Inconvenient Annoyances

Gas jumped to $3.75 a gallon this morning. I know it is nothing compared to some areas of the world, but geesh!

Don't brag.    

When you're not used to it, it is shocking. When you think of the rest of the world, it isn't so bad.

Sigh. Yet again with DX...they allegedly attempted delivery but I've gotten no call or notification to go down the reception to collect it. I wasn't told to expect it, only know because I've been obsessively checking the tracking number. Have had them schedule a redelivery for tomorrow at my home address so I'll be spending all day on Saturday at home impatiently waiting. Can't wait to not have to do this again for a very long time!

Being informed I will be working Easter Sunday because I don't have kids and those who have kids should have the day off to be with them. I've had this a LOT in my adult life when it comes to Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Just because I couldn't have kids doesn't mean I don't want to see my nieces, nephew, great nephew (this is his first Easter), parents and other family.

It just chaps me that it is assumed since I don't have kids holidays are no big deal and family isn't important.

Being informed I will be working Easter Sunday because I don't have kids and those who have kids should have the day off to be with them. I've had this a LOT in my adult life when it comes to Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Just because I couldn't have kids doesn't mean I don't want to see my nieces, nephew, great nephew (this is his first Easter), parents and other family.

It just chaps me that it is assumed since I don't have kids holidays are no big deal and family isn't important.

Wow, that is unbelievably unfair in my opinion!  Holiday work should be fairly apportioned with absolutely no reference to an employee's personal situation.  My first reaction is the policy is unfair labor practices, but I don't know enough about labor law to make such a statement.  So I'll just say it is unbelievably unfair, and I can't blame you for being chapped - or worse! 

That's really unfair Tama.
I know that your boss is your best mate... surely he would know your feelings about being with your family on holidays, and not make incorrect assumptions?

And why do some employers wait till the week before to tell you what shifts you're going to work the following week?!  During my very short and nightmarish spell at Whole Foods, they put out the following week's schedule on the Thursday before!!  WTF?!  How are you meant to fit in dentist/doctor/hairdresser appointments around your shifts at that short notice?  What about people with child-care issues to work out?  Completely ridiculous, and NEVER AGAIN will I work under such a routine  (please God!!  )

Unfortunately, it isn't him, but my direct supervisor who decided this. Because of being best buds with the 'big boss', the others would see it as him playing favorites if I went to him about it. He knows how I feel about it, but the head of the department is under him and makes her own schedule. Because I haven't said anything to him, he is most likely unaware she has me working.

She does our schedule two weeks at a time, but waits until a day or two before to get the new one out. She really isn't all that organized all the way around, and he is questioning her ability to be in charge because of a lot of things. Her assistant seems to have it together, and shares everyone's feelings about how late the schedule is made. If she gets bumped up she will do better with scheduling.

Unfortunately, retail is notorious for schedules put out with little regard for personal requirements of staff.  DS was finally able to request Wednesdays off for on-going medical appointments.  Otherwise, they just expect you to trade shifts with someone else.  I don't understand why they can't be more accommodating -- especially considering that most only pay peanuts.

Still not happy about the other, but distracted today by my deep longing for the NHS. A couple weeks ago hubby's back was out, so he went to the ER early one morning hoping to get a prescription and be able to be at work by 7. He didn't make it to work, because of being given a shot that knocked him out for the better part of 16 hours.

We got the bill today. Holy cow! it was $160 for the shot at $961 for the ER visit. The doctor poked about 5 spots on his back, asking if each one hurt. Then wrote the prescription for steroids and pain killers. A quick bit of math puts that at $48 a minute for the 20 minutes he was in that room.

We have insurance but this is the first thing going toward our deductible so we will be paying it all anyway.

Sorry, Tama.  So many of us think that if we have health insurance coverage there won't be any problems.  Most folks have to pay monthly premiums, co-pays, and usually a big deductible.  And they get slammed with bills like you did.  And Medicare isn't any better.
But there are a lot of issues with the NHS too.  They keep saying its going bankrupt.

Flood! After moving into our new apartment [moved because of mold/Dad died there] just a couple of WEEKS ago, we were woken at 3am Thursday morning  and told to start moving our things away from the WATER THAT WAS POURING THROUGH THE CEILING in our Kitchen.  Apparently a pipe burst upstairs.  Every drywall seam in the ceilings of the kitchen, living room, dining room, foyer, and kids' bathroom is visible from water coming through or starting to.  We had huge fans and a dehumidifier going until yesterday and the first day we just had to get lost for about 24 hours.  Will it never end?

Sorry, Tama.  So many of us think that if we have health insurance coverage there won't be any problems.  Most folks have to pay monthly premiums, co-pays, and usually a big deductible.  And they get slammed with bills like you did.  And Medicare isn't any better.
But there are a lot of issues with the NHS too.  They keep saying its going bankrupt.

We were expecting something, we just didn't imagine it would be so high. I've never known 'after hours' care in an ER to be more than $500, including x-rays, which he didn't have this time. We knew we had a deductible to meet, and that ER visits for any reason can be high. A breakdown of the billing showed that a lot of it was because of 'after hours' billing. What are you supposed to do when even urgent care doesn't open until 8 am? And $150 just for the diagnosis, which in this case was the doctor agreeing that it was as hubby said, it was his sciatic nerve. That was on top of the $271 for him just to walk into the room, and a further fee for him to walk in the room during after hours. This was just after 6 am.

I know there are faults with the NHS too, but for 'quick fix' things like a sciatic nerve flare up, it is nice to have.

Yeah, there ought to be a way to avoid sticker shock.  I discovered that once you're on Medicare you can't just pay the $5 or whatever co-pay on the spot.  They have to send all the paper work to Medicare and then six months later they send you a bill for $5.  By which time you've forgotten about it and probably had other co-pays as well.  Could add up.

So they FINALLY took all the dehumidifiers and fans out of our apartment this morning, but I still can't rehang the lamp over our bar OR clean the carpets because they still have to seal and paint where all the water came through.  This is mentally wearing on my OCD brain.  Also, on a related note:

My Dog was dripping blood on the carpet out her butt, and then had red liquid diarrhea this morning.  Off to the vet we went and she has pancreatitis Still waiting to hear back about her progress, and worried sick. All of our schedule will be put on hold til she's better, the cost may put off our next visit to the UK and perhaps our move, and the fact that I can't clean the carpets with all this nervous energy is driving me CRAZY.  I just hope she's okay. 

Sorry for your troubles, Wren -- and especially hope the dog will be OK.