A few Measly Steps a Day #2

Well now comes State Farm to jump in with their twist: sending 2 checks! Ha Ha. One is for the settlement, the other for the total disputed, then immediately canceled (per a couple of emails) though they did send it, too.

Ay!

Emailed the claims rep, who said "sorry" "don't know how" and "destroy it."

With Pleasure. Mailing the closing payment out today.

99.44% likely DONE.

Only the USPS has to do their job and deliver the check, the middle man their work of clearing with their client, and the service co. clearing their books. Routine, right?

Right?!?

And perhaps then "whoever" sending a letter stating that the matter is settled?

Very bad day at the dentist. I mean very bad. The ikebana class was fun and we got some beautiful decorations. The Italian Extravaganza at my church went off well, and I got the singing and karaoke working well. Always ways to improve, but I was happy with the overall evening.

Our church has some old folks (including me) and getting them to doctors' appointments, etc is a problem. Our priest thinks we should help each other, which we should, and we do, but some of the people who need the rides don't want to use Uber or Dial a Ride as a back up. I'm beginning to feel used. The line between help and co-dependency is a thin one.

Hi crew. Yes, D, I'll likely get an email that they got the payment. There's an email on file that this is the final leg.

Meanwhile, this trip has 3 legs, our first is working out fairly well, and the last 2 are shaky! Not to bore with details, yet, just a note we're having fun while bronco riding the "adjustments."

Hi, Steppers,

I've been hitting a long stretch of the lazies. I just don't want to do anything, and as a result I have a long list of to-dos piled up. I did manage to cross off a few things - I got my blood test done, and I got my COVID and flue shots, and I did my bills. Yay, me. Here's the tough stuff:

Drop my Health Net insurance - I need my employee ID number from fifteen years ago, so I'll have to get a hold of a human on the retirement board which won't be easy since open enrollment ends Nov. 1st, and there will be a great demand for humans in H. R.


Figure out why Health Net hasn't billed me in the last several months ??????????? I spent an hour on the phone yesterday, trying to figure this out. Got transferred four times, ????? and finally had to give up because I didn't want to be late for my lab appointment to give blood for blood test.


Apply for a new copyright for Refuge and Warm Tea.


My writing hasn't been happening. It's always hard to start writing after a long hiatus.


Wishing you all good stuff.

I guess I'll give an update, too.

I find myself taking two courses that I hadn't planned on. One is related to high frequency, non-linear electronics -- career-related. The other is a course on mindfulness. Both are online and free.

And I'm a mindfulness mission. I've installed three new apps to help me with it.

Looking to do some home improvement projects. One is that the light switch timer is back on the table. The timer I installed this time last year failed on a hot day in June, so I replaced it with a standard switch. But now I've been coming home in the dark (and daylight savings time ends very soon), so I want the lights to go on automatically before I arrive.

Another is painting over some damaged and neglected spots that were tolerated while the dog was alive.

Cleaning and decluttering.

Plus, I'll need to decide soon on what plants to bring it, and which ones to eliminate. I've already put two in the compost, and three more are more than ready for that. One other is earmarked for the compost, but I want to let it finish flowering for the sake of the pollinators. And last, the geranium that I've over-wintered for years might go this year.

Hello steppers. D, what you call the lazies might only be a needed fallow period. Even then, sad days at the dentist are a serious emotional drawdown. And, you're not being billed by Health Net AND need to leave it? Oy.

SPG, Methinks your classes are poles apart from each other. Or, they are quite similar.

I spend 20 minutes to an hour each morning, or most, let's say, considering my day, my mood, and what I need to wend my way through. It's my way of meditating. Sometimes I lie contentedly and count my breaths. I think for a flash I felt I had to get out of bed to sit in mediation. I realized that wouldn't work for be because sitting in a cold room is my idea of a reason to get in bed. So now, I wake up, and mediate "on the spot."

The vacay to New Mexico was spectacular, despite chronic directional challenges (getting lost or failing to find our way the first time).

Happened to be in Santa Fe for their International Film Festival and had the wits to grab tickets before we left for the world premiere of a new Georgia O'Keeffe documentary. Good move as it sold out both the original screenings plus a third the festival added.

My Medicare Advantage provider is shutting down in my area, so I have to find and new one before 12/31. I have a list of 40 to shift through. I'm hoping to get a good chuck eliminated or promoted this week.

Monday is full for "steps"
> Our friendly utilities company replaced our bin without alerting, and so snatched our combo lock. I'll try to get it back.
> Our elevator vendor has a couple of things to fix that the inspector highlighted. They haven't responded in 30 days. I'll begin calling them.
> Same vendor, owes us something for 2 missed routine service visits. Ditto on the calls.
< Fun stuff 1: I'm ready to be more active reaching out to friends for getting together.
< Fun stuff 2: I'm reading a book on Zen and the Art of Poker and enjoying it. The writer has a followup book, The Tao of Poker, I think. I'll order that for my self, and send both to my poker-playing brother.

Onward all.

Some folks are adamant that meditation requires sitting and stillness.
But there are others that think meditation can be practiced during any activity, including shifting through Medicare Providers.

Most folks look forward to sleeping an hour later this weekend here in USA (except AZ). But from my perspective, I'm dreading forcing myself to stay up until 8 pm on Sunday night. I'll be turning into a zombie at work on Monday afternoon.

Speaking of work, I was indignant at the prospect of designing non-metallic drawer slides for an oven. Why reinvent the wheel when we can buy something made of metal that will suffice.

But then a shift in attitude prevailed, and I approached it as a creative challenge. If that's what I have to do, that's what I'll do. I even made it into a meditation.

Hi Crew, SPG, fully agree that anything with the right mind is a meditation.

Changed my Med. Adv. plan today. Pretty easy, overall. Will have an extra premium to have peace of mind about prescription drugs. Insurance, I like the idea, just hate paying for it because I never want to need or use it.

Along the way, learned how critical the star ratings are for the plan, the higher the rating the more they get some type of kickback from Medicare. My plan is rated 3 stars. I don't know what that means in practice.

I know I'll have to find out more about this in a few years.

Hi measlies. Big step today, on my self-acceptance chart. I wrote to my dear bridge partner to confess my silence & withdraw from our partnership. Odd, 20 months ago I was ablaze with desire to play more and having a steady partner to scheme with had been a big step. Now, 10.5 months into this retirement thing, I haven’t played a live game all year and my desires to do so have dwindled to nearly nil.

A big part of this is that I’ve shifted to things where I get to talk and listen without a lot of rules and etiquettes. Plus, I’m doing stuff I can talk about with just about anyone. Like, with my film group we’re talking about The Odd Couple this week. For the Jung Cafe I’m leading a convo on forgiveness. Just about everyone can connect with those things, whether they attend the groups or not.

I have a terrific night, or a sad one, at bridge, and I have nothing to engage with anyone with. So, I got top board, or just managed to come in 4th out of 5 teams.

Yeah, so.

[Crickets.]

See?

Good for you, R!

I've got all the remaining Fridays off from work for the rest of the year. I'm halfway through painting a small hallway ("halfway through the hallway" -- sounds likes a good name for a 90's pop band), which we've neglected for too long. It was one of the projects for "when the dog was gone." Well, sadly, he is gone, and the time has come.

As I was washing the walls with TSP, I said goodbye to the oily marks he left on the walls. I took a picture of it before starting. The nose prints he made on a lower window are still there, though.

I'm so sorry. Shadow was such a great dog. I know he didn't really play for the Red Sox and help them win the 2013 World Series, but there's a piece of me that sees him running for home plate in a blaze of glory.


Me - I've been in shock anger, and depression for the past few days. I'm okay, and then it hits me. Writing makes me feel better, but somehow, I end up playing solitaire and feeling horrible instead.


Teeth are better, but I still don't trust my dentist and think I made a big mistake. Other minor health issues still a problem.


I love the church I go to. I volunteered for some tasks, a couple which I love (flower arranging, a creativity group - we all need the socialization; COVID took that away from us) and some which I don't like so much, but someone has to do them - vestry, disaster planning, lead intercessors, and a couple of others. Now I've been asked to take on Senior Warden. This task involves management, meetings, and making decisions that I'm uncomfortable with. I don't want to do it. I said "No" at first, and then agreed to do it. Believe it or not, there really isn't anyone else. We're a really small group, and Sr. Warden has to be on the vestry. (It's really Bishop's Committee because we're so small, but I figured if I called it that, you wouldn't know what I was talking about.) Additionally, my friend is losing her eyesight, and needs a lot of rides. Her family is useless, and she can't use Uber or Dial-a-Ride. I'm feeling taken advantage of. I do have the time to do all these things. I just don't want to do a lot of them.


I also don't want to do a lot of the chores at home that need to get done.


I'll post happier stuff in the future.

Thank you, @delightful, for the kind words.

I've been sidelined by a stomach bug. We think it's from carrots that were contaminated with E Coli.

This is the absolute worse thing I've ever had!

Ouch! That’s quite a frightening thing to contract. I wish you a speedy recovery.

Hi, Nova Blaze,

Square Peg, I hope you're feeling better. I wonder where the carrots were grown? Or processed?


Me - I tried drilling a hole in a ceramic pot. If you do it under water, the pot doesn't crack. No luck. The pot didn't crack, but the drill didn't even get through the printing. Tom says I need a ceramic drill bit. I think I need a different project.


I think I'll write for a bit and then make dinner.


In a better mood than when I wrote my last post. Doing stuff definitely helps.

Good wishes to all.

The weird thing is that my wife made a huge amount of ginger-carrot soup a while back.. We didn't get sick then.

I'm wondering if the infection came from eating a slice of pizza I ate while grocery shopping. I don't think the pizza was contaminated, but those grocery carts are handled by all kinds of people, not to mention pooped on by birds.... IDK Anyway, I dread going back to work on Monday. I think I might have just enough energy to drive myself there and then collapse. LOL

If the hole is just to allow water to drain from a potted plant, maybe you can place a half of inch of gravel at the bottom (mixed with a little charcoal to keep it "fresh"). The water will collect there, letting the soil dry out properly. Fish tank gravel is nice for this -- it comes in small bags, it's pea-sized or smaller, and it's clean. I use it for all my plants, even with pots that have drainage holes.

My other approach is to use the pot with an insert that does have drainage. But then the plant needs to be taken out for watering.

Hi folks. Missed your string just with idling about and not remembering to log on. Hope projects are done or abandoned (meaning putting a hole in a pot) and health restored for all.

D, no faith in a medical service is a BIG FLAG. Get another opinion would be my advice.

I'm seriously bummed about the lies, violence, & corruptions afoot at the electoral level here.

I'm also annoyed at myself for missing a friend's 80th birthday bash! Put it on my calendar maybe 3 weeks ago and failed to notice it coming into the weekend. I also needed to have made a digital notice (keep my bookings on paper). Ay! Just called & apologized & committed to a dinner or movie with him.

Okay, Self, put the whips away, shimmy, breathe, move on.

Mistakes like that can happen, Revu2 -- be kind to yourself

Yea, SPG, I'm steppin on. I once had an allowance of 2 missed appointments a year, and they kept building if I made it with none or one miss. I must have dozens of passes in the stack by now as I've had a good run.

I think I have a payback plan, invite my buddy to join me for $6 movies at the indie cinema near his house. One catch, they don't seem to offer many Monday screenings! Bait & Switch!

Also, tried to sell something of poshmark and their overly anxious security process has blocked me from getting approved for payment. My credit union is off today, natch, so I'll call tomorrow with a bucket of patience and plod my way through.

I was feeling elated that the item sold so fast ... now deflated that their system is flawed.

Poshmark sold out to a Korean company about 18 months ago, but that's no excuse. Actually, a new company should be able to boast that it improved matters.

AND, it's really hard to find a phone # to talk to a human. They say the chat bot is backed by humans, but it got pretty repetitive. The number I found was confirmed on their SEC papers. More calls tomorrow.

Sigh

Crossed my Birthday off on Monday. Turned 71.

I pictured people in olden times setting off into their day to tend to crops, animals or in search of food. Nowadays, I set off to tend to systems and navigate rules.

Yesterday I called back to my new medicare advantage plan. My enrollment at the medicare.gov site had never reached them and I was calling in to learn what they'd learned. Turns out, there was a glitch that day and 3 new enrollees hadn't been handed off to them. Not only helped myself, but 2 other people, too!

Then, I stood up, called it a day, and enjoyed a walk.

While walking, I thought about why it felt so right, when there are other things I want to get off my back. And I landed on a scene from Zen and the Art of Archery. Herrigel makes a big mistake and tries to fake the Zen state. His archery master detects it and breaks off instruction and bans him. Herrigel begs his way back in.

Then a while later Herrigel shoots an arrow like he'd shot it many times before. He thought. But his master stood bowed, said something like "very good" and broke off the instruction for the day.

Maybe that was it. Before I fully knew my reference, I'd "broken off" from work for the day.

Felt right.

I looked around my spare room and found nine unfinished projects. That was two weeks ago. So far, I've finished 2. I don't expect to finish half of them, but I"d hoped I'd have more done that just 2.
My friend is going blind is in her eighties, and has just lost her son. Even without all this misery, she is a very negative person. According to her no one likes her (not true) everything is annoying, and she can't do anything because she can't see. I took her to Lighthouse for the blind for an assessment. I thought it was good, she thought it was annoying. In her defense, the most useful part for her was the technology part, and it was the last item that day, and she was so tired, she could hardly think straight. If she does take any of the classes, and I hope she does, someone will have to drive her to and from the classes. She won't take Uber.
My last experience with Uber was not helpful. The driver couldn't find me and left without me. They got me another driver, so all's well that ends well.

After listening to my friend complain for the whole time I'm with her, I plan to not do the same. So on the cheery side, I love doing projects. They make me happy. Also writing, which I'm doing now, makes me happy. I have a mini Christmas tree on my kitchen table which makes me happy, and I did a flower arrangement for church which ended up differently from what I had planned, but was okay, so that was good.
As for project number three - I'm making fidget blankets for people with dementia. It's fun when it works. The big snafu is that my bobbin is not placed correctly. It sews, but after I've finished sewing something and go to break the threads, the bobbin thread comes out of it's place. Making stuff to fidget with - buttons that slide, pompoms and other things to touch and feel, are fun to make. I have pockets sewn into the blankets, and inside the pockets are scouting badges that you can pull out and put back in. They're attached, so they won't get lost in the wash. I've sewn these fidgets on by hand, but they really need to be attached by machine because machine stitching is stronger and some people will try to pull the fidgets away from the blanket and eat them. When I finish this, i'll try reading the directions on bobbins one more time.

Good wishes. and Merry Christmas.

I've never heard of fidget blankets -- it sounds like a great idea! Sewing the "do-dads" onto the blanket and into pockets is very thoughtful, too.

It was nice of you to help your friend. It is draining to be with negative people -- I'm still working on increasing my stamina with them.

I've never used Uber. I have surgery planned for April. I had planned to try it to commute between home and the hospital with Uber (or similar), but the surgeon's office said I'd need to a non-Uber ride. Apparently folks who've just had surgery are in a vulnerable state and shouldn't trust strangers.

Merry Christmas, happy Hanukah and best wishes otherwise!