in reply to @brandysparks Thank you for the nice response. So far my near year is working out fairly well. I would like to share some very good news I received yesterday, simply because my zombie sister and my demented friend had no clue what I was so excited about.
I subscribe to the Immunodeficiency Foundation and a few months ago they sent me some information about a conference they are having in Chicago in June. For those who wanted to attend but did not have the funds to do so they could apply for a "scholarship" to help them with the cost of the trip. In my email yesterday I received a "congratulations" about being awarded a scholarship which will pay for the airfare and hotel accommodations for the conference. I did have to write about why I wanted to attend and why I needed financial assistance. In terms of the financial assistance I only told them that my former partner absconded with my retirement account and that I rely upon Social Security Disability as my sole source of income. I did not stretch the truth by any means, just gave them some basic facts. I was so astonished when I opened my email yesterday because I had totally forgotten about my application. Naturally my sister did not believe me and downplayed the whole thing, although she did say she could drive me to the airport if I choose to go. I have until March 30 to decide.
It's about time something good has happened to me, and just to be sure I will call the Foundation on Monday to make sure their message to me is "real" because I still cannot believe I got this scholarship! I also mentioned I wanted to attend so I could learn more about this aspect of my health problem and meet others with the same issues. I am very familiar with Chicago, and once thought about moving there after making several trips to visit a college friend. However, once I learned that all the women wore fur coats because of the cold, I knew I would never survive, even though I was offered a very good job. Why am I so "nervous" when in fact, I should be totally excited?
Also, I will soon be fostering a dog and hopefully be paired with another pitbull that I can adopt. I decided that since it has been nearly 2 years since my dog died, I was ready for a new companion, despite the fact that my neighbors tell me, "you are too sick to have a dog." What is wrong with people?