Playing Catch-up

In taking some time off from certain technologies, we were supposed to go away for a few days to Chincoteague Island, VA for New Year’s. We were looking forward to watching the Horseshoe drop at midnight on New Year’s Eve in the town square. I was especially looking forward to doing my second Polar Pony Plunge on New Year’s Day. Nothing says refreshment like running into the Atlantic Ocean at Assateague National Seashore. And maybe seeing some of the wild ponies between the two islands. Last year, when we went, we saw a ton of egrets and great egrets. A couple flocks of tundra swans, too. But, sadly, it has been bitter cold here in northeastern PA; and we were afraid that the heat may go out, and my parents would have to deal with it, or not know it went out and the cats, Guinea pig, and fish would suffer from it.

But, as always, life and magical emails came through. I upgraded on the Insight Timer app to be able to download my favorite meditations to listen to offline. Well, that hasn’t been too good of an experience so far. I’ve been corresponding with the folks at IT via email, due to some difficulty in the meditations failing to download and then being unable to even play them. We’ve tried several methods for fixing this since December 29th, but nothing has fixed it so far. I am waiting to hear from them today. I imagine they had off a day or two, as they have gotten back to me fairly quickly before midnight on New Year’s Eve, with the last correspondence being at 11:38pm, EST.

I also received a great invite from Sounds True to do their Year of Mindfulness. I signed up. I am looking forward to hearing Jon Kabit Zinn talk next week. I’ve been working with the Daily Meditation in less than 10 minutes, with Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach since yesterday. I am still trying to do some beginning things and tie up loose ends with the course (ie. signing up for the on-line group). They have some great people lined up and I think the $27 monthly fee, which was an end-of-the-year special, is totally worth it.

Some upsetting news from my secondary insurance today, is that it was cancelled….on the 31st at midnight. So starting yesterday, I am without the extra help to pay medical bills. (Just what every person with a chronic illness wants to hear.) With this comes that I now have to pay more of my primary insurance deductible because it was kind of like one company helping the other and a bit of a discount. Now….boom….they are both sticking their tongues out at me. So there is a call in to a local community support to help me look for a new plan. The rude lady on the phone this morning, whom I’ve been dealing with for years, every month, and I dread it…..was exceptionally curt at 9:19am. I’ve been “a month behind” since getting on this secondary program many many moons ago. It was never a problem until this past October or November.  It’s just how it’s been….for years. I never receive “this month’s” payment envelope until after the 26th of “this month.” Now I normally sent the previous month’s payment in about the 5th of the next month (ie. sending February in the first week of March.) I have been getting money orders for about 4 years, because by 2013, I got sick of the company taking 4 months to cash my checks. It had messed me up, because I had assumed (horrible, I know) that they cashed it, like right after they tore open the envelope. With my horrible money managing skills, I had thought there were funds in my checking account and spent the money. So twice there were insufficient funds. So I just started getting money orders. I figured if they are too damn lazy to cash the money order in 90 days, the hell with them.

I digress into the past again…..So….I got the money order for September’s payment before we went away to MD & VA to the Chesapeake Celtic Festival on October 6th. Silly me put the money order in my wallet and forgot about it. Then I had reconstructive foot surgery the 13th. Then a Sympathetic Trunk Nerve Block the 25th. And THEN I saw the money order in my wallet…..sigh. SOOOO, September’s payment was really late. More shenanigans have ensued since then. Like the money for my deductible for November slipping out of my pocket at CVS, while retrieving my prescription, about 10 minutes before attempting to get my money order. BAM! That quickly, someone picked up the labled bank envelope off the floor of CVS and kept it for themselves. Merry Fucking Christmas. Hope you enjoyed my secondary health insurance’s deductible. I keep hoping it was someone more distraught than I that picked it up. So that put me way behind.

Tomorrow I will attempt to get a money order for December’s payment. I told the ignorant lady this morning I was going to get a money order for both December and January to catch up. She raised her voice and said, “You’re not getting it. You’re behind. You will just be on time. Don’t bother getting January’s payment until you hear from me and I turn your insurance back on.” Whatever….bitch from hell. I can’t stand this lady. And she’s the only worker in the whole place who deals with this particular program. I can’t wait to tell my therapist this…he knows the trouble I’ve gone through for ages. I should have run away and joined the circus, like I said in a previous post. I’d be a champion hoop-jumper by now.

If I don’t hear from the local company that helps people find better insurances for disabled people by noon; I’m going to take a little trip down there. Everyone is so nice in that office. I had to work with them when I was a peer specialist and got to be friendly with some of the employees. It will be good to pop in and say, “hello,” anyway. Plus, I need to get that money order, of whatever denomination, and pay my AAA dues.  Maybe take a swing into the Dunkin’ Donuts parking lot and get an Americano.

Tomorrow night is also the first X-Files episode in about a year. Since we do not subscribe to cable or satellite TV, I had no clue. I had nearly fallen out of my seat at Christmas dinner when my dad told me.  I’ve been waiting for 2 weeks for tomorrow night. So now that I have caught you up, I can think up a real post for you….maybe something (finally) with my vegan meals. Remember…..The Truth Is Out There…..

Take Care, Be As Well As Possible, And Trust No One, I mean Until Next Time….