Good News for the Modern Man

Thursday, 20 November 2014

Well, I had my appointment with Social Security this morning. Took the 90F from the Get-Go this morning at 0730, and arrived 15 minutes late on E-9^th street, but 30 minutes before the office opened at 0900.

Passed through the TSA type security at the lobby, doffed my coat, sweater, hat, belt, all of my pocket contents, and cane, and cleared with no problems. Yet I had left my watch on and had metal in my pockets, so they must have had the sensor set on low. But unlike the TSA officers, these guys were friendly and polite!

I arrived at the doors of suite #793 at 0835, and they were locked. A search of a men’s room which revealed that the 7^th floor restrooms were closed for cleaning. So a quick elevator trip to the 6^th floor put me on a Restricted Floor, OOPS! I quickly traveled to the 5^th, and found one to use. I returned to 7, and looked for a bench or some chairs. No joy.

I toured the entire floor, and no seating was found, anywhere! So I propped my outsized carcass against the wall opposite the doors, and opened my book and read for 20 minutes while standing! Ow! Not good for my back, my knees, nor my feet!

But promptly at 0900, the doors were unlocked and I was led to an electronic sign in machine, and was printed a numbered receipt and told to sit. 50 chairs, and no one else there. So I opened my book again, and sat.

I was called about 5 minutes later, and had an interview with a lady who was training a new employee on the computer interview software (but yet my attorney says that the SSA had had a hiring freeze on for 15 years, and that their computers are absolutely ancient.). She was pleasant, but non-commital.

I did glean that I am approved for SSI (Supplemental Security Income) but they need my payroll records and 401(k) disbursement info to calculate my benefits, and my birth certificate to confirm my identity.

So in essence, I AM APPROVED AND AM GETTING BENEFITS!

Except, I don’t know how much, or when they will start, or how far back they will be retroactive! Also, since Tuesday, I have received another housing option has been made apparent! Like I said last post, when it rains, it pours!

I have lots to coordinate, including advising Denny in Akron (Still no phone), make arrangements for the truck, and gather all of stuff from all of the different places I have it stashed. I need to change my address (another $31 for the PO Box for the next 6 months, due by the 30^th) and get this phone back on ASAP. I also need to get my birth certificate application in the mail to Cook County with the requisite $15. SO as I review this, I realize that I am back to money being the therblig that blocks my progress, yet again! But this too shall be overcome.

I can’t wait to make the move, yet I am still concerned about Denny and the truck! I want to let him know what’s up and to see how he is doing.

The battery in the truck is dead again, the extreme cold and not having the key to turn the engine over to charge it or heat the cab, has taken its toll. I need to recover my stuff in the back, and throw out the accumulating garbage.

It feels like butterflies, like a first date that I am unsure of! In fact, as I think about this, except for the 12 months my brother lived with me in my apartment at Shaker Square, or the time I had roommates at school, I have never lived with anyone! That is kinda freaky!

But I have much confidence, and I believe there is some real trust there, so it should be fine. I think also that I can smooth out any rough edges without ruffling anyone’s feathers. She is a very nice lady, and very sociable, and easy to get along with. Yes, this can and will work.

And, I will enjoy the company and the and the accommodations!

So, this is basically a good news announcement, and my mixed feelings are no longer mixed!

Until next time, sportsfans!

Stay tuned, and stay warm!

When it rains, it Pours

When it rains, it Pours

Monday, 17 November 2014

Well, the snow is falling, as is the temperature here in North East Ohio, but not my faith, nor my spirits! Though Verizon insists on billing me by the minute when I have an unlimited plan, and has cut off my phone only 4 days after the bill was paid for November, I did get a positive response from Social Security for SSI. I have an appointment Thursday the 20^th at 0900 at the downtown Cleveland office!

And, I have not one, but TWO OFFERS FOR HOUSING!

My friend Sheryl, who has had to take on 3 jobs and sell plasma to pay her bills, has asked if I would like to share her 3 bedroom house in Canton!

And my friend Debbie, from the local church dinners, has arranged with her pastor for another housing option!

I have several decisions to make, and much research to do in the meantime until I find out what SS will do for me! I am supposed to bring bank account info (I haven’t had an account for  a year or so), payroll info from June of 2012 (I have no records at all, just my driver’s license[suspended], CCW License ID card, SS Card, and Library Cards from 3 libraries! I no longer have my diplomas, my certificates, my awards, my medals and ribbons, any of my uniforms, or other personal items acquired over a lifetime.

So we will see what they say when I have nothing to present! (I have emailed our corporate HR manager in Chicago for payroll records, and we will see how long it takes the Cook County Vital Records office to send a copy of my Birth Certificate!)

I will hate to leave Cuyahoga County, but seeing as the idiots here keep voting Democrats in, including the folks under federal investigation for fraud and corruption, when the rest of the Country just gave the Dems their pink slips, I will be glad to leave this Democrat Never-Never Land!

Even traditional Democratic precincts here in Cuyahoga County saw a huge increase in votes for Republican candidates, and thankfully were actually Republican challengers in more races this time (but there will still many Democrat incumbents and Democrat candidates running unopposed! 1 is still too many!)! Even the 3^rd party folks made a difference this time! The only 3^rd party candidates running in local and state contests were mostly Leftists, Socialists and Green Party Members, who traditionally take votes from the Democrats.

Otherwise, I think most Libertarians and Constitutional Party fans voted Republican!

Yes, it will be nice to leave this land of lunacy behind! Of course, how well Stark County Job and family Services will treat me, remains to be seen! Anything would be better than the way the Dumbocrats at the Southgate J&FS Service Center treated a disabled, aging, white boy with a long and honest work history!

Transportation will be an issue, but the area is on the eastern edge of the city of canton, with some sidewalks and lots of parks. I will see about a bus pass and then getting my license reinstated.

Who knows, if I get a lump sum retro-active from SS, then I might be able to get an adult trike or even a car to get about! Either way, I will not have to rely on the GCRTA and their irregular and indifferent service, or walk in da ‘hood anymore!

Anyway, change is in the air, and it smells SWEET!

I am thankful to my God, my family, and all of my friends who have reached out, even if it was only in spirit! Knowing that others cared, and helped, even in small ways, helped keep my spirits up and my attitude positive!

I ain’t out of the woods yet (but then I always loved the outdoors, LOL!), so I will not hold my breath. I will however continue to brag about how wonderful my friends truly are!

I do hope that the distance from my doctor, and my fave Internet Hot Spot, the 24 hour Get-Go, won’t be a problem with the distance I will away from them!

Sheryl does have wi/fi and cable TV, so I think I can survive OK. Hopefully, transportation won’t be an issue with the doctor, as he usually sees me every 2 months. And then there is my neurologist, Dr. Furlan; my ophthalmologist, Dr. D’Agostino; and my dentist, Dr. Guren.

Well, one step at a time! I need to make this move, and I really couldn’t think of a better roommate than Sheryl (besides Denny or Matt that is!), and I know her offer is out of more than self pity and need. She was kind enough to let me come stay for a week back in March when I got released from the hospital, and she had no agenda other than to offer me a place to stay!

Now I need to get all of my ducks in a row, and find a way to get a hold of Dennis (he has been staying at his Ex Wife’s apartment while she is in CA, but now she is sick in the hospital in CA, and no one knows when she will be returning!) and make arrangements to have his truck taken care of, and to let him know that I will be living in Canton.

He and I had both planned on making an arrangement together, but that is impractical at present. I hope he understands. I’m pretty sure he will. He knows I would understand completely if he had a similar offer made to him by a good friend!

So much to do, so little time, and so much up in the air! As I said earlier though, one thing at a time. I guess I am getting tired. It is now 0600 on the 18^th, and it’s 14˚ outside, and I just don’t want to make that walk back to the truck to try and sleep sitting up in that frozen cab! I was fine yesterday and the day before, but certain friends coming by while I am sound asleep and comfy warm and expect me to sit there and talk to them for long periods with the window down, are just too much and make it tough to get warm and comfy again to sleep!

I appreciate their checking on me, but in reality, they just want someone to talk to! And they do so from a warm car that is running while am freezing trying to polite and listen! This happens in the snow, rain, cold, and high winds!

These folks won’t be able to follow me to Canton, I hope. But I will not leave them out altogether. We all need companionship and human interaction. So I guess I will have to make arrangements to return to the Get-Go from time-to-time and hold court!

That seems to be my lot at the Library, too! Much to the disdain of the librarians, as I have a steady stream of visitors who come looking for me there, and then pull up chairs next me in the “Quiet Area”, and then talk my ear off for hours on end while I am either trying to read a book, watch a movie on my computer, or write (I have 5 books in the works, one is complete, 2 need editing, and 2 are still in process)! The Librarians have to keep coming over and reminding these folks that we are in the quiet area, EVERY TIME THEY SIT WITH ME!

Oh well. I am sure that I will grow a new posse of followers and groupies when I find a local hangout in Canton! LOL! I would like to arrange a regular social gathering with many of my Bedford gang of friends, and some others, so maybe I’ll arrange a dinner or BBQ at Sheryl’s every few months or so. Or a trip to the park, or a bar, or something they can all share in!

I am looking forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas now, where before I was dreading the embarrassing position that I may put some folks in, thinking that they need to include me in family activities. Sheryl surprised me last Christmas Day when she called me in the morning to see if I had any plans, and since I was home alone with my cat for the holiday, she drove all the way up to my apartment in Bedford to pick me up, and took me to Christmas dinner with her Dad’s family in Cuyahoga Falls! AZ wonderful time, with wonderful people who treated me like family! Actually, more so than my own family. I wish I could have had my mother, sister and brother there to share in the joy and happiness of a family gathering, but then would I have enjoyed myself as much?

As my brother Jonathan wrote in a caustic email 2 weeks before Christmas back in 2008, he insists that we are a dysfunctional family in denial. He is probably right, but his solution to fix that, was to uninvited my sister and I from Christmas with his wife, daughter and our parents. So for 3 Christmases, I had dinner with my parents on the day that my brother’s family wasn’t there

.

Maybe this is the change I need. My exGF, Charlotte, wants very much to help me in my plight, but she is still abusing alcohol to solve her problems, and is mad that I blew her off last Christmas. You see, she knew I was home alone with no heat (I was denied HEAP when I applied after my electricity was cut off in my apartment), and though she refuses to celebrate Birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, or most any other holiday, she offered to have me over to stay with her for Christmas, and we could order Chinese Take-Out and just stay warm in her apartment for a few days (she was even considering allowing me to bring my cat Laci, too, even though her cat Jesse would have a fit!). I was all for it, until she fell off the wagon the week before Christmas and started calling me and saying very unpleasant things about my mother, and then leaving rude messages on my voice mail saying that she (my mother) was faking her Alzheimer’s to get special attention, and is an evil ugly bitch and that I should accept that and never visit her (my mother) again, when I stopped answering the phone!

My God, I haven’t thought about that much at all since last Christmas! I mentioned that to her when I visited some months back, but Charlotte still insist that anything she says when drunk is still the truth and refuses to retract, apologize, or even promise to stop saying any of those things! So I guess this move will be good in other ways too! If I maintain distance from her, then I won’t cave to her pleas when she calls to have me come over and spend time with her.

Even perfect strangers tell me I am crazy to keep a person like her in my life, under any circumstances! And I know they are right! I still love her, and want to help her overcome her demons, but at what cost? She digs into me and says unpleasant things about all of my family members and friends, and then gets mad at me saying that I should believe her about all of the evil things she insists are the truth about them, rather than believing what my friends tell me! Well, surprise, surprise, she still insists that every male in my life is a drug addicted criminal (except my late friend, Nick, she liked him), and all of the females are crack-whores who are using me for my money! (What $$$? I have been in debt since my cancer scare 5 years ago!)

Maybe I can be a better friend to Charlotte from a safe distance. She wants me to accompany her to her doctor visits and for her pending medical procedures (she has eye surgery pending, along with several other procedures), to ease her anxiety, but her anxiety may calm when I am around, but mine grows when I am around her when she turns toxic and starts yelling at me and putting my friends and family down!

Yes, yes. I need another long break from her.

On that note, I will end this here, and say thank you again, to all of you for your support and concern, and for even being patient with me while I rant on these pages. You guys are the greatest!

As I said, God has blessed me by surrounding me with wonderful people!

Thank you!