I want to Blog, but most of the potential Topics flooding my Stream of Consciousness right now are rather Dark and Ominous. I don't want to Go There right now so will attempt something less heavy for Dear Readers to bear the weight of. I dived into Reading other Blogs, some were weighty Topics too, some weren't, we've got some Balance in The Land of Topics to choose from still, in spite of the World being an alarmingly Hot Mess right now. I may go out in Nature and also considered hitting The Gym this day. I didn't really go to Bed at a decent time and was still up at 4:30 a.m., so to say I Slept In Late wouldn't be all that accurate since I was up again by 8:30 a.m..
And now I'm not sure I want to even leave the House again. The Solitude and Tranquility of doing nothing and going nowhere has been Appealing to me more and more lately. Home is the Sanctuary right now that I crave and this being a Monday, in Real Time, means that I am not playing Uber Gramma to get anyone to or from Work Today, which frees me up to do whatever... or... nothing at all, for as long as I want to. Gas Prices are way up so I haven't wanted to drive that far and waste Gas, no hefty Budget for wastefulness of any kind this Month. Finances are tight and Streams of Income have been hampered with how many living here have NO Money and rely on ours exclusively right now for basic Survival.
To Maximize my Gym Membership I should go frequently and before most Medicare Members are allowed to go. It's nearing that time quickly so I better light a Fire if that is to be something I actually do Today. LATER: Note to Self: Do not go to the Gym on a late Monday Morning, it appears most Young Adults either have the day off or don't Work Mornings anymore? *Le Sigh* There was even a Line at the Bathroom! I didn't get to use half the equipment I wanted to, but I still got a Workout in, did a Wet Sauna and a nice Hot Shower, so, it wasn't a total waste of time, just very crowded with Families and Young Adults using most of the Equipment. Spring Training is in Town too, so likely there's a lot of Tourists here right now on Vacation, who may have Memberships to "Lifetime Fitness" from other States too?
I always feel so much better after a Workout, so I want to do it more regularly. The best time for me to go is right after I take Princess T in to Work at 6:00 or 7:00 in the Morning. Tuesdays she goes in at Six, Wednesday thru Saturday she goes in at Seven. I don't have the Ageism Medicare Membership restrictions on times I can go now, since I'm paying, so, I can go anytime and earlier is definitely better. The Sauna isn't available until after 7:00 a.m. tho', but, I usually do that after my Workout anyway, then I take a Shower. Afterwards I picked up some light Essential Groceries at "Safeway", including a Berries Fruit Mousse Cake {Above Pix}, and then took The Man to do some Environmental Cleanup since it was 89 Degrees and gorgeous Outside and that gives him his Exercise, he now doesn't fuss about using his Walker to do it.
I got him a Baja Shrimp Bowl at "El Pollo Loco" and I got the half a Flame Grilled Citrus Marinated Chicken Meal. He did pretty good eating this day and it didn't take a full Hour or more to get at least the Shrimps and Avocado into him. The Salad part I can just give to one of the Kids, and the Tortilla Bowl it's in... or I'll eat it later. He doesn't do Salad since he won't wear his False Teeth and would choke. He chokes on a lot of things so I have to be careful what we feed him and how easy it is for him to chew and swallow toothless. The VA sent him to a Dental Spa and Specialist to get those Choppers made for him and Teach him how to wear them after he had the TBI. Coz he had to Learn to literally do EVERYTHING again after his Traumatic Brain Injury, so it was Years of Re-Training him to do even the most basic of functions.
After Ten Months of making them, the fittings and Training, we all gave up coz tho' they had cost Thousands to make, he wouldn't wear them!!! After fussing for over Two Years that he had no Teeth... and spending those 24 Months fighting the VA to cover the Teeth, which, they did, to the tune of about Nine Grand!!! *Eye Roll and Le Sigh* So, now we're back to no Teeth, what can I say? *Insert Resting Bitch Face* Whaddya gonna do, Right? *LOL* We didn't get much in the way of Aluminum Cans really, but it was so nice to just be out in Nature on a Glorious Day anyway, that, it doesn't matter. He enjoyed himself enuf and got a bit of Exercise he needs and would otherwise balk at doing if you can't engage him in some movement he's All In to do.
The Son is making Lasagna for Dinner coz he's going with his Friends to play Volleyball Tonight, so won't actually be Home later, so we'll just have it made for an early Dinner before he leaves. Anyone wanting to eat later can just reheat it in the Microwave. The "Safeway" Bakery always has some lovely looking Tarts, Cakes and Confections, so I got me some Blog Fodder of it for this Post. *Winks* I'm glad I chose the Fruit Berry Mousse Cake tho', it was light and not too sweet, delicious... and less expensive than the Fruit Tarts {Above} or the much smaller and much Richer Berry Cheesecake too {Below}. They all were very Visually stunning tho'.
I had to stop by the Post Office for some Stamps and there was a Middle Aged Hispanic Woman being Served who held up the Line for over 20 Minutes and then decided she didn't wanna Pay the Price they charge for what she was Mailing!!! He kept asking her to step aside coz it was one fucking thing after another she kept fussing about. First, she didn't wrap her Package Right and had to re-wrap it, which, she refused to step aside and do. Then she ripped it open to put something else in there she had forgotten to put in the Package!!! She wouldn't step to the side to do that either! Then she didn't have her Label filled out and claimed the Post Office at another Location always does that FOR her!!! This Clerk said they never do that FOR anyone, but gave her Three different Labels coz she kept fucking up filling them out!!! She refused to step aside to do that either! By now the Line was out the Door coz they only had the One Clerk Working!!! And he was so Patient and so Nice, I felt Bad for him having to Deal with her Crazy inconsiderate and erratic behavior.
I don't know what her Deal was? People were getting agitated and she acted oblivious, the Clerk was losing Patience with her refusing to step aside even tho' he kept asking her to, so he could help someone else while she dicked around and got her shit together to actually Mail the damned Package! Finally, tho' the Package looked like a Hot Mess, she somehow managed to make a Square Box look Round and have half a Roll of Tape wrapped around it, she then didn't wanna pay the $17.49 it Cost to Mail it!!! WTF?! And began arguing with him like it was Negotiable!!! She kept arguing about how much Postage now Costs and that wasn't a reasonable amount for such a little Package, and she couldn't afford to pay that much, coz it wasn't even her Package, she was doing this as a Favor for a Neighbor, so on and so forth, as if he was gonna change his Mind or something about the Cost!!!
Finally me and the Young Black Man directly behind me both said, "Come ON Lady...", loudly, she turned and looked at us, but decided she didn't wanna Square Off I guess, the Guy behind me was Young, heavily Tatted and Big. *LOL* He and I had been talking as we stood in Line, a very pleasant Guy, both of us trying to be Patient, but, it was wearing thin coz this Woman was ridiculous and no telling how much longer she was gonna keep Acting the Fool? And the Clerk could see everyone was getting restless and fed up, so then told her either she would pay the Cost to Mail it, or leave without Mailing it, but she HAD to now make that decision so he could Help the other Customers!!! She left grumbling and complaining to each person in Line as she walked past them, like we gave a shit after she'd wasted everyone's time and been so inconsiderate of how long the Line was getting due to her nonsense!!!
I was next and just as I'm getting there to Buy my Stamps, a Middle Aged Immigrant Couple with a strong African Accent waltzed in, ignored the whole Line of people waiting, walked right up on me and began asking the Clerk to help THEM!!! As if we were all fucking invisible!!! WTF!? This Post Office is in Da Hood, near my Old Historic Home, I might add, not the Neighborhood to Act the Fool in and piss people off. *Winks* The Clerk pointed to the back of the Line and told them both that all those people are in FRONT of you, so you have to Stand in Line for your Turn. They now ignored him and said they wanted to now speak to a Supervisor, he told them only the other Location has one and gave them a Map of where that larger Post Office is Located about a Mile away.
They just kept insisting on him pulling a Supervisor out of thin Air I guess, he told them again, no Supervisor is at this Location! They began to argue. Okay, now I'd just had enuf and said loudly, "Jesus, I guess all the Crazies are out in force Today...", glared at them with my Crazy Eyes and then ignored them and had him give me his full Attention to Buy my Stamps. The Fella that had been in Line behind me was Snickering by now, Tension was building in the Long Line too. And after he got Served I was still getting in my Truck and he gave me a Thumbs Up and a Smile and I said, "Wow, we finally got thru that Crazy Gauntlet of Rude Folks before a Riot broke out!" He Laughed and agreed. Sometimes you have to exercise your Gallow's Humor about how folks Act inappropriately and keep it all in perspective. I wasn't let it ruin an otherwise Beautiful day.
People were driving Crazy too, it must gonna be a fucking Full Moon or something, I swear, I never seen so much Public Chaos and Crazy Behavior in Person and behind the Wheel in a span of just a few Hours in my Life!!! So, we went Home early coz I told The Man, Listen, all the Crazies seem to be out and about Today and I don't wanna Deal with any more of it or them, let's just go Home! *Whew* He'd been nervous about how many folks were cutting people off in Traffic, weaving in and out recklessly, changing Lanes across sometimes 2-3 Lanes without indicating they were going across the whole Highway in one fell swoop, cutting everyone off and not even looking first!!! They were Accidents just waiting to happen driving like that. And there were so many driving like that this Day, it was unnerving actually. I had only intended to Buy One Book of Stamps, but after that Fiasco, Bought Two so I don't have to go back anytime soon! *LOL* What the Hell is Wrong with some People?!?!!!!
The Lasagna that The Son Baked smells Ahhhmazing. It is enuf to Feed Ten, so we'll have leftovers, which will be Nice. The Aroma is filling the whole House, which smells Divine now. I haven't had a good Lasagna in a while, I try to limit my Carbs with being an Insulin Dependent Diabetic, The Man is also an Insulin Dependent Diabetic, so tho' I like Pasta Dishes, and so does he, I don't make many of them for that reason. But Comfort Food was in order I think, it's been a tough time to get thru recently. And now that things are leveling out some, is when you Let Down and start to Feel all of the Feelings you suppressed to just Move thru one Crisis after another and Hold Up during it all without trying to Feel anything or be Emotional about any of it.
Now The Young Prince and I are already getting Collection Calls from the Hospital coz the Medicaid out of New Mexico doesn't provide a Card and tho' they pulled up everything saying it was Active, now they claim they need a Blue Cross Blue Shield "Number" as well as the Medicaid Number issued him? I am Hoping he's not now gonna have Insurance Issues that don't transfer from one State to another to pay for Emergency Services provided in Arizona? In New Mexico they don't issue a Medicaid Card like they do here in Arizona with information about both Medicaid Coverage and Provider Coverage that has Medicaid Options. Here in Arizona the Loved Ones on Medicaid have a Card issued by the Provider {Mercy Care or United Healthcare} that provides their Medicaid Coverage. We have no Control over what other States do or don't issue. I can't provide what he just doesn't have and was never issued.
I explained to the Collector from St. Joseph's Hospital, who was probably from some Call Center in the Philippines and could barely speak English, but she clearly wasn't understanding, a Language barrier existed that I couldn't get past. I told her I am not even the Patient so I can't provide her the Information and it is doubtful my Grandson can either since he was never issued a Blue Cross Blue Shield Card or Number, just the Medicaid one which they already have all the Active Status Evidence of, coz they printed out a copy for us too at the Hospital!!! So, WTF? She kept insisting on something I couldn't provide as if she either didn't HEAR what I was saying to her coz she kept trying to talk over me, or she couldn't understand a Word of it... so I told her don't call me anymore, I'm not the Patient and I can't Help her. Plus, I told her I was actively Driving and needed to pay attention to that, I have a Hands Free Device but I usually don't take Calls even on that when Driving.
The only reason I took the Call was it came up as the Hospital and I thought they were giving us more Test Results for the Grandson or follow up on how he was doing, not already having Insurance Drama!!! She was Reading off a Script and I could tell... and I find Outsourcing to Bots, AI and 3rd World Countries so annoying and I usually just hang up on them. You can't reason with a Machine or someone who doesn't understand your Language well enough to do the Job and you can barely understand them either. I'm good with Accents but hers was so thick I really was not understanding a lot of what she was trying to say in her very bad and limited English. They needed someone more fluent to really address English Speaking Patients IMO they are calling in America. Of coarse now my Grandson is upset, we thought the Insurance Situation had been cleared up and Verified adequately.
Dealing with Sick or Disabled Loved Ones and Medical Issues is often stressful enuf without also having to fight the Insurance Company Coverage Drama and all Agencies involved at the same time. I'd rather everything be as it should be without having to run damage control behind the screw ups of Companies I don't even work for and don't get a Salary from. When you feel like you're doing their Jobs FOR them, I almost feel like they should be providing me a fucking Salary! For my Time and the Work I've had to put into the Situation they created and their own Employees didn't resolve without my help and involvement. *Winks* Of coarse, with all the Outsourcing and reliance on Bots/AI, and cutting corners for expanded Profit, I feel it's gonna get worse before it gets better. And both Medicaid and Medicare have had HUGE cuts with this Administration gutting them.
I'm his Medical Power Of Attorney to help make life saving decisions on his behalf since his SMI incapacitates him doing so, but it doesn't make you liable for the Medical Debts. His Insurance should cover it. I got the Medicaid Turquoise New Mexico Plan 1-800 Number to call and see if they can help me with the information Arizona needs? So, that's what I'll start doing this Week to try to give St. Joseph's the information they need that they seem to require and are lacking, beyond what that paperwork they gave me already provided as Active Coverage. I kind of knew I'd have this responsibility once he returned to my Care. Yes, he's still Married to Allen, but now the Medical Power Of Attorney has been transferred from Allen to me and verified by the Hospital. They drafted it in fact with their Advocate and just handed me a copy when they had his Patient Advocate helping him and assigned to him during his stay.
Their Patient Advocate dug deep and helped us out more than we had information of already. But there needs to be more to fill in missing information only BCBS Medicaid Turquoise can provide now. I've never lived in New Mexico nor have I ever dealt with their Medicaid Programs there. I've dealt with both Medicaid and Medicare Programs here in Arizona so am more familiar with dealing with them. The Grandsons did tell me New Mexico is easier to Deal with and Qualify for Programs, so, that's a Plus since now we have a Problem that needs Resolution. I've been Dealing with my own Medicare Problem now since November of 2025 after United Healthcare dumped us for no other reason than coz we are a Medicare Veteran Family in Maricopa County. And I thought it was Resolved now, but, until I get that replacement Card for the correct Plan and my Refunded Money from being inappropriately penalized, I can't say it is for sure yet.
It's always SOMETHING in the Iconic Words of the Classic Vintage SNL Roseanne Roseannadanna skits! *Smiles* Gilda Radner was brilliant in that Character's Role. She was taken too soon. So many brilliant Comedians Died way too Young. Anyway, I had to relent and turn the Air Conditioner on Tonight coz it was well over 90 all day so it got to 80 in the House. Too Warm, everyone was uncomfortable, we try to keep it in the mid to higher 70's Inside where it's Climate Controlled. I've tried to keep Utility Costs down coz they've gone up, along with every other livable expense, and you can only stretch a fixed income so far and make the ends meet. Gas has spiked with this War the Regime has now gotten us into. I Lucked Out and got a 20 Cent a Gallon Frequent Shopper Discount on my Gas when I went to "Safeway" to Grocery Shop, they have their own Gas too. That helped a lot to fill up my Truck.
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