katesthoughts

Later this afternoon is the long anticipated Phelan Family chat.   It’s at 4 this week.  I thought it was at the beginning of the month and was very disappointed that I got the date wrong.  I am not sure who is going to be there.  Well I do know of three people J, Sis and myself.  I hope I will be there.

The WIFI was out again and this has been happening at least once a week.  This is illegal.  The only other option is Frontier or something. It is a major complaint weekly.  I am tired of it.  Luckily it was rectified by 7:30.  I would have been pissed if I had to miss the family chat.

Before I do those I need to go grocery shopping, organize the office, and do some financial auditing of my own.

The sun is out and it is in the mid-20s it’s supposed to stay that way with some clouds.  I have discovered that when it says clouds it doesn’t necessarily mean rain clouds but the beautiful shaped clouds that you can find shapes in at times.  The next time we will have snow looks like will be Tuesday.  It also looks like we should be getting some snow showers the following week.

It is now just before 6.  This afternoon is almost a fog for me.  I got a call from Liz today with the news that Lawyer man has paid off my one of my credit cards and part of another card.   Liz will mail them off tomorrow and I should get confirmation in about a week.  I am supposed to show him the confirmation email when it arrives.

After that we worked on the other curtains and valences for the rooms and I am not sure when they will arrive.  Liz left around 3:30 and I got ready for the cousin chat.

I was the first to arrive, Judy and then Maura and eventually Liz.  I gave Judy a quick tour of the place and that’s just about the time Maura came in and then about quarter after Liz joined in.  I had no idea that Liz asked me for the link.  I hadn’t seen it until much later.  We talked about our family, Corvid and what we have been doing.  We were hoping some of the other cousins would join but that didn’t happen.  I did learn that siblings not on good terms seem to be throughout the family.  We are having another family chat in the next month or so.

Liz and I were talking about the cats being on the couch.  I was sharing how much I have been trying to keep them off and she said well if they are sitting on the blanekts its okay.  That’s not what she said before! J  She even suggested that I put the new beds on the couch and they would sit on them.  Well late this evening after the cousin chat one started and so I put the other one on the couch and both of them were on the beds sleeping.  So now I fully understand that it’s okay for the cats to be on the furniture as long as it’s covered.

After the chat I fed the cats and made some more turkey burgers.  I was too tired to go out shopping.  I also talked with Mama R.

WE had spoken just before Liz came about the finances she was giving me suggestions on what to do.  We spoke further on the matter about an hour ago.  I am not sure all the suggestions I am going to take.  That will have to be thought about more another day for now I am going to sleep.

This coming week should be fairly quiet:

We have another Covid19 zoom class on remote working tomorrow.  I hope my equipment is cooperating tomorrow.

Tuesday is Committee meeting.

My hope is to keep up with the eob scanning and work on the backlog refund scanning.  I hope to also reorganize my desk so it doesn’t look like there was an explosion.

I have my session with Debra tomorrow night.  Other than that I have no other appointments.

I am expecting some of the window treatments and the last remaining items for the condo to arrive this week. 

My sleeper sofa will be here later in march.

I am feeling optimistic right now.  I believe I know my goals and can achieve them.

This week has definitely been crazy busy for me.  Work was no big issues except I got annoyed with the zoom application because it wouldn’t let me back into a staff meeting.  I managed to do what I was supposed to and get as much as I could done with scanning. 

We didn’t have a union meeting this week which I am grateful.  The administration distributed new chairs to the staff who wanted to them on Friday.  Apparently didn’t meet to everyone’s standards.  The ones I saw looked great but I am easy to please anyone.

There is a learning webinar regarding dealing with Covid and stress I think on Monday.  That should be fun let’s hope it doesn’t get messed up on the computer.  There is another in a couple of weeks as well.

I have tried several times to write this week and each time I had put it aside or got distracted by something or another.  I can’t promise it won’t be that way next week though as a lots going on again.

AC will be returning from her extended vacation.  I can’t wait.  I really tried to get a lot done but I still had a lot of stuff to do.

Early in the week we got some of the monies due us from Lawyer man.  For some reason he has been insisting on working with my nieces on this.  He reimbursed me the monies I spent on the movers and that went into my savings and will be applied either to the credit card I did use or one of the other cards that has a high balance at this time.  I believe he reimbursed Liz for the junk movers.    He also approved monies (like $4k) for a new mattress, the new couch, and new chair, but he said he didn’t want me to get the sofa/sleeper couch because he doesn’t want people to stay with me.  So what did we do?  WE bought one anyway. 

He also made comments to my niece that my family is crazy. It was highly inappropriate for him to do that.  If I have an opportunity to say something to him I plan on it.  Debra sent him a detailed message after he reached out to her recently.  I will find out tomorrow night the results were.

Liz and I had a conversation when she came over to show me the checks. She was saying how this mismanagement of money and my behaviors abilities to take care of myself are fuel for Bob to indicate I am incompetent and therefore lose the condo.  That I need to rein in my finances (and she said she doesn’t want to know what I spent on in the past but going forward I need to be honest and not just justify “because I wanted” or perhaps “I needed it”.  She says I need to talk to Debra about the “addiction”.    I don’t like it when people tell me what I should talk or not talk about with my therapist. 

She also says that quite possibly he will be willing to pay for at least part of the debt and I would have to work on the rest.  We reviewed the interest rates and stuff a couple of times earlier or that night. 

 She also showed me how to use the mobile deposit app on the phone.  That will save me a lot of time in the future. 

When that conversation was done we talked about the furniture we looked at and decided we would order them.   So after work on Thursday we went and It took an hour and we chose the ones and starting tomorrow the new living room chair (recliner) and the sofa (which is also a recliner-I think) will be here.  The others will be here over the next few months.  March the latest.  We got my nephew to take away the sofa this morning (we asked Thursday).  We also told him what Lawyer man said and he was flabbergasted.

About the same time Liz and I were having that chat and going to the store, Cheryl contacted me and asked me what my yearly salary was and what my bills and expenses were. She said they are working on something.   I was supposed to gather those this weekend but I have been updating my budget this weekend and Friday I was too damn tired.

I had told Liz that Mama Roberta suggested I do a debit consolidation and so she said okay she reminded me to take notes.  However, I haven’t called about it yet because I want to see what Cheryl is doing.

I have been keeping in touch with Jim mostly by text. It has been nothing deep and not really discussing current situations with Lawyer Bob.  As I said to Liz I figured they have talked on the phone (yes I now realize huge stretch).  She feels he has done absolutely nothing of value other than discussions with Lawyer.  He has been working, and seeing Janis.

I talked with My Aunt Rosemary yesterday.  It was really tough.  Her short term memory is even shorter than I remember.  She did remember where I was living and I told her about the recent move.  I was not really comfortable talking about it.  I was hesitating about it.  The call was about 8 minutes long.  I have no idea how my sister or anyone else manages a 30 minute conversation with her. 

Right now Liz is staying close to home this weekend.  Nelson was admitted Friday morning to the hospital with a Blood clot but it turned out to be a clogged artery.  I don’t know when he is coming home but she hasn’t been able to see him because of Covid.  He is resting comfortably.  She has asked my cousin Donna to step in for the delivery.  Liz will let me know by the end of the day if she can.  She says that if Donna can’t do it I may have to take the day off but she really eels I take too much.  I told her I have the time.  She feels I have been taking too much time already. I don’t know how many more times I can say I have the time without saying something snarky in the end.

So I saw some doctors this week.  I saw Debra on Monday via Zoom.  It was a good session.  She told me about Lawyer Bob asking her stuff.  I told her she could reach out to him but I hope she documents everything.  In her last text to me she did send out a detailed message to him.  As I mentioned earlier I will find out tomorrow what the results were.  I hope if we have a zoom meeting and include him she lets me know because I will be really pissed.

On Wednesday I went to the hematologist and my numbers (white count and anything else) is good.  No indication of blood clots, or anemia.  That’s good because I think a day or two afterwards I felt light headed.  I left work earlier.  I did learn my co-pay went up to $30. 

I have also been having a lot of headaches lately, at least at bed time, I am discounting to the pillows still.  My sister has noticed and mentioned the light headedness I have been getting and that it might be more than I realize.

I went to the eye doctor on Friday and I learned it wasn’t scheduled for that day.  I guess they hadn’t scheduled yet.  However, the next one is in March.  I will have to put that in as soon as I can.  That’s just great.

Next week I have the cardiologist and my infusion.  I have already prepaid the cardiologist but I don’t have to pay for the infusion (covered).   It doesn’t look like I have much of anything else in the medical arena.

I had a surprise visit from Gillion C and Cyn Y from the FF meetup group last Tuesday.  They stopped by the condo while I was at work.  They left me a sweet note and text.  I would have loved to show them around but from what they saw in the windows they love it. 

That night there was a virtual cocktail party and there were about 12 of us.  Eileen was there too.  I haven’t seen Eileen since March or April when we stopped the virtual coffee talks and trivia.  She has changed much like at all.  I got to see Jackie B from work.  She looked awesome.  Stephanie was there too (she was at the beach meetups) but left because there was too much interference.  Either there was people talking in the background, or had multiple devices going.  To me that’s distracting and somewhat rude.

They also did have the Wednesday night coffee talk in Guilford but I was at the Doctor’s and got out at 5.   That was the night Liz came over I think to discuss the finances.  My hope is that once the finances are resolved and on some schedule I can start to go back to those on Wednesday. 

The hiking with Friends had some activities recently but again still trying to settle in and the finance thing is a big issue right now.

I spoke to Dave this weekend he is good.  We talked about the holidays, the situation with lawyer man, and where he is off to now. 

I did manage to speak to Mama Roberta.  She, like everyone else, agrees its not Lawyer’s man prerogative to tell me when or who I can have as guest.  I told her about the furniture that I got and I don’t think she flinched at the “new sofa” announcement.  You see the two blue couches  I did have she gave me before she left for LV few years back.

She did say she would put together steps for me to do the consolidated debt routine.  She will email me information.

The cats are settling in.  They have gotten into some mischief here and there.  One day I found Sky on top of the cabinets in the corner of the kitchen.  I have found tiger on the dresser a few times.  They a little perplexed as the couch they are usually sleeping on or sitting on with me is gone but as I mentioned a whole new one is coming tomorrow. 

They both get on the kitchen counters like they did in the old place and try to eat or drink stuff so I have learned to either put food away or in the stove or micro until I am done with them.   Sky broke the butter dish cover last week.  I can’t keep the butter out as they still try to eat it. Eww!  They both have their annual checkups in a few weeks.

Well Echoes radio show is on so I am going to listen to that for a while before I fall asleep..

I must begin this entry with an apology for the symphony of chirping crickets lately.  I have been going through some challenging times since Tropical storm Isaias.  The day after it hit I noticed the gutter needed repair and so I called my lawyer/Trustee (if you have been following me for while it was set up long before Mom died) to let him know it needed to be fixed.  He didn’t see it but came and surveyed the property and started a bullying campaign to reissue the whole “we need to put the house on the market” .  We argued and by the end of the conversation he hung up on me.  He sent me a very insulting voice mail by the end of that same week after my brother spoke to him.

   My family and I met at the beginning of the week with my therapist to discuss what could be done but came to the conclusion that it isn’t worth fighting him.  We are not giving in but I cannot afford to manage this big house. My brother spoke to him and got the SOB to back off as long as we made efforts to restart the process of cleaning out the house and look for a more manageable  residence.  My family has been very supportive of me and we agree that this guy is chauvinist and a whole slew of other adjectives I won’t dignify with.

So I have restarted a budget and working to get the debt down.  I have been getting advice from how to fight him, to how to best search for the new place (I have been looking but there are some variables that I don’t know yet) to budget shopping for groceries etc.   My sister will be coming over to help the purging process begin today.

So the milestone I was going to write about was 58 years ago today my family moved into the house I am about to give up.  AT that time it was my parents and my three older siblings.  I was born two weeks later.  So for my 58^th birthday in two weeks I will be in the middle of a new start. 

Work is going okay.  The scanning machine problem is still a problem and we are waiting on someone to do something.  WE have been very patient and we do have scanning to do.  I have been working on refund scanning and that is done through the copier.

The parking lot that we use is in the beginning stages of being repaired so we have had to park in a small adjacent lot near the building but have to be careful not to park in the school parking lot that we share.  We have been getting warnings to move or be towed.

The University is preparing for the fall semester that starts in two weeks.  Some departments are still mixed with on campus working and remote working.  We are constantly being reminded about the social distancing and to wear the mask when needed. 

Labor negotiations are currently going on and I am pretty sure they are still a little rough.  I was not at the last meeting because my brother was arriving at the same time.  I am pretty sure I will be hearing about it next time.

I have been trying to get out and walking at break times and lunchtimes except the last couple of days because I wanted to focus on work or I wasn’t here for part of the week.  Sadly I am finishing up the last two sessions with Alex this coming week.  I had to let him go because of my current financial crisis.  He was absolutely understanding and wonderful about it.  He will be there to reach out if I need to. 

I would like to say I have been trying to follow my diet but I recently made buttered spaghetti and clearly not on the diet.  I had it for dinner the last couple of nights.  My reasoning is flawed.  I attributed to the new grocery budget.  I have been looking at budget meal plans online recently so hopefully I will be able to follow it.

I will be keeping the gym membership and they have been all very kind.  Again it would be great if I actually got there.  I was there Tuesday but the rest of the week not so much.  I won’t be able to go to the classes as they are additional (part of the Edge Strong program).  I was just told I have them until the end of the month so I can still go to the classes until my birthday.  However I will be doing the routines or whatever the word is for it on my own. That is if I force myself to the gym.

The rest of the family seems to be busy with the end of summer activities and bridal shower events.  I went to the bridal shower last weekend for my great niece to be and it was a blast despite the turmoil going on with me.  The people were great, the scenery was great, and of course so was the food.  Gina got so many wonderful gifts I wonder what’s left on the Registry for the October nuptials.

 I have finally found out more about a new pen pal.  She recently sent me an intro letter that was like her emails to me lately.  It was short and sweet.  I am working on her letter now and updating her file.  She is from South Carolina but is originally from Texas. 

Well I need to move along and do some more stuff before the gym and before sis gets here.