Jimbo's Journal

John Stewart channels Glenn Beck

2009-11-08T01:27:21Z

Hilarious!

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Health Care Crisis

That was complicated, but worth it.

2009-11-01T17:25:56Z

My couple plans for Halloween fell through, so I was just sitting at home last night. I decided to try installing Half-Life 2 again. It didn't start out well. It requires you to install STEAM in order to install the game. STEAM sucks. It wouldn't install, and therefore wouldn't install the game either. It kept crashing while trying to install STEAM and its updates; this is why I've had the game for a year or so and never played it. I figure that the version on the disc is just so old that the update doesn't mesh with Vista or something. I was about to give up when it occurred to me to check for an online version. TaDa! I went to the website and installed it from there. Now on to installing the game. It gives me an error. After checking online again, I turn off the "Windows compatibility" feature. Now it tells me that there isn't enough disc space to install HL2. What? I have over 100GB free. Check online again, and someone suggests copying the entire CD to the HD and installing it from there. That works. So I finally got it working and wound up playing until about 1am. (Another hour and I would have played until 1am. *snicker*) The game starts out kinda slow, and I didn't care much for the driving-the-boat-around section, but then it kicked in.

I was seriously creeped out at several points. I remember back in the early 90s, playing DOOM when it was relatively new. I would sit all alone in the dark with the surround sound speakers turned up. I got freaked out by some of the noises. HL2 kinda reminds me of that.

The latest computer travails

2009-10-30T19:36:20Z

.... we're getting a new system/software at work. ..... we're designing some of the forms using some version of Crystal Reports (I've never used it before). C's computer wasn't able to access the crystal reports program and was giving a win32.dll kernel error. My brilliant deduction was that maybe since she hadn't run ANY Windows updates in several YEARS, maybe that was the problem. (Our main "IT Guy" wasn't here at the time.) I had her do many, many, many updates, at least going back to Windows service pack 3. After several hours, I think the crystal reports was working. The PROBLEM was now that no MS Office programs were working, which are MUCH more important. After much work from me and IT Guy, nothing was working. Finally C went out and bought MS Office 2007 (yes, we had been using 2000). IT Guy got that installed. That still doesn't work. More specifically, it doesn't work under C's name/password signed on to the network. If it is an ADMIN sign on (or other user????? not sure) it seems to work fine.

Any ideas?

Lesson to be learned: Don't EVER update/ correct/etc other people's computers.
Also now I'm getting the looks and quarter-to-half-joking comments which I am guiltily perceiving to mean "Why did you have to F*@# up my computer?!?!? It was just fine before you made me do the updates."

Don't pull my finger

2009-10-30T01:31:43Z

My finger hurts. My right middle finger. I crack my knuckles a lot. Always have, with no problems. Maybe it's finally catching up to me. Maybe it's the start of arthritis. But it's only in the one finger.

I smell .... burnt. I don't know how long, but it came into my head today at work, this sensation of a burnt smell. I've heard the theory that such a smell means a brain tumor or something, so my mind immediately went there. Paranoia for $1000, Alex!

I was in the office at work when Mr. Owner brought in a fax from our insurance broker with an offer from BC/BS of IL about taking over our insurance policy at work. We have a small company, only 14 employees. The new cost of insurance being offered is (I think I have this correct) $12,496.35 ....... per MONTH. Apparently that comes in at a single penny under the cost of the current contract. We have no idea whether the policy is better or worse at this point as far as coverage, deductibles, doctor membership, etc.

File this under "Be Careful What You Wish For"?

2009-10-28T19:12:51Z

I just heard on the radio that our company's health insurance company (aka racket) just announced that it will be leaving Illinois and Texas to concentrate on ..... something or other.

They just changed our policy around as of Sept. 1, now they announce they are leaving. Apparently they haven't even contacted us yet.

They suck. I hate them. But I have this dread that any transition will be painful.

Maybe I'll get a good company and I'll suddenly be extremely happy with them and no longer want insurance refo......

Bwahaha!!!! I got pretty close to finishing that sentence. Bwhahaha!

Not just sports medicine

2009-10-27T21:46:50Z

Some lucid points about the health insurance crisis from, of all places, ESPN. From the Tuesday Morning Quarterback, Gregg Easterbrook:

Why Not Standard Pricing? I don't really understand what's in the congressional health care plan at the moment -- and since it changes daily, I bet most members of the House and Senate don't really understand either. Health care is only the single largest segment of the U.S. economy, so surely there is no risk in passing a 1,000-page health care bill no one understands! Universal access to health insurance is a moral imperative. But huge cost increases are likely to be triggered: Extending coverage will create more demand for services, and rising demand means rising price.

If reform eliminates the dreaded "pre-existing condition" basis for denial of coverage -- which makes sense for individual insurers and is nonsensical for society as a whole -- that will be significant. Denying coverage to people with medical conditions is not only unjust, it causes insurers to waste money engaging in wars with their own customers. If health insurers must sell to anyone who wishes to buy, then their resources can be better invested in providing care. There needs to be a standard-price rule imposed, too, so insurers can't effectively bar pre-existing conditions by saying, "Sure we will insure you, the price is $100,000 per year." My impression is that so much lobbying attention has focused on the handouts, giveaways and interest-group demands for a gigantic new civil-service bureaucracy that not enough attention has gone to a simple change that would remove much of the injustice from health insurance -- standard rates with no denials for existing conditions. This is the key to the successful health care system of the Netherlands.

So far as I know, health care proposals now in the Senate are so utterly fixated on handouts and giveaways that they don't even address a core problem -- the inability of individuals to buy at insurer's prices. This is the PPO problem, and is serious. Most health insurance now operates through some variation on the Preferred Provider Organization. Physicians and clinics sign up with some insurers but not others; they agree to discount their list prices; if the patient goes to someone within the PPO, the provider gets business while the patient and insurer pay less. Sensible? The system is full of crazy disincentives.

Recently, a family member needed an MRI. The clinic had a list price of $1,500 for the scan but was in the insurer's PPO, and so discounted ("adjusted") the price to $690, of which we paid 10 percent and the insurer paid the rest. Clearly, that $690 price allows the MRI clinic to do business, pay its technicians and radiologists, etc., or else the clinic would not participate in the PPO. Yet if I'd walked in off the street and said, "I will buy this MRI myself," the price would have been $1,500. Meanwhile, if the clinic had not been a member of my PPO, the insurer would have paid the same $621 it pays within the PPO, and I would have been on the hook for the rest, $879. The benefits sections of insurance manuals make it appear that if you use a PPO you pay 10 percent and if you go outside the PPO you pay 20 or 30 percent. Not mentioned, or stated in legalese, is that outside the PPO, the insurer only pays its "adjusted" amount -- you pay 20 or 30 percent plus the balance of the list price.

The distinction between list prices and "adjusted" prices prevents health care services from functioning as a rational marketplace. It's not just that many physicians refuse to speak about dollar figures. ("We don't discuss prices over the phone," a doctor's office told me a few months ago when I had the gall to ask what something would cost, adding, "after the doctor has seen you, then we will tell you what the visit cost.") It's not just that many physicians' offices and clinics do not have anyone authorized to discuss prices: They have minimum-wage receptionists and Mercedes-driving docs who expect the max under all conditions, but no one who will talk price with patients. The larger issue is that the system prevents the consumer from seeking the best price. If an MRI makes money for the clinic at $690, any customer should be able to buy at that price. The theory of the PPO from the provider's prospective is that the provider grants a discount in order to get business: The self-pay customer represents business, just like the PPO customer. But the self-pay customer can't get the PPO price, and the PPO price is the true price of the service. This prevents the bargaining-for-a-good-deal seen in the parts of the free-market system that function smoothly and hold down prices.

That the typical person cannot get the best price for health services is the big obstacle to transitioning away from the pass-along mentality that dominates health care. Right now Americans gripe about health insurance costs, but as this fascinating article by Ron Haskins shows, don't directly pay most of the cost -- most is paid by employers or government (which, in the latter case, means billed to the young via deficit spending). If you're not directly paying most of the costs, you have little incentive to make smart consumer decisions. And if you can't buy at the best price, you can't make smart consumer decisions.

Think about a radically different way to attain health care -- in which most people carry only catastrophic-cost insurance, then pay other health costs themselves. No one can budget for a severe illness or injury; every family will always need insurance against catastrophic medical expense. Suppose insurance covered only catastrophes, and you paid the rest. You might think, "No way I am paying some doctor hundreds of dollars to set a broken arm." But today a typical family's health care policy that appears to cost the family $5,000 a year actually costs $15,000, it's just that much of the money is hidden as employer's costs -- and thus, as higher wages the employer can't pay. If you spent $5,000 a year for catastrophic coverage but earned an additional $10,000 a year, you could cover those strep-throat and broken-arm bills yourself, and probably come out ahead. Plus you'd have a keen incentive to comparison shop. Doctors could no longer loftily say, "We don't discuss prices."

Homeowner's insurance is catastrophe insurance. It pays if the house burns down -- the kind of thing no one can budget for. It doesn't cover all costs of maintaining a home; you pay most ownership costs and you comparison shop. If homeowner's insurance worked like American health insurance, it would not only pay for fires but also cover utility bills, replacing broken appliances, baseballs hit into the window and all the food, drink and paper towels that pass through the kitchen. Certainly, a company could offer an insurance product that covered absolutely every expense of living in a home. But such insurance would be phenomenally expensive and full of ultra-complex rules; the insurer would also acquire an incentive to dream up excuses to deny payment. Just like American health care insurance!

Gradually transitioning to a system in which most people carry catastrophic-cost medical insurance but pay the rest themselves could rationalize health care economics while restraining costs, because the wasteful paperwork aspect of the system would decline. The first step would be a standard-price rule -- specifying that providers must offer the same price to all comers, whether insured patients, self-pay or Medicare. And the standard price must be published to allow comparison shopping. Good physicians and hospitals could still distinguish themselves through quality of care; in most of the free market, prices are similar, and quality is the basis of sales appeal. Stipulating that health care providers offer standard, published prices would lay the groundwork for an informed free market in health care delivery -- and free markets control costs. They do it on their own, without layers of agencies and regulations. We've got to control health care costs or the future doesn't work. Yet the current health-care reform plan is to add more agencies and regulations.

jimbow8 @ 2009-10-23T17:42:00

2009-10-23T22:49:33Z

I'm all pissed off. Right-wing Fucktard (yes, he's been downgraded from nutjob) lured me into a conversation (The St Louis Limbaughs) and then he pulled his little fucking trick. What he does is he goes on and on without making a point or he makes a completely nonsensical argument. I try to press him for a little coherence, and then he tells me that I am just closed minded to understanding what he is saying, that I am unwilling to understand.

I can't think of any alternative but to COMPLETELY quit talking to this guy. It's kind of a shame, because he is a nice guy and I get along with him well otherwise, but I just can't deal with it anymore. Fuck him; he's cut off!

jimbow8 @ 2009-10-23T09:19:00

2009-10-23T14:15:49Z

I have always had a special relationship with my dad. I'm close with all my family, but my dad .... even more so. A lot of the time he's been more of a friend than father (not always a good thing). Over the last few months to a year, we've had this little thing where we'll buy each other things here and there, mostly just little things. Anything from a pack of Tic Tacs or candy bar to a piece of computer paraphernalia. We go back and forth. It's a little game. I think right now I've gotten him a few more things than he has gotten me, but (though we banter about it) we're not really keeping score or anything (well.....). Anyway, I saw in the paper today that Leonard Cohen is going to be at the ~~Rosemont~~ All-State Arena next week and I thought, "I should get him tickets." Earlier this week, after Chris Chelios signed with the Chicago Wolves (hockey), I thought of taking him to some games. I thought of buying him DVDs of Boston Legal. These are all things that I know he enjoys. Now, I don't always (or even often) pull the trigger on these ideas (due to other dynamics), that's not the point. The point is that while I often think of these things for him, I don't often think of ideas for my mom or sister or nephews, etc. This then makes me feel a bit guilty. Come "Holiday Time" (dread), I usually can think of and find things much easier for dad than for others. This adds to Holiday Stress™. I don't know where I'm going with this or if I have any point; it just popped into my head.

Movies

2009-10-19T12:54:59Z

After two months of having it sitting on my tv, I finally watched The Orphanage (el Orfanato). I'm mixed about this film. It was certainly well done and well acted, but it felt like it meandered a bit too much. There were some extremely creepy parts: the shot of the child with the mask at the end of the hallway gives me the chill just thinking back on it. This is pretty much a tragic take on the Peter Pan tale, but it left me feeling .... pessimistic.

On Saturday I went to see Capitalism: A Love Story. This was pretty good, but not one of my favorite Moore films. Maybe this is because Moore goes a bit farther with his thesis than I may be willing to go: Capitalism is EVIL. Certainly capitalism allows for evil and is even used for evil, but IS IT evil? I don't know. Moore is good when he lets the people that he films speak for themselves and push forward the ideas. He falters when he gets too theatrical. In this one he tries to make "citizen's arrests" of bank executives, and wraps crime scene yellow tape around Wall Street buildings. He comes off as ridiculous.

jimbow8 @ 2009-10-18T15:35:00

2009-10-18T21:11:35Z

I used to be pretty religious. More and more recently, however, I've found myself repulsed at the mere mention of religion. I despise the way religion is touted in politics, especially to promote policies that I feel are essentially immoral. I cringe every time I hear a sports figure "Thank God" after he has a good game.

Last week, though, I had a bit of an epiphany. I was watching the first episode of Ken Burns' PBS special on National Parks. There were allusions to the "works of God in nature," etc. The kind of thing that seems kinda corny in retrospect. But, hey, it's Ken Burns, and he know how to pull these things off; it worked in the context. These thoughts and images happened to coincide with videos from my favorite Christian artist, Rich Mullins, Calling Out Your Name and I See You, which I had recently happened across. I guess that's a kind of religion that I can still connect with: not a god of demands, that plays politics and sports, but instead a god of nature, of creation*, of beauty.

So anyway, I decided to take advantage of the Cowboys bye week, and went to the local Unitarian church in town. I was extremely anxious due to my own insecurities and the horrible experiences I had had the last time I went to church (4-5 years ago?). I walked in and they had name tags premade for people, which I bypassed. Even after I sat down I had this desire to get up and leave and fear that this was going to be horrible.

It wasn't. The "theme" was about the seventh principle of "Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part." My thought: "Yeah, ok, whatever." Then a woman ran a slide show along with some children's book entitled "Knots on a Counting Rope," and all I could think was "Oh, god what have I gotten into?!" But then a gentleman from the congregation got up to speak, and he started out by saying that he was coming from a background of 45 years of agnosticism, believed in evolution and science and molecular biology, and on and on. I was thinking, "Holy crap, that could be me." This guy even brought up "quantum theology"; I have no idea if that's real, but I understand it. The more this guy talked, the more I associated with him. I was even starting to get emotional (which has been happening frequently, as of late). Then the minister got up and spoke. He was good, too. He spoke of the interconnectedness of the universe.

Anyway, while I wasn't completely knocked off my feet, there were moments when I was, so I have decided to keep this open as at least an option in the future.

* I most decidedly do NOT mean creationism.

Rape-Nuts

2009-10-17T03:47:12Z

Eliminate corruption of government contractors ..... well, Democratic supported contractors, not the Republican supported ones though.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Rape-Nuts

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Full Episodes

Political Humor

Ron Paul Interview

Serving the Public

2009-10-15T23:32:36Z

I was watching some of the coverage of the balloon in Colorado and this struck me. This was the statement given by Captain Michael Odgers of the Colorado National Guard, who was involved in the "search" for the boy who had been presumed to be inside the helium balloon that broke free.

I couldn't be happier that the result of this ended with the boy alive. To me this is the best situation that could have occurred – that that boy was never at risk. Now I understand that the public is going to be upset that all of these resources were spent trying to rescue that boy, but from a parents' perspective I'd rather have to live with the scorn of the public than their sympathy, and they still have that boy. And that's our job here at the National Guard; we're here to support the local authorities, and I wouldn't have wanted any other reaction. That's the way we're supposed to react – quickly respond – get out there and try to get that boy as quickly as we can. All of us here were just praying and hoping that it would turn out well. We couldn't envision how it would have turned out well with that boy hanging from that balloon, but to find out that he never got in that balloon is very, very relieving...... The Colorado National Guard is here to serve the public. The public is who we serve, and it doesn't matter what their background is. I wouldn't want that to be a factor in who we choose to rescue and not rescue.

I've actually come across these people who think that people who are rescued should be held responsible for reimbursing the government for the money spent on their rescue, that people who put themselves in these situations are being irresponsible and should be held accountable.

I can't help but expand the sentiment of this statement, this idea of community looking out for and helping each other, to several other areas ..... including the current health care debate and the severely misguided teabag revolution.

How curious are you?

2009-10-14T13:04:36Z

(This is mainly for lifepart3 and drmagoo, in other words, they might be the only ones who get it.)

Excessive Paranoia .......?

2009-10-05T23:55:15Z

Friend says (6:13 PM):

jimbo, possible hotmail hack per this link. to be safe reset your hotmail password. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8291268.stm

ME says (6:15 PM):

are you there?

Friend says (6:15 PM):

yup, hey!

ME says (6:15 PM):

did you just send me a link?

Friend says (6:15 PM):

yes i did

ME says (6:16 PM):

i don't use hotmail.... it

is MS

Friend says (6:16 PM):

i just read about a hotmail spear phishing issue regarding hotmail

hmm, thought u did

ME says (6:16 PM):

and you shouldn't be sending people links without explanation, you should know that

Friend says (6:16 PM):

MSN is also affected as is live.com and other MS chat programs

Friend says (6:17 PM):

just typing fast

ME says (6:17 PM):

i actually had MS messenger bot sending me a link from my nephews account

Friend says (6:17 PM):

from what i read, you had to click somewhere to be bitten by the attack but someone posted 10K accounts online as proof they succeeded.

ME says (6:17 PM):

i had to block him from my contacts list

Friend says (6:18 PM):

sounds like he has/had something

any way thought i' would pass it on as ur online right now

ME says (6:18 PM):

yes, but I clicked on the link because it was from him ... luckily my virus sftwr caught it

..... and go packers

Friend says (6:20 PM):

woo hoo! down with farve!

there, I said it.

ME says (6:21 PM):

'bout time!

i've been saying it for years

you're behind the times

Friend says (6:21 PM):

only counts now

ME says (6:21 PM):

wrong

Friend says (6:21 PM):

but it was time for him to move on I'll admit

ME says (6:22 PM):

i've lost respect for him

Friend says (6:22 PM):

still I wished he had stayed even if only to coach

we all have

best thing he has going right now is the Sears commericals. Tonight how he plays, and behaves will matter BIG TIme

ME says (6:23 PM):

he can't even buy tvs now

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xDhi06XIAM

Friend says (6:23 PM):

win/lose or toss 6 INTs if he plays well and doesn't act like a spoiled kid he'll be Ok, or if he is very ignamous towars the packers good!

ME says (6:24 PM):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9enj55iSwk

Friend says (6:24 PM):

still at work, but i'll watch later

its a character defining night for sure

Friend says (6:25 PM):

I just hope he's not a jerk

ME says (6:25 PM):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmMLBiXQY7g

Friend says (6:25 PM):

news of hotmail just got posted to a major security site here: http://isc.sans.org/

ME says (6:26 PM):

not interested

i'm a yahoo man

Friend says (6:27 PM):

wonder why then your IM is listed in my MSN list?

ME says (6:27 PM):

Friend says (6:27 PM):

MSN ~is~ hotmail which is also live.com you may be safe but all three techs are basically the same at the back end

Friend says (6:28 PM):

on screen this chat is available to me via loggin into MSN

ME says (6:28 PM):

then you should be using yahoo messenger instead of exposing me to harmful viruses

virii

Friend says (6:28 PM):

no diff nor more protection there bub

ME says (6:29 PM):

i even stopped using IE

though I still use MS OS VIsta

Friend says (6:29 PM):

a spear phishing attack is one where by a user clicks on a malicous link, but you only know that after clicking on it

good! IE is a necessary evil only

vista and windows7 aren't bad today if you keep them patched

Friend says (6:30 PM):

Win7 is going to be quite good it seems in fact

ME says (6:30 PM):

"a user clicks on a malicous link, but you only know that after clicking on it"

wouldn't it be great if people didn't just pop on and send you unknown links?????

lol

Friend says (6:31 PM):

same as the risk of driving a car

would be great if no one else could hit you too, but it takes two or many more cars to make the world go round

Friend says (6:32 PM):

most ppl have no idea how risky computers and the internet are when not used safely

ME says (6:32 PM):

made less safe when someone yells watch out for bombs and then throws objects into street

Friend says (6:32 PM):

DONT bank online.

ME says (6:32 PM):

i do

you're paranoid

Friend says (6:32 PM):

meaning you don't , or u do?

ME says (6:32 PM):

i buy stuff online, too

Friend says (6:32 PM):

NO I'm not.

Friend says (6:33 PM):

I work in IT Security professionally. If you do it, its matter of time before your eventually hit

Friend says (6:34 PM):

I could bombard you with links to current stories of issues, i won't but be warned

ME says (6:34 PM):

as you said same risk as driving a car.... I haven't stopped that either

if you work in security shouldn't you be working on making it safer instead of telling people not to use it

Friend says (6:35 PM):

twitter is NOT a go method of banking yet some digsh#43t thought it was a good idea

we do, in the meantime don't jump into the burning building til we've extingushed it

ME says (6:36 PM):

the building will never cool off enough for you to think it safe because there's always another pyromaniac out ther

Friend says (6:36 PM):

its a huge problem becuase it takes every system admin in the world and every computer doing e-commerce to cooperate and follow the "right rules" but they dont

ME says (6:36 PM):

and that will NEVER happen

Friend says (6:36 PM):

its not yet cost effective to follow the rules, so its being regulated to make them follow it, only so long as its enforced, dont do it

ME says (6:37 PM):

it will NEVER be cost effective to follow the rules. Someone will ALWAYS find a way to circumvent the rules.

ME says (6:38 PM):

so your solution is to NEVER use the internet

it's like abstinence only sex ed

Friend says (6:39 PM):

yes, but your not getting my point. In the chain of say 100 computers which carry ur info while doing one transaction, it only takes one to be hacked/scred-up, or owned by the bad guys to screw u inspite of the 99 others doing the right thing.

ME says (6:39 PM):

if you never drive a car, you'll never get in a car accident.

Friend says (6:39 PM):

Yes. in a few years the internet wont be used the way it is now, in fact it will be less trusted

ME says (6:39 PM):

no, i get it. I just choose to risk it. the gain outweighs the risk TO ME

Friend says (6:40 PM):

the concept of e-commerence will go on, but better methods will be developed

ME says (6:42 PM):

yes, better methods will always be developed. Safer cars will be developed, That doesn't mean I'll stop driving now. The gain of driving now outweighs the risks

Friend says (6:42 PM):

I know, but for me and my mom the risk is still too great

Friend says (6:43 PM):

I have made a few online transactions but i do so very carefully

and yes maybe I'm paranoid, but I know how brittle the "sfety" of things really is

ME says (6:43 PM):

ok, but you shouldn't assume that your situation or your opinion pertains to everyone

Friend says (6:44 PM):

my situation is the same internet you use, my opinion is based on professional experience.

its not rumor or hype.

few ppl are as vocal as I true, but I also don't bother to blog about it

ME says (6:44 PM):

and my opinion is based on my own personal experience and knowlege and risk v. gain .... which is much different than yours

Friend says (6:45 PM):

with all due respect I think my professional experience makes me a little more qualified to be concerned, only sharing my concern for everyone's benefit.

ME says (6:45 PM):

the internet is inherently risky. having your name listed in the phone book is inherently risky. driving to work is inherently risky

Friend says (6:46 PM):

1000's of successful transactions doesn't mean ur safe

ME says (6:46 PM):

and i appreciate the concern, but it isn't suited to my lifestyle

do you drive a car?

Friend says (6:46 PM):

yes yes, but would u publis your cc info and SSN number in public view willingly?

ME says (6:46 PM):

you know where i'm going with this right?

Friend says (6:46 PM):

every online which saved ur info COULD do it via one screw up

Friend says (6:47 PM):

its retroactive risk too. not only immediate.

i know where your going. the industry is focused on managing risk, not eliminateing it.

ME says (6:47 PM):

you CAN'T eliminate risk

Friend says (6:47 PM):

its acceptted that elimination is impossible, so you do the best u can to reduce it\

Friend says (6:48 PM):

yes, I know

ME says (6:48 PM):

within your own personal limits

Update

2009-10-01T22:59:25Z

BEWARE: Possibly TOO MUCH INFORMATION within

Tuesday I left work early to begin "prep" for my procedure. It involved drinking a gallon of solution and taking two laxatives. Fun! Between drinking the stuff and taking trips to the other room, it took me until almost midnight to drink it all. Yes, the stuff is that bad. Oh, and did I mention that I couldn't eat anything? So my intake consisted of that and some apple juice. This may have contributed to the headache that then caused me to only get about 3-4 hours of sleep.

So Wednesday I woke up feeling considerably horrible: hungry, thirsty/dehydrated, headache, tired, etc. Blech! Anyway the procedure went well. Everything appears to be good, but it will take a couple weeks for the official test results. I got home about 10am and spent most of the day lethargic and just laying around. My mom picked me up and brought me home (GRATITUDE) since I was prohibited from driving, and then while I was dozing spent much time cleaning up around my place (double GRATITUDE). This of course makes me feel both guilty and infinitely appreciative. I had a couple scrambled eggs and toast because as hungry as I felt, I didn't really feel like eating. That feeling passed, however, and when my dad got off work, he came over and we went out to IHOP and I .... ate a whole lot.

Now the thing that has me confused is the diet. I need to check on this to see if this is a permanent diet to aspire to or temporary "recovery" for the time being. It's a Low-Residue Diet. This diet seems pretty much opposite of the general diet that people should use. Things I should eat include white bread, cooked veggies, pastas; things I should avoid include any raw veggies or raw fruits, whole grain anything, etc. Anyway, something I need to check on.

jimbow8 @ 2009-09-28T23:34:00

2009-09-29T04:35:27Z

W

(w,w,w)

I like this

2009-09-23T22:14:56Z

Origin of Stupidity

Ugh!

2009-09-23T15:20:57Z

On top of feeling generally grumpy, I believe I have caught the cold. Started feeling rotten yesterday, coughing, etc, woke up at about 2am all sniffly with a scratchy throat. Bleh!

omFg!!!

2009-09-22T21:42:58Z

I cannot adequately express how F*@%ing much I F*@%ing HATE F*@%ing insurance F*@%ing companies!!!!

Almost a perfect weekend

2009-09-21T13:48:14Z

Saturday, went downtown to lifepart3's and gr82live's place to also meet up with luminousx,
drmagoo and family, and terani and againstathorn. I think we all had a (surprisingly?) productive and great time in filming several scenes to be edited later into short movies. Much food and merriment were had by all.

Sunday I went and saw Inglourious Basterds. I've wasted much of the morning reading reviews and comments that I had avoided before seeing the movie. It is most definitely, and can most succinctly be described as A Quentin Tarantino Movie. And I mean that in a good way. I was very entertained; I want to see it again. (a link)

After the movie, I hopped (almost literally) over to the folks house to watch the Cowboys/Giants game. That's where the fun ended: the combination of horrible play and very unlucky bounces by the oblong ball resulted in an extremely frustrating loss.

Added: I blame George W Bush

jimbow8 @ 2009-09-16T14:23:00

2009-09-16T19:20:44Z

I was just informed that one of our suppliers, who had been here at the office on Monday, was found dead in his bed this morning. He was married and had a kid within the last few years.

*sigh* depressing

Epic Fail: U.S.

2009-09-16T02:20:13Z

Charles Darwin film 'too controversial for religious America'

A British film about Charles Darwin has failed to find a US distributor because his theory of evolution is too controversial for American audiences, according to its producer.

Still needs improvement

2009-09-16T01:02:05Z

Today was the golf outing of one of my suppliers. Last year was exhausting but a lot of fun. This year there were some complications, and basically I wound up bowing out of the golf but still attending the prime rib dinner after the fact. Very good, and lots of door prizes.

Anyway without going into details, there was some miscommunication. He called me to let me know they were done with the golf portion, and I failed to read the (upon reflection) quite obviously implicit message. So I got all pissed off and lost my temper and hung up on him. I'd thought I had learned to control this a bit better and realize that things like this just aren't important enough to get upset about. Because without fail getting upset never helps and only makes me miserable, so it pointless - no, it's detrimental.

Apparently I still need to work on this. Instead of learning to control it, it's quite possible that I've just succeeded in not placing myself in these sort of situations.

More healthcare stuff

2009-09-11T16:49:17Z

I was looking for some info on costs of preventative care v. catastrophic care and came across this video:
http://diabetesamputationprevention.blogspot.com/2009/01/what-does-it-cost-to-save-leg-and.html

And then I came across this other post from the same doctor/blogger:
http://diabetesamputationprevention.blogspot.com/2009/06/why-dont-you-accept-insurance.html

It shows a lot of the ludicrous demands imposed on doctors by Insurance companies. The problem is that I understand why avoiding insurance can be advantageous under certain circumstances (speaking from the patient's perspective now), I don't see how it could be when dealing with the extremely high-priced procedures and care like cancer and such. When costs reach into the millions of dollars, I don't see that a 20% or even a 50% savings is really going to help the average person: they are still going to go bankrupt.

Complication #1

2009-09-11T16:12:55Z

Our health insurance policy at work changed as of 9/1/9. I got a full day's notice (I was on vacation), while others may have gotten a whole week. Anyway I went online to see if my specialist was still listed under the plan. Nowhere to be found. Panic ensues. I call up the HIC (health insurance company) to check. The guy pulls her up and says she is covered. I ask why I can't find her when I search. Turns out its because her billing location (I presume) is listed as Janesville, WI. Even though she has office hours in Woodstock, Harvard, Crystal Lake, and possibly others, you can't find her under any of these or if you are searching Illinois doctors. I was finally able to get a listing of her only by entering Wisconsin and just happening to know what COUNTY Janesville is in. I explained to the HIC guy how asinine this is, but of course he "doesn't deal with the website," so apparently he doesn't give a rat's ass if members are able to find actual covered providers or not.

(I have made myself a note , but just for redundancy .....
I spoke to Ryan at approx 10:30 - 11:00am on 09/11/09.)