Ayn's Multiple World

MWA!!! Going on an Adventure!

Good morning … well sorta … it’s almost afternoon and we’re just getting to the point of sitting down to do something halfway serious. ‘Cept Chief is here … we don’t know if he’s going to stay or leave yet. But for now … it’s like move down, cuz we can’t see!

There that’s better … we gave Chief a good ten minutes of petting time and that’s calmed him down a bit. There was enough extra fur to get my nose to wigglin. Had to go Pfff, pfff blowin air aimed at nose. Hmpf! He’s a good kitty … he’s sitting at the edge of the table now giving me the back treatment. If he comes back, he’s going to need letting me type … not so much hey aren’t you going to pet my tummy?

*Sigh*

Ok, like was we’re saying it’s very late in the day … It’s about 11:10. And it is a Friday and we stayed home from work today. We told Sr. about it yesterday. I just wrote a little note to her letting her know of the Dr. appointments on Monday and Tuesday. My right leg is hurting, behind the knee and I missed my Dr. Marvin’s appointment because I didn’t feel I could walk that far, and because there was something else I had to get done. So, I will need to leave work on Monday an hour early and get back to work on Tuesday three hours late. No reason she shouldn’t know that straight up.



Darn kitty … letting unwanted light into the living room. I’m not ready for that. Good she stopped looking out … Boo … humbug!

I know we’re like being cave dwellers. But, it’s how we feel right now … we’re not feeling up to much. We had an accident a couple of days ago … on Wednesday. It wasn’t a big accident, but the kind that still makes an impact on you, besides the impact of having to pay a $500 deductible on a $2000 expense. They have to fix the front end of my car because I was hit.

Pretty much … we were going home from work about 6 pm on Wednesday. We were still on a residential street about 2 blocks from work. I take a short one block one way street to get to the main artery. There was a pick-up truck double parked, one other SUV in front of me and then me. The SUV pulled in back of the other guy instead of squeeking around him and I was more toward the left and had considered going around both, but decided to wait, because they were both pretty big. Then the middle car must have got angry, because all of a sudden he rammed the first double parked guy. Double parking happens a lot on that street because people are letting family members or coworkers off and there is like not enough parking for all the Spanish families doubling up on houses. I saw the guy in front of Me ram the first one and then I saw him put it in reverse turn around and then he rammed me. As soon as I knew he was going in reverse I slammed my hand on the horn, but that did not keep him from doing what I could see him doing, but not prevent. As soon as he rammed me, he pulled out and speeded away down the street.

I remember trying to focus on his license plate, but he was going too fast and because of the focus, I didn’t even get an idea on information on the rest of the package like what color it was. The other guy in the lead got out first and he was met by what seemed like his wife. She had been with a large group of people sitting on steps in front of the house leading toward a second floor. No one got the license number. The other guy didn’t get anything wrong because he had a working truck. My car was drivable and is drivable, but Rich says there’s too much wrong now to leave it that way, because it’s a new vehicle. He wasn’t there, but after I called back my son who I had been talking to at work over the phone, I called Rich.

I had to leave just a message to Maury because he didn’t pick up. Rich said that we were going to need making a police report and getting the car fixed, but we didn’t want to do any of that. All we could think of was getting home and hiding under the covers.

I had stood outside the car with the guy who had been hit first, and I thought I
should get his information, but I didn’t want anything to do with anything. I didn’t feel out of place with so many Spanish speaking people about, but I felt like I couldn’t communicate with them and they were just staring at me. So I got in the car and left and made those few calls. I also called Sr. Theresa and told her what had happened. She didn’t catch on til hearin the story at work, that it had happened just a couple of blocks away. There is nothing that really can be said after telling the story. My leg had hurted before the accident not because of it.

Later I was able to recognize that I was probably in shock. I most likely shouldn’t have driven home, but that’s mostly what I wanted to do. Rich was on his way to a card game so there was nothing to do on that end. If I’d been physically hurt, he would have done whatever to help me, but it wasn’t like that. I might have done something on the computer that night … look at pictures, but pretty much I just went home and went to bed. We didn’t put the covers on, because that’s our sneaky way of making sure we see Rich when he comes in, because he’ll put the covers on us. The next day we got up an hour late, but went to work so we could take care of stuff like the police report, insurance, and car body shop. That was with some pretty substantial pushing from Rich and he let us be driven to the police station, because none of us knew where it was before and I wasn’t in favor of going into a building with guns and stuff.

They brought one criminal in while we were there, at least she was in handcuffs.

She was crying feeling sorry for herself I think … and the detective stated strongly, “Wait by the stairs.” I think he was saying don’t mess with me. He needed to do something at the desk for a moment. The woman was dressed in like shorty pajama clothes, so we figured she was either in a fight or was a prostitute.

She didn’t seem like the mass murdering kind of person. She wasn’t like hard core.

Hmm, maybe we jumped the story a bit. Eh, maybe not so much. We went through 2-3 hours of work before we went to the station. I’m glad Rich went, because he had to park a block away. He was nice and dropped me off and we sat on a bench in front of the fire station side of the building. After Rich got there we went in waited in line for about 4 minutes and then a woman police person took care of us. She wasn’t the type to waste words. I felt sincerely appreciative that I’d remembered to bring our purse and it had in it our registration, license, and current insurance, although the card is going to expire in six days. Hmm, now looking at the mail and the new card is here. On the renewal policy it says that I had had an $88.14 premium reduction because I was accident-free … the guy at the insurance agency said that I’d been free for 6 years. I don’t remember my last accident. I’ll probably then have to pay at least an extra $15 a month plus maybe much more. I don’t know how it works. Right now it looks like I pay $396.91 for 6 months or $66.15 per month.

One way or another. I thought myself very, very fortunate for having the right documents. Rich said that we needed a police report for the insurance company. It seems that I just recently started being so organized that I recognized the registration when it had come in and had sense enough to put it with my cards where I could find it. Makes me feel like a good citizen. Anyway … Rich left us at work afterward to take care of the insurance … and they were the ones that helped in a good way. They seemed nice and did the right thing by asking me if we were ok. The guy at my home agency asked me questions about the accident and then another lady on the 800 number asked me questions. After that I felt like I’d told the story enough. I took just guessing a body shop just up the block, but then I figured I should get an opinion, so I called my local garage where we’ve taken the car to be fixed. They recommended a different service and so State Farm was real nice about resending the information to the other shop.

We weren’t so much good being at work yesterday and by about 1 pm we were ready to go home. We got permission …

Hold on little break here. Sweetie Pie came home for about 15-20 minutes and had lunch with me. He made sandwiches. I’m glad I hadn’t eaten anything ‘cept the grapes. Then just now when we got back we figured we should finally check the balance of our bank account. I think we’re going to need a little help pretty soon. There was enough to pay the car bill and the rent bill, and I noticed that they’d just taken out insurance for the car too. So we paid those bills, but now there is only $111.83 left to cover the rest of the month. That’s never going to work out. This is the slim season of the month. I paid my phone bill with Sprint … should have made sure that was on there … because it was like $170. Two months I think. I opened the cable bill and it says I have to pay mid-month on the 19th $62 … so that is not so bad, but there is always those automatic payments and there is gas payments … I think I’m about a half tank. We spent $10 at the restaurant yesterday too, cus we ate out and had an omelet and pancakes and hashbrowns. That was nice. But, something I probably should have done without.

There are other bills that didn’t get paid from that last check too, but for now I’m going to hold off those thoughts, and just appreciate that I got the big two paid.

There is a little concern in that usually from what I understand now that Rich will pay $200 toward apartment first of the month and $200 from the business part during the second half of the month. BUT, yesterday he said he would put that money aside so we can pay for the car body work $500 deduction toward the 25th of the month. I had figured by then the mid month check would come in and I could do the extra $100, but the question remains … is $111 going to stretch ‘til mid-month? Comcast is due the 19th so that gives that next check a chance to clear … I guess later we should check for autopayments. If we can get by that, then it’s enough to sit for the month and pay for gas. The other bills will have to wait. Good looked at the account again … the $170 had been taken off. What happened last month … hmm $100 to Amazon, $100 for some more books, $200 to Joe … plus I think he got some more money too? I’m thinking he got $350? Plus $50 to Maury. So, I guess if you spend $600 on extra stuff there will not be enough money for bills. Are we concentrating on this girls?

Let’s see what bills from 7-3-07 to 7-19-07 are $12.50 for parking $23 for gym, $50 for something … let me look ahh dentist, hmm $25 for a hospital debt, $50 for dentist surgery, Yeeks what’s ACS billing service … they got $76 … the 16th another $25 toward hospital, and another $25, and a $50 on the 18th went to Social security.

Ok, from what we know then $12.50, one $32 for gas … it seems to last for 11-12 days, hmm interesting then if we don’t go anywhere real special we’re like paying $3 gas a day … that’s a pretty good deal. Ok $12.50 parking Dr. W., 32 gas, 23 gym, 25 hospital debt, ok that’s about it … brings us to $93 of $110 … leaving $17 to stay in account. The dentist stuff, and social security I have to write out … It’s those squeaky $25 I’m going to need watch out for, especially on the 16th. I will have our check by then, but it will need a chance to clear. So, that’s about it … no spending on card, except one gas and 2 parking between now and next check … that’s about 12 days away. I think we can do it … AND pay $23 gym and one $25 hospital debt, but no more, k? And then we might have to ask Rich for $50 to cover 2 sneaky hospital debts until the next check clears. Hmm, I forgot I got a $25 check from my mother for the birthday and $20 from my Grandma. I gave the cash to Rich to go toward laundry so that $25 will pay for one sneaky hospital debt or another almost tank of gas … We’ll have to work it out, but for now I think we can keep that rent $200 from Rich and the next $200 for working toward the $500 deductible. I should be good then to also let go of an extra $100 to pay the balance, plus pay the bills, but some will be doubled up, so we don’t have enough to buy ANYTHING extra this WHOLE MONTH!!! Does EVERYBODY hear that!??

Dear Rich … here’s the situation. I have enough to pay this month rent and car payment, so I did that today. There is $111 left over. I figure for the next 12 days until the next check … two Dr. Marvin parkings $12.50, $23 for gym, $25 for a hospital debt and $32 for one tank of gas that will last 11-12 days. That brings me to $93, which leaves $18 in the bank. Plus I have another $25 to deposit from my mother. Brings her to $43. On the 16th, I owe two more $25s for hospital debt.

So, I should be good with my money except maybe about $25 from now til the next check BUT, I can’t pay anything extra. K? AND, I might have to borrow that $25.

But, we’re figuring that by the 15th check, we can pay out $100 for the body shop and by then you can add the $200 from 8-1 rent and 8-15 work toward the body shop.

SOOO, I think I’m going to make it, but might cry for losing $500 on a dumb guy who got away with his road rage for nothing, but the satisfaction he must have known he was sticking me with. If I can get over that … the money seems good. Just maybe $25 short. Ok??

Love you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mi
OK. OK. NOW we’ve got to stop worrying over money matters, k? It’s going to be enough … we don’t want to get into Rich debt again if we can help it. It seems like we are going to be able to do it … Rests my mind a lot that Cable is only $62 and it isn’t due until the 19th. PLUS, the Sprint bill has come out of money already there … Ok, oK … let’s let that go, k? Why don’t we be moving on.

Good girl!

Shoot … went to the washroom and remembered my leg problem … that’s going to cost another $6.25 parking lot cost, PLUS $10 co-payment … well I guess for now that is going to be ok, but that $16.25 is going to hurt toward the 15th. Better watch the account closely. OK

NOW PLEASE let go the money! Shhh, it will be ok.

Rich was talking about going someplace over the weekend, but we’re not very sure, nor was he that it would happen. I think in his Rich figuring he figures he owes me a little time *giggle*

He went to work this morning and went to the administration meeting. He said it was ok, and he relayed information about something I had done yesterday. I had taken care of a serious matter while Sr. was out. The state licensure place called – the people who give and take away the center’s right to operate. They brought up an incident that had happened with one of the staff that I was aware of. I told them there was a letter in her file that would take care of things, but that I didn’t have the authority to look in staff files. I told him we could send it to him as soon as Sister gets back. Then we talked to the DSP involved and she caught us up with the details from that time. Then we called the guy back with the new understanding affirming that letters value. He had another staff involved at his place and he said he was just going to call us. He brought the problem level up a few notches by saying that if he was here he wouldn’t have to ask permission to get in the file. I figured since he had that kind of authority and the DSP could give permission, that we could get his information. It was a letter stating that she was clear from sexual abuse or neglect. We had told him it was a stolen identity involving checks. But, I figured by this time I better get the letter and the DSP said she knew exactly in her files where it was. I made her sign a note saying it was ok, and I took out the file, but let her open it. Sure enough the letter was there. By then the guy had called back to say that he had finally found the letter at his place, that I didn’t need to send it and he thanked me for my help and trouble. We hung up.

Of course, by this time the DSP was riled and I was like ok, that was a lot to handle. Rich was there and obviously the other Q, but I figured that as staff trainer in charge of making sure everyone is legit, I had the right to handle the situation on my own. But, after it was over, I went directly to my computer and wrote out what had happened and then I stuck it under sister’s locked door. The secretary was involved to in that, she had handed the call to me after the insisted that he talk to someone in Sr.’s absence. She also had the key to unlock Sr.’s door. And, she witnessed opening the file information, so we told her afterward the note was under the door and we had to go to make a police report.

Between that though I had figured it was time I better tell Rich for some confirmation. I would have given it over to him, but it involved information that he didn’t know anything about, and I’ve been scolded before for going to Rich as if he were my direct boss as sister is and that I would abandon my own authority. Rich got on me at once. Not for taking the project on, but for there not being a policy in a sense that the guy on the phone identified himself and left me a number to call, but didn’t show me any direct proof he was the person he said he was, so that I could have just given personnel information over the phone to a stranger. I figured and was right that that situation played out in the administration meeting today. I guess the other Q got blasted, because she said I should have brought the situation to her and she would have handled it. Sister basically yelled at her as who the hell are you! Hehehe Rich didn’t say that, but played devils advocate, because there needs to be a policy on this. This goes along with what do we do if we were given a subpoena, search warrant or other. Fortunately one of the turns of the week was that sister was only a week from getting that kind of information from the insurance companies attorney. I think I came out ok in the situation, because it had been a situation, and it was resolved as far as being ok with the State licensing, accreditation and certificate department. He was good with us and Sr. appreciated that it had been over. I can understand Rich’s point there needs to be follow-up, but for the time being … I’m glad I wasn’t there.

There was just one other note. Sister didn’t get home until we were back from the police station, but the DSP met me in the hall and said she was so nervous that she went to Sr. even before sister read the note, because she wanted to hear from the boss that she had been scared and wanted to know everything was ok. In the process of the incident, the guy had said accusingly how do I know she isn’t abusive or neglectful, and because the paperwork wasn’t in his hand directly, that the woman should not be here at this very moment. Also, involved was that he said someone had told him they had been in the file and there wasn’t anything there. I asked them when the person had come in because I wanted to know if this went back to the visit back in April or so, and he said that he was under the impression that it just happened within a day or two that someone had come in to look at books. The thing I was thinking is that if there were someone who was trying to bust St. Rose on this that it had something to do with the other woman who had been in to handle a situation with a client who accused a staff of having dirty pictures in her purse.

That had been an upset that we heard about, but didn’t know anything directly as it was going on, except that something was going on. Hmm, now I’m thinking that I wonder if that event shouldn’t be considered an OIG event. In that the person was accusing and what were we doing about it. OIG is part of the State package, and right now I feel silly in not having questioned that out loud at the time, even
though when I heard of it it was afterward and the other Q was involved not me.

Anyway that was the last time I knew someone who was a higher up was in the building. It seems like someone was searching through records at the state level in Springfield and when she didn’t see that waiver she pounced. The guy admitted that because the letter wasn’t a waiver, but gave the authority for that person to be at the center, because her fingerprints were taken and shown not to be of problem, well because the permission wasn’t a waiver it was not being filed in the same place and they hadn’t something in the file to direct it to the proper file, which in my opinion sounds dangerous.

Hmm, think that’s about that of that situation. When Sr. did come back and the situation was questioned me asking something of her, she confirmed that the situation was over, and I said yes, and then both of us moved on to other conversations. I think this too had something to do with me not feeling good. But the major part was that the pressure from the accident, this and because my knee had been hurting so badly … I just wanted, not needed, but wanted badly to take a day off. I have in mind that every month you should take one day off and I’d made that clearance time from the month before. I’d shown myself to be present all the days but one from the month previous. Good Ann. There was one other reason though the more minor of the above. That is that I wanted to give Candace some breathing room. I told her I was going to ask for the next day off and if there was any chance I wasn’t back by Monday to water my plant please. She was all good and fine with that and had plenty of work to do. I myself had been doing enough work so that I felt ok with needing that time.

Candace is another issue. This week we kept tight tabs on her. We asked her on Monday to list out everything that I had given her to do. Then I incorporated that into my general plans. This way whenever I wanted to see what was on her agenda, I’d have a list … and also it gave the two of us a checklist to go over in the morning to mark progress. I would have come to this anyway because of the flow of what I was creating as a system, but also because I’ve been watching Candace over her shoulder being on the Internet too often or in IMs. She was especially relaxed on Holly’s time, but I didn’t want those patterns on my time. I figured it was the other Q’s job to watch over that situation, though if it became a pattern, I might step in as her trainer or talk to the other Q. The only thing I worry about is that we’re presenting too much work in front of her, so that she might be overwhelmed when it comes to facing her tasks. I think that this first week being that which it is … is fine, but the next course of events will be to streamline her so that she’s following or progressing things.

For example, one of the DSPs had gotten to her about taking on the goals of her 4 clients, which was something that I’d been putting off under Sr.’s directive. As it came along, I didn’t feel it warranted an obstruction so I allowed it to be included in her goals. But, I figured she would need some training on how to get it done.

One of Candace’s qualities whether good or bad, is that she doesn’t mind jumping into things, and she seems a little guarded as far as asking for help … She likes to be very independent. But, when it came to the goals, I pushed her in taking the help I was going to give her. She let me know, she could read the directions, but I knew that it was going to take too much time to read and figure at the same time where if the clients were going to be called they would have to be called soon.

So we got the right paperwork and proceeded through the goals. I asked her before moving on from each one if there was any question, and there was a few but not many … we went through quickly 12 goals of 4 people, some of which repeated. Then she went back to her office for about a half hour before calling the first person who she decided to meet with in the multi-purpose room which was a good idea, because Rich was in. Unfortunately, that is as far as it got that day, because she said she decided to wait the others so they were spread out. I get a little annoyed when she takes that much initiative, because the clients have been scheduled at that time, and I want the work condensed completely in two hours of time, specifically on Thursday morning. I will have to ask her further how she did with the day, but in general I didn’t see from going over her work for the first couple of days in that she doesn’t seem to be getting far fast. She had a couple of hours in the morning I’m wondering how it went. This might be something however to be going over with Sr. though I would like to wait another week. Like I said … we are giving her the day to prove herself, I expect when I get back Monday morning that she is going to have TWO days work accomplished.

If this isn’t happening, then I am going to need doing a time study with her and figure out what or how she can be improving her speed. Her quality seems to be pretty good, though I’ve not really seen her writing. I do know that she’s stalled in finishing Rosetta’s goals and annual and made a week-long process of a days’ work. If I’ve overwhelmed her, or not trained her well enough to be doing the work, I’m going to need finishing it no matter how sure she is over knowing how to do the work. I was disappointed in one other thing in that she stated that after she gets clients, she is going to stretch it out over the year like Holly does instead of consolidating it like me. I don’t know if Holly helped her come to this conclusion it will be another thing I take under advisement from Sr. especially because after I had arranged it my way and caused problems for CSO, then Sr. said the schedule stayed and she didn’t want any more messing around of it. There was one exception with Ronald, but it was thought that he would be better off moving up, so it accommodated his group annual meeting and day training at the same time. If Holly is teaching her, or if she thinks she has that much authority then that point must be checked as well.

So, moving on. Basically, in a nutshell she’s probably good enough and has some very nice qualities, but she may be a putter-offerer, and that is going to need to be retaught. AND, I’m saying that from the position of being a pro-putter-offerer.

I did like that she’d incorporated the new schedule system in that she was writing notes on it and crossing things off. That’s a good idea as long as she knows that they are disposable … in that after she gives me her morning notes, she’s moving on to the next copy of the schedule.

I’ve got my notes in front of me now … and I found there was a schedule, she’d given me before I left on Friday that I was very interested in looking at … She completed it on Lotus organizer and that gives her some points!

Ok, let’s see what she’s come up with. First thing is 20 minutes each morning for filing and organizing. I like that. I’m not so sure I like that she’s got 40 minutes for goal work with each of the clients when I told her it would take 20 minutes and to use 10 minutes for writing things up. I suppose if she could keep that schedule though I’d give her 10 minutes just because she’s new although I think we’re running into a sister problem, because I had to work to defend the value of 30 minutes. We’ll play that out. Again it shows her ideas of doing goals with each just separated. There’s an error here though in that she thinks she’s working with Rosetta and she forgot Charles. Little deal. She’s taking two periods for observation and that’s not a bad thing, though we’ll have to ask her her priority for observing, because according to schedule she’s not following the annual priorities, and is observing someone she’s either had a meeting with or one who is waiting until September for a meeting, and not the 5 in August. Lunch room duty is fine, and she’s marked out time to be in church for an hour each Friday .. that was good points for her and sister … eh, she can have that. She has an hour for chrononotes on Tuesday afternoon that’s fine. And, 2 two hour blocks of time for Qnotes which seems fine on the outside, as long as she can complete them prior to the annuals. It would be a good routine afterward if she can keep on schedule with them. We are going to need teaching her what we cannot do and that’s keeping up with them every month. She’s got the CARF computer meeting blocked in. She has one meeting scheduled with staff for an annual. I would like to see her have a few more meetings. She has 1.5 hours blocked for complete typing of the observations which is fine, though she leaves enough time only for one, although she’s set up two meetings. And, I can see here how she’s set aside 3 hours to be working with annuals and annual goals. That is in typing each out. That could or could not be enough time, but I’m hoping she is just looking at meeting deadlines for this week, because as far as I see this time … she’s not scheduled in there is a meeting at 1 pm. It looks like she’s got about 16 hours open, so that will be the best part. I like having a forecast that she’s working toward. We can change a few things here like schedule Charles in, make enough time for typing all projects, make sure she knows that 10 am is sometimes time for groups or cooking, which shouldn’t missed.

Let her know she’s scheduled her things in Holly’s time, and that this schedule will have to work around getting the next and last annual done. I wish she wouldn’t have scheduled Holly’s day because that’s going to fill in some free time for other projects that I thought she had. Hmm, we are going to lose 4.5 hours of the 16 open. Shoot. Plus, I think that she’s not going to like long doing whatever on Holly’s days and let her projects slide.

We’ll have to talk to Sr. with that too. Maybe next week we can hold a meeting with sister either with or without Candace. As to small scheduling conflicts we’ll work this one out.

Ok, we’re back … It’s now 3:24 pm. We’ve been going over the notes in our assignment book. AND, we finished our afternoon snack. We had an orange. Good girl. Next stop dinner, but that won’t be for a couple of hours.

I think I mentioned Rich is out … he stopped by for lunch and now won’t be back until about 8-9 pm. I’m so glad that he’ll get a day to sleep in. Today he had plans of being at the center, but his plans of fixing something on his computer had to be put off. Next he was going to stop at the post office and bank … do some stuff there, and then he was going over to meet his son, and maybe stop by and visit his buddy out there – Doug, and then he was going to see his mother, and if I’m not mistaken his brother might also be in town, but I’m not sure about that part. I know there were extra concerns around his mother because she had fallen and bruised herself badly. She had gone to the doctors to assure there were no breaks, and then there was word that she might be in bed longer than was making the sons comfortable. So, I’m glad he got a chance to go out.

Plus, he said that would free up some time for us, but as he was speaking he was already scheduling in like 4 hours of work either at the beginning or tail end of the weekend. He had talked about us going fishing with him, but he worried because even though we would have a place to be during the first part, we would have to get out of the hotel, before he finished up fishing. He had talked about getting a guide and pre-fishing a lake he wanted to look at. We can tell him the alternative is that we sit on a boat with him and just get off in time to go to the washroom.

Hehehe either that or build me a fire and leave me on an island with marshmellows! There we left him a message and cleared up that problem!

I don’t know if he’s really going to take me with him … he said it was a long car
ride, like 4 ½ hours, but we told him we didn’t mind because it was time that we got to be around him! We’ll have to see. Knowing our Sweetie if he doesn’t follow through with that idea, he will have another. Nice thing is that he designates time to be with us and do something special. We told him we didn’t have other plans, but to write and read. That’s it. We can pretty much do that anywhere, cept if he won’t let us use his computer then we’ve got a little less option, but many books to read. It be a good weekend for us, and remind us of our trips when we were young where we would read the whole time. It’s funny, but I really remember looking forward to that time. I liked reading from the top of my cousin’s bunkbed. My cousin and mother chose to read the same “woman’s books” ACK! Harlequin romances, but we read Nancy Drew. My cousin had the whole collection and we were amazed by it. That’s about the last time I can remember liking mystery and that I remember got a little tense for me too. Back in those days I didn’t feel as smart as smart, or as brave, nor advanced as them, but I could dream. I dreamed of having a parent who would pay my way to anywhere in the country I wanted to go.

Ok, ok … now you know my big dreams. Don’t tell anyone unless its Rich and he’s thinking of going on that cruise. WITH the balcony! Because? That would be a hell of a nice place to read from! I think the only thing keeping me from readin more now days is that I like to write so much. Maybe not really important things, but things, nonetheless that are on my mind. I think when we go back to work, we are going to have to work more on the CARF angle. Sister REALLY wants this being done more … and she wants it to be of higher priority than making program changes. We did give her our two page idea, so that was a step in the right direction.

Hopefully, over the weekend she will read it and see some sense in it, but of that … we can’t do more than hope.

So, saying that and it being 15 minutes away from the regular working day … we could get down with some CARF stuff, or we could move onto some grant work. BUT, we’re telling Rich he isn’t paying but half my wage for 5 hours a week, so we’re goin to try holding that work until the weekend – Sunday afternoon. He said something today to make me think he wasn’t going to get up on Monday morning at 5 am, but we will certainly push for that commitment. I would rather have him read less during the night and get up brigher and earlier in the morning. Sometimes he’ll get into his book and stay up til midnight reading and he’ll wonder why he can’t sleep. HMM… If your in a off-world fighting gorillas in ancient Egypt, how could ANY one expect to sleep?!!

Hmm, one more note on Rich account. He finally went to his doctor yesterday and a sugar test … probably the blood glucose test was higher than it should have at the rate of about 170. That was one of the things he had to do too … he has to stop by to get the paperwork for taking another test, which we’re thinking is going to be taking an 8 hour fasting test. We’re thinking already though that he has pre-diabetes which means he’s more at risk for diabetes, and heart problems and all the rest. My understanding of diabetes is that the blood sugar tests read 200 and above. Pre-diabetes is considered impaired glucose tolerance. Rich is older than 45, overweight, but I’m not sure of his blood pressure and cholesterol levels. I am more, but Rich is about 100 pounds overweight.  He is at the top level of obese, where we are toward the top level of extreme obesity. I’m about 14 BMI pounds above him (39-52). I’d have to be 235 pounds to keep up with his level of obesity.

Doesn’t that make me feel not so good. Ok, ok … we’re going back to the hypnotist.

Shoot, forgot to count that into the budget. We’ll have to ask for help … shoot.

Shoot. Not so long ago I had made it to 44 and now we’re up to 52 … This is all so very terrible.

See the thing is that Sweetie says that if I could lose it I would be a good inspiration to him. That’s not the first reason I should lose weight, but a good one. Sweetie was trying to say that he might have eaten something sweet today, but I’m pretty sure that number means what it means.

I made a call to the insurance company and they said that my policy does cover bariatric, but there were conditions and they would have to be looked at by our doctor. I then called UIC … I thought of it in the first place because there’s a sign walking in that asks if you are ready for weight loss surgery. The operator put me in touch with the wellness center. I’ve been there before because of my diabetes and because of the sleep apnea. That’s the place where people get yelled at for being so big. I try to avoid it, but it seems they are in charge of surgery too. I guess first you talk to someone to see if your insurance qualifies, and then you come to a big meeting with other big people, and then you decide whether your are ready to meet seriously with a doctor.

I know all this is possible, because my peer … Holly who gives me so much trouble has gone through it. She’s probably lost 120 pounds or so, but has more to lose.

You seem to be able to cheat so that you may not lose, but there must be some combination of surgery and hypnosis that can help me through it, until I can pick up and be active again. Be the one my Sweetie Pie can chase through the woods.



Hmm, somehow now I think we got to some place different. Sweetie Pie had called and said that we COULD go on an overnight to Steven’s Point in Wisconsin. So then we were all happy and even started the dishwasher happy. So we spent a lot of time looking for the right hotel, and we narrowed it down to the holiday in convention center, because it had a kitchen suite, AND a fireplace. But, then we called Sweetie Pie who was on his way home and he said NO! He said $184 was too much … so we didn’t argue because it wasn’t our money. He said it would be too hot anyway.

And we said not if you turn the air conditioner on. Then he said in a few moments that he knew he’d said we could do something special by the end of the summer, but I guess this isn’t the special trip.

*Sigh* I think he’s getting tired of us all ready. But, then he said something about everyone wanting money from him. We’d actually want him more than his money … Just we were hoping to get a little romantic too. We haven’t made love in front of a fireplace before! And, we couldn’t find a room with a jazzuzi … they just offer

Whoops !!! This is me the next morning, Saturday … we’re about ready to hit the road … We’re going to stay at the Comfort Suites with 2 people whirlpools - only $98 … Let’s hope this is BIG two people, or as second resort will have to just watch fishyman swishing about hehehe … MWA!

posted by Ann Marie @ 8/04/2007 10:02:00 AM Comments: 1