Friday, October 06, 2006
I have news but am too tired to tell it....
Or at least that has been my problem this week. I'm having a major flareup for some unknown reason. I've basically been forced to rest 12 hours a day and spend the other 12 hours trying to unfog my brain, get my ass off the couch and run maybe one errand. I slept through an aquacise class, dozed off on the couch multiple times, and fell asleep on a living room chair for three and a half or more hours on two separate occasions.
The biggest news of the week is that Dan's parents have suddenly decided they want to look into retirement housing. If they find something they like, they want us to buy their current home, which they bought just last year! Now, of course this all depends on whether they are serious about this and aren't going to change their minds. Dan and I are willing to pay them an amount at the low end of our price range for their house, which is a couple thousand more than they paid last year. I wish they had decided to do this last May instead of waiting until after Dan hired a realtor and toured dozens of homes, but I guess I shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. Because it really would be a gift. Their house is a 50 year old ranch style and has 1800 square feet, all of it finished, and two bathrooms. They have a one-car attached garage, so my Saturn could go in the garage and Dan's Grand Am could go in the driveway. Dan's parents repainted the kitchen just two weeks ago. The laundry is on the main floor. The backyard is partially fenced, so that would have to be finished before we bring Chip over. I think most of these retirement places have their appliances included, so we might not have to purchase any new appliances. The only bad thing about their house is that the upstairs bathroom is nowhere near the master bedroom. That doesn't sound like any big deal, but actually it is because I get up in the middle of the night to use the restroom, and with the sleep meds I take, I'm pretty wobbly and dizzy and need to find the toidy fast before I fall down. But if we do indeed buy the house, I think I'll just put the bed in whatever bedroom is closest to the bathroom and call it good. I'm not exactly in a financial position to be picky.
On Wednesday, I went to my LTD lawyer's office. This was no small undertaking as it was a 40 mile drive each way! I think it took an hour each way; all I know is that my hands were killing me from being on the steering wheel that long. The latest news with the long term disability insurance company is that they are refusing to provide a copy of my records, stating that they don't have to because I wasn't actually denied benefits. No, technically they did not deny my benefits, but they DID limit them for completely bogus reasons. Actually, it makes no difference the status of my claim; I or my representative are legally entitled to a copy of any and all records. The LTD company has until November 30 to comply or they run afoul of federal law. My lawyer is giving notice to my former employer that they are utilizing the services of an insurance company that is engaging in very shady and possibly illegal practices. My former employer, being a newspaper, would probably dislike this being made public. I brought with me to the appointment notes of all my phone calls with the long term disability insurance company, notes on my functional capacity exam, notes on the neuropsych exam, and lists of all my docs and meds. The lawyer noted that the physical therapist I was asssigned to for the FCE didn't actually do anything but a brief neuro checkup, and that someone he had never heard of did the physical testing. He checked that person's credentials, and the guy does not have ANY sort of license! That's pretty dangerous, a guy with no medical background testing my physical endurance. So we put together some affidavits regarding my notes on the testing, and I signed a request for release of medical information from my docs. We're gonna gather testimony from my docs as to the validity and severity of my ailments, and the lawyer is gonna call upon some very reliable experts to refute the FCE and the neuropsych exam. I was told to expect the long term disability insurance company to play hardball because they are accustomed to claimants giving up and going away. But I will not be going away without a fight. I don't just owe this to myself; I owe it to all the people who are wrongly denied benefits. Perhaps if enough of us challenge these companies, they will be forced to treat future claimants fairly.
While I was at the lawyer's office, the pension administrator left a message on my voice mail telling me to call her. I did call her the next day, but she wasn't there, so I had to leave her a message. She did not return the call today, nor has the paperwork she said she was mailing to me on Monday arrived. I should have gotten it by yesterday as I live less than 20 miles away. I wonder what the hell the problem is now? I have been trying to get this resolved for FOUR MONTHS! It's bad enough that the laws have changed so that I am no longer eligible for retro pay, which has deprived me of several thousand dollars I was counting on. I need to be able to count this pension money as part of my income when I pre-qualify for a home loan. It's a pretty big chunk of change: approximately half of a mortgage payment each month.
Yesterday I went to the massage therapist and the chiropractor. Had a lot of work on my left hip and shoulder as the entire left side was out of alignment. Didn't completely get rid of the hip pain, but the shoulder and left side of my neck are greatly improved. I put moist heat on the hip and have been doing stretches in the hope of coaxing it into getting relaxed AND staying that way.
Sometime during the week, I got in the mail a copy of the results of the tests my primary care doc had done during my last visit. My thyroid and long-term glucose levels are great, and my total cholesterol is down to 152! But my CRP, a test for bodywide inflammation, is out of range again, despite doubling my anti-inflammatory medication this summer. So my increased pain and fatigue levels aren't imaginary; they are probably due to the inflammation. Nothing I can do about it that I'm not already doing.
Called the realtor yesterday. She said that despite all the people that are picking up brochures, no one has been calling about tours. She has informed all her customers that have toured my house and all the realtors who have conducted tours about my price reduction and offer to pay closing costs. No one has been interested. I asked her when the market usually picks up after the fall/winter slump. She said February. So all I can do right now is hope against hope that someone ignores the calendar and offers to buy my house before February. This is quite upsetting seeing as how the savings account will be completely gone within a matter of weeks.
Today, one of the neighbors mowed the front yard and the other mowed the back. The back lawn was so long that the mower kept choking on the clippings. I ended up trying to rake the excess so the grass underneath wouldn't suffocate. I used the lightweight rake with the thin bendy tines, but only got halfway through my postage stamp sized yard before I was out of breath, wobbly and had stabbing pains in my back. So my friend had to finish it for me. It got dark before we could dispose of the clippings, so I'll do it tomorrow.
Despite feeling so horrible this week, I have managed to work on my scrapbook stuff. I have done layouts for all the 2006 pix and am ready to put the pages together. I might as well keep working diligently on it as I'm probably going to be stuck here for the winter.
I've also been glued to the tv, checking out premieres, season openers and second and/or third episodes of the shows that started earlier. Caught the second episode of "Heroes", which was awesome! Each person who has powers finds out more about them. They also feature a new character, a cop who can hear the thoughts of others. The Japanese fellow who teleported from Tokyo to New York, who oddly enough is named Hiro, finds a comic featuring him on the front page and describing in each frame exactly what happened to him. Hiro goes in search of the artist, but arrives to find the poor man murdered, his brain removed! The cops arrest Hiro, who states that his best friend in Tokyo can vouch that he was there yesterday. They call the friend, who says he's been looking for Hiro for five weeks! Our teleporting friend shows the cops his watch, which reads October 2, and they show him that day's newspaper, which reads November 8! Just then, New York begins to explode as a nuclear bomb hits! Hiro teleports himself back to the Tokyo subway and back to October 2nd. So now we know our heroes have five weeks to prevent the catastrophe. I'm looking forward to seeing how this plays out.
"Boston Legal" had a nice twist this week. It seems Alan has a thing for Shirley. Didn't see that coming.
Watched part of another episode of "Jericho". It is generally interesting, but some of it is too implausible for me. I think I will opt for the premiere of "30 Rock" next week.
"Lost" is baaaack! Finally! Started out with a bang, or at least another view of the plane crash. We meet Juliet, who appears to be a suburban woman, burning the muffins she made for her book club meeting. They are discussing "Carrie" by Stephen King (who is a big "Lost" fan, by the way), and it is mentioned that someone named Ben doesn't like it. Then the house begins to shake. Everyone heads for a door frame, and you figure it's just a typical Los Angeles earthquake. But then after the shaking stops, they all head outside. Coming from another house is Ben, whom we knew as Henry! So you think you're watching a flashback for the leader of the others. And then, low in the sky, Oceanic Flight 815 breaks apart and plummets to the earth a short distance away! Henry/Ben calls out to Ethan and Goodwin to investigate, and the camera pulls back to show that the Others are actually living in a small "suburbia" hidden on the island! Surprise! Then the action switches to present day, where Jack is imprisoned in an underwater hatch and Sawyer is turned into a human zoo exhibit. Kate is put into a frilly dress and marched out to a nice seaside hut to "breakfast" with Henry/Ben. The only stipulation is that she wears handcuffs. Jack attempts to escape and nearly drowns, Sawyer is released by a fellow inmate named Carl only to be caught again, and Kate must have had some sort of scuffle with Henry/Ben because she is thrown into a cell with her wrists all bloody. Nice start, but I'm looking forward to finding out what has become of characters I like better, namely Hurley, Locke and Mr. Eko.
Watched part of the premiere of "The Nine". It's basically about people who survive a bank robbery hostage standoff. Each person is changed and has to deal with that. The nine survivors also find themselves staying in contact with each other because of their common experience. Not a bad start, but I don't know how this premise is going to maintain enough momentum for a series.
Caught "My Name Is Earl", "The Office" and "Grey's Anatomy" last night. The first two were good, but the last one was awesome! Meredith has a dream that she's in bed with BOTH the vet and McDreamy. I wish I had taped that sequence so I could play it over and over whenever I need cheering up, heh heh.
Watched "Six Degrees" again. It's not bad, but it just doesn't hold my attention the way some of the other new shows do. It doesn't help that I've been getting some of the characters confused.
"Men in Trees" was on tonight. The small Alaskan town has a heat wave that makes everyone horny. The funniest part is when the DJ goes to the men's room at the bar to buy a condom and gets his hand stuck in the vending machine. Naturally, all the men in the bar go to gawk. They finally remove the machine from the wall to the cheers of most of the town. I am really enjoying this show.
Am dozing off again.
The biggest news of the week is that Dan's parents have suddenly decided they want to look into retirement housing. If they find something they like, they want us to buy their current home, which they bought just last year! Now, of course this all depends on whether they are serious about this and aren't going to change their minds. Dan and I are willing to pay them an amount at the low end of our price range for their house, which is a couple thousand more than they paid last year. I wish they had decided to do this last May instead of waiting until after Dan hired a realtor and toured dozens of homes, but I guess I shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. Because it really would be a gift. Their house is a 50 year old ranch style and has 1800 square feet, all of it finished, and two bathrooms. They have a one-car attached garage, so my Saturn could go in the garage and Dan's Grand Am could go in the driveway. Dan's parents repainted the kitchen just two weeks ago. The laundry is on the main floor. The backyard is partially fenced, so that would have to be finished before we bring Chip over. I think most of these retirement places have their appliances included, so we might not have to purchase any new appliances. The only bad thing about their house is that the upstairs bathroom is nowhere near the master bedroom. That doesn't sound like any big deal, but actually it is because I get up in the middle of the night to use the restroom, and with the sleep meds I take, I'm pretty wobbly and dizzy and need to find the toidy fast before I fall down. But if we do indeed buy the house, I think I'll just put the bed in whatever bedroom is closest to the bathroom and call it good. I'm not exactly in a financial position to be picky.
On Wednesday, I went to my LTD lawyer's office. This was no small undertaking as it was a 40 mile drive each way! I think it took an hour each way; all I know is that my hands were killing me from being on the steering wheel that long. The latest news with the long term disability insurance company is that they are refusing to provide a copy of my records, stating that they don't have to because I wasn't actually denied benefits. No, technically they did not deny my benefits, but they DID limit them for completely bogus reasons. Actually, it makes no difference the status of my claim; I or my representative are legally entitled to a copy of any and all records. The LTD company has until November 30 to comply or they run afoul of federal law. My lawyer is giving notice to my former employer that they are utilizing the services of an insurance company that is engaging in very shady and possibly illegal practices. My former employer, being a newspaper, would probably dislike this being made public. I brought with me to the appointment notes of all my phone calls with the long term disability insurance company, notes on my functional capacity exam, notes on the neuropsych exam, and lists of all my docs and meds. The lawyer noted that the physical therapist I was asssigned to for the FCE didn't actually do anything but a brief neuro checkup, and that someone he had never heard of did the physical testing. He checked that person's credentials, and the guy does not have ANY sort of license! That's pretty dangerous, a guy with no medical background testing my physical endurance. So we put together some affidavits regarding my notes on the testing, and I signed a request for release of medical information from my docs. We're gonna gather testimony from my docs as to the validity and severity of my ailments, and the lawyer is gonna call upon some very reliable experts to refute the FCE and the neuropsych exam. I was told to expect the long term disability insurance company to play hardball because they are accustomed to claimants giving up and going away. But I will not be going away without a fight. I don't just owe this to myself; I owe it to all the people who are wrongly denied benefits. Perhaps if enough of us challenge these companies, they will be forced to treat future claimants fairly.
While I was at the lawyer's office, the pension administrator left a message on my voice mail telling me to call her. I did call her the next day, but she wasn't there, so I had to leave her a message. She did not return the call today, nor has the paperwork she said she was mailing to me on Monday arrived. I should have gotten it by yesterday as I live less than 20 miles away. I wonder what the hell the problem is now? I have been trying to get this resolved for FOUR MONTHS! It's bad enough that the laws have changed so that I am no longer eligible for retro pay, which has deprived me of several thousand dollars I was counting on. I need to be able to count this pension money as part of my income when I pre-qualify for a home loan. It's a pretty big chunk of change: approximately half of a mortgage payment each month.
Yesterday I went to the massage therapist and the chiropractor. Had a lot of work on my left hip and shoulder as the entire left side was out of alignment. Didn't completely get rid of the hip pain, but the shoulder and left side of my neck are greatly improved. I put moist heat on the hip and have been doing stretches in the hope of coaxing it into getting relaxed AND staying that way.
Sometime during the week, I got in the mail a copy of the results of the tests my primary care doc had done during my last visit. My thyroid and long-term glucose levels are great, and my total cholesterol is down to 152! But my CRP, a test for bodywide inflammation, is out of range again, despite doubling my anti-inflammatory medication this summer. So my increased pain and fatigue levels aren't imaginary; they are probably due to the inflammation. Nothing I can do about it that I'm not already doing.
Called the realtor yesterday. She said that despite all the people that are picking up brochures, no one has been calling about tours. She has informed all her customers that have toured my house and all the realtors who have conducted tours about my price reduction and offer to pay closing costs. No one has been interested. I asked her when the market usually picks up after the fall/winter slump. She said February. So all I can do right now is hope against hope that someone ignores the calendar and offers to buy my house before February. This is quite upsetting seeing as how the savings account will be completely gone within a matter of weeks.
Today, one of the neighbors mowed the front yard and the other mowed the back. The back lawn was so long that the mower kept choking on the clippings. I ended up trying to rake the excess so the grass underneath wouldn't suffocate. I used the lightweight rake with the thin bendy tines, but only got halfway through my postage stamp sized yard before I was out of breath, wobbly and had stabbing pains in my back. So my friend had to finish it for me. It got dark before we could dispose of the clippings, so I'll do it tomorrow.
Despite feeling so horrible this week, I have managed to work on my scrapbook stuff. I have done layouts for all the 2006 pix and am ready to put the pages together. I might as well keep working diligently on it as I'm probably going to be stuck here for the winter.
I've also been glued to the tv, checking out premieres, season openers and second and/or third episodes of the shows that started earlier. Caught the second episode of "Heroes", which was awesome! Each person who has powers finds out more about them. They also feature a new character, a cop who can hear the thoughts of others. The Japanese fellow who teleported from Tokyo to New York, who oddly enough is named Hiro, finds a comic featuring him on the front page and describing in each frame exactly what happened to him. Hiro goes in search of the artist, but arrives to find the poor man murdered, his brain removed! The cops arrest Hiro, who states that his best friend in Tokyo can vouch that he was there yesterday. They call the friend, who says he's been looking for Hiro for five weeks! Our teleporting friend shows the cops his watch, which reads October 2, and they show him that day's newspaper, which reads November 8! Just then, New York begins to explode as a nuclear bomb hits! Hiro teleports himself back to the Tokyo subway and back to October 2nd. So now we know our heroes have five weeks to prevent the catastrophe. I'm looking forward to seeing how this plays out.
"Boston Legal" had a nice twist this week. It seems Alan has a thing for Shirley. Didn't see that coming.
Watched part of another episode of "Jericho". It is generally interesting, but some of it is too implausible for me. I think I will opt for the premiere of "30 Rock" next week.
"Lost" is baaaack! Finally! Started out with a bang, or at least another view of the plane crash. We meet Juliet, who appears to be a suburban woman, burning the muffins she made for her book club meeting. They are discussing "Carrie" by Stephen King (who is a big "Lost" fan, by the way), and it is mentioned that someone named Ben doesn't like it. Then the house begins to shake. Everyone heads for a door frame, and you figure it's just a typical Los Angeles earthquake. But then after the shaking stops, they all head outside. Coming from another house is Ben, whom we knew as Henry! So you think you're watching a flashback for the leader of the others. And then, low in the sky, Oceanic Flight 815 breaks apart and plummets to the earth a short distance away! Henry/Ben calls out to Ethan and Goodwin to investigate, and the camera pulls back to show that the Others are actually living in a small "suburbia" hidden on the island! Surprise! Then the action switches to present day, where Jack is imprisoned in an underwater hatch and Sawyer is turned into a human zoo exhibit. Kate is put into a frilly dress and marched out to a nice seaside hut to "breakfast" with Henry/Ben. The only stipulation is that she wears handcuffs. Jack attempts to escape and nearly drowns, Sawyer is released by a fellow inmate named Carl only to be caught again, and Kate must have had some sort of scuffle with Henry/Ben because she is thrown into a cell with her wrists all bloody. Nice start, but I'm looking forward to finding out what has become of characters I like better, namely Hurley, Locke and Mr. Eko.
Watched part of the premiere of "The Nine". It's basically about people who survive a bank robbery hostage standoff. Each person is changed and has to deal with that. The nine survivors also find themselves staying in contact with each other because of their common experience. Not a bad start, but I don't know how this premise is going to maintain enough momentum for a series.
Caught "My Name Is Earl", "The Office" and "Grey's Anatomy" last night. The first two were good, but the last one was awesome! Meredith has a dream that she's in bed with BOTH the vet and McDreamy. I wish I had taped that sequence so I could play it over and over whenever I need cheering up, heh heh.
Watched "Six Degrees" again. It's not bad, but it just doesn't hold my attention the way some of the other new shows do. It doesn't help that I've been getting some of the characters confused.
"Men in Trees" was on tonight. The small Alaskan town has a heat wave that makes everyone horny. The funniest part is when the DJ goes to the men's room at the bar to buy a condom and gets his hand stuck in the vending machine. Naturally, all the men in the bar go to gawk. They finally remove the machine from the wall to the cheers of most of the town. I am really enjoying this show.
Am dozing off again.
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