Well, the system finally came back up and my status is still “Pending”. I just sent a request for assistance to my US Congressperson (Valerie Foushee) who, if memory serves me, was able to assist me a few years ago when I was having a problem with non-receipt of my stimulus payments.
When my kids were little, they’d complain about how slow time was going:
“Look, if we finish painting the playhouse today, we can go to Super-Orbit-Rocket-FUN-Land tomorrow!”
"WHEN is it going to be tomorrow…?"
"Today is soooo lonnng…"
I replied that for them, a day was 1/2000th of their lifetime. For me, it was 1/20,000th.
“Maybe that’s why my days feel like only a tenth as long as yours…”
Blew my mind, if not theirs.
Panicking now; pharmacy just messenged me that they can’t refill my antidepressants until mid-August, I run out Saturday! Oh and tomorrow is the 4th of July. Doctors office is trying to straighten this out.
The organization I get a therapist and psychiatrist through closed down. They gave me two numbers to call. One is no help. The other has not returned my call.
I’m trying to get a federal grant done by tomorrow morning. I estimate I have about four hours of work left on it. I’ve been swamped going on three months. This has been my whole life for several weeks. I just want to get this done so I can be on vacation until Monday.
I spent about four hours entering the budget and narrative into their stupid system, and I had to write the budget narratives myself because our accountant’s attempt was low-effort, to say the least. I then spent three hours manually entering Goals, Objectives and Deliverables because they wouldn’t let you just upload a document. I pressed save and lost 90% of my work. Finished that a second time, okay.
Surprise! My agency’s network server is down, no estimate for repair, and I can neither upload nor save documents, which means I can’t even finish editing my narrative.
What are the odds this drags into Friday? Pretty high, I’m thinking.
Another medication-related rant: it’s ridiculous that insurance companies get to decide what medications we can take. Looking at you, BCBSNC! I’ve been having migraines with scary symptoms for a while, so I need to be taking medication that prevents migraines. I was taking Nurtec for a while, but Blue Cross decided they were no longer going to cover it. I tried a few other medications, and they had side effects that I couldn’t live with. My primary care doctor and my neurologist agree on the medication I should try next, but Blue Cross is refusing to cover that, too. I’m very peeved. It shouldn’t be this hard to get a prescription that I really need.
I was going to watch Godzllla movies this afternoon, but my internet and cable are down. That might be the mini-est rant ever. I’ll survive, but I just wanted some mindless entertainment. Now I’ll have to read a book.
Federal grant #1 has been submitted. I can theoretically enjoy my holiday weekend now. Trying not to think about all the shit I have to do when I return Monday, including Federal Grant #2.
Federal grant # 1 is a strong proposal, probably one of my best ever narratives. I described a compelling case for funding. I’m hoping the narrative will carry it because we don’t have signed MOUs (Memoranda of Understanding) with the proposed project partners, just verbal agreements. I also sent an email to project directors telling them to make sure they get their fucking MOUs signed and in the folder. What good is a fucking MOU if the project partner hasn’t signed it? Worthless to funders. For this grant, I included signed MOUs as a project deliverable in the timeline, my way of saying, hey, we know we need this.
So please please please let my narrative be persuasive. We couldn’t be better equipped to execute this project. We have a level of expertise and experience in the domain of youth services and sexual assault and IPV prevention education that few agencies have. We are proposing to create up to eight Youth Coordinated Community Response Teams, which we know we can do because we’ve already got four adult CCRTs and a Sexual Assault Response Team (SART.) We are bloody experts at community intervention in this field. Fund us. Please. The kids need us.
Now I just have to get my brain out of work mode, but that’s really tough after eating, sleeping and breathing this grant for several weeks.
Tragedy has struck! I was browsing the CBC News site as I often do, and came across the most stunningly shocking news: for the first time in its history, the employees of the government liquor store monopoly are going on strike! And the strike is effective 12:01 AM Friday morning, meaning when liquor stores close tonight, they won’t be opening again in any predictable timeframe. How will I make Caesars in the tragic event that the vodka runs out? 
Well, if you were an American you’d simply shoot your neighbor and take his vodka. It’s the American way on this oh so American of weekends.
Since you’re not, I bet you’ll have to ask all nice and stuff if they’d be willing to share. And them being Canadian too, of course they’ll be happy to do so. 
One of my neighbours on one side is a young family and during COVID the husband asked me if there was anything he could do to help me out, since he’s an energetic young guy and I’m a decrepit Old Fart. The neighbours on the other side are also very nice but they’re as old and useless as I am. But I imagine I could go over to either of them and exclaim, “vodka! vodka! I need vodka! I’m dyin’ here!”. It might work, but the risk is they might be out, too!
Perhaps you could run for the border?
I was watching a July 4th. fireworks show on the tee vee. I’ve come to the conclusion that virtually No One should attempt “Don’t Stop Believing,” live. Unless, of course, your name is Steve Perry. It was painful and uncomfortable to watch. The guy had a good voice, but the high notes were well beyond him.
On the other hand, the performance of, " Rhapsody in Blue," by a piano virtuoso and a fantastic orchestra was stunning.
Well, it’s official! The liquor board employees union and management have cut it close to the deadline many times before, but always avoided a strike. But now they’re off. First time in the board’s storied history. I’m so distressed I need a drink, but now it has to be rationed! The horror! The ironic horror!
I can ship. I think, anyway; I don’t think Canada Post will take it, but maybe UPS will.
What wonderful neighbours we have all across this great land! 
Fortunately, the LCBO says that they can continue to fulfill online orders with quantity restrictions, so maybe we’ll see how that works out if there’s a prolonged strike.
It doesn’t appear I’ve been paid for my 8 hours.
Pretty sure that is what you Canadian guys are known for.
This sort of shyte is happening way too much… and mostly because employers get away with it. Fines and damages need to be increased against employers.
I talked to people at both organizations I was referred to by my last therapist. Neither can help me. I’m running low on meds. I need a psychiatrist very badly.