Sunday, July 26, 2009
View From The Ivanhoe
So, I'm here in wonderful, smelly, great from the ground up, Greeley Colorado. I am living in an apartment building downtown. It's not a really bad building, there ARE some good people in it. It's just that when something major breaks down it takes a long time to repair it. I am disabled, I have COPD. Some people say that is not really a disability because for the most part it is self-induced by smoking tobacco. Regardless, I have COPD along with a number of other things wrong with me, and I live on the 3rd floor of a 4 story building. It is (or should I say WAS) elevated and I really enjoyed my time in that apartment. Back in May the management shut the elevator down because someone was urinating in it. It has not been turned on yet. Now the excuse is that it is not up to code because it lacks a telephone in case it gets stuck. I managed with climbing the stairs for awhile but I was hospitalized back in the end of June with heart problems and decided I needed to move. Thankfully, there was a basement apartment available and I am in the process of moving down there as I type. With no elevator it IS rather difficult. I had to bring my bed down in 4 trips. I have until next Saturday to get my old place emptied out and cleaned up. Hopefully I will have some helpers this week who will carry my 7 foot long couch, and my 200 pound OLD microwave. Those are the 2 biggest things I own. Well, that's all for now. I just felt like venting a little.
Monday, July 20, 2009
View From The Ivanhoe
Hi everyone! This blog is going to start out as a very personal one but will eventually morph into politics somewhere along the way.
My name is Tom and I am currently living in Greeley Colorado, which is in the northern part of the state. It's not a bad place most of the time, but there are some bad things going on here just like everywhere. That is for later though, this is going to be to introduce myself and my situation.
It was a day of candy and broken eggs. A day of pumpkins and chalk marks everywhere. It was October 31 and it was the day I died. It is also the day I was born! I was born dead along with my twin sister. The doctors were able to revive me, but not my sister. If all the babies my mother carried would have lived I would have been about 13th out of like 17. I'm an only child. My son, my father, grandfather, great grandfather, on back about 2 more greats, were ALL only children, My son has given me 3 beautiful grandchildren. One of which was the first female in 100+ years! Other than dying once again when I was 14, my life was pretty uneventful till I met the most beautiful woman in the world on April 27 of 1974. It was love at first sight (yeah, right)(no, really)(sure it was)(it was!!) and we were married that October. Our son was born the following May. In 1982 my wife, Kathy, discovered a lump in her breast. Yeah, it was cancer and she had a partial mastectomy and was declared clean. Over the next few years nothing big happened...I had a few girlfriends over the years that Im pretty sure Kathy knew about and I was drink a little heavy, but I held down a decent job so there was no big deal. In '84 mom died(thank you Lord) and in '91 dad died. I had my first heart attack that year and in September Kathy had a seizure at work. She was rushed to NY Hospital, diagnosed with a brain tumor and operated on the same day. Again they declared her clean! In October of '92, while undergoing a routine MRI, the Dr. discovered her brain was swollen. After more exams, the doctor told me she had 6 months to live. She beat them, she lasted till April 26 of 1993. That was the end of my world...I sank into drugs and alcohol...left NY and went to Florida where I wound up in jail for the first time in my live..left there eventually and moved to Georgia where I lived for 10 years, and got married for the 2nd time. I left her after 7 years because she was an abusive person, physically and mentally...in 2004 I came to Colorado. Spent a year and moved to Wyoming for a bit. Finally moved back here in 2007.
I have COPD , Pulmonary Hypertension, Major Depression, Peripheral Neuropathy and Erectile Dysfunction. I have applied for SSI/SSDI and have been approved. Because of the incident back in FL in 1994 SSI is refusing to pay me though. In the meantime, I am getting Aid for Needy and Disabled in the amount of $200.00 a month, also $189.00 in Food Stamps. I cannot take public transportation anywhere as I can't walk to the bus stop. Between the COPD and the Neuropathy walking any distance is a chore. Recently, a PA at the Sunrise Clinic here in Greeley, told me I should go for Retraining as I am no longer disabled. He said since I had not quit smoking then I must not be disabled any longer. I explained to him that the prescription he wrote me for Chantix is STILL in the process of being approved for their program so I would not need to pay $80.00 a month for it! He still refused to sign the papers I need to continue getting my AND and Food Stamps! I have an appointment with a Cardiologist later this week, maybe he will sign the papers, otherwise I am broke come the 1st!!
Well, that's me! For good or bad...It's not ALL of me, just some of the better parts... I'm going to try to do this a few times a week, if I remember...I will touch on some good stuff next time...
For now: Keep the Flags of Discontent Flying High
Yours in the Constitution
TomInGreeley
My name is Tom and I am currently living in Greeley Colorado, which is in the northern part of the state. It's not a bad place most of the time, but there are some bad things going on here just like everywhere. That is for later though, this is going to be to introduce myself and my situation.
It was a day of candy and broken eggs. A day of pumpkins and chalk marks everywhere. It was October 31 and it was the day I died. It is also the day I was born! I was born dead along with my twin sister. The doctors were able to revive me, but not my sister. If all the babies my mother carried would have lived I would have been about 13th out of like 17. I'm an only child. My son, my father, grandfather, great grandfather, on back about 2 more greats, were ALL only children, My son has given me 3 beautiful grandchildren. One of which was the first female in 100+ years! Other than dying once again when I was 14, my life was pretty uneventful till I met the most beautiful woman in the world on April 27 of 1974. It was love at first sight (yeah, right)(no, really)(sure it was)(it was!!) and we were married that October. Our son was born the following May. In 1982 my wife, Kathy, discovered a lump in her breast. Yeah, it was cancer and she had a partial mastectomy and was declared clean. Over the next few years nothing big happened...I had a few girlfriends over the years that Im pretty sure Kathy knew about and I was drink a little heavy, but I held down a decent job so there was no big deal. In '84 mom died(thank you Lord) and in '91 dad died. I had my first heart attack that year and in September Kathy had a seizure at work. She was rushed to NY Hospital, diagnosed with a brain tumor and operated on the same day. Again they declared her clean! In October of '92, while undergoing a routine MRI, the Dr. discovered her brain was swollen. After more exams, the doctor told me she had 6 months to live. She beat them, she lasted till April 26 of 1993. That was the end of my world...I sank into drugs and alcohol...left NY and went to Florida where I wound up in jail for the first time in my live..left there eventually and moved to Georgia where I lived for 10 years, and got married for the 2nd time. I left her after 7 years because she was an abusive person, physically and mentally...in 2004 I came to Colorado. Spent a year and moved to Wyoming for a bit. Finally moved back here in 2007.
I have COPD , Pulmonary Hypertension, Major Depression, Peripheral Neuropathy and Erectile Dysfunction. I have applied for SSI/SSDI and have been approved. Because of the incident back in FL in 1994 SSI is refusing to pay me though. In the meantime, I am getting Aid for Needy and Disabled in the amount of $200.00 a month, also $189.00 in Food Stamps. I cannot take public transportation anywhere as I can't walk to the bus stop. Between the COPD and the Neuropathy walking any distance is a chore. Recently, a PA at the Sunrise Clinic here in Greeley, told me I should go for Retraining as I am no longer disabled. He said since I had not quit smoking then I must not be disabled any longer. I explained to him that the prescription he wrote me for Chantix is STILL in the process of being approved for their program so I would not need to pay $80.00 a month for it! He still refused to sign the papers I need to continue getting my AND and Food Stamps! I have an appointment with a Cardiologist later this week, maybe he will sign the papers, otherwise I am broke come the 1st!!
Well, that's me! For good or bad...It's not ALL of me, just some of the better parts... I'm going to try to do this a few times a week, if I remember...I will touch on some good stuff next time...
For now: Keep the Flags of Discontent Flying High
Yours in the Constitution
TomInGreeley
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