Tdarcos! TELL US WHAT HAPPENED

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

Buddy, we're glad to have you back. What happened?!?!?! Please tell us everything. What is your living situation like? Is your stuff safe?

Also, because we miss you so goddamn much -

1) Nobody cares about a line limit or anything like that. Write as much as you want. Let your freak flag fly.
2) Did we have some dumb thing about starting threads on Caltrops? Start as many as you want. Do whatever you want there. I don't care, I'm just relieved you made it.
3) We missed you!!!!

[Tdarcos]

I don't care, I'm just relieved you made it.

"Looks like we made it
Or I thought so 'til today
Until you were there, everywhere..."

Of course, my poem in The Ballad of Paul Robinson tells the whole story. Feel better I used "The Ballad of John and Yoko" as a template. I might have used something weirder, like "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald."

[bryanb]

One thing I wasn't clear on from reading the poem is where Paul is right now. Is it a medical facility of some kind? What happens when they let you loose -- are you going to go live with your sister permanently?

[Tdarcos]

One thing I wasn't clear on from reading the poem is where Paul is right now. Is it a medical facility of some kind?

I'm in a nursing home. Probably on a permanent basis.

What happens when they let you loose -- are you going to go live with your sister permanently?

I can't live with my sister, the workload is too high. She's old and doesn't have the strength to handle my needs.

[bryanb]

I'm in a nursing home. Probably on a permanent basis.

OK, that makes sense. How is it there? My grandmother spent time in two nursing homes before she passed away. One was absolutely awful: smelly, lots of patients meandering around without anyone paying any attention to them, and passive-aggressive staff. We got her out of there as soon as possible. The second one was better; everything was cleaner and generally better run. Not that it didn't have its issues as well. My grandmother was too far deep into dementia to be her own best advocate, but you can be that for yourself (especially given your legal knowledge) so that should help ensure you get good care.

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

One thing I wasn't clear on from reading the poem is where Paul is right now. Is it a medical facility of some kind?

I'm in a nursing home. Probably on a permanent basis.

Understood. But ... you got your computer, right? Do you have a room to yourself or a roommate? This might work out great!

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

I'm in a nursing home. Probably on a permanent basis.

OK, that makes sense. How is it there? My grandmother spent time in two nursing homes before she passed away. One was absolutely awful: smelly, lots of patients meandering around without anyone paying any attention to them, and passive-aggressive staff. We got her out of there as soon as possible. The second one was better; everything was cleaner and generally better run. Not that it didn't have its issues as well. My grandmother was too far deep into dementia to be her own best advocate, but you can be that for yourself (especially given your legal knowledge) so that should help ensure you get good care.

My mother worked for about 20 years at an adult assisted living community shit hole called Hilton East. Let's see if I can find the website ... ah, here we go. https://hiltoneast.com/

So, she worked her ass off for decades. Was managing people at the end but did all the tasks that were necessary. The owners, Dave and Dan Wegman, are cheap as shit and cut every corner possible. Somehow they were paying a member of their staff who had been at the place for decades around ten bucks an hour at the end.

They fired my mom for absolutely no reason and then the duplicitous filth (Dave and Dan Wegman, of Hilton East) and then decided not to cash out her remaining vacation. Because my mom made so much money for so long there was only around $2500 saved up. That's the kind of people that run these places. Not only are they too stupid to run a place like that for profit (people getting old isn't enough of a customer base for them, they are somehow too incompetent to sponge off AGING) they are businessmen so shitty that the twenty-five hundred bucks they legally owned my mom was going to make or break them.

Anyway, that's what I think of those places. I hope it's nicer for Paul and I will be taking a shotgun to my face rather than live in one when I get old. I'm saying this because I have mad respect for Paul because he is showing optimism and good cheer in the case of adversity.

... Holy shit, these two pieces of shit actually have a "volunteer" page. https://hiltoneast.com/life-at-hilton-e ... lton-east/ -- HAHahahahah yeah, I'm sure people are jumping at the chance to work in a malodorous senior dystopian nightmare for those two irredeemable money-bleeding shitwanks.

[bryanb]

Anyway, that's what I think of those places. I hope it's nicer for Paul and I will be taking a shotgun to my face rather than live in one when I get old.

I agree with that sentiment completely. Honestly, my grandmother would have never ended up in a nursing home if she hadn't had so many medical issues hitting her at the same time. It got to the point where it didn't seem safe to keep her with family any longer. Paul too is only where he is because he's run out of options...for now at least. I think it's going to be hugely important that Paul still has a sharp mind and can talk to people. If something at the home isn't right, he can speak out about it...a lot of older folks in nursing homes can't do that any more.

[Tdarcos]

One thing I wasn't clear on from reading the poem is where Paul is right now. Is it a medical facility of some kind?

I'm in a nursing home. Probably on a permanent basis.

Understood. But ... you got your computer, right? Do you have a room to yourself or a roommate? This might work out great!

Originally, I was in Room 123A which means it's a shared room. I was gone for a week having my leg cut off as penalty for late payment so (I presume) they gave my room to someone else, I am in Room 240 which is a private room.

If anyone cares to mail (or ship) me anything, my address is

Paul Robinson
550 S. Carlin Springs Rd. Rm. 240
Arlington VA 22204-1022

[RealNC]

Welcome back! This place just isn't the same without you!

[Tdarcos]

My mother worked ... her ass off for decades. The owners,.. fired my mom for absolutely no reason

This is perfectly legal as long as the real reason is not because they are part of a protected class.

Because my mom made so much money for so long there was only around $2500 saved up... they are businessmen so shitty that the twenty-five hundred bucks they legally owned my mom was going to make or break them.

Depenfing on the state that may or may not be "protected" payments, meaning the State Labor Commission can issue an order requiring them to pay it and possibly putting a lien on their property to compel them to do so. I know this does apply to wages; I'm not sure if it covers vacation.

This is why professionals advise customers having employees that if you run low on money, lay people off, do not try to avoid or delay paying Social Security. That is a trust fund and even managers of a corporation will be held personally liable to the IRS for the taxes. And they have forever to collect; there is no Statute of Limitations.

[Flack]

If anyone cares to mail (or ship) me anything, my address is

What do you want/need at the new place? Any diet requests or limitations?

[ChainGangGuy]

then decided not to cash out her remaining vacation.

I'm tellin' ya -- ALWAYS keep that PTO/Vacation time down at a manageable level, as I've seen far too many instances of companies altogether refusing to comply for employees quitting voluntarily or, well, otherwise leaving the business.

In other news, I'll be going to Florida for a full week at the end of July just for the hell of it. Use it or expect to lose it.

[Casual Observer]

then decided not to cash out her remaining vacation.

I'm tellin' ya -- ALWAYS keep that PTO/Vacation time down at a manageable level, as I've seen far too many instances of companies altogether refusing to comply for employees quitting voluntarily or, well, otherwise leaving the business.

In other news, I'll be going to Florida for a full week at the end of July just for the hell of it. Use it or expect to lose it.

the new thing at least for tech companies like my job is to go with "unlimited personal days". This way they don't have to bother with the whole keeping track thing and no money to pay out. Also they work us enough so we can't really use them.

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

then decided not to cash out her remaining vacation.

I'm tellin' ya -- ALWAYS keep that PTO/Vacation time down at a manageable level, as I've seen far too many instances of companies altogether refusing to comply for employees quitting voluntarily or, well, otherwise leaving the business.

In other news, I'll be going to Florida for a full week at the end of July just for the hell of it. Use it or expect to lose it.

the new thing at least for tech companies like my job is to go with "unlimited personal days". This way they don't have to bother with the whole keeping track thing and no money to pay out. Also they work us enough so we can't really use them.

The studies that I have read says that people use less vacation when there is "unlimited" ... which is the only reason why companies would implement it. But what do they do when they have someone who is like, hey, this is my chance for six weeks of PTO! (Which, don't get me wrong, we're efficient enough in this country that we should all be working 32 hour weeks with 6 weeks of PTO.)

[The Happiness Engine]

What they do is tell you that they really can't accommodate that and point you the the fine print. Or just fire you for other reasons.

[Tdarcos]

I may or may not have explained my entire circumstances so I will do so now.

I got a wound on my left heel. At that time I was in a power wheelchair and able to take care of myself.

I went to the hospital for treatment. After a few days they sent me to rehab at Crescent Cities. When Medicare ran out, they sent me home with a boot to protect the wound and a regular appointment with Medstar Visiting Nurses to come to my home and treat the wound every couple of days.

Stupido Paulie does not keep his wound protected and it gets infected. This is so bad I can't move; I have to call 911. I end up back at the same hospital and rehab center as I was before. The hospital releases me after the infection is cured to Crescent Cities. After Medicare runs out they'll send me to a shelter. This scares my sister so she agrees to take me.

A $645.00 ambulance ride later I'm at my sister's place. I also have a wound on my right foot. My sister is not up to handling a complete invalid who requires diapering, must be rolled to change his sheets and generally has limited movement capabilities. She takes a picture of the right foot wound which coincidentally is also on the heel, and sends it to Dr. Mitchell, the doctor I've been going to off-and-on for over 20 years. He tells her to call 911 and get my ass back to the hospital. The visiting nurse from Medstar says to use Virginia Hospital center as they have a first-class wound center.

After a few days Virginia Hospital confirms I again have no infection. They help me file paperwork to apply for Medicaid. I am sent to the place I'm currently at.

Later the new wound has a bone infection and they do IV infusion of antibiotics, a treatment expected to take six weeks.

If you read my story,The Ballad of Paul Robinson, you'll know my right leg ends up getting amputated above the knee.

In the mean time the wound on the left heel heals just fine.