With Margie gone, I eat breakfast at Family; the iPhone - a simple, quick, transaction suddenly turns complex and long

I awoke thinking that, with Margie gone, I might just as well go to breakfast at Mat-Su Valley Family Restaurant - perhaps I would go every day until the 17th, when I leave to join her in Arizona. So what if I can't afford it? What does it matter? Will I be any more broke when they shove me into the cremator's fire then I will if I don't?

I enjoy eating breakfast at Family. And it is a good place to see a good cross-section of Wasilla drift in and out. Should I ever find the time and resource to do this blog the way I want, I have this idea in my head where I will go to Family Restaurant a couple of times a week, pick out somebody, introduce myself and then do some kind of little feature on that person, both in and out of Family Restaurant.

But today I did not have the time nor was I up to such a thing. I just staggered in, groggily sat down and placed my order.

Breakfast is good at Family, but they do have a tendency to ruin the hash browns, to fry them to a hard crisp on the outside and turn them to mush on the inside.

A waitress taught me to order them "soft and light," and then they would cook them just right.

And when they do... oh, my, breakfast at Family is good!

So I ordered my hash browns, "soft and light."

She is a very good waitress and she treats me well. It is not her fault that the hashbrowns came back as mush encased in a hard shell. The omelette was delicious, but I had been looking forward to the hashbrowns and now I couldn't eat them. I tried to get a new order of hash browns done right, but the cooks were allegedly too busy.

So I had breakfast with no hash browns. I had been looking forward to those hashbrowns, soft and light, so it was a disappointment.

Even so, I still recommend Mat-Su Valley Family Restaurant. And if you order your hash browns "soft and light," there is about a 75 percent chance that you will actually get them that way; otherwise, maybe 10 percent - possibly 15.

And when the hash browns are soft and light, it is the best breakfast in town.

The excellent and charming waitresses are very good at keeping their customer's coffee hot.

After I finished breakfast, I returned to my car and found this dog sitting in the bed of truck parked next to it. The dog was old and looked sad, but maybe it wasn't. Some dogs just look sad.

Still, I had to stop, and visit with the dog for a minute or two.

As you can see, the dog enjoyed the stimulating conversation and perked right up. 

I started up my car, got into it and then noticed that the light was falling beautifully upon the lady in the manicure shop that sits alongside Family. You can see the reflection of my car at the left, but you can't see me. If I should find myself in this situation again, I will see if I can work myself into the picture. This time, I was just too far to the left.

Actually, I believe I'm in this one, but just barely. The reflection is so dark there that it is hard to tell for certain.

I went home after this and made an important phone call. No - not to Margie. I knew that she would be so tired after traveling all night that she might possibly be sleeping and if she was, I did not want to wake her up.

It was about health insurance. One of the great ironies that I have faced recently is that the same month that the US Senate passed health care reform is the same month that I lost my health insurance that I have paid such high premiums for these past 15 years - to the detriment of my health care, as they have covered almost nothing and if I had not been spending so much money on the premiums I would have had more to spend on health care.

Then, they recently raised the premiums 20 percent and in December I just could not cover it.

As worthless and expensive (priced in the Senate's "Cadillac" premium category, delivering "clunker" benefits)   as the policy is, I still feel very uncomfortable without it. So I called to find out how long I can push it before I lose the opportunity to reinstate it and if there was any way Mega Life and Health could make it more affordable.

As my insurance company has had such a negative impact on my health care, I have talked to their representatives a number of times, but an amazing thing happened today. I was connected with an intelligent, articulate, woman with both a knack for listening and explaining and the knowledge and patience to do both. She also seemed to care.

We talked for maybe two hours. While the problems are many, here is the basic one: to get a group rate, I bought this premium through the National Association of the Self Employed... oh hell, what reader is going to want to read through such an explanation? I've probably lost 75 percent of you already.

Briefly stated, almost all the members NASE that I joined with have moved on and now my group is very small - in fact, she couldn't assure me that my group includes anyone but me. My policy is not even offered anymore. Hence, my premiums are outrageous and my services minimal.

Plus the part that she didn't say - the heads of the company are not interested in my health, but only in their profits. When my health care gets in the way, they would just as soon raise my premiums to the point where I am forced to drop the coverage.

Worse yet, I have no alternatives - not yet.

About the best I can hope for is that somehow I last until I reach Medicare age, which is coming sooner than I wish, but perhaps not soon enough.

Thank you, Senator Joe Lieberman. I had a good chance and then your ego got in the way.

Jacob and Lavina gave me an iPhone for Christmas, in the form of two ATT gift cards. I have been eager to pick that phone up, but have been dreading the experience, too, because I was with Melanie when she picked hers up and it was a long and convoluted affair.

Since Christmas, I have been too busy to do it, plus, I had seen the ATT store after Christmas's past and it was wall-to-wall customers, most of them waiting and waiting.

So I waited until today, until after I finished talking with the insurance lady and then I headed over.

To my surprise, there was no line. I was served immediately.

I told the kid about my gift and handed my cards to him. He told me that my cards covered an 8 gig phone, but if I wanted I could add a little more and get a 16 or 32 gig phone. "How much more for the 16?" I asked.

"$100," he answered.

Logically, 8 gigs seems like more than enough for a phone, but my experience with anything having to do with computers is that no matter how much memory you get, sooner or later you find out it isn't enough. You can always plug in more harddrives to your computer, but not to your iPhone.

"The 8 gigs will do," I said. I did not want to pay $100 out of pocket today.

So he took the two gift cards, completed the transaction and zapped my phone number and data into the iPhone - just like that. The entire process took less than five minutes.

Then he handed one of the cards back to me. "You've got $48 left on that card," he said.

What? $48 left over? This meant that I would not have had to spend $100 out of pocket, but only $52.

"In that case," I said, "I'll go with the 16 gigs."

"Okay," he said.

 And from there it got complex and complicated. So much so that when I left the store close to one hour later, after spending time watching children play while my very good salesperson and his coworkers tried to troubleshoot the many problems that kept arising, I departed without an iPhone.

Not only that, but the data in my old phone had gotten messed up. The phone numbers that I had been dialing and receiving calls from all disappeared. My voicemail no longer functions.

I have to come back tomorrow, 24 hours after that he did the original transaction for the 8 gig phone. Then the money will be back in my gift cards and I can spend it again and leave with a properly functioning iPhone.

I hope.

The kid told me his name, so that I could put it in the blog and I memorized it.

But now I forget.

Sorry, kid.

My bad.

As long-time readers know, Royce has been growing old and thin. I have attributed the thinness to his age, but, during Christmas, Melanie and Lisa observed that he wolfed down bits of turkey like he was starving, whereas in the past he would gingerly sniff and sniff such offerings before eating them.

So they speculated that the reason that he was growing thin was because it was becoming painful for him to eat hard food.

After Christmas, I continued to feed him turkey until there was no turkey to feed and I also observed him when I put out the dry food. He seemed to eat it just fine.

"But maybe he can't eat as much," Melanie said. "Maybe it hurts too much. You should get him canned food.

Today, with Margie in Arizona, I did something that I hate to do. I went to the grocery store. While I was there, I not only bought soft, canned, food for Royce, I bought "Senior Blend."

As soon as I pulled a can out of the grocery bag - even before I began to open it - Royce trotted to me with a desperate look in his eye and began to meow loudly. Once I pulled the lid off, he went nuts.

So I put some in a bowl and then took Royce into the boys' old room, placed it before him and closed the door so that the other cats would not try to come and get it.

I didn't close the door tight enough. Chicago came in, nudged Royce out of the way and began to eat his food. He had eaten quite a bit by then, so I decided just to let Chicago eat and then I would give Royce more later.

Then Royce nudged Chicago away and returned to his meal.

What you need to understand about Chicago is that she is the meanest, toughest, cat in this house - not towards people, but towards other cats. There is a story behind this, but I am not going to take the space to write it, right now.

But Chicago did not fight for that food. She stepped back and watched as Royce ate.

I think maybe there are two reasons for this. Chicago loves Royce. She hates Pistol-Yero, despises Jim, absolutely could not stand Marty when she was here with Kalib, Jacob, Lavina and Muzzy, but she has always loved Royce. The two often sleep intertwined.

And I think that maybe she understood, somehow, that Royce needed that soft food more than she did.

Plus, maybe she saw the can and the words written on it, including "senior blend."

Next to Royce, she is the oldest cat here, but she still likes to think of herself as a pretty, young, kitty.

And she is pretty.

Comments

[MLW]

I wish I had been to breakfast with you. I would have eaten those hashbrowns, they look delicious to me. I wish restaurants around here would fix them like that. I love crispy on the outside, mushy on the inside hashbrowns, yummy!

[Kat]

Ah schucks MLW, you beat me to it. That's that way I love hash browns too. I'm so hungry now after looking at that delicious plate I think I will have to find something to eat.

It's Murphy's Law Bill, whenever I order my hash browns crispy, many times I get them soft and light. Thanks as usual Bill for the great pictures and story, You've got me hooked. Love your cats. Mine send greetings....

[WhiteStone]

I would love to have some of those hashbrowns...the crispier the better. Soft and mushy is a no-no in my estimation. (Last night the forecasters were way wrong. It got only down to 5 below...not the forecast 23 below. I am not sad about this.)

I am sorry about your health insurance. If the whole issue were less complex, if the wherefores and how-tos and what-ifs were explained better by our Congressmen, the health insurance thing would be easier to pass. But nobody sits down and says, "This is how it will function." and "This is how much each individual will have to contribute" and "Those with incomes in this range will be exempt from paying". No, they leave us all hanging in the air and wondering and so everybody is scared to do anything. I know people who need health insurance...but their income is already scant...will they be forced to pay a monthly premium. Medicare recipients pay a monthly premium. Will everyone pay a premium for this insurance? And how much? And what will it cover? Nobody says. Or maybe I have not read enough about it. It's complicated.

I wish I could pet the sad dog. And take it home with me.

[conchscooter]

If the best breakfast place in wasilla can't cook hash browns (frozen pre-packaged I suppose) there is not much hope. Equally on the health insurance front, like so many people who have lived with single payer I am an enthusiastic believer. However there are so many who believe the negative propaganda that it is going to be impossible to extend medicare to all, or even the middle aged. Note that if you were across the border in Canada the whole issue of health insurance would be moot. Yet in this country where keeping people insecure is the raison d'etre of the ruling classes, people without insurance actually believe they are better off. I used to be a an Obama supporter, but where I thought I was voting for FDR I now find I voted for Herrbert Hoover. To call him a sociliast would be laughable if it weren't just another example of uneducated people hurling insults they themselves don't understand.
I have first rate health insurance through my job, and my wife has a decent policiy through her teaching job. We do not plan to quit until we are eligible for medicare. Apres moi le deluge.

[debby]

If I had seen the words 'senior blend' on my can of cat food, why I would have stepped back and let Royce eat it, just as Chicago did. Chicago and I, we are victims of our own delusions and vanity.

You are a hash brown connoisseur. I, alas, am of the mindset that if I don't have to cook it, why then it's gourmet.

This being said, I've been up since six. I have baked homemade bread, cinnamon rolls, cookies for Cara to take back to school with her.

Hey! You're being cremated? Me too! I want to go off with my pockets filled with popcorn. Just for grins and chuckles.

[Grandma Nancy]

I always come here first, for a gentle smile, for a giggle, or for just a nice sensible visit with a friend (even though you don't know that you are one of my favorite friends, or have the faintest idea of who the heck I am!) I leave with a smile, knowing I will look for you tomorrow. By the way, I too can be either picky about my food or happy that somebody else prepared it for me, depending on the mood of the day and how hungry I am.

[dahli22]

out of all the great photos in this post, i too am FIXATED on the hash browns and omelette and i want to dive into that photo! I am SO going to Family Restaurant the next time i'm in Wasilla!

[Michelle]

Anxiously awaiting your i-phone review. I already know the first part - getting it - is not so easy, but do look forward to your advice. (I'm considering it)

But beyond that, thank you for the kitteh photos!

[ruth z deming]

so many good points, bill, i hardly know how to respond! first, those luscious sounding hashbrowns. btw, while i'm thinking of it, loved the photo in your last blog of the salt n pepper shakers in the foreground and the coffee waitress in the background.

b/c of my chronic kidney condition, i can't eat taters no more. so enjoy every morsel for me.

second, that ugly term health insurance. is it possible not to have it & simply pay for an occasional doctor visit? i know you're busy, but why not send lieberman an email? we all hate his policies & think he's a disgrace to us otherwise altruistic jews.

have a safe trip to sunny AZ. i've gotta read more posts to find out why margie's there. you'll go thru the tighter security. i have no doubt you'd save the plane if someone got outa line...or else they'd find your photografs of him after the plane went down.

[Wasilla, Alaska, by 300]

MLW, Kat, Whitestone, Dahli - If you ever make it to Wasilla, get in touch. We will go eat hash browns together.

Whitestone and Conchshooter and Ruth Z - This health insurance thing has really got me down. I don't know what to do about it and I know that in no other developed country in the world would I have put been put through what I have been put through. I think Obama stated what it wanted, calculated what he could actually get and then compromised to get it. I think it is a step in the right direction - the first step in decades. It is something to build upon but I am not sure it going to take effect in time to do me any good at all.

Grandma - Glad I could start you out with a smile. If some days I wind up being too serious to smile, then back up a day or two and smile anyway.

Michelle - As soon as I get it in my hands (if ever, it feels like) I will give you that review.

Debby! Debby! I want one of those cinnamon rolls! I really do!