Who stole $1200 from my VISA card?
Who can concentrate on marking assignments on floppy disk, when my finances are in turmoil courtesy Hypermax Pty Ltd. I thought yesterday had solved all these problems and today would be a day of everything has fallen back into place. No such luck. Brett wanted to try out OzForces for an ISP but I did not want to relinquish my long-standing account with Hypermax in too much of a hurry just in case Brett changed his mind about its suitability for gaming in particular. At the same time, I could not afford to pay for two ISPs. So on Friday the 28th March, I rang them and asked to be switched to the cheapest monthly service they had for the month of April onward until further advised. $5.50 for 3 hours. Certainly not a good rate but better than paying $29.95 for unlimited access that was not going to be used because we are accessing Ozforces now. I expected my account to be deducted the $5.50 on the 1st or 2nd of April but instead found that my available balance had been reduced by $600 dollars. The credit union could not do anything to stop the transaction from continuing so I had to get the ball rolling with Hypermax on a refund. Once they explained how I got billed for 240 hours of use at some disgusting hourly rate, they promised me a refund and even gave me a refund receipt number (in case something went wrong I had something to quote). That took two phone calls to sort out. In the meantime, the Credit Union also stuffed up by cancelling my insurance policy instead of upgrading it to an accidental coverage of my contents that they had talked me into for an extra $30 annual premium. I got that sorted out but it would not be deducted for a day or so.

Today, I nearly freaked out when I found that my account no longer has enough available funds to even pay for the insurance policy. Hypermax has put a reserve on yet another $600 plus VISA transaction and actually allowed the first $600 to go through despite the promises of a refund. So now my VISA is being asked to provide them with $1200.00 instead of $5.50 for a month of Internet access. Oh sure, they will take care of it…I heard that one yesterday. I remain on high alert until I can see the transactions rectified and get confirmation from the QTCU that my Insurance has also gone through without hitch and dishonour fees or cancellations of policy. I am expecting a phone call from Hypermax at any time. Freaking out about having absolutely no money in the bank should not be associated with giggling but that is what I was doing on the phone. It is such a joke that these things can happen and if I don’t laugh about it…I will cry.

Osteoarthritis, spondylosis and sclerosis
Today was also they day I took my x-rays to Dr Johanna English for comment. Nothing much new came of that….take up to two VIOXX 12.5mg per day, use a heated wheat bag across my lower back at night, have hot baths, and do some simple back exercises. Do not sit in cold wading pools. Add Paracetamol to the regime on an extra bad day but on the days I need to use Ponstan, stop the VIOXX to protect my gut. I have taken both on some days and I find it less gut burning than Feldene alone or to a lesser extent Naprosyn at least while I maintain my Losec. I will try not to take both by using the glucosamine, which she approves of.

Brett has a new schedule so life makes another change in dynamics
Scott has been working as an upholsterer’s assistant and will gradually be shown the trade. He works between 7:30 am and 3pm Monday to Friday, so I do not generally get to see him till the late afternoon. Brett was working from 7am to 1pm Monday to Friday at Pelican Waters Fresh Fruit. Now, he has been sent up to the Caloundra Village Shop where once he had a respected position. Now he sees the change as some form of punishment because of the atmosphere and the stress generated by these highly strung business persons who seem to be very quick to think the worst of people. They profess to be Christians.

Anyway, now Brett is working from 12 to 6pm and has a whole day home on Thursday as well as the weekend. That means even less hours than he had before. Now, that means that I have the house to myself between 12 and 3pm Monday, Wednesday and Friday unless Rob is around, someone is home sick or else I have appointments elsewhere. I work on Tuesdays until about the time Scott finishes and once a month I have a meeting on a Monday in connection with my work.

Rob knew that I had this dream of all three of us (Frizzells) getting up early and going to work on a Tuesday. It somehow meant productivity. Everything is as it should be. It also meant that I did not have to worry about things being neglected while I was not there. It happened for the first and only time this week. Nothing extra was added to the mess in the kitchen while I was at work and there was no opportunity for anyone to let flies in the house because they were too lazy to shut the damned door. Actually Rob was the last person to leave the house that day because he had been staying over too. When Scott was home during the day, it meant that he and often Ange had free reign of the house while not having to abide by my constant oversight. It wasn’t so bad when Brett had Tuesday’s off at home because he just sits at the computer, playstation or TV all day. He does not leave the house on his weekdays off so I do not have to worry about the doors and windows accidentally being left unlocked when no one is at home. Nor the lights and appliances being left on.

Lindsay and Marie I think her name was
I was shopping at Sunland yesterday and because my back was quite sore, I decided to sit and have a coffee at Michael’s Patisserie. I don’t do that very often on my own. I saw Lindsay and his “new” woman so I called out Lindsay’s name and he came over for a chat. We talked about Maries prolapsed uterus, the hassles she has had with her ex, the fact that Kevin his mate does not seem to approve of them being together (she is married to someone else) and their sojourn in both Maleny and Brisbane before finally buying a house to live in at Cooroy. I am not likely to see much of them in Cooroy even though it is only 20 minutes from where Rob lives. Lindsay has never been one of great importance to my life but he was infatuated with Brenda for a time but began to feel uncomfortable about the time he was investing in a relationship where the love was not returned. I wonder why Rob has not given up on me because I do not have as much to give emotionally as he would like either. Maybe Rob does not expect anything better. I am still bound to my kids lives too much and I still like my independence as well as company on about a 50-50 level. Lindsay, in contrast, has found a woman who wants to look after him…in lots and lots of little ways and he satisfies her in bed to boot which is something her ex did not do apparently. He sounded very proud of himself. It is a little more complicated now that she is healing from a major op but he is expecting a very active sex life so I am told. Also she says his drinking is not over the top at all. He gave me the impression that he was always drunk after dark. She says they have a happy hour every night with cheese and bickies and everything but then that is the end of it. He says she has more life than he even though she is a lot older than he. There is nothing like a new relationship to bring back those “kiddie” feelings and that resultant boost in energy levels but….it doesn’t last if you are already being plagued with restrictions on physical activity through aging bodies. And what about the stress…Lindsay looked like he was drawn and thin. They were on their way to pick up their trailer from the front of Brenda’s place next.