Kage Baker was a firm believer in the axiom that God answers all prayers. However, she also subscribed just as firmly to the addendum that the answer is usually No.
Nonetheless, she felt, one should always be prepared to react either way. Be patient and resourceful in the face of the predominant negative; make Plans B, C, etc. to save yourself when the divine fruit machine comes up lemons. But be equally prepared to sing praises and gratitude when you actually get the good thing for which you have prayed.
I interrupt these pleasant musings on Santa Catalina, the Island of Romance and Weird Happenings, to announce that my Social Security disability claim has been approved. My first notice of it was when I made my usual daily check of my bank account, and found a HUGE deposit had been made. My first suspicion was that it was an accounting error. Second choice was a Nigerian scam of some sort – in either event, I expected it to be reversed and snatched away from me.
But before I either despaired or went on a bender in the book store, I checked the source of the money. I made some phone calls to Official Government Numbers. And so I discovered that I have been moved to the head of the Fairy Godmother line. It has been officially admitted that I am neither dead, nor capable of pursuing my previous line of work. And that I am, yes, a fully eligible member of the system into which I have paid payroll taxes for the last 40 years.
I strongly suspect that my claim went through because I managed to pass some secret number of months of processing, and failed to die. Which is fine with me on a number of levels.
On another government screw up front, my unhappy nephew Michael has been battling – with thousands of other horrified young people – with the travails of the California State University system for the last two days. The CSU schools have managed to seriously overbook on admissions, and their draconian solution has been to simply cancel classes everywhere. No new students are being accepted, and only graduating seniors are guaranteed full-time status. This not only wreaks havoc on students’ educational schedules, in most cases the change to part-time (or even non) student has rendered their tuition loans and grants null.
Mike is an upperclassman, and has maintained a B average for the last 3 years. He’s in a 5-year teaching certificate program (in the History department – he is my nephew), and has built a good relationship with his dean and several teachers. For the last several days he has been laboriously working his way through the narrow official channel that will provide the ONLY chance a student has to reach full-time status … and it’s just succeeded. He has managed to add two classes, bringing his status up from part-time to full time. His scholarship will kick back in. He’s still on track to graduate.
It’s a damned good day around here. I am inclined to wonder if my beloved dead are pulling strings from somewhere behind the scenery. Kage always did think invisibility was the best fashion choice … And so right now, I am going to go start shopping for the Empire red washer/dryer set Kage and I always wanted: singing Hallelujah Thank You all the way!
Tomorrow: Island Musings will resume.
Kathleen, Kage and the Company 
Better and better! Back to full time! Red washer/dryer! (I’ve already cheered the Social Security!) A Very Good Day.
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Yep, it’s a good day. And the cessation and resolution of many, many worries – which makes it easier to write!
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Glad that sometimes the continuing strenuous application of forehead to brick wall actually does some damage to the wall. That is a huge sigh of relief you hear from me. And great news for Michael, too.
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Fabulous news, every bit of excellent! I am beyond pleased for you each and severally.
Red washer and dryer? Sounds like something from Nell Gwynne’s; and I like it!
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You cannot underestimate the cheer exuded by red kitchen appliances. It just lends a holiday air to everyday tasks. Kathleen kbco.wordpress.com
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He understands the cheer exuded by red kitchen appliances. I relieved the unrelenting white of our rental kitchen with overly generous applications of red, from toile fabrics to red kitchen-aid everything. And I mean everything. Pots, pans, spoons, kitchen linen, colanders, bowls, storage jars, canisters, just to mention a few–all red. I found red crocheted table runners one Christmas and they now serve as valances over the small windows.
I checked into getting the flame (like muscle car flames) for the mixer, but have decided I have to paint my own. $40 for a set of decals is too damned much.
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Hurray! And yes to bright kitchen appliances, especially good sturdy ones. I have big hefty immersion stick blender fromKitchen aid that is bright red…and no vegetables or fruit or yogurt is safe in it’s vicinity. So happy for you and Michael too.
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Kathy – toaster, blender, Kitchen Aide – all bright enameled red. And now the dryer is croaking, so it’s going the same way; followed by the washer … if I have to be so grown up that I actually WANT new appliances, they will durned well be the colour I like!
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oooo, the prices for the flame decals have dropped drastically.
http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&search-alias=garden&field-brandtextbin=FlameKA.com
Just in case you need flames or shark teeth on the mixer.
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There is almost nothing that relieves one as much as the approval of SSDI. I am sooooo happy for you.
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(marching band enters, plays your favorite theme song, scatters money, exits)
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I think painting shark teeth on the washer and dryer is tempting the laundry ghods a bit too much . . .
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Congratulations to both you and Michael!
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