kerowyn_16

kerowyn_16 @ 2009-05-20T13:17:00

2009-05-20T20:31:58Z

Stupid Guardian, stupid stupid health insurance. Two more claims got screwed up, but at least they're already on their way to being fixed (or at least, "submitted for adjustment", which is better than nothing?) One claim was denied because whoever was beating their head against the keyboard when my name came up decided that I wasn't covered for any preventative care under our health plan that covers preventative care. The other claim was a correction - the initial claim for that office visit got denied because the doctor's office didn't fill out the claim form correctly and needed to resubmit it. The resubmission was classified as a duplicate claim and summarily denied.

The phone rep told me she was impressed by how carefully I read all of my Explanation of Benefits forms. Really, is it any wonder I'm so paranoid, when so far three of our eight claims this year have had errors, and of the five correct ones three of those revealed mistakes made by our doctor's offices? A 25% correct rate does not inspire confidence, it inspires a strong desire to move to Canada.

kerowyn_16 @ 2009-04-26T21:44:00

2009-04-27T05:08:25Z

Hooray for weekends! A nice small gathering with plenty of board games (and To Court the King, a dice game I really enjoyed), groaning in frustration when the Giants threw away a 4-1 lead in the bottom of the 9th to eventually lose to the Diamondbacks 4-5 in the bottom of the 12th, and then let's round out the weekend with a night of sushi and jazz with my dad at Yoshi's. I was amused that my dad has decided that of the two of us I'm the sushi expert, so I ordered for both of us for dinner tonight (accidentally cuing the waitress to bring me the check too, but Dad won't have that!) We saw Marcus Roberts on piano, playing twists on old standards (think The Entertainer) with Jason Marsalis on drums and Will Goldman on bass. The bass player is one to watch - seemed inexperienced but he's got a great sound.

kerowyn_16 @ 2009-04-24T12:51:00

2009-04-24T20:05:11Z

The police in my area use decoys to get people to obey stop signs! I was on my long walk, and at two different four-way stops I saw the same thing - a police car parked on the side of the road, in the shade, with a dummy dressed as an officer posed in the front seat as if it were watching traffic! It was completely convincing until I got within about fifteen feet of it, and certainly from a moving vehicle you wouldn't be able to tell the difference until you came to a full and complete stop anyway. Really cute, next time I see it I'll snap a picture.

Random recommendation for anyone who happens to read this - check out the Planet Money podcast from April 22nd. Most of it is about the economics of modern piracy, really interesting stuff that you don't really think about - for instance, that pirates clock in and out with time sheets.

And in other news, hell yeah, twelve miles today in 3:06, that's a 15:30 mile average and right on track for my race-day goal. Feeling great about my progress - only five more weeks until the See Jane Run!

kerowyn_16 @ 2009-04-22T14:27:00

2009-04-22T21:50:26Z

(Stream of swearing omitted, but just imagine it's there...) So I got another letter from our health insurance provider today. I just found out that Spam's doctor is now out-of-network. Actually, he's been out-of-network since his office canceled their contract with our insurance just two weeks after we confirmed he was in-network. And they didn't tell us anything about canceling the contract, and of course we didn't think to recheck their status before each appointment, and now our 100%-coverage insurance plan is just going to smile and point at our separate out-of-network deductible as we pull out the check book.

Oh, and the kick in the pants is that I found out all of this because Guardian sent me a notice that the doctor had screwed up filing the claim for an office visit and needed to try again without sucking this time.

I am so fed up, it's not even funny anymore.

kerowyn_16 @ 2009-04-20T18:46:00

2009-04-21T01:49:33Z

Okay, this is just ridiculous. If you want to buy tickets to a Giants game, there's a $3-per-ticket "convenience" fee for buying them online, a $2-per-ticket surcharge for buying them at the box office the same day as the game, and a $0.50-per-ticket fee for purchasing them at the box office before the game. How are you supposed to buy the tickets at the base ticket price then?

kerowyn_16 @ 2009-04-19T17:49:00

2009-04-20T01:05:16Z

Baseball season has officially begun! Okay, I know we're like three weeks in, but it was my first game of the season, therefore, the official start. It was a good game, Giants beat the Diamondbacks 2-0. If you're at all interested in baseball and are mathematically inclined you may find the site Fan Graphs interesting. It shows play-by-play analysis of every major league game played, live during the game, focusing on the win expectancy and win-probability-added at the end of every play. Fun place for someone who's a bit geeky for math and baseball to spend an afternoon, so of course I like it.

kerowyn_16 @ 2009-04-16T22:25:00

2009-04-17T05:32:16Z

Apparently the brain cells that get a work-out reading the Internal Revenue Code and doing taxes are the same ones required for the NYT crossword puzzles. I hadn't done any puzzles in months, basically over tax season, but I printed out a couple to do between classes to get back in practice, because I'd get good enough to do a Sunday puzzle... except that today between classes, I finally, unexpectedly, finished my first Sunday puzzle! The theme jumped out at me, and everything fell into place with not too much trouble, and I was so surprised when I realized I'd almost finished the puzzle without having to look up a single clue. Okay, maybe it's not a major accomplishment, but I'm proud of myself anyway!

kerowyn_16 @ 2009-04-15T18:18:00

2009-04-16T01:25:09Z

Random cool fact: Tennis shoes occasionally fall off ships in the ocean. Wait, that's not the cool part, that's just litter. The cool part is that when they eventually wash up on beaches around the world, certain beaches only get left shoes and other beaches only get right shoes. Why is that?

Take off your shoes and flip them over (shoes float with the soles toward the sky). Notice that the curve along the inner parts of the soles are not identical, they are mirror-images of each other. When wind and waves push against the shoes, they catch along the curves differently, pushing left and right shoes in slightly different directions. Over the vast expanse of the oceans, this adds up to left shoe beaches and right shoe beaches!

kerowyn_16 @ 2009-04-15T12:54:00

2009-04-15T20:10:41Z

My neighborhood is feeling kind of surreal lately. Yesterday, I walked out of the office to see a superhero staring at me through my second-story window. The neighbor's kid had dressed up in a mask and cape and was standing on their roof, striking heroic poses, cape blowing fantastically in the wind. Today, I'm being haunted. For the last hour, I've been just barely hearing what I would have sworn were bagpipes, so faint that I thought I was just imagining tones in the background noise of the apartment, fading in and out. It was making me nuts, I kept trying to figure out where the heck it was coming from or if I was just getting a ringing in my ears. But I finally spotted him out my kitchen window, on a straight shot past the Schwab building, on the other side of El Camino - a guy in a green kilt playing the bagpipes all by himself out on the corner. The guy's like 1000 feet away, across a busy intersection and mostly behind a six-story building, but I'm still getting the bagpipe music.

kerowyn_16 @ 2009-04-10T14:09:00

2009-04-10T21:17:21Z

Ladies, would you all like a huge self-esteem boost today? Go to the store, start loading ham in your shopping cart, and just wait for the flirting to begin. The men will come to you like flies to honey, seriously. The conversion rate seems to be approximately one man per every eight pounds of ham in your cart, and the phone numbers start at twenty-five pounds, although at that point they're probably just looking for dinner. Also, good lord, I just bought thirty-four pounds of ham today.

kerowyn_16 @ 2009-04-10T12:25:00

2009-04-10T19:40:02Z

All right! 10-mile walk today, in 2:36 - that's an average 15:36 mile, perfectly on track for my See Jane Run goal of a 3:24 half marathon. I am Superwoman :-)

By the way, I just joined Facebook (my Pop poked me, so I caved and made an account) and did a bunch of random clicking on faces that I recognized. I'm sure I forgot like half the people that I know, though, so don't be insulted if I didn't catch you in the first wave or anything, I just got distracted after a couple pages of "people you might know" and started looking up high school friends I try to keep in touch with. If I know you in real life I'll eventually spot the missing faces, or you can just look me up yourself.

kerowyn_16 @ 2009-04-08T13:20:00

2009-04-08T20:43:11Z

Kero's happier now! I actually made some progress with our health care debacle. While investigating this lab snafu, I discovered two overcharges, one at this office and one at the pharmacy that I was waiting to take care of until we were actually in the right plan. So long story short, after eight separate phone calls this morning (not counting transfers), I have one check for $149.25 with my name on it being mailed out today, a clear-cut claim for another $19.99 (with all required documentation) mailed out to my prescription plan people, and... well, and a bigger mystery with the stupid lab problem.

See, I tried to get ahold of the lab that did my bloodwork to confirm they weren't part of my network-of-the-free-lab-stuff, and while I did confirm that, I also found out that they also didn't have my blood and weren't trying to bill me for anything. So then I called the lab people that were supposed to get my blood, and they'd never even heard of me either. So now my doctor's office is trying to figure out where on earth they actually sent my blood, because what I do next depends on whether it's an in- or out-of-network lab. But hey, I've made meaningful progress and I've got some cash coming my way, so now I can relax while that poor harried girl at the doctor's office works on the problem for me.

kerowyn_16 @ 2009-04-07T16:04:00

2009-04-07T23:17:45Z

Sorry, I have to moan and groan about my health insurance again. My doctor's office can't do anything directly about the improper billing of my blood work. I have to call the lab they outsource to myself, and get them to change my billing. That's when I discovered that they sent my blood work to the wrong lab. With our health insurance, we can get our approved lab work done at no cost as long as it's outsourced to an in-network lab. I carefully went over that with the nurse, watched her scan the card with the instructions, and I even put a bright yellow sticker on my requisition forms so it couldn't get sent to the wrong lab. And it still got sent to the wrong lab.

So to summarize, HR forgot to enroll us in health insurance, and when they did enroll us, the provider had us listed under the wrong plan. Then once we were in the right plan, my doctor's office ignored verbal and written instructions and sent my lab work to an out-of-network lab, and then that lab billed the wrong insurance company anyway. And I still haven't been able to get a single live person on the phone to help me make any progress on getting back all the money we spent back in January and February while they were still getting their act together. I think we're going to have to move to Canada.

kerowyn_16 @ 2009-04-04T11:20:00

2009-04-04T18:25:40Z

Oh my god, my health insurance problems are never ever going to end! I just got a benefit statement in the mail from Spam's old insurance provider at his old company. Some jackass paper pusher charged my doctor's visit and lab work from back in February to the old provider instead of our actual current health insurance that I've been beating my head against the wall to get up and running. The old provider has dutifully let me know that they will not be covering any charges because our coverage was terminated, and I should be expecting a bill from the lab facility. I think we really might have to move to Canada for the non-idiotic health care system.

kerowyn_16 @ 2009-03-28T08:45:00

2009-03-28T16:04:45Z

Man, I feel a bit ambushed this morning. I showed up early for tax prep(I can never get the start time right for some reason) and the site manager decided now was a good time to talk with me about "what I'm doing with my life". Gah, seriously? She asked how I was finding tax prep, and I said it was great for volunteering but that I wouldn't want to do it professionally. Then she started asking me about my life goals, what I looking for in a job, what are my interests, let's find you a career... She acted worried and put off when I told her straight out that I wasn't looking for a job right now. Is it really so inconceivable that hubby and I are fine with one income and I can actually be happy without a career? And besides, what business is it of hers anyway? Bah - it's a sore point for me, I know, I just seem to run into that a lot, a conversation with someone new coming to an awkward halt because they can't quite grasp that I'm choosing not to work for money, that I'm not trying to "fix" the situation because it's not actually broken. That, or "Gee it must be nice to sit around and watch tv (or whatever) all day". Sigh. Okay, I feel better now.

kerowyn_16 @ 2009-03-27T11:32:00

2009-03-27T19:06:52Z

I wonder how long I'm going to be astonished to rediscover how good exercise can feel? Eight mile walk today, done in 2:04, and I feel tired and energized at the same time right now. Eventually I'll get used to the concept that exercise can make me feel better, but it's still so bizarre after so many years of forced and unpleasant exercise that I'm still thrilled by it :-) Anyway, I've started keeping track of my pace across each mile of the walk to see if there's a pattern to when I start to slow down. Setting an ideal goal of a 15-minute mile, I lost one minute off the first five miles, another minute off the sixth & seventh miles, and two minutes off the eighth mile. That last mile makes me wait for three lights and I have to cross four freeway ramps, so I don't think I slowed down quite as much as all that.

Other than that, things are mostly going well overall here. I had a serious pain-in-the-butt day doing tax prep this week that really frustrated me - people doing some really stupid things that I had to deal with, including a nightmare lady from a couple weeks ago who left in a huff because I wouldn't enter fraudulent information on her tax return who came back with some "updated" numbers regarding her business deductions. Frustrating, but interesting, so I guess I'd put that as a positive for the week.

And hooray, my brother is actually in town over spring break, which seems to never happen, so I got to hang out with him for a day and took him to an awesome restaurant. Espetus is a Brazilian barbeque, the kind that has no menu, the servers just carve off slices of whatever they happen to be carrying around on skewers. My brother loved it - and the waiters seemed to love him too. They stopped giving him slices of meat and started carving off large chunks (while I surrendered to the meat and moved on to a light coconut mousse for dessert).

We also played a couple games, and ran an experiment to see if the magic expansion set to the Settlers of Catan card game is unbalanced. We set up the game using all the expanded magic cards and rules, and my brother tried to use magic while I completely ignored it and tried to beat him without using any magic whatsoever. I ended up getting to a winning thirteen points right around the time he'd finally gotten enough wizards out to consider playing some magic spells, and he still only had five points. Our conclusion is that magic is broken because it doesn't directly get you any points but sucks up a lot of resources which could be used much more efficiently to just build point-laden cards from the regular deck.

kerowyn_16 @ 2009-03-17T22:00:00

2009-03-18T05:02:41Z

I just found the most disgusting-sounding recipe ever in one of our old cookbooks. This is a molded salad, I'll just list the ingredients, you'll get the idea.

3 oz. lemon-flavored gelatin
1 lb can diced beets, drained
3 tbsp vinegar
3/4 c celery
2 tbsp horseradish
1 tbsp onion

Spam is tempted to make it, just to experience the horror, I guess. I hate beets, I don't even want to smell this. Wish us luck?

kerowyn_16 @ 2009-03-17T15:19:00

2009-03-17T22:26:22Z

That was the most pleasant trip to the DMV ever! I lost my driver's license and you have to go in person to get a replacement. I had an appointment, so despite the posted forty-five minute wait I managed to get in and out in about ten minutes. The people who helped me seemed to be having a good day at the DMV themselves so we were all smiles, and I even got to keep my good picture from my old license. Plus, I counted the walk (five miles round trip) as my Tuesday "casual" walk so now I'm feeling nice and stretched out and sun-warmed and got my daily walking in outside my usual routes. Mmm, now it's time to go start that corned beef cooking :-)

kerowyn_16 @ 2009-03-13T11:36:00

2009-03-13T19:13:55Z

Go me! I finished an eight-mile walk in 2:05 this morning! (My "official" training for the See Jane Run half marathon started up a couple of weeks ago.) My goal is to finish the marathon under 3:24, which is an average 15:40 mile and the exact pace I just managed this morning. Miles ten through thirteen are where I've slowed down way too much in the past, but I've still got eleven weeks until the event to either pick up my starting pace or learn to keep up my energy at the end, so I think I'm right on track. I'm also trying be a bit smarter with fueling myself throughout the race so I don't suddenly run out of energy at mile ten like I kept doing last fall. After all, if I'm going to try for the Portland marathon this year then I can't be finishing a thirteen-mile walk on will alone!

kerowyn_16 @ 2009-03-05T11:25:00

2009-03-05T19:48:00Z

I was really dreading my trip to the dentist to get cavities filled this morning, but it was actually remarkably painless. Literally, of course, it better be, but also my dentist was very good at putting me at ease, distracting me. He did say afterward that it was kind of like working on a mannequin because as soon as he rubbed that topical anesthetic on, I froze and didn't move again until it was time to sit up. I told him that at the dentist I sit down and get into my "pretending to look relaxed" pose, and just stay there so I won't grip the armrests white-knuckled or anything like that. It's not the drilling or anything - I do the exact same thing for a regular cleaning too. With the awesome pediatric dentist I saw for the last twenty years, I have no idea why I get so tense at the dentist, but there you go, and I'm glad that's over with, easy as it was.

kerowyn_16 @ 2009-03-04T09:41:00

2009-03-04T17:54:56Z

The weather is not cooperating with me today :-( I'm training for another half-marathon in May and I need to be out there walking. I can't exactly speed-walk with my trench coat or an umbrella, so I keep waiting for a break, checking the radar. I finally had a nice clear spot, barely a drizzle going and the radar was all clear or dark green so I started walking. As soon as I got out side it started to rain a little harder, and by the time I got to the corner to cross El Camino it was pouring. No, not pouring... this rain stings. Actually, this rain is downright painful! I ran into the McDonald's on the corner to wait out the sudden hailstorm, marking the first time I've been inside a fast food restaurant in at least two years, and as soon as the hail stopped I got home as fast as I could. Just in time for the rain to stop. The radar looks perfectly clear, except for a single orange spot hovering right over San Mateo, and I'm soaked to the skin. I'll change clothes and head out again once that mini-system hits the bay. Frakkin' weather.

kerowyn_16 @ 2009-03-01T17:02:00

2009-03-02T01:20:15Z

Saturday was sushi class part two, all about nigiri. This was much easier than the rolled sushi class, but more challenging for me to eat because I can really only take so much fish before I'm sushied out. Here was our loot for the day:

We learned how to slice and prepare raw scallops, clams, and shrimp, and also used pre-cut salmon, tilapia, and hamachi. We also got some tamago and unagi to work with, but we didn't get to prepare them ourselves. The tall dark red ones full of different types of roe or pickled octopus.

Here's my piece of octopus sushi, it got a little squished when we transported it. And yep, I actually ate it! (Although, I did have to close my eyes before I bit into it...) It tasted pretty good, actually, but I hated the texture, so rubbery and chewy...

All in all, I think the class was a complete success. Spam and I were able to successfully navigate a Japanese grocery store and made sushi for lunch today so I think we're all set, although we won't be having sushi for at least a couple weeks now so we don't overdo it.

kerowyn_16 @ 2009-02-26T16:24:00

2009-02-27T00:48:45Z

Frustration! I went to get some blood drawn today and noticed that the copay listed on our new medical insurance cards is twice what it's supposed to be. After way too much time beating my head against the wall that is customer service, I have discovered that we are enrolled in the wrong health plan.

So not only did they "forget" to switch on our health insurance for six weeks after Spam started working there, we've been paying premiums for the more expensive health plan and getting the benefits of the cheapest. Please, everyone, marvel at Kero's self restraint in not using extremely colorful language here to express her true feelings - knowing Grandma reads this helps keep me civil :-)

Seriously, though, I don't even want to think about how pissed off these people will manage to make me when I finally find the right paperwork to get reimbursed for the money I had to spend while they were still claiming we weren't insured.

I think I need to go work out now, that'll make me feel better.

kerowyn_16 @ 2009-02-25T10:13:00

2009-02-25T18:31:32Z

Well, I survived my first trip to the dentist in three years. I feel much better now that I've actually gone and none of my fears that they'd discover a mouth full of decay played out. It went about as I expected it to - three years of plaque buildup had to be scraped off, but now my teeth are clean and white. I do have to go back next week to get some cavities filled (two new tiny ones, plus my composite filling from three years ago wore down already and needs to be refilled). Also, I apparently have a teeny tiny mouth, but the dental hygienist assured me that she used to work in pediatrics and if she can work in a three-year-old's mouth she can work in mine.

kerowyn_16 @ 2009-02-21T17:19:00

2009-02-22T01:28:53Z

Sushi class is fun! Spam and I went to the first of two sushi-making classes today, and as you can see, we learned all about sushi rice and rolling maki sushi. We didn't realize quite how much sushi we were going to bring home, even after eating the uglier rolls in class! It's got to be eaten tonight so we made up a sushi care-package for our neighbors to spread the wealth. Next week is nigiri and the proper care of fresh raw seafood.