Death is my friend.

It started before I began working at nursing homes, before I had lost anyone really important. I have yet to figure out how or why it came to be, but I have a great relationship with Death. 

Clearly, the whole 'god' idea didn't stick, even after 12+ years of Catholocizement, but Death and I definitely understand each other. On one hand I am incredibly lucky to have not yet lost a grandparent, parent, sibling, spouse, or child. But on the other it totally sucks to have lost two friends, of the type that are so uniquely themselves it makes the missing so much stronger.

Anyone who spends time in a nursing home will realize that Death can be kind, welcomed, and appreciated. (It has to be more time than the yearly visit to grandma where you hold your breath the whole time and try not to look at anyone.) I don't get angry at Death. I grieve, clearly I grieve, but each time I learn of another newly transitioned soul a chain-reaction of emotional events gets triggered, but never anger. For some reason, I feel that Death is a familiar friend, this entity who will see me through the hardest of times, and I know Death with always be back soon enough.

As a kid, I always wanted to read the obituaries. I rarely, if ever, recognized a name, but I liked to think about Doris Jones, 84, and those she was survived by. I liked to imagine that Melvin Smith's family would donate money in lieu of flowers to the American Cancer Society  so that countless others might benefit. I also secretly dreamed of becoming a funeral director. (Secretly, because it's not something you tell people when they say, "what do you want to be when you grow up?" in their sing-song voice.)

The show Six Feet Under has brought me more comfort than anyone could imagine. Maybe it's the comfort of knowing that there is an end to this long journey on Earth, although hopefully it won't be soon. 

I think the changing of the seasons has made me go a bit off, as usual.

Update: This is as big as I can get it. I could try to scan it at a higher resolution, but the letter says:

Your check is being returned to you for the following reason:

The check is made out to us, but the form we received is for services by another entity.

Thank you for your prompt attention in this manner.

(the date of the check is six months before the date of the letter. they are very prompt.)

Who can tell me why I can't embiggen the image in the previous post? It makes the previous post pointless.

Perfect Example

Everything Longitude and I do in life takes at least three times longer than it does for average folk. He says it's because god hates us. I don't buy the whole 'god' story, so I think we just have an aura of defeat that follows us. 

Many months ago, I was considering getting an Illinois nursing license. I knew it was going to take forever, of course taking into account the aura. I worried about my alma mater not filling out the paperwork right, or some strange hold magically appearing on my old student account preventing me from ever getting my IL RN license. Within a week, I had every piece of documentation needed except one. I called the Oregon State Board of Nursing and explained what I needed, and they told me that although they had no idea what I was talking about, I should send in the blank form anyway, and include $12.

Several months after that, I had decided that getting said license was a moot point, but I still wanted to know where my check was and what had happened. The evil troll who always answers the phone told me that there's no way it ever made it there because every piece of mail crosses her desk only and she knows everything and it was impossible that it ever had arrived. Of course I raised my voice (it takes an unbelievable force to make me get out my assertiveness monkey) and said, "IF IT NEVER CROSSED YOUR DESK THEN WHERE IS MY CHECK"? I finally dropped the subject, thinking that if it ever came through our bank account I would buy a gun.

A few days ago, we received this; notice the dates on both the check and the letter:

 

Incidentally, we now live just blocks from the OSBN, but I am currently unarmed.

Drought

I have a great post in mind, but it needs a supporting document. This would require putting the USB cable from the printer into the side of the computer, putting a piece of paper in the scanny part, and clicking a few things on the screen. Due to recent events, this is apparently too much. I should mention a few? Here:

roommates moved in, baby getting four top teeth at roughly the same rate, job interviews, orientation for new job, food stamps, unemployment application, cold weather, baby increasingly more proficient with mobility...

not in that order.

On the bright side, I am employed, Quacky's teeth are almost through the gums, and the maintenance dudes have been working on the pool/hot tub the past few days. Also, we splurged and bought a bottle of Admiral Nelson's. More to come. Really.