Insurance Woes

In August of 2004, I went to my doctor because I was having some relatively constant pain in my left hand. My doctor then referred me to an orthopedic surgeon, who diagnosed it as a combination of tendonitis and carpal tunnel, probably from typing all day at work in a less-than-ergonomic position (I'm a sloucher). He gave me braces to sleep with and exercises to do.

After a while, I was feeling pretty good. I changed jobs, and as a result my desk layout was modified significantly. In May of 2005, my left hand started twitching uncontrollably, so I went back to the orthopedic surgeon. He said this time, the problem was an issue with the ulnar nerve in my left arm; evidently I was pinching it at work. He sent me to the rehabilitative sports medicine place. They gave me some tests and made a dumb elbow brace to wear in conjunction with the wrist braces, along with the admonition that I am not to lean on my elbows at any time.

Now, keeping in mind that my last round of visits occurred in May of 2005, would you be surprised to hear that I'm still going through the motions with the insurance company? First they wanted to know if it was a pre-existing condition (it's not). Then they wanted to make sure that my initial visit didn't occur during a lapse in coverage (it didn't). Then they wanted to know whether I had a referral for the service (I did). The latest round is whether this problem is due to an accident or work injury (it isn't).

The stupidest part is that they already paid the sports medicine place, which was $200 more than the orthopedic surgeon. So they'll pay for the treatment, but not the diagnosis. That makes a lot of sense.

Crowds

This post is being salvaged from December - it was written about the time I was wrapping up my Christmas shopping.

I'm sure there must be some mathematical expression for determining the aggravation level associated with interacting with a large crowd of people. For example, a small crowd of people (let's say the folks at the gym at 2am) is not very frustrating. A large crowd of people (read: the mall this whole week) is very, VERY frustrating. But it's not linear; it's exponential. Assume the following:

• Let x = size of location in square feet
• Let c = the current individual
• Let b = number of people in the crowd
• Let n = time spent in said crowd (b)
• Let a = level of agitation

So, c(a) = b^n/x.

The gym at my apartment complex, which is about 300 sq. ft., has an average of three people in it (that's a guess - it's normally pretty empty), and I normally spend about a half-hour, when I go. That would work out to c(a) = 3 X 30 / 300, or c(a) = .3. That's pretty low.

Now, let's take the mall (remember - I'm pulling these numbers completely out of my, uh, brain).

I'm guessing that the mall is about 300,000 sq ft, which is based on a phone call to the personnel at the mall information desk. This may be a bit on the small side, but this is an example. I'll try to find better information later.

Anyway, so let's call the mall 300,000 sq ft. And let's assume that, during the week before Christmas, you have approximately 2500 people in the mall at any given time. I think this number is small as well. Let's also assume that, if you're a normal shopper, and spend some time browsing, looking for the perfect item, you'll spend about 2.5 hours in the mall (including dealing with parking), which is 150 minutes. So here's my equation: c(a) = 2500 X 150 / 300,000 so c(a) = 1.25. This is about 4 times higher than my gym example. I'll get to work on my Nobel acceptance speech.

The Dungeon

Here is an excellent re-creation of The Dungeon, a text-based adventure game (you can create a player account, and save your game, so you don't have to finish it all in one sitting).

I Can't Believe It's Not Fake!

This was taken from the Hall of Technical Documentation Weirdness. I was thumbing through, and when I got to this one, I couldn't help but e-mail Ed, because I thought there was no freakin' way this was true. Turns out I'm very, very wrong. These are the exact directions used on the MRE heaters. How disillusioned I am...

Awesome Aussies

Tripod is an Australian musical comedy group. They have a slot on an Australian radio program (Pete's Show), and once a week they write and perform a "song in an hour". Here are a few that I like.

Lucifer's In Heaven Now

King of the Video Arcade

Stay Alive

Controversy

Ed's recent post re: the Patriot Search Engine, while not by itself outlandish, has sparked quite a heated discussion in the comments. As I was reading through said comments, a few thoughts struck me.

1. While I agree that the government is a terrible custodian of public funds, I can't help but feel that it's our own fault. Most people in this country are content to stick their heads in the sand and completely ignore the actions of our government. This doesn't just relate to fiscal status, either. Recently we've seen what should be regarded as huge breaches of protocol regarding the spending of public funds, the right to privacy, our role in world events (war in Iraq, anyone?), and a multitude other things.

2. Our form of government is vastly ineffective, as pointed out in Ed's blog. Government employees are encouraged, nay, rewarded for sloppy management practices. Instead of being promoted for their lack of basic reasoning skills, these people should be banned from public service, as they are performing no such thing.

3. Our government is simply too large, and like any organization, when it gets too big, it fails to have the interest of its customer (or in government's case, its citizens) at heart. The organization becomes so wrapped up with simply keeping the wheels turning that it has lost the reality of its purpose.

And while we're complaining about government, I would like to voice my biggest complaint about tax season. Why is that I pay $12,000 a year in federal taxes, just to see it go to families with too many children and no means to support them, and have it be referred to as a "tax refund"? In many cases, these people are getting BACK more taxes than they PAID. I agree with Ed - lets call it what it is: welfare. I hate feeling robbed by the people who are purported to serve me.

Friday Blog Hunt

I'm going to (try to) start a new recurring Friday post - I'll call it the Friday Blog Hunt. I'm going to post links and snippets that I think are funny, interesting, or containing any number of particular attributes.

I'm starting with the Dilbert Blog, because A) I read it often, B) Scott Adams is hilarious (and offensive, on occasion - a bonus!), and C) I didn't feel like hunting down a new blog to read.

The Devil

According to MSNBC, about 50 people died in Saudi Arabia during the annual ritual of throwing stones at the devil. Apparently a stampede broke out when somebody tripped on luggage. That sounds like a poorly conceived punch line, but it actually happened. And it isn’t the first time. In 1990, 1,426 people died in a stampede while throwing stones at the very same devil. (No word as to whether luggage was involved.) And in 2004, the devil killed another 244 stone-throwers the same way. By my count, the score is Devil 1,720 and Believers 0.

This is on the same day that the guy who shot John Paul II was freed. Clearly, the devil is having a good day.

I think it’s interesting that when you pray to God for a new bike, it hardly ever materializes in your bedroom within seconds. But when you throw stones at the devil, quite often you get an immediate response. That’s an example of good customer service.*

I wrote this entire blog entry while waiting for the TypePad page to open.

* emphasis added

Cute Lil' Froggy Pic

Ed made this for me - I particularly like the tag line. :-)

More SLC Pics

Here are more pictures from our SLC trip.

This one is the entire family gathered at the end of the birthday party. We should have taken the picture before hand, because all the kids are dirty from playing in the yard. Still, better than nothing.

This is me and my mommy in the back yard. What you can't see is all of the things that kids get into to make themselves so dirty - sawdust pile, ditches for water run-off, haystack, lumber pile, sandbox, etc.

This is my grandma, Mema, with a cigarette & beer. Anyone who knows mema will be laughing their asses off at this picture - Mema is the prim and proper one in the family: insists on wearing white shoes, even though she knows they'll get dirty, house is always perfectly in order, doesn't smoke, goes to church every weekend, the whole shebang. This is probably the second best picture of the entire weekend (excluding the group picture, of course).

This is Ed and his brother Jeff, sister-in-law Stephanie, and the niece and nephews, Caitlin, Alex, and Miles. Very cute kids, and pretty well-behaved. Jeff and Stephanie are trying to arrange a Maryland visit in April sometime.

And, finally, a nice picture of the mountains in Utah. Aside from my family, that's the only thing I miss about Utah. I wouldn't trade in all the tress on the east coast, though, so I guess it's a draw.

Great Visit

So we made it back to Maryland. Our visit to Salt Lake City was very nice, if not a little short. From the time we landed, it was basically non-stop until we left again. So many people to see and so many things to do...

We landed in Salt Lake City around 8:30, picked up the rental car, and dropped SD at her mom's house around 9:30. We were at my parent's house by 10 or so, and Dad had made us a big batch of nachos with his homemade salsa. Very yummy.

We sat around the kitchen and talked, and looked at his new website until 1 in the morning or so, and then went to bed.

On Friday, we went to lunch with Ed's friend from Jr. High School, Bret. We also went to Ed's son's school and met with his teacher. Smart kid - just doesn't like doing his homework (who does?).

After the teacher conference, we went back to my parent's house and saw my sisters Margaret and Brieanna. Hung around for a couple hours, then went to pick up Ed's son, and go make dinner for Ed's brother, sister-in-law, and the assorted rug-rats.

We got back to my parent's house around 10:30 or so, and went straight to bed. Saturday morning, Ed went to pick up SD from her mom's house while I made breakfast, so we had both kids with us. Brieanna brought her kids out at 10:30, and we got to see them a little before we went to pick up my grandma. My mom and dad had a group birthday party (the cake said "Happy Birthday To Us" - very cute). There were 18 people present at the party - my mom and dad, Ed, me, Ed's two kids, my sister Brieanna and her boyfriend, Brieanna's three kids, my sister Margaret, her ex-husband Jerry, her 5 kids, and my grandma, Mema. We all crowded into the clubhouse (a converted barn with a wood-stove & pool table), ate grilled hotdogs, and ate cake. I got a very nice family picture with everyone in it, so that was definitely worth it. The only person missing was my other sister Liza, but I don't know when I'll see her again——it will probably be a long time.(not everyone is in this picture - my dad is on the far left, my sister's boyfriend is in the baseball hat, Margaret's little girl Abby is in between my Dad and Brie's boyfriend, Mema is sitting in the background in the pink, with Brie's girl, Marci, Brie's other daughter Krista is in the purple, and you can see Ed's son's head. I'll get the group picture up soon.)

At 6, we took Mema home, and then dropped SD back at her mom's house, so she could visit with her grandmother, while we went and had coffee with Ed's brother. I got a nice picture of Ed's brother's family, so I'm glad we could find another time to see them. Then, we picked SD back up, and went to my parent's house. We watched a little TV in the clubhouse, and then went to bed.

The next morning, we were up early to catch our flight out. I don't think that two days is enough; next time, I'd like to have at least three days, just because there are so many people to see.

Ascot Gavotte

Every duke and earl and peer is here.
Evr'yone who should be here is here.
What a smashing, positively dashing
Spectacle, the Ascot op'ning day.

At the gates are all the horses
waiting for the cue to fly away.
What a gripping absolutely ripping
moment at the Ascot op'ning day.

Pulses rushing.
Faces flushing.
Heartbeats speed up.
I have never been so keyed-up.

Airing Dirty Laundry

In response to Ed's post re: towels, I would like to clarify this situation for all of you out there who may be feeling sorry for Ed and his morning shower dilemma.

First, let me point out that Ed is responsible for laundry as of late at our house, and has been slacking on his job with near fanatical accuracy. So if he was stuck using a towel that was sub-par for his tastes, he should point his finger at himself (staying clear of any orifices).

Second, last night Ed removed the towel that I was planning on using, and replaced it with the last folded, easily accessible thin towel in the bathroom. Right underneath the towel that he gave me was a big, fluffy, blanket-type towel that would have suited me just fine. So again, Ed's drama this morning was of his own making.

My only other complaint is that the situation was not really Hobson's Choice, as Ed could have used toilet paper, or the bath mat, or even smaller hand towels from the rack...

Mildly Amusing

I was Stumbling today, and I found a website with some funny bumper-sticker sayings. I've picked out a few of my favorites.

• Carpe Diem = Seize the day. Carp In Denim = Fish in pants. Not sure why I think it's so funny, but it is, damnit.
• Forget world peace; visualize using your turn signal. A favorite for anyone that's driven on the Capital Beltway, I'm sure.
• Every time you open your mouth, some idiot starts talking. Hehehe...
• Save the trees, wipe your butt with an owl. So absurd, it's hilarious.
• Let's skip the insults and get right down to your butt kicking! They've packaged my entire approach to life in one tidy, easy-to-manage sentence!
• Does the name Pavlov ring a bell? Deliciously witty.
• If going to church makes you a Christian, does going into a garage make you a car? My point exactly.

Doctor Fiasco

Last night, Ed had a rather unpleasant experience, which has prompted me to push for a doctor's visit. I won't outline every single sentence of the heated exchange; however, I will arrange my thoughts into a tidy little bullet list, so as to use them for ammunition in the next great Doctor-debate.

• Ed vomited blood. Doesn't matter who you are, that's never good.
• While Ed has an unusually touchy stomach, I have never seen stuff that should stay on the inside being heaved into the toilet.
• Ed has an overwhelming—and completely irrational—fear of doctors. It's true that I'm not fond of them, but mostly because going is an inconvenience, and I feel like they're trying to rip me off, but that's another blog post.
• We're not poor, and we have insurance that's actually really, really good.

So here's my issue: given all of those things, it seems like he should just suck it up and go to the doctor. What if this is something serious? It would be absolutely terrible to have something happen to him because he was pigheaded, especially when peace of mind (or a fix to a larger problem) will cost him $20 and an hour of his time, don't you think?

House of Wax

Saturday night, I finally used the parafin hand wax thing that our friends got me for Christmas. It was my first time doing a hand dip, and it was, um, interesting. By the time I had enough wax on my hand (the instructions say you're to dip your hands 5 times), I felt like an android. It did feel pretty good, and it was fun playing with the hand-mold byproducts. I didn't feel any difference in softness, even though that's the main benefit from a parafin treatment. I think I'll do it again just for the heat.

Obligatory Catch-Up Post

Sometimes I wonder if I should keep this blog. It's one more obligation that makes me feel guilty when I don't take care of it. At night, when I get ready to go to sleep, I usually think of all the things I should have done but didn't. I didn't do any laundry, or I didn't sort the huge pile of mail on my desk, or I didn't shred all the old mail from last week, or I didn't clean the bathroom like I had planned, or I didn't go to the store for item X, or ...

Then again, most of the time I feel it's a constructive outlet. I guess I need to reconcile my guilt with the fact that my blog is not an obligation, then I'll feel better.

Game Night 2.0

We've finally (and officially) resurrected Game Night! Last night was the first night with all four of us playing (one of our quartet was AWOL last week), and I've forgotten how much fun we have. It's a nice mid-week chance to blow off steam. We were also invitied to a party for the Buckaneers/Redskins game this weekend. Giving that some serious thought. Stayed up way too late last night, though (nearly 1am), so I'm a little tired today. Guess I'll be sleeping in this weeeknd.

MCP? Why, Thank You!

WOO HOO! I passed the dreaded Web Development with C# test, and am now an MCP (Microsoft Certified Professional)! Didn't do as well as I could have—791, when passing is a 700—but I did well on Consuming and Manipulating Data, Maintaining and Supporting, and Configuring and Securing. Need some work on Deployment, User Services, and Assemblies. None of these are a surprise, though.

In any event, I passed, and that's what matters. At least I didn't spend $125 for nothing. :-)