And we were all, uh, no, she has a few very specific problems. You just don't know where she was before she was admitted.

This was exactly the case with my Niki after her knee replacement surgery. Had it been up to the PT staff, she'd have slipped into oblivion as a matter of course.

It makes me feel bad for the patients that don't have a strong advocate to fight for them.

Totally this. On a very bad day, I actually said to one of the PT fellows, "Sir, if you hate your job so much, get a new one. In the meanwhile, please go find me someone who will do the work needed here. If not, be assured, I will be finding your supervisor within a matter of minutes."

It wasn't kind, but I was at my wit's end. Ultimately, he DID go find someone else and that person did a great job. But without a strong hand on the wheel? Epic fail.

It is like they don't feel they should challenge authority.

This was a HUGE problem with both Niki and her husband. Bless them. It's a good thing they have 5 strong personality kids and one SUPER big mouth faux-kid.

Extra strength ~ma Laura, for everyone involved!

But you can't get unemployment if you are bringing in any income, like freelancing, right?

In the places I've been, it depends--you just have to report what you're making, and if it's less than your unemployment would've been, you still get some of that (whether it's the difference, or even a little more, depends on the state).

In the last week, I colored my hair for the first time ever, bought a hot iron/roller thing, and got my hair cut into a long-ish angled bob. (I think.). Anyway, I love my haircut and not having Greyson hair all around my face!!

Eta: I meant gray hair. Greyson hair sounds like it should belong to Robin. Although is he Grayson?

Oooh, I'm thinking about dyeing my hair as well, Nonian! I've got lots of grey, and I'm turning 45 this week, so it's probably a good idea to try and look a bit younger. I'm heading out to my mom's for a few weeks in April, and her salon does a great job with her hair color, so I'm thinking about asking her to make me an appointment to see what they can do for me.

{{{{Laura&Mom}}}}}

{{{{Erin}}}} Vibing for that awesome-sounding writing job.

My grey hairs are (for now) strategically placed such that I can pretend at least to myself that they are blond streaks. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

I read some statistic somewhere that said that 80% of American women over the age of 20 color their hair. I was aghast until...oh, wait, that's me.

Better living through chemistry.

My grey hairs are (for now) strategically placed such that I can pretend at least to myself that they are blond streaks.

If my white hairs grew in streaks, I would be thrilled and not slap color over them. But nooooo, they are scattered everywhere, and I HATE my "natural" color. In my world, the blue-black is the color I was supposed to be born with, and that mouse-brown shade is some sort of accident.

Sending coping ~ma to Laura. I'm glad you are able to be there for your mother, sorry that it has to be so hard.

Also sending job-landing ~ma to Erin. I hope That Place snaps you up.

In terms of unemployment, if you don't know if you qualify, call the unemployment office to make an appointment to talk to someone. People in unemployment offices vary like any other workplace and are usually under a great deal of stress and overworked, but a lot of them will go out of their way to help you with eligibility questions. They know the system is tough to navigate, and many of them will try to help you find your way through it.