Being a Senior Citizen in Florida III

When people want to sell you something is it wrong to think they should speak well and with good basic grammar?  I've heard the wheeze about how grammar evolves and perhaps we have to just suck it in when people speak of "me and my buddy" or to be tolerant of young bloggers who have never learned the difference between their, there and they're. But when someone wants me to part with my money, shouldn't the company make sure that their sales persons use good grammar in general?

I had a follow up call from one of the Medicare Part B etc, companies where the person said, "To whom do I have the privilege of speaking to?" It started out sounding so proper and respectful and then she had to add that final "to".  I had another follow up call just a few minutes ago where the representative said something like, "I'm from XYZ Company. Recently you had went to one of our introductory meetings." I put him out of his misery by saying I had already signed up with another company. But, had I not, I would be thinking back to that meeting where the presenter called me "honey" and be sure there is no way I wanted to sign up with them.

Somehow, I think people should have more respect for themselves and present themselves well if they want to sell something.

Another advantage of world travel

You get to meet such interesting people.  

Today a guy I met in Japan who is from the UK announced the debut of the paperback version of his science fiction novel called The Rice Filter. The Kindle version that I read has been available for a while. If you are even a little interested in Japan, Japanese Culture, Science Fiction, emerging young authors you can read a sample on line or on your Kindle.

A new web site went up today at: http://thericefilter.wix.com/kentonsamuels The book and the Kindle version are available on the Amazon.us site as well as the ones listed on this site.

What's the Opposite of Coalescing?

If coalescing is the smooth coming together of elements to make a new homogeneous substance, then perhaps when this process fails we might call it curdling? I don't know, perhaps cooking analogies just come easier to me.

Yesterday, the plans I had been making started going sour and in the late afternoon I brought it to a halt and called a time out.  There was a lot of momentum behind those plans. The halt caused a bit of a jolt. In fact there are a few more smaller jolts due today as I will be speaking with some others involved on the periphery.

I am not discouraged. however, which is a good feeling. I am making new plans. In early morning half-wakefulness, some new ideas emerged that sound interesting. Sometimes when God gives you milk, you're meant to make cheese.

Branching Out a Little (Being a Senior Citizen in Florida II)

After I got the mail today I decided that I needed to contact my Doctor's office. No, the mail didn't make me sick exactly, but I did receive a third letter from a Medicare Administrative Contractor requesting information. These letters are my fault, I neglected to show my new Medicare card to the people in my Doctor's office on a recent visit, and my number had changed by one character. So now Medicare is wondering if someone has picked up my old number and is using it to defraud the system.

It was good that I did call, I think that the problem is a step closer to being resolved now that the billing department is aware of what's happened on my end. The problem will likely result in a delay in their payment, so it behooves them to do something.

I also talked to the person in billing about how obtuse the instruction on the forms was and she suggested I write a letter to the editor of the local paper to help others who might run into the same problem. I opted instead to revive my blog on the local paper's Patch page and post my thoughts there. If you'd like to read it, it's here

Coalescing

I think that's a lovely word and evokes for me a feeling of harmony and rightness.  These days I'm feeling a sense of coalescence in my life in general.   Those of you following my trek through modern life will see this as progress.

It's not that things are necessarily peaceful. I'm staring at a major upheaval. It's that the changes coming are the ones I need.

Meanwhile, in the day to day, I'm visiting Criss Cross Applesauce Land twice a week, and sewing with the Quilters at church one day. I've come to a preliminary decision about next year's Medicare coverage. The radiator cap on my car has been replaced to hopefully eliminate the noise I was hearing from time to time. And I'm making lists.

So, not standing at the crossroads wondering which route I have the energy for, but making forays in likely directions and returning to home base to regroup and rethink.Waiting for some elements to come together and make sense and setting others in motion to see how they will pan out.

How's your week been? Your month, your year? Are things coming together for you? Are you happy with your status quo? Is there a big change coming? How are you coping?