Today I learned about a condition that seems to be afflicting my son called Testosterone Poisoning. It is the best explanation I can come up with besides the fact that we have had a completely effed up week and he is beyond tired because of it.

Because I have been so absorbed with my very emotional boy child this week I am mentally (and physically) quite drained which means I have exactly BUPKIS to offer you.

In the spirit of providing you something new and interesting to cast your eyes upon I now present to you…

::drumroll::

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I see a trend.

I talk to people online, in person and by phone daily. Some of my conversations are incredibly intimate and highly confidential. Some are a bit more relaxed. Some of these conversations are planned and some are impromptu but the one thing I am seeing in a lot of conversations these days is…

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“I will never, ever, so help me GAWD, work with [fill in the blank] AGAIN!”

Feel free to fill in that blank with the name of an individual, a company, a department, client or vendor. Do it in your head though, please.

Lawsuits for slander are not welcome here.

Have you ever uttered words like that? An oath out loud or in your head that forever swears you off from professional interaction with a group or individual? Have you ever had those words come back to haunt you some time later?

In my professional career I have crossed paths repeatedly with professional contacts in the past. Off the top of my head I can name four people that I have worked with in different companies more than once in my life. Have you ever found people from your past in your current work environment? I can’t be the only one it happens to.

I can honestly say that while there are many people I hope to NEVER work with again (you know who you are) I know that there is always a chance that I will work with them again.

• A former, much loathed boss could be a client one day in the future.
• The co-worker that slashed my tires (don’t brag) could end up a representative at a vendor I need to interact with.

The world is small and the corporate world is even smaller. In my mind it is important that I never burn any bridge with anyone ever.

This doesn’t mean I play kiss-up to people I dislike (they know who they are). What it means is that I caretake my professional network and more importantly, my professional image. I always professionally deal with any and all personality conflicts to the best of my ability in the workplace.

Everyone has dealt with difficult personalities in the workplace. You cannot reasonably go through your life expecting to actually LIKE everyone.

How do you deal with difficult individuals?

How do you manage relationships with departments, vendors and clients that push you over the edge?

Do you have a secret recipe for dealing with difficult people?

Have you ever encountered someone from your past in a work environment? Particularly, someone you didn’t care for. How did you deal with it?

I should warn you. This post is going to be about corporate life but it is not going to be directly about MY corporate life.

I should also warn you that I am going to talk about the most taboo KathyHowe blog topic ever known to man…or woman for that matter:

My ex-husband.

*the crowd goes silent*

It was a dark and stormy night in June (not really but isn’t that the start of all great tales?) when KA-PLOOEY! my dearest last born baby child fell from a clearly reckless and boy-hating set of monkey bars and broke his poor little boo bear arm.

I was distraught but like a good mother I sucked it up and hauled him into the E.R. so he could see his favorite E.R. doctor.

So sad that they know us by name.

We went through the routine: exam, x-rays, break confirmed, temporary cast, go home for a week, permanent cast put on.

I do these stunts blindfolded donchyaknow.

Because I am the parent that primarily brings the children in for doctor visits I have to sign the waiver and claim financial responsibility for their medical expenses. Never mind that my divorce decree firmly and clearly states that my ex-spousal unit is solely responsible for insuring the children for both medical and dental.

For some reason, dang near EVERY TIME we need to go to the doctor for a major event, I am sent a bill for anywhere from $500 - $1000 in medical expenses that my ex’s insurance company is denying or disputing.

This happens with such frequency my head immediately goes into a RAGE when I see something in the mail from the clinic. It can only mean one thing: some crackerjack at the insurance company needs to be yelled at.

Sad as it may be, my ex-spousal unit is always the first person I call to displace my rage on. Usually this rage is launched into his voicemail because having any brains at all has made him smart enough to know that when I call, someone is getting yelled at.

So to voicemail I must go.
He and I have been divorced for many years now. You would think that maybe, just MAYBE his insurance company could get this figured out on their end.

HE insures the children. I ensure me. There is no overlap in coverage.

One of the first times we had an incident like this I thought “Oh jeepers. No problem. I’ll just call the 800# for customer service on the back of the insurance card and square this away.”

ERRRRRRRRRRR. El wrongo.

No. The insurance company REFUSED to talk to me because I am not on the policy as either the policy holder or one of the insureds.

So today, after AGAIN receiving one letter notifying me that payment was denied by the insurance company and a bill for $500.00 I verbally assaulted my ex-husbands voicemail. I. am. really. getting. tired. of. this. nonsense.

We seriously just went through this less than 6 months ago.

Why is it so hard for insurance companies to keep straight who is and is not insured? Just like every other time before this, I am certain the claim will be paid in full. But why must MY CREDIT be put at risk because I don’t want to pay a $500 bill that the insurance company is responsible for?

Does anyone out there have any experience in dealing with insurance companies? A struggle that has come up for my ex and I repeatedly is that I am denied information by the insurance provider and his employer because I am not named on the policy. This, to me, is insane. I am there mother and I am the one that takes them to 99% of their appointments and fills 99% of their prescriptions.

What gives!?!?!?

Discuss….