The Universe has Spoken

In a last-ditch effort to manufacture a good excuse for not getting out and hanging with my old younger friends this coming weekend, I contacted the doctor’s office to see if I could get an appointment today, tomorrow or Friday.

It’s amazing what lengths I will go to at times to get out of a commitment to socialize with other humans ─ even humans I sincerely like.

At any rate, the doctor can’t see me until the end of September ─ It’s a good thing it’s nothing serious, just something I should have discussed with her months ago but thought to do now to get out of that commitment. 

With my belief that we are just bit players on the stage of life, that the Universe is directing and makes its wishes known, I took that "not until the end of September" as a further sign the Universe wants me in the Long Beach/San Pedro area this weekend, the other signs being it is now too late to cancel the hotel without considerable monetary penalties, and the fact I was tempted to simply just call and rescind my rsvp yes to a no, but couldn’t bring myself to do so.

So, having resigned myself to the road trip, I wasn’t in the mood to check on the folks at yesterday’s Pizza Tuesday. Instead, the weather was nice (for a change) so I drove to an area known for its many PokéStops, parked and walked around hunting for Pokémon and Gifts.

Found a few gifts, but still not enough to satisfy what I need to feed my game friends on a regular basis.

This addition of gifts is a pain in the butt and I’m hoping it doesn’t last.

Returning to the complex in a much better frame of mind than when I left, I took a shortcut to the mail center, through the office area and ran into a group of seniors gathered in the entryway, almost blocking the door.

Being the cautious person I am, I cracked the door and asked if it was safe to enter.

They thought that funny, saying nothing to worry about unless I saw them running, but you never know. Better safe than sorry.

What the huddle was about is that Assistant Community Manager is back at her desk, one senior saying she was out because her husband is ill again and, in fact, is back in the hospital. 

That’s possibly true because her husband, bless his heart, has been struggling with some unknown illness that he previously almost succumbed to, but the timing is suspicious as his relapse and her absence occurred the same time Community Manager was let go.

Someone else said Assistant Manager had been offered the Community Manager position but turned it down.

That also is possibly true and I can totally see her not wanting the top spot because it would put her in a position of responsibility where she’d have no buffer and would have to deal directly with Corporate, which dealing with Corporate can be likened to what those working in the White House must be experiencing – stress, fear, pins, needles.

At any rate, Assistant Manager is back in her office … for now, and word is we’ll have a new Community Manager within a month (the job opening is no longer listed on Corporate's career site). I’m hoping the new person is one former office worker in particular that quit because she couldn’t tolerate that mean Nurse Ratched. We liked her so much that we gave her a going-away surprise party, and a plaque for outstanding work and being so nice to us.

While I was standing with the other seniors, being filled in, Apache came along. He's still on the warpath, working with the County and Housing to have his list of demands resolved. I can’t tell you what all he wants, other than the pit bull off the property, but he had an 8-1/2 by 11 sheet of paper full of notes, the last note being “Why is it taking so long for Corporate to repair the mail boxes". And because my buddy Apache really loves to stir the pot, he’s going to let the County know Assistant Manager is back because, he says that when the County called Corporate, they said she was not coming back.

That guy really needs a distraction in his life.

I caught a glimpse of The Seer — Shadow of course was glued to her.

She looked happy, smiling for a change and acknowledged me ─ Shadow did not. He just stoically stood there while those around him were chatting it up.

What’s wrong with him?

Is it possible he’s one of those guys that don’t want their women socializing or talking to anyone but them?

Apache says The Seer is still holding a grudge and will not speak to him since that day in June, when she almost caused a fist fight between him and Shadow because, though she’s been friends with Apache for as many years as I have, she all of a sudden tells Shadow she doesn’t like Apache’s tone ─ whatever that means, and Shadow turned around and warned Apache to watch how he speaks to her, which pitted the two guys against each other and almost ended in fisticuffs.

I find it odd that The Seer, involved in the church and bible studies as she is, can be holding such a petty grudge. Apache is over it, and Shadow is over it, but not wanting to anger or come across as disloyal, Shadow will only acknowledge Apache when The Seer is not around.

So much BS going on with Corporate and individual seniors. It’ll be interesting to see what life is like at the GenX and Millennial level of living.

Yesterday ended with one final word from the Universe. A 4.4 earthquake that nearly knocked my laptop off my knees.