Obamacare: Making Insurance Companies Millions; Fucking Over the Little Guy

It has been an eventful couple of weeks.

Firstly, Jon was fired from his manufacturing job for asking to turn on a ventilation fan while his company decided to cheap out and spray paint the entire inside of the factory in negative 20 degree temperatures. Yeah. That's a long story and we've contacted a lawyer.

Secondly, after a long, scary few days, and I mean FEW, and me panicking unfairly and remembering the year with nothing and only ramen noodles on the menu, he found another job through a friend.  He is now a cook at a bar and grill. Which is fine, he didn't take a terrible pay cut, which is happy.  It is bothering his shoulder.  And he goes to a specialist on the fifth to determine???? I'm not sure. But workman's comp is still paying for all that.  And they've discontinued his physical therapy until then which seems ridiculous.  Because I think he is on the way to getting better, but the physical therapy was key.

We also lost our health insurance. I tried to enroll in Obamacare but have determined unless a person is destitute, pregnant, unable to work, or just a plain scumbag, it is unaffordable. The deductibles are too high to help and basically we would end up either paying our mortgage or our health insurance. Uh, yeah. So, unless you make around 100,000 a year in this country you are just plain screwed.  Either that or one of us needs to quit our jobs permanently, not afford food, and then we might be okay insurance wise. Otherwise, not so fine.  So it looks as though we are entering our second year of paying a penalty for having no health insurance.

Here, are some late February photos:


The first orchid Jon has gotten to re bloom after we bought one and the blooms fell off.  The secret: water it once every two or three months, apparently.  It sure is pretty, though.

                                          

The lamp we took off Jon's grandmother's garage after she died. It's pretty awesome. Needs a new wick. And isn't likely safe to light anyway....but neat looking.

Valentine's Day

Or, how lots of my Facebook friends have been writing it: VD.

Which I know is just laziness, however, my mind just keeps turning to Venereal Disease because, that's what VD is in my  mind.

Jon did not buy me roses. Instead, he knows my favorites are tulips. So he came home last night with a boquet of them.  He also bought me Crown Royal whiskey and whiskey sour mix...ah, he does love me!

It has been a tough time lately as he was injured at work.  And  needed an MRI.  Lots of stress.

His foreman is still being a jerk.  At least the owner of the company isn't.

I am not big on Have-To Holidays.  I love Halloween. (Hence the light up skeletons that are a permanent fixture in my home and were a gift from one of Jon's friend's mothers who is quite possibly the sweetest woman who ever lived.  But I do appreciate that Jon wanted to gift me some tulips. A lot.

Today, I bleached my roots. I have a hard time keeping up with them as the colder the weather, the faster my hair seems to grow.  But, it turned out nicely, and here I am, my bangs not all the way grown out, but grown out enough that they no longer annoy me, and wearing makeup, which rarely happens.

T

Snow is the Bane of my Existance

The following happened this week:

     I caught my boss' cold because he can't stay off my phone or computer and apparently doesn't wash his hands when he blows his nose.  To this day, I cannot figure out why a billion dollar company doesn't believe it is necessary for the store manager to have his own computer in his own office...but, they don't, so the receiving desk, which is MINE currently, is the closest available computer...and therefore when he's sick, I get sick.  So I have spent this week coughing so hard it hurts and I accidentally pee a little. NOT fun at all.

    Jon discovered his rotator cuff  issue needs an MRI to determine actual damage and whether or not he needs surgery. Sucks working for companies who only look out for themselves at the expense of their workers. I am only glad worker's comp is a thing.  I can't even imagine the bill for his three physical therapy seesions a week, his several appointments, and the cost of the MRI. I really hope surgery ISN'T necessary.  In the mean time, he is severely  restricted to no use of his left arm at all. I know he complains about therapy, but at least they are trying to keep it pliable.

    I have been a worthless git because I haven't done a dish in over a week, the carpet needs swept, the bathroom needs cleaned, the kitty litter needs changed, as does the bunny litter, and I have done SOME laundry, but basically wore the exact same outfit, barring underwear and socks the entire week because I didn't feel well and didn't want to do too much laundry.  I should probably get on that. But, Jon is still asleep and I was woken up by my own coughing...as I have been every night since Sunday...and then couldn't get back to sleep.  I wake up  about six times or more a night; coughing. It it not a lot of fun.  Sometimes, I feel like I'm coughing so hard I will puke. Yeah. Fun times. 

     The big snow from last week has turned into massive brown snow piles along every intersection and driveway on the main roads. It is very, very ugly, and reminds me how dirty the city is and makes for dangerous conditions as it is impossible for anyone to pull out into traffic except on a wing and a prayer. Basically line of sight is impossible. You have to pull so far forward to see traffic, that you are ALREADY in traffic.  And it doesn't matter if you are in my little car or an SUV.  The piles are THAT high.

   My hi lo gets stuck in one inch of snow. No shit.  Unloading trucks in it is a crap shoot when the snow removal company NEVER shows up when the store is OPEN so that sidelot hasn't seen a plow.  My manager has been running a snow thrower through it this winter so we can get a PATH to drive in. Really. Ridiculous!

      The salesman from Blue dog food came to our store.  He brought bribes of a full mean of Panera Bread for everyone, we just had to listen to his spiel.  And, yeah, I was bad.  I ate the yummy ham, bacon, lettuce, tomato on yummy bread sandwich, the bread, and the super yummy broccoli cheese soup that tastes exactl y like the one my mom makes and the small bit of baguette that was in my bag of food. Yeah. I have lots of gas this morning and I was foggy minded for a while yesterday, but oh, YUM!  At least it was yummy enough for me to regret it later.  I really need to learn how to make that soup. I know all I really need to do is to replace the flour with rice flour and figure out a good cheese substitute for Velveeta...cause my mom's recipe uses Velveeta which is not a food, really, and I highly suspect the same for the Panera bread recipe.  And, I need to add MORE broccoli. I love broccoli.

    The sky is still ugly and grey.  I cannot wait until the skies are blue, the sun is out and it is above 30 degrees. No kidding. I get so cold doing my job that my skin chaps and turns dry, red, and angry. Especially my ass. Apparently, cold weather chaps my ass.

Ground Hog Day

Yeah, I'd say six more weeks of winter in Michigan. Not that I have any idea if there was a ground hog who was hardy enough to come out in the 16 inches of snow Wayne County, Michigan received overnight.  I do know my boss was bummed that I couldn't make it in today. I guess no one else could either, go figure. 

Here are some photos:

                                     BEECH DALY ROAD NEAR FIVE MILE ROAD

     Don't be deceived. The above photo is actually a four lane road with nearly a foot of snow still getting cars trapped when they attempt to turn left blanketing the turn lane. It was still like this at dark. Nothing had changed. The road crews are swamped.

                                           WHAT REDFORD SIDE STREETS LOOK LIKE

     My street still looks like that. And, my boss wonders why my little car was down for the count.  The plows were getting closer. I'm hoping they make it here tomorrow by time to leave for work.  That would certainly make it easier. Not sure what kind of humor my boss will be in if I can't make it in again.

                                                            

                                                            MY BACK YARD

     Pretty dull and boring. And yes, those are the limbs of the tree that are still lying there from the incident where the tree hit my house since I don't have a chainsaw.  All that "fog" is actually tiny snow flakes about the size of fine sugar.

                                                            SCAMPERING DOGGIES

                                                        EMMA DOES ZOOMIES

  Okay, okay there IS a cooler in my backyard. I don't even know why anymore. Probably because its gross. Who knows? There WAS a reason, but now, I don't know. Too much has happened this year.

                                                  DOGGLES IS NOT AMUSED

    He's my little Napoleon. He hates inclement  weather and snow up to his belly is pretty much considered inclement in his book.

                                                  THERE WAS MUCH PRANCING

                                         JON'S MOSTLY BROKEN FOUR WHEEL DRIVE

  It did get us out. But, note the snow on the headlamps and in the wheels. It was a process even for it.

   Today is my friend Ruth's  birthday. She lives much too far away to go and eat pizza with tonight. I'm sad. I wanted to.

    Instead, I spent today pushing people out of our street when they go stuck and clearing away snow, and being hopelessly bored, actually. Snow is boring, people.  It's not like I could go anywhere and do anything.