The "What's on your mind?" Thread -2017

[foxxycat]

I wouldn't pay that. yuck! Try craigslist for carriers.

 

[Willowy]

Do you have a Menard's in your area? They have some nice carriers for cheap. They go on sale frequently, too, so the small dog/large cat one costs under $20, brand new! I wouldn't pay $20 for a used carrier, no way.

 

[Willowy]

This is the size I like; the extra-small is only $16.97 but I think that's just too small for adult cats: https://www.menards.com/main/pet-wi...19-c-8318.htm?tid=1583751633895871233&ipos=11

Walmart has one for only slightly more but I think the Menard's one is sturdier (change option to small instead of extra-small. I couldn't figure out how to link directly to small): https://www.walmart.com/ip/Pet-Champion-Extra-Small-19-Pet-Dog-Carrier-Brown-Black/54273820

 

[tallyollyopia]

I wouldn't pay that. yuck! Try craigslist for carriers.

I did. No luck.

Do you have a Menard's in your area? They have some nice carriers for cheap. They go on sale frequently, too, so the small dog/large cat one costs under $20, brand new! I wouldn't pay $20 for a used carrier, no way.

No Menard's. I checked the website, but I don't think they deliver where we live.

This is the size I like; the extra-small is only $16.97 but I think that's just too small for adult cats: https://www.menards.com/main/pet-wi...19-c-8318.htm?tid=1583751633895871233&ipos=11

Walmart has one for only slightly more but I think the Menard's one is sturdier (change option to small instead of extra-small. I couldn't figure out how to link directly to small): https://www.walmart.com/ip/Pet-Champion-Extra-Small-19-Pet-Dog-Carrier-Brown-Black/54273820

I've seen Wal-Mart's pet carriers--and the only ones I was impressed with were the ones for large dogs, and those are way too big.

 

[arouetta]

(Screams loudly for a long time)

Whew. I feel a little better.

Since the car is probably dead for the long haul I tried the bus today. Going from home to work went really well. There was another guy at the bus stop and we chatted a bit while waiting for the bus. Correction, he chatted. My creep meter went off really early, he was quite odd and one of the first questions he asked was "Do you live alone?" I said no to that, pretty much non-committal to the rest but he didn't get the message. He was sitting on plywood and when he stood up he got really, really close. As in if I had reached my hand and lower arm out while keeping my elbow pressed to my side I would have touched him. And the bus still wasn't there when he did that. While on the bus though, as he's still chatting (and asking what time I'd be heading home), I realized that I probably just flunked my "recognize the disabled" life test. I was thinking that he pretty much just ignores all social boundaries and then it hit me that he's probably not creepy, he probably has autism. He probably wasn't ignoring social boundaries, he probably didn't realize he blew right through them at mach one. The oddness was very similar to a friend I have with autism (no, I can't tell if my daughter has the same oddities due to familiarity) and he had opportunity to do bad things but didn't take advantage of it.

On the way back though....first the bus was late. Very late. It should have been there at 5:35 and it went by at 6:00. Notice the words went by, even though I was at the stop and waved, the driver simply waved back. I called my husband, he was in another city and couldn't come get me. Well I was three miles away from home and I know I can walk that, and I know I can walk that in about an hour. The only problem was that I had drank all my water while waiting for the bus. I walked it and it turns out that concrete and asphalt and stony ground is a lot less forgiving than Target's floors and my feet really hurt. Plus I got sunburned. Ick.

Part-way through it I was thinking that I should have just made plans to walk home in the first place. As long as there's daylight I should be safe from humans that want to do harm and I'd have been home about 6:10 if I had chosen to walk from Target to home instead of trying to take the bus. And since the bus makes a one hour circular route, I'd be home faster than if the bus was on time and I had gotten on it. But there's a huge difference between making the decision to walk an hour home and having the decision made for you. So yeah, I was pretty steamed and feeling sorry for myself.

This morning when I got dressed, I planned on a lightweight red open sweater over another shirt. I put the outer layer in my purse, but when I put the shirt on it was too big now. I tried on a few different shirts, to see what I could and couldn't wear, but most of my shirts are green, pink and purple....and that just doesn't go with red. Since I had the red sweater I figured no one would see it and wore the blue shirt I planned. However because it was too big, more of my skin was exposed after work than should have been and that means more skin area is sunburned. Argh.

Well at least I burned a few more calories. And I saw some pretty Canadian geese. I nearly walked up to one to try and make friends with it, but I veered off when I saw the yellow puffballs at its feet. No, I'm not approaching a protective mommy/daddy with four goslings at its feet. I'm not that stupid. But I do have to wonder....why are they named Canadian geese? Yeah, they have dual citizenship, but they spend like 3/4 of the year in the US and many just hunker down in the mid-Atlantic area for life. So why did Canada get to claim them if they don't spend much time there?

 

[Willowy]

No Menard's. I checked the website, but I don't think they deliver where we live.

Huh, that's too bad---I love Menard's! And Tractor Supply, lol, it's funny what becomes important once someone has property and pets .

Keep looking around---I found this one if you don't mind the color, there might be others that are reasonably priced: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00W9O5OS8/ref=mp_s_a_1_28?ie=UTF8&qid=1497055752&sr=8-28&keywords=cat+carrier&th=1&psc=1

I might be convinced to pay $20 for a used carrier if it was a good brand like Vari-kennel and had all its parts. Dirty is OK but cracks, rust, or missing parts would be a deal-breaker.

 

[Margret]

I've been clicking on the smiley icon, and like I said: about half the time I'll get the bar of smileys at the bottom of the message (stays up, like you said) and about half the time they don't come up.

They're very slow to come up, and if you get impatient (perfectly understandable) and click again to try to hurry them up what really happens is that the editor reads the second click as a cancellation of your request for smileys. It took me several bad experiences to work this out.

All of the smileys have "BB" codes. You type in a colon followed immediately by the name of the smiley and another colon and the editor will insert that smiley. However, you won't see the smiley unless you preview the message or until you post it.

Some of the BB codes I find most useful (just remove the spaces in these):

• : lol :
• : flail :
• : alright :
• : hugs :
• : crossfingers :
• : rbheart :
• : vibes :
• : censored :
• : confused2 :
• : frustrated :
• : sigh :
• : woohoo :
• : catrub :
• : agree :
• : doh :
• : paperbag :
• : think :
• : yeah :
• : chessirecat :

When you have the smiley editor open you can easily find the BB code for whichever smileys you use frequently by simply hovering your cursor over the smiley in question.

Margret

 

[tallyollyopia]

(Screams loudly for a long time)

Whew. I feel a little better.

Since the car is probably dead for the long haul I tried the bus today. Going from home to work went really well. There was another guy at the bus stop and we chatted a bit while waiting for the bus. Correction, he chatted. My creep meter went off really early, he was quite odd and one of the first questions he asked was "Do you live alone?" I said no to that, pretty much non-committal to the rest but he didn't get the message. He was sitting on plywood and when he stood up he got really, really close. As in if I had reached my hand and lower arm out while keeping my elbow pressed to my side I would have touched him. And the bus still wasn't there when he did that. While on the bus though, as he's still chatting (and asking what time I'd be heading home), I realized that I probably just flunked my "recognize the disabled" life test. I was thinking that he pretty much just ignores all social boundaries and then it hit me that he's probably not creepy, he probably has autism. He probably wasn't ignoring social boundaries, he probably didn't realize he blew right through them at mach one. The oddness was very similar to a friend I have with autism (no, I can't tell if my daughter has the same oddities due to familiarity) and he had opportunity to do bad things but didn't take advantage of it.

On the way back though....first the bus was late. Very late. It should have been there at 5:35 and it went by at 6:00. Notice the words went by, even though I was at the stop and waved, the driver simply waved back. I called my husband, he was in another city and couldn't come get me. Well I was three miles away from home and I know I can walk that, and I know I can walk that in about an hour. The only problem was that I had drank all my water while waiting for the bus. I walked it and it turns out that concrete and asphalt and stony ground is a lot less forgiving than Target's floors and my feet really hurt. Plus I got sunburned. Ick.

Part-way through it I was thinking that I should have just made plans to walk home in the first place. As long as there's daylight I should be safe from humans that want to do harm and I'd have been home about 6:10 if I had chosen to walk from Target to home instead of trying to take the bus. And since the bus makes a one hour circular route, I'd be home faster than if the bus was on time and I had gotten on it. But there's a huge difference between making the decision to walk an hour home and having the decision made for you. So yeah, I was pretty steamed and feeling sorry for myself.

This morning when I got dressed, I planned on a lightweight red open sweater over another shirt. I put the outer layer in my purse, but when I put the shirt on it was too big now. I tried on a few different shirts, to see what I could and couldn't wear, but most of my shirts are green, pink and purple....and that just doesn't go with red. Since I had the red sweater I figured no one would see it and wore the blue shirt I planned. However because it was too big, more of my skin was exposed after work than should have been and that means more skin area is sunburned. Argh.

Well at least I burned a few more calories. And I saw some pretty Canadian geese. I nearly walked up to one to try and make friends with it, but I veered off when I saw the yellow puffballs at its feet. No, I'm not approaching a protective mommy/daddy with four goslings at its feet. I'm not that stupid. But I do have to wonder....why are they named Canadian geese? Yeah, they have dual citizenship, but they spend like 3/4 of the year in the US and many just hunker down in the mid-Atlantic area for life. So why did Canada get to claim them if they don't spend much time there?

I don't know, every time I see Canadian Geese (and no, I have no idea how they got the name) all I can think of is how nice one would be on the table for Thanksgiving.

Huh, that's too bad---I love Menard's! And Tractor Supply, lol, it's funny what becomes important once someone has property and pets .

Keep looking around---I found this one if you don't mind the color, there might be others that are reasonably priced: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00W9O5OS8/ref=mp_s_a_1_28?ie=UTF8&qid=1497055752&sr=8-28&keywords=cat+carrier&th=1&psc=1

I might be convinced to pay $20 for a used carrier if it was a good brand like Vari-kennel and had all its parts. Dirty is OK but cracks, rust, or missing parts would be a deal-breaker.

Okay, I might be able to afford that. (Our Tractor Supply is very horse/chicken/camping oriented--pets, not so much.)

They're very slow to come up, and if you get impatient (perfectly understandable) and click again to try to hurry them up what really happens is that the editor reads the second click as a cancellation of your request for smileys. It took me several bad experiences to work this out.

All of the smileys have "BB" codes. You type in a colon followed immediately by the name of the smiley and another colon and the editor will insert that smiley. However, you won't see the smiley unless you preview the message or until you post it.

Some of the BB codes I find most useful (just remove the spaces in these):

• : lol :
• : flail :
• : alright :
• : hugs :
• : crossfingers :
• : rbheart :
• : vibes :
• : censored :
• : confused2 :
• : frustrated :
• : sigh :
• : woohoo :
• : catrub :
• : agree :
• : doh :
• : paperbag :
• : think :
• : yeah :
• : chessirecat :

When you have the smiley editor open you can easily find the BB code for whichever smileys you use frequently by simply hovering your cursor over the smiley in question.

Margret

Thanks, that makes a lot of sense.

Well, there were bits of last night that were completely, unredeemably, awful. Okay, this is going to get a little bit (lot) ranty, so feel free to skip.

Now, one of the things I do during the night is I put stuff I need for paperwork (stocked cigarette cartons, papers, and various other things) on the counter I'm not using so that I can have a clear, visible signal (besides the worded sign--a surprising number of my customer base is illiterate) on which counter I'm using. Well, this one customer came in, got an ice cup (if it just has water in it, it counts as an ice cup), and a hot pocket (we have these huge half pound hot pockets we keep in the deli case). He microwaved the hot pocket, and then brought it to the counter. The wrong counter. In fact, he reached over and shoved everything I had piled on the counter and waited for me to wait on him. I explained that I couldn't help him at that counter, as I was at the other register. He demanded to know why not, since he was already at that counter and then complained that we're not really a "convenience store" since it wasn't "convenient" for him to take two and a half steps to the left to the counter I was I at. I finally got him at the right counter, and rang him up for his drink and hot pocket. He acted shocked at the price of the hot pockets (they're clearly labeled, and I keep everything in that case neat), so I took it off (told him I was taking it off) and just charged him for the ice cup. He paid for his ice cup, and then grabbed both the ice cup and the hot pocket. I told him he couldn't take the hot pocket, because he hadn't paid for it. He said, "But you're just going to have to spoil it out anyway. Other stations let me do this." I looked him straight in the eye and said, "It doesn't work this way; and this is not other stations and I am not other clerks." (He did eventually buy the hot pocket, once he realized I wasn't going to let him have it for free.)

A little later in the night I had this group of three women come in. (One of the things we have at our work is a sandwich warmer for sandwiches that we heat up for breakfast and lunch--and the ones for lunch are supposed to be spoiled out long before I ever get to work.) Well, the women went to this display, and I warned them that the sandwiches had been on the warmer since before I had gotten to work and that I had no idea how long they'd been there. They said they didn't care, because the sandwiches were hot. Not five minutes later they came back in complaining that the sandwiches were stale. (I refunded them for the sandwiches, and billed them for the new ones they wanted to get.)

Then later, as I was running between coffee, morning sandwiches, and the roller grill, I had a customer come in. He started complaining about how I was a lazy bleep, and how all I did was sit on my bleep all night. (I got him his change in record time--but he still. kept. talking.) At one point I looked him in the eye and said, "I would like to see you do my job one Saturday night. I'll even supervise." Then he started in on how he'd done my job back when it was harder because the store was smaller (meaning: no roller grill to clean, no six pots of coffee to get going, no sandwiches to heat for the warmer, no pastry case to break down, clean, and set back up, no peanut pots to break down, clean, and set back up, no cappuccino machines to--you get the idea). He actually had to work outside because there wasn't much to do inside (his words!!!) At one point I just got fed up with it and snapped, "So, you had to walk uphill both ways in the snow to get to work." And he kept going! He was there for fifteen minutes (felt more like an hour) and when I tried to leave to do my work he followed me. He didn't actually leave until another customer came into the store!

Then, just a bit later than that, one of my regulars and his girlfriend (whom I've never seen before) came in for cigarettes (I knew he was old enough, and she looked old enough.) She goes to the medicine case (which holds medicine for adult activities) comes back and says, "Where are your bong pipes?" (Bear in mind, marijuana isn't legal in my state yet.) I told her we didn't carry those and she demands, "Why not? The Indian store does!" I politely explained that our store is not affiliated in any way with the Indian store (and no, I do not know what store she was talking about) and that we are not required to carry the same merchandise. She then asked where I go when I need to get stuff for a smoke, to which I replied: I don't smoke. She called me a lying bleep and hauled her boyfriend out of there almost before he could get his change.

Part of what made me upset was that fact that the new shoes I got Thursday fit perfectly--in the store. Now they don't fit nearly as well, and last night was agony. (Problem is, there's a no return policy at the store I go to.) So then I get home, get yesterday's mail out of the box, and one of the things in it is a letter saying that I owe over seven hundred dollars for the services of a physician who looked at me when I was in the ER back in October. (There's even a bit at the beginning of the letter saying it's unconnected to my hospital bill.) I don't know what to do with this--if it is legit (and I'm not certain it is), then why wasn't it mailed earlier? Why was it mailed now, not long after I just discovered my hospital bill has been completely paid off? What do I do with this?

 

[LTS3]

I have no energy to deal with family dramaUsually I go to Mom's house on Saturdays but there's just no point anymore. Is it wrong to limit my interactions with my family?

 

[artiemom]

tallyollyopia What a night you had!!
As for the bill, it was probably a bill from the separate physicians group, billing you for their services. I would call and try to get to the bottom of it. There should be more clarification in the bill, listing the services and who you make the check out to. That is what they do around here. There is a bill from the hospital for the physical use of the hospital, then there is a separate bill from the Physician's Group, for treatment.. kind of like double dipping.. but it is part of medicine..

So far, this has not been a good morning. I thought it would be a good day because it started off with Artie tapping me and meowing to get up. He has not done that for a while. Waking me up, yes, but tap-tap-tapping, no....

Found a couple of one inch pieces of poop on his quilt..sigh.. long time since that happened.

Artie took his meds really well. I waited an hour to feed him. He ate on his own. The Keruig machine decided to spit the coffee all over the place! Instead of just a puncture in the k-cup, it decided to mutilate the entire top of the k-cup, producing a huge hole!! Coffee spitting all over...

Then Arite vomited all of his food. sigh...on the scatter rug..I cleaned it up, but I have to wash it.

I saw some lint from his favorite fleece throw in the vomit.. time for a new one. It is pilling all over the place. I find pieces everywhere. If I found some in his vomit, that means he is catching it on his claws, from kneading and is ingesting it.. not what we need!!!

Just hoping he absorbed the medicine.

Have to pick up a refill of a script for him today, try to find a replacement throw for him. I am glad I have coupons for both Kohl's and Bed Bath & Beyond. fingers crossed.

Now, on to starting my day. Artie is enjoying his hiding hole in his big cat tree. He is smelling the ocean air and listening to the doves, cooing. Peaceful I hate to bother him, but it is time for his meds...sigh...

I wish these smilies were a bit larger, so I can really see them.

oh well

 

[artiemom]

I have no energy to deal with family dramaUsually I go to Mom's house on Saturdays but there's just no point anymore. Is it wrong to limit my interactions with my family?

No, it is not wrong to limit your interactions with your family. Sometimes you just need a break from all the drama. Take a few weeks off and see how you feel.

Do you visit on Saturdays just as a visit? or are you helping out? There is a difference. If it is just a visit, then I would take a break. If I were really needed to help out, then I would limit my time .. and not stay longer than necessary.

Everyone needs a break from drama, and stuff.

 

[LTS3]

Just visiting because Mom insists and makes me feel guilty about it. But I cannot deal with any more drama and criticism Mom will probably call at some point today and ask if I want to come over for dinner. Um, no. You can't eat dinner. You can only look at it (long story).

 

[Mother Dragon]

This reminds me of one point in time where scientists were seeing what caused cancer and were doing it by injecting rats. Unfortunately, they were discovering that everything caused cancer- eventually they discovered that injecting rats at all was what was causing cancer.

Our vet does Rabies and the combo vac for indoor cats every three years and doesn't do FeLV after the first one and booster.

Vets are all trained different things I think. Our old farm vet did talk about it being the adjuvant. The vet we have now says that if you vary injection sites you can make it better.

I don't know what to believe, but skipping rabies shots without the titer tests is a bad plan in my opinion. For one, if your cat bites someone they can be destroyed or quarantined for a long time without a valid rabies shot. Secondly, there are all kinds of rodents and other animals that can easily get inside of your home. These can carry rabies.

We had a bat get into the house once. The cats were chasing it. They had their rabies shots but had to have boosters and we had to have rabies shots, too. You don't feel a bat bite and you don't see it, either. You never know where rabies exposure will occur. I'll go with the vaccines.

Those three rabies shots we had to have cost $350 each. Had we had evidence of an actual bite, we would have had to have the very painful $750 shots.

 

[arouetta]

I don't know, every time I see Canadian Geese (and no, I have no idea how they got the name) all I can think of is how nice one would be on the table for Thanksgiving.

When I was a child I would visit my maternal grandparents a lot, as they lived only an hour away. The city they were in had a park called Drake Park. There were hundreds of mallard ducks, dozens of Canadian geese and a few pairs of swans. The swans always stayed on the lake, which was good because swans are very, very aggressive and pretty mean. People would brings several loaves of bread to the park and feed the ducks and geese. Ducks will swarm you until the geese notice you have food and then the ducks would get the heck out of the way of the geese. I was taken to that park a lot, and I've always associated Canadian geese with happy, friendly feelings. To me they are beautiful.

Well, there were bits of last night that were completely, unredeemably, awful. Okay, this is going to get a little bit (lot) ranty, so feel free to skip.

Wow. I don't know how you handle all this craziness. Well let's hope the next work day is calmer, with less crazy people and scam artists.

I have no energy to deal with family dramaUsually I go to Mom's house on Saturdays but there's just no point anymore. Is it wrong to limit my interactions with my family?

It is always appropriate to take a break from drama-filled people. Especially if they are family, the family ties just make everything far worse, it just magnifies things, people want you to take sides, and the guilt-tripping of "I raised you, you owe me, deal with it!"

tallyollyopia What a night you had!!
As for the bill, it was probably a bill from the separate physicians group, billing you for their services. I would call and try to get to the bottom of it. There should be more clarification in the bill, listing the services and who you make the check out to. That is what they do around here. There is a bill from the hospital for the physical use of the hospital, then there is a separate bill from the Physician's Group, for treatment.. kind of like double dipping.. but it is part of medicine..

Double-dipping??? I've seen it far worse. Hospital bill, separate doctor's bills for each doctor that took a look at you, radiology bill, bill for any other diagnostic testing that doesn't fall under radiology. And if you look at the itemized bill for the hospital, you'll find things that are either inflated in price ($10 for one dose of Tylenol) or are part of a standard package for most people that you actually did not receive. (A former friend whose baby died 45 minutes after birth was charged a new baby package that included diapers, formula, standard testing and Hib shot and all the other things that a baby uses for the couple of days after birth or are sent home with the baby. None of that was done as everyone already knew from pre-natal testing that the baby was going to die immediately.)

Always verify, but a separate bill for a doctor is standard. The hospital doesn't pay the doctor to look at you, even though they pay nurses to look after you.

 

[margd]

It's been a long time since I posted here and it looks like I have a lot to catch up on! So much has been going on for everyone!

tallyollyopia all I can say is that you have the makings of a wonderful article in all of those awful experiences. You're such a good writer and you bring each episode to life. I bet a lot of people would really relate to what you go through!

LTS3 I think you are perfectly within your rights to skip a few times at your Mom's. It might even encourage her to dial back her behavior a bit if you take a break and let her know why. My kids did this to me and although the situation was very different, it did make me take another look at how I interacted with them and to try to improve my side of things. Even if she doesn't change anything, at least you will have had a break. Every week is a lot, especially when you are working and have other things going on in your life.

Mother Dragon Ouch re: rabies shots. When I was a kid, I had to have the whole series and this was back when they gave them in the abdomen. (That's changed, I think). OMG. I can still remember the bottomless dread every time we went and the pain. Anyway, you have my sympathy!

artiemom Good luck finding a new perfect throw. I'm wondering how you're going to convince Artie that the new throw is just as good as the old one. Also, hoping for a better day for him tomorrow.

arouetta That's a pretty awful bus ride experience. It's like you got all of the negatives in one day - not a very good introduction. It was kind of you to recognize that you were probably dealing with someone with autism rather than a garden variety creep at the bus stop although that question about living alone would still give me pause. I'm glad you are okay.

I used to work on a research farm that was a major summering spot for large numbers of Canada geese. The worst part of sharing their summer home with them was the goose poop since it tended to have a magic attraction for the underside of shoes. The geese themselves were okay. They strutted around, letting us know they owned the place, but in the many years I worked there, we never had a Goose Incident. They really are so beautiful and watching them all take off in a cacaphony of honking was pretty wonderful.

 

[Mamanyt1953]

I don't know, every time I see Canadian Geese (and no, I have no idea how they got the name) all I can think of is how nice one would be on the table for Thanksgiving.



Okay, I might be able to afford that. (Our Tractor Supply is very horse/chicken/camping oriented--pets, not so much.)



Thanks, that makes a lot of sense.

Well, there were bits of last night that were completely, unredeemably, awful. Okay, this is going to get a little bit (lot) ranty, so feel free to skip.

Now, one of the things I do during the night is I put stuff I need for paperwork (stocked cigarette cartons, papers, and various other things) on the counter I'm not using so that I can have a clear, visible signal (besides the worded sign--a surprising number of my customer base is illiterate) on which counter I'm using. Well, this one customer came in, got an ice cup (if it just has water in it, it counts as an ice cup), and a hot pocket (we have these huge half pound hot pockets we keep in the deli case). He microwaved the hot pocket, and then brought it to the counter. The wrong counter. In fact, he reached over and shoved everything I had piled on the counter and waited for me to wait on him. I explained that I couldn't help him at that counter, as I was at the other register. He demanded to know why not, since he was already at that counter and then complained that we're not really a "convenience store" since it wasn't "convenient" for him to take two and a half steps to the left to the counter I was I at. I finally got him at the right counter, and rang him up for his drink and hot pocket. He acted shocked at the price of the hot pockets (they're clearly labeled, and I keep everything in that case neat), so I took it off (told him I was taking it off) and just charged him for the ice cup. He paid for his ice cup, and then grabbed both the ice cup and the hot pocket. I told him he couldn't take the hot pocket, because he hadn't paid for it. He said, "But you're just going to have to spoil it out anyway. Other stations let me do this." I looked him straight in the eye and said, "It doesn't work this way; and this is not other stations and I am not other clerks." (He did eventually buy the hot pocket, once he realized I wasn't going to let him have it for free.)

A little later in the night I had this group of three women come in. (One of the things we have at our work is a sandwich warmer for sandwiches that we heat up for breakfast and lunch--and the ones for lunch are supposed to be spoiled out long before I ever get to work.) Well, the women went to this display, and I warned them that the sandwiches had been on the warmer since before I had gotten to work and that I had no idea how long they'd been there. They said they didn't care, because the sandwiches were hot. Not five minutes later they came back in complaining that the sandwiches were stale. (I refunded them for the sandwiches, and billed them for the new ones they wanted to get.)

Then later, as I was running between coffee, morning sandwiches, and the roller grill, I had a customer come in. He started complaining about how I was a lazy bleep, and how all I did was sit on my bleep all night. (I got him his change in record time--but he still. kept. talking.) At one point I looked him in the eye and said, "I would like to see you do my job one Saturday night. I'll even supervise." Then he started in on how he'd done my job back when it was harder because the store was smaller (meaning: no roller grill to clean, no six pots of coffee to get going, no sandwiches to heat for the warmer, no pastry case to break down, clean, and set back up, no peanut pots to break down, clean, and set back up, no cappuccino machines to--you get the idea). He actually had to work outside because there wasn't much to do inside (his words!!!) At one point I just got fed up with it and snapped, "So, you had to walk uphill both ways in the snow to get to work." And he kept going! He was there for fifteen minutes (felt more like an hour) and when I tried to leave to do my work he followed me. He didn't actually leave until another customer came into the store!

Then, just a bit later than that, one of my regulars and his girlfriend (whom I've never seen before) came in for cigarettes (I knew he was old enough, and she looked old enough.) She goes to the medicine case (which holds medicine for adult activities) comes back and says, "Where are your bong pipes?" (Bear in mind, marijuana isn't legal in my state yet.) I told her we didn't carry those and she demands, "Why not? The Indian store does!" I politely explained that our store is not affiliated in any way with the Indian store (and no, I do not know what store she was talking about) and that we are not required to carry the same merchandise. She then asked where I go when I need to get stuff for a smoke, to which I replied: I don't smoke. She called me a lying bleep and hauled her boyfriend out of there almost before he could get his change.

Part of what made me upset was that fact that the new shoes I got Thursday fit perfectly--in the store. Now they don't fit nearly as well, and last night was agony. (Problem is, there's a no return policy at the store I go to.) So then I get home, get yesterday's mail out of the box, and one of the things in it is a letter saying that I owe over seven hundred dollars for the services of a physician who looked at me when I was in the ER back in October. (There's even a bit at the beginning of the letter saying it's unconnected to my hospital bill.) I don't know what to do with this--if it is legit (and I'm not certain it is), then why wasn't it mailed earlier? Why was it mailed now, not long after I just discovered my hospital bill has been completely paid off? What do I do with this?

Second things first, ER doctors routinely charge seperately from the hospital, which I, personally, think is iniquitous. I'd rather have just the one, LARGER, bill, and know what I've got to plan for. Pay it little by little. As long as you are making an attempt to pay, they can't do much about it.

As for your night at work...I've had nights like that, doing that work. I know how it just makes you want to tear your hair out. Worst night ever? A VERY heavily pregnant woman came into the store, VERY nice, but she went into HARD labor in the store. I called 911, but we were MILES out of town. WHILE she was having contractions at 1 minute apart, and I was thinking, "I may have to deliver this kid...I know horses and cats, but NOT HUMANS!", some nitwit at the tanks came in to pay, saw what was happening, threw two $20 bills on the counter for $14 in gas, RAN to his car and drove off...with the hose attached to the car. Yep. You guessed it. Tore that sucker right off of the tank. The only good part of the night was that the EMTs arrived just in time to deliver the baby on the floor of the store...which I then had to mop. Although no one involved was the least unpleasant (barring the loud shrieks from the woman, but she couldn't help it), it was still the most stressful night I ever spent at that store. Of course, it was also the only night I ever got a $6 tip, too!

 

[Margret]

RIP, Adam West. He was 88, and died after a short battle with leukemia, surrounded by his family, according to the report I read.

tallyollyopia , I would suggest that you request an itemized bill from the doctor, for what it's worth.

Not the same thing, but many, many years ago, Roger was injured at work. It was a legitimate work injury, covered by Workman's Comp (long enough ago that it wasn't yet Worker's Comp). He was taken to the local city financed default hospital which, at that time, was engaging in some questionable billing practices -- they simply weren't bothering to bill, a practice which continued for several years until a local television news program got wind of it and did a series on it. So, something like five years after the injury, the hospital finally began billing again and we received a bill that should have been paid long ago by Workman's Comp. We inquired and were told that Workman's Comp had denied coverage, apparently because the bill hadn't been sent to them in a timely manner. We informed the hospital that we were not responsible for this bill; it was their own fault that Workman's Comp hadn't paid them and we weren't about to assume a liability that wasn't rightfully ours. However, we were willing to go to bat with Workman's Comp for them and see whether we couldn't persuade them to pay up; all we needed was an itemized list of services rendered. The hospital sent us the list, but because of their privacy policy (which apparently prohibited telling the patient anything) every single item on the list was blacked out!

We sent them a letter saying that if they weren't willing to provide us with the tools we needed to Workman's Comp on their behalf then they were simply out of luck. If they really thought we were responsible for this they should take us to small claims court, where we would win. We never heard anything more about it.

Now, once again, this isn't the same thing. However, you have every right to know exactly what it is that you're paying for before you pay it. You also have a right to your medical records, BTW.

Margret

 

[Margret]

tallyollyopia What a night you had!!
As for the bill, it was probably a bill from the separate physicians group, billing you for their services. I would call and try to get to the bottom of it. There should be more clarification in the bill, listing the services and who you make the check out to. That is what they do around here. There is a bill from the hospital for the physical use of the hospital, then there is a separate bill from the Physician's Group, for treatment.. kind of like double dipping.. but it is part of medicine..

Margret

 

[LTS3]

I decided to stay home today. I enjoyed a stress-free day lounging with the cats

The drama and isn't with just Mom, it's with Dad and my two adult brothers who still live at home. It just a messed up dysfunctional family

My work accomodation request has been approved. I was diagnosed with back strain and my doctor put me on a few restrictions for the next few months. No bending at the waist, no lifting more than 10 lbs, take breaks (hard to do when I work with just one other person who is struggling herself to cover the other facility). The HR rep made my cry at the meeting to discuss the accomodations I don't think she meant to make my cry but I did anyways.

 

[tallyollyopia]

I have no energy to deal with family dramaUsually I go to Mom's house on Saturdays but there's just no point anymore. Is it wrong to limit my interactions with my family?

My advice: if you need a break, take a break.

tallyollyopia What a night you had!!
As for the bill, it was probably a bill from the separate physicians group, billing you for their services. I would call and try to get to the bottom of it. There should be more clarification in the bill, listing the services and who you make the check out to. That is what they do around here. There is a bill from the hospital for the physical use of the hospital, then there is a separate bill from the Physician's Group, for treatment.. kind of like double dipping.. but it is part of medicine..

So far, this has not been a good morning. I thought it would be a good day because it started off with Artie tapping me and meowing to get up. He has not done that for a while. Waking me up, yes, but tap-tap-tapping, no....

Found a couple of one inch pieces of poop on his quilt..sigh.. long time since that happened.

Artie took his meds really well. I waited an hour to feed him. He ate on his own. The Keruig machine decided to spit the coffee all over the place! Instead of just a puncture in the k-cup, it decided to mutilate the entire top of the k-cup, producing a huge hole!! Coffee spitting all over...

Then Arite vomited all of his food. sigh...on the scatter rug..I cleaned it up, but I have to wash it.

I saw some lint from his favorite fleece throw in the vomit.. time for a new one. It is pilling all over the place. I find pieces everywhere. If I found some in his vomit, that means he is catching it on his claws, from kneading and is ingesting it.. not what we need!!!

Just hoping he absorbed the medicine.

Have to pick up a refill of a script for him today, try to find a replacement throw for him. I am glad I have coupons for both Kohl's and Bed Bath & Beyond. fingers crossed.

Now, on to starting my day. Artie is enjoying his hiding hole in his big cat tree. He is smelling the ocean air and listening to the doves, cooing. Peaceful I hate to bother him, but it is time for his meds...sigh...

I wish these smilies were a bit larger, so I can really see them.

oh well

Hope the both of you are doing better soon.

No, it is not wrong to limit your interactions with your family. Sometimes you just need a break from all the drama. Take a few weeks off and see how you feel.

Do you visit on Saturdays just as a visit? or are you helping out? There is a difference. If it is just a visit, then I would take a break. If I were really needed to help out, then I would limit my time .. and not stay longer than necessary.

Everyone needs a break from drama, and stuff.

Just visiting because Mom insists and makes me feel guilty about it. But I cannot deal with any more drama and criticism Mom will probably call at some point today and ask if I want to come over for dinner. Um, no. You can't eat dinner. You can only look at it (long story).

We had a bat get into the house once. The cats were chasing it. They had their rabies shots but had to have boosters and we had to have rabies shots, too. You don't feel a bat bite and you don't see it, either. You never know where rabies exposure will occur. I'll go with the vaccines.

Those three rabies shots we had to have cost $350 each. Had we had evidence of an actual bite, we would have had to have the very painful $750 shots.

When I was a child I would visit my maternal grandparents a lot, as they lived only an hour away. The city they were in had a park called Drake Park. There were hundreds of mallard ducks, dozens of Canadian geese and a few pairs of swans. The swans always stayed on the lake, which was good because swans are very, very aggressive and pretty mean. People would brings several loaves of bread to the park and feed the ducks and geese. Ducks will swarm you until the geese notice you have food and then the ducks would get the heck out of the way of the geese. I was taken to that park a lot, and I've always associated Canadian geese with happy, friendly feelings. To me they are beautiful.



Wow. I don't know how you handle all this craziness. Well let's hope the next work day is calmer, with less crazy people and scam artists.


It is always appropriate to take a break from drama-filled people. Especially if they are family, the family ties just make everything far worse, it just magnifies things, people want you to take sides, and the guilt-tripping of "I raised you, you owe me, deal with it!"



Double-dipping??? I've seen it far worse. Hospital bill, separate doctor's bills for each doctor that took a look at you, radiology bill, bill for any other diagnostic testing that doesn't fall under radiology. And if you look at the itemized bill for the hospital, you'll find things that are either inflated in price ($10 for one dose of Tylenol) or are part of a standard package for most people that you actually did not receive. (A former friend whose baby died 45 minutes after birth was charged a new baby package that included diapers, formula, standard testing and Hib shot and all the other things that a baby uses for the couple of days after birth or are sent home with the baby. None of that was done as everyone already knew from pre-natal testing that the baby was going to die immediately.)

Always verify, but a separate bill for a doctor is standard. The hospital doesn't pay the doctor to look at you, even though they pay nurses to look after you.

So, I'd be within my rights asking for an itemized bill from the doctor? And why would it be so late? But the biggest problem I have with it is that the bill came from California. I live in, and was treated in South Carolina. Shouldn't it be more local?