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Archive for April, 2008

Dental insurance - a pleasant surprise

April 25th, 2008 at 09:14 pm

I had to have my first root canal - total of 3 visits and having a crown made. Just had a permanent crown put in today.
The good financial news is that apparently my insurance company covers total cost.

I was expecting a $500 co-pay, thats what the doctor estimated.

So this is nice. Finally something good coming from the insurance company. I knew this dental plan is much better than average, but I was still surprised by "free".

Yey!

I ruined my brand new suede skirt! in the first hour!

April 11th, 2008 at 04:37 pm

Some oily crumbs from the apple turnover I was eating fell right on the front of it. Now there are oily stains.
It is a beautiful skirt, I just put it on and I love it. What do I do???
I really want to save it.

Are we serious about our dreams?

April 7th, 2008 at 05:13 pm

I have a friend with a "dream" of going to a particular foreign country. Since each year I spend a month in a new country, it seems to me that it is easy, and that she would just rather dream about it than do it.

All you have to do is save some money and
1. get a visa
2. book a plane ticket
3. book first night at a hostel
4. buy a guidebook

Unless going to Europe, it is not even that expensive.
I think for her it is just fear. She has been "dreaming" about it for years.

Any dream, broken down into steps is manageable.
If I wanted to open a western cafe in China I should.
1) Learn to cook well
2) Learn the language
3) Have starting capital
4) Hire a capable local to deal with bureaucracy and procurement
5) Find location near congregations of business-travelling foreigners
6) Have a backup re-entry plan/fund in case things do not work out
There are more steps and a tonn of details, but as long as you have these essential things and a passion, it is manageable.
So I do not call something "a dream" unless I am taking active steps to achieving it.

Maybe they should get cancer!

April 2nd, 2008 at 09:33 pm

I am about to break down. I have been on the phone continuosly since 10:30 am calling my aunt's employer and her health insurance company.

All of it to get them to send a fax - that would take them 10 seconds! I need this desperately, as my aunt is supposed to start her second round of chemo therapy. (her first one got interrupted because they did not send the information).

So now, they are transferring insurance for everybody and they "lost" my aunt. So now she has no insurance. They say it will just take time until everyone is transferred to the new system. SHE DOES NOT HAVE TIME! She has to go to chemo tomorrow. She is in stage 4. She is in pain, her hair is coming out. And they have her information, and I got them the fax # of the insurance company and I alerted insurance company's supervisor... but are transferring it from one person to another and still nothing is done!

Supervisors do not pick up the phone, after holding for 30 minutes I get a voicemail, and calls never get returned. No ones direct extension is ever given out...

I was nice, diplomatic, calm, reasonable for the first 6 hours. I am about to loose it. I am so desperate and so outraged. A person is suffering fighting for their life, and I cannot get anyone to spend few seconds to send a fax (that was their responsibility in the first place) or to even pick up the phone! What kind of human beings are they? I can't comprehend that.

I am on the phone all day today, I have done nothing at work, and I can't stop crying now.