Catching Up After the Quickie
2008-01-21, 8:20 p.m.

Day 1248

We have a very interesting day number today. Well, for electronic geeks at least. The numbers 1, 2, 4 and 8, in order, represent the first four exponential powers of two � very important stuff in binary counting systems. When you�re in a field like I am, you tend to remember odd crap like that. 2^0 = 1, 2^1 = 2, 2^2 = 4, 2^3 = 8, 2^8 = 256, 2^10 = 1024, 2^20 = 1,048,576 � all very handy things to be able to recall at a moments notice. Well, for some folks I guess.

Bowling last week. Eh. Lefty was there, in good health. Hey � he�s only recovering from pneumonia, nothing REALLY serious. As a team, we bowled decent � average at least, but the other team bowled well above average. We only managed to squeak out 2 of the 8 points. Our visit to third place may be brief. Have to see how the other guys did. Technically, I felt I was throwing the ball much better. Good hand position, better lift through the ball, better consistency. Just wasn�t getting rewarded with very many breaks (i.e. strikes). Managed to stay reasonably clean, pick all but 3 or 4 of my spares (all but one a split) and still only beat my average by 9 pins for the night. Life is tough when you can�t string strikes.

Suffered a bit of a blow up over the power of attorney situation with The Bob. The blowup wasn�t with Bob, but everybody else. Seems his son has finally figured out that I have sole PoA and he�s a little tweaked about it. Suffice it to say, I did not fully communicate Cindy�s wishes to her brother. But upon my communicating what her brother wanted back to her � well, lets say we�re having a difference of opinion as to just what a Power of Attorney should actually do.

I�ve figured out how long Bob�s funds will last him once he lands in an assisted living facility. Besides the memory & dementia issues, a few squamous & basal cell carcinoma�s, some increasing arthritis in his knees, mild hypertension (that�s been successfully managed for 20+ years), and surviving a TB scare 15 years ago, he�s as healthy as a horse. He�s also now 75 years old. I�m thinking he may last another year at his current residence. Maybe 2 years if the Aricept therapy has any real benefit (it may be too late). Between all his insurances, pension, social security, 401K a few IRA�s and the proceeds of selling his Florida house, he can last from 10 to 12 years before he blows through his funds and becomes a ward of the state (basically kicks over to medicare only)

Is that enough? I don�t know. Problem is that Cindy�s brother thinks their dad�s money is his kids college fund. The Bob wavers back and forth, depending on who is in the immediate audience. When I ask him how he wants to use his money, he�s all worried about how many loans he has out, who�s paying him back and how long will it last. When Wayne asks him, he�s all �Oh, I think it should be used to send the younger ones through college�. Well, excuse the hell outta me � Wayne�s kids (and Wayne) get a free ride while my boys took out all the Stafford loans they could get and I�m sitting here choking on 8 years worth of parent loans? Ummmm � no.

Wayne�s solution? Bob pays for his kids college AND pays off our college loans too. That would take about 2 years off of Bob�s funds expectancy. Maybe not a big deal, maybe a huge deal. I�d love to see all my college loans paid off, but personally, I feel that Bob�s money should be used to keep Bob as comfortable as possible for as long as he lives. No one knows how long that�s going to be, so you�ve got to plan for as long as you can. Unfortunately Bob�s dementia and memory issues mean that pretty soon he�s going to start burning through his funds faster and faster in order to keep him cared for. That could mean there would be little or nothing left of his estate for any inheritance.

Wayne also asked me to schedule an appointment with the estate attorney so we can get the Power of Attorney redone so he has an official say in how his dad�s money is spent. In front of Wayne, Bob thinks this is ok. With Wayne not around, he�s content to leave the PoA as it is. So? I�m not making that appointment. Wayne will be pissed. He�ll probably try to get his Dad declared incompetent and have himself installed as PoA. I think that would be moot, as long as I�m currently conducting all his business. I also think the current PoA mentions something about not being able to be over ridden by a judgment of incompetence. I think.

I think we�re ok. I think we can keep Bob�s bucks working for Bob. I�d love to pay for Wayne�s kids college and get my own kids (and my own) loans paid off, but it seems morally bankrupt to do that. My new mission will be to constantly gently remind Bob that he�s not in the loan business any more � for any reason short of saving someone from bankruptcy.

Cindy was quiet and pensive all weekend. Last night I finally asked her why. Turns out it wasn�t for any reason in particular, and wasn�t even on purpose. It was more that we hadn�t seen much of each other all weekend. I thought she was copping an attitude, she thought I was being too quiet. Hmph. Glad one of us spoke up. Gave me good reason to miss the gym this morning. Extracurricular aerobics dontcha know.

Besides, like I said earlier, my legs are fried. It�s back to the treadmill tomorrow for more abuse. Hope my legs recover tonight. Suppose it depends on what kind of aerobics happens tonight. Hope it�s horizontal and not vertical.

If you use a pop-up blocker, hit "Ctrl" when you click to leave a comment