Get on with it, Joyce!

Well, time to get back on my horse.  Been riding a loaner pony all week named "Woe is me" but he's starting to get on my nerves so I'm tethering him out in the back forty.  I'm sure I'll ride him again, though. He's always good for a short ride when you've got a case of the blues.

Still waiting to hear from the imaging dept. at the hospital about scheduling my second MRI. Just a reminder that we're only a number these days. I'm reminded of that all the time -- like yesterday when I decided I'd look into getting some medical insurance to cover drugs.  I've been without it for ten years and was lucky enough to only have two prescriptions I needed to take. Both of which were only $10 for 3 months at Walmart. I tried checking out prices online with Walmart's Humana plans but I couldn't quite understand the lingo involved. Called the 1-800 number to talk to a real person, knowing full well that was going to put me in a bad mood.  A mood I was trying to work myself out of.  But I did it anyway.

The red tape involved in dealing with ALL things medical-related these days is over the top stupid! After explaining the terms of the various tiers, I told the girl I was ready to sign up for one of the programs.  Then she had to transfer me to Guy #1.  After holding for five minutes TO GIVE THEM MY MONEY I was so pissed off, I hung up! Guess who called me right back. Yep.  Guy #1.  He kept me on the line for 30 more minutes BUT..... I had to call him back because they couldn't sell me insurance if they called me. I had to call them.  I can feel the steam coming out of my ears.

Once we got into the question and answer crap and I told him I wasn't dying of this and that, I had to verbally say my name out loud and that I was a female. (so it could be recorded although I was already told we were being recorded for quality control. Yeah, right!) Then when he was reading back numbers I was supposed to keep in my files for further reference,he used alpha/numbering or whatever you call it.  123A as in apple, 456 B as in boy, etc.  He didn't use BOY, however. He used Bravo.  And that would have been okay if it didn't come across sounding like brothel everytime he said it.

I know our world has come down to all this marlarkey because of  the ever growing number of low class scumballs from hell that have made it their lifes' work to cheat the system and steal identities, and make the devil proud.  Riding an airplane, entering certain buildings, or even signing up to be a foster parent has required more and more security measures.  How did such a large percentage of our population become so low class and distasteful?

Okay. I'll step down off my soapbox for a few minutes.

I've been reading 'Confessions of a Prairie Bitch' by Alison Argrim (Nellie Oleson on Little House on the Prairie). It's a terrific read, even though my daughter, Jenni, didn't think so. Alison writes well and I've been reading nonstop.  Anxious to get to my next book -- Dandelion Growing Wild by Kim Jones.  more later....

It's a few hours later. Phone rang and it was the doctor's office telling me they  forgot to call in my MRI order to the hospital "but they have it now." And oh, I have to go in a day or so before the MRI for lab work. Apparently they can't inject the IV until they check out my kidney function first. Why, pray tell, didn't they draw the blood while I was in the doctor's office on Tuesday?  Somebody just plain isn't paying attention, that's why! Sooooo.....I just spent an hour sitting in the hospital lab waiting my turn.  I did take my book so all was not lost but it still irritated me. Even finding a parking spot at the hospital is difficult. Worst parking lot in town!  I parked a block away.

After all that aggravation, I figured I might as well run a couple errands. Stopped at Safeway to pick up my pills (to help me deal with the MRI 'cause I'm a weenie) and I was four deep in line for that pickup.  God must have figured I'd had enough BS for one day and the pills only cost me $2.67.  I'm heading back to the tube next Wed. morning at 7:30 a.m.  Then I have to make another doctor appt to discuss the MRI and she'll refer me to another doctor to discuss my options and once I see him, I suppose I'll have to come back a second time for the operation. If that's what the MRI suggests is needed.  I've already resigned myself to that idea that it probably means a couple of Seattle trips to Swedish.  I'm not going to think about that now. One day at a time.

On to other subjects.  Came out of Walgreen's and had this white bird sitting on my car. I guess it's a pigeon.

Earlier this morning I took a couple shots of hummingbirds outside my window. There's 3 or 4 of them now who buzz in regularly....and look how green my lawn is becoming thanks to the rain.

Saw some interesting pictures on Facebook and thought I would share those on my blog today.
First one is my old high school pal, Joanne Plattner Bennett.  Second one is my granddaughter Catie's dad, Dave Merrill & his girlfriend (visiting in Seattle although he lives in FL), and a picture of Barbara Lee Smith (on the right) with two of her sisters.  We went to grade school and high school together.

I watched Emily Owens, MD earlier this week as it starred Meryl Streep's daughter, Mamie Gummer.
She looks a lot like her mom and is a pretty good actress too.  She's the same age now as her mom was when she did Kramer vrs Kramer.

I seldom return things I buy but every now and then, I do go to the trouble of shipping something back.  I did that yesterday with a Shark vacuum I bought on the QVC channel.  I never shop on tv but I was in the market for a better vacuum and their commerical made it look easy to use.  Not when you're 69 and have to study the directions over and over to figure out how the attachments work.  Was especially unhappy with how you had to hold the vacuum in one hand while using the hose attachments.  NOT GOOD.  Now I'll have to pay my Visa and probably wait two months to get the credit back again.  Damn nuisance and I'll think long and hard before I order on shopping channels again.

Was looking for something else on YouTube and came across this commerical which kind of made me chuckle.  Chuckling isn't something I've done too much of this week.


This next video is a real  tearjerker.  Music helped too. Love that song. Anyhow, this is worth the watch..... and yeah, I cried.