Tag: Bitter Ben

And THEN…

~ JodiLea

I don’t know why I am experiencing major CRAP this week. Crazy, Ridiculous, and Poposteruos (CRAP). Last week was OK. Except I could not log into my ISP to get my email. Every other computer/device in the house had no problems – only my desktop in my office ran into an “Access Denied” message. So, I could not log in to the Xfinity website. However, I had access to all my usual internet places. Only the Xfinity server had an issue with me. Total CRAP in this case because Xfinity assigns my IP address, etc.

I don’t expect most readers to understand what I’m talking about, and that’s OK. However, Xfinity doesn’t seem to know either, and it’s been a week now, and nothing has been done about it. This has forced me to rant. Customer Support could not help me. They suggested that I use my husband’s laptop to get my email.

Easy for them to say.

I expected to be on the phone all morning trying to get a technician to speak to me, but no. A more urgent screw-up became a priority. I spent yesterday trying to straighten out my hubby’s medications with our mail-order pharmacy. They did not process one of his heart med refills in time, so he ran out. I asked them to rush it, but that idea was beyond their comprehension. The meds would be shipped out on September 11. Period. If he needed the meds before then, have his doctor write an Rx to a local pharmacy.

I am still processing this advice when hubby gets a text from the mail-order pharmacy informing him that his meds are on hold because they will cost over $200. We know this already. Every time they get refilled, they are over $200. EVERY TIME.

And THEN, when I called to approve the order, I was informed that they had to talk to my husband to get his approval. I actually laughed out loud. My husband has never dealt with his meds or the pharmacy. He has a nurse/secretary to do all that for him. And why don’t you make him deal with it, you ask? Because my blood pressure is going up, and I am not the one with a heart problem. This kind of CRAP could head me in that direction, though. These people could turn me into a competitor of Bitter Ben’s.

It’s 10:30 a.m. now, and the morning is half over. My to-do list is 2.5 hours behind schedule. Should I move those tasks over to tomorrow morning? Should I do them now and postpone the afternoon stuff? I am unsure. So, I will do something entirely different for an hour and try to chill out.

I’m going to sew little blocks together and design my next quilt.

TTFN!

Dates of Historical Significance

~ JodiLea

“Star Date: December 15, 1984,” begins a post by one of my favorite bloggers – Bitter Ben.
Out of curiosity, I looked that date up in my journal. Yes, like Captain Kirk, I kept logs.

Even my therapist was “amazed” at the stacks of journals I owned up to. Some were in wire-bound notebooks – the early years. Later on, I got addicted to nicely bound journals (usually found at Ross) that looked like any of the other books on my bookshelves. No one knows that I am still writing in them. This is more effective protection than locked diaries that draw attention to themselves because they are locked and presumably full of secrets.

So, searching for Ben’s special date, I re-discovered some of my own in the search through my past. August 8th, 2008 (8/8/08) – I am descending into a serious depression and don’t know it. I am freaking out about being overwhelmed at work AND home – I have too much to do for one person in the allotted time. To save money, my project is not allowing overtime. The dude in charge of customer support (tech support that I care for) retired. He will not be replaced. Translation: Jodi will have to do (or delegate) everything. The “new” girl takes over the tasks that the retired guy left behind and starts to boss me around. She works for me. She probably senses that I am losing it.

Man! Reading those logs made me nervous. Was I really that close to a nervous breakdown? Oh, yes. No wonder hubby wanted to retire ASAP. I must have been driving him crazy, griping about work constantly. I caught on to the depression factor when I stopped wearing make-up and getting my hair done.

In 2007 and 2008, I probably would have given into depression if it was not for my granddaughter, then a toddler of 3 years, loving me. The knock-you-down kind of love that they express when they see you and run full out to hug you. Agape. The Spanish word for the purest and unmotivated/unselfish love.

August 8, 2023 – (8/8/23) Maui caught fire, and Lahaina was destroyed. I had our 35th-anniversary trip all planned out. Guess where?
What is it about August 8th? I need to do some research about that date to see if it shows up in my historical records again. My hysterical records are probably a more fitting description.

Thanks for listening!

To be continued…