StarDate 2013-01=Jan-04 Fri 10:28 AM (standard time, EST)
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Twice a year, mortality rate increases for a week, directly or indirectly caused by DST.

Can’t live with them, nor without them…
Bad news and Great news! For those of you that don’t like to hear my apparently incessant whining, I will start with the great news: “I got my hearing aids, today!” I was early for my 9AM appointment; I made it back home by 10:05. The use, care and maintenance instructor (J.C.) was very thorough and answered every question I had. She reminded me that every care about my hearing was 100% covered (10% service connected disability). I am entitled to a life time supply of batteries, and follow-up appointments. The technology is forecasted to make enough improvement within appointments, and at such time I will be re-evaluated for upgrade of my now top of the line equipment.
The left and right sides are the same size, and I wear the smallest accessories available. They are individually tuned to my specific range losses. My ear canals are quite small she said; and I myself can feel that one side is smaller than the other. I keep forgetting which side, until I use Q-tips, but she recommends that they are for external use only. Even though wax occasionally falls off, we agreed that it is better to wash off my pillows more often. Especially since my ear canals are so small, I am more likely to push the wax in, she says.
I have a hard and a soft carry case. Then there is a remote with volume control, blue tooth, phone and music control buttons, USB port and audio jack, all pertinent cables. There is a cleaning cloth and brush. She gave me a form to fill after the 3rd of February, a one month evaluation period. There is a bit of static noise, and I reduce the volume till the static is not so loud. I can hear myself speak; I further reduced the volume till I can no longer hear myself speak. I am not to wear the aids with my scooter helmet, a half helmet. It was raining, and therefore I had to remove the aid as well to prevent water exposure.
The 2 miles scooter ride, in a fine misty rain, lasts from 5 to 10 minutes. I wore a red and white rain jacket and pants. The temperature was 59 deg F, outdoor.

The bad news. Lots of it is behind, some are persistent issues, and some… well just more worry-wart and paranoia.
Behind me is that, the appointment was for yesterday. In an unscheduled visit to the wellness center, I asked Tracy K for a one on one interview (he has offered to everyone a couple weeks back in a group session). He tried to schedule me for the next day, but I was reticent. It did not take him long to offer a noon interview, I presume his lunch hour.
Persistent: We chatted about my experience with Ines. I had said I was about 10. Tracy Googled it up and read that it was the deadliest Hurricane on record, with more than 1500 deaths; and yes, it was in 1966. He input in his record what I described as the first traumatic experience in a series of moves, not only in Haiti, but as well in the US. He took sporadic notes throughout our conversation.
I mentioned that I heard an ad on TV recently saying that bi-polar individuals are automatically 100% medically covered; that I was diagnosed as bi-polar in Oct 2001. I mentioned, the reason I called the interview, that I was concerned, in spite of all the obvious benefits of my participation with the wellness center. That it seemed to focus on pacifying me, but not to address my underlying causes, specifically the external provocations of my anger. I suggested that if I am to improve over time, I need help to learn the normal response through the legal system, no-matter how reticent I may be to use those channels. I said that I have made many attempts to access, the legal resource all unfruitful; worse, the lawyer won’t even talk to me and refer me back to the VA which at the point of “Baker Act” is part of the problem. He initially responded that his responsibility was to help me with controlling my Depression, and from there I should be able to either myself. I re-bottled that the process is too lengthy, and that I have more pressing needs.
Missing notices: He looked at his terminal, and remarked that I missed an 8 AM audiology appointment that Wednesday morning. I said: I completely forgot, although I originally knew the exact day; I still remembered when he brought it up that it was the first week of Jan; but it did not get the customary phone reminder the day before; and I have informed my primary care and psychologists many time of my lapses in memory. This particular appointment is dear to me, because it is 100% covered, and mostly, there is a high probability it may reduce the tinnitus, not counting fill in some critical hearing gaps in the vocal range.
The week, after the Nov 15 Baker Act, I received a notice that I missed an audiology appointment on Nov 8th. I quickly rescheduled the appointment, and reported to the specialty desk that I never received the obligatory appointment notice, nor the customary reminder. She informed that other patients had informed them of the deficiency since they started routing the service through an Orlando office. Well, it is recurring. I received notice up to December, and in addition to the missing reminder, Dr Tracy informs me that I had another half dozen appointments for January, none of which I am aware of!

Worry-wart/other: It was 11AM, I was just out of music session (10 to 11AM Wed). So I decided to hang around and made noise on the slightly off tune piano. I practiced a couple tunes we started in the earlier group session. I forget the first song we practiced. Allan played the guitar, very well. The instructor, Don, was very proficient too. We had sung there were three other guys that sang along. I can’t find the written page I took back with me. Then we played and sang Amazing Grace. I cam play it fairly well, but the piano was over powering the guitars, so I tried to hum along, One of the guys had hand written the words, and Don was reading over his shoulders. Finally, Allan suggested “House of the rising sun”. I occasionally tried to hit a note along, but started to worry that I was too often off. Allan plays in G, I tend to play most other tunes in C. A keyboard would be better suited (volume and transpose).
When I got home yesterday, some web site changed. It probably is just that, but every illogical resolution enacted with our Congres, with our governing bodies, I am tempted to believe there is foul play. The same inclination occurs, when I notice that the C-Span channel is out for now two days.
Last week, I got a letter from Tallahasse, threatening a $500.00 fine if I do not renew insurance on my Truck. I declared to State Farm that I am replacing the Amigo with the scooter. I even insured and paid for that policy. The obvious to me is I should not have to insure a vehicle that I am not driving, much less do not intend to drive. The DMV staff explained that Volusia County does not just require insurance for driven vehicles. Any registered vehicle must be insured whether driven or not.
The Volusia paradox, he continues, is if my vehicle is in my private driveway, visible from the street, it also must be registered. So I parked the truck in my back yard, pending repair to the garage, and returned the license plate. Now, should I fix it and decide to drive it again, in addition to the tag fee, I will incur a $150.00 restoral fee, instead of the $500 penalty. But that will be better than the $254 insurance every 6 months and yearly registration fees. The outstanding dilemma, is the law still discriminates between the rights of property owners to keep certain items on their property that are in no way displeasing to the neighbors. Further, it inconveniences me, in what it was a theft deterrent tool; making criminals think there is someone home, keeping them at bay.