November 16, 2008
November 15, 2008
Anti-Prop H8 Rally here in Boston
From where I was sitting, it seemed to be predominantly young people (you know you're getting old, when that means anyone younger than 30) with a few gray hairs now and again. There was a lot of energy to the crowd and some of the speakers were very good.
The take aways were that we should check out JoinTheImpactMA to find out what to do next and that our Democratic elected officials will be trying to use their new muscle to push for a repeal of DOMA and push for a Federal Hate Crimes bill that includes protections for trans folk.
November 12, 2008
November 9, 2008
November 5, 2008
Police line to keep the party in control
November 4, 2008
Victory Rally in Copley
Change dawning.
Update: I set the alarm and stumbled out of bed, as soon as the polls open to get to the school down the street where I vote. It was already hopping. A crowd of kids with 'No on One' signs -- our let's abolish the income tax ballot question -- and members of the firefighters local were already there.
I got there maybe ten minutes after the polls opened and the polling station was already full with a couple of people queued up to get their ballots and then wait for a desk to open up, so that we could fill them in for the scantron machine.
The actual voting was kind of anti-climatic. Just putting pen to paper and filling in my oval for Obama/Biden, but the elderly poll worker was great. As I was about to put my ballot into the machine, she asked me if I remembered to mark both sides of the ballot and if I had any problems.
I smiled at her and shook my head. I did notice that I was the fiftieth voter, which makes me hope for some impressive turnout today.
As I headed out into the sunshine, I probably should have said something witty like it's going to be all right or something, but this is before coffee. It's going to be a long anxious day while I wait to see how this is going to turn out.
November 1, 2008
Vote!
No, not just on Tuesday, but you're not voting then I will hunt you down and chastise you vociferously.
But also on Stuff at Night's Best Bodies in Boston contest. I threw myself in the ring as the anti-candidate to all those gym honed hard bodies. Semi-suitable for work - but not before you've eaten.
Thank you for your votes. (And huge thanks to Mark for actually making me look reasonable.)
But also on Stuff at Night's Best Bodies in Boston contest. I threw myself in the ring as the anti-candidate to all those gym honed hard bodies. Semi-suitable for work - but not before you've eaten.
Thank you for your votes. (And huge thanks to Mark for actually making me look reasonable.)
October 24, 2008
Ashes to Ashes
While I was in London, I picked up the first series of "Ashes to Ashes". I just had a chance to watch the whole series over the last few days. It was only eight episodes -- UK series tend to be shorter than we have here in the US -- but it was absolutely incredible.
I loved "Life on Mars", the original, and I had heard that they were going to be doing a sequel. At some point, it'll come to cable over here, but I've never been very good at waiting. So when I saw the series, I had to pick it up.
It continues with some of the same characters: Gene, Ray and Chris, but they've moved from the outskirts of Manchester to the crime infested city of London. They've continued with the great fish out of motif of the modern day liberated copper dropped into 1981, where many of the social changes that we've taken for granted haven't happened yet. The cops then are rough and tumble: racist, homophobic, alpha males that don't fit into the way we see the world today.
And as we saw in "Life on Mars", the main character (Keeley Hawes as DI Alex Drake) is struggling to understand what's happening and the rules of the new world that she's in. There's also an interesting mystery element throughout the first series having to do with Drake's personal history.
I recommend it highly. I can't wait to see the next season.
I loved "Life on Mars", the original, and I had heard that they were going to be doing a sequel. At some point, it'll come to cable over here, but I've never been very good at waiting. So when I saw the series, I had to pick it up.
It continues with some of the same characters: Gene, Ray and Chris, but they've moved from the outskirts of Manchester to the crime infested city of London. They've continued with the great fish out of motif of the modern day liberated copper dropped into 1981, where many of the social changes that we've taken for granted haven't happened yet. The cops then are rough and tumble: racist, homophobic, alpha males that don't fit into the way we see the world today.
And as we saw in "Life on Mars", the main character (Keeley Hawes as DI Alex Drake) is struggling to understand what's happening and the rules of the new world that she's in. There's also an interesting mystery element throughout the first series having to do with Drake's personal history.
I recommend it highly. I can't wait to see the next season.
October 21, 2008
Unemployment
Oh, the joy that is a bureaucracy. I got a recorded message yesterday telling me that due to an unexpectedly large call volume people with the last social security number's digit as I had to call on Tuesday. I gave them a call as soon as things opened up this morning. They said that there could be up to a ten minute delay until I spoke to someone. It was closer to forty.
Then I had to call the arbitrator to deal with some other problems and that was another forty-five minutes. Ugh.
I can't wait until this is behind me.
Then I had to call the arbitrator to deal with some other problems and that was another forty-five minutes. Ugh.
I can't wait until this is behind me.
October 12, 2008
Eurotrip!
Apologies: This post will be edited, when I get home. There will be links to restaurants and photos.
Coming back to a city where you used to live is a little like pulling on an old sweater in Autumn. It's comfortable, but there's a certain pull about things that aren't quite as you remember them to be. It was a little surreal, but much of that might have been due to the little sleep that I had managed to get on the flight from Boston. London still felt like home. The tube was hotter and more crowded than I remembered, but certainly familiar. The free daily, the Metro had stories about the global economic crisis and talked of possible sanctions between Iceland and England over bank collapses. I put that aside and rushed to meet with old friends. I dragged them to Soho to go to Garlic and Shots, it's a divey little Scandinavian bar that's a home to two things that I surprise myself by liking: the honey rum garlic shots and the garlic poppers -- a roasted garlic battered appetizer that I can't get enough of. I met another friend for breakfast, the next morning, before my train to Paris and we talked US politics and the news from the previous day about the economy. He was upbeat, but being unemployed, I was more worried.
Paris, however, felt a little worse for wear. The streets seemed grubbier, there were more homeless and lurid red headlines at the news stands that I couldn't understand only made me feel more anxious. The only word I could make out was 'Crisis'. The first day, when I arrived, I wandered around a little, but didn't do anything major. Had a bite to eat (how could you not eat in Paris?) and wandered. Did my best to fight off jetlag with more sleep. The second day was for sightseeing. I saw the Cathedral of Notre Dame and the city in Quasimodo vision from the towers; it was definitely something to remind you of your nascent fear of heights. The cathedral is absolutely spectacular. It is a tourist trap and a wonder of Christendom all in one. Climbing the bowed marble steps to the towers, you can feel the sometimes oppressive weight of history upon you, but the sight of the city on a clear day makes it all worth it. Fantastique. More of the marvelous French food and walking along the Siene. Relaxed in a French coffee house and coughed on the French cigarette smoke.
That brings me to Brussels. My first view of the city scared the hell out of me. Unlike Paris and London, the train station wasn't in the middle of the city. Here, it's off in a nondescript warehouse district. Looking around, I thought I had made an awful mistake coming here. Rather than walking, I decided on a cab to the hotel, which I thought might be a tiny little hotel, similar to where I stayed in Paris. (Not that the place wasn't clean or the staff very nice, but it was tiny.) The hotel that I found online was an enormous Marriott, under a different name here. The room is ginormous with all the amenities that I've been spoiled by in the States - including in room Internet and an on-site jacuzzi. After a day of walking around the city center and taking in the sites (and more than my share of Belgian fries), I used the jacuzzi to help with the sore muscles..
Insomnia continues to plague me. The only reason that I'm writing this now is because I woke up after three uninterrupted hours of sleep. I feel rested again and will try again to sleep. Slept for another seven or so hours, which made me wake up feeling fantastic. I'm going to miss the big comfy bed full of down pillows. Boy, do I feel pampered. The only problem is that I found out on Monday that all of the museums that I wanted to go to were closed on Monday. Another day of wandering around the city, getting architecture and municipal sculpture pictures and now I can go curl up on the bed and read. Heaven.
Managed to make my way into the city on Monday night. Had dinner in the gay quarter. Found a Chinese restaurant, mostly because they had pictures on the menu so I could point and nod. The Bear Bar was closed - I assume it's only open on the weekends, but I couldn't read the sign. I went to a tiny little bar called Homo Erectus. Saw a handful of very cute young men chatting with older men and drinking soft drinks. It's probably a sign of encroaching age-related pessimism that my first thought was that they might be rent boys. I couldn't make myself understood, when I asked for a cider, but the bartender understood beer. I had the local bier: Jupiler. It came in a small glass, rather than the pints I had in England and Ireland and it was good. Really good. Who knew that my friend was right. It's not beer, it's American mass-produced swill I don't like. Now I just have to find out more about it and find out if there's a microbrew like that at home.
Off to Amsterdam next. I have my travel documents and passport ready at a moment's notice. Time to saddle up and head down to the lobby to check out and wait for my taxi.
Do'h. There is a disadvantage to not speaking either of the local languages. They changed the track that my train was on, but I was blissfully unaware of it. I could have paid a little extra to get on the next train, but I had a book and an iPod, so I was perfectly happy to wait a little longer and take a free train to Amsterdam.
I got to Amsterdam without a problem. Happily, everyone here was used to tourists and they all spoke English. (Unfortunately, I kept lapsing into my meager French and kept saying 'hello' and 'Pardon me, do you speak English?' which didn't endear me to anyone. The bed and breakfast that I was staying at gave me clear useful directions, which helped me get right to the door without much trouble.
The B&B is spectacular and the room enormous. It was right in the heart of Amsterdam. A short walk from their equivalent of the flea market, or to the original gay hub, as well as being a longer walk from anywhere else I might want to go. Didn't go to half the museums that I wanted to, but had a lot of fun. I met a local and was squired around to the gay bars. The next day, I checked out the red light district and saw some scary stuff: prostitution is legal, but that doesn't change the fact that it's a rough job that takes a lot out of the people doing it. And some of the women that I saw working the day shifts definitely looked a little rougher than otherwise.
There was one surreal moment, when I was wandering around with my guide book in the drizzle and turned a corner to try to get my bearings. I didn't realize that I was up against one of the red light windows and a woman old enough to be my mother was inside tarted up and doing her best to try to entice me inside. Alas, some Oedipal fantasies I just don't understand. Sadly, the look on my face must have let her know that, because her face grew chilly and she waved me off.
Then there was a Thalys train from Amsterdam to Paris. There was an older man working on an academic paper with a gorgeous twenty-something boy that looked nothing like him. Again, my mind went into the gutter and I felt guilty about it. Once I got to Paris, it was a mad dash to the Eurostar gate. Twenty minutes between arrival and exit cut it a little close. Especially, with a labor strike at the train station. I got on my train and in my seat with only a few moments to spare. This leg of the train ride was a blast. I ended up sitting next to an Australian woman that was over in Europe on holiday. We chatted for the three hour train ride back to London. As always, I managed to put my foot in my mouth. She was talking about how much she wanted a nice shower, so I mentioned that I was going to my hotel to settle in, and asked if she wanted to pop over to take a shower before meeting her friends. I didn't mean it as a pick up, but unfortunately...
The next two days were in London, seeing friends, relaxing and in general having a blast. Then it was back home to Boston on Sunday night.
October 8, 2008
October 6, 2008
Halloween Candy!
It's my favorite time of the year and two of my favorite Halloween candies are in the stores now:
candy corn and Tootsie Flavor Rolls (tm).
They're fresh to the stores and not stale and hard like they are at other times of the year.
The word for the day is nom nom nom....
October 5, 2008
October 3, 2008
Halloween is Coming
This is my favorite time of the year and I missed the insanity when I was in London.
September 24, 2008
Fear and Loathing on the Job Hunting Trail...
At the moment, I am out of my previous company. It was my choice and I'm glad I made it.
Today, I'll check with unemployment to see if there's a way to collect while I look for something else and figure out what I'm going to be doing next.
That and a haircut and lunch with a friend at 2.
Babysteps.
Today, I'll check with unemployment to see if there's a way to collect while I look for something else and figure out what I'm going to be doing next.
That and a haircut and lunch with a friend at 2.
Babysteps.
September 18, 2008
Flickr Photo Download: Staff wanted
Flickr Photo Download: Staff wanted
I don't know when. I don't know how, but I do know that at some point I will go into Murder Burger.
I don't know when. I don't know how, but I do know that at some point I will go into Murder Burger.
September 17, 2008
Whole Sordid Story...
Here's the story about things that I've been whining about:
http://blog.me-invest.com/
http://blog.me-invest.com/
September 16, 2008
Angry, Disappointed, Apathy
Work has been crazy for the last couple of weeks.
I'm unsure if I'll have a job pretty much day to day, everything is falling apart and I think what I need to do is to just slow down a bit, take care of me and try to relax. Gym in the afternoon, in and out at specific times.
And with my free time, figure out my Plan B.
September 2, 2008
Google Chrome - Eh...
Got an installer error...
Aw... And they had such a good record for everything...
Update: Actually loaded, fast, miss ability to easy reload multiple tabs but am impressed. Wished they had this for the mac, though.
August 30, 2008
Thank you, MythBusters
The MythBuster have brought us... Leonardo - a ... Well, it's best if you see it...
It's really awesome.
It's really awesome.
August 25, 2008
Ryan in the News
WGGB, the local ABC affiliate in Western, Mass., covered a fund raiser for Autism that the family had for my nephew, Ryan.
http://www.wggb.com/Global/story.asp?S=8892621
http://www.wggb.com/Global/story.asp?S=8892621
August 12, 2008
August 2, 2008
Bolt Bus
Yesterday, I checked out the Bolt Bus. I have to say, I was kind of impressed. It was fairly cheap — my ticket was only $18.50 each way. Not horribly fast, but certainly within what I expected; four hours each way between Boston and New York City. But the nice thing was that they had Internet access on the bus.
I lucked out in that I had seats to myself on both parts of my trip back and forth from NYC, but it looked like it would be a little cramped with a full bus.
The staff was courteous and seemed to know what they were doing.
Definitely worth the money.
I lucked out in that I had seats to myself on both parts of my trip back and forth from NYC, but it looked like it would be a little cramped with a full bus.
The staff was courteous and seemed to know what they were doing.
Definitely worth the money.
August 1, 2008
July 29, 2008
July 15, 2008
July 11, 2008
Comment to a Question About Birth Control
At the moment, homosexuality is my birth control of choice. But that said, there was a time when I was younger and confused. We used condoms, birth control pills and the rhythm method: all in hopes of being sure that we didn’t get a surprise.
That said, there was still one memorable occasion when I remember running out at 11pm to try to find an open drug store that had pregnancy tests, when she realized that she was late.
Even as someone that loves kids, I was still absolutely terrified. I had a job that was barely keeping me in an apartment, student loans, and many months until I would be done with my college degree. And that’s just the living situation, there was still deep-seated fear of being a parent. To call my family upbringing challenging would be charitable bordering on abject denial. With that parenting example, I was terrified of repeating the behavior I learned.
Getting that pregnancy test and bringing it home left me with way too much time alone with my thoughts and fears.
I brought home several tests, unsure which one was best. While I was gone, she had been throwing back coffee and water so she’d be ready. Once the drying sticks were lined up in the bathroom sink, there was nothing to do but wait.
Too tense to talk to each other, we settled onto the futon to watch TV. I don’t remember what was on. The only thing that comes back to me after all these years was how far we sat apart.
How much of this is accurate is left as an exercise to the reader...
That said, there was still one memorable occasion when I remember running out at 11pm to try to find an open drug store that had pregnancy tests, when she realized that she was late.
Even as someone that loves kids, I was still absolutely terrified. I had a job that was barely keeping me in an apartment, student loans, and many months until I would be done with my college degree. And that’s just the living situation, there was still deep-seated fear of being a parent. To call my family upbringing challenging would be charitable bordering on abject denial. With that parenting example, I was terrified of repeating the behavior I learned.
Getting that pregnancy test and bringing it home left me with way too much time alone with my thoughts and fears.
I brought home several tests, unsure which one was best. While I was gone, she had been throwing back coffee and water so she’d be ready. Once the drying sticks were lined up in the bathroom sink, there was nothing to do but wait.
Too tense to talk to each other, we settled onto the futon to watch TV. I don’t remember what was on. The only thing that comes back to me after all these years was how far we sat apart.
How much of this is accurate is left as an exercise to the reader...
Insomnia
Does it count as insomnia, if you're wide awake and have been for hours?
Twice this week, I've woken up at 2:30 or so. (Okay, I think each time was 2:28am, if you want to be pedantic.) The other morning, I rolled over and went back to sleep, though without the CPAP machine. This morning, I tried to be productive.
Either way, though, what the hell? Bing, I'm awake is not how I wanted to spend my early early morning. I had dreams of evil clowns and cabana boys planned.
*shrug*
We'll see how the day goes. If three hours sleep doesn't make the Friday go by faster, I don't know what will.
Twice this week, I've woken up at 2:30 or so. (Okay, I think each time was 2:28am, if you want to be pedantic.) The other morning, I rolled over and went back to sleep, though without the CPAP machine. This morning, I tried to be productive.
Either way, though, what the hell? Bing, I'm awake is not how I wanted to spend my early early morning. I had dreams of evil clowns and cabana boys planned.
*shrug*
We'll see how the day goes. If three hours sleep doesn't make the Friday go by faster, I don't know what will.
July 9, 2008
Asus EeePC actually intelligently planned
By just hitting the F9 button repeatedly, you choose to reset the device to the factory defaults. The downside is that you lose everything. The upside is that all of your mistakes all go away. All in all, a pretty handy feature for something with such a tiny harddrive.
July 7, 2008
Movie Reviews
This weekend, I went to see a few movies:
First, Wanted. It was an adaption, which—of course—means things that I loved about the comic series were changed for the film. That said, I enjoyed it immensely. There was action, there was incredible special effects, there was eye candy, there were actors I liked, I had a comfortable seat and popcorn. In short, I had everything that I liked in a Summer block buster.
It wasn't spectacular, but it was enjoyable. The plot was interesting and the silliness didn't detract too much from the plot that that they gave us. I recommend it to anyone looking for something to watch. With the effects and the cinematography, you'll probably need to see this on the big screen rather than something tiny at home.
Secondly, we went to see Wall-E and the Pixar short that opened it, Presto. First, Presto. Quite possibly, this was the best Pixar short that I've seen. It was a hilarious romp. Wall-E was also a fantastic little movie. An enivironmental message hidden in a robot love story. As always Lassiter and Pixar brought the inanimate to life in a way that strums the heart strings.
So recapping, really enjoyed Wanted, Wall-E and Presto.
Asus EEE - Al's Alienware curse?
Finally got it set up just the way I wanted it. Then I rebooted.
Big big mistake.
The EEE didn't recognize my password and then it just started cycling, seems to have a problem with X starting up and restarting again, over and over and over again... Hello, Best Buy... What's your return policy? :(
June 28, 2008
June 27, 2008
June 24, 2008
Wild Weather
What the hell was up with the weather today? I was walking across town to my writing group and the weather went nuts. The clouds gather, the sky goes dark and then rain pelted down. Once I'm thoroughly drenched, I notice the temperature had dropped like 10-15 degrees (or at least it felt that way) and then comes hail.
This is not the New England weather that I'm used to!
This is not the New England weather that I'm used to!
June 21, 2008
June 20, 2008
Rainbow
I think the coolest part was that there were two rainbows. One fading as the other became more pronounced, but as always the human eye is much better at picking out vague patterns than a freebie cellphone camera.
June 17, 2008
June 12, 2008
Asus Eee Pc redux
I've been playing with it for a few days. It mounts thumb drives in Windows format, but seems to have problems with an iPod formatted for the Apple. I'll have to explore further.
USB keyboards and mice seem to work without a problem.
USB keyboards and mice seem to work without a problem.
June 9, 2008
Sunset over the Charles
A group that I'm in had a picnic on the Charles here in Boston and I really liked how this came out.Note: I'm trying to use the wayback machine to post his on the day I took it, rather than when I posted it.
June 8, 2008
KatrinaRitaVille Express
KatrinaRitaVille Express is in Boston by Boylston T stop on Sunday and Monday to illustrate FEMA's failure.
For more information:
June 7, 2008
Ryan's Birthday Party
Update: The party was at a laser tag arena. It was a lot of fun. Though running around in the dark was inadvertantly painful at least to my knees and shins.
June 5, 2008
Bonus!
I love when Karma works my way. I was looking for some place to kill some time before my memoir workshop started and found out that the class will be right next to Doyles, an institution here in JP. The food's always been good here, so I'm really looking forward to it.
And to think this is the first time I've been here without someone driving. The nice thing about being clueless is that the world has many more welcome surprises that way.
The food didn't disappoint. The garden burger frozen and adequate, but then hand-carved garlic fries and crisp lettuce and tomato on the top were fantastic. Even better was listening to the two men next to me handicapping the democratic Veepstakes like they would a racing form. Clearly, my kind of bar.
And to think this is the first time I've been here without someone driving. The nice thing about being clueless is that the world has many more welcome surprises that way.
The food didn't disappoint. The garden burger frozen and adequate, but then hand-carved garlic fries and crisp lettuce and tomato on the top were fantastic. Even better was listening to the two men next to me handicapping the democratic Veepstakes like they would a racing form. Clearly, my kind of bar.
Asus Eee PC
I was looking for something tiny to take on trips and my father was looking for something cheap that he can't screw up.This might fit the bill on both counts. It'd be a little easier if the keyboard wasn't built for hobbits, but it's not too bad.
Pictures will be coming...
Update: Yes, it's that small. Sadly, difficult, but not impossible to use with my big hands. I can only imagine it will be worse for my Dad. I can't wait to give it to him and watch him suffer. (Does that make me a bad son? Or just passive-aggressive?)
June 3, 2008
Book Reviews
A friend challenged me to write haiku reviews of the last several books that I've read:
Naomi Klein's "Shock Doctrine"
Friedman's neo-cons -
Crisis, exploitation, greed.
Perhaps, Keynesian?
James N. Frey's books on writing
Remember: premise,
character driven stories
for damned good novels.
Neil Gaiman's "Anansi Boys"
A modern fable,
entertains as it teaches.
The old become new.
William Landay's "The Strangler"
Boston terrified:
memorable characters,
weak plot - adequate.
Robert W. Cabell's "The Hair-Raising Adventures of Jayms Blonde"
Cliches, every page.
Vanity press - no surprise.
Dear God - Don't read this.
Naomi Klein's "Shock Doctrine"
Friedman's neo-cons -
Crisis, exploitation, greed.
Perhaps, Keynesian?
James N. Frey's books on writing
Remember: premise,
character driven stories
for damned good novels.
Neil Gaiman's "Anansi Boys"
A modern fable,
entertains as it teaches.
The old become new.
William Landay's "The Strangler"
Boston terrified:
memorable characters,
weak plot - adequate.
Robert W. Cabell's "The Hair-Raising Adventures of Jayms Blonde"
Cliches, every page.
Vanity press - no surprise.
Dear God - Don't read this.
May 30, 2008
May 29, 2008
Technology and Customer Service...
We got a new flat screen tv for the office. It's supposed to be used for watching client logs, etc...We rush ordered the TV from Philips, paying extra to get it there right away. Unfortunately, they sent it to the CEO's home rather than the office. We had to jump through four days of hoops to get UPS to send to the right address.
When we finally got it, we opened the box to find a beautiful TV, but no screws, mounting brackets, remote or power cable. We called the manufacturer. The remotes were back ordered, so we can't get that any time soon. They did have the rest. But they can't rush order it to us, because of company policy. We've already paid for that, but that doesn't matter. The power cord is different than the TV, I guess.
We complained and they said they could put it in expedited, which will get it up to 3-5 days. Of course, that would assume that they wrote our name right on the box. UPS couldn't deliver it (but somehow the post office was able to deliver the post card telling us that UPS couldn't deliver to us, even though the postcard had the same information on it). A quick phone call. They now had our company name and they're ready to go.
Three more days later, the problem is that there was no suite number. There's no suite in our address only a floor. Sure, the company name is listed in the lobby and by the elevators on our floor, but that's enough reason not to deliver our package.
Today, we finally got our package. Power cord, but still no remote. (Still on back order, I assume.) Unfortunately, powering up the TV, we can't get past the initial set-up screen without a remote. Wouldn't it be nice if the idiot on support that we talked to initially let us know that at the same time she was arguing that we didn't need a power cord for the expensive TV that we just bought?)
So today's recommendations are not buying Philips or using UPS if you need something.
May 27, 2008
FW: It's raining,it's pouring...
May 26, 2008
Train ride to NYC through Conn.
May 25, 2008
May 23, 2008
May 22, 2008
May 15, 2008
Aigh! Too many people
Claustraphobia too much. Left the cheering throng. Will visit when I can get in.
May 12, 2008
May 6, 2008
Spring Has Come, Klennex Stocks a Good Bet
The last few days have been allergy hell. Even with the allergy medicine in my system, my head is pounding and I'm stuffed up.
Gotta love the pollen.
At least one good thing is that next week, I'll be going to the allergist.
I can't wait to see if there's anything that he or she can do for me other than telling me to suck it up.
On the other hand, the sun and the flowers are a nice change from the grey and the rain.
Gotta love the pollen.
At least one good thing is that next week, I'll be going to the allergist.
I can't wait to see if there's anything that he or she can do for me other than telling me to suck it up.
On the other hand, the sun and the flowers are a nice change from the grey and the rain.
April 22, 2008
Another Reason Why I Miss the NHS...
As my faithful (or bored) readers know I recently got a CPAP machine. I just got the insurance bill. The friggin' health insurance that I pay into won't pay for it, though my doctor says that I need it. The most they'll pay for health equipment is peanuts, leaving me with two grand for my very own. Friggin' jackasses.
This is what I love about health insurance. You get it, you pay into it and it still doesn't help you when you need it.
Happily, I do get to act out my frustration at work. I'm now the anonymous 'Jack', head of software development. A perpetually harried and annoyed character that gets to snap at the idiotic headhunters that cold call us with what we don't want or need.
It's very freeing.
This is what I love about health insurance. You get it, you pay into it and it still doesn't help you when you need it.
Happily, I do get to act out my frustration at work. I'm now the anonymous 'Jack', head of software development. A perpetually harried and annoyed character that gets to snap at the idiotic headhunters that cold call us with what we don't want or need.
It's very freeing.
April 21, 2008
One Annoying Problem with Sleeping Better...
Clearly, I'm dreaming again... So far there've been two nights, where I was able to take off the CPAP mask or otherwise disconnect myself from the machine the first time unplugging the hose (though that might have been something as simple as rolling over too far and popping it out), but last night was different. I went to bed with the machine fully connected and the machine on, but I woke up this morning with the water reservoir half-way full, the mask neatly coiled in the dresser drawer like I usually put it in the morning and the CPAP machine turned off. I'm not sure if it was fully unhooked, but I think it was.
Unfortunately, no memory at all of doing any of that. If my subconscious made itself half as useful and would take up the slack with its share of the chores around the apartment, things would be so much easier. Though I don't think there's a listing for someone that sleep-cleans rather than sleep-walking.
Unfortunately, no memory at all of doing any of that. If my subconscious made itself half as useful and would take up the slack with its share of the chores around the apartment, things would be so much easier. Though I don't think there's a listing for someone that sleep-cleans rather than sleep-walking.
April 16, 2008
Clownitis Strikes!
Ryan has it worst. But as you can see Conall, has the bug as well. I would imagine that the whole house will be down with a bad case by the end of the week. Hopefully, the usual therapy of seltzer bottles and oversized shoes will work.
Wednesday Night at the Circus
This brings me back. I feel like a kid again. (Okay, this me, so that's only going back days or weeks.)
April 7, 2008
Sunday School Thoughts
Sunday was strange.
I started the process toward joining the Arlington Street Church, here in Boston. It was weird to be going to Sunday School at this point in my life. And weird to try to fit Unitarian Universalism into my understanding of 'church' from my more hierarchical Roman Catholic upbringing. To say that they're more than a little different doesn't begin to cover it.
A few things are the same though... The senior minister sat down with all of the new people in the class. She said that knowing her congregation is the only way that she knows how to minister, which reminded me a lot of the way my old parish priest would always be there to talk to his flock. The group talked about our faith and what brought us to Arlington Street and finally to the class. It was strange to hear the ministers talking about being called to preach. Maybe it's because I'm agnostic enough to not be sure about whether a deity (or deities) exists, I can't really understand someone that had utter confidence and belief in such a calling.
One of the things that really made me feel better about myself and my own struggles was learning that Mother Theresa had doubts throughout her life. I mean, I'm no Mother Theresa, but knowing that she had doubts and quite probably days when she wanted to pack it all in has really helped me keep my life in perspective.
For me, my beliefs turn more to believing in the innate goodness of mankind and a belief that we can make things better for everyone/everything. Maybe not solve all of the problems, but even easing someone else's day certainly counts as a win. I want to believe that there's an afterlife, but because I can't be sure, I believe that this is your one chance at getting it right. Maybe it flows from that or maybe because my own nature is largely ambivalent and doubting, I don't think I've ever made a decision in my life that I haven't second or third guessed. So the concept of an external imposed calling seems so alien that I can't really wrap my mind around it.
Of course, part of that is probably my reading of the words. If you think about it, a call to serve doesn't have to be external. I guess it could just as easily be a belief that that's where you'll be able to do the most good. And as such, that's the same as anyone moving toward a career. Of course, I doubt that's the way that they'd see it.
Okay, there's my maudlin post for the day. Time to go back to my mass market paperback book.
I started the process toward joining the Arlington Street Church, here in Boston. It was weird to be going to Sunday School at this point in my life. And weird to try to fit Unitarian Universalism into my understanding of 'church' from my more hierarchical Roman Catholic upbringing. To say that they're more than a little different doesn't begin to cover it.
A few things are the same though... The senior minister sat down with all of the new people in the class. She said that knowing her congregation is the only way that she knows how to minister, which reminded me a lot of the way my old parish priest would always be there to talk to his flock. The group talked about our faith and what brought us to Arlington Street and finally to the class. It was strange to hear the ministers talking about being called to preach. Maybe it's because I'm agnostic enough to not be sure about whether a deity (or deities) exists, I can't really understand someone that had utter confidence and belief in such a calling.
One of the things that really made me feel better about myself and my own struggles was learning that Mother Theresa had doubts throughout her life. I mean, I'm no Mother Theresa, but knowing that she had doubts and quite probably days when she wanted to pack it all in has really helped me keep my life in perspective.
For me, my beliefs turn more to believing in the innate goodness of mankind and a belief that we can make things better for everyone/everything. Maybe not solve all of the problems, but even easing someone else's day certainly counts as a win. I want to believe that there's an afterlife, but because I can't be sure, I believe that this is your one chance at getting it right. Maybe it flows from that or maybe because my own nature is largely ambivalent and doubting, I don't think I've ever made a decision in my life that I haven't second or third guessed. So the concept of an external imposed calling seems so alien that I can't really wrap my mind around it.
Of course, part of that is probably my reading of the words. If you think about it, a call to serve doesn't have to be external. I guess it could just as easily be a belief that that's where you'll be able to do the most good. And as such, that's the same as anyone moving toward a career. Of course, I doubt that's the way that they'd see it.
Okay, there's my maudlin post for the day. Time to go back to my mass market paperback book.
April 2, 2008
CPAP - Review
First a note to the pervs out there, the teenaged girl wasn't in my bed. She was in the guest room.
Now that that's over with, the CPAP machine. I've been using it since Thursday night — about a week now. I'm feel better rested, more awake during the day, I haven't felt the need for caffeine since I started using it. I also find that I have a lot more energy. I'm not ready to roll over and go to bed at 9:30pm any more. I can do more than be a lump on the couch after work, which has resulted in me going to the gym more (okay, twice so far) and other things.
I do find myself waking up at odd times during the night, when I roll over an the mask shifts and the CPAP machine blows air into my face or my eyes. Unsurprisingly, that's enough to wake me up.
But other than that, I'm feeling much much better.
Go CPAP.
Now that that's over with, the CPAP machine. I've been using it since Thursday night — about a week now. I'm feel better rested, more awake during the day, I haven't felt the need for caffeine since I started using it. I also find that I have a lot more energy. I'm not ready to roll over and go to bed at 9:30pm any more. I can do more than be a lump on the couch after work, which has resulted in me going to the gym more (okay, twice so far) and other things.
I do find myself waking up at odd times during the night, when I roll over an the mask shifts and the CPAP machine blows air into my face or my eyes. Unsurprisingly, that's enough to wake me up.
But other than that, I'm feeling much much better.
Go CPAP.
March 28, 2008
CPAP a go go
Well, yesterday, I had my appointment with the sleep people. I found out that I had severe sleep apnea. According to their charts, I stop breathing 72+ times a night. (It's a wonder that I ever feel rested sleeping.)
They got me a cool CPAP machine that I slept with for the first time last night. It seemed to do the job and I woke up at 5 or so this morning feeling fantastic. (Not Michael Jackson sleeping in a hyperbaric chamber, but still good none the less.)
Friends visiting this week. Once I drag a teenaged girl out of bed, it's Salem for us.
They got me a cool CPAP machine that I slept with for the first time last night. It seemed to do the job and I woke up at 5 or so this morning feeling fantastic. (Not Michael Jackson sleeping in a hyperbaric chamber, but still good none the less.)
Friends visiting this week. Once I drag a teenaged girl out of bed, it's Salem for us.
March 24, 2008
Closed on Easter?
My friend, Kiki and I went to the Copley Mall yesterday only to find it largely closed. The same was found when we went to the Prudential Mall. Yes, yesterday was Easter.
However, when did Easter get raised to become a National Holiday?
I thought that if the US had one stated religion it was Capitalism more than anything else. What the hell?
However, when did Easter get raised to become a National Holiday?
I thought that if the US had one stated religion it was Capitalism more than anything else. What the hell?
March 19, 2008
Bible on Homosexuality
Saw a link to this Pro-Gay/Anti-Gay article about the bible... Interesting...
Damn, I've done a lot...
I recently got an old friend from high school and he asked what I've been doing. And I got one of those rare moments of looking back on the last twenty-five years of your life and looking at what you've done.
Not to get maudlin, but I've really been blessed. I've seen a lot, met a lot of people, been in a lot of places and had a lot of fun.
Who knew that taking a measure of things once in a while would be so rewarding. Sure there are things that I wish I had done -- or not done as is more often the case -- but on a whole, I don't think I'd change much. And it feels damned good to be able to say that.
Thanks.
Not to get maudlin, but I've really been blessed. I've seen a lot, met a lot of people, been in a lot of places and had a lot of fun.
Who knew that taking a measure of things once in a while would be so rewarding. Sure there are things that I wish I had done -- or not done as is more often the case -- but on a whole, I don't think I'd change much. And it feels damned good to be able to say that.
Thanks.
March 17, 2008
Day 2 - Figuring Out What's Missing
Okay, the worst thing is the feeling of violation, but I'm even more pissed off about all the stupid shit that's gone...
Yes, I can understand why the thief liked my cashmere scarf. I liked it, too, which is why I purchased it. But why take all my Spring/Fall jackets? Why take my cargo pants? Why take my laundry bag? Especially, when you're already taking duffel bags and backpacks. Why take my shoes, when yours are half a size bigger than mine? Why open a bottle of shampoo? Why just throw it back on the furniture after you open it?
Why leave your clothes?
I'm sure it's going to be several days where I reach for something to wear or go to use something that's not there and get pissed, but in the big scheme of things, it's not the end of the world. Still pisses me off, though.
Update: And the hits keep coming... I should have realized it when the laundry bag was gone, but he took several pairs of pants, shirts, etc... I'm sure that when I finish doing the laundry he left, I'll find a host of unmatched sox and the like.
Yes, I can understand why the thief liked my cashmere scarf. I liked it, too, which is why I purchased it. But why take all my Spring/Fall jackets? Why take my cargo pants? Why take my laundry bag? Especially, when you're already taking duffel bags and backpacks. Why take my shoes, when yours are half a size bigger than mine? Why open a bottle of shampoo? Why just throw it back on the furniture after you open it?
Why leave your clothes?
I'm sure it's going to be several days where I reach for something to wear or go to use something that's not there and get pissed, but in the big scheme of things, it's not the end of the world. Still pisses me off, though.
Update: And the hits keep coming... I should have realized it when the laundry bag was gone, but he took several pairs of pants, shirts, etc... I'm sure that when I finish doing the laundry he left, I'll find a host of unmatched sox and the like.
March 16, 2008
Robbed!
First off, let's insert some gratuitous and much needed profanities.
Once that's done... We're ready to discuss it.
Was away for the weekend. A visit out to Western Mass to spend time with the family. Actually, had a lot of fun. Played with my nephews and nieces wandered around the mall, got some stuff out of storage, and generally had fun.
Came back home to find change spilled all over the floor in my bedroom. (Was a little confused by this. Dropped the bags and looked around. All the drawers were opened, and it looked like everything had been rifled through. Went next door to check with the landlord -- had my roommate mentioned anything about our being robbed? Nope, and she just talked with him the other day. She promised to send over her husband, the cop.)
We looked around, he had me call 911 and then I got to spend some time with the police officer that came to take my statement and then the detectives that showed up to dust for prints.
Basically, as far as I could piece together. My roommate went out to a bar and picked up someone that didn't look skeevy. They came back to the apartment, had an enjoyable evening and then had breakfast in the morning. My roommate went back to bed. His friend hung out in the living room, watching TV. When my roommate woke up, his new friend was gone.
Gone, but not forgotten. He'd helped himself to some clothes in my room, money that I had lying around, my portable DVD player, some prescription drugs that I had, some jewlery, my old Palm, and a backpack. On the other hand, he was nice enough to leave me his clothes. So I guess he considered that a nice trade. Though I think my Doc Martens, my leather jackets, etc... were a little bit better than his work boots, chino's and sweater.
The best I can say is that all my really expensive stuff: the MacBook, the iPod, my digital camera, the cell phone, and my current Palm were all with me out in Western Mass, so it wasn't as bad as it could have been. It still annoys the living crap out of me, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been and no one got hurt.
I'll have a chat with my roommate tomorrow and we'll try to get this sorted out. I'll start cleaning things up, because I've got guests coming in this weekend and all next week.
Once that's done... We're ready to discuss it.
Was away for the weekend. A visit out to Western Mass to spend time with the family. Actually, had a lot of fun. Played with my nephews and nieces wandered around the mall, got some stuff out of storage, and generally had fun.
Came back home to find change spilled all over the floor in my bedroom. (Was a little confused by this. Dropped the bags and looked around. All the drawers were opened, and it looked like everything had been rifled through. Went next door to check with the landlord -- had my roommate mentioned anything about our being robbed? Nope, and she just talked with him the other day. She promised to send over her husband, the cop.)
We looked around, he had me call 911 and then I got to spend some time with the police officer that came to take my statement and then the detectives that showed up to dust for prints.
Basically, as far as I could piece together. My roommate went out to a bar and picked up someone that didn't look skeevy. They came back to the apartment, had an enjoyable evening and then had breakfast in the morning. My roommate went back to bed. His friend hung out in the living room, watching TV. When my roommate woke up, his new friend was gone.
Gone, but not forgotten. He'd helped himself to some clothes in my room, money that I had lying around, my portable DVD player, some prescription drugs that I had, some jewlery, my old Palm, and a backpack. On the other hand, he was nice enough to leave me his clothes. So I guess he considered that a nice trade. Though I think my Doc Martens, my leather jackets, etc... were a little bit better than his work boots, chino's and sweater.
The best I can say is that all my really expensive stuff: the MacBook, the iPod, my digital camera, the cell phone, and my current Palm were all with me out in Western Mass, so it wasn't as bad as it could have been. It still annoys the living crap out of me, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been and no one got hurt.
I'll have a chat with my roommate tomorrow and we'll try to get this sorted out. I'll start cleaning things up, because I've got guests coming in this weekend and all next week.
March 13, 2008
Night of the Sleep Study
And boy did I look like a dork.The good news is that we have some results already. The nurse was really nice and friendly as she strapped me in and applied all the sensors. She was also nice enough to take this picture for me.
She said that they had until 3am to decide whether I had sleep apnea. The fact that she came in before midnight to get me a CPAP mask answered any questions that I had about whether I had sleep apnea. She said it was really bad and that anyone that heard me could tell that I had sleep apnea.
They initially tried just a nose mask, but that didn't work much with my stuffed up nose and forty odd years of mouth-breathing. About twenty minutes later, she was back with a nose/mouth mask. I was breathing through that and though it dried the hell out of me, it did seem to work.
Initially, I had some trouble sleep and woke up several times. I had odd feelings about being shocked and zapped by the sensors at the beginning, but the nurse assured me that that couldn't happen and that I must have been dreaming. After I got the CPAP machine, I slept much more thoroughly. This could mean that I'll snore less and be much more awake and alert in my day to day life, when I get one of my own.
We'll see.
Update: And what's up with the education video that shows everyone with sleep apnea looking like Louie Anderson after a month long Ben & Jerry's eat-a-thon? If I didn't know that a thin person that I knew had sleep apnea, I would be feeling pretty fat after watching that.
March 12, 2008
Sleep Study Tonight
I've been off my allergy meds for a few days, so that I'll be able to be tested at worst case. And frankly I'm absolutely miserable. I think all I need now is a ragweed corsage to make this worse.
I'm looking forward to finding out if I have sleep apnea.
I'm looking forward to finding out if I have sleep apnea.
March 6, 2008
A couple of months in...
Okay, I've been back for a couple of months now.
Settling in, still having the same problems that I always have about balancing life and work, which usually means that life falters and more time goes into work. I'm not quite into the same routine that I had when I was in London with weekly visits to gaming and comic stores — mostly because I'm trying to stay away from them and getting some money in the bank that way.
Still need to get plugged into Ashmont a little more, or at the very least, using Peapod rather than massive trips to Trader Joe's and living off of frozen Mexican food and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for a couple of weeks. Granted, I eat out too much: eggs or a toasted bagel from the place by work and lunch from somewhere around there, as well. Dinner and weekends are really the only times that I cook. I miss having a well-stocked grocery store next to the office where I could nip in for some sliced mangos or pineapple whenever I had a craving.
Trying to go to the gym more. I was good for a few weeks of scheduling a M, W, F standing two pm gym appointment. Then work got crazy and deadlines and... The gym slipped down on the priority queue. Right now I'm trying to get into a before work (made it once so far) or after work (made it once so far) schedule. We'll see how that goes and more importantly, how I can keep from being one of those people that the gyms love: I give them money and don't use their equipment.
I finally moved the bulk of my stuff from storage in Western Mass to my apartment. So I have a futon for guests, a desk, books, CDs and games all set up. (Which is a good thing, because I've got visitors coming from Kansas City later this month.) There are still some boxes and I've got some plastic tubs that make a maze of getting to the closet in the office, but for the most part I'm almost ready for guests.
Need to write more, mostly because I keep getting distracted from projects with other projects. Ie; novel put down, so I can work on a short story for my niece, which makes me one to write something for other kids and then I need to... I'm sure you've seen the cascading excuses procrastination tree in your own life.
Hopefully, I'll get some time to just disappear and work on some of my own stuff soon. Of course, that might take winning the lottery and being able to build a moat.
Settling in, still having the same problems that I always have about balancing life and work, which usually means that life falters and more time goes into work. I'm not quite into the same routine that I had when I was in London with weekly visits to gaming and comic stores — mostly because I'm trying to stay away from them and getting some money in the bank that way.
Still need to get plugged into Ashmont a little more, or at the very least, using Peapod rather than massive trips to Trader Joe's and living off of frozen Mexican food and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for a couple of weeks. Granted, I eat out too much: eggs or a toasted bagel from the place by work and lunch from somewhere around there, as well. Dinner and weekends are really the only times that I cook. I miss having a well-stocked grocery store next to the office where I could nip in for some sliced mangos or pineapple whenever I had a craving.
Trying to go to the gym more. I was good for a few weeks of scheduling a M, W, F standing two pm gym appointment. Then work got crazy and deadlines and... The gym slipped down on the priority queue. Right now I'm trying to get into a before work (made it once so far) or after work (made it once so far) schedule. We'll see how that goes and more importantly, how I can keep from being one of those people that the gyms love: I give them money and don't use their equipment.
I finally moved the bulk of my stuff from storage in Western Mass to my apartment. So I have a futon for guests, a desk, books, CDs and games all set up. (Which is a good thing, because I've got visitors coming from Kansas City later this month.) There are still some boxes and I've got some plastic tubs that make a maze of getting to the closet in the office, but for the most part I'm almost ready for guests.
Need to write more, mostly because I keep getting distracted from projects with other projects. Ie; novel put down, so I can work on a short story for my niece, which makes me one to write something for other kids and then I need to... I'm sure you've seen the cascading excuses procrastination tree in your own life.
Hopefully, I'll get some time to just disappear and work on some of my own stuff soon. Of course, that might take winning the lottery and being able to build a moat.
March 2, 2008
Packages from the UK
I sent an enormous amount of packages from the UK to the US over the last couple of years. Whenever the stack of comics was too high, send them home. When I moved back, everything had to go.
One package recently made it to my brother's house. It was sealed in plastic and duct tape and looked as though it had been broken apart more than once.
I opened it today. Inside were my comics, a couple of tee-shirts to pad the box and a floral dressing gown for a man that would have made me seem tiny.
As I've never owned one of those, I was sort of at a loss. Obviously, several boxes were broken together. And seeing the tee-shirts, the postal worker, or sailer on the cargo ship, naturally thought that the dressing gown was mine, too.
Oddness.
One package recently made it to my brother's house. It was sealed in plastic and duct tape and looked as though it had been broken apart more than once.
I opened it today. Inside were my comics, a couple of tee-shirts to pad the box and a floral dressing gown for a man that would have made me seem tiny.
As I've never owned one of those, I was sort of at a loss. Obviously, several boxes were broken together. And seeing the tee-shirts, the postal worker, or sailer on the cargo ship, naturally thought that the dressing gown was mine, too.
Oddness.
March 1, 2008
February 28, 2008
Schadenfreude Moving
Dear God,
Could today have gone any worse?
It starts at the UHaul place. My father had arrived 20 minutes early and was freaking out because there was no truck under my name. I got there and got it sorted, they had a truck, but my name was mistyped. They gave me a truck with three-quarters of a tank, rather than the full tank that I had initialed the contract about.
We get to the storage place and get to my unit. The lock was frozen. Happily, my father had a screwdriver and a hammer in his car. With some judicious smacking, we got the lock rotating. Unfortunately, we couldn't get the damned thing to open. Dad had a hacksaw. (I do hope he's also got a jack otherwise, he's going to have some troubles with a flat.)
While they worked on that, I went to the office to see if I could get a bolt cutter to snap the lock. They promised to send someone out. My father and my brother had sawed almost through it, when the lock popped open.
Now the storage unit door wouldn't open. (There was ice covering it.) My brother and my father were chipping away at the ice, but it didn't do much good. The maintenance guy came by with the bolt cutters. That wasn't useful, but he went and got some ice chippers. That worked much better to get the door opened.
Then the drive to Boston began. We got to the place and I went to the front door and remembered something. Before we left, I had printed off directions, so that we'd be covered in case we got separated. Unfortunately, I left my USB thumb drive in the computer - with the key ring it was attached to. That was about 150 miles back and almost 90 minutes ago.
While I was freaking out about that, my brother and my father showed up. My good news/bad news attempt at humor didn't go over well.
I checked with my landlord - no one was home - called my roommate - away from his desk - and figured we couldn't do anything until they called, so we went to grab some lunch.
Once I got the landlord's key, moving in was short, simple and easy.
I drive to the UHaul to drop off the truck - and promptly get lost. I call UHaul, who tells me that they don't have a UHaul location at the address I was given. They give me a different address. I drive to it and find it's the same place that I was going to. My address is their side street, the address I had just gotten was the main street it was on.
As expected, there was nothing that I could do about the gas. I had initialized it. But they also wouldn't accept the truck because there was some crap in the back that was in there when I got it. So I had to clean all of that out, before they'd take the damned truck. I shoved it all into a trash can at the place.
And as an added bonus, when I got home, I found out that tickets for a friend to visit were wrong and I need to go to Orbitz tomorrow and try to change them. AIGH!
At least the day is almost over.
Could today have gone any worse?
It starts at the UHaul place. My father had arrived 20 minutes early and was freaking out because there was no truck under my name. I got there and got it sorted, they had a truck, but my name was mistyped. They gave me a truck with three-quarters of a tank, rather than the full tank that I had initialed the contract about.
We get to the storage place and get to my unit. The lock was frozen. Happily, my father had a screwdriver and a hammer in his car. With some judicious smacking, we got the lock rotating. Unfortunately, we couldn't get the damned thing to open. Dad had a hacksaw. (I do hope he's also got a jack otherwise, he's going to have some troubles with a flat.)
While they worked on that, I went to the office to see if I could get a bolt cutter to snap the lock. They promised to send someone out. My father and my brother had sawed almost through it, when the lock popped open.
Now the storage unit door wouldn't open. (There was ice covering it.) My brother and my father were chipping away at the ice, but it didn't do much good. The maintenance guy came by with the bolt cutters. That wasn't useful, but he went and got some ice chippers. That worked much better to get the door opened.
Then the drive to Boston began. We got to the place and I went to the front door and remembered something. Before we left, I had printed off directions, so that we'd be covered in case we got separated. Unfortunately, I left my USB thumb drive in the computer - with the key ring it was attached to. That was about 150 miles back and almost 90 minutes ago.
While I was freaking out about that, my brother and my father showed up. My good news/bad news attempt at humor didn't go over well.
I checked with my landlord - no one was home - called my roommate - away from his desk - and figured we couldn't do anything until they called, so we went to grab some lunch.
Once I got the landlord's key, moving in was short, simple and easy.
I drive to the UHaul to drop off the truck - and promptly get lost. I call UHaul, who tells me that they don't have a UHaul location at the address I was given. They give me a different address. I drive to it and find it's the same place that I was going to. My address is their side street, the address I had just gotten was the main street it was on.
As expected, there was nothing that I could do about the gas. I had initialized it. But they also wouldn't accept the truck because there was some crap in the back that was in there when I got it. So I had to clean all of that out, before they'd take the damned truck. I shoved it all into a trash can at the place.
And as an added bonus, when I got home, I found out that tickets for a friend to visit were wrong and I need to go to Orbitz tomorrow and try to change them. AIGH!
At least the day is almost over.
February 26, 2008
Sleep Study
Woo! I have an appointment. Now I just need to find some footie jammies, so that I don't scare the nurses by sleep in the raw.
February 25, 2008
Ah... Health Care...
Okay, I'm perfectly willing to say that I was spoiled by the UK health care system while I was over there. Say what you like about the National Health Service (NHS), it was simple. You go to the doctor in your neighborhood, they take care of you, and because of my medical condition, I even got free meds. No hassles with insurance or anything like that, the only issue is that I might have to wait a few weeks for an appointment. When I had to go to the hospital, ambulance, visit and meds were all free and the care fantastic.
Now, I'm back home in Boston. My doctor refers me to a sleep center to get checked for sleep apnea. I call the referral number. They can't do anything because they haven't been given a fax from my doctor. I call my doctor and get bounced to the referral department of the health center that he works with. They can't do anything until they get a doctor's name. I call the sleep center. They can't give me a doctor's name until they have a referral.
Jesus H. Christ!
I called back. Oh, no. It's less of a referral that they need than a doctor's order, so that they know what I need and where I'll be going. Okay, I told them where I lived and explained that we're just trying to find out if I have sleep apnea. Unfortunately, that doesn't nail it down enough.
More phone calls and more annoyance on both ends. At least now, it's back with my doctor faxing something to the sleep center so that hopefully they'll let me schedule an appointment.
Happily, this isn't the same for all things. I called up my doctor and got an appointment to see him in a month or so. And a referral to the dermatologist is only about a week away. So at least that's working okay.
Now, I'm back home in Boston. My doctor refers me to a sleep center to get checked for sleep apnea. I call the referral number. They can't do anything because they haven't been given a fax from my doctor. I call my doctor and get bounced to the referral department of the health center that he works with. They can't do anything until they get a doctor's name. I call the sleep center. They can't give me a doctor's name until they have a referral.
Jesus H. Christ!
I called back. Oh, no. It's less of a referral that they need than a doctor's order, so that they know what I need and where I'll be going. Okay, I told them where I lived and explained that we're just trying to find out if I have sleep apnea. Unfortunately, that doesn't nail it down enough.
More phone calls and more annoyance on both ends. At least now, it's back with my doctor faxing something to the sleep center so that hopefully they'll let me schedule an appointment.
Happily, this isn't the same for all things. I called up my doctor and got an appointment to see him in a month or so. And a referral to the dermatologist is only about a week away. So at least that's working okay.
February 14, 2008
February 13, 2008
Quiet Week
Fighting a miserable cold.
As well as miserable code, at work, but that's a different issue.
Cough my way through the days at work, then go home to curl up in bed with a pile of comics that I've slowly been making my way through.
All in all, I think the only thing taht I've been missing is ginger ale and ritz crackers liberally spread with peanut butter to feel like I'm 8 again.
As well as miserable code, at work, but that's a different issue.
Cough my way through the days at work, then go home to curl up in bed with a pile of comics that I've slowly been making my way through.
All in all, I think the only thing taht I've been missing is ginger ale and ritz crackers liberally spread with peanut butter to feel like I'm 8 again.
February 9, 2008
February 5, 2008
Primary Day!
It's Primary Day in Mass. (And many other states around the country.) Don't forget to get out and do your civic duty today!
February 3, 2008
Another bad diet day...
It's been a while, but I fell off the B&J's wagon.
But boy did it taste good.
But boy did it taste good.
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