2014/06/02 -- 03 Monday and Tuesday

I am writing this post about 9:30 PM on Tuesday. I’ve had some difficulties the last few days, but that’s not to say that the Kitty Kids and I haven’t had some really good things happen.

Because the first day of June fell on a Sunday, my pension check was not posted in my bank account until Monday. That may not sound like a big deal unless you realize that both the Kitty Kids and I have been virtually out of food since the middle of last week.

May was a terrible month financially: not only was it the first month I had to pay the

additional $100 in rent, but again the Department of Education had the Treasury Department withhold over $200 from my Social Security check. (More about that below).

$300+ is a lot of money taken from our limited income, which usually has not covered more than 3 weeks at the best of times. We would have been out of food sooner had not to dear friends assisted, one by donation via my PayPal account and the other via a Walmart gift card.

Sunday night I was restless and unable to sleep, anticipating my pension being available on Monday morning. About 4 AM I gave up completely and began checking my online account to see when the pension had been credited. That marvelous event was confirmed at about 5:15 AM. I was dressed, caring my portable oxygen condenser, and out the door by 5:30 AM. That’s when the first crisis struck.

Because I only had enough gasoline in the car to drive the half-mile or so to the service station, I had not been in the car for some time. Thus I did not know that I had left my keys in the ignition and the ignition set in the position to roll up my automatic windows. The battery was dead as it could be.

I almost panicked before I remembered that a couple of months ago I had invested in my renewing my American Automobile Association membership. After searching through lots of unopened mail, I found the AAA card and telephoned for someone to jump-start my battery. It took about 2 ½ hours for the service man to arrive, during which I nodding off at my desk.

After I was able to start the car I drove to the gas station, but in $40 worth of gas (about ¾ of a tank), drove around another half hour to fully charge the battery, and then went where I wanted to go for staying in the morning: the grocery.

 

Upon my return I was greeted by three very animated and excited Kitty Kids, who are aware that when I carried bags in the apartment there is usually something special for them. The first something special was their favorite wet cat food gravies. Following breakfast, they continued to surround me begging real Kitty cat treats. That continued until I was too exhausted to stay awake.

My adventures unfortunately had their negative affect on my body; not only was I exhausted all day, but I was plagued with a headache, and earache, and my bum leg so painful and weak that I could not easily move around.

I did sleep long last night and took several naps today, including one during which I had a very realistic and exciting dream. My week leg continues to be weak and my ear continued to ache, as did my head periodically.

 

The damnable part of today was that when I checked my online bank account, I discovered that again my Social Security check was $202 short. I was overcome by a sadness—almost a severe 
depression. Thoughts of another month like last month brought me to tears.

Now to the Department of Education: the best way I can explain the mess I am in is by quoting from the cover letter I mailed with my third or fourth request to have my seminary student loan discharged since I am, and have been, totally and permanently disabled since 2003.

This is at least the third time I have filed for discharge of my student loan since 2006. The only response I have ever received has been a telephone call stating that I must provide the reason the Social Security Administration determined me to be disabled. Following which, I contacted the Social Security Administration and was informed that the “reasons” are confidential and even Social Security employees cannot access them. I replied to the Sallie Mae representative with a letter from the Social Security Administration so stating.  I am 68-years-old, living alone, and have difficulty understanding bureaucratic workings and communication, even though I worked as a bureaucrat for the Commonwealth of Kentucky for twelve years, ending in 1983 when I entered seminary. It was only in the past few weeks that I learned my funds were being withheld by the Department of Education and again began this disability application process.

 

I have received one 3 ½ page letter regarding my application which was so complex that I needed to make three telephone calls to find someone to explain it to me. What I finally learned was that (1) my application has been received, (2) is being processed, (3) I will be notified of the results within the next 120 days. I thought the letter and the woman explaining it said that during the application process no further withholding from my Social Security check would occur. Unfortunately, as I learned today, that is not true.

The Kitty Kids and I are happy to have food. I am happy to again be able to purchase the nonprescription medications that I require. We have faith that we shall survive the month of June at least as we did the month of May.

Day Ninety-nine

Today has not begun well! I'll not go into details now. Thus far by 9:30 AM the following has happened:

• I awakened at 6:AM to find Little Girl sitting outside my bedroom door and that the last of my oxygen tubing had been ripped open to the point that duct tape can't repair it. I am using bottled oxygen and the portable oxygen converter with a short hose until the oxygen folks arrive later today with replacements.
• My back hurts to the point that I can't stand or walk without great pain...
• so I'm sitting at my desk because the portable oxygen isn't compatible with my lift chair and it hurts too much to stand and make it compatible.
• For some unknown reason, last night Alex decided to defecate on the rung below his window perch.
• I'm into another fit of sneezing that the saline solution and blowing my nose doesn't stop.
• My agenda includes a couple of must-do items that are urgent, but I must be able to walk/drive to do them.

The good news is:

• the oxygen tubing is promised to be here by noon.
• my MD2U doc is to visit me at 1:00 PM.

Meanwhile, I have been able to feed the kitty kids and myself (a banana and my morning meds). The kids now eat regularly out of each other's food dishes, which make my feeding them much easier. Alex, however, still wants me to go to his dish and point out his food before he'll jump on his table and eat it. (Silly cat!)

After their breakfast, Sugar jumped on top of the printer, which sits beside my desk, and stared at me until I noticed her and placed on kitty treats on the printer top. Before she could eat them, Little Girl showed up and proceeded to eat Sugar's treats:

Sugar requested more treats. I gave her some more after Little Girl went exploring for some more trouble to get into.

Good news! I have ten replacement nose hoses, which is twice what I am allotted each month. Now if I can just keep the cats from chewing and clawing them.

A substitute MD2U PA visited me this afternoon. My regular PA had a baby two weeks ago and will be away another four or so weeks. I went over all of the medical stuff that has been bothering me the past several weeks and he said he'll call in two prescriptions, one antibiotic to deal with the infection in my lower left leg and one muscle relaxant for the pulled muscles in my lower back. 

He also confirmed that the nail on the big toe of my right leg in ingrown and needs attention. He can have someone visit me at my apartment, but it would cost me $35.00, which I don't have. I do have an appointment at the VA hospital in late December to have my toenails trimmed, so I telephoned and requested an earlier appointment. I've yet to receive a response from the VA.

As tomorrow's election draws near, I feel frightened and very anxious. If the GOP gains control of the federal government, I know I shall no longer have VA medical treatment and, in time, no Social Security income. The radical right-wing of the GOP has vowed to do away with both Social Security and the Veterans' Administration plus anything else that aids the poor, the elderly, and the infirm.

I am so sick of the deceit, deception, disinformation, and defamation of the GOP dirty tricks factory that thrown me into a deep depression, so deep that I can't watch TV and may even skip tonight's Monday Night Football. 

Day Twenty-five

Today I am attempting telephone contacts with government bureaucrats and lackeys of the 1%. I'm have a difficult time not becoming depressed.

Thus far today I've been unable to reach the bureaucrats with whom I've needed to speak at VA. I have spoken with someone at Montgomery Ward and my account has supposed been corrected to show PAID IN FULL. 

I don't know how long I can sit here doing this!

A CODE ORANGE AIR QUALITY ALERT FOR OZONE HAS BEEN ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FOR THE LOUISVILLE METRO AREA. MEMBERS OF SENSITIVE GROUPS MAY EXPERIENCE HEALTH EFFECTS.

Unfortunately, I am a member of two of those Sensitive Groups!

I'm giving up on the phone calls I've been making most of today. Since I'm not getting through to anyone at VA with whom I need to talk and Ma Bell only gets me robots and then people who can't assist me and who transfer me to another damned robot, I'm going to save my sanity, relax, and try again tomorrow.

This seems to come from the same "scientific reasoning" as the one Atkin used concerning rape:

Todd Akin would have made an excellent member of the Inquisition. 

I just prublished this graphic in my primary blog, Nick's Bytes:

With his engineering and managerial experience, Republican U.S. Representative William Todd Akin would have made an excellent witch hunter

This evening I am feeling an anxiety that is pushing me down into depression. It isn't what I can do or can't do that drives me into depression, it's the threats and power of idiot bureaucrats, politicians, religious freaks, and the lackeys of the 1% do that frighten me.