BITCH FEST

Last week was a frustrating First World collection of situations.  Why doesn't the Cosmos spread these things out over time?

I received an email from my insurance company saying my auto pay was rejected.  First I checked with my credit card to be sure it was working.  Then online with American Family and was unable to set up these two payments for auto pay ... response was these accounts are being managed elsewhere.  ????  I called Customer Service and it was an estimated 16 minute wait.  I emailed my agent.  After several back and forth emails, she was going to ask someone to help figure it out.  The next day she said nobody had a clue ... I said well, I just won't pay until someone lets me know how.  Later that day she took my credit card info over the phone.  Waste of time!

When I tried to log into my property management account to check on a possible duplicate payment, I was unable to use my client name and password.  I emailed Ashley, our Property Manager, to ask what the problem might be.  She dashed back a form email "welcoming" me to our condo portal and gave me a different name and ridiculous password.  She had the workers change everything after I asked her to please remove Mr. Ralph's name (it's been 9 years) and to not send the boys separate snail mail letters about something or other regarding community rules .... which was explained away by new help.

She also told me that access to the portal would not show me charges and payments but she could access that info and explain to me.  Nevertheless, I got in and my account showed an unknown charge of $225.  And an overpayment of one month.  I wrote her back, explained I would not send a check this month and to remove the unknown charge.  She suggested I use their click pay service (using my checking account) and the $225 was the title transfer fee to put condo in the name of the Lockhart Family Trust.

Don't you think someone would let you know if you would be getting a bill for that much BEFORE they did it?  For some reason, that just seemed usurious.  I went into Googleland and learned Oregon is one of 13 states that don't require buyers or sellers to pay any transfer taxes when a piece of property changes names but not hands.  I sent her that information 15 days ago and no response.

I really should STOP writing this blog as I am getting madder and madder.  But just ONE more ....

 

Internet.  I got an email saying we were close to our limit for data usage.  What the ???  I just had to change our account AND use their hardware to be able to buy UNLIMITED usage.  Imagine me spending 20 minutes online with a customer service rep whose accent was so thick I had to have everything he said repeated.  Oh sorry ... email was a mistake.

That evening at homework time, our internet shut itself down. I rebooted the router, twice.  Nothing.  I could see the neighbors wifi addresses but not ours.  Grudgingly, I called again.  His English was perfect but he wasn't the brightest crayon in the box.  After much nonsensical conversation, he suggested that I call Apple because everything on Xfinity's side was working just fine.  I had to hang up.  Rebooted one more time and we were back in business.

Three men in our community of 112 homes died that same week.  One surprise and two were very ill.

HOUSE MOUSE DEPARTS

Let's hope there are no more major isolating pandemics.  Even as an introvert, the lack interaction with a wider variety of people has gotten me down.  Now life begins again?  Small steps, for me.

I'm finally venturing out.  Groceries (I'm trying to eat more low carb and I finally got to browse around).  Drug store (least expensive wine anywhere in this zip code).  And yesterday Walmart followed by Papa Murphy for take and bake pizza for movie night.  Tonight (Saturday) I'm invited over to Gary and Gail's for wine and conversation.  (Best place to get all the local gossip as they are still friends with the Town Crier)

Here's an interesting article about re-starting a social life entitled "How Life Resumes" that you might also like.  https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/19/briefing/covid-resume-living.html

Not sure I'm ready to go places totally unmasked but will be so happy to return to cloth masks.  Those KN95's are tough on my skin.

Sticking at home for so long encouraged me to find GOOD and uplifting news.  (CNN Good Stuff and The Good News Network). We also subscribed to Hulu Live so we could watch the Super Bowl and the Olympics.

My sister and I talk almost every day.  We start with venting (so nice to have someone who doesn't spread the gossip) and made a promise to always end on a happy note.  Some days we have to dig deep for that.  Our oldest brother died in December, one of our sisters-in-law had a double mastectomy and just started 12 weeks of weekly chemo (yesterday took 7 hours). Then she has 12 months of another chemotherapy. My brother-in-law is facing another bout with prostate cancer.  Cancer is so scary and insidious. 

To end this blog on a good note:

It's Trillium season here in the neighborhood!! Especially the small white Western White Trillium. They are very easy to grow, but take time, two years for the seed to germinate and seven additional years until it is mature enough to bloom. So pretty, it's worth the wait. A true woodland treasure!  I bought one for Kate last Mother's Day and she is so excited it is returning!

ANJELAH JOHNSON

This was funny in 2007 and just as funny today!

So glad my daughter does mine!

 

HOW OFTEN DO YOU .....

Blog (get your minds out of the gutter!).  I have just a few more weeks of self isolation and then I hope to have more to blog about.  Oregon is going mask free!  Personally, I'll still wear the cute cloth ones just to be sure but I'm hoping to socialize a bit more.

I've set up a hair appointment, a tax preparer appointment and an eye appointment (dry eyes ... probably too much screen time).  Then outdoor coffee or lunch.  If I still have any local friends left.

Until then, I will post on Sundays only.  If I dig deeper into life, I'll post more.

Thanks for understanding! 

MUSIC ON MY MIND

This children's choir just showed up one day on Facebook.  One Voice Children's Choir.  They have a lot of recordings (you can find them on YouTube).

This is one of my favorites ~

One Voice Children's Choir

TOTALLY UNMOTIVATED

Is it Covid isolation?  Hibernation?  Punxsutawney Phil seeing his shadow?  Are my aches and pains just getting to me?

Whatever it is, I don't think I'm the only one.  The new cases and hospitalizations are not going down to acceptable levels in Oregon just yet so I'm remaining cautious and antisocial.

(Thin pale blue line)

And we are lucky that we can do so much online.  Today I got my DEQ certificate (testing was done yesterday while Jesse took the car to get the oil changed), renewed my car registration and renewed my drivers license as well.  I downloaded the Handicap Plaque renewal form to complete then mail to my Doc to sign and send in (I'll include an addressed envelope with postage).

Kate turns over her paycheck, I take a photo with my Credit Union mobile deposit app and VOILA, it's in.  I send donations via Venmo or auto deduct from my checking.

Fortunately most people I know are being Covid conscious so I don't think I am over reacting.  I hope I last until March ....

PERVASIVE PANDEMIC

I'm a bit ticked off today about people not taking Covid seriously.  So much false information, too many unvaccinated people, people wearing masks improperly, prominent people purposely exposing others after testing positive.  How can so many ignore history?

Pandemics started way, way back in time. 430 B.C. is the earliest recorded pandemic and happened during the Peloponnesian War. After the disease passed through Libya, Ethiopia and Egypt, it crossed the Athenian walls as the Spartans laid siege. As much as two-thirds of the population died.  Google searches listed at least 20 pandemics .. Spanish flu, Asian flu, Swine flu, AIDS, Ebola epidemic, Zika epidemic.  And from way back Bubonic Plague, the Black Death, Smallpox, Great Plague of London, to name a few.

This is the 21st century with medical miracles and educated specialists.  Why can't we learn from the Spanish flu, for example.

Any mortality comparisons between these two pandemics in the United States, 2020 and 1918, must differentiate between totals and rates. The current US population, a little more than 332 million, is more than three times larger than the population in 1918, estimated at 105 million. The 675,000 deaths attributed to the Spanish flu made up 0.64 percent of the total population, a little more than six in every thousand people.  By contrast, the more than 899,000 US deaths attributed to COVID-19 make up about 0.27 percent of the total population.  

(Newest Omicron Variant, thanks to NPR)

You have probably heard about Sarah Palin being diagnosed with Covid yet visiting restaurants in NYC.  (She really should be hung in Times Square).  And the heart transplant being cancelled as the patient refused to be vaccinated.

My family now wears N95 masks and avoid going to indoor public places, except groceries.  I canceled hair appointment, gyno appointment, colonoscopy, and dentist ... hoping to reschedule in March when the peak has passed from all the Christmas traveling and visiting.  My sister was invited to a friend's home with two other couples for dinner.  She said she'd LOVE to if everyone would agree to take a rapid test.  And everyone did, everyone negative and everyone had a worry free great time.

I feel it is time to get nasty with anti-vaxers.  Flood the media with negative consequences of not getting vaccinated ... like anti-smoking campaign and anti-drug messages?  It's almost to the point of refusing treatment to those who get Covid and have NOT had their shots and boosters.  (Feeling really mean, now, eh?). These public service announcements should get FREE air time on the Super Bowl, all sports shows and maybe the Hallmark Channel for the females.

Enough is enough!