Post Gordon ~ Thoughts, Commentary & Reflections

Had to pull TH out of VIM (Volunteers in Medicine)...
--Just as Dr. finally walks into room, must make Food Stamp appt
--5, count 'em, 5 gals lined up behind a counter, all 5 reading paper
--They say will be only 30 minutes max, will get list of documents
--That he may not have with him today and needed
--Take him back over to VIM after...
--Very frustrated gal being told has to start 'new' case, old case dead
--Not her fault, gal tells her used to have this problem. Right. Used to.
--Mailed notice out, not received, has to start new case, 'only option'
--Says need to talk to post office... only option re-apply.
--Don't you just love bureaucracy?? Not!! But approved!
--Took less than 30 minutes and we're back at VIM
--TH will have food money for a while, hasn't had any work
--Laid off in April 2013, no income since last year April 2013
--Could not get unemployment due to issue with birth certificate
--And lack of acceptable ID!! Has birth certificate now... ID next!!
Not my normal day off, chickens laid 6 eggs this last Prairie run.


//Hi modiddley01! Hi 1031ked!! Hi jbee!! Hi InkdBrian! Hi OceanDan! Thx for visiting!

 

Sitting in car at Mother Hubbard's Cupboard, Bloomington, IN...
...While Thomas loads up from the food pantry
...Got his 'new' official Indiana temporary picture ID from BMV
...(Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles issuer of ID's and drivers licenses)
...Permanent ID will arrive in mail, probably next week to Shalom Center
...We now know his original drivers license was suspended in 1993
--For non-payment of tickets Oct 7, 1992, has had no violations last 32 years
--But it's going to take a trip up to Indy and who knows how long
--To research old records from 3 decades ago, have to go to Marion County
--Called, got msg 'due to large call volume cannot take your call'. Hey! Thx!
--Dropped him off 4:30 pm at Transit Center in Bloomington, with $2 fare
--Gets him back to Spencer, allows me to do my own stuff in B-ton.
--Called broker on the Indy~Bettendorf load tomorrow ahem (morning)
--'Hi Victor, have I given you the pickup number?' No. Texts it to me.
Appt's for 7 am, maybe take me earlier

 

This morning, up to pee (well, sometimes frequently)...
--Realized hadn't thanked CFO Brian and Dixie for set up package help
--You know, takes time, brokers want insurance docs, authorities, yada yada
--Surprised to get this back:
"You are welcome, Vic. We are always here to help you. Have a good day," Dixie.
--Whoa!! That felt good! Makes me feel a little guilty, frankly.
--Dixie's in Accounting. Told Yard Boss how odd,
--Mack cranky about door shuffle in Prairie; at ease, talkative and upbeat
--After we beat it through some nasty weather.
--"Oh, yeah, Vic. He probably felt fearful up at Prairie, not in control,"
--"Then, felt in control again at dealing with rain, fog, visibility on the road."
We definitely are a funny animal, we humans... the condition called human.

 

Click!

Hey! HEY!! H-H-E-E-E-Y-Y!! Who turned the LIGHTS off???????

WHO??

Really?

Say what?? WHAT?? Really!! Well!! For pete's sake!!

Well, it's their sandbox after all...

Humph!!

Darn! Toilet paper roll slipped away, too.

Gotta be down around here somewhere...

Sheesh!!


(Banned 30 days, thread closed while 'away'. Current location: West LA Veterans Hospital. 93-year-old Mom in Memory Care Unit; car camped last night in VA parking lot. Mom was 2nd Lieutenant Army nurse in occupied Germany and France. Brought her a Snickers first, then went out for KFC, wings, cole slaw, mashed potatoes and gravy, chocolate cake. You buy whole choc cake, not slice. Enough for thin slice for all staff and residents who were up. A nice visit yesterday that she does not remember this morning, Sunday. Oh, well, old age isn't for sissies after all.

Fortunately, Mom's no sissy. Raised in Great Depression, never expected much. Doesn't remember her 'recent' yesterdays; okay with it. Last night knew my name and that I'm her son; not, however, this morning. Will stop back this afternoon.

Flew out to PHX Wednesday a.m., took metrorail ($2) direct from PHX to Mesa, walked two blocks, picked up Dodge Avenger rental from Hertz in Mesa (avoided PHX airport fees), off from there to Yuma and Los Algodones, have car for two weeks ($315); then Saturday drove out here to SoCal. Heading back again to Yuma-area this evening (Sunday).



Funny fact: Born close by at Santa Monica Hospital, very near here... 66 years ago this December! A double reunion of sorts, this is.)

 

Hi, Blu. Actually kinda nice to be away from TTR. Brought hot fudge sundaes for Mom's dessert after lunch. "Can we come to Indiana?" she asked. So where she could not remember my name this morning, at lunch wants to come to Indiana. Anyone who has been to enough high school reunions has the experience seeing the 'core' of a child who grew up alongside you in an oldster. That 'core' remains despite physical aging, memory loss, maturing and other age-related changes.

In a roomful of oldsters like her in the Memory Care Unit, what's left in each one is that core--still distinctly functional within a withered, sometimes broken and aged frame. Have to say, she feels well-taken-care-of here.

How cool!

Outside, the Wilshire District itself is a condensed mix of people, concrete, fast food places in a third or fourth the footprint back in Indiana, all shoved together and compressed. Side by side incomes range from indigent to off the chart. Across the cash register there's an intense effort to 'be nice' despite the surrounding sea of strangers, 7 million in LA County alone, who routinely cut each other off in the name of 'me first' at the drop of the proverbial dime.

 

Pic's about a year old and quite accurate, DriverToBroker. The only member I've met face-to-face to confirm that is GoldenFan, who lives in Prairie (du Chien). I'm sure he'll be stopping by...

Last six months has seriously hurt me health-wise, though, which I'll be talking about. VA Hospital has a cool portable monitor for BP and hemoglobin (pulse oximeter) and this morning I saw that my 93-year-old Mom's numbers are better than mine when I left earlier this week.

I'm doing some important things in Algodones that SHOULD make a difference. Actually, already has but there's plenty of 'not there yet' to go.

 

You're going to have to help me out with 'DTB', GoldenFan...

Can you stretch that out and add some fillers 'tween the caps?