Getting My Affairs in Order

Some friends are trying to organize a horse camping trip before the summer ends. “Go on a horse camping trip”  has been on many a New Year’s resolutions lists and is also included on my “things to do before I die” list. If 2010 is the year my horse camping dream comes true, there’s a good chance that I’ll take it off my list of the worst years ever.

Speaking of things to do before I die, I’m still on my quest to get all my affairs in order. A person has to be prepared at my age, especially considering that stress is supposed to shorten your life.

I received an e-mail from one organization questioning one of the forms I sent in, specifically asking for additional information on my contingent beneficiary, Justine. The frightening thing about that is I don’t know anyone named “Justine”. Does Justine perhaps work for the bank?

Remember my frustration with the DMV over my driver’s license? The next day I was called and told they were correcting my license and I would receive it in 3 weeks. Well, they corrected my name but didn’t do the change of address I asked for. I called and asked if they could take the address correction over the phone or if I needed to go into the DMV office again. Of course I have to go in again. I WILL NOT be going to the same office that has screwed up my license twice.

And when I tried to vote at the primaries this evening, they wouldn’t let me because I didn’t have a utility bill with my new address on it. Bringing in a letter from the county confirming my homesteading wasn’t good enough because state law requires a “utility bill” and nothing else will do.

In other words, as I try to get all my affairs in order, I am discovering that the people working for financial and government organizations, the ones handling our investments, benefits, savings, social security, personal records, etc. are not very detail or quality orientated, nor practical, nor just plain, old adequate. They are perhaps, in fact, dare I say, sloppy and incompetent.

Okay, that’s an over-generalization because I know people who have or are working for these types of agencies and are now ticked off at me.

Still, I’m beginning to think that the people who rebel against society, build compounds, and bury their money in the back yard might be on to something.