Round and Round

Mondays always have the potential to be interesting and yesterday certainly filled that designation. Coming back to work after a four day weekend was always interesting when I was gainfully employed but that is in my past so I thought I could skate this year for the first time. Nope. Over the weekend I received a bill for a minor medical procedure my Favorite Panamanian had back in September. A quick note to self – don’t open mail just before going to bed (better said, trying to go to bed). The procedure was out of the usual network so I had made serious efforts to make sure all the referrals were in place (previous experience don’tcha know). I knew my Monday would include working my way through the inevitable phone trees in an effort to talk with humans and get this resolved.

FBR Lost her Second Front Tooth Last Night

My insurance company was great, said all the referrals were in place (YES!), and they had not received the bill I had. The guy walked me through the codes and we figured out it was just for the anesthesia (wow- really expensive). I then started on my odyssey of calling the billing office. On no less than five occasions I made it through the phone tree only to be hung up upon reaching a human. The final time I got through only because I screwed up with the phone and hit the hold button. By the time I unscrewed that there was an actual human on the phone and he was able to get the information he needed to properly submit a claim. I felt semi-triumphant, especially after I lectured him on the phone system that was automatically hanging up on me. Small victories.

FBR Donning all the Accouterment Usually on my Caesar Statue

More Photos from the Weekend

My other Monday endeavor was tracking down the company that was supposed to come in tomorrow to install an acrylic floor in the garage. I hadn’t heard anything from them since I signed up for it in October and wanted confirmation before I started moving everything out of the garage. Some more time on the phone but I couldn’t get anyone to answer their phone at the company. I left a couple of very polite (I assure you) messages. Finally, I reached back to the salesman who guaranteed I was all set and scheduled for the 30^th. He didn’t answer his phone either but he did call back after I left a less polite message on his phone. He apologized profusely and said I wasn’t on any schedule (glad I hadn’t moved anything) and he didn’t know what happened (I had a couple ideas on that subject).

He quickly got me scheduled for the 15^th of December. His call back happened as I was in the middle of composing a strongly worded (not polite at all) email message to his company. I updated the message with the date of the 15th and asked if someone other than salesman would confirm the date for me. Ten minutes later I received a very apologetic call from a very nice lady from the company who assured me they would be here on the 15^th and would move us up if any dates opened up. Again, I felt semi victorious and then launched into cyber-Monday Christmas shopping which was a wild (and very expensive) ride. I still love Christmas and buying gifts, especially for the granddaughters, always lifts the spirits in a way no other expenditure of so much money can. My proudest moment of the day, however, was getting my Favorite Panamanian to sit down with me and actually contribute to her Christmas list online; a veritable first.

Cousins

5m Minutes After She got Home

Three movies fell in my A-Z effort, all keepers, Cliffhanger (80s action with Sly at his “peak”), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (still holds up, when you realized Spielberg was special), and Cloud Atlas (this movie haunts me, absolutely love it, see something new and profound with each viewing)

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RECURRING CHARACTERS:                                     

ABFA – Amazing Best Family Athlete - my daughter in law; BR3 – Blog Reader #3 – granddaughter #3; BRS - Blog Reader the Sequel - second granddaughter; Cantankerous Friend – friend since grade school who likes to argue about everything, poses as radical leftist to attract women; Connecticut Riverboat Captain – another close friend from high school, renowned sailor of the big river; Curbside Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during him her single days in Brooklyn; Deckzilla – our backyard deck which grew to monstrous dimensions once my wife got involved in planning; Favorite Panamanian - the wife (of course); FBR - First Blog Reader - first granddaughter; First Friday – celebrations to mark the First Friday of the Week; Great Aunt - my elder sister; Keene Friends 1 & 2 – friends since high school from my home town of Keene, NH; Kindergarten Friend – friend since kindergarten whom I reunited with after many years; Maine and Virginia Musqueteras – two close friends of my wife – her US sisters, my wife is the 3^rd Musquetera (musketeer); Namesake Nephew – son of Great Aunt and Soxfather named after me; Neighborhood Mafioso - wife's close friend and Panamanian mafia member; PanaGals – female relatives /friends of my wife from Panama; Panamanian/Latin Mafia – inevitable group of Latino friends my wife accumulates wherever we have lived & their spouses; PCR - Pittsburgh College Roommate– high school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; PCR+1 - Pittsburgh College Roommate’s wife; Riggins - also known as the Grandpuppy, son's dog; Soxfather - my brother in law; Tia Loca – wife’s younger sister; Wingman – my son in law; Wingmom – Wingman’s mom, of course