Throw it in the trash, don’t flush it down the toilet!
We just got back from a mini-vacation to Sonoma County. When we return from there, we drive south on 101 through Marin County on our way to San Francisco and so on south to home.
The drive on 101 through Marin County to the Golden Gate Bridge is full of the most fucked-up drivers this side of the third world.
Those onboarding the freeway in the area are so beside themselves to get over to the fastest lane that they chop across and nearly clip several drivers on their way over. It happened three times as we drove through the San Rafael and Corte Madera areas. Why don’t they just wait a quarter of a mile or so before moving over?
Because that stretch is hilly and curvy and crowded, the posted speed limit is 55, yet everyone’s doing at least 70. Many drivers seem too uncoordinated to stay in their own lane, and carom back and forth over the dots as they hurtle downhill.
Mr. brown was driving, and I was white-knuckling it all the way to the bridge. Once you’re on it, sanity resumes and everyone stays in their own lane and slows down. I don’t know how folks who commute that route daily can tolerate it.
I had a spine appointment today. It was fast, easy and she recommended more physical therapy exactly as I was hoping.
I had spare time. So, I headed over to the Social Security administration. During the years I was on disability I had both Medicare (federal) and Medicaid (state). Since I started working full time, I lost Medicaid. As a result, the government started taking $182 out of my Social Security Survivor’s Benefit payment each month to pay for Medicare B. I have been aware of the probelm since I moved into my second apartment. I was so thoroughly depressed that I never got around to doing anything about it.
During March, I was communicating with an agency to see whether I needed Medicare and what to do. The insurance I get through my employer is my primary. They provide “creditable drug coverage”. I still don’t know what that means. But I no longer needed Medicare and went to Social Security to cancel it.
That was easier than the Medicare web site said it would be. But, here comes my rant, I will only be getting my Survivor’s Benefis for two more months. They claim to have sent me a letter about this. I never received it. At this point, I have lost all faith in the US postal system.
There are days when I wish I’d settled in MA.
On April 19th 2025, it will be the 250th anniversary of “The Shot Heard Round The World”.
After two years of using TurboTax, this year I said goodbye to Turbotax and had a local CPA firm do my taxes. No complaints about the CPA firm - they did a good job, even with some documents arriving very late. But now, after the taxes are filed, I look at the summary data for my return and as I compare it to my spreadsheet, I see a discrepancy. And I realized that I had neglected to submit a 1099 to the CPA. So now I’ll need to do an amended return. No big deal since the 1099 had enough tax paid that I won’t owe anything. But the CPA can now see that his new client is a clown.
I had gotten a letter from my home insurance company last week alerting me to the fact that I would be getting a new policy packet soon, with updates to my premium and how to register my account with their new website.
Got the packet yesterday. My annual premium has more than doubled. So I called them today to basically say WTF? I was told that, essentially, insurance premiums throughout the state of North Carolina are being increased because of the cost of payouts. It sounds like despite the fact that I have never filed a claim and am living in the middle of the state my rates are being jacked up to cover the cost of insuring people who live on the coast and are getting hit by storms.
I’m going to look into other companies, but from what I was told I suspect that I’m going to get charged the same rates everywhere.
This is how insurance works.
You have to pay the bills of the “hold my beer” folks.
Or even people who, like you said, live in high-risk areas. My oldest daughter and ex-wife live north of Charlotte and I’ve been around North Carolina somewhat, the interior is so different than the coast, but it’s all still one state.
I was talking with a friend today and we both agreed that if someone builds a home in a high-risk area and it gets destroyed they should only be allowed to re-build if they agree that they’re not entitled to insure the new home for the same thing that destroyed the first one.
I agree. California agrees too since people can no longer get fire insurance. Though in that case the dangerous area to build is “everywhere”.
Light bulb needed changed in bathroom. It went out at midnight - really?
I am thankful I can still stand on a chair to get the darn thing changed (it has a bit of a screwy light fixture shade).
On a chair if I fall it shouldn’t be too bad (but I am on blood thinners and meds for osteoporosis).
It’s sad when changing a light bulb causes you to confront your mortality.
But you are a paying clown and that makes all the difference!
Standing on a chair is vastly more dangerous than standing on a step ladder of the same height that’s designed for standing on.
Just sayin’ You’re confronting more mortality than necessary.
And don’t forget about that last bottom rung when you’re getting down…
How many people does it take to change a lightbulb?
Two. One to get on the chair and one to determine the cause of death.
I don’t have a step ladder. I felt it was slightly more dangerous to take a shower in a dark bathroom than change the lightbulb.
I’m alive and well.
I think about this every time I clean out my rain gutters, which requires me to climb up 3-4 rungs on a ladder 5 times, with hard cement below. I take my time, I can tell you! Very deliberate in my movements.
I have a handyman to do these things now. I used to do them years ago but not in the past 15 years. You’re doing good.
Even if I had a stepladder it would be stored in the basement and there is no way I could ever get it upstairs.
For an emergency light bulb change I wear sturdy shoes, use deliberate movements on a sturdy chair and hope for the best.
If it hadn’t been the Easter weekend I would have called my handyman. Which is probably what I will do in the future.
You’re kind to say so. Thank you. I hate how much I’ve slowed down in the last 10 years! But I respect my aging process and accede to its demands as I must – which means doing less and everything more slowly!
I loved my late husband more than anything, but there are a couple things he did that left me with struggles over household maintenance: He had a habit of mounting things like smoke detectors and towel hooks in convenient positions for someone of his height (6’2"), not mine (now 5’7")! There are a couple of smoke detectors mounted so high in rooms with vaulted ceilings that I must climb a ladder to at least 4 rungs and then s-t-r-r-r-e-e-e-t-c-h almost on tiptoes to reach them in order to change the batteries. I curse him (gently) every single time these tasks come due!
At least you are trying! And it sounds like you are trying safely.
I have always managed on my own after a divorce and my family members dying which has created some interesting situations.
But the slow march of pain and disability has wrecked my self sufficiency. I used to be 5’7 and now I am lucky to be 5’3 with shoes on. A lot of chores with height involved have to be contracted out these days.
Yep!
I just don’t do it any more. And I have a “safety” stepladder with extra-wide rungs (more like stairs, really) and sturdy handholds. Still won’t use it any more. Too risky. Light bulbs are now replaced by a certain pair of Ukrainian handyman brothers, formerly famous for fixing my tragic plumbing disaster, generally when they’re here doing other things. They will have my custom once again soon because all the wired smoke/CO detectors need to be replaced, and new connectors need to be spliced in. I sure as hell am not doing that standing on any stepladder (on my hind legs)!