How are you today? The daily check-in thread

[Jan]

I'm so sorry to hear of your loss, Laurin.

[Youndyc]

I'm sorry to hear about your grandfather, Laurin.

[Lobstergirl, el principe]

Carol and Laurin, I'm very sorry for your losses.

[[deleted user]]

evie wrote: "Hi Gail!"

Hi evie.

[Sally, la reina]

HI guys! Hello Gail, Scout, Youndy, Cynthia. Laurin, I hope he had a nice long life.

World gone mad, indeed. I feel like we are all standing on the precipice.

[evie]

Laurin wrote: "My grandpa passed away last night. I feel like Teddy Roosevelt, all of the light has gone out of my life."

So sorry to hear of your loss, Laurin.

[Laurin]

Sally wrote: "HI guys! Hello Gail, Scout, Youndy, Cynthia. Laurin, I hope he had a nice long life.

World gone mad, indeed. I feel like we are all standing on the precipice."

89 years. He was my best friend for 24 of those. I wish it could have been longer, but it was time for him to go. He wouldn't have wanted to be in a nursing home or hooked up to machines for the rest of his life, so we let him go.

[Scout]

Sounds trite, but this moment is all we have. I'm sad for those who are left missing loved ones. I'm pretty sure, though, that those who loved us and have passed on would want us to live life without dwelling on our sadness.

[Scout]

This group's hypocrisy was exposed. It pretended to be a group that welcomed free speech and dissension, yet the founding members left the group to form a private group where they could agree to agree.

[Carol]

Laurin, can you tell us a story about your grandfather?

Scout, I think I missed something. Did something happen recently?

[Laurin]

We lived together for so long (on and off since I was 9) that I don't really have one good story. He was such a thoughtful person. He always made sure to buy me orange tic tacs, because he knew how much I love them. He would make sure to put the cartoons on top of the Sunday paper so my mom and I wouldn't have to sort through the paper to find them. He loved to get the mail everyday and sort it into piles for each person. He took me to all of my orthodontist appointments, and we always went out for burgers and Boston Coolers after.

[Carol]

Beautiful! It really pleases me to hear the many considerate actions that showed his love for you and his family. It is sometimes easy to overlook the small, everyday kindnesses.

[evie]

Thanks for the stories, Laurin. It has been a long time since my grandfathers were around but hearing your memories made me remember them both again. Also, when mum and I were sorting through dad's stuff after he died we found a photo he had of his mum and dad. I had not seen my grandfather's face since I was seven! I was 54 when I saw the photo! They come back and say hi every once in a while.

[Carol]

My student worker didn't know who Chuck Berry is.

[[deleted user]]

Carol wrote: "My student worker didn't know who Chuck Berry is."

Another signpost on the road to Armageddon.

[[deleted user]]

Oh, and I like Fireball shots. There, I've said it. That is all.

[Cynthia]

Dr. Detroit wrote: "Carol wrote: "My student worker didn't know who Chuck Berry is."

Another signpost on the road to Armageddon."

Seriously.

[Cynthia]

Dr. Detroit wrote: "Oh, and I like Fireball shots. There, I've said it. That is all."

You hipster.

[[deleted user]]

Cynthia wrote: "Dr. Detroit wrote: "Oh, and I like Fireball shots. There, I've said it. That is all."

You hipster."

Aging hipster doofus. Get it right, would you?

[Cynthia]

Heh.

[Mark]

How am I? I have been unable to breathe from above the diaphragm consistently for over two weeks now. Feels like that demon from the chest sitting dream has decided to become invisible and hitch a ride. If my life wasn't so boring maybe it would wake back up and leave me alone.

[Lobstergirl, el principe]

Sounds very uncomfortable.

[Mark]

It truly, truly is.

[Mark]

I feel much better, yay steroids, and I'm still off the course for the next two days so I'm pretty happy right now.

[Megan]

I'm stuck at work for another two hours, I'm almost out of coffee, and for some reason, I volunteered myself to work on my Saturday off from 8am-2pm. All this because I love pushing books at people, and I got myself all excited for Fall.

In all honesty, the Saturday thing shouldn't be too bad. It's a Fall Festival at a Farmer's Market. I'm running a table/booth for the library where I work. But...8am...on a Saturday...

[Carol]

Saturday 8 am...booo

Thanks for pushing books, though!

[[deleted user]]

Waiting with Biblical patience for a new Kinks album.

[smetchie]

Dr. Detroit wrote: "Waiting with Biblical patience for a new Kinks album."

You should be quite proud of yourself.

[Scout]

I spent some time today cleaning and washing clothes so I can start the new year feeling okay. Housework is a Sisyphean task, and I don't like it much. Gracie the dog has her own problems - she answers the fireworks with fireworks of her own. This goes on for hours. Anyway, Happy New Year to you all. Hope this next one is the best yet.

[evie]

Happy New Year, Scout!

[Laurin]

Happy New Year!

[CD]

Happy New Year to all!

Frigid, icy, bitter, and then today we may hit a high of 0°F.

[Cynthia]

Very cold in Iowa. Getting caught up on balancing the checkbook, paying bills and writing thank-yous with my favorite candidate for Congress.

[CD]

I've got flu. Hell of a way to start the new year.

[Lobstergirl, el principe]

Yuck. They said the flu vaccine wasn't as effective this year because it wasn't as good a match for the virus. It's always a guessing game.

I'm lucky that the norovirus has missed me so far (had it last Christmas). A bunch of my sister's family got it.

[Scout]

Better soon, I hope, CD. My brother and his wife have it. The closest I get to running these days is when I'm in a store and someone nearby coughs or sneezes :-)

[CD]

I'm feeling slightly more human today. Been eating better for the past 24 hours.

[Lobstergirl, el principe]

Simmering with anger about the "billing charges" on my dental bill. They slap on a $5 charge every time they send a bill, and they send way more bills than necessary. For one thing, they generate a bill before the insurance has paid. Now why would they do that when it is just going to piss off the customer? As soon as I pay this bill (the legit charges, not all the $5 "billing charges") I am done with this dentist. I am sick of their crap. And I'm then going to lambaste them on wherever people lambaste their dentist. Yelp, google.

[Cynthia]

Well, at least your dentist sends you a bill. I can't leave the office without paying in full, then I must wait for Delta Dental to reimburse me. It's most irritating.

[CD]

I pay less at the dentist in out of pocket cost if I pay cash (check, credit card, etc) than if I use insurance. Go figure that one out.

[Lobstergirl, el principe]

Cynthia wrote: "Well, at least your dentist sends you a bill. I can't leave the office without paying in full, then I must wait for Delta Dental to reimburse me. It's most irritating."

That does suck. In fact, my dentist has a sign up that reads "you must pay in full at the time of service" but I've been going there for years, I mean years, and they never required me to pay up front until this past October when I had something done that cost about $300. I was putting on my coat and leaving and they suddenly said "how do you want to pay?" and I said, "I'll wait for the bill" and they said "you can pay half today and half at the next appointment" (which was only a month later) so I put it on my credit card. This is another reason I am done with them. If I've been your customer for years and years and you've never had a problem being paid by me, you should extend to me the courtesy of billing me (at no cost) not making me pay up front like I'm some kind of criminal.

[Lobstergirl, el principe]

CD wrote: "I pay less at the dentist in out of pocket cost if I pay cash (check, credit card, etc) than if I use insurance. Go figure that one out."

I've heard of dentists and doctors that do this. Never seen it, myself. In fact I went a few years without dental insurance (I can't remember why, now) and paid everything out of pocket and costs were significantly higher than if I'd had insurance.

[Lobstergirl, el principe]

I've also never been asked to pay a copay at any doctor's office, ever, whereas my sister, who has really good insurance (I'm sure better than mine), says she always is asked to pay the copay up front.

[CD]

Lobstergirl wrote: "I've also never been asked to pay a copay at any doctor's office, ever, whereas my sister, who has really good insurance (I'm sure better than mine), says she always is asked to pay the copay up fr..."

A lot of this has to do with the state in which you live. Insurance is handled differently even under the ACA at the state level such that profitability for the practitioners varies. I don't work for a huge employer, so that kind of dental insurance isn't available to me at any cost. Plus the paper work and wait times are such that the dentist is willing to get their money sooner. In other words, they mark up the customers who have insurance that eventually pays a lot more money.

Copays are part of the overall scheme that kicked in in 2016 for everyone when applicable from your insurance provider. The medical practice/providers as gatekeepers also are the first interface and have to collect the copay as they are the one who get it anyway.

[Scout]

Well, charging $5 to send you a bill is crap, especially if you've been a long-time customer. I've never been charged by any provider just for sending me a bill. Dental insurance wasn't offered when I retired, so I have to pay for everything. I figure, though, that the overall savings in premiums and copays just about equals what I pay for dental work.

I do know, from my son's experience, that doctors charge people without insurance much more than they charge people with insurance, and they want their money up front.

[Lobstergirl, el principe]

I got carded buying wine yesterday. I guess I should be flattered? Seemed a little extreme...

[Cynthia]

Yeah, I get carded for wine at Target, even when I am old enough to be their grandmother. The penalties for selling to an underage person are pretty steep here.

[CD]

I get carded in many places due to liquor ordinances not my age. All purchasers in many locales are to have their age verified. Or, you have to have valid ID in order to buy alcohol.

Cigarettes also have similar requirements in the states I am aware of the regulations.

What happened to the good old days when any 14 year old could buy alcohol and cigarettes , for Mom and Dad of course, but not condoms? Mhmmm. Maybe we got something right for a change?

[Scout]

When my son turned 16, I went to Wal-Mart and bought a box of 30 condoms. The man behind me in line winked at me :-)

[[deleted user]]

My daughter is currently in Hawaii. I'm home minding the cat.