There’s been a lot of great things happening in my life recently, so the fame part of this blog should be a breeze. Here is the latest installment of Fame and Shame—a small peek into my life!

• Record Keeping: Generally, I keep a record for anything and everything. My day-to-day life at my desk is meticulous. I have systems for everything and a place to keep those systems. However, for the life of me, I can not recall/remember/find out who a technician was that came to my house about a year ago. I’ve looked through my digital phone book, my calendar and my canceled checks. No. Record. Whatsoever. It’s like it didn’t happen.
• Getting Old(er): I hope I am finally on a road to recovery. For nearly a year, I’ve been battling tennis elbow. And, for the last four months, I’ve been miserable with some sort of shoulder issue. On the recommendation of a friend, I scheduled an Airrosti appointment. The doctor is optimistic he can fix both ailments in three visits or less. Fingers crossed.
• VA Health Benefits: For the last two years, my health benefits have been covered by the Veterans Administration. For the most part, they have been more than adequate. I like my primary physician and I believe she has taken good care of me. However, when I sought medical treatment for my should injury, I hit a brick wall. My primary ordered occupational therapy and my treatment ended… as in right there. I have yet to receive any therapy even though, since December 11, 2015, I have repeatedly asked, begged and pleaded for the proper paperwork to receive the therapy. I’ve even gone so far as to request a patient advocate; that too has not yielded any results. Apparently, they called to request a status on the paperwork and their job ended. There has been no follow up or follow through with me or the people who write the orders. I’m super disappointed how this has been handled. In my head, the only saving grace is that I’m not dying and I am positive there are veterans who need medical treatment worse than myself. Luckily, I have noticed a slight improvement in the condition of my shoulder AND I’m giving this Airrosti business a crack at fixing me. If this doesn’t work, I may have to contact my congressman.

(Edited to add: Within three hours of posting this blog, the VA contacted me with instructions to receive further care. Coincidence or big brother?)

• Love:  Having just photographed a secret proposal (that will be on the blog soon), it’s exciting to witness the exact, precise moment a love story turned the page… added another chapter… took a step toward the future. It was also exciting to see two families immediately come together to join in the happiness and offer all their support.
• Print Comp: After a complete year of not following through on one of my goals, I completely jumped off the edge to enter an actual print competition. Over the years, I’ve entered many digital competitions, but this one is different. I entered a physical, printed, and matted copy (actually three) of an image to be judged by a panel of some of the world’s very best photographers. And, it’s an international competition! Excited.
• Networking: It’s a pretty amazing feeling when a vendor reaches out to ME and wants to network with ME. Over the years, I’ve reached out to other industry creatives, and sadly, no one reached back. I’ve always extended a hand that said, “I want to help you and work with you.” The usual response was silence. It’s hard for me to swallow someone ignoring someone else offering assistance and kindness and not even acknowledging that with a simple thank you. This is a welcomed change of pace!

The post, Fame & Shame #20, first appeared on Ata-Girl Photography Co.’s website and blog. Please feel free to comment here, or share this post with your friends via Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest. Please email me if you have any questions about this article or want to share a neat idea for a future blog post with me.