when cranberry juice is expensive

so because we are penniless & insurance-less (ben's school doesn't offer insurance, neither does ben's part-time job), yesterday we took a trip to the medicaid office so that we could have the ability to go to the doctor.

anyway, you know you're in for a good time when you walk up to the front doors & you're greeted by a shaky man who immediately asks you if you have a cigarette. you are clearly looking pregnant in your maternity shirt, and you're holding the hand of your toddler.

"um, no" i say. and sigh. i had the feeling it was going to be a long morning.

so here are highlights:

• ben had the pleasure of sitting next to a lady who the medicaid workers knew by name. good sign. she spoke non-stop, to herself. however ben, being the nice guy he is, doesn't realize she is out of her right mind until she starts telling him about her urinary tract infection. then these words start flying out of her mouth, and i quote:

"i'm in so much pain that even the highest dose of Oxycontin doesn't do jack."

"i take enough drugs to get us all high."

"my daughter told me she was no longer my f'ing bank."

"because of my urinary tract infection, i have to buy the special cranberry juice and that d*#n stuff is $6 a bottle."

by this time, ben knew.
he got out a book and just started reading as she rambled away.

• the man with the tattoos on his eyelids.

• being asked to wait over 3 hours to even be seen...i had been up since 5:30 and as 10am neared, i bristled. ben told me to take a walk so i could "cool off" so out into the 100 degree heat i went. i came back in even more fired up than when i left. and now, to top it off, sweating.

• caleb getting exhausted & laying face down on the nasty floor. as he got up ben remarked that he probably picked up some form of diptheria. that's better than what i was thinking he picked up. (an STD)

• when we finally were seen by our case worker, kaita, ben started asking about any job openings there. our case worker was really nice & had a good sense of humor. that is, until ben started joking about arriving for his interview wearing only a tie. (it came out of left field, but i think he was trying to make her laugh) it clearly made her nervous.

• nearing noon, caleb nearly had a meltdown when we informed him that not only could we not take kaita's miniature toy killer whale home with us, but also couldn't take the pen that was attached to her desk with a chain. it was a near-miss in the catastrophe section.

• we were told we were the only people that smiled when our picture was taken for our insurace i.d. cards. i asked "why's that?" and she replied, "most people are ticked off that they're even here." fair enough.

that being said, it's done. we are insured so now i can get my first check-up since week 12. halleluyer. ben also sent a resume in to apply for a job. hopefully kaita has nothing to do with the hiring process. she might deter him a little, knowing his plan to "wow them" when he walks through the doors.