The Day of Rampant Stupidity and Surprising Awesomeness
So yesterday, I got up at 5:30 in the morning with plans to catch the bus and head over to Family Assistance to battle with them over what else needs to happen to get my state health insurance taken care of, so that I can finally be medicated again and stop ending up in the hospital. I grabbed a shower, photo copied things I thought they might want as proof that I did one of the things they'd asked me for just in case, stuffed everything into my bag, downed a small bowl of rice and a glass of mountain dew as my breakfast and morning caffeine, and raced out the door just in time to catch my bus at 7:10. I used one of the bus passes I'd begged purplestripe66 to get me a couple of days ago so I wouldn't have to worry about how many buses I would need today, seeing as I had other things planned to do depending on how long Family Assistance was going to take, and sat back to wait for my stop. I got off about a block from the street I needed, proceeded to get lost in someone's parking lot that I was trying to cut across that turned out to only have one exit, and about twenty minutes later, ended up at Family Assistance ten minutes before 8:00.
... Where there was a line going to the building next door.
This is not a small building, either. The problem is that their lobby's maximum occupancy is just fifty people, so they have a desk outside where someone takes names, and then you have to wait outside - where there's only seating for ten people - until they call your name to allow you inside so you can sit down *there*, and then wait until they call your name again to actually talk to you about whatever you're there for. So I had to give them my name, stand around until there was an open seat on one of the benches, and finally got inside about a little after 9:00. I spent a lot of time staring at these women who were dressed in trendy clothing, dragging around their kids in designer strollers, and thinking dark thoughts at them. (I used to work in a resale children's clothing store; I know *exactly* how much a three-in-one Graco stroller costs. Even if you get it used, it's still not cheap.) Oddly enough, most of the guys who go to Family Assistance actually dress like they need the help. -Shrugs-
I finally managed to get up to the front counter this time just after 9:30, which is actually pretty good timing as far as they go. I explained to the lady why I was there and offered the proof I'd brought for what they wanted me to do. She started talking to me about Food Stamps.
.... Okay?
When I went there last month, I'd come for an interview about my application for state health insurance because they'd sent me something in the mail requesting I come in (even though this was for a renewal and I hadn't had to come in originally). I *had* applied for Food Stamps at the time, but the date they gave me to come in by was right around the time I lost my job, and I couldn't get in to see them. So I'd already been denied. But the lady I saw that day, after giving me this list telling me that now that I'd lost my job I needed to apply for Unemployment and wait for them to confirm with my former boss what my last day of work had been before my insurance would be approved, gave me an EBT card - which is how Food Stamps works now, apparently. It works, I mean I've already used it. I was confused as to why I'd come in about getting health insurance and walked out with an EBT card, but hey, free food, right?
Well, according to the lady *yesterday*, I'd actually been denied for my application in April because I never came in for the interview. The card I got last month was *actually* from when I applied for Food Stampslast November, but never got my card for some reason - just a letter in the mail telling me that I had an outstanding balance on this card that didn't exist and I needed to use it before it was gone. So I didn't actually get Food Stamps last month. She also said that I already have my health insurance approved. (Which would have been NICE TO KNOW SO I CAN GET MY FUCKING SEIZURE MEDICATION THANK YOU SO MUCH.)
What all this ended up boiling down to, was that I had to reapply for Food Stamps right then and there. I was approved. However, I *don't* have to give back the card I already have, which currently had a balance of over $900 on it. (At least now I finally know why.) The new approval means I'll be getting $100-200 added to my card each month, but I still get to keep the amount they'd already owed me. And I have state health insurance again.
After filling out my new application, getting my picture taken and fingerprinted and all that good stuff, I was finally released just before 10:00. So, I decided to use the rest of my day to get first to Ruby's mall so I could do her birthday shopping, and after that, depending on whether or not she was working today, I'd either beg her for a ride home when she got off so we could stop by the store for groceries (if I have food money and she has a truck, I am damn well going to take advantage of both), or if she wasn't I'd just catch the bus home, stopping by the store on the way and buying however much I could fit in my backpack, and maybe a bag or two more in my hands. I used my bus book to figure out the least amount of walking for getting there required two buses and some slight waiting, but since I was using my all-day pass and I wasn't in a hurry I didn't care.
The bus was ... an adventure. The first one wasn't an issue, but the second - the one that I needed to ride all the way to the end of the line, which is the mall - had a man in a wheelchair on board and about six people standing in the middle of the walkway while most of the seats were filled except for all of one in the back (which you couldn't get to anyway because everyone else refused to move). I ended up literally wrapped around the first pole right behind the driver and clinging for dear life because I have bad knees and a *horrible* sense of balance unless I'm on horseback. This lasted for about ten blocks before several of the people blocking the walkway finally got off and I was able to slip into a seat. After that it was fine.
When I got to the mall, I thanked the bus driver and headed into JC Penney, which is one of the main entrances. JC Penney proceeded to eat me alive, as I somehow ended up in the boys department with no idea where the hell the actual mall was - let alone the door I'd come in from. I found the Portrait Studio and Customer Service before I *finally* spotted what looked like one of the stores I know just around a corner. (In my defense, I'm usually following Ruby through one of the employee entrances, so it's not like I use this route a lot.)
Once inside the mall, I wandered around in hopes of finding a potential birthday present I could actually afford. I have decided that Ruby is not enough of a geek, seeing as all the gamer/nerd/music/ect. paraphernalia in my favorite stores was stuff she wouldn't really like. -Glowers- I also found many things *I* wanted, but couldn't afford seeing as I'm broke. I want CareBear shot glasses SO BAD! -Cries- I did, eventually, find a couple of things that I thought she might like, grabbed a cup of coffee, and seeing as I hadn't seen her at either of the shops where she works, headed back out to the bus stop, getting eaten alive by JC Penney again in the process.
Only to spot her truck in the parking lot as soon as I finally escaped. -Facepalm-
So, I went in again and hunted her down. Of course, she was at the second place I looked, because that's just how it always works. -Rolls eyes- I explained what had happened with Family Assistance, and asked if she minded running me to the store on the way home so I could get some food, or should I just go ahead and take the bus. After some debate, she said she'd take me, but I was going to have to wait four hours for her to get off. Which I told her was fine.
It was, too. I made a quick stop for one last present that I'd suddenly thought she might like. Then I sat at the tables outside her work, listened to my MP3 player, and started writing. Writing my novel no less, which makes me infinitely happy. Got another coffee from her work, which helped me work on the scene I was trying to write - which is totally rosabelle's fault. -TackleGlomps her- * Brother called me about an hour before Ruby was supposed to get off and we talked a bit. I told him about my day. In the middle of the conversation I got another call, which turned out to be an offer to schedule a job interview on Monday! ^_^V ** So I made the appointment and got their address, then called Brother back to squeal about it because I still can't figure out how to hang up on one person and go back to the previous call on my phone. c.c;;;
Ooh! I almost forgot! At one point I was walking through the upstairs food court on my way back from the bathroom, and I passed this guy in a navy blue shirt and tie eating at one of the tables who looked just like Carlos. His hair was in tight little curls, but he had it pulled back in a ponytail and his face was *so* much like him. I actually did a double take for a moment. o.O Ruby was pissed at me when I mentioned it later 'cause I didn't tell her right away so she could go see. -Blows a raspberry-
I ended up chatting with Ruby after her boss left. Chatted with her co-worker who came in for closing while Ruby made some last minute calls for her boss. Eventually we *finally* left and headed out of the mall, then proceeded to Wal-Mart for grocery shopping.
We ended up spending $200 worth of food.
Which is fine. I can afford that, thanks to what happened. But it's been a *very* long time since I'd filled a shopping cart, and Ruby never had. She wanted pictures. -Makes a face at her- I also apologized to the poor guy who had to ring us up at the register and assured him we weren't in a hurry, but we kept bickering and making him laugh the whole time so I don't think he minded too much. The cart was actually so full we dropped a couple of bags, but we finally managed to get everything out to the truck and loaded it in the bed because it was just easier.
When we got home, we agreed that I'd bring everything in while Ruby reorganized the fridge and freezer and cupboard so she could figure out where the hell everything was going to go. It took me three trips. Ruby proceeded to get to work while I went into my room to grab the prescription for my Keppra I'd forgotten to take with me this morning and checked Walgreens.com to see when the pharmacy down the street closes. Thankfully it was just after 6:00 by then and they didn't close until 9:00, so I grabbed my cards and stuffed my prescription in my pocket, warned Ruby I was leaving, and headed over.
The walk was nice. It was sunset, we have a really pretty neighborhood, and there was a camera in my pocket, so I took my time. I also called Brother back on my way there, 'cause I'd promised him that I would. It ended up being about an hour later that I finally got to Walgreens, but I'd had fun and gotten lots of nice pictures, which is what mattered. I dropped off my prescription, wandered around for about fifteen minutes, and finally headed back to pick it up.
Where the pharmacist told me there was a $4 co-pay.
I have no income currently. I just spent the last of my money on Ruby's birthday presents - and I mean that down to the pocket change. I sort of stared at him, because I had no idea what to do. (I'm still trying to figure out how I ended up with a co-pay on insurance that required me to apply for Unemployment to get it.) I finally admitted I didn't have any money on me because I hadn't been expecting that, so I'd have to come back tomorrow. He assured me that was fine and asked if I needed any for tonight. I kind of stared at him again and admitted that yeah, I do, so he slipped two pills out of the bottle and handed them to me with a smile. "One for tonight and one for tomorrow." I thanked him profusely and downed both of them, seeing as I haven't had any since what they'd given me at the hospital Memorial Day weekend, and I'm actually supposed to be taking one pill twice a day. ***
I got home and let Ruby give me 'the tour' of the kitchen, which she said had taken her an hour and a half to accomplish. (There really was a *lot* of food. c.c;;;) Then I made a tamale verde and grabbed a vegetable tray and the last of my two liter of Mountain Dew for dinner and headed for my room, seeing as all I'd eaten all day was the small bowl of rice for breakfast and a couple pieces of chocolate and a cookie from Ruby's work. x.x Talked to people on YahooMessenger while I ate and called my Shi-chan to tell her all about today as I'd promised I would. Watched everyone slowly head to bed until it was just me and challon86, but about midnight I went to use the bathroom and realized that I still hadn't taken out my contacts (something I usually do right when I get home from running around all day, seeing as it's hard to read my laptop screen when they're in) and I was starting to forget how to spell, so I told her I was gonna crash. ^.^;;
As it is, I slept until just after 10:00 this morning. c.c;;;
I'm gonna check the mail later and possibly borrow $4 from Ruby after she gets home so I can run over to Walgreens again and pick up my meds, but other than that? I am going to relax and work on writing today. And possibly lunch, once I figure out exactly when and what I want to eat.
The ability to have so many *choices* in what to eat is still a bit of a novelty. o.O
* All the instrumentals and theme music available on my mp3 player, and it's Romeo and Juliet - When Doves Cry that gets me working on my novel again. -_-;;;
** I'm a little more leery about it now since I've gotten the e-mail from them, which gave me the address and told me when the 'open interview' is, asking me to apply for the position they're bringing me in for before then. It's ... I'm not sure that it's the same thing as my last interview which was a 'pay us to train you and six months from now we'll hire you under contract so you can possibly make loads of money!' scheme, but I'm not sure how legit this one is, either. I'm willing to give them a chance, but ... Well. We'll see.
***As I told Brother at one point, it's kind of scary going to bed at night when you're not sure where you'll wake up. I remembered going to bed that Saturday night, waking up in the ambulance, waking up in the ER because I needed to go to the bathroom, and then found myself being woken up for a night check in my room after I'd already been admitted. The most clearly I remember waking up was Memorial Day, and the only reason I knew that was because there was a whiteboard directly across from my bed where they write down the date for you and what your nurse, CNA, housekeeper, and doctors' names all are. By that point I'd already slept through my MRI, too.
Being epileptic is scary. Being epileptic only when you're unconscious? -Shudders- Terrifying.
... Where there was a line going to the building next door.
This is not a small building, either. The problem is that their lobby's maximum occupancy is just fifty people, so they have a desk outside where someone takes names, and then you have to wait outside - where there's only seating for ten people - until they call your name to allow you inside so you can sit down *there*, and then wait until they call your name again to actually talk to you about whatever you're there for. So I had to give them my name, stand around until there was an open seat on one of the benches, and finally got inside about a little after 9:00. I spent a lot of time staring at these women who were dressed in trendy clothing, dragging around their kids in designer strollers, and thinking dark thoughts at them. (I used to work in a resale children's clothing store; I know *exactly* how much a three-in-one Graco stroller costs. Even if you get it used, it's still not cheap.) Oddly enough, most of the guys who go to Family Assistance actually dress like they need the help. -Shrugs-
I finally managed to get up to the front counter this time just after 9:30, which is actually pretty good timing as far as they go. I explained to the lady why I was there and offered the proof I'd brought for what they wanted me to do. She started talking to me about Food Stamps.
.... Okay?
When I went there last month, I'd come for an interview about my application for state health insurance because they'd sent me something in the mail requesting I come in (even though this was for a renewal and I hadn't had to come in originally). I *had* applied for Food Stamps at the time, but the date they gave me to come in by was right around the time I lost my job, and I couldn't get in to see them. So I'd already been denied. But the lady I saw that day, after giving me this list telling me that now that I'd lost my job I needed to apply for Unemployment and wait for them to confirm with my former boss what my last day of work had been before my insurance would be approved, gave me an EBT card - which is how Food Stamps works now, apparently. It works, I mean I've already used it. I was confused as to why I'd come in about getting health insurance and walked out with an EBT card, but hey, free food, right?
Well, according to the lady *yesterday*, I'd actually been denied for my application in April because I never came in for the interview. The card I got last month was *actually* from when I applied for Food Stampslast November, but never got my card for some reason - just a letter in the mail telling me that I had an outstanding balance on this card that didn't exist and I needed to use it before it was gone. So I didn't actually get Food Stamps last month. She also said that I already have my health insurance approved. (Which would have been NICE TO KNOW SO I CAN GET MY FUCKING SEIZURE MEDICATION THANK YOU SO MUCH.)
What all this ended up boiling down to, was that I had to reapply for Food Stamps right then and there. I was approved. However, I *don't* have to give back the card I already have, which currently had a balance of over $900 on it. (At least now I finally know why.) The new approval means I'll be getting $100-200 added to my card each month, but I still get to keep the amount they'd already owed me. And I have state health insurance again.
After filling out my new application, getting my picture taken and fingerprinted and all that good stuff, I was finally released just before 10:00. So, I decided to use the rest of my day to get first to Ruby's mall so I could do her birthday shopping, and after that, depending on whether or not she was working today, I'd either beg her for a ride home when she got off so we could stop by the store for groceries (if I have food money and she has a truck, I am damn well going to take advantage of both), or if she wasn't I'd just catch the bus home, stopping by the store on the way and buying however much I could fit in my backpack, and maybe a bag or two more in my hands. I used my bus book to figure out the least amount of walking for getting there required two buses and some slight waiting, but since I was using my all-day pass and I wasn't in a hurry I didn't care.
The bus was ... an adventure. The first one wasn't an issue, but the second - the one that I needed to ride all the way to the end of the line, which is the mall - had a man in a wheelchair on board and about six people standing in the middle of the walkway while most of the seats were filled except for all of one in the back (which you couldn't get to anyway because everyone else refused to move). I ended up literally wrapped around the first pole right behind the driver and clinging for dear life because I have bad knees and a *horrible* sense of balance unless I'm on horseback. This lasted for about ten blocks before several of the people blocking the walkway finally got off and I was able to slip into a seat. After that it was fine.
When I got to the mall, I thanked the bus driver and headed into JC Penney, which is one of the main entrances. JC Penney proceeded to eat me alive, as I somehow ended up in the boys department with no idea where the hell the actual mall was - let alone the door I'd come in from. I found the Portrait Studio and Customer Service before I *finally* spotted what looked like one of the stores I know just around a corner. (In my defense, I'm usually following Ruby through one of the employee entrances, so it's not like I use this route a lot.)
Once inside the mall, I wandered around in hopes of finding a potential birthday present I could actually afford. I have decided that Ruby is not enough of a geek, seeing as all the gamer/nerd/music/ect. paraphernalia in my favorite stores was stuff she wouldn't really like. -Glowers- I also found many things *I* wanted, but couldn't afford seeing as I'm broke. I want CareBear shot glasses SO BAD! -Cries- I did, eventually, find a couple of things that I thought she might like, grabbed a cup of coffee, and seeing as I hadn't seen her at either of the shops where she works, headed back out to the bus stop, getting eaten alive by JC Penney again in the process.
Only to spot her truck in the parking lot as soon as I finally escaped. -Facepalm-
So, I went in again and hunted her down. Of course, she was at the second place I looked, because that's just how it always works. -Rolls eyes- I explained what had happened with Family Assistance, and asked if she minded running me to the store on the way home so I could get some food, or should I just go ahead and take the bus. After some debate, she said she'd take me, but I was going to have to wait four hours for her to get off. Which I told her was fine.
It was, too. I made a quick stop for one last present that I'd suddenly thought she might like. Then I sat at the tables outside her work, listened to my MP3 player, and started writing. Writing my novel no less, which makes me infinitely happy. Got another coffee from her work, which helped me work on the scene I was trying to write - which is totally rosabelle's fault. -TackleGlomps her- * Brother called me about an hour before Ruby was supposed to get off and we talked a bit. I told him about my day. In the middle of the conversation I got another call, which turned out to be an offer to schedule a job interview on Monday! ^_^V ** So I made the appointment and got their address, then called Brother back to squeal about it because I still can't figure out how to hang up on one person and go back to the previous call on my phone. c.c;;;
Ooh! I almost forgot! At one point I was walking through the upstairs food court on my way back from the bathroom, and I passed this guy in a navy blue shirt and tie eating at one of the tables who looked just like Carlos. His hair was in tight little curls, but he had it pulled back in a ponytail and his face was *so* much like him. I actually did a double take for a moment. o.O Ruby was pissed at me when I mentioned it later 'cause I didn't tell her right away so she could go see. -Blows a raspberry-
I ended up chatting with Ruby after her boss left. Chatted with her co-worker who came in for closing while Ruby made some last minute calls for her boss. Eventually we *finally* left and headed out of the mall, then proceeded to Wal-Mart for grocery shopping.
We ended up spending $200 worth of food.
Which is fine. I can afford that, thanks to what happened. But it's been a *very* long time since I'd filled a shopping cart, and Ruby never had. She wanted pictures. -Makes a face at her- I also apologized to the poor guy who had to ring us up at the register and assured him we weren't in a hurry, but we kept bickering and making him laugh the whole time so I don't think he minded too much. The cart was actually so full we dropped a couple of bags, but we finally managed to get everything out to the truck and loaded it in the bed because it was just easier.
When we got home, we agreed that I'd bring everything in while Ruby reorganized the fridge and freezer and cupboard so she could figure out where the hell everything was going to go. It took me three trips. Ruby proceeded to get to work while I went into my room to grab the prescription for my Keppra I'd forgotten to take with me this morning and checked Walgreens.com to see when the pharmacy down the street closes. Thankfully it was just after 6:00 by then and they didn't close until 9:00, so I grabbed my cards and stuffed my prescription in my pocket, warned Ruby I was leaving, and headed over.
The walk was nice. It was sunset, we have a really pretty neighborhood, and there was a camera in my pocket, so I took my time. I also called Brother back on my way there, 'cause I'd promised him that I would. It ended up being about an hour later that I finally got to Walgreens, but I'd had fun and gotten lots of nice pictures, which is what mattered. I dropped off my prescription, wandered around for about fifteen minutes, and finally headed back to pick it up.
Where the pharmacist told me there was a $4 co-pay.
I have no income currently. I just spent the last of my money on Ruby's birthday presents - and I mean that down to the pocket change. I sort of stared at him, because I had no idea what to do. (I'm still trying to figure out how I ended up with a co-pay on insurance that required me to apply for Unemployment to get it.) I finally admitted I didn't have any money on me because I hadn't been expecting that, so I'd have to come back tomorrow. He assured me that was fine and asked if I needed any for tonight. I kind of stared at him again and admitted that yeah, I do, so he slipped two pills out of the bottle and handed them to me with a smile. "One for tonight and one for tomorrow." I thanked him profusely and downed both of them, seeing as I haven't had any since what they'd given me at the hospital Memorial Day weekend, and I'm actually supposed to be taking one pill twice a day. ***
I got home and let Ruby give me 'the tour' of the kitchen, which she said had taken her an hour and a half to accomplish. (There really was a *lot* of food. c.c;;;) Then I made a tamale verde and grabbed a vegetable tray and the last of my two liter of Mountain Dew for dinner and headed for my room, seeing as all I'd eaten all day was the small bowl of rice for breakfast and a couple pieces of chocolate and a cookie from Ruby's work. x.x Talked to people on YahooMessenger while I ate and called my Shi-chan to tell her all about today as I'd promised I would. Watched everyone slowly head to bed until it was just me and challon86, but about midnight I went to use the bathroom and realized that I still hadn't taken out my contacts (something I usually do right when I get home from running around all day, seeing as it's hard to read my laptop screen when they're in) and I was starting to forget how to spell, so I told her I was gonna crash. ^.^;;
As it is, I slept until just after 10:00 this morning. c.c;;;
I'm gonna check the mail later and possibly borrow $4 from Ruby after she gets home so I can run over to Walgreens again and pick up my meds, but other than that? I am going to relax and work on writing today. And possibly lunch, once I figure out exactly when and what I want to eat.
The ability to have so many *choices* in what to eat is still a bit of a novelty. o.O
* All the instrumentals and theme music available on my mp3 player, and it's Romeo and Juliet - When Doves Cry that gets me working on my novel again. -_-;;;
** I'm a little more leery about it now since I've gotten the e-mail from them, which gave me the address and told me when the 'open interview' is, asking me to apply for the position they're bringing me in for before then. It's ... I'm not sure that it's the same thing as my last interview which was a 'pay us to train you and six months from now we'll hire you under contract so you can possibly make loads of money!' scheme, but I'm not sure how legit this one is, either. I'm willing to give them a chance, but ... Well. We'll see.
***As I told Brother at one point, it's kind of scary going to bed at night when you're not sure where you'll wake up. I remembered going to bed that Saturday night, waking up in the ambulance, waking up in the ER because I needed to go to the bathroom, and then found myself being woken up for a night check in my room after I'd already been admitted. The most clearly I remember waking up was Memorial Day, and the only reason I knew that was because there was a whiteboard directly across from my bed where they write down the date for you and what your nurse, CNA, housekeeper, and doctors' names all are. By that point I'd already slept through my MRI, too.
Being epileptic is scary. Being epileptic only when you're unconscious? -Shudders- Terrifying.