Business done and now...

It's a holiday here in the U.S. but really one that my Kiwi friend, Scott, calls a faux holiday.  Banks are closed.   Government offices are closed.  My swimming pools are closed.  But, everything else, including the stock market is open.  

So. I called the soon to be ex-mail order pharmacy to track down two prescriptions.  Called the new mail order pharmacy to see why the instructions I got in the snail mail weren't working (they were incorrect).  I ordered a prescription transfer to see if it works - time, probably a lot of it - will tell.

Then I called the IBM pension people.  You really do need patience in dealing with these folks.  They operate as if 1960 still looms in the future.  Fortunately, working at IBM in the 70's and 80's as I did taught you all the patience you need.  

The really horrible reality is that this pension was available to me about 16 months ago.  I should have applied for it then.  Since I did not, I blew off about $16,000.  I am trying to ignore that since it is water under the bridge but it still bugs the shit out of me - so I'm not doing a very good job of ignoring it.

The application process is that you have to call an 800 number to find out what the website told me already (the amount I will receive). Then they send you that information I already knew via snail mail in a 10 page document (including two of the famous IBM This Page Has Been Intentionally Left Blank).

Once you get the 10 page document you have to call back to, confirm that you want the amount and then they send you an 12 page package that you have to sign and return. All via snail mail. Once they get that then they have 45 days to start the payments.

On the up side, the payments start in December and even if not through the process, they will catch me up retroactively so at least I won't blow any more $$.

All done.

And, that's it for today. That's all I have on the to do list. No swimming possible. Maybe I'll take my pretend dog for a walk.

My TiVo is getting seriously depleted. I'm thinking about signing up for Netflix again for a few months - until baseball season starts again.

today's basket

I created a monster

I subscribe to TV Guide. I like to read the old fashioned paper version while I eat dinner.

My neighbor Ann, gets Rachel Ray's magazine which I used to enjoy now and then. So one day Ann suggested we trade when we are done. And we developed this system of leaving our magazines on each other's doors in little bags hanging from the door knob. Easy for her cause my unit is right by the elevator. Hers is at the very end of the long hallway on the way to nowhere but whatever.

Then she started dumping all of her magazines in my bag. And I ended up being her recycle bin. I do not like or want "Light Recipes" or "Consumer Reports" or any of the other bascillion tomes she dumps on me.

And now, she's getting pretty fucking pushy about the TV Guide. She just came in here and wanted to know where this week's issue was. As it turned out, I hadn't finished reading it yet. "Well, bring it as soon s you finish, ok cause it's the one for this week!"

I told her to take it and I'd read it on line. Seriously. LAST TIME. If she wants a free ride, she has to wait for the free bus! I also told her I would not be renewing so if she wants a copy, she should pay for her own subscription.

I will, of course, renew but she's never going to find out that I did! Now I need to figure out how to get out being her recycle bin.

And people wonder why I'm not a people person!

door #1??? door #2??? tag you're it???

My insurance is abandoning the prescription mail service I have been using in favor of Walgreens. I got a long, convoluted letter that basically told me to go to walgreenshealth.com and order refills or prescriptions there.

I got the account created and my credit card added weeks ago but the 'still processing' never went away so I called the insurance number given for questions.

A nice man told me that walgreenshealth was going away and I needed to go to walgreens.com.

Which I did. Created an account, ordered a prescription transferred. And I got an acknowledgement.

Four hours later I got an email saying WRONG Walgreens!! I need wallgreensmail.com.

I go to Walgreensmail.com and it says:

WalgreensMail.com has moved to WalgreensHealth.com

To recap.... Walgreenshealth, is now Walgreens, who sends you to Walgreensmail which is now Walgreenshealth.

Ok, Chorus, can I now get - in harmony please - a roaring WHAT THE FUCK??????

I call the insurance number back and this time the song they are singing is that none of this will work or should even be attempted before December 1. NOTHING in the paperwork mentions this nor did the person I talked to earlier this morning.

My drugs are now being hijacked by a most creative bunch. Good thing I just got everything refilled so it's really not a crisis for a couple of months.