Share of Cost.
This is the monkeywrench. These are the words I'm hating on right now.
The call to the electronic timesheet help desk led to a call to the IHSS office, where I was informed, very apologetically by the woman on the other end of the line, that the Share of Cost for the Queen Mother to receive IHSS assistance had eaten up my paycheck. More, it would eat up all subsequent paychecks, since this Share of Cost is slightly more than double what I receive per month to take care of the Queen Mother. The decision was made late last month - and by the way, I should receive notification of said decision this week.
I really needed this money, this week. I will challenge Medi-Cal's decision and do my damndest to rectify this, since nothing in our income has changed. I can even get my union involved if it comes to that. I see resolution...in a month. Maybe two months.
In the meantime, all of our carefully laid vacation plans are now Kaput.
Tomorrow I'm taking my paperwork to my local office, which is just on the other side of town. If I had tried to go today, I would very likely be in jail right now. I was that upset. I'm still simmering.
In the middle of all this, the dentist finally fixed the Queen Mother's dentures to her satisfaction. I will delve more into this later. She's reasonably happy with them today; tomorrow might be another story. Regardless, we're returning to the dentist in a week to see if any further modifications are needed.
The MOMENT Himself gets money from his personal injuty case, I am taking my vacation. Until then, I shall be growling at a few mindless bureaucrats. Pray for them...
Showing posts with label Vacation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vacation. Show all posts
Monday, October 22, 2018
Sunday, October 21, 2018
Day 16: on the breaking of tension by my moonflow
(aka, "holy crap! she's gonna be writing about her menstrual period!")
Today I received the unmistakable notice that "Auntie Flow" was once again making her monthly-ish visit. I'm steadily creeping forward in the lunar cycle, thanks to the gift of Peri-Menopause. I'm no longer a spring chicken - more likely a midsummer one - so I'm not quite going an entire month between times of bleeding. I'm not as bad as I used to be, though, when my hormones were so out of whack that there wasn't a real rhyme or reason to any part of my cycle! That, however, is story in and of itself, which I will save for another time.
Anyway...I'm not entirely surprised that I'm starting my Moonflow today, because I've been feeling the Tension building within me for a couple of days prior. I call it part of my Pre-Menstrual Sensitivity: my temper grows shorter, and my patience dissipates much faster, as my desire to Go Within and Turn Away from "the outside world" increases exponentially. For a few days before, and for the first part of my Moonflow, I might as well have a sign on my door that says, "Deposit Dark Chocolate at Entry and Walk Away. Will Emerge Eventually." With the initial trickle, however, I always heave a huge sigh of relief; as I seem to regain a bit of my patience and stability, I can now stand down and pull the claws back in. ;)
Those couple of days beforehand this time were doozies. The Queen Mother was in a foul mood on Friday, because she had to see her doctor. Just as her mood got better, Himself and I advised her of our plan to help a friend with transportation up to LAX - and right back into Foulness she went. I found myself in a foul mood that reflected her foul mood, and there were times when we unfortunately amplified one another. As yesterday unfolded, though, the words of Wisdom a friend had shared with me finally sunk in. I am responsible, to a certain degree, for mom's Health. I am NOT responsible, to ANY degree, for her Happiness! If she wants to be in a bitchy mood all day, that's Her Choice, and I can just let her stew in her own juices until she chooses otherwise. Some days will be easier to remember this than others; when I forget, Himself has promised to remind me.
As for the trip up to LAX and back home itself, it wasn't bad at all. Outside of the airport, traffic was actually behaving, a rare event in Los Angeles County! Inside, of course, was another story, but we followed our noses and everything worked out for the best. We even had time for a necessary Pit Stop before returning home. We got back before midnight, which is the Queen Mother's usual bedtime, and I tucked her in per usual. :)
The bad news: the next day or so will not be fun, as the Queen Mother has a dental appointment tomorrow, and I have to go with her to make sure everything gets communicated smoothly. She's not only "losing words" from her vocabulary, she's also mostly deaf and refuses to wear hearing aids. Once that's taken care of, there will be the matter of breaking the news to her that Himself and I will be flying out to Phoenix for a long weekend. It's a service conference for him, but it will be a much needed Vacation for me! Since I've had my a-ha moment, though, I'm not nearly as worried as to what her reaction will be once she learns of our plans. We are having a friend with caregiving experience come over for those days that we're gone, to keep an eye on her and keep her company. Mom is complaining more and more of loneliness, so this will be helpful, especially if she and her designated caregiver hit it off.
The good news: I should be finished with my Moonflow by the time the conference begins, so I'll be able to take advantage of the waterslide and the heated swimming pool at the hotel! I envision myself spending a lot of time poolside, in fact.
Some vexing news: I'm registered with In Home Supportive Services, an organization run by the state of California that treats me as the "employee" of the Queen Mother, so I'm paid by the state government. Somehow, they've messed up my paycheck for the first part of the month - my income for this pay period has been "eaten up" completely by deductions. I don't understand it either, and I was counting on that money to make this vacation a smooth one! So I'll be making a phone call tomorrow morning and hope that someone merely put a decimal point in the wrong place, and this can be resolved sooner rather than later!
If it's not one thing, it's another, am I right?
And all I want right now is some dark chocolate and my mandala coloring book. :p
Ah, well. This will all work out for the best...
Today I received the unmistakable notice that "Auntie Flow" was once again making her monthly-ish visit. I'm steadily creeping forward in the lunar cycle, thanks to the gift of Peri-Menopause. I'm no longer a spring chicken - more likely a midsummer one - so I'm not quite going an entire month between times of bleeding. I'm not as bad as I used to be, though, when my hormones were so out of whack that there wasn't a real rhyme or reason to any part of my cycle! That, however, is story in and of itself, which I will save for another time.
Anyway...I'm not entirely surprised that I'm starting my Moonflow today, because I've been feeling the Tension building within me for a couple of days prior. I call it part of my Pre-Menstrual Sensitivity: my temper grows shorter, and my patience dissipates much faster, as my desire to Go Within and Turn Away from "the outside world" increases exponentially. For a few days before, and for the first part of my Moonflow, I might as well have a sign on my door that says, "Deposit Dark Chocolate at Entry and Walk Away. Will Emerge Eventually." With the initial trickle, however, I always heave a huge sigh of relief; as I seem to regain a bit of my patience and stability, I can now stand down and pull the claws back in. ;)
Those couple of days beforehand this time were doozies. The Queen Mother was in a foul mood on Friday, because she had to see her doctor. Just as her mood got better, Himself and I advised her of our plan to help a friend with transportation up to LAX - and right back into Foulness she went. I found myself in a foul mood that reflected her foul mood, and there were times when we unfortunately amplified one another. As yesterday unfolded, though, the words of Wisdom a friend had shared with me finally sunk in. I am responsible, to a certain degree, for mom's Health. I am NOT responsible, to ANY degree, for her Happiness! If she wants to be in a bitchy mood all day, that's Her Choice, and I can just let her stew in her own juices until she chooses otherwise. Some days will be easier to remember this than others; when I forget, Himself has promised to remind me.
As for the trip up to LAX and back home itself, it wasn't bad at all. Outside of the airport, traffic was actually behaving, a rare event in Los Angeles County! Inside, of course, was another story, but we followed our noses and everything worked out for the best. We even had time for a necessary Pit Stop before returning home. We got back before midnight, which is the Queen Mother's usual bedtime, and I tucked her in per usual. :)
The bad news: the next day or so will not be fun, as the Queen Mother has a dental appointment tomorrow, and I have to go with her to make sure everything gets communicated smoothly. She's not only "losing words" from her vocabulary, she's also mostly deaf and refuses to wear hearing aids. Once that's taken care of, there will be the matter of breaking the news to her that Himself and I will be flying out to Phoenix for a long weekend. It's a service conference for him, but it will be a much needed Vacation for me! Since I've had my a-ha moment, though, I'm not nearly as worried as to what her reaction will be once she learns of our plans. We are having a friend with caregiving experience come over for those days that we're gone, to keep an eye on her and keep her company. Mom is complaining more and more of loneliness, so this will be helpful, especially if she and her designated caregiver hit it off.
The good news: I should be finished with my Moonflow by the time the conference begins, so I'll be able to take advantage of the waterslide and the heated swimming pool at the hotel! I envision myself spending a lot of time poolside, in fact.
Some vexing news: I'm registered with In Home Supportive Services, an organization run by the state of California that treats me as the "employee" of the Queen Mother, so I'm paid by the state government. Somehow, they've messed up my paycheck for the first part of the month - my income for this pay period has been "eaten up" completely by deductions. I don't understand it either, and I was counting on that money to make this vacation a smooth one! So I'll be making a phone call tomorrow morning and hope that someone merely put a decimal point in the wrong place, and this can be resolved sooner rather than later!
If it's not one thing, it's another, am I right?
And all I want right now is some dark chocolate and my mandala coloring book. :p
Ah, well. This will all work out for the best...
Thursday, October 18, 2018
Day 13: on summing up
I have succeeded in clearing the floor in the master bedroom. We still need a good vacuuming, but it's nice being able to walk without having to step over or around piles of whatnot in the middle of the night in order to reach the commode.
Himself received paperwork in the mail from the "civilian" neurologist. He will still have to visit their office tomorrow to get everything, but all systems are go to put together settlement proposal. Hoping to have it completed next week.
Tomorrow is going to be a full day of appointments. I will speak more at length in the evening after all has been said and done.
Went to my support group tonight and came up with a new term: as there is Pre-Grieving (mourning the loss of a loved one before their passing), I came up with Pre-Bitching - anticipating a loved one's reaction when Himself and I tell the Queen Mother we're leaving for a long weekend next week, and a friend of ours will be staying with her while we're away. I doubt if she will be thrilled. More on that as we draw closer to time.
Herein is the summary. Will be back tomorrow... :)
Himself received paperwork in the mail from the "civilian" neurologist. He will still have to visit their office tomorrow to get everything, but all systems are go to put together settlement proposal. Hoping to have it completed next week.
Tomorrow is going to be a full day of appointments. I will speak more at length in the evening after all has been said and done.
Went to my support group tonight and came up with a new term: as there is Pre-Grieving (mourning the loss of a loved one before their passing), I came up with Pre-Bitching - anticipating a loved one's reaction when Himself and I tell the Queen Mother we're leaving for a long weekend next week, and a friend of ours will be staying with her while we're away. I doubt if she will be thrilled. More on that as we draw closer to time.
Herein is the summary. Will be back tomorrow... :)
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