10/7/2014
Some time, and I don't know when, I misplaced or had stolen my disability placard. I have disability plates but if I'm in somebody else's car, I use the placard. In order to get a new one, you have to file a police report (really) and have the police report number to get a new placard.
On the report you have to indicate what date and where the placard was stolen or misplaced. Since I can barely remember what I ate for breakfast, it was pretty hard for me to come up with a date and place, but I managed.
So this morning, armed with my police report, I set off for the MVA. You never go to the MVA without having something to do - puzzles, book, knitting, etc. You could end up sitting on those nasty hard orange chairs for a very long time. At the entrance to the MVA there are two kiosks and a long line behind both of them. The kiosks were there apparently so that you could make an appointment. Luckily for me, the lady behind the counter asked me what I needed, and she gave me a number and told me to sit and wait for my turn.
I have heard horror stories of people who have waited for a very long time before their number is called. I think I waited all of ten minutes, just about enough time for me to complete one of my "dummy" puzzles. While trying to concentrate on questions about what sound does a cow make, I could hear cellphones ringing, children crying (and this behavior I certainly understand), and under the breath grumbling of people sitting around me.
I know that some folks that were there likely had complicated issues, stolen license plates comes to mind for some reason. These people were sitting in the orange chairs when I arrived and they were still sitting when I left.
I have now checked off something on my list - get a new placard, and can move on to more interesting things, like reading or because it's cooler now, knitting.
P
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Monday, October 6, 2014
Showering
10/6/2014
Just as the seasons change from hot to cold, so does my showering. In the summer, when it's hot, humid and icky outside, a cool or cold shower is refreshing, and I linger in the bathroom while I walk barefooted across the tile floor. My grandmother always thought that she slept best if she had a bath/shower before sleeping. I can't argue with that because I've done it myself.
Fast forward to the weather we're having now, cool(er) days and nights. I no longer want a cool"ish" shower, I want warm to hot. I turn the sunlamp on in the bathroom which is supposed to make the bathroom I'm not just sure how much a difference it makes in the temperature. After getting out of a shower when it's cold, I do the "Texas Two Step" from the shower to the rugs that are on the floor. I definitely do not want to put my bare tootsies on cold tile. Yikes. You can put in some pipes (I think that's what they are) that will provide radiant heat to the tile floor. Pretty sure it's expensive. Pretty sure it would involve tearing up the floor, which we had re-tiled a few years ago. Now, if I bought a house with radiant heat in the floor, I sure wouldn't complain!
While I may linger in the bathroom in the summer, at this time of the year, I am the fastest dresser, teeth brusher, hair comber you've ever seen.
So there you have it. Seasons change - showers change. Just a thought.
P
Just as the seasons change from hot to cold, so does my showering. In the summer, when it's hot, humid and icky outside, a cool or cold shower is refreshing, and I linger in the bathroom while I walk barefooted across the tile floor. My grandmother always thought that she slept best if she had a bath/shower before sleeping. I can't argue with that because I've done it myself.
Fast forward to the weather we're having now, cool(er) days and nights. I no longer want a cool"ish" shower, I want warm to hot. I turn the sunlamp on in the bathroom which is supposed to make the bathroom I'm not just sure how much a difference it makes in the temperature. After getting out of a shower when it's cold, I do the "Texas Two Step" from the shower to the rugs that are on the floor. I definitely do not want to put my bare tootsies on cold tile. Yikes. You can put in some pipes (I think that's what they are) that will provide radiant heat to the tile floor. Pretty sure it's expensive. Pretty sure it would involve tearing up the floor, which we had re-tiled a few years ago. Now, if I bought a house with radiant heat in the floor, I sure wouldn't complain!
While I may linger in the bathroom in the summer, at this time of the year, I am the fastest dresser, teeth brusher, hair comber you've ever seen.
So there you have it. Seasons change - showers change. Just a thought.
P
Sunday, October 5, 2014
Being Alone
10/5/2014
It's "T-Minus" one day before Jeff leaves for his COPA migration to Las Vegas. He's excited and I'm excited for him. This year, for the first time, he should be able to enjoy himself, without wondering whether I'm having a good time, or just marking time until we can fly home.
What probably (I'm not sure that's the right word) worries him, as well as my doctor and friends, is my ability to stay home alone and be safe. Over the course of an entire year, I have been given medicines that I need to battle both depression and anxiety.
There aren't enough words that I can say to assure Jeff, or anybody else, that I will be fine, I must be fine. Being alone for nearly two weeks feels like an interim exam at the end of a semester. In general, I like being alone. Let's face it I'm a recluse and enjoy my own company and the ability to do a lot of things, or nothing at all, as I wish.
I will crank up the Tivo today to capture an entire week's worth of crappy television. The kind of stupid shows that I enjoy but drive Jeff nuts. You know my theory - if you're willing to go on television and act like a fool - I'm willing to watch!
I volunteer three days a week which gives me purpose and allows me to feel useful. So that leaves me two days to go to the library, clean house (ugh) or sit outside and watch Mother Nature do her magic leaf changing act!
I haven't done any more writing on Wilma for quite a bit of time and as the weather gets colder, I'll drag my knitting out and continue knitting long strips of yarn (skinny scarf anyone?).
I appreciate your positive thoughts.
P
It's "T-Minus" one day before Jeff leaves for his COPA migration to Las Vegas. He's excited and I'm excited for him. This year, for the first time, he should be able to enjoy himself, without wondering whether I'm having a good time, or just marking time until we can fly home.
What probably (I'm not sure that's the right word) worries him, as well as my doctor and friends, is my ability to stay home alone and be safe. Over the course of an entire year, I have been given medicines that I need to battle both depression and anxiety.
There aren't enough words that I can say to assure Jeff, or anybody else, that I will be fine, I must be fine. Being alone for nearly two weeks feels like an interim exam at the end of a semester. In general, I like being alone. Let's face it I'm a recluse and enjoy my own company and the ability to do a lot of things, or nothing at all, as I wish.
I will crank up the Tivo today to capture an entire week's worth of crappy television. The kind of stupid shows that I enjoy but drive Jeff nuts. You know my theory - if you're willing to go on television and act like a fool - I'm willing to watch!
I volunteer three days a week which gives me purpose and allows me to feel useful. So that leaves me two days to go to the library, clean house (ugh) or sit outside and watch Mother Nature do her magic leaf changing act!
I haven't done any more writing on Wilma for quite a bit of time and as the weather gets colder, I'll drag my knitting out and continue knitting long strips of yarn (skinny scarf anyone?).
I appreciate your positive thoughts.
P
Saturday, October 4, 2014
Turning 65 (urgh)
10/4/2014
Let me be clear, I'm not worried about turning 65, after all it's just a number. Unfortunately, for those of us who are looking down the short path to 65, a person could go mad literally while trying to make the best decision for him/herself. If the choices you made suck, you will have to wait until the next enrollment period in a year. I urge you to proceed with caution regarding your options.
Medicare A and B you have to have: hospital and medical. After that, you must choose what other optional coverage you would like - and how much you are willing to pay. In the months preceding your 65th birthday, your mailbox will literally stagger under the weight of mailings from insurance companies wanting to be your "Medigap" carrier.
You must decide if you want a copay, and if so, how much are you willing to shell out each time you see a doctor? Do you take a lot of medicine, then you definitely want/need that coverage in addition to anything else you sign up for. Jeff and I are now enrolled in different plans regarding medicine. He routinely takes one/two pills a day. Yours truly, takes a lot of medicine, so Jeff opted for a plan that covers all of the medicines that I take.
Jeff opted for us to have different coverage for Medigap. He will have a small copay when he goes to the doctor, which is seldom. The coverage for myself will pay 100% of charges after Medicare does it's thing.
Cost also enters into coverage. For a no copay option, your premium will be higher each month, but will even itself out if you, like me, see a doctor regularly. Here's what I'm thankful for, correction, here's one more thing about Jeff that I'm grateful for. He has spent hours, with a capital H, on the phone with both IBM and AARP, who is our medigap insurance carrier. He waded through pages upon pages of policy options, trying to make sure that he elected the best coverage possible.
Since it appears that a hip replacement is in my future, if I wait until December, and if I read all the fine print correctly (and I know that might be a stretch), then it looks like I wouldn't have to pay anything for the hospital.
For those of you who have yet to experience a near 65th birthday, brace yourself. I tried reading some of the material that came to the house, but my eyes crossed! Thank you Jeff for taking on yet another project on my behalf.
P
Let me be clear, I'm not worried about turning 65, after all it's just a number. Unfortunately, for those of us who are looking down the short path to 65, a person could go mad literally while trying to make the best decision for him/herself. If the choices you made suck, you will have to wait until the next enrollment period in a year. I urge you to proceed with caution regarding your options.
Medicare A and B you have to have: hospital and medical. After that, you must choose what other optional coverage you would like - and how much you are willing to pay. In the months preceding your 65th birthday, your mailbox will literally stagger under the weight of mailings from insurance companies wanting to be your "Medigap" carrier.
You must decide if you want a copay, and if so, how much are you willing to shell out each time you see a doctor? Do you take a lot of medicine, then you definitely want/need that coverage in addition to anything else you sign up for. Jeff and I are now enrolled in different plans regarding medicine. He routinely takes one/two pills a day. Yours truly, takes a lot of medicine, so Jeff opted for a plan that covers all of the medicines that I take.
Jeff opted for us to have different coverage for Medigap. He will have a small copay when he goes to the doctor, which is seldom. The coverage for myself will pay 100% of charges after Medicare does it's thing.
Cost also enters into coverage. For a no copay option, your premium will be higher each month, but will even itself out if you, like me, see a doctor regularly. Here's what I'm thankful for, correction, here's one more thing about Jeff that I'm grateful for. He has spent hours, with a capital H, on the phone with both IBM and AARP, who is our medigap insurance carrier. He waded through pages upon pages of policy options, trying to make sure that he elected the best coverage possible.
Since it appears that a hip replacement is in my future, if I wait until December, and if I read all the fine print correctly (and I know that might be a stretch), then it looks like I wouldn't have to pay anything for the hospital.
For those of you who have yet to experience a near 65th birthday, brace yourself. I tried reading some of the material that came to the house, but my eyes crossed! Thank you Jeff for taking on yet another project on my behalf.
P
Friday, October 3, 2014
Annual Migration
10/3/2014
As you read this, I suspect that you are imagining I'm going to talk about birds flying south and things like that. Nope. I'm talking about pilots who own a Cirrus plane like ours, and their annual migration to a destination for nearly a week of "pilot" talk!
This year the migration is in Las Vegas, which will be sooooooooo much more fun than Mobile last year. Because of many things, one being my mental fragility, I have opted to stay at home this year. I'm not a pilot, don't want to be a pilot, and am generally not interested in "piloty" stories.
Jeff is taking another pilot along with him, who has lost his pilot's license due to medical issues, but does know and could fly the plane if Jeff became incapacitated for some reason. Plus as an added bonus, Jeff will have someone to talk to when he's not talking to traffic controllers.
On Jeff's wish list would be to see the Penn and Teller show, plus a trip to the store where the show Pawn Stores is filmed. These annual migrations tend to be filled with meetings and tours for much of the day and night. But, if the he and his friend are able to sneak in something that has nothing to do with pilots and planes, I think they would enjoy these side adventures a lot.
Since Jeff will be close to California, he is going to see his half-brother and his step sister in Southern California. After they leave California, Jeff is flying south over I believe the Grand Canyon. Jeff and his friend are going to take their time flying home.
To a pilot it's not necessarily the destination that's important, the fun is flying to and from!
As a pilot "widow", I'm planning on (a) not cooking anything that doesn't fit inside the toaster; (b) watching all the cheesy television shows possible; and (c) maybe even go to see a movie in the middle of the day! Tuesdays is senior day where all of us gray haired folks, get a discount on the price of movie tickets.
I'm heading off to the library today to restock my supply of books!
So during the time that Jeff is gone, he and I will both be doing exactly what we want to do. I no longer feel capable of driving at night thanks to that little nasty cataract, so all of my "running around" will have to be in the daytime. So bar hopping (ha) is not on my agenda, but Judge Judy at 6:00 pm definitely is!
I am thrilled that Jeff is going to go and have a good time without worrying about whether I'm having a good time listening to talks all of which relate to aviation. He may worry about me because I'll be alone, but I've promised to leave him messages during the day, to reassure him that I'm okay.
Happy flying.
P
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Web Sites
10/2/2014
I love the internet. You can find anything on the "net", even stuff you wish you hadn't stumbled on! The less said about that the better.
For many years, the go to place to search was Yahoo. But today it's Google. I love Google. Type in something you want to know more about and voila you will get back more sites to visit than you thought possible.
In a recent survey, Google had 190.7 million visitors in a month with Yahoo coming in with 166.8 million. Facebook is popular (you think?) as is Amazon, where you can buy almost anything and some of the time even get free shipping! Who doesn't like that?
My old friend Ebay had 66.3 million visitors, and I am one of the people that was counted in as a visitor. I have been loyal to Ebay as a buyer for many years.
The survey also listed web sites numbering from 11 to 50 of the most visited sites, after the big ones 1- 10. I looked at the list and I saw Wal-Mart (I've gone there), Craiglist and Target. Interestingly, Pinterest made the list but not Etsy.
With few exceptions, like our weekly visit to WalMart, I haven't been in a department store in several years. Why should I leave the ease of my chair to go and do battle in parking lots and at cash registers. Shopping isn't crazy yet, but give it another month, then folks go nuts looking for the perfect gift. Now that the boys are men, Christmas gifts are super easy - they both appreciate gift cards, as do their wives. It's not as personal as my years of thinking hard for a perfect gift for everybody, but it's easier, and as a bonus one size fits all!
Happy browsing!
P
I love the internet. You can find anything on the "net", even stuff you wish you hadn't stumbled on! The less said about that the better.
For many years, the go to place to search was Yahoo. But today it's Google. I love Google. Type in something you want to know more about and voila you will get back more sites to visit than you thought possible.
In a recent survey, Google had 190.7 million visitors in a month with Yahoo coming in with 166.8 million. Facebook is popular (you think?) as is Amazon, where you can buy almost anything and some of the time even get free shipping! Who doesn't like that?
My old friend Ebay had 66.3 million visitors, and I am one of the people that was counted in as a visitor. I have been loyal to Ebay as a buyer for many years.
The survey also listed web sites numbering from 11 to 50 of the most visited sites, after the big ones 1- 10. I looked at the list and I saw Wal-Mart (I've gone there), Craiglist and Target. Interestingly, Pinterest made the list but not Etsy.
With few exceptions, like our weekly visit to WalMart, I haven't been in a department store in several years. Why should I leave the ease of my chair to go and do battle in parking lots and at cash registers. Shopping isn't crazy yet, but give it another month, then folks go nuts looking for the perfect gift. Now that the boys are men, Christmas gifts are super easy - they both appreciate gift cards, as do their wives. It's not as personal as my years of thinking hard for a perfect gift for everybody, but it's easier, and as a bonus one size fits all!
Happy browsing!
P
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Young Doctors
10/1/2014
In the last two days I have seen two doctors. Both doctors were younger than me, but then again, isn't everybody? The second doctor I saw was definitely twelve, okay maybe fourteen.
What I liked about both of these doctors was their "bedside" manner. My appointments lasted longer than I would have thought possible. Neither doctor looked at their watches or cellphones during my visit. Were other patients waiting? Probably, but still both doctors seemed unhurried.
Both doctors are orthopedics and in their practice patients wear navy disposable shorts. Reminded me very much of gym class! I would say that the shorts were much more functional than fussing with a stupid gown that I can never seem to get tied up!
The second doctor, who was younger, showed a lot of empathy to me and my never ending problem with my left hip. He looked the MRI films, did an exam of the hip area. When he hit "the spot" in my left hip area, the pain was so intense, he's lucky I didn't accidentally kick him.
Long story short, the actual age of a doctor doesn't matter. What does matter is that the doctor, young or old, listen to you, I mean really listen to you. Doesn't try and get you in an out of his office in fifteen minutes to maximize how many patients and money he can make in a day. With these two doctors, I felt like I had struck gold!
P
In the last two days I have seen two doctors. Both doctors were younger than me, but then again, isn't everybody? The second doctor I saw was definitely twelve, okay maybe fourteen.
What I liked about both of these doctors was their "bedside" manner. My appointments lasted longer than I would have thought possible. Neither doctor looked at their watches or cellphones during my visit. Were other patients waiting? Probably, but still both doctors seemed unhurried.
Both doctors are orthopedics and in their practice patients wear navy disposable shorts. Reminded me very much of gym class! I would say that the shorts were much more functional than fussing with a stupid gown that I can never seem to get tied up!
The second doctor, who was younger, showed a lot of empathy to me and my never ending problem with my left hip. He looked the MRI films, did an exam of the hip area. When he hit "the spot" in my left hip area, the pain was so intense, he's lucky I didn't accidentally kick him.
Long story short, the actual age of a doctor doesn't matter. What does matter is that the doctor, young or old, listen to you, I mean really listen to you. Doesn't try and get you in an out of his office in fifteen minutes to maximize how many patients and money he can make in a day. With these two doctors, I felt like I had struck gold!
P
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)