Day 17 since I was injected with the J&J vaccine

At the Front Yard Restaurant today…

4/25/21. Sunday.

10:00 – 10:45 - Up and I weigh 98.5 today. I go downstairs to say good morning to the animal.  She’s awake and running around downstairs, waiting for me to come down.  When she sees me, she jumps on the ottoman and rolls over on her back so I can start rubbing her tummy.  After I rub her tummy three times, she grabs her tennis ball and we go outside.  The dog does her business and we return inside – chicken pieces for her and coffee for me.

Kitchen duty while I drink my coffee.

10:45-1:00 – Grade papers.  I finish grading Question #2 for Group #2.

-L. leaves for work.

1:00-2:00 – I make a salad from the extra lettuce that B. gave me.  I add the last of the salmon and cut up a tomato and pieces of cheese for more add-ins.  I read a Money Diary and Aftermath.

2:00-2:30 – I do a brief Insanity workout.  This one is called Cardio Abs.

2:30-4:00 – Shower. Lotion. I put on a black turtleneck, black skinny jeans, and accessorize with a few pieces of jewelry. Full make-up. I listen to Organize 365.

-L. returns from work.

-4:00-4:30 – I take out my braids.

4:30-5:30 – I have a glass of champagne and peruse the menu at the Front Yard so I know what to order when I get there tonight. I read a Money Diary.

5:30-5:45 – L. and I leave to pick up N. and K., his mom. L. drives.

5:45 – 6:30 - Pick-up complete. Transport.

-Driving to LA.

6:30-9:00 – Arrive at the Front Yard. I love this place!  They take Covid-19 very seriously. We’re seated at a table outside in a beautiful garden.  All of the trees are wrapped in white lights.

-We start with appetizers: deviled eggs (they’re made with candied bacon); cheese biscuits; and a charcuterie board. The food is incredible and  I love the deviled eggs!  I probably could have stopped with appetizers, but I already ordered the pork chop for my entrée and L. gets the seared mahi-mahi. Both N. and L. get mocktails and I have two excellent glasses of champagne – K. gets red wine.  The conversation is very lively – N.’s mom (K.) is great! So are our kids [L. and N.].  L. and N. order dessert, but I tap out – I take a bite of something???, but that’s all I can handle.  I’m stuffed and taking almost the entirety of my pork chop home.

9:00-10:00 – Driving.  L. drops off N. and K.

10:00 – 11:00 – I take a nap before I start grading papers again.

11:00-12:00 – L. wakes me up.  Her Dad is on the phone and he says his sister’s husband, M., was in a car accident.  He was driving his son, M. Jr., home from golf practice when, according to M. Jr., his Dad, M., had some type of seizure and blacked out, wrapping his car around a tree. Both were hospitalized – M. for bruises and scrapes and M. Jr. for a shattered femur.  The car is totaled and it’s a miracle they both survived. This is awful on many levels BUT more so for M. Jr., 13-years-old and a golfing prodigy, on the varsity high school team, when he has yet to graduate from 8th grade – he’s that good.   He competed in his last competition of the season last week.

You would think this story could NOT get any worse, but it does. While M. is being treated in the ambulance, the cops show up and began interrogating him about his alcohol intake.  M., who rarely drinks, answered honestly – he had ONE beer about seven hours ago. Additionally, his son is a witness.  M. Jr. called his Mom [my ex-husband’s sister] to tell her A) He and his Dad were in a car accident; B) He saw his Dad have a seizure and black out as he was driving; and C) M. Jr. said he thought his [M. Jr’s] leg was broken.

The cop, who according to my ex looks like he’s 16, told M. he was going to arrest him for a DUI.  He tried to administer an FST [Field Sobriety Test], but had difficulty as M. was on a stretcher in the back of the ambulance, being treated by two EMTs. M. and M. Jr. arrive at the same hospital and my ex’s sister bounces between the two of them for the next 10 hours - she’s exhausted.  Medical staff have to set M. Jr.’s leg before they can cast and his Mom reports that the pain was so bad, he screamed at the top of his lungs before passing out. Medical staff then gave him Fentanyl. M., the Dad, in his hospital bed, is suffering from extreme pain in his ribs and tongue because he almost bit it off during the seizure. The cop hovers at the hospital for a few hours until learning that M. will not be discharged today – then the cop leaves.

M. explains his situation to a nurse, asking her how he can be arrested for a DUI when he was NOT under the influence of anything?? The nurse checks his labs and reports that they are clean – no alcohol or drugs in his system. ***Note:  M. is released the next day and promptly arrested by the same cop.  As of the day of this writing – 4/28/21 – he is sitting in jail.  The cop said he will have to remain there for the next 30 to 60 days, which is how long it will take for the labs to come back, even though his blood work from the hospital is available now. All of this is unbelievable. This incident is happening in South Carolina, BTW.

Could it get any worse?  In fact, it does.  South Carolina does NOT have HMOs, which means all of their residents only have PPO plans. The best PPO plan has a 0% deductible and all medical expenses are covered, BUT most people in America can’t afford that PPO, so they go with the cheaper version, called the 80/20, which means the insurance company will cover 80% of expenses and you’re on the hook for 20%.  This works out fine if you’re healthy, rarely see the doctor, and are never involved in an accident. There is no way my ex’s sister and M. can afford medical bills that include an ambulance transport; setting a broken femur; and overnight observation for M. This is going to bankrupt them. Did I mention the car is totaled? It’s beyond repair and they still owe $7000 on the car note.

I know this family really well.  I feel terrible for them and can’t believe this is happening. OMG.

12:00-1:30 – I move to Question #3, Group #2  and grade four papers.  I have two papers left to grade and I’m done with this project.  Unfortunately, the remaining papers are from the worse students when it comes to writing and I’m dreading the last two.

1:30-2:15 – Night time routine. Bed.