A ghost package at USPS & billing screwups via my doctor

 

I occasionally have use of the skills I developed when I was a technology guru.  One of them is root cause analysis.  Today, I was able to diagnose the root cause of a problem and have it confirmed by my doctor's office.  But before that, I had to deal with a "Ghost Package" supposedly waiting for me at the local post office.

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When I awoke this morning, I knew that I'd have to visit the post office as Mario and show legal identification to claim a package that USPS said was waiting for me.  So, I got dressed and went to the post office at 10 am, presenting the paperwork to the lady behind the counter.  She couldn't find the package in the back, and asked me: "Did you receive it already?" I responded in the negative, and I heard her chatting with a supervisor, and then crickets for 15 minutes.  When she returned, she said it was a glitch in their computer system.  And I left with nothing to show for it.

But this got me to thinking.  Given that I often have unusual static interference when I use my cell phone to call people I know, could the regime in Washington have me on its watch list?  Could this USPS ticket have been a tool to get me out of my apartment so that they can bug my apartment?  I openly oppose the Orange Snowflake, and being TG, have honest concerns as to how far this government may go to silence opposition.  Even if I sound overly paranoid right now, I'm letting my mind explore the extremes to see if anything fits - even if I don't believe these things at the moment.

When I got home, I found an explanation of benefits from a former insurance provider.  They rightfully did not cover the lab tests my doctor requested.  In early afternoon, I receive 4 different texts from Quest Diagnostics telling me that I could pay the bill electronically, or wait for the paper bill to come. Well, I prefer receiving paper to verify that all is on the up and up.  But I knew I had to call my doctor's office while the issue was fresh in my mind (and when he was in the office).  So, around 1:30 pm, I called the doctor's receptionist and told her of the problem, and she told me that she'd update the account with Quest.  AARGH!!!!  This is what I requested be done over a month ago at my last appointment.  Hopefully, I'll be done dealing with Quest on this issue.  

I had figured that the problem with Quest was a paperwork issue coming from my doctor's office, and I was right.  But how does one communicate something simple, when one doesn't know the precise details of what goes on within a black box?  In my case, I knew that Quest defaults to insurance information provided by the doctor when each test is given.  So, the point of failure was at my doctor's office.  And once I could pinpoint the area of responsibility, the solution should be simple.  We'll see about this when I visit my doctor next month. 

My shoulder still bothers me, and I have another gripe for the doctor

 

The more I hear about the Snowflake, the more I feel that the man is completely evil. If I were religious, I might think he's the Antichrist himself.  Today (as I write this, you'll see this post a bit later), the Snowflake is blaming Autism on Tylenol.  Remember, this is the same man, a non medical professional, who said that Hydroxychloroquine, a drug to treat Malaria, would cure Covid-19.  One thing I learned about him is that if he asks you for the time, just make sure your watch is still on your wrist and your cell phone is in your pocket (or purse) before he leaves.  

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When I went off on my recent cruise, my left shoulder was bothering me.  I could barely stand the pain, but did my best to not let it bother me.  (I felt it was one hell of a pinched nerve.)  The pain has subsided, but has not completely gone away.  So I'll talk about this with my doctor when I see him next.  But this isn't my only problem that I have to see my doctor about.  Again, it seems as if the wrong insurance information was fed to the lab test company, and I will again need to fix things with them.  So, I will need to bitch a little with the doctor's office, as they were supposed to fix this several weeks ago.

Since I will likely have to visit the doctor's office with my insurance card, I will likely dress as Mario in the morning.  I'll be able to kill two birds with one stone, as I have a package supposedly waiting for me at the post office, and I don't remember buying anything that needed shipping while I was on the cruise.  RQS has an idea from whom this package could come from, but I doubt it.  We'll find out when I visit the post office next.

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Today was a low energy day.  Although I continued some work on my de-cluttering project, I didn't do that much.  Instead, I took a drive to Poughkeepsie to try on new dresses at Lane Bryant and then have dinner. Well, the dresses looked nice, but they were not worth $100/ea.  Dinner was better - a bowl of clam chowder, followed by a pastrami Reuben.  Yum!  (The waitress had one of the most pleasant voices and demeanors I've come across in wait staff lately.  If I were only a 30 y/o male....)   

And then, it was the drive home for the night. Tomorrow, it will be warmer and wetter.  So, I might as well get some Mario Mode things done in the morning, so I can enjoy transforming into Marian for a Mani-Pedi in the afternoon.