one, and nobody knew me. It was a chance to reinvent 
myself, make new friends, and grow into myself. 

Over time I grew to prefer my middle name and got everyone to use it - some family members took a bit longer than others, but eventually everyone shifted over. I got my driver's license under the new name, but my passport had to be under my original name because it was a government paper. Then I got married. 

Then I got married, and the judge (because getting married by 
a judge was a LOT easier than getting married by a priest or 
a rabbi) ... well, he insisted that my first name had to be part 
of my signature because it was a legal document. The damned 
signature took up more than half of the space! Something 
had to be done. 

Suddenly I was faced with four names - my preferred first name, the first name that I never used, and my two last names, which I decided to hyphenate into a single long last name. Leaving out the name I never used (or used as a middle name under duress), I was looking at a LOT of the alphabet. I figured my name was unique enough with the hyphenated last name. Now I needed to convince the government. 

For several times I went to one of the offices of 
Social Security and waited in line for their doors to 
open so that I could actually speak to an agent. Finally, 
I was able to speak to someone who actually understood 
and was able to get my name changed in their records 
to reflect my married name without the added first name. 

After several long weeks of speaking to people at Social Security, they finally moved it through their system and my payments and account are under my name without the middle name I don't use. But I can't update my driver's license without showing proof of name that I don't have, and I can't update my passport because of the same issues. Identity has become much stricter in the decades past, and that's a good thing in many respects. However, going through this name change will strike the original first name from my name forever. I don't have a problem with that. DH does, but it's not his name. 

My driver's license is coming up for renewal, and they 
won't let me renew without all of the paperwork that I 
don't have. Getting my name legally changes will allow 
me to get my real id driver's license as well as a new 
passport. It also will make a lot of documents that I've 
signed in the past legal - such as our old mortgage 
documents, etc. It needs to be done and the sooner, the better. 

So, that's the story, in synopsis format - LOL. Of course there are many things that were issued under my legal name that won't actually be accurate any more - my BA and MA degrees, for instance. I'll live with it. I rather doubt, at this time in my life, I'll be needing my BA or MA diplomas for any reason. I just want to be able to get my driver's license renewed and a passport. That's why I'm getting the name change done. 

I Finally Have a Court Date for my Name Change Hearing

I finally have a court date for my official name change hearing and both of my witnesses can make the virtual visit on that date/time without any problem. What a relief. It isn't until November, but that's just fine. It will take about 1/2 hour, and 1/2 hour after that, Claire and I are due at the memory class I'm attending (I was welcome to have a friend or family member join me, so I asked Claire if she might be interested and she was happy to say "Yes"). So, things are starting to fall into place ... somewhat - LOL. 

My official name change hearing is a virtual hearing, which 
makes it convenient for everyone. My two witness have been 
notified of the date/time and said there would be no problem. 
I'll forward the sign-on information to them as soon as I've 
received it. 

I have been spending my days counting stock at the store so that Jim can update the inventory with accurate numbers. There are some bags I've come across that were originally packed by Meagan, one of my first employees when we were growing by leaps and bounds, and still a dear Facebook friend, although she lives far away from us now. At that time she was very young, living with her boyfriend in a nearby apartment in one of the many houses in our area that rent to students. Meghan was determined, she wanted to work for us, and she turned out to be a great employee and an even better friend. She was unique in that one side of her body couldn't tolerate contact with metals, where the other side had no problem. She designed some really interesting pieces mixing bone beads and metals as a result. She's quite artistic, so the designs were fabulous. She now has two kids, no current husband, and lives in the Pacific Northwest. 

We need a physical inventory of everything in the shop, so 
I've been going through the bins, one at a time, one bead at 
a time, counting and marking them down on a sheet that DH 
will update in the computer. It's a LOT of inventory. 

I spent yesterday's kitchen time making my next batch of "Ogre Juice" for the upcoming week. I've been having four alkagizers every week since I first took the WildFit coarse during the Covid shut-down. On those rare occasions when I'm not having my "Ogre Juice" (so named because it's very green in color), my body really notices the lack of nutrients and makes it quite clear to me that I need to get that back into my system. It's been years now, and although it's not gourmet, my body does insist upon my "Ogre Juice" four times a week to be happy and healthy. I'm quite sure that my healing from the infection caused by my cancer surgery went faster because of my daily alkagizers four times a week. 

I've been adding honey to my alkagizers lately, and that's 
been very tasty. I think I added clover honey to the batch 
I made yesterday. I'm already looking forward to my lunch 
break today - LOL. 

So, I'm off to the pool again today for my last swim of the week. I'm hoping I'll have my virtual programs back up and running by tomorrow's treadmill time, but found that listening to my book worked just fine too, so if I'm still having problems with the treadmill and the software company linking together, that'll be OK too. For today, just roll with the punches and be ready for anything - good or bad. You can handle it all, I have faith in you. I'll be back tomorrow. Slava Ukraini. 

One Task Semi-Accomplished - A Quick Drive to the County Courthouse

I found myself with a window of open time yesterday, and decided to drive to the County Courthouse and see about getting papers filed for my name change. For those who may not know, I'm trying to eliminate my given first name which I haven't used since I was twelve, so that there are only three names that I need to deal with - my preferred name, my last name and my married name. That's quite enough, thank you. I've never been fond of my given name, and I haven't voluntarily used it since I entered 7th grade. Getting rid of it seems much more sensible and will allow me to get a "Real ID" and the other myriad official ID things without difficulty. 

This two-story+ high marble statue called "Vision of Peace" is 
the centerpiece of the Ramsey County Court House. It's truly 
stunning. I was walking towards the entry from the car park, and 
was on the second floor passing it. It still was taller than my level. 
It's a great building - tons of stuff to see and perfect post-Depression 
era architecture with art-deco decor. 

It was a good thing I had been there so many times for Jury Duty more than a year ago, I knew just where I wanted to park, and knew the way through the skyways to get to the courthouse. I filled out the paperwork, gave them my credit card for the $350 fee (ouch!) and my case has now been assigned to Judge Leonardo Castro. I don't have a date yet, but it will be a Zoom call instead of in-person. I'll get in touch with my two "witnesses" later today and let them know what's happening. I wish I had a date - that would be even easier - but at least I'll be able to be scheduled onto the calendar. Baby steps. 

The actual court hearing will take about 30 minutes on Zoom. 
My two witnesses will also need to be available on Zoom. I'll 
speak to Chickie about whether her Mom is comfortable with 
that format. I'm sure my eldest niece is. If not, since it's a Zoom 
meeting, I can call upon other people who aren't local to 
be my witnesses. Sharon comes to mind. 

I'm feeling rather uninspired for my daily post today, however, and will cut it short here. You don't need paragraphs about normality, and I'm looking at a desk full of paperwork that has to be dealt with. *sigh* I hope all of you have a truly fabulous weekend and I'll be back on Monday. Slava Ukraini.