Another 31,536,000 seconds

Today is the 36th anniversary of my 29th birthday. As I type this, 65 years ago my mother was in labor (in spite of being old enough to know better.) 

Clearly, the fact that I have nothing to say never stops me from blogging, but having posted my first blog on April 27th I feel obligated to blather on every year in spite of the fact that I try not to celebrate birthdays.

I posted my first blog 10 years ago today, so this would be my 11th birthday blog if I hadn't missed 2015. (That was the year I retired. Must have burned out.) It is also my 120th published blog post, so I'm averaging one a month. Probably way above average for all the dead blogs out here in the blogosphere. A hundred and twenty posts and not a word worth reading must be some kind of record. I will set this one to post at 6:38 PM Central Time: 2,051,222,400 seconds after I made my debut.

I have to admit that even I am growing tired of the self-deprecating humor. How many times can I say I have nothing to say? (That seems to be infinite.) How many ways can I say it? (My guess is seven, but that may be high.) I won't promise to stop though, because to do so I'd have to write something interesting.

For those of you who have the luxury (as I had for 64 years) of not thinking about Medicare (except when you notice what comes out of your check before you get it) this is the year that changes. (For me. When you hit 65 it'll change for you, unless the government makes changes before then.)

Here is all I got in the mail today:

I'm putting it down to coincidence, since I don't think the government has its sh... act together enough to deliver that ON everyone's 65th birthday. (If you got one on yours let me know I'm wrong.)

It does seem like something they'd do though, since I really needed it 3 months ago. So, in an attempt to write something not completely useless, here are a few things you'll need to know when you get here:

1. Your medicare will start on the first day of the month you turn 65. (So I have been on medicare for 27 days now.)
2. You need to start your medicare application 3 months before that and get all your ducks in a row. (You're dealing with the government, you know.)
3. In spite of all that money that has been coming out of your check for all those years, you will receive a bill for your part B premium. It will be for the first 3 months (in my case Daisy Duck's nieces.)* This can be a shock if you're not prepared for it, however (in spite of the intimidating government letter) they won't cancel you until after they've sent the third intimidating letter in 90 days. If (like me) you have health insurance that becomes secondary, and that premium goes down, it'll also take about 3 months for that to take effect, and (so they've told me) you'll get a check in the mail for what you've been overcharged.

SO, when all is said and done, with the reduction of my current premium minus what I have to pay for medicare my retirement check should go up about $24 a month. (Now for that vacation in Aruba....)

And so much for the joys of turning 65. Now you kids GET OFF MY LAWN!!!!!

*I hope somebody catches that reference. I considered saying "Huey, Dewey and Louie," which would have amused me but no one else. Kind of like this blog.**

**I just realized (while proofreading..., yes, I do that and this is what I end up with. How sad is that?) that I had just used the "ducks in a row" cliche. So I guess my ducks were April, May and June.