Sleep Study

I did my sleep study- an ordeal let me tell you- and the worst night of sleep I have had in a very long time. Aside from having jumping bugs in the bathroom (can you say fleas) which the tech denied, and being told there were no other rooms available (the one next to me was empty) I was just so uncomfortable that sleep was hard to come by.

And I just received a bill for over $300- apparently my portion of the testing costs after Humana opted to pay their rate for the testing. But they are in-network and obligated to accept the amount agreed to.

Health Care reform, where are you?

Ireland

I live near my aunt, Ann. She has lived in Ohio since the 1970's, but Ireland is still her home. She and her two sisters made a place for themselves in America and raised their children here, and now have grandchildren here, but all three returned to Ireland as life allowed.

I also go to my mother's original home as often as possible, and that is never enough. I get homesick for a country I was not born in. My mother worked in this farm yard, and went to a two room school.
As a New Yorker, I cannot imagine such a rural upbringing. The photos of that time bring to life a part of my mother I have never known. They show me the life my aunts and uncles lived before me, and the family I did not have the opportunity to meet.

The King of Kings

Last night we had a thunder/lightening storm that was frightening in its ferocity. Booming thunder, driving rain and multiple lightening stikes, as well as rotating winds that signal tornado potential.

On I 75, outside of a church, there stood a 6 story high statue depicting Jesus from the waist up, hands extended to the heavens. The locals named him "Touchdown Jesus"- clearly football is huge here. I had to have the significance explained to me. Apparently, the hands raised high is how a ref signals a touchdown in football. Who knew?

Last night, lightening struck the right hand of Jesus, and the huge statue burned to the ground.

The iconic statue is gone.

What does it mean when lightening strikes the right hand of God and He burned to the ground?

When the fire was called in to 911, even the callers didn't seem to believe what they were seeing.

The church has vowed to rebuild the "King of Kings" statue.

Divorce 2010

No- I am not divorced yet. I know what you are thinking…
WHAT COULD POSSIBLY TAKE SO LONG…
 
My soon to be ex and I have lived in separate states since 2006.
I was living here almost a year when I first looked into divorcing him. 
I was fine with being separated until he didn’t file a tax return for me with 
NYS.
 
I asked him in March 2007 to get it done when he had his taxes prepared,
because my tax person couldn’t do it. 

(That was the year I had the WORST tax preparer on the planet, 
she even got my Fairfield taxes wrong. And you don't pay Fairfield
taxes when you work in Cincinnati)
 
I asked him to mail me a copy for my records. He kept saying he would. 
Then in the beginning of August, he admitted he didn’t have them done. 

The absolute final straw… I told him I was going to file for divorce 
and move on with my life.
 
I went to three lawyers before finding Fred, who is now representing me.
 
The first was a man recommended by a friend.
He wanted a load of money up front, and was not sure he could
bring things to conclusion without my ex coming to court. 
And that I could not count on.
 
The second hardly counts- her office staff were useless, 
and so we never got together.
 
The third one thought I was his law clerk and 
should do all his paperwork for him.
 
In December 2009 after my on/off, on/off non-efforts, 
I decided to try again.
 
This time I found Fred.
 
He talked me through the process and told me we could do it at reasonable cost, and get it done in a reasonable time frame. 
We got started, and by March the paperwork was filed with the court.
 
My soon to be ex was served shortly after and seemed resigned to the divorce going through. 
He even met the man in my life, Rick. And it was very civilized.
 
Then came Parenting class.
 
In Butler county, the mandatory parenting class is required for 
petition finalization. 
If you have kids, there is NO WAY around the requirement. 
The ex- in New York, was required to go as well. 
So of course I had to find him a course.
Four hours of my life I will never get back. Split into 2 sessions.
 
And just when we are all settled with a final decree prepared… 
 
My soon to be ex hired a lawyer…
 
Visions of starting this whole process again sprang to my mind, 
so I called him to ask what he objected to.
 
He does not want to change any of the agreed upon terms. 
 
So they set the pre-trial date for next Thursday...
I won't be attending because 
I have a work event that I cannot miss.
If I had been able to attend, I could 
have had my divorce finalized right then and there.
 
As it is, they will schedule a date for the final decree 
at the pre-trial. I will stand before the judge and state 
that it is my desire to be divorced.
 
Then I will be done.