I dragged myself out to Pasadena this morning and began the proceedings to formally divest Sophie of her rights as a self-determined individual and become her guardian. I am, evidently, a "self-represented litigant" in this process and had the great fortune to be referred to a wonderful organization that will help me along the way. I filled out the beginning paperwork this morning while coughing discreetly into my upper arm and felt almost grateful for not feeling fully up to snuff. Had I been my usual feisty and iconoclastic self, I might have had reason to see irony in every sign that crossed my path and every box that I checked. Should I check YES or NO as answer to the question Does conservatee wander and get lost? Or how about Is conservatee confused and forgetful? We won't even get into Is conservatee able to make decisions about his or her sexuality? I thought for a split second about the women in North Dakota and Mississippi, and how their rights to reproductive freedom are not just being chipped away but, rather, hacked at the roots, while an hours old embryo is perhaps going to be considered a person there. Way to go Mississippi and North Dakota -- so very advanced of you. Such is the way my mind generally wanders and it might have been for more than a second if I hadn't felt so run-down from this dang virus. In any case, I finished my appointment and then drove back home where I walked around in circles in my house for a few minutes and even attempted to reach Medi-Cal for direction regarding Sophie's Drug Acquirement Troubles. If you can believe it, when your identification number has a LETTER in the string of numbers, instead of just pressing the corresponding number on the phone you have to do this convoluted thing where you press STAR and then the corresponding number and then STAR again and then a number that says which number the LETTER comes on that button. I'm not kidding you. That's what the lovely Medi-Cal voice tells you to do, and you know what? I couldn't figure it out. I started to cry a little and then giggle a little and then I realized that I need to get back into bed and watch some more episodes of House of Cards. So that's what I'm doing.
You would think that the phone tree technology would have evolved past a certain * number * point, but since they probably don't want to really hear from you anyway, perhaps that's by design.
ReplyDeleteAs for the irony of personhood, I can only sigh. I hope that your afternoon was restful.
Heroic of you to not only get out of your sick bed but also go out and act the part of a "self-represented litigant". Feel better soon. B&W movies can be soothing when one is under the weather. x0 N2
ReplyDeleteI have NO doubt they do that confusing phone thing on purpose. Because believe me- the technology is available to avoid such crap.
ReplyDeleteI'm in a bad mood already and reading this made me want, even more than I did before, to punch someone.
Good thing there's no Mississippi lawmaker around.
how very brave of you to venture out in your current sick state to deal with such confusing legal weirdness. It makes me want to cry just reading the BS you must go through.
ReplyDeleteI have caught that nasty cold going around and cannot find a thing to stop my throat from KILLING ME at every swallow. 7:30 pm and I'm ready for sleep. Goody.
OMG. That phone thing is ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteYou really deserve a Congressional Medal of Honor for contending with so much bureaucratic bullshit. I suppose this is true for many parents of children with special needs. And to do it while you're sick, well -- extra credit!
My favorite line: " and then drove back home where I walked around in circles in my house for a few minutes ..."
ReplyDeleteHope you are feeling better!
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You remind me of all the forms and legal paperwork i had to fill out for my aged aunt in order to get her approved for home care. I quickly learned to check not the true answer, but the right one. xo
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