h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Just a quick update on some stuff, I've got house cleaning to do now that K went back to his old place and hauled all of his stuff from storage out and dragged it over here. There's a couple cartons of cassette tapes that need interfiling with mine (which should bring those to well over 1000, too. We're gonna need a wall unit built for all this stuff, I think...), and lots of old papers and drawings and school yearbooks and the like.

I've been vacuuming floors and furniture this morning, which made Herman totally flip out, to get up some of the hair and dander and kitty litter, etc. Such a messy cat!

So, the first week of temp work went well, and I'll have a check Tuesday that I know will clear the bank. I should also hopefully be getting a check for about $900 or so from my old boss for hours he owes me. If it's not here by Wednesday, I file a grievance with the Wage Claim Division of the Department of Labor. That can take a year to settle, but I'll be d***ed if I'll let him get off without paying me.

Came home yesterday and found that the hospital bill finally came, from the night I went to the ER with asthma. The bill came to just under $3,400. (That's about 2 months' pay, after taxes come out, for me). They applied an "uninsured patient discount", bringing it to $1,700. I've called and left a message asking to work out some kind of payment arrangements. Usually hospitals don't charge such astronomical finance charges, so this is one I should pay off more slowly than the others. We'll see what happens... wish me luck. Oh, for a philanthropic donation right about now.

The good news is that I can keep track of these monthly payments and all of the receipts for my prescriptions and stuff, and if it exceeds $2,400, I can take a deduction on my income tax return next year. Less taxable income!

That's about it, updatewise. Just more money moans, like everyone else.

Hope everyone's having a nice weekend. We had dinner with one of the Geezers, his girlfiend, and one of her friends, last night. I had some awesome hummos and a couple pints of Hoegaarden. Slept like a corpse last night, and have been pretty productive around the house.

And the Turkish rock CD I'd gotten K for his birthday was a really big hit. It's way !

OK, I'm off to see about some lunch and another cuppa .

Hi!
Wow, you have a lot of music. I have the same problem, just on a smaller scale lol. My cd rack overflows and my drawers are full too!

You have to pay for hospital treatment? That sucks....
Glad your new job's ok.

Talk later

Hi there!

Well, we have a lot more music than you, but we've had an extra 20 years to work on it before you got started.

Yeah, I don't have medical insurance, because my previous employer didn't offer it, so I have to pay this hospital bill on my own. K's apparently going to help, which makes me feel guilty as hell. Next time I'll take the day off work and go to the doctor immediately, screw it. Better to be out a couple of days' pay than a couple of MONTHS.

Hi. Yeah, I'm probably gonna need a room for just my music by the time I've finished. Ah well, I can have that in the room most people would put their kids lol .

Don't you have the NHS over there?

No, we don't. Either you get insurance through your work- the employer pays part and you pay part of the premiums, and the insurance covers most of the bills, or else you have to buy your own insurance. For me to do that would cost me $600 a month in premiums, and I can't spare that much.

The elderly, people with disabilities, and single mothers with very limited income can receive government benefits, but I fit into none of those categories, so either I find an employer with a plan I can afford, or I'm on my own.

It's not that big of a deal when I can stay well. My prescriptions only cost about $150 a month and to see the doctor is about $60. It's the bloody ER visit that's killing me right now.

I wish we had an NHS here, but who would fund it? Wealthy taxpayers actually contribute very little, and most of your average "middle-class" workers can't afford any more taxation.

Ah right. Sounds like a pain in the @ss...Our NHS might suck but at least it means you dont get a big biil that you can't afford to pay because you've been in hospital instead of at work. Otherwise my family'd be in BIG trouble cos my dad was in hospital for ages and off work even longer.

Hope you get sorted soon...

Hi PC
glad the job went well this week, makes a change. Hope the pay comes through from the other job.

You get get a good rebate for the hospital stuff, its still so much though. Good luck with getting a great plan with that, morally they should not charge interest on it, but I bet they do.

Hope your weekend is enjoyable and relaxing.

hi PC,

What a week, indeed! And what a b*gger that you now have this massive ER bill to pay.

It has always amazed me that the USA remains the only wealthy country in the entire world that does not provide its citizens with a national health service. I find this quite despicable.

<>

Yes! Good for you. That b*st*rd should not be allowed to get away with illegal practices.

Are you enjoying the new job?

az

Hiya Az!

The new job is going all right. It's not something I would have chosen as a permanent career move, but it *is* just a temp job, and will give me a few months to look for work while not suffering like at the old place. So, it's a huge improvement! And, it's pretty busy work, so it makes the days fly by rather quickly. That's a good thing!

I'll manage the hospital bill, it's just annoying as hell having 10% of a year's wages or so go for something like that, somthing you don't have anything to show for afterwards, if you know what I mean? But I've learned my lesson- it's cheaper just to take the day off and go to the doctor and get it over with.

I think I'm most annoyed that it'll cut into the slush fund we use to buy our CDs from. At least I have a wonderful guy who's happy to help.

How's things with you, Az? How's the business moving along? I remember you saying that the first week of August was going to be a pretty big one... and here it is upon us already!!

Hi PC.i'M glad the new job is going okay for you so far.It sounds as though you've been extra busy,so you need to make sure you take a little relaxation as well!!!
As for your ex-boss,how has he managed to get away with owing you so much money???I hope yougo for getting it ack,,will he hav expenses to ay if you take it further???I do hope so.
It's almost bedtime here,the only chance i've had to post today,but i'm sure i
ll catch you during the week.
Take care.sal

Hiya Sal! Nice to see you've been back online!

I dunno how my ex-boss has gotten away with it so far, but I'm gonna report him to every legal authority I can think of till I get my last $900.

Had a bad weekend. First, the dead bolt on the front door broke- it locks and unlocks from the outside, but the latch that engages and disengages it from the inside broke. So I'll be replacing that this week, once we get paid on Tuesday. And there's a leak under the kitchen sink somewher, right near where the electrical conduit for the dishwasher is. *sigh* Then to top it off, we went out for brekkie today at Pick Me Up Cafe, then walked the quarter mile to Chicago Comics. I got K the two volumes of the graphic novels "Monkey Vs Robot", and got myself a cool little lego-person type toy which looks like a little hard core punk rocker (with green mohawk and all). Turns out K'd taken money out from the ATM without letting me know and we've managed to overdraw the checking account by $18. (This has never happened to me before, but not getting paid for two weeks has set me back a bit what with having to pay out my old roommate's security deposit and stuff). The fee for that is $33. I'm just glad that all of our checks have cleared, so this should be the *only* overdraft before K's direct deposit hits the account on Tuesday morning. How annoying, though.

Meanwhile, we did have some fun and watched two really cool movies from Netflix- "Danger: Diabolik" and "The Thief of Baghdad".

And I will at the very least get paid for last week no later than Wednesday's mail.

Aww,,you didn't have a good weekend ,did you??never mind,at least you know you'll get paid for what you're doing now.
Do be careful with the water,and the electrics,won't you.Can you get someone out to fix it,and the door too,and will you have to pay for it...i do hope not.I'm sure things will improve this week for you,and you weren't TOO overdrawn at the bank!!!

Well, parts of the weekend were icky, but there was a goreat deal of good. K and I did have dinner out Friday and Saturday, watched a movie Friday night with a couple of friends, spent lots of time listening to music and stuff around the house, and then had our breakfast out with our walk and trip to the comic shop. Those things were all nice.

I think I'm over-stressing about money, because all of this waiting for checks to clear- and in this case, to even *come*- has got us to the point where we're functioning paycheck to paycheck, and even when I've been at my absolute worst off, I've never had to do that before. I've *always* had a slush fund in the bank, but had to give it to my former roommate to refund his deposit, because K didn'tpay one on his old place and I assumed he had, and would be getting something back. It will all start coming together now, it will just take a few weeks to get caught up again. *Unless* my ex-boss does send me a check, and a good one, and it comes this week, in which case I have enough to cover the entire month's rent and we'd be all caught up in that case. *fingers crossed*

At least I'm not dreading going in to work, like I used to. Of course, I'd much rather stay home and have fun, but who wouldn't. I'm just adjusting to the new schedule where I get home a couple of hours *after* K does, instead of at the same time, and we have less time to hang out before bed. No biggity, I'll adjust. And he's been an , running errands and emptying the dishwasher and stuff before I even get home. Last Tuesday he'd ordered in dinner with such good timing it arrived within ten minutes of my walking in!

Oh, and I think I can get the faucet looked at no problem, but K's the one who broke the lock , so we'll have to replace that ourselves.

I really hope the unexpected check comes for you,PC,although it would be nice to see your ex boss squirm a little.....or even a lot.
Sometimes it's better to be happy in your work,and have to struggle through for a while,i hope things straighten out for you soon.
It's not always good to be at home all day,,i get so bored sometimes,and would love to be able to work,but then on a nice hot summers day,it is good to be able to sit and enjoy it,without having to hurry to get ready for work.
K sounds lovely,he's very considerate ,there aren't many around like that anymore.
Well,bedtime again,chat soon,glad some of the weekend was great for you..it makes up for the bad bits!!

Mother-in-law refusing food and drink...clearing out father-in-law's house...working until 1 am...all in one week. Aaaaarrrrghhhhh!!!!!

UK folk may recall the C4 animated series, 'Stressed Eric'. Remember how the vein in his temple used to pulse...?

Still, you've gotta larf.

Staying at home is overrated.
I wish all the workers who think it would be heaven could be given 6 weeks off and most importantly, while thnking it was to last forever.

Unless you are wealthy with no conscious and plenty of friends in the same boat it rarely goes well for long. Like most things it is not nearly as enjoyable as the fantasy. I do not know many people who have lasted long given the chance. It is sure nice to find it out though, making working somewhat more attractive the rest of your life.

I am glad you are in better surroundings PC and do not have to sweat getting paid any more. Good luck getting your past wages quickly. With a little experience there I bet something better will come along.

I read employers often do credit checks, also doctors on their patients. It is being used more as a measure of good faith.
Odd and intrusive behavior!

Depending on what the debtors circumstances it's viewed as a plus or minus factor.

It was a sad day to see our legislature include medical debts as damaging as shopping to "keep up with the Jones" credit card debt. There is no longer any consideration given to the reasons for debt in banruptcy court On the other hand your former boss could probably walk away clean not pay and start another business.

Hi everyone,
it sounds as if a few of us are facing challenges at the moment. I'm glad you've found a new tempory job PC. Being happy in a job really does help you face work each day Sorry to hear about the money worries that's a big burden.
I do agree with Abbi though. Being off work sounds very nice but can be awful if you've no choice (or no money). I've been in awful jobs and have also been of sick from work for weeks and I don't know which is worse.
The last few weeks have been really busy so I haven't chatted much. I do check in each week and see what everyone is up to.
Good news, I met a real life hooter 2 weeks ago and she was lovely

Yeah, I had a year off work when I was laid off from Arthur Andersen. It was a LONG and BORING year. I was going completely stir crazy by the end of the second week. I don't ever want to do that again!

If I ever were to have the opportunity not to need to work full time, I'd definitely do volunteer work. While I was unemployed and looking for work, I volunteered as a docent at the museum, and helped cook meals at a shelter not too far from the neighborhood. Feeling like you're doing nothing constructive is pretty depressing at times.

That's what's got me so p*ssed off with the former boss... if I could afford to do charity work, I'd do it for a deserving charity!

Edward, what a week YOU'VE had!! Hang in there, hope your mother-in-law will take some food and the workload lightens up a bit. Or are you getting work done like mad in preparation of the time you'll be off after your surgery?

s and gratitude to you, Smurfles and Abbi and everyone! I'll let you know how the paycheck things works out. *fingers still crossed*

Good news is, though- tomorrow's payday for K and I expect a check for last week to arrive Wednesday, and then we'll start getting caught up. If I *do* get the last check from the old job, I can finally get my Dali framed!

Hey there Mad Meg- good to see you again! I'll read and reply to your journal tomorrow morning before work!

Yippee! payday
Yippee!! Dali