"Nobody likes him"

 In my efforts to achieve my goal with the VA, this is the best advice I ever received, and it was free. 

As recounted previously, I finally got the results I wanted, but not without intensive efforts. Including contacting every source that I thought could possibly apply. The VA had already rejected my case filed by a well-known doctor, who was also a lawyer. (As it turned out, it seems the majority of those involved in veterans seeking service-connected disability are certified in both medicine and law.) 

 This first doctor, Dr. B. , charged an exhorbitant fee, had several published recommendations, spoke with Dave and me several times on phone calls, predicted a favorable outsome, and since my attorney had told me, knowing where we were headed, to spend as much as I legally could in order to qualify for impending Medicaid, we enlisted his services. As soon as we received the copy of his appeal to VA, I knew we were doomed to failure.

   His approach to the VA was that he had extensive experience with and insight into such matters and that his knowledge surpassed theirs. That's all I'll say about him for now. Of course, we filed an appeal, which was also rejected a total of 5 or maybe 6, up to that point.

I kept looking for more options, contacting more potential help, and among scores of requests that is when I encountered Doug, a doctor/ lawyer located in North Carolina. His initial response was that he was unable to take our case, but he wished us well. Okay, I'm used to rejection, on with the hunt. 

  But then, unexpectedly, Doug  called me on the telephone, saying he had not intended to condemn me to defeat. He had re-read my file and noted that I had used the services of Dr. B. He told me had often encountered him in the courtroom and that NOBODY LIKED HIM. The takeaway was to find someone else.

  I persisted  and eventually happened upon another doctor/ lawyer.Although outside his area of chosen expertise, he agreed to take the case, for a very reasonable fee. He did so, and the VA doctors agreed with his assessment and awarded the sought-after  VA rating.

  What is notable is that doctor presented his areas of disagreement in a cordial and professional way, pointing out where the VA had overlooked the facts relating to treatment. (Dr. Remington Nevin is the most professional, organized, reasonable, and successful person I ever encountered in my hundreds of attempts.)

The VA changed its rating to favorable. 

I would conclude that if nobody likes you, your chances of achieving succes or fame will eventually be  doomed  to fail.

Screwdriver Excess

In  trying to organize, downsize, clean house or whatever, I found I have in my house at least 35 screwdrivers. And probably at least 100 tines that number of screws.Say what you will.

Lost---and Found

 (Bear with me, Blog)

It is frustrating, when you live alone, to lose an item in your house, because you know you have no one to blame but yourself. You wrack your brain trying to figure out where you might have put it. You go back to the last time you saw the lost item, and try to recall why it is not where it should be. You exhaust all possibilities, conduct a friutless search,  and finally accept that you may never know what happened to it.

1) I lost a theater program that I had listed on ebay, sold it, couldn't find it, issued a refund. I later, quite a bit later, discovered it beneath the pad on my kitchen table, where I had placed it to make it wrinkle-free.

2) I knew I'd recently seen some old Star Wars coins, remembered changing their longtime location when attempting to organize, looked everywhere I could have placed them, to no avail. I came across it searching through a box of ephemera while looking for something else.

3) I have Dorothy's deluxe steam iron, in great working condition, but the teflon sole is scratched due to crafting. I vividly recall putting it in a plastic bag for donation, and placing it in a spot I'd be sure to find it. I still don't know exactly where, because Danny handed it to me the other day when he was here.

4) I keep a hard-cover journal type notebook in a secure place in my living room; it's important because among other entries, it contains all the poems Snookie has read to me over the phone, which I have submitted to The Express, most of which were published, and I need them to remind her of her past successful, published poetry. It was missing, I searched everywhere, and could only conclude I must have gathered it up with a bunch of newspapers and magazines and inadvertently recycled it.It appeared in a basket with other paperwork, stashed in the bedroom when I was trying to unclutter for the Fair company.

The timing was propitious.

 Another sleepless night, so again I turn to you, O Blog, since I have thought scenarios running through my head. Here's one such:

  While writing  one of my high school research papers, I was taken by the sound of the title sentence above, and   included it in my paper. Not wanting to be caught up in a plagiarism issue, I thoroughly researched the meaning of the word propitious, though no question was ever raised. During my freshman year of college, I took a beginning French course, not realizing the other students in the class were not unfamiliar with French, just trying for an easy A in an already familiar language. I had no issue with that, but I certainly did not volunteer to answer any questions the professor asked. Except once. While reading some selection of literature, he asked if anyone knew the definition of the word propitious. No one answered. Except me. It hadn't to do with French, but I answered the question. He said I had a good vocabulary. Yay.

     Years later, when I worked at Herkimer BOCES, a guest speaker, author of a number of books, happened to stop her lecture and inquire if anyone knew what propitious meant. No one answered, except me. She announced to the class that I had a good vocabulary. 

   So if anyone would like to be complimented on word meanings, be ready to reply with the meaning of propitious. You never know when  it might be helpful. 

  N.B. An apt synonym begins with the letter O.

   

Not them, it's me. Ha!

 In certain seasons of life, it seems it has become necessary to show that one is  {still} able to conduct the affairs of life. When fate intervenes in admittedly insignificant  ways, the person in that specified season of life consciously or subconsciously becomes defensive, supplying  justifications and explanations to deflect blame, and any corresponding shame.

Case(s) in Point:

1. Customer orders and successfully pays online for a home appliance, with inclusion of delivery, installation and removal of present appliance. 

     Appliance arrives at home, but technician is unable to install, due to unforeseen changes in specs of said appliance and its ilk.\

    Because customer's longtime credit card company was acquired by another company, the customer's payment was declined pending notification or investigation or other cr*p, and the customer had to undergo process of duplicate payments.

2a) Due to an installer's claim that a replacement horizontal roof diverter parallel to the rain gutter would be better than the customer's request for the inverted V shape, the doorway became a target for last winter's snow-covered doorstep, and the rain and snow melt likely caused the front door to warp, and make it difficult to open, especially with rotor cuff issues.

2b)Calling a roofer (original installer) whose ads proudly promise no job is too small, and receiving no CB.

3) The pharmacy is, for unspecified reasons, unable to refill prescriptions online, making it necessary to plead one's case in person, and undergo a waiting period. 

4) I'm not even going to reprise automobile and tire, towing and loss of use problems, only remembering what it's like to try to drive with missing lug nuts right after having new tires installed.Each wheel needs 5!

5) Failed usps delivery of package where first response is to blame amazon. Nope.

6) Receiving receipt for school tax payment as separate and terse receipt only, with no return of submitted school tax statement,as formerly. I suppose it can be retrieved somewhere, but why not just check the "paid" box as usual. 

7) Finding that the "order checks" page in your checkbook no longer is able to re-order checks, perhaps because it's been a long time since checks were ordered. I write few checks now, it's true. So ordered checks from another source and was told delivery in 2 weeks. 

8) Not gripes, just things that are not usual---pertaining to ebay sales

     Sales are down. One of my own children said b/c everything in my house is crap. But the last 2 items sold are empty boxes.  I find the latest sold item listed has had 62 views so far---for an empty box. The buyer of the previous empty box paid $2 for the item and $24 shipping, for an 8-ounce pkg. I emailed I will issue refund and he said things happen, he knew usps was expensive and n.p.

9+ to be continued

  

Ancestry:

 I think our 

 mother's father, and brother Timothy:

O Lordy

 Going through stuff acquired in my youthful days. Somebody's got to clear the clutter. I find written in one of my books:  "I'm schizophrenic and so am I."  Ah, to be young...

P.S. I wish I had saved more boxes, as per FB.