Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Monday, November 27, 2006
Thanksgiving
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair...I think I was about 10 when I first heard these words being quoted and talked about by my older siblings. I remember thinking that it all sounded rather ridiculous--how could it be the best of times and also be the worst of times, etc? What foolishness!
But now I get it.
This year has probably been the hardest of my life. And at the same time there's so much to be thankful for--to list a few: the miracles that I've witnessed, those who have been my support, my knowledge that I have a Heavenly Father who knows and loves me as an individual and a Savior who understands and can heal my pains.
So this year Thanksgiving has been especially meaningful to me.
Thanks for putting my thoughts so well, Mr. Dickens.
Monday, November 13, 2006
On Hold
Ugh.
A few months back I posted on trying to get reimbursed for Marty's glasses. Well, guess what.
I'm still trying.
Quick recap: In August I mailed in the claim. In September when I called to follow up on it, there was no record of it. Oh, but I should have submitted it through NC, not MD.
New stuff: I mailed the claim into NC. And when I tried to follow up on it, surprise, surprise, still no record of it. And then I got a denial from the group that covers our vision benefits--it was denied because it's not covered--by our VISION benefits. But it IS covered by our MEDICAL benefits. It seems someone saw that it was for glasses and thought they'd go ahead and forward it. Except they shouldn't have.
And then I made another phone call. I spoke to a nice person name CaramelApple. She said, "Hey, why don't you fax that stuff on to me, and I'll take care of it."
So I faxed it.
I even called to verify that the fax was received. It was.
And then I waited some more before calling again. STILL. NO. RECORD. OF. THIS. CLAIM. This time I talked to Ms. TatorTot. She told me to re-fax it to her. I tried. The fax failed twice. So I called to verify that I had the right fax number. I was given another number, and it failed twice too. So I faxed it ATTN: Ms. TatorTot to the same number CaramelApple had given me because Ms. TatorTot had mentioned that CaramelApple worked just a few aisles away and that she was the only Ms. TatorTot that worked there. Finally the fax worked.
But not exactly right.
But first, I got another DENIAL from the vision benefits group.
I called to check on the status of my last fax, and their record in the computer (which I'm sure is getting lengthy for me) indicated that Ms. TatorTot was still waiting on the fax. So I was given yet another fax number for her. Fax went through.
And this time, for good measure I also faxed it to our case manager, who technically isn't supposed to do this stuff, but I've discovered that she can help make things happen.
And then I called to confirm that Ms. TatorTot had received it.
I sat on hold. I talked to someone who put me on hold. I talked to someone else who put me on hold. Then I talked to SodaPop, who happens to be Ms. TatorTot's supervisor. She gave me Ms. TatorTot's personal fax number (not a number I'd been given) and her own personal fax number. She said she herself would work on it and even apologized for how much trouble this is being.
Tomorrow I plan to call to make sure at least one of today's four faxes got received and is being processed. And hopefully not being forwarded to the vision group.
A few months back I posted on trying to get reimbursed for Marty's glasses. Well, guess what.
I'm still trying.
Quick recap: In August I mailed in the claim. In September when I called to follow up on it, there was no record of it. Oh, but I should have submitted it through NC, not MD.
New stuff: I mailed the claim into NC. And when I tried to follow up on it, surprise, surprise, still no record of it. And then I got a denial from the group that covers our vision benefits--it was denied because it's not covered--by our VISION benefits. But it IS covered by our MEDICAL benefits. It seems someone saw that it was for glasses and thought they'd go ahead and forward it. Except they shouldn't have.
And then I made another phone call. I spoke to a nice person name CaramelApple. She said, "Hey, why don't you fax that stuff on to me, and I'll take care of it."
So I faxed it.
I even called to verify that the fax was received. It was.
And then I waited some more before calling again. STILL. NO. RECORD. OF. THIS. CLAIM. This time I talked to Ms. TatorTot. She told me to re-fax it to her. I tried. The fax failed twice. So I called to verify that I had the right fax number. I was given another number, and it failed twice too. So I faxed it ATTN: Ms. TatorTot to the same number CaramelApple had given me because Ms. TatorTot had mentioned that CaramelApple worked just a few aisles away and that she was the only Ms. TatorTot that worked there. Finally the fax worked.
But not exactly right.
But first, I got another DENIAL from the vision benefits group.
I called to check on the status of my last fax, and their record in the computer (which I'm sure is getting lengthy for me) indicated that Ms. TatorTot was still waiting on the fax. So I was given yet another fax number for her. Fax went through.
And this time, for good measure I also faxed it to our case manager, who technically isn't supposed to do this stuff, but I've discovered that she can help make things happen.
And then I called to confirm that Ms. TatorTot had received it.
I sat on hold. I talked to someone who put me on hold. I talked to someone else who put me on hold. Then I talked to SodaPop, who happens to be Ms. TatorTot's supervisor. She gave me Ms. TatorTot's personal fax number (not a number I'd been given) and her own personal fax number. She said she herself would work on it and even apologized for how much trouble this is being.
Tomorrow I plan to call to make sure at least one of today's four faxes got received and is being processed. And hopefully not being forwarded to the vision group.
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Art
I had a great weekend. It was Veteran's day, so I had Friday off. Nice!
I went to lunch with a friend of mine and she started to tell me her plan to learn to paint and then give all of her relatives paintings for Christmas this year.
This talk of painting reminded me of the Monet exhibit currently at the NC Art Museum. So since neither of us had any prior plans for the afternoon, that's where we went. We walked around the grounds, we looked at some of the permanent collection, and then it was time for Monet.
One of the neatest pieces in the regular collection was a recreation of The Mona Lisa's face, upside down, and out of spools of thread. The upside down part made much more sense as I approached the work because another part of the piece was a sphere, which inverted the image when you looked into it, so there she was staring out at you and right side up.
I thought it was interesting that for the permanent collection pieces, I felt like I got more out of the experience by reading the accompanying blurbs. But with the Monet collection I enjoyed it most when I just experienced the art viscerally.
On Saturday I took a little road trip up to Richmond, Virginia. And as it happened, I ended up at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. I really liked this gallery. I like that it was a neat building in and of itself, not just because it houses neat stuff. There was a room of Faberge (and Fauxberge) pieces. There was a room highlighting the artistry of silversmiths--with beautifully intricate and very polished and shiny serving trays, teapots, candelabras, etc. Their highlighted temporary exhibit was called "Speed" and included pieces that expressed speed and motion in the work (paintings of roads, dancing sculptures, etc.).
There was also a room where you go to do some hands on things (this was related to the silver collection). You could do rubbings. Or mix and match parts of magnetic versions of the tea sets they had on display--put the base from one dish with the bowl of another with the spout or lid or handle or whatever of another. I like museums that not only have great things on display to look at, but give you a chance to be a part of it too--to do.
I didn't get a chance to see everything. In fact, I felt like I was just getting started when they started roping off rooms--they were gently letting us know that it was 5 and they were closing.
Now here's another great thing about both of these museums--they are free! Mostly. The Monet Exhibit here in NC wasn't. But it is to see their permanent collections. And the VMFA while technically free, they ask for donations to allow it to remain free. But it's well worth their suggested $5 donation. It's worth more than that even. And I didn't even get to see everything. I definitely want to get back to both of them to finish what I started.
So there you go.
I went to lunch with a friend of mine and she started to tell me her plan to learn to paint and then give all of her relatives paintings for Christmas this year.
This talk of painting reminded me of the Monet exhibit currently at the NC Art Museum. So since neither of us had any prior plans for the afternoon, that's where we went. We walked around the grounds, we looked at some of the permanent collection, and then it was time for Monet.
One of the neatest pieces in the regular collection was a recreation of The Mona Lisa's face, upside down, and out of spools of thread. The upside down part made much more sense as I approached the work because another part of the piece was a sphere, which inverted the image when you looked into it, so there she was staring out at you and right side up.
I thought it was interesting that for the permanent collection pieces, I felt like I got more out of the experience by reading the accompanying blurbs. But with the Monet collection I enjoyed it most when I just experienced the art viscerally.
On Saturday I took a little road trip up to Richmond, Virginia. And as it happened, I ended up at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. I really liked this gallery. I like that it was a neat building in and of itself, not just because it houses neat stuff. There was a room of Faberge (and Fauxberge) pieces. There was a room highlighting the artistry of silversmiths--with beautifully intricate and very polished and shiny serving trays, teapots, candelabras, etc. Their highlighted temporary exhibit was called "Speed" and included pieces that expressed speed and motion in the work (paintings of roads, dancing sculptures, etc.).
There was also a room where you go to do some hands on things (this was related to the silver collection). You could do rubbings. Or mix and match parts of magnetic versions of the tea sets they had on display--put the base from one dish with the bowl of another with the spout or lid or handle or whatever of another. I like museums that not only have great things on display to look at, but give you a chance to be a part of it too--to do.
I didn't get a chance to see everything. In fact, I felt like I was just getting started when they started roping off rooms--they were gently letting us know that it was 5 and they were closing.
Now here's another great thing about both of these museums--they are free! Mostly. The Monet Exhibit here in NC wasn't. But it is to see their permanent collections. And the VMFA while technically free, they ask for donations to allow it to remain free. But it's well worth their suggested $5 donation. It's worth more than that even. And I didn't even get to see everything. I definitely want to get back to both of them to finish what I started.
So there you go.
Monday, November 06, 2006
Without further ado
OK, so here's the recipe for Seven Layer Cookies:
Melt 1 stick of butter in 9x13 pan and mix with 1 1/2 cups of graham cracker crumbs. Pat into crust on bottom of pan. (layers 1 and 2)
Sprinkle on:
1 cup chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts, layer 3)
1 cup chocolate chips (layer 4)
1 cup butterscotch chips (layer 5)
1 1/2 cups coconut (layer 6)
Drizzle with 1 can of sweetened condensed milk (layer 7).
Bake 350 degrees, 25 minutes. Enjoy!
Hey M, J is hungry and would like you to make some of these and overnight them to him. OK?
Melt 1 stick of butter in 9x13 pan and mix with 1 1/2 cups of graham cracker crumbs. Pat into crust on bottom of pan. (layers 1 and 2)
Sprinkle on:
1 cup chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts, layer 3)
1 cup chocolate chips (layer 4)
1 cup butterscotch chips (layer 5)
1 1/2 cups coconut (layer 6)
Drizzle with 1 can of sweetened condensed milk (layer 7).
Bake 350 degrees, 25 minutes. Enjoy!
Hey M, J is hungry and would like you to make some of these and overnight them to him. OK?
Saturday, November 04, 2006
Craftier than Burnt Toast
With the suggestion of a Stash Reduction Contest and the allure of bonus points, how could I resist? My projects so far:
We recently got our stuff out of storage in Arizona. However, not quite everything made it. This platter came back missing a screw and washers. Not so useful that way.
I took a trip to the hardware store, and found what I needed. They didn't have plastic washers like I wanted, but they did have little plastic discs that I could turn into washers. Plate fixed for under $4. Points: it cost a little money, but not too bad. And now it's good as new. 20 points for this.
For those who have been to my apartment, you might have noticed something in that first picture. That's right. My dining room table no longer belongs to the computer. In fact, my table even gets place mats these days. This aspect of apartment organization was made possible by our downstairs neighbor who moved out. He gave us a desk, which relieved the table of that task. We still don't really eat at the table, but at least it looks better.
5 points.
This little Indian purse of mine has been kicking around for years. But the stitching had come completely out and the ties were no where to be found. Last night I decided it was finally time to do something. First I got out the leather cleaner. Then the sewing stuff. My thumb and forefinger are still sore from working the needle through the tough leather. The ties were a little tricky. I rummaged around the house for a bit and settled on the shoelace from one of the hiking boots that returned from Arizona but fit neither Marty nor I. Perfect! I would give myself 20 points for this, but I feel a little bad that when I give Good Will the boots, one of them will be missing a shoelace. So I'll just take 15 for this one.
And finally, today's project was to do something in that spare bedroom of ours. Photos. When I started we had a disorganized mass of pictures that took up two plastic bins plus a whole other box.
It took me a lot longer than I thought it would. My last camera was an APS one, so I had about 30 film thinggers. I was very excited when I discovered that I could actually identify (at least by year and location) what each roll contained. As for the pictures themselves: I did a presort--pictures that others in the family might be more interested in, high school and before, trash, and semi-recent (OK, this category extended back about 7 or so years). After the presort my main focus was on the semi-recent group. I organized them chronologically and put 300 of my favorites into an album that we got as a wedding present but that has remained empty until today. The rest fit nicely into just one plastic bin and a photo box. 
(Strange how much it helps to throw away the pictures that are just bad). Oh, for those who might be interested, I was thinking that I'd bring the pictures in the "pictures that others in the family might be more interested in" category with me to Thanksgiving and Christmas (I have a bunch of Pooka and Harvey's wedding reception, and both Ree's and Boss's high school graduations as well as many, many more). The total cost: free. I got to use both the photo box and the album in the functions for which they were made, and as a bonus, it freed up a plastic bin. Plus, I had a good time reminiscing. Points: at the start of the day I thought this would be a 20 point project. It got bigger than I thought I would. In the end I'd say it was a 50 pointer. But, I've lost one of the film canisters from one of the rolls of film from our wedding, so minus 5 for letting the photo situation get to this point in the first place.
Total point this post: I don't know. You go back and add it up! :)
We recently got our stuff out of storage in Arizona. However, not quite everything made it. This platter came back missing a screw and washers. Not so useful that way.
I took a trip to the hardware store, and found what I needed. They didn't have plastic washers like I wanted, but they did have little plastic discs that I could turn into washers. Plate fixed for under $4. Points: it cost a little money, but not too bad. And now it's good as new. 20 points for this.
For those who have been to my apartment, you might have noticed something in that first picture. That's right. My dining room table no longer belongs to the computer. In fact, my table even gets place mats these days. This aspect of apartment organization was made possible by our downstairs neighbor who moved out. He gave us a desk, which relieved the table of that task. We still don't really eat at the table, but at least it looks better.
5 points.This little Indian purse of mine has been kicking around for years. But the stitching had come completely out and the ties were no where to be found. Last night I decided it was finally time to do something. First I got out the leather cleaner. Then the sewing stuff. My thumb and forefinger are still sore from working the needle through the tough leather. The ties were a little tricky. I rummaged around the house for a bit and settled on the shoelace from one of the hiking boots that returned from Arizona but fit neither Marty nor I. Perfect! I would give myself 20 points for this, but I feel a little bad that when I give Good Will the boots, one of them will be missing a shoelace. So I'll just take 15 for this one.
And finally, today's project was to do something in that spare bedroom of ours. Photos. When I started we had a disorganized mass of pictures that took up two plastic bins plus a whole other box.
It took me a lot longer than I thought it would. My last camera was an APS one, so I had about 30 film thinggers. I was very excited when I discovered that I could actually identify (at least by year and location) what each roll contained. As for the pictures themselves: I did a presort--pictures that others in the family might be more interested in, high school and before, trash, and semi-recent (OK, this category extended back about 7 or so years). After the presort my main focus was on the semi-recent group. I organized them chronologically and put 300 of my favorites into an album that we got as a wedding present but that has remained empty until today. The rest fit nicely into just one plastic bin and a photo box. 
(Strange how much it helps to throw away the pictures that are just bad). Oh, for those who might be interested, I was thinking that I'd bring the pictures in the "pictures that others in the family might be more interested in" category with me to Thanksgiving and Christmas (I have a bunch of Pooka and Harvey's wedding reception, and both Ree's and Boss's high school graduations as well as many, many more). The total cost: free. I got to use both the photo box and the album in the functions for which they were made, and as a bonus, it freed up a plastic bin. Plus, I had a good time reminiscing. Points: at the start of the day I thought this would be a 20 point project. It got bigger than I thought I would. In the end I'd say it was a 50 pointer. But, I've lost one of the film canisters from one of the rolls of film from our wedding, so minus 5 for letting the photo situation get to this point in the first place.Total point this post: I don't know. You go back and add it up! :)
Thursday, November 02, 2006
A hypothetical...
If I spend the day alternately munching on candy and carrots, do they cancel out?
Here's hoping!
Here's hoping!
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