Angel Shit...aka 'Snow'

I JUST made it into work.

Lucky me.

All the other co-workers that can come and go when they want (re: Sales People) are at home right now. We had a snow fall after everything had melted off. Which means there is a lot of water, then it freezes. They couldn't get in. School busses off the road, emergency vehicles...a mess.

Everyone sing with me...."Slip slidin' away......"

I would rather have a ton of snow, then this lil covering of snow. Plus I didn't hear any plows this morning with their metal eating salt, dumping on the ground. That's always a bad sign. That means they got surprised.

Well...when weather man is only 9% right, how could you NOT get surprised?

After 12 years of living here, it still freaks me out to feel the car's anti-lock breaks grinding away and my car still headed right for the four way stop intersection. No control...that's a bad, bad feeling.

BEST Buy.....I think not.

The ol bait and switch. It's illegal, but that doesn't keep folks from doing it.

We are in the market for a flat screen tv. Do we need it? No. Do we want it? Yes. Can we afford it? Heck no...but that doesn't mean we don't want it any less.

We've tried to look through the Best Buy circulars and pick out something from there before. It's the biggest ad in there. It's their spotlight item. It has financing and free delivery and all the bells and whistles to go with it. And guess what....

THEY DON'T HAVE ANY OF THEM!

Not one. In fact, the tv we wanted, was -20 in the computer. -20?? Really??

You're telling me that not only was ALL the stock in ALL the stores sold out, but you offered 20 rain checks to folks, after you told me you don't give rain checks? For a 'green' tv that cost $999 when you have regular ol tvs for MUCH less hanging on the wall? You're telling me that you have soooo many people coming in today to buy a eco-friendly tv for a grand that you over sold them.

BULLSHIT!!!

I handed the lil man back his folder and said "Thanks." before he could launch into, "But we have a very nice TV over here for $1,500 that would work for you." OR "I have a tv over here that is half that price, but doesn't come with speakers or jacks for speakers."

I'm so sick of people thinking I, the consumer, is stupid. I'll be writing a lil letter to BS Buy today and telling them that this is not the first time that I've gone into their store and had this kind of treatment.

Will it fall on deaf ears? Yes. Will I get any satisfaction out of it? Probably not. But you know what, someone has to make a stink. And I'm tired of it being the folks that get the results!

"They've sent us a message... that they can take whatever they want. Well we will send them a message. That this... this is our land!" ~Jake Sully

We saw Avatar, in 3D, last week. Breathtaking!

We've come a looooong way from sitting with one lens red and the other blue, squinting at the House of Wax, my first 3D movie.

It's not about arrows flying at you or bodies falling on you anymore. It's about 'depth'. You really felt like you could reach into the screen.

And while I heard so-so reviews and some negative press on the movie, I thought is was great! Yes the storyline was a lil predictable, but really, did you think you were going to Gone With The Wind? I never for a second thought I was seeing an Oscar contender. (which, by the way, I usually think suck anyway)

Then I started thinking....I'm sure the over all message for military domination in a negative light, probably got the Conservative owned news outlets a lil itchy. I can totally see my folks HATING this movie for the message. (tighty, whitie, righties that they are)

Then I tripped over a discussion board for folks sooooo depressed that they will never live or achieve Pandora, the alien landscape in the movie, that they were seeking help and suicidal.

WHAT THE EVER LOVIN' FUCK IS THAT ABOUT!??!?

Seriously??? I mean...the 3D was really fanfuckintastic, but to be suicidal cuz you fell head first into a fantasy and you can't pull yourself out?? Really?!?!

You're missing the point here folks. And this is why we can't get anything done around here. We ARE in Pandora. We have to work to get it tho. And instead of hopping yourself up on goofballs cuz you can't play blue alien patty fingers with the trees, get up and DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!!

Electric cars. Wind power. Green roofs. Water barrels. Recycle, reuse, restore! It's there...we have to work to get it. If you spent your money on the environment and making positive changes, instead of Zoloft....think of what we could do!

Nothing bugs me more than people that just lay down and give up. Or people that won't help themselves. Now I know there are those that, due to sickness or genetics or whatever, can't help it. But come on!

Things won't change unless we change them. You want Pandora? Create it!

I dare you!

Insurance Bill Freak Out!

I've gotten to that age where I'm becoming dry, from the inside out. And the hair that once grew on my legs, is now coming out my chin.

I LOVE being a girl!!!

To that, there are certain 'tests' we get to take at the doctors that are necessary, but unpleasant. I've been taking such tests. And to cover them, I have my new insurance from my company that kicked in July 2009.

All the bills have come back UNPAID! Reason? Pre-existing condition.

Really?? What condition is that? BEING A FUCKING WOMAN?!?!?

{{{OK...breathe....dial it back. Remember the resolution dealing with your Hulk like tendencies.}}}}

Nothing jams my muffin more than insurance issues right now. Cuz you know it's a scam and one misstep will get you tossed!

After re-submitting bills two or three times with information they didn't seem to have, I got a call from my eye doctor yesterday. They are NOT treating me for a pre-existing condition, I'll thank you very much. "Your insurance keeps denying payment due to a pre-existing conditions. We are billing you again, but you might want to call someone, this should be covered."

And before you say, "Well...idiot...why didn't you do that in the first place??", just you wait!

So I call. Sue, a very friendly BC/BS phone worker, smile in her voice, informed me that my company, MY COMPANY, puts a hold on all new members to the insurance plan and they don't pay a dime, till you PROVE YOU'RE NOT SICK.

WTF?

You didn't see that one coming, did ya? Neither did I!

Ya, so it seems that until you give them this form that claims you don't have a pre-existing condition, then they won't "open" up your insurance. I've been without payments for 6 months!

"But there is a short cut, you could just let me know if haven't been to the doctor 90 days from your sign up date.", Sue's tone was now getting a lil snarky. Like she was going to trap me in something.

"Let's see," sound of searching the calendar, "Have you been to the doctor for anything more than a cold between April 1 to July 1 2009?" I could hear the "Hmmmmm???" implied.

I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW MY INSURANCE WAS BEING HELD BY THE EVIL WIZARD TILL I FOUND THE MAGIC ELF WHO COULD UNLOCK A SECRET DOCUMENT TO FREE THE MONEY FAIRIES TO PAY MY BILLS!!

And Suuuuuuuuueeeeee.....Snarky Suuuuuueeeee wants me to remember if I had been to the doctor LAST YEAR?!?!?!

{{{Breathe.....dude....you're losing it.....it's only January 7th. Don't blow the resolutions so soon!}}}

I said I couldn't remember if I had. Thinking this might be a trick. If I lied, they could cancel my plan for falsifying insurance documents. It could happen! I've seen Sicko.

"Ok...you're going to need to get me the HEPA Certificate from your prior insure."

"It was BC/BS."

"There are MANY offices for BC/BS. We don't necessarily keep each others records."

"But I have that document to HQ when I signed up for your insurance."

"Well then....HQ probably has it. I don't."

"But how did I get the insurance approved if you didn't get that?"

"Ms. Gilbert....if you could fax that form to me, we can go from there."

Thankfully, I filed that cute lil note from my previous insurer, and faxed it to snarky Sue. Now, that 's just a hand written letter that says, "Hey, she was totally insured by us for years!" My guess is I'll get a lil ol jingle from Ms. Snarky and she will say, "Well you need THIS official document before we can process any of these claims."

'Insurance' is actually Latin for: I'm not paying a god damn dime, if I can get away with it.

Well....I'm not paying a god damn bill till I get socialized medicine! Then I could get treated this crappy, just not have to pay for it!

I'm not dead.....yet. Just busy.

It's been a loooong holiday season ya'll.

I managed to survive a trip to Cali with holiday travel, barely. I managed to get through a visit with my folks without political upheaval, almost. I got back to winter and was relieved, sort of.

No more Xmas travel for us. I put my size 12 stompers down. It's the most expensive and probably the worst time to travel. Why do we do it then? I told my family that we would rather put in a couple long weekend trips that weren't during holidays, then try to swim up stream through the crush.

They weren't happy, but they get it.

What we would really like to do, and haven't been able to do for 12 years, is wake up at home on Xmas morning. I think we will try to make that happen for 2010. Put that at the top of the bucket list!

Now come the bills' YIKES! Another facet of traveling at Xmas is that after you spend all the dough to travel and buy gifts, you basically spend MORE money to "vacation" during the holidays.

For instance; we went to Disneyland. I love me some Disneyland! $74 per ticket, folks. OUCH! Then you get in the park and you have to eat...a LOT. Then there are the trinkets you want to bring home.

I don't even want to know how much I spent there. Thank Oprah I don't balance my checkbook. Ignorance is bliss.

Now we wait...for the bills. Ho Ho Ho Humbug!

Oh....and that dude decided to light us undies on fire right before we were flying home! Great timing right? I had to buy nice underwear before we flew, just in case I had a strip search on the way home.

Holidays are a wonderful time to spend with family, unless you're 3000 miles away. Maybe folks want to come to NY for 2010, I'm gonna say this year's Xmas theme is "Home sweet home".