Not Quite There Yet

That's right folks, I'm not quite there yet.  I'm still a bit off the tracks.  In fact, I feel like I've been tied to the tracks for the past few weeks because my schedule has been totally disrupted.  Don't get me wrong though, it was all for the good but this upheaval has thrown my normally, placid and controlled life out of whack. I feel like the train is coming down the tracks and I'm tied to it with the sound of the on rushing train about to overtake me.


Take for instance this morning.  I had all good intentions of writing one of my 'Trip Down Memory Lane' blogs to include some of my vintage photos from the 70's gay era.  All 'good intentions', those are the operative words.  Well, you know the saying about 'all good intentions.'  So true this morning.


So here is what I did.  I thought before I totally committed myself to delving deep into my iPhoto library looking for those vintage 70's photos and cleansing my mind of current events to GO BACK TO THE GOOD TIMES of the 70's, I would take care of my new Verizon Wireless account.  HA!


Two hours later and here I am.  Yes ladies and germs, I was on the phone with Verizon for almost two hours getting my new wireless account set up on my computer so I can view my account on line and make payments on line.  I had assumed that all I had to do was sign on to Verizon and view my account.  Oh no. It doesn't work that way.  I had to setup a whole new account.  Yes, yet ANOTHER Verizon user name and password.  So, here I am two hours later, clock is a ticking, I haven't taken my daily walk yet, and I have to go to work again today.  These days I've been working three days (in a row) a week which is really knocking me off of my game.  


So that's where I am now friends, getting myself together again.  I don't know, is it me or is life a lot more complicated these days?  


See you tomorrow,  hopefully I won't be wound up so tight.  I am so ready to go back to the good old boring Ron coasting through the day, taking occasional trips down Memory Lane and being my usual happy self.  

Getting Back on Track

I am off the track folks.  I just can't seem to get back to my regular routine.


Yesterday I completed and electronically filed my Federal and state income taxes.  I carefully went over the figures once, twice and thrice before I pushed the 'File' button on my Turbo Tax program.  Last year I was a little to hasty in filing my taxes and I ended up having to file an amended return for the first time in my life.  I am very hesitant to do anything out of the ordinary with the IRS lest I get caught in one of their infamous whirlwind Catch-22's of hell where I end up renting a plane and crashing it into the local IRS building (not that I would ever do anything like that.)  So what happened after I filed it?  I come home from work last night (yes, I was called into work AGAIN to fill in for my co-worker - another reason I'm off track) and I find both of my returns were REJECTED!  Oh God!  


Not to worry though, it seems the IRS didn't want to use my electronic filing code number I've been using all these years since I've been filing electronically.  Okey dokey.  I call the phone number provided (at 12 midnight last night by the way) and was very easily walked through how to get a new electronic filing number.  I filed it and I don't see any reject as of this time (11:23 am) so I guess I'm all right, for now.


Next up yesterday morning, my call to TracFone. I got the new SIM cards in the mail and I was ready to call TracFone to activate both my and Bill's TracFone.  If  you'll remember, I transferred our old TracFone numbers to our new iPhones.  That was easy.  With TracFone.... not so much.  So I call and of course I get the woman with a heavy Spanish accent.  Of course.  Well, to spare you all the boring, painful details (which I know because I told my both my friends Don and Bob on FaceTime of my experience with TracFone yesterday and they both could hardly stifle their yawns) I was on the phone with different TracFone representatives almost FOUR HOURS!  Yes, Virginia, FOUR HOURS!


I finally got the problem resolved when I demanded to speak to a supervisor (who also had a Spanish accent - WTF)?  I finished just in time to eat a quick lunch and leave for work at 2:30.  I like to take a nap for at least an hour to be fresh for my 3 to 11 pm shift.  I couldn't do that yesterday and believe me I struggled.  In fact at one point I did drop off when I was sitting at my manager's desk watching TV (during a slow period).  


I work again tonight and tomorrow night.  Then I have Friday off.  


I think I've worked three days a week the past three weeks (I'm losing count).  Three days is pushing it for me.  I don't mind working where I work and I certainly can use the extra cash but it does throw my schedule off kilter.  In fact last night Bill and I were to go to a dinner at our friend Bob C.'s  I couldn't make it so Bill went alone.  Bill was just going to go over to Bob's and pick up the fish he cooked (I don't cook fish, it stinks up our house) but he ended up staying for the full blown meal.  I probably should be jealous but I'm not.  Bill and I trust each other totally and besides, we've always had an open relationship.  That's probably the main reason we're still together after forty-six years.  We're realistic and don't try to control each other although Bill always wants to know where I am which can be annoying at times.  


Well, enough this.  It's time for lunch then a nap and to work again tonight. 


I have all kinds of new fun and interesting blog subjects roiling around in my head that I'm looking forward to posting and sharing with all of you.  I think I've pretty we all beaten to death my phone tribulations and trials.  

Spring is coming, I can feel it in the air.  The bluebirds were checking out our bluebird house in the backyard today.  Of course the sparrows were fighting with them so there is another battle for me, to get rid of those sparrows.  Here we go again.

My Visit to the Dermatologist

Me, Rehoboth Beach 1965

Yesterday I went to the VA in Wilmington, Delaware for an emergency appointment with my dermatologist.  I had just seen them this past September.  At that time they removed a small keratosis spot on my left cheek.  Keratosis is a pre cancerous skin condition.  If you don't remove them, they could turn cancerous.  I've had this condition since 1987 when I noticed a painful spot on my face when I shaved.  Over the years I regularly visit a dermatologist to be checked for the return of these spots.  Occasionally they return.  The dermatologist removes them by burning off the scabby keratosis spot with dry ice.  Afterward my face looks like I was beat up but eventually it heals and I'm back to normal.


Shortly after my visit to the VA last September I had another painful scabby spot show up on my left shoulder, right by my shirt line.  I tried to ignore it, hoping it would go away.  But it didn't.  So I called the VA Friday hoping that I would have to wait two months for an appointment.  I was in luck, they had a cancellation for Monday so I went up with Significant Other who also, coincidentally had a scheduled appointment with the dermatologist.  


We were both sliced and diced.  I had the spot burned off of my shoulder.  I also had a spot taken off of my right shoulder blade.  That wasn't cancerous but "just" a barnacle.  When you're old like me I guess you get "barnacles" just like a ship.  Then the doctor noticed a spot on the base of my spine.  It wasn't cancerous either but would I like it removed?  Sure. What the heck?  So she dug and dug at it, while the intern looked on.  After a few minutes of painful digging she said she got most of it, would I like to to "dig" some more? Uh......no.  I'll live with it.  No more digging into my flesh as long as it wasn't cancerous.  


Then she found a suspicious spot on my right ear.  I noticed it too.  It looked like clotted blood but it wasn't painful so I ignored it.....of course.  She said she would like to send it in for a biopsy.  Uh huh.  Biopsy isn't a word one want to hear when one is in the dermatologist's office.  She said she would "slice it off" after she gave my ear a needle (first time my ear ever had a needle) and "send it in."  She said the ear "heals very quickly" so that was a "good thing."  Uh huh.  So I get the needle in my ear and it is just as you would imagine, a sharp prick to the ear (another First.)  She "slices" off then offending parasite on my ear and then looks for a bandage to stop the bleeding.  In all my 69 years I never had one of my ears bleed.  I did yesterday.  There is always a first for everything.  


She couldn't find a small bandage so she put a too big bandage on my ear and told me they would be "contacting me."  She said if the biopsy turned out positive then they would "have to have a conversation with me."  Okay.  That sounds ominous.  Lots of key words and phrases to perk up my ears.


Coincidentally earlier this week Significant Other showed me an article in the local paper about how well the VA Hospice Care Unit function.  The cover story was on a 64 year old veteran who had terminal skin cancer.  A big bandage was on his face where his nose should have been  His daughter was in the picture with him.  This picture came to my mind yesterday.  Then I thought of all those years I used to lay on the beach getting a tan.


I'm here to tell everyone right now.  Those tans weren't worth it.   All the warnings about skin cancer?  They were true.  I know.  I'm dealing with it now and it is damn scary.