Just another series of ridiculous events leading up to a particularly volatile Tuesday!......................................... At least by my standards.

So I have to actually backtrack a little first to properly convey my state of mind when I awoke on Tuesday; ready to conquer the day, right the wrongs of the world, and generally kick ass….

THURSDAY

The previous Thursday I got a text from my boss (now former) telling me that I have an email that was sent to my personal email that I need to read right away. I go to Gmail, and the attachment won't display properly. I text her back to let her know this since it was "Urgent", to which she tells me she will send it again that evening. A second email never arrives Thursday evening. 

FRIDAY

Friday about 10am (ish) she sends me the email and tells me I was unable to open the attachment because I was using my phone - baffling because that was the device I used to open the attachment on the second email - but baffling is small potatoes to me so moving on.... She also tells me that I will be getting the same document sent to me by FedEx. GULP!  😟 The gist of the time-sensitive correspondence amounted to telling me that if I did not report to work at 8:00 Friday, they would consider me to have "voluntarily resigned" as of 7/19. That was when my doctor's note cleared me to return to work, but I was still working on getting my FMLA leave renewed, which expired 7/6. OK - Several issues with this whole business. First - I had FMLA granted to care for my mother with Alzheimer's and unless I am unaware, there is still no cure for this horrible disease, the afflicted never get better, symptoms only worsen. Dealing with the agency that handles these matters is like taking physics with a kindergartner. The end result was my request to renew my FMLA (to continue caring for the same person, same condition) was denied because I had not worked enough hours while on leave!!!! Family Medical Leave Act - its main purpose is to protect your job, and to prevent you getting penalized for days missed. There are so many directions I could rant off in just on this one item but, it is just the tip of the iceberg. Trying to straighten this out was obviously unsuccessful. I had sent an email to my HR addressing this as I do not think their calculations are correct most importantly. Second, to find out what my options were because I was also informed that we all had to return to work in the office and no one would be allowed to work from home anymore after August (by the way - it's already August). And no, they are not making any exceptions, and also no - I cannot bring my mother to work with me so I can watch her. I had 3 questions: 1. if I resign - do I get severance and am I re-hirable - 2. would my situation be looked at as my position no longer being available, since I obviously have to stay working from home, thus making it a lay-off, with severance or 3. will they terminate me and make me ineligible for rehire,  (again severance?) - but I would then be eligible for unemployment.  I was very clear - I did NOT want to resign, but I wanted to be re-hireable. After an entire week had gone by with no response from HR, I asked my boss, who said that the status of my email questions was "in review" and that to resign, she assured me, I would have to submit something formally in writing. She knows the full situation in detail and told me I should hear back soon, just keep checking. 🚧  I never heard from HR at all, just her text last Thursday. By them saying I voluntarily resigned in July it not only excludes me from unemployment benefits, it ended mine and my husbands' health insurance 7/31. I DID NOT RESIGN.😠😠😠 Since I did not get the letter before 8:00 am Friday - they extended me to Monday. So I sat and stewed about this all weekend. I decided to get up Monday, log in like they asked, work for half a day but not doing anything. They would have to fire me then and it would be in August so my health insurance would go to 8/31 and I could get all the things I already had scheduled done. Crisis averted, or so I thought.

MONDAY

I got up, went to log in, and the FRACKING internet was out - AGAIN - the Suddenfinks at Suddenlink 😡😡 had struck again. We are in the middle of arbitration so they really screw with me any chance they got. Sent my boss (now former) a text because what else could I do?. No response. While I am dealing with and processing this sudden obstacle to my plan, my mother is power calling me. I made the executive decision to call her later. My brother is with her so she is being cared for. My second executive decision of the CEO of my Monday was to just go back to bed, as I was too upset and defeated to talk to anyone. No sooner am I warmly ensconced back in my bed, I hear a pounding on my front door. It's my mom - who is being unceremoniously dropped off by my brother who has decided to take a trip to San Marcos.

SAN MARCOS

San Marcos is very special to me. 💖💖💖💖💖 Also to both my brothers as we have all lived there. That was the one place my husband and I really wanted to go this summer and go down the river. Of course, that is so far from possible because I cannot just decide to go anywhere on a whim. I have my mom and my plethora of pets 🐕🐕🐕🐕🐕🐕🐕🐱 so I am saddled to the house - Always. I assume that is why I was not consulted on my availability and ability beforehand but who knows...... If he had been going literally anywhere else, I really doubt I would have proceeded to throw a three-day temper tantrum that only grew as I was stuck in the face repeatedly with one after another of Life's curveballs. I don't even remember the rest of Monday, except to say that Mom showed up with a Starbucks and our Kurieg is currently broken. I didn't even want coffee until there wasn't one for me. I finally went to bed after arguing over and dwelling on having no job, the house not being spotless, and the $2000 couch we just got in February that has been destroyed by the aforementioned plethora of pets. I believe the phrase "t looks like we live in a crack house" was said to me at least once. And yes I know I am acting like a big baby lunatic. It's my turn.

TUESDAY

So here we are, back at the beginning and you're all caught up.  I awoke on Tuesday; ready to conquer the day, right the wrongs of the world, and generally kick ass…. I am at the kitchen sink loading the dishwasher, already started laundry, trying to fix the coffee maker while waiting for prudential to open at 9:00 so I can ask them out my pension and such. A brand new attitude, you can knock me down but I won't stay down. I am on the phone with my husband and,......... the power goes out!!!! 😒 Just yesterday I got an electric bill with a due date of 8/23. Plus, we have United Way that is giving us assistance with two bills and rent since I was on bed rest for a month (separate issue/story). I am starting to panic as we just had to go without A/C for 3 days a few weeks ago when the relay board blew. I do not do well without AIR CONDITIONING. The Hubs feels the freakout coming, tells me to calm down, call the power company. **Sidenote - United Way is a fabulous organization but are understaffed and mind-numbingly slow** So I call Discount Power, yes they did indeed disconnect our service, despite it being 105 on average each day for the past week, despite that, I just paid them $450 last month and despite that there should have been a pledge to pay from United Way or the payment itself, thus giving me a credit. The rep stated there was nothing on file from United Way, and I believed her because she said it's common - the pledge to pay thing - and that they deal with United Way a lot. She could not, however, explain why the bill I got just 24 hours earlier did not mention disconnection but I let that one go. I decided to go ahead and paid it now so I could get it restored immediately (or their interpretation of immediately - which happens to be just a little over an hour) and then call United Way. When I started this process with them when the power went out in June, it took them 2 days to get back to me so I thought we would figure out the paperwork after the fact. The next call is to my lady at United Way - so sweet and southern,..... She Scolded Me! 😧She said to stop paying the bill when then turn it off, that I should call her first because it is a paperwork nightmare to do the pledge to pay after I already paid. Apparently paperwork trumps elderly mom with Alzheimer's getting heatstroke. Who Knew? She said, "let me call them right now and get this all straightened out and your power restored ASAP". She further told me to take deep breaths and call her before I freak out again and that she would be calling me back the very second she took care of it. (it was 7:30 pm when that call came FYI). Over the next hour, as it got increasingly hotter and hotter in the house, and while my mom kept asking me over and over to please turn on the TV, I called Prudential and got that taken care of. That call at least was long but painless. Then finally, the power comes back one!!!!   OMG, I am so happy right now to live in the modern world, Then I notice that the AC is not turning on, not the unit outside but the blower inside the house - the one that just had a new relay board installed. Now, whenever we have an issue that needs maintenance we are supposed to request it through our rental agency's online portal. But, since I did what I do anytime I get any direct contact info for someone that I might need in the future, I saved the repair guy's number when he left a voice mail a few weeks ago when he replaced the relay board. I shoot him a text. I tell him the fan is not coming on at all, I have already tried replacing the fuse on the relay board and all it does is hum loudly. Because of where the relay board is, he knows that I have the cover off. He calls immediately. He starts by telling me they are very backed up - by days, that it probably just needs to be reset from when the power came back on. (What several days - um no - I got this) So I asked him to just walk me through it over the phone or I could just ask the google, then he promised that he would be to us that day. told me to stop messing with it!!! I would have too, I would have just kept poking around until he showed up or I burnt the house down. Luckily, he showed up - after 5:00 pm. I am no complaining that it took so long for him to get there because he really did us a solid by squeezing us in - but after 5, means that the one HVAC store in town is already closed, which then meant we could not get the blower motor that was discovered to be in need of replacement until after 9 am the net day. Meanwhile, my mother has spent the day asking me why is it so hot, telling me that we are going to go eat somewhere with AC and we are going to the mall to buy new shoes. She says this on a continuous loop until the repair guy leaves a little before 6pm - She started this particular question and statement merry-go-round at about 10:30 am. 😬😵😩So we trudge off to the mall looking like two very rough and ragged mental patients. I mean, we didn't even look in the mirror; as soon as he left we got in the car headed to the blissfully cooled mall. I did actually have an item on my to-do list that required a stop-in at JCPenny's so that was a plus. If you are familiar with the Abilene mall, then you already know what an abysmal disappointment it is, and that it might last another year or two at best. So I park where I always do - by the one good entrance - Best Buy - because they have a wheelchair there that they always let me take out in the mall if I leave them my ID. We looked so bad that when we were walking into the store some lady (not a Best Buy employee - just a random shopper) came over and asked us if we were okay, did we need something, She then ran and made an employee bring my mom a chair. I was trying to explain that our AC was just broken we were fine but, no one rarely ever listens to me. And then they drop the bombshell that someone is already using their one wheelchair. Oh, my mom is way more upset over this than she was over having no AC all day. And we are walking to JC Pennys - the other side of the world as far as she is concerned -so she asks just about every person she sees if they have a wheelchair. And almost asked the person currently using the one we were hoping to use to give it over. Fortunately, I stopped her before upsetting the poor gentleman who clearly needed it as one leg was entirely enclosed in a huge metal brace. Perpetual statement Merry-go-round #2, went something like - "I need a F**king chair! My legs hurt. Are you sure we are going the right direction? Do you think (insert the name of every store we passed here) has any wheelchairs? Is that a wheelchair?" and then she would swing her purse at whatever happened to be closest. I finally made it to the mall office and while, yes they do have wheelchairs we could use, they are already gone for the day and the office is locked since this sorry excuse for a mall now closed at 7:00 pm every day except Sunday - that is 6:00. We did not even get to the mall until 6:15 and it took us 20 minutes to make it to JC Pennys. I did run into my friend on the trek - the highlight of my day by far - so finally someone other than family or complete strangers got to bear witness to what is like now to take my mom shopping. Heartbreaking really, because sopping was always kinda her thing. Alzheimer's is evil and greedy and takes everything you love most. We finally make it to JC Penny's where thankfully they at least have shopping carts that she can use to lean on while she walks. (And why do they have shopping carts - like Target - this mall sucks more every time I am here and if they remove the massage chairs I'll never go back) I ask the one question that I went there to ask - takes five minutes and we are done. I felt like we drove across the country to see the Grand Canyon and only stayed for 5 minutes to look at it, then drove back home. Since today has been so sucky and since we were nowhere near cooled down enough I decided to take the last bit of cash I had on me and to go to Bingo. I had $24, it cost $24 for two people, which seemed like a sign. We had 16 minutes until the first session started and google maps said it would take 15 to get there.  Again, another sign! A sign I am about to be broke is what it said. But we both love bingo, it's good for mom to exercise her brain and you can't beat the price. The first time I went my friend took me and I won $500 so..... Originally my plan was to take mom home for the night and then go sweat it out with the fur babies alone. But she gets pretty scared in the car in general but especially after the sun starts to set and she didn't want to make that drive so we sweated it out together. It was a long night - I think it was after 4:00 am before I finally fell asleep. Oh, and my therapist has requested that I stop making jokes about smothering people in their sleep.

WEDNESDAY

I wake up bright and early with eager anticipation to get this AC repair going. I know the HVAC store opens at 9:00 am, so by 9:15 I am already texted an ETA request to the poor repair that I have been not so patiently waiting for. I get a response at least an hour and a half later that he is "putting the blower motor together" and then he will be right here. I don't know how long it was until he got there because I must have blacked out from heatstroke. 😩. This time he has an assistant with him so I figure it will go quickly. And yep, within 20 minutes the new blower motor is in!..... HOWEVER, it will not turn on. It was then that he informed me, ever so casually, that he dropped it when he was putting it together. What The Unacceptable F*ck??? He then proceeded to mumble something to himself about hoping her could get a credit for it at the parts store and I slide into full-blown panic mode. He is not answering any of my questions that I am hurtling at him in rapid succession regarding what this means for me and what now and.... Wait, did they just leave????? OMG - so now I am full-on desperate. I cal my friend Jess, and ask her if she will come .... pick up my mom, take her to WALMART, make sure she gets the right portable AC unit that I have picked out and then bring her back to my house. I cannot go because I have no idea if the repair guy is coming back right away, hours from now, or what. So Jess knows all about my moms' prior history with Walmart and what is like to go to the store with her and no way does she want to do this I know - HUGE FAVORI am asking but, like I said, I am desperate. She tells me she has to talk to Dave (her ex) and will call me right back. Dave has one of the portable units that I am trying to go get. I asked to borrow it last night but it was a no-go as that is his only A/C. Understandable. She calls me back within mere minutes to tell me that Dave will be right over with his. She accurately ascertained how over the edge I was in my meltdown (Pun intended), because I would never ask her to take my mom to the store, so thankfully (thank you Jess and Dave) she sprung into action and rushed Dave over here. They only live a few blocks away, but he had to uninstall it first. It was about 30 minutes later when I hear the knock at the door and I opened it expecting to see Dave but it was the repair guy, minus his assistant and plus one brand new blower motor. No sooner than him walking through the door before Dave shows up. He starts right away to hook up the portable unit because we do not even know if the new motor will fix the problem. IF it doesn't the repair guy had said he would just request a completely new system be installed  I am watching them both like a tennis match to see which one is done first. I am so far past obnoxious at this point it's embarrassing. And then, Halleluiah! The blower motor is installed and the AC  is working properly. The cold winds are blowing! 😁😁😁. Dave didn't have to loan out his unit and the temp in the house had already dropped 4 degrees by the time he had it loaded back in his van.

THURSDAY - 3:00 am

I had to raise the temp setting because I was freezing. It was a delightful 63 degrees.....☃⛄

Please follow my blog!!!

Please leave a comment!