Some people in our lives become like Family and may even become closer than some Families are. I like spending Time around these Young People of my Kids and my Grandkids Generations. It's always Quality Time, effortless and enjoyable. And too many of my Generation don't seem to want to be around Young People, or especially Children. And I prefer being around them, so, I wouldn't want to cut the Time spent with Youngsters down or out of my Life just to hang around more Old folks either. And be so limiting in my Exposure to different Generations and different demographics of wonderful People that enrich your Life.
And I do tend to notice how many people are Friendly only with those who look exactly like them and are exactly like them in every way. No diversity in who they associate with and their Friends or Groups, and that's never been my Experience personally either. So, it doesn't seem comfortable to me to be that exclusionary and lacking being inclusive and less insulated from diversity. These are the folks probably so against DEI I suspect? As if it's a Bad Thing. It's NOT. Exposing yourself to who and what is different grows you in beneficial ways and changes perspective greatly about differences in Positive ways. I do think Humankind would be the better off for getting rid of petty biases and superficial judgments that by and large, are grossly inaccurate and not based on facts or actual firsthand experiences or exposure they've personally ever even had.
I think Today I may take The Man up to our other Antique Mall location in Central Phoenix to walk around. We don't Need anything, but we know a lot of People at that Location too and I don't get out there as often. So I do like to see what their Vendors are offering and if they have as many New ones? We've had another significant turnover in Vendors for the New Year and some of the Showrooms and larger Booths vacated, which is very rare. Usually those Locations are coveted and aren't given up very often, Odd to see a Vacant one any length of time too. And I was rather Surprised at some of the Vendors who left, and I highly Suspect they're moving to some of the Big New Antique Malls opening up the 1st of the Year?
Which will be stiff competition for our Mall and Management to step up their Game and how they Treat Tenants and Customers, or risk losing them to the Competition. I think that will be a Good and Positive thing, since, in latter Years they've done less and less for us and it shows in who they've been attracting. Both the Quality of Vendor {or lack thereof} and the Quality of Visitor {or lack thereof}. I am going to visit the New Antique Malls, who are New to Arizona, but are National, to see what they're all about and see if I know and can talk to some of the Vendors they've already attracted. In this Industry you tend to know a lot of the same folks who are Passionate about Collecting or like to find items that aren't easily Sourced or are mass produced Modern crapola. And of coarse all of us Downsizing can relate to one another in our endeavor. *LOL*
I don't know that I'll ever reach Just Enough, but it is a Goal to at least try to so my Kiddos don't have to Deal with the disposition of all of it. I'm starting to realize that some of them don't mind if they take over the task, but some of them really would rather not. I understand, I had to make the decisions of both of my Parents Worldly possessions and that's never easy and can be overwhelming, even if they don't possess a lot, Emotionally, it's just hard. I was so Thankful that my Brother and his Lady just kept most of our Mom's possessions, since Mom did have a lot of the Good Stuff that took her a Lifetime to carefully Curate and amass. And she had some Ahhhmazing Stuff and gave me what she wanted me to have or she knew I was Sentimental about, while she was still Alive.
We just loaded up the U-Haul to Cali when my Brother was moving her there and I told him I didn't want him dragging any of it back to Arizona when Mom Passed. *LOL* He and his Lady had a Booth in a Historic Antique Mall in Pomona at the time, a great Location and place. It still had a Water Driven Elevator!!! My Brother Specialized in Hollywood Movie Set Collectibles himself, since, he was in that Industry, and his Lady had a Career in the Entertainment Industry with Celebrity Clients as well as many Industry Behind-The-Scenes folk who did Make-Up, Wardrobe, Sourced what is used for Period Sets and such.
Most of them are also Serious Collectors and have access to the REALLY Good Stuff! When they Retire or Die, they too, have it all up for Grabs coz you can't take it with you into the Afterlife. Well, if you were an Ancient Egyptian Pharoah with a Pyramid Tomb, you could try to, I guess. My Kiddos Joke I need such a Tomb as that. *Smiles* My Brother has some Holy Grail Hollywood Collectibles in his Collection. Stuff that if he let it be Sold, especially at Auction to reach Serious International Collectors, even a Single item, he could Buy a Property with the Proceeds. I'm a Quirkier Collector than my Brother, so anytime he Sources something really Odd, Weird and Wonderful, he knows who he can send it to that will Appreciate it, his Weirdo Big Sister. *LOL*
He once sent me an Antique Black Bear Head for my Birthday, that they found when clearing out a Celeb's Storage Locker for him. The Head broke off the Old Bearskin Rug and his Friend who Owned the Business of disposition of High Profile Celeb's possessions for them, said, what on Earth are we gonna do with THIS? When my Brother said, we'll send it to my Sister in Phoenix for her Birthday, as a Surprise, she's gonna LOVE it!!! His Buddy was like, I gotta meet your Sister some Day and see THAT Collection!!! Anyone who will be Thrilled to Receive and Open a Bear Head in a Box for her Birthday has got to be a Colorful Character, it's very "Godfather" reminiscent of the Horse Head in the Bed Scene, only she'd be diggin' it. *Bwahahahaha* If I were Rich I'd be called an "Eccentric" and not just Crazy. *Winks*
My Dad had a Good Eye for the Good Stuff, but was perhaps the least Materialistic Person I have ever known. What he got, he usually had gotten for someone else, our Mom, us, or those he wanted to Gift it to. But deciding what to do with what little he had was still Emotional for my Brother and I. I told my Brother to take what he Cherished most of our Dad's, I did the same, we were in Agreement about that. We let The Man also choose some things, since, my Dad and The Man were very close, closer than The Man had ever been with his own Father. Dad treated him like his Son and they got along fabulously. Then the rest we Donated to my Dad's favorite Charitable Organizations and we did that in one fell swoop. Had we parsed it out I doubt I could have held up as well.
I think the $$$ our Kiddos know they can make off my Collections as their Inheritance will ease any Emotional Pain considerably? *Winks* They could set up an Online Biz and have a steady Passive Income Flow off of it that they didn't have to do all the Work for, and make Work FOR them. Those that Inherit a Good Collection of Value, know that it was always better than Money just sitting in the Bank. And I'm Teaching them now how best to find current Values, with the advent of the Internet and Google Lens, there's no excuse to not know what you have and what you can get for it. I used it now when I'm out and about and Need to know about anything I don't already know Value of or much about, before Buying. So much better than the Old Days when your Instincts and Personal Knowledge was all you had at your instant disposal. You had to take more Chances, now you don't.
And Markets fluctuate over Time and sometimes Wildly. Something is Hot until it's Not. Bubbles burst. Sadly, some Collectors are stuck in the Past or Paid too much on The Buy. You really have to make your Money on The Buy to make it a better Investment and not Pay too much for anything. Sometimes you can do Okay if you do, if the Value goes into the Stratosphere and you Sell while it's still really Hot and you can maximize on your Investment. But, the bottom can drop out of a lot of things, even the most Valuable, and be worth less in the Future than they are right now while everybody wants it. When they've decided nobody wants it, you may not be able to even Give it Away.
Anything is only Worth what someone is willing to Pay for it... and that's ALWAYS True for anything actually anytime. There's things Priceless to me, but not worth shit to anyone else, I acknowledge that Fact and Reality as a Collector of the Unusual, it's not for everybody. It was never meant to be. But, I've made Wise Investments too worth a Helluva lot more than I Paid for any of it. And my Heirs can and will Cash out on it if I don't while I'm still among the Living. Someone's gonna make Money off it, for Sure. And when you Inherit it, then you had no Skin in the Game to begin with, so it's all Profit and Gravy to you. I've got Friends right now that their Partners were the Collector who they Inherited the Possessions of when that Person is no longer among the Living, and they're doing very well and Living nicely, off the Inheritance Stream of Steady Income.
LATER: We did go to our other Antique Mall Location, just walked around, didn't Buy anything, it was really crowded. Lots of new Vendors but a lot of the favorite ones are gone. And some of the few remaining favs have such low Inventory I wonder if they'll be pulling out soon too? But, it was attracting a lot of Customers and that's the Point, I'd actually never seen it that busy before except on a Big Sale Day, and there was no Sale going on. Perhaps folks are feeling more Positive with a brand New Year? I only Hope our Location was as busy and folks were Buying? I know I ended this last Pay Period Strong, so I will get a decent Check to start the New Year Off on a Positive Note of hanging in there.
I took The Man out for Lunch to a fav Thai Restaurant "Tom Yum", I had the Tom Kha {Coconut Soup with Vegan Chicken}, The Man had the Vegetable and Seafood Soup, which had a nice array of Seafood in it, and we Shared the Appetizer Plate. It has Veggie Egg Rolls, Fried Thai Sweet Potato, Potstickers and Crab Rangoons with a Sweet & Sour Savory dipping Sauce. We took most of the Appetizers Home since the Soup and just a couple Appetizers was filling enough. We think they may have changed Management, as the last Two visits they haven't Honored the Military Discount they always used to??? And Yelp Reviews have suggested it may have changed Ownership, but nothing definitive. The Food is still very good tho', but Service is slower. They had been Closed Down after a major Remodel for a while, so we suspected something was happening.
Hard to keep pace these days with changes. At least they re-opened and we were Happy about that. Too many fav Establishments have been Closing and I miss them all and will miss those soon to Close and have announced it, like "Ivy & Sage". Most now are citing Tariffs as the reason they simply can't absorb the losses it's causing them and the Supply Chain Issues on the Imports they rely upon and that aren't Manufactured or Grown here in America. We aren't bringing Jobs back to America that never were here in the first place and most Americans wouldn't work for a Wage that would keep Prices lower for Consumers. We aren't all that competitive when we Manufacture most Products and Consumers will be reluctant to pay jacked up inflated prices for what they got used to having affordably. Plus, a lot of Jobs just don't exist and won't exist, regardless of Tariffs imposed to pretend otherwise.
The Man was hilarious when he got his Seafood Soup {Tom Yum Talay} and kept asking me, what's this and holding up something? I'd just say, "It's Seafood Honey and that's what you Ordered." *Winks* Mostly it holds Shrimp, Calamari, Mussels, Squid, Scallops, Crab and various Fish, he left almost all his Vegetables tho' and wouldn't eat them. He's taken to picking out anything Green and Fresh too. *Le Sigh* So, after he dissected his Bowl of Soup, which he spent half the Meal doing, he was left with the Seafood and Broth, pretty much. *Eye Roll* He likes to be taken out to Eat, but I tell him if he leaves too much of his Food, or just Plays with it, we're not Wasting Money like that and won't go so much anymore. Plus, seeing him do that, Staff thinks and asks if something is Wrong with the Food, and there isn't.
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He did Okay with letting me Help him Order, so he'd actually get something he likes and will eat. In a small enuf portion he won't leave a ridiculous amount too and order something expensive that will be Wasted. After he's messed with his Food like a Kid, it no longer looks appetizing enuf for anyone else at Home to eat for him, when he forgets about it and we just then throw it out uneaten. I Hate Wastefulness and tho' I'm not a Food Pusher, Eat 'til Full then Stop is my Mantra, I don't like someone Ordering Good Food and not eating any of it. Especially if I'm paying for it out of a carefully Planned Budget that has no room to be Wasteful in it. *LOL* He did reasonably well Today at the Meal tho' and I was able to Maintain my Calm thru the entire Meal. I mean, he WAS at least Eating what made his Soup more expensive. *Winks*
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And Walking him around the Antique Mall was good Exercise for him and he seemed to enjoy himself in spite of it being more crowded that he's usually comfortable with and around. I wasn't sure how that would go? He mentioned how many People were there several times, but seemed to Cope well enough we didn't have to just turn around and leave after driving all the way Downtown. Even some Long Time Paid Staff and Asst. Managers are gone from that Location now too, so I don't know as many of the Paid Staff there either now. Constant turnover, of Vendors and Staff, so I don't bother to remember Names anymore of the Newbies. By the time I'd remember their Names, they're gone already and will never see them again.
I have trouble sometimes now remembering Names of People I do Know, let alone someone I just met and don't Know very well at all. I didn't run into anyone I knew at the other Antique Mall Location. So we didn't Socialize at all while there. They'd remodeled their Bathrooms and it looked good and was long overdue, it's a very Old Commercial Building... and not in a Good way. It's been occupied by BAAM in Central Phoenix since 1996 and our Location since 2012. I used to have a Case at the one Downtown a long, long time ago, I've been at our Location since it Opened and made their first Sale, to another Vendor, who became a Friend and used to read my Blog before ever knowing me in Person.
I think I'd miss doing it if I were to quit, so, I've weathered the lows and enjoyed the highs of being there. There's still more Positives than Negatives and it's low Risk since it's a Month to Month Rental with no Lease required... and your Last Month's Rent has been Prepaid for whenever you do give Notice you're leaving. Rents are High in the City overall, so, you factor that in. Are Rents Cheap anywhere anymore? Exactly. And I think that's why Online Selling is taking the place of Brick & Mortar Shops and Telecommuting is taking the place of going in to the Office at most Corporations, eliminates the Overhead, Utilities and Maintenance Costs. Everyone I now who Works from Home prefers it now.
Okay, now for a Rant, since my brief Love Affair with my new Medicare Advantage Provider and Plan thru Humana, is officially over only Four Days in!!! Why? No, not becoz their Gym Membership wasn't valid for my Gym, so I have to now Pay, but, for another reason. Well, in November when I Signed Up, in plenty of time before the Official Deadline to change Plans and being unceremoniously and involuntarily dumped by United Healthcare in their Downsize which included our County, I had told their Rep at Humana that we have TriCare Prescription Drug Plan so can't have Medicare Part D, you can't have Two Federal Plans. He understood this and helped me choose the Plan that they have for Veterans {for The Man} and for Military Dependents {for me}. He signed me up for it, I thought all was Well. 'Til I got Paperwork from Humana Corporate saying I needed to Sign a Document verifying my required Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage minimum requirement. Okay...
Fine, so, I filled out and Signed the fucking Document for them in November verifying I'm covered thru TriCare and Express Scripts sends me all of my Rx thru the Mail, and The Man gets all of his Rx thru the VA. I sent all that in via their Postage Paid Envelopes, now thinking, all is Well. Now I get another couple of Letters from their Corporate, one saying they're gonna charge me a Late Enrollment Fee every Month of just under $15 {WTF?!} and sending me the exact same Paperwork they sent before! Why? Becoz now they claim my own Signature for MYSELF isn't Valid without a Power of Attorney?! {WT actual Fuck!?!} I don't Need a Power of Attorney, I'm not fucking Incompetent!!! I Sign all of my own Paperwork, and if they won't accept me Signing for myself, who the Fuck do they want Signing FOR me pray tell? It makes zero sense so in the Morning I'm calling Corporate, and their Rep who initially Signed me up, to find out WTF is going on?!
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Their Silver Sneakers Plan isn't accepted, and now this, I'm sensing that I'm not liking Humana and may regret choosing them as a Provider? But, it's done now, and there weren't a lot of Options when United Healthcare AND Aetna, in Maricopa County, dropped all Retired Military and their Dependents and won't cover us anymore, citing it's not profitable Enough for them to. I suspect becoz Metro Phoenix is a huge Retirement Mecca, they had too many Enrollees here and Medical Costs might be higher here than Nationally, I dunno? That's the reason Google stated anyway, mostly they dropped people in Rural Communities, but Phoenix is far from being Rural, with around Five Million Residents, we're quite Urban and the 5th largest City in America. And I don't even pretend to know what kind of Cluster Fuck the Medicare System is in now, along with Advantage Plan Providers?
So, Why Maricopa County Veterans are being dumped and singled out, seems quite discriminatory and very Selective. But, the Federal Govt.'s Workers, the VA, Medicare and Medicaid, plus the ACA have been so butchered and gutted by this vile Administration, I'm not the least bit Surprised. They're messing with Millions of Americans Insurance Coverage for Medical and other Earned Benefits of our Military and Federal Workers, intentionally. It leaves most Citizens with very few Options when they have now fucked you over for the Options you used to have and no longer have. And they intentionally Notified everyone Late about dumping us so we had to Scramble to find another Provider as it is!!! Which was Hassle and Fuckery enough!!!
You have to settle for whatever is left over, if you can find anyone to pick you up and Insure you at all now? Or afford it, or just pay whatever Extortion Fees and Penalties they decide to assess even if illegitimately assessed. I take Issue with being Penalized with a permanent Late Enrollment Fee when I didn't Enroll late and complied with everything they and Medicare required when I Enrolled. I'm Hopeful to have a Resolution that doesn't require an ongoing Battle with Humana? Coz now Open Enrollment is over for another Year!!! I had been encouraged with Humana at first, but now it seems their Administrators either lose Paperwork, mebbe on purpose to assess Penalties???
Or don't understand Legalities whatsoever of Signing People up and what's Valid or Invalid? It's frustrating but I will maintain my Calm while Dealing with a Plan that I have to for at least a Year now. Come next Open Enrollment tho', if they don't show they are working out in 2026, I'll switch to another Plan that will. Mebbe Humana got too smug with picking up all the Aetna and United Healthcare Medicare folks who got dumped Nationally and involuntarily, I dunno? I just know I'm putting them on Blast coz this has become a Cluster Fuck and major Headache quite quickly having them as a Provider. And they haven't actually fucking Provided anything yet!!! And I'm already having a BAD First Impression just Four Days in to being allegedly "Covered" by them! But, I don't want to get all Twisted over this either and have it Disturb my Calm and have to go Dark Dawn Ham on them either. *Winks*
I'm now rather concerned if they'll be giving our Doctors and Specialists Grief about coverage too? We shall see. It's bad enuf that our Secondary Insurance thru TriCare is rather like "Try To Get Care" {Nickname provided by another Blogger, she said it's what her Military Retiree BIL calls it}. *LOL and Le Sigh, coz that's a fucking accurate description!* Most Civilian Medical Providers do NOT like taking TriCare Patients coz of how often they're stiffed by our Federal Government NOT paying what is Owed and Billed for Care. I don't blame the Civilian Sector, you provide a Service, you expect the Insurance to Cover it if you have an Insured Patient. The Insured Patient expects their Insurance Provider(s) to cover it, fuck, we have Two now for me and The Man has Three counting the VA!!!
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I want to know who is supposed to sign for you now that we know you're incompetent. Maybe I can be incompetent, too. Do we get any benefits for being incompetent? Hell, no. We'll pay for it. Let us know how the latest shit show turns out.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
Future Posts that I've pre-scheduled to Publish in the next Two Days goes into more details... it gets Weirder and Weirder, you'll laugh your ass off, it is quite the shitshow and no telling how it will get resolved... only Time is gonna tell. And No, you get Nothing for being incompetent and they wouldn't supply an Advocate or Caregiver at their expense, so basically, whether competent or not, Seniors are getting screwed over with all these changes.
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