Me & DMV

I was lucky when we moved to Albany, NY in October of 2021. There were so many people to notify or not of our move and it all fell into place. Resulting in little or no stress. Yeah!

Not so when trying to register our car. Little did I know that it was going to take weeks. The staff at DMV were extremely kind to me. You would be too after seeing me on five different occasions. Unfortunately, the rules within the system were not flexible and that is where things became dicey.

In New York State, a car owner physically possesses their car’s title, even though they may have a loan out on it. In New Hampshire, you don’t get the title unless you have paid off the loan. Which makes sense. The title becomes a type of collateral, so the bank is assured that their loan will be re-paid. Obviously, that’s not how it works in New York State.

I was told to contact the bank holding our loan and have them send a certified copy of title and a letter of permission faxed to the New York State DMV. I was given a fax number to use.

My first problem was reaching the appropriate person at my credit union in New Hampshire who could send the documents to New York State. Getting to a Customer Service Representative was a real challenge.

The first time I called, I was number 37 in the holding queue. I thought I’d call later. And I did. At that point, I was number 132 in line. Yes, you did not misread what I wrote. One hundred and thirty-one people were ahead of me. What?!?!?!

I needed those documents, so I put the phone on speaker for two hours and six minutes and played computer games. And, then voila - I got my first human. I explained the situation and what I needed to get our car registered in New York State. I was forwarded to a wonderful young woman (I’ll call her Jane) in their records department.

Jane gathered the information needed and I gave her the fax number to send the documents to. Two days later I started calling DMV to find out the status. They had not received the documents. The number I was given by DMV was not an active number.

I emailed Jane. She resent the documents to the new DMV fax number I was given. Two days later, I checked on the status of the second sent fax and that one couldn’t be found either.

At this point, I’m wondering if I would always be driving with New Hampshire plates. BTW, the clock was ticking. New York State has a deadline for vehicle registration for residents.

Good news. While checking on the status of the second fax, I found a person who stated that the department needed notarized certified copy of the documents. The faxed ones wouldn’t count. Why was I even given a fax number if that was the case?

I emailed Jane again. On October 25th, she sent the certified originals to me at our new address in Albany. Ten days later, they still had not arrived.

I emailed Jane again. She got permission from her supervisor to FedEx the two originals to me. With them in hand, I went back to DMV for my fifth and final visit.

Goodbye New Hampshire! Hello New York State!

Me & Getting Lost - Chapter 1

The last two towns I’ve lived in had populations of 64,000 and 14,000. Albany has a population of approximately 315,000. That’s a lot of people. How do they get around?

It takes three interstates and a state highway (that feels like an interstate)! OMG!!! Is that necessary? In an earlier story, I mentioned New York Drivers (NYDs) are intense, with regard to their driving skills. I now know why. They are trying to get away from each other.

My first month here in the City of Albany, I got misplaced (aka lost) every single time I went out. A 10-minute trip would end up taking 35 minutes or more. Though I did make a lot of friends.

For you who do not know me, I’m shameless. You should see me hand out my cards to complete strangers with my blog address on it. My stopping complete strangers for assistance isn’t a surprise.

For the first six weeks of my residency in the City of Albany, I had New Hampshire plates. Thank goodness. I would roll down my car window and wave down people at stoplights. I would tell drivers that I was from out of state and lost, which was true.

One time, I got misplaced (aka lost) in a residential area, trying to find the access ramp to I-787. I pulled over and stood in the middle of the road and waved a driver down. Yes, that’s me, the crazy woman literally blocking the road and waving her arms. The couple was very nice about my intrusion into their morning routine and helped me out.

I’ve found that there are many gas stations and churches on or near corners in the City of Albany. I was using one as my landmark for the turnoff to the road that would lead me home. Unfortunately, I had not noticed that there were two churches about three hundred feet apart so I didn’t turn where I should have. I kept driving toward downtown Albany. I know this because it has tall buildings. The streets at this point are all one-way and I just didn’t know which way to turn.

I called Mary and she was talking me through by looking at the map on her laptop. The problem was I would just have passed the street she would want me to turn on. I ended up going around “The Egg” more times than I wanted to.

What is “The Egg” you are wondering? It’s a performing arts venue building near the State Capital. I don’t know why so many people think it looks like an egg. To me it looks like a mushroom with half of its top sheared off or a spaceship. Go Google it to see for yourself.

I made a wrong turn and ended up going north on I-787. What?!?!?! I got off the next exit and guess where I ended up? At “The Egg” again! I had given up on Mary’s assistance and by now I was on my own.

I decided I would take a residential street and hope for the best. I did this and saw a young woman delivering a Domino’s Pizza (she had the sign on her car). She couldn’t get across the street, too much traffic, so I pulled over and parked my car. Then I stepped out in the road and stopped traffic by waving my arms. Yup, that’s me, the crazy lady from Nebraska. At this point, the Domino Pizza woman got across the street. I asked her how to get out of this area. She didn’t know, but a woman walking nearby did. It was hard to tell this woman’s age as she was very skinny and was missing a few teeth.

Every time I tell this story to the locals, they just gasp. It seems that the street I was on, South Pearl, is part of an area where illegal drugs are regularly trafficked. Oops! I will point out, that it was broad daylight. And the woman was extremely helpful. I followed her instructions and got to an area that looked familiar.

There are so many more “I’m Lost” stories. I’m now using my trusty paper road map. I’ve given up on using a GPS. All it ever did was to direct me to drive on one of the many interstates/state highways, (which I strongly dislike), to get to my destination.

Here’s a list of my fears while driving on those roads:

· 18-wheelers passing me;

· High winds pushing me off the road or into another car, or an 18-wheeler;

· Road signs showing that the road is going down to one lane. Yet there are drivers who don’t read those signs until the last moment;

· Concrete Jersey barriers;

· Drivers threading the needle and I’m the “eye” part of the needle.

Yesterday I had an errand, it required using State Highway 85, I-87 and I-90. I did reach my destination, but not without a lot of anxiety and sheer fear. That list above? All those happened within minutes of each other. OMG!!! 

Me & Getting Lost - Chapter 2

 

Damn it! I got lost trying to get to the Department of General Services to pick up mulch for my Earth Machine, a city-supplied composter. And what do I see ahead? The Egg! What is it with me and that darn Egg?

I had been using a GPS App on my iPhone and I had been doing well hearing the instructions and then all of sudden the voice faded out so I had to guess what direction I should go. I made a left-hand turn and there was “The Egg” in front of me. Oh My Gosh. Why? Why? Why?

The voice picked up and gave me directions to get back to the correct street. Yeah, I saw the Hudson River Bridge that I’m supposed to go under. Hallelujah! I know where I am.

Okay, I arrived at Richard J. Conners Blvd. where the Department of General Services is located. One drives to a check-in area where your Driver’s License is checked to make sure you are a city resident. When I drove up, she said, “I remember you!” What is it about me that make me so memorable?

After a lovely chat, I got my mulch and off I went. Only made it about 2 miles and I got lost again! Almost ended up at the I-787 ramp! No!!! I saw a side-street and made a hard right turn. Finally made it to a familiar street.

As I was passing by “The Egg," I waved, finally heading home in the right direction.

Throwback Thursday - "The Bank Robbery"

 

Happy Thursday, this is one of my first attempts at writing a fictional story. Originally posted in 2019. Enjoy!

Damn it! I’m running late to my dentist appointment. I have no time to be part of a bank robbery. What were these people thinking? Holding up a bank at 10:30 a.m. on a Wednesday morning? Didn’t they know people had plans? 

They insisted that we all lie down on the floor and not move. I’m wearing a short-sleeved shirt and capris and lying on a cold stone floor is extremely uncomfortable. Is this really necessary? Couldn’t they have planned this at a better time such as during the winter when I would be wearing a warm coat with leggings and boots?

Plus, I was told to keep my head down and not move. Are you kidding me? Did I mention the damn floor is freezing? I’m so cold, I’m shaking. I must tell the bank staff that their cleaning crew is not doing a thorough enough job. There are dust bunnies everywhere.

I just don’t believe this! One of the bank robbers is wearing a pair of Keds designed by Taylor Swift. They are classy with a figure of a cat’s head on the heel of the shoe, and they are very pricey. Could she be robbing the bank to help pay for her shoe fetish? 

I just realized why this situation seems so odd. All three robbers are female. How unusual. Should I mention to the one robber that her socks are two different shades of red? Think she’d be offended?

They are now asking for all our jewelry, money, and cell phones. The one wearing purple high tops is gathering all of our possessions. What about robbing the bank instead of us? Isn’t that the whole purpose of a bank robbery?

The alarm just started going off and that is making all three very jittery. Did I mention they were carrying guns? I hope they are NRA members and have had lessons on the proper technique of holding and using firearms. As we all know, guns can be very dangerous in the hands of someone who doesn’t know what the hell they are doing. I pray that they have some type of experience and don’t start shooting because the damned alarm is making them so nervous.

Finally, after three hours something finally happens. All of a sudden, they are asking us to stand in a tight circle facing outward and to slowly start walking out the front door. Hey, don’t they know there is a squad of men with loaded guns right outside the door? I don’t know about anyone else, but I don’t want to be considered a moving target. Well, I guess I have no choice at this point. I’m not the one holding a loaded gun. I do what I’m told.

Just as the last of us squeezes out the doorway, a string of firecrackers goes off.  One of the robbers had set them off. We all go running in different directions, screaming our heads off, causing quite a disruption which is what our three wanted. In all of the confusion, they got away.

Afterwards, the police were taking descriptions of the robbers. I was able to tell the officer that one of the robbers was wearing black Doc Martins and had a husky voice. The one wearing Taylor Swift’s Keds had a whiny-baby sounding voice. And, the one in the purple high tops with the red socks had a very southern accent and had a slight limp.

The fact that the robbers were female made national news. Other than that, they were never found after taking all of our jewelry and the money from the bank. They did leave our cell phones behind so at least I’m still functional. Unfortunately, I’m missing a lot of bling.

P.S. – I was in the grocery store recently and looked over at this nicely dressed young woman wearing a pair of Taylor Swift Keds – could she have been one of the three bank robbers? I will never know.

The End!

Throwback Thursday from 2019

I wrote this back in 2019.

What Came First: Writer's Block or PTSD?

I have wanted to be published for many years. The problem was, I’d had writer’s block for over 36 of those years. Back when I was 17, I was a student in Mr. H’s English class at Lincoln East High School in Lincoln, Nebraska. He was also the coach for one of our athletic teams, but I don’t remember which one. 

One of our assignments was to describe something in vivid detail. For my story, I chose Toby, my mother’s Newfoundland dog. Well, Mr. H. used my work to point out that I anthropomorphized my character. And he did so with a relish. Though he didn’t name who the student was, he looked directly at me during his entire tirade.

To say I was humiliated was an understatement. It was bad enough that I tried to hide from everyone in a school where the population was over 2,000.  I especially tried to hide from the football and basketball teams. They loved to grab my books and throw them in the trash can on a regular basis, and that was minor compared to the other things that they succeeded in doing. 

That experience in Mr. H’s English class, caused me to slip even farther down the rabbit hole, which isn’t healthy, especially for a 17-year old with no viable-support system.

Flash forward, I am now 65-years old. As of today, there have been over 67,000 views on my blog! My plan is to post every Sunday between 2 p.m. and 11:59 p.m.

The very insecure little girl in me is so thrilled. I’ve had many readers’ mention how much they have enjoyed my postings and that they look forward to reading more! What do you think of that, Mr. H?

The Alphabet of Living Right -- Found this off of a Hallmark Card

 

·        Appreciate yourself

·        Bounce on the bed

·        Create a poem

·        Declare world peace

·        Explode a myth

·        Flabbergast a neighbor

·        Get up late

·        Help yourself to seconds

·        Imagine it and do it

·        Jump at the chance

·        Kindle a flame

·        Leave your troubles behind

·        Meet someone new

·        Nourish your soul

·        Opt for ice cream

·        Play all day

·        Quench your desires

·        Revel at random

·        Sing loudly, smile widely

·        Touch the sky

·        Uncork the champagne

·        Vamoose

·        Watch what you want

·        X - ercise your right not to

·        Yearn for the best

·        Zip, zap, zing, and zone out

Me & Mary's Health Issues

Dear Friends,

We have all experienced moments in which our life’s journey is forever changed. That day for us was June 1^st, 2022, when Mary was diagnosed with a “rare” autoimmune disease, Myasthenia Gravis (MG) for which there is no cure.

Below is a timeline starting on April 17^th, 2022, of what my amazing rockstar of a wife has experienced. She has handled her body misbehaving much better than I have.

All my best,

Sharon

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Around April 17^th, 2022, Easter holiday weekend, while visiting friends in New Hampshire, Mary mentioned her eyelid was drooping.

On May 13^th, 2022, Mary had a regularly scheduled appointment with her PCP. The drooping eyelid was getting worse. Her doctor, having previous experience with patients who were diagnosed with MG, ordered a blood-work panel specifically for MG. The doctor also ordered an MRI of the brain to rule out any brain damage that could display symptoms similar to the ocular version of MG.

On June 1^st, 2022, at an appointment with the neuro-ophthalmologist, Mary was positively diagnosed with MG. Mary’s symptoms included double vision and some eye drooping to start. It progressed to slurred speech, massive fatigue, and muscular weakness resulting in the inability to hold her head upright, or extend her arms to reach above her shoulders, or grasp things such as doorknobs.

On June 21^st, 2022, we traveled to NYC to see Dr. Susan Shin, a neurologist, at Mt. Sinai. We couldn’t get an appointment to see a neurologist here in Albany, NY until November 28^th. The clock was ticking, and she had no medication prescribed at that point. Her symptoms worsened every single day. While Mary was at Mt. Sinai, Dr. Shin ordered a CT scan (“to rule out a Thymoma”), and prescription to start Vyvgart (an intravenous medicine), and an oral medication called Pyridostigmine (a.k.a. Mestinon).

On July 7^th, 2022, Mary was diagnosed with a Thymoma, a “rare” form of cancerous tumor that develops on the thymus gland and occurs in about 400 MG cases per year. Mary’s tumor was large and sat precariously close to her heart and left lung. The necessary removal of this tumor required a high-risk surgery involving cracking open her chest (due to the size of the tumor), much like open-heart surgery.

On July 11^th, 2022, began the first of four weekly infusions done at our home, of a new drug called Vyvgart for the MG symptoms. (Each infusion cost $6,000 and was covered by Mary’s insurance, thank God).

On July 14^th, 2022, Mary met with her thoracic surgeon who would do the surgery to remove the Thymoma. He was so patient with us, as we had many questions regarding what was happening to Mary’s body.

On August1^st, 2022, Mary met with Cardiology for a pre-op sign off.

On August 8^th, 2002, Mary had a cardio-stress test from the August 1^st visit.

On August 10^th, 2022, Mary met with a local Neurologist here in Albany for a pre-op sign off.

On August 15^th, 2022, Mary had a Myasthenia Crisis (serious breathing issues) in which she ended up in the Emergency Department at St. Peter’s Hospital. After spending 18 hours in the ED, Mary was finally transferred to ICU. From there Mary went to a stepdown unit where she was administered a five-day course of IVIG (Intravenous Immunoglobulin). This is one of the treatment options for MG. She was released on August 19^th. When she came home, she was like a rag doll. It was hard to keep her upright. I was so afraid I was going to drop her.

From September 2^nd through September 6^th, 2022, Mary was administered IVIG (Intravenous Immunoglobulin) to build her up before surgery. Mary was given this five-day course at home.

On September 7^th, 2022, Mary underwent a 5-hour surgery. It entailed removing the tumor (which was the size of a baseball), a section of the pericardium which surrounds the heart, and a piece of her left lung. The tumor also wrapped itself around the left phrenic nerve, necessitating the severing of that nerve. The nerve controls that side of the diaphragm that operates the lungs. The right side of the diaphragm is now having to do double duty to make up for the left side being dormant.

On September 8^th, 2022, Mary was moved out of ICU into a step-down unit where she remained until her discharge.

On September 13^th, 2022, Mary came home. I was so very happy that she made it out of the hospital in one piece.

On September 15^th, 2022, Mary met with the Neurologist here in Albany for a follow-up on her Myasthenia symptoms since the surgery on the 7^th.

On September 20^th, 2022, the Visiting Nurse came to our home for a check-in regarding Mary’s recovery.

On September 26^th, 2022, Mary saw her surgeon. He was very pleased with how her body was recovery from her high-risk surgery.

On October 4^th, 2022, Mary met her Oncologist for the first time. He walked us through the protocol and procedures for her radiation treatments.

On October 11^th, 2022, Mary started outpatient physical therapy to address neck and back pain as part of the effects of the surgery, as well as movement restrictions to protect the sternum while it healed.

On October 19^th, 2022, she saw the Neurologist here in Albany for further follow-up.

On November 1^st, 2022, radiation measurements were made, and Mary got her permanent tattoos of five dots to identify the exact spot to radiate.

On November 2^nd, 2022, Mary started 33 radiation treatments. Microscopic cancer cells were left behind because of their proximity to the heart. As her surgeon said, if they’d taken that section, “We would have killed her.” We very much appreciated his wisdom and restraint. In an abundance of caution, the surgeon referred her to radiation oncology for a course of treatment to get those little buggers, before they could get organized into another tumor, though that would be some eight or more years in the making. The radiation treatments were definitely needed. One of the side effects could be some irritation to the throat since the radiation would touch the esophagus. Though the sore throats weren’t constant, liquid Lidocaine was prescribed to help with that symptom.

On November 7^th, 2022, Mary had an X-ray and saw her surgeon for another follow-up to see how her body was handling the healing process.

On November 21^st, 2022, Mary saw her PCP for her assessment of progress after Mary’s surgery.

On December 19^th, 2022, Mary finished her 33-radiation treatments. During those last five days the radiation dosage was amped up and concentrated on the key area. Up until then, Mary had little discomfort or side effects.

On December 21st, 2022, Mary started coughing and it was intense. Our concern with the upcoming Christmas holiday weekend was that she’d end up in the ED like she had in August. On Friday, December 23^rd, she had a Tele-med session with the PCP on-call. The doctor suspected bronchitis or possibly the flu. Mary was advised to take cough syrup and Mucinex. By that time, Mary ruled out COVID as she had already done two at-home tests. Both were negative.

On December 27^th, 2022, Mary met with her Cardiologist for the first time since the surgery for her regular yearly checkup.

On January 2^nd, 2023, Mary contacted the Oncologist on-call for the New Year’s holiday weekend because her cough was getting worse. His suggestion was to contact her PCP and to continue with what she was taking.

On January 3^rd, 2023, Mary went to her PCP. The recommendation was to continue with what she was doing with the cough syrup and Mucinex. There was no fluid in the lungs.

On January 10^th, 2023, after rolling through four bottles of cough syrup and three boxes of Mucinex, Mary’s Oncologist ordered an X-ray. Up until then, she had been referred to her PCP for diagnosis. There was no fluid in her lungs, and it was generally thought that she had bronchitis or something unrelated to the treatments. In another example of Mary’s medical uniqueness, Mary was diagnosed with a “rare” form of pneumonia called Radiation Pneumonia.

On January 17^th, 2023, Mary had a follow-up with her Oncologist to see how her body was healing with the Prednisone (a steroid) that was prescribed on January 10^th to eliminate her severe coughing symptoms from the pneumonia that began on December 21^st. We were told her recovery could take an additional six to eight weeks or even longer.

On January 24^th, 2023, Mary had a follow-up with the local Neurologist in Albany. The doctor listed more possible and serious symptoms from the MG that could happen at any point and what to watch for. We were stunned. We thought the worst was behind us.

On January 27^th, 2023, Mary had a yearly physical with her PCP. This is the doctor who thought Mary’s condition might be Myasthenia Gravis in an office visit on May 13^th, 2022. Thank goodness the doctor knew the symptoms of MG.

What Mary's future health issues look like is unknown and only time will tell how well her body recovers from all of this. As mentioned earlier, Myasthenia Gravis is a permanent condition, there is no cure.

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Maintaining Mary’s health insurance and our monthly expenses is crucial to help with the financial situation we are presently in. There is a GoFundMe account started for us by a Smith Alum friend of mine. Go to GoFundMe and search under my name, Sharon Fagan. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.