Welcome back to my entry into the blogosphere chums, for today I am inspired by that odious but necessary evil: money
Top of the pops in good old 1985, Dire Straits were very keen to highlight the ridiculous nature of the rock industry, and the financial rewards that are a part of it. The video focused on two blue collar workers moving microwaves and colour TV's, whilst in the background the band rocked on. Which was ironic given the vast wealth of the Knopfler Klan and their guest vocalist.
His Holiness the Dalai Sting, having taken time off from saving another endangered insect, found himself with some spare time, after the split up of The Police. Still a force to be reckoned with (The Police Force?) he agreed to help out a band in dire straits chart-wise and the rest is history.
Anyway enough of has-beens from the past.....
Whilst recovering back in August in my luxury hospital room, I was visited by a social worker. Worried that I would raise significant concerns for her pyschiatrically, I did my best to appear calm and serene. What would Carson the butler do from Downton Abbey, I mused, if presented with the same situation. I am not sure being in a hospital in Auckland with a renal transplant would be in accordance with the historical accuracy of the Edwardian era drama. But would anybody really notice in these days of X factor wannabes and a celebrity obsessed media:
My Lord, there is something amiss with the new appliance in the kitchen. The staff refuse to use it.
Why ever is that? Please explain.
A fracas developed after Mrs Patmore burned her fingers on her steamed suet pudding, although she says she followed the instructions in the microwave manual.
Mmmmm. Perhaps we should send her for an eye test in London.
Of course My Lord, I will ask the chauffeur to get the Hyundai 4x4 ready."
Therefore I tried to appear to be lucid, and rational, a wholly unnatural state of affairs for me. Gosh, this acting lark is quite easy, perhaps I should attend an audition? She made enquiries about my support mechanisms and any pets needing care for the duration of my stay, then turned the conversation to matters financial. And how are you going to manage fiscally? Well, I felt with a burst of corporate pride, this was my time to triumph and extol the virtues of my employer! As a staff benefit we all are covered in the event of a complete cessation of work due to illness or accident and would be receiving payments from the insurance company, I proudly announced..
Thanks to my HR role at school, I have dealt with several claims from fellow colleagues, suffering from all sorts of ailments, with enough detail to fill a self help diagnostic compendium. After helping others in their hour of financial need, it was now my turn. Following the completion of a couple of detailed and invasive forms, the matter was taken out of my hands as everything else was dealt with by my GP or a hospital specialist.
A physiotherapist was dispatched to my house to help me complete a functional job description, focusing on how physical my job is and how much of it is cerebral. As a result she assessed that my role is 10% physical (not heavy lifting, just walking between meetings and stretching for staff files), and the rest was deemed as cerebral. Cerebral? Wow, just wait till I tell my boss, what a clever clogs, time for a pay review?
Accordingly it was acknowledged that even though my role allows me to sit down for long periods, the amount of accuracy required meant that I needed a clear head. Following such major surgery, it is quite normal to be emotional and quite unstable, so a time frame of three months away from work would fully aid my recovery.
Reassured by my case manager that it was a temporary incapacitation and it met the policy terms, I awaited written confirmation from the insurance company, which came a week later. Before you could say “thank you very very much Sovereign” the money was in my bank account, which was indeed a welcome deposit, having exhausted my sick leave immediately after the operation.
Since then I have received several payments from them , and as I intend to return to work next week, there should only be one more. It is amazing how money just trickles away, even though for most of the last three months I have hardly left the house! Perhaps I need to ease up on Trademe and Ebay!
It is a great relief to know that funds are incoming, and in return all I have had to do is rest and get better.
It really could be seen as “Money for Nothing”, yet I haven't seen any sign of the free chickens that Dire Straits promised. Perhaps Colonel Sanders got there first.......
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