Good news and better news

Yes, I've been kinda lazy today. However, I did go out and check the A/C clutch in the car.

Last night I ran the engine at idle until it reached the point where the radiator fan normal turns on. It did not turn on. That confirmed my suspicion somewhat. The radiator fan and A/C have a similar circuit. If the fan does not turn on, the A/C clutch does not turn on. 

Went out and ran a jumper from the battery to the A/C clutch and it started working. So that part is confirmed, the A/C still works. 

Next step is to run two jumpers from the battery to the fan. That will tell me of it is the fan or the relay. If the fan works, it's the relay. Though I can't do that right now. Have to let the engine cool down. Tried doing it and burned myself.

I will also check the wires to make sure the problem is not a bad wire. As far as relays are concerned, I think I can get them tested at Auto Zone. Not sure. I did check and the relay is about $10. 

No matter what, it's far better it be one of those problems than the compressor, which costs over $200 and would require depressurizing the system at a shop equipped to do that, installing the new compressor and then recharging the system. Grand total over $300. 

If it's the fan I will check and see if I can use the fan from the Mazda.

Checked and found out the IRS finally processed my tax return, so my refund will be in the bank this week! Yay! They calculated a few dollars more than I was expecting. Only $4 but better than if they said less than the original. I was also anxious they would not process the refund until six months, which they said could happen. That also means my state refund should come soon. 

Okay, gotta go to the store for a few minutes and then take the dog for a walk.

Long weekend

Had a long weekend with daughter. We didn't do very much. She did some artwork and I was on the computer a bit too much. However, the TV and computer are in the same room, we both like the TV on while we do other things. So she was doing art while I was on the computer and we talk intermittently while the TV is on. Often ignoring what we were doing or discuss what we are/were doing at the time. So, while we may not be active, we are communicating, not ignoring each other.

I have not been very energetic but seem to be regaining some of that. I think this time of not working is helping me quite a bit. 

Going to get busy tomorrow and get things done around the house and yard. I really think in less than a week I can bring both house and yard into much, much better shape if I just get up and get moving.

I did take her out looking for some clothing this weekend. She seems interested in starting a band with her friends. None of them play instruments yet. She wants to play drums but has no drums. I had been planning on buying her a set of electric drums when I lost my job. If I find a job while I still have money in savings I will get them for her. 

Vacation is still a few weeks off. Glad I have the money for our vacation. Looking forward to it.

Brownies

I have been eating a lot of junk food for months. It helps increase my calorie intake. Can't eat enough regular food to accomplish that. Not enough appetite. 

Now that I'm not working, I have to control expenses. So I made brownies tonight. Double batch. I'm sure daughter won't mind if I do that.

I also canceled the insurance on the bike today. Think I went into that issue yesterday. 

Got out and shredded more wood this evening. Gave the dog a tick bath. He was covered in them. Tick collar did no good at all. 

Had insomnia bad last night. Went to sleep, then woke up around 2 AM. Could not get back to sleep until around 6. Fed the dog and went back to bed at that time. Got up around 11:30. 

I have still been chronically exhausted. Slightly better today. Though I do not think it is really a bad thing. I think it could be my body recovering a bit. But I know if I do not push myself out of it, it will not get better.

The cannabis I got yesterday is a lot stronger than I am used to. I don't really like the taste much. The jury is still out on therapeutic effects. Only used it first time last night. (I don't think there was any relation to the insomnia.) 

Failed on first attempt to quit smoking. Try again this week. 

One week

So, I have been unemployed for one week now. Been lazy the whole week. Okay, eight days. Most of that time I have been exhausted and achy but that is fading a bit.

I did finally start moving some stuff to the shed yesterday and more today. That clears up some room to move things around in the house for better organization, which I will start on tomorrow.

Checked the second irrigation zone this evening and it is all intact. That was a nice thing to learn! I do need to run some acid and fertilizer through the lines. 

Couple of cannabis plants are growing well but yellowing leaves at the edges. Means they lack nitrogen. Those two are at least two ft tall now. Another one inside is taller but that's probably because it has gotten more fertilizer and more acidic soil. Six more gaining size nicely. One cutting I took the other day is a bit questionable, so waiting to see how it does. Still cannot tell the male from female plants. 

They opened up my retirement account for withdrawal today, so I submitted the request to get all the money. They increased the amount they take out for taxes to 20 percent. That hurt a little bit but not horribly. I still have enough for 3-4 months off. Maybe more. Long as I control expenses.

Going to have to go with a cheaper tent than I had originally planned. I was looking at a slightly larger tent but I can buy one about $60 cheaper which is acceptable and decent. 

Bernie Sanders is coming to town tomorrow. I'll miss seeing him. It would mean I'd pick daughter up late. Plus it's downtown. Not fond of downtown. No big deal, really. Not like I could be any more in his favor. His speeches are all similar, so I can listen to them online. I know his policies and positions. Maybe someone else will get in in my place who is less convinced.

Dragging

Not feeling badly today, just not very energetic. 

Once again, I woke up earlier than I really wanted to. Could not get back to sleep yet still feel tired. 

Having some minor gastric issues but it tends to take the wind out of my sails.

I may take a short nap in a little while. Like 30 mins. Good thing is that the days are now long on sunlight but TV is in the off season. (Besides, any shows I enjoy I just have set to record.) 

Made up an extensive to-do list last night. Gives me a better idea of what I need to accomplish and lets me prioritize more. I will get on some of it today.

It's coming on 3 PM. If I take a short nap I can still get a lot done later.

I did order a new car stereo last night. From a website for a manufacturers outlet out of China. Only $20 and has Bluetooth and USB input. Nice, nothing too fancy. If it arrives soon I can install that and the heater and a cigarette lighter (mostly for power supply) before daughter and I go on vacation. Also ordered some clip-on sunglasses and a new webcam. 

I want to start doing some more stuff online for political and social blogs. May be late in the game for this election but these issues we are facing will not just disappear, no matter what the election outcome. 

Update, 5/17/16, about 3 PM-

I started this post yesterday and never finished it. Never got much done yesterday, either. Matter of fact have not yet done anything today.

I am getting up in just a minute to get on some things. Yesterday I didn't feel so hot. Today I've just been lazy. Not going to make excuses. I am taking this time as an unplanned vacation. No need to kill myself with work.

Checked on the retirement funds this morning. Going to take a few weeks to get the money. I could request part of it now but figure I will wait a few more days. Have enough in the bank to not worry for the moment.

Picked up a whole bunch of chicken breast at the store last night. On sale for less than half the normal price. Cooked them and need to package and freeze them. I checked on the chicken leg quarters which I have a rain check for at 29 cents a lb but still not in stock. I have a feeling they will not be back in stock until all the rain checks expire. If they do get them in stock, I'll get 20 lbs, cook them and can them. Picked up a 24 pack of bottled water for the trip. Had a rain check on that one for 99 cents. 

Bought two sleeping bags last night. Summer bags. They were less than $10 each. I like cold weather bags better but then, not planning on any winter trips right now. So that would be an additional expense for nothing. Actually, I hate winter camping. I just like winter bags. 

Okay, time to get up and do something worthwhile. 

PTO

Looks like I got my answer about my remaining PTO. The company deposited my last check in the bank later on Fri than my regular pay. No PTO included. Not a surprise.

Oh, well. I was hoping but not counting on it. Just another way corporations screw employees over. 

So, as of right now, I have my pay in the bank. Then I have the income tax refund due whenever they get to it. Plus I have over $100 in the medical savings account. Plus over $6000 in retirement. Though they will take money from that for taxes. In all, I have enough to be comfortable and not worry for 4-5 months. 

Going to try to quit smoking again this week. Of course, that all comes down to how my ulcerative colitis reacts. If I can quit smoking, it cuts my costs down no small amount. Smoking is rather expensive.

If I calculate according to the past few months, I have been able to save money each month, if only a little. Good time of year, as I will be using less utilities. So with all combined I may have enough to be unemployed for up to six months.

I did get the alignment on the car on Friday. Turns out the car has been in an accident at some point and the alignment could not be perfect. Much better than it was, though. And it's not terribly out of spec. 

This week, I will clean out the Mazda and try to sell it for a few hundred. Sell some other, smaller stuff. Mostly just to clear out some space. 

If I get enough money, that will offset the cost of completing the wood shop. I can probably do without the sander for now. I have a hand held sander. I still need the planer. 

After Thur or Fri morning, my stress level declined and my health improved. Slowly regaining some energy. 

I figure right now if I start working on the house and yard I can get at least one major area done per day. Except for rewiring, which will take more time. The whole yard and garden will probably take at least two days but that's still an improvement over past years. 

Where wiring is concerned, I have most of the supplies I need. May have to buy more sheet rock and plaster to close up walls after doing the wiring. 

Sadly, all of this may well mean I have to put off installing the poly panels on the solarium until next year. Or at least late this year. 

I am not going to wait until the last minute to look for a new job. I would rather have some savings left so I do not wind up playing catch-up with finances. 

Of course, one concern is the cannabis program. Things have been advancing all over but that could still be an issue. Many employers may not hire me unless I am clear of that. So I may have to stop several weeks before seeking a new job, or at least before starting one. That's gonna suck. Something I have to check on. All depends on the employer. 

On that, it does seem to have helped me gain some weight in the last few months. But it is possible the arrow root did more for that than the cannabis has. The cannabis does help with other things, like muscle spasms. (Very possible intestinal spasms could be part of what decreases my appetite.) Have to try tapering down and going some nights without and see how I do.

I am considering seeking medical disability. In no small part for my agoraphobia. It has become worse and worse over time. 

Bad start

My vacation got off to a rough start this morning. Woke up with a pretty bad bronchitis attack. Not sure what pollen is up right now. Been pretty windy lately, so that makes it much worse. 

Major part of it lasted a few minutes and was not pretty. When I could catch my breath, got up and took Ephedrine and Benadryl. That helped some. Just now took another Ephedrine. 

That's okay. I plan on starting off kind of slow. Check if Planet Fitness has the hair stylist there today so I can get a haircut. Get the house more organized today and tomorrow. After that I can start on some major work. 

Aside from that, doing some independent campaign work for Bernie. Get my resume updated and do a cursory employment search. File a withdrawal from the retirement account. 

The IRS is still showing my return as being processed but received. They had said it could take up to 180 days to get my refund. Honestly, I think they are doing that because they are broke. Pushing it back far enough delays the refund until next fiscal year. However, that poses problems for next year's federal budget. 

Once again, that's okay. Strangely, I think I have enough to live on until then. Not like a rich man but enough. 

I plan on spending a lot of time outside, which will acclimate me to heat. That means I will need less climate control inside the house. When I am in the house, I'll be more comfortable with higher temperatures. 

Also planning on getting a lot of exercise. Have not been to the gym in a year. Had too many problems with losing weight. Now I have gained a bit and brought my condition under better control. So I can now afford to burn more calories and get back in shape. I can also go during the slower times of day. 

Next week I need to have a yard sale. Get rid of some stuff that's in the way which I don't use any more.

Still waiting for the medicine to kick in. Then get up and get some stuff done. Or go back to bed for a short nap. I had wanted to sleep longer but the bronchitis attack ruined that.

Unemployed

Moderately long story. I quit my job today.

Now long ago I was written up and given a "final warning" (for doing something one time), so if I did anything else wrong, I would be terminated.

Last week, I did something wrong. I actually emailed my supervisor about it. So, of more than 300 cases I get per week, they picked that one specific case to audit. They gave me a zero on my audit, which comes down to me being fired.

Here is the kicker. In each case, I did what was in the best interest of the patient. In each case the person I spoke with was a provider, one doctor and one nurse practitioner. In each case, what I did wrong was actually discuss the patient's medical condition. 

The first one was a woman with a spinal fracture, in a wheelchair. I discussed the clinical information with the doctor to figure out which direction the case should go. I put forward the idea that she may have a spinal tumor. I was correct. The doctors responded and told me there was a lesion on xray. Potential for harm? That the patient could be paralyzed from the waist down for life.

The second one the patient was bitten by an animal, then got a rabies vaccine. Then she developed neurological symptoms. The office ordered full spinal imaging but no brain scan. I asked if they wanted to add a brain scan. That was what I did wrong. They said no, I went no further. Though I will say here it haunted me. If the patient has rabies, she is dead by now. If they did not do brain imaging, she would have become disoriented so she would not recognize her family. My ethics go by the idea that she at least had the right to know before that point so she had the chance to say goodbye. 

That's it. I was in trouble for being competent and for looking out for the best interests of the patients. Oh, well. Not the first time I got in trouble for doing what is right.

The company placed me on all written cases. I knew what would be coming next. I worked half the day and asked for information from my supervisor. No word by lunchtime. So, I made the decision and resigned. Better to have a resignation on my resume than a termination. 

Just as well. I had been considering looking for another job since last year. Things kept getting worse and worse. 

Any way, I have some money set aside. Far from rich but enough to take a couple months off with no suffering. I am hoping that I get my PTO, so that will extend that time by at least three weeks. 

If I get my tax refund soon, I will have enough money to finish the wood shop. Maybe even if I don't get the tax refund soon. Have to pull money from the retirement account in any case. Do that tomorrow. Not sure how long it will take. Probably mean I will owe on taxes next year but I'll deal with that when the time comes. 

For now, I will be researching options, finishing the wood shop, working on the house and garden and taking time off with my daughter. 

I still tend to think things happen for a reason. Not sure what direction I am being led now. Just call it a new adventure.

Allergies

I feel like crap. I think it's just allergies. Been coughing and sneezing. Tonight I feel exhausted and got nothing done. May be running a low grade fever. As much of a fever as I ever run. Hope to feel better tomorrow.

Got written up for work. I didn't argue. Does no good. Had to be counseled by my supervisor today. I admit I had gotten a bit assertive with some callers for a while. It was while I was not feeling so great and had three doctors appointments. I've calmed down since. Cannot say it was all me. For some reason, callers had gotten extremely aggressive and/or brain dead. Happily my supervisor had listened to the calls I was dinged on and knew it was not all me becoming assertive for no reason. So did the auditors, who made most of the audits "soft audits" which do not count against me in an official capacity. Long as I do okay the rest of my audits this quarter I'm okay.

Good news on the political front! Bernie won Indiana!!! Trump won the GOP nomination. That sounds bad but as of today Hillary is polling lower than Trump. But Bernie is polling higher than Trump! Ha!!! So much for the whole, "Vote for Hillary to beat Trump" garbage!! 

Hillary made a huge mistake going after Trump before the primary is even over. Trump will not pull punches like Bernie has. The things Bernie has declared off limits will be Trump's primary ammunition. All the scandals she has been involved in. And he has known her personally for decades. I am sure he will have stories to tell which we have not yet heard. Besides, he is not the only one gunning for her. Him, Bernie, the FBI, the DOJ, Judicial Watch and a rising popular clamor for investigation into election fraud. Add to that the fact that state Democratic parties have gotten angry because she has been ripping them off and that is well documented. Voters are attacking the super-delegates who support her in spite of the popular vote in their states being for Bernie. In the last month about three states have flipped which she had allegedly won but turned around and supported Bernie at the state delegate conventions. 

Personally, I have been ruthless in posting facts and questions on her page. Not even her supporters have fired back. Mostly because the ones in the past who have I have taken down really hard. Not with any form of personal attack. Just more facts and questions. They give up because I do not get angry or lose my cool. They just don't have any lucid responses. 

So, Bernie has a solid lead going into the next states where he is already polling well. 

He probably will not get enough delegates to win the nomination. So it will be a contested convention. If he can flip enough super-delegates to his side he will win the nomination. Right now Hillary seems to be helping that process along. 

I got the well pump fixed. Got the fence back up which the wind completely blew down. Going to have to set more concrete. Two of the bases cracked. Guess I better dig them in deeper. 

Garden is looking good. Spinach is growing really well. Some of the tomato plants which I thought dead are now showing signs of recovery. At least two of the three cannabis plants outside are looking good. Have to get one more in the ground. Getting too big for the pot. I just wanted to be sure the one I set in the ground did not die from the soil. It didn't. Not that any of the outdoor plants will produce anything until fall because days have to be 12/12 hours for them to form buds. But I am hoping to get them to a really good size over the summer before then. Then I may have a really big crop. So I am now up to 9-10 plants. Most still very small but they are growing. Lots of carrots coming up. I got the main zone for the irrigation system running on a timer now. One hour twice a day for now to flush any surface salt away and get the deep soil saturated. Then I'll cut it back to 30 minutes twice a day. Let it stay as is for another week.