KateP's musings

  It has been thirty two years since my father died from a multitude of ailments.   Kidney disease (renal failure), Lupus related ailments, High blood pressure.   He was a man who I always loved despite his shortcoming.   His temper is something I may have inherited.   Our family has always been dysfunctional and we have all had addictions (mostly alcohol or drugs.   Mine was food).   I use it probably like everyone else comfort, sadness, boredom.   Luckily before my father died he had managed to overcome the alcoholism.   Each of us has our memories of our Dad.   I miss him and continue to wonder what it would have been like if he had survived.   Would it have been any different than it was with Mom? This weekend has been about the condo.   Friday night I had to meet up with the Optimum tech to fix replace the All in One box.   It took a while and 2 boxes later it seems to be working.   I would later learn that oth...

  After having a fairly uplifting day between the credit cards getting their payments and getting the paycheck pay raise things didn’t go as planned when i got home. I got home settled in and started cooking the chicken and feeding the cats and then checking emails and learning that the DTC meeting was last night.   I was having a hard time with connecting to zoom last night and during the meeting when Chairman Rich was speaking the sound and the interference was abominable.  LUckily it was over by 8:30 because right after that I had no internet service.   I checked the lines and unplugged and nothing.  I had made plans to transfer all the scanning I did at work for my personal files to the laptop so I couldn't do that.  I wanted to update my budget until 9.   I finally called the Provider and for the next couple of hours we worked on it.  It was nothing on their side so now he is sending a tech this afternoon.   I hope the guy come...

  1. I am thankful for my family warts and all.  BIL Nelson is returning slowly back to a semi normal health level.  He is currently doing PT as he spent time in the hospital this past month Liz has continued to help me settle in with the condo and the financial stuff.  We did have some rough spots (at least from my view).  She is trying not to be so judgemental and controlling (at least that’s how I feel today). 2. I am thankful for my kitties.   They are loving the condo and finding new ways to entertain themselves.  They have been able to open the cabinet doors and hide in them.  Tiger seems to be returning to a good weight level.  I bring Sky to his wellness check up next week. 3. I am thankful for my job.   We got our pay raise check today.  It will definitely be helpful. Been busy at work.  We have had mice sightings.  4. I am thankful for the house/condo.   Everything is coming along.  Liz and I put ...

  I thought my day was going to start wrong.  It sort of did.  First the wifi was acting wonky again.  Either that or the sites I was going to were having difficulties.  By the time I got home though they were fine.   I also had a feeling because I allowed access to Mama that I had to reset it so I could just get on without problems.  I was aggravated because I knew something was going to happen and I just don’t like having to go through that every time.  She had asked me questions about the current payments being made on one of the chases and I knew we had talked about it. Work went well, everyone was working on their different tasks.  I did the normal routine.  THere was a Corvid 19 working remotely class that I took and it was great.  Some of it was common sense but  there are some great tips.  We learned that the moderator’s office is in his home laundry area.  Oh and the equipment issue I mentioned yesterday...

  Later this afternoon is the long anticipated Phelan Family chat.    It’s at 4 this week.   I thought it was at the beginning of the month and was very disappointed that I got the date wrong.   I am not sure who is going to be there.   Well I do know of three people J, Sis and myself.   I hope I will be there. The WIFI was out again and this has been happening at least once a week.   This is illegal.   The only other option is Frontier or something. It is a major complaint weekly.   I am tired of it.   Luckily it was rectified by 7:30.   I would have been pissed if I had to miss the family chat. Before I do those I need to go grocery shopping, organize the office, and do some financial auditing of my own. The sun is out and it is in the mid-20s it’s supposed to stay that way with some clouds.   I have discovered that when it says clouds it doesn’t necessarily mean rain clouds but the beautiful shaped clouds that you...

  I just looked at the weather page for Milford and the temperatures read 27 degrees.   I have been looking out the window a few times since daybreak and could see the trees swaying so I would imagine it is cold outside and really I am not looking forward to going out. Then I read it is supposed to snow this morning.    Um I see the sun shining out there.   Of course weather has a habit of changing minute to minute at times.   But I don’t see dark clouds out there. I started housecleaning and started with the furniture blankets and dusting and cleaning the wood furniture.   As I was taking the blankets off the small recliner I noticed the clawing the cats have already done.   I can’t let them do that.   Despite the reassurances my colleagues have said.    They said it’s what they do.   I have vacuumed it and sprayed it with the repellent and hopefully trimmed it so it isn’t noticeable and I have to make a concerted effort t...

  Earlier this afternoon I received a call from the Vet and Princess Tiger lily is fine.   I just have to keep feeding her more I also have to get that delightful fecal specimen and bring it to them.   They want to see her in six weeks.   That will be fine because that’s when I will be bringing her to get her nails trimmed again. I hope it will not be as expensive as it was this time.   I still have to go through the annual checkup for Sky in two weeks    it will be the same amount I am guessing.   This makes it very easy not to send them to the vets with all this fees and cost.   No I am not planning on getting pet insurance.   It’s an expense I can’t afford ever. Anyway, we are just sitting here on the couch quietly.   They are sleeping and I am surfing the net and trying to figure out what’s on tonight.   TVguide.com site did a major overhaul and is completely useless.   I thought I had it figured out but now I am n...

  At least it feels like it's been a busy week.  We had a four day work week this week because of the Martin Luther King Jr Birthday.  We are caught up (for now) on the EOB scanning.  AC has been trying to catch up on all her work from her extended vacation.  I have been able to work on the refund scanning backlog for the last couple of days.  I finished a box that was started back in late 2020.   The mail has been surprisingly low volume and DG/shadow has been able to do it.  I learned this week she is retiring in October.  I am not sure how I feel about that.  She has been here since she was 19.  We have worked in this office (or department) through all of its renamings since 1990.  It will be interesting to see what happens.  I am going to have to get her something. We also got word from both the union and HR this week that our yearly raise is happening.  It will be in next week’s pay stub.  I have no ide...

  Today is the federal holiday that honors Dr. Martin Luther King JR and all his accomplishments.   I recently found out that Connecticut started recognize the holiday in 1973.   In 1990 Yale at the encouragement of the Black Students league asked them to recognize the civil rights leader.   AT first it was an hour service and subsequently it became day off for all employees and staff, and students.   I know the union is inviting us to a service at 5:30 but I am not attending (it’s via zoom) I have my session with Debra. Liz once again asked me if I was working today.    I told her no (we had this conversation on Friday).   I was about ready to scream when she asked.   Imagining what she could be thinking and writing.   Yes I am beginning to think she is taking notes to confirm or prove to her that I am abusing the time. I spent the late morning cleaning the bedroom, living room, and did the laundry.   I had watched TV for a l...

  Ya remember when I wrote Friday that I was feeling better and I talked to my sister>> well that was short lived.   The headache was back and I was heading home from picking up my regular prescriptions.   I called Liz back for something I can’t remember what and we got to talking about how my niece saw the picture of the cats on the brand new furniture. It pissed both of them off and she was angry but she didn’t sound it when she hung up.   But I was angry.   I ended up calling Mama Roberta and ranted to her about it for nearly an hour or more.   We then discussed the credit card stuff and she wanted to now the interest rates and ending dates on the statements.   She explained that if it adds up to the minimum payment that’s fine but if doesn’t (like adding more) then it could be against me. Most of that night I was semi successful at keeping the cats off the furniture, I also ended up ordering two self-heating cat beds .   They should ...

  After I posted my rant yesterday I did end up calling my sister and talking to her.   I started with the furniture part first (what is coming and when).  THen we talked more about the time and using it.  I did tell her I have tried to make my appointments for after work.  Let’s just say it wasn’t confrontational and it went well. There really aren't good results if confrontational.  She says she doesn’t want to be like Mom whenever I had the sprained ankle or the blood clot where she would say “Oh she can go to work?”. But, she doesn’t want me to go the opposite.   I do admit my weird heachache encased my entire head and I am not sure what it was.  I don’t know if it is stress or the seasonal allergies..  It was like someone had my head in a vise.  It hurt to raise my head a few times.  I was anxious to get home.   THe afternoon I worked but I was a little cranky.  I managed to restart the routine of scanning e...

  Stop suggesting to me when to set my appointments.  I have enough time and certain of these things are under fmla.  To keep telling me I have been missing too much work lately is really not your concern.  Stop telling me what your former employer did when people took too much time.  Apples and Oranges.  IF you think I have taken too much time you are certainly not going to like the fact I am home on Monday.  It's Martin Luther King Day.  Oh and please don’t tell me that when you were here 40 or 50 years ago it wasn’t like that.  I know,  it's called unions. I would also appreciate it if you would stop telling me to keep the cats off the new furniture.  I don’t mind them on it.  I do however, mind if they use it as a scratching post and I have been on them about that.  Oh and it's my place not yours.   I am well aware I could lose said condo if I don’t do the things I am supposed to.  I have been paying my ...

  I am hoping to have a good busy day.  As I am writing this the first two pieces of the furniture are arriving today  between 8:30 and 11:30.  They sent me a link to track it and I just don’t have the time.  I had arranged with Liz to wait for them.  However, I hadn’t realized she sent me texts asking me to let her know when they were coming.  The next emails were the furniture arrived, and my bill for her is now over $100.  The furniture looks great.  Liz liked them too.  I told her to stay and enjoy them.  Of course she wants me to call her and let her know what I think of it.   My BIL is home resting and is tired.  Sis hasn’t talked with the Dr about Nel and my first reaction is ‘huh? Since I couldn’t watch my normal programs this morning I left the news on.  I have to say it's okay.  I can watch my pbs programs and a few channels with dramas, and the normal network stuff.  At least that’s what I wa...

  This week has definitely been crazy busy for me.   Work was no big issues except I got annoyed with the zoom application because it wouldn’t let me back into a staff meeting.   I managed to do what I was supposed to and get as much as I could done with scanning.   We didn’t have a union meeting this week which I am grateful.   The administration distributed new chairs to the staff who wanted to them on Friday.   Apparently didn’t meet to everyone’s standards.   The ones I saw looked great but I am easy to please anyone. There is a learning webinar regarding dealing with Covid and stress I think on Monday.   That should be fun let’s hope it doesn’t get messed up on the computer.   There is another in a couple of weeks as well. I have tried several times to write this week and each time I had put it aside or got distracted by something or another.   I can’t promise it won’t be that way next week though as a lots going on again. A...