I promised myself I would have a more positive blog this week. So, here goes. There is something that you can do to help your community and make you feel good about yourself. Something that doesn't really require you to do much work and you get free treats. Donating blood is a simple procedure that will benefit three people in your community. One pint of blood is divided up so as to help as many people as possible. I'm sure everyone saw the stories on the news after the snowstorms of late about how the Blood Center of Wisconsin is in a critical shortage. And, it does help that folks are given a reminder and some will actually go to donate. But how many will continue on every 8 weeks?
I have given over 9 gallons of blood since the age of 16 when I first went with my mother. She was a volunteer for the American Red Cross West Bend Chapter from 1973 until her death in 1996. She felt strongly that in life if you help your neighbors, there's a good chance they will help you back when you need them. And even if they didn't, you were really helping other people because it was the right thing to do, not for favors. She took care of victims of house fires for many of those years, often “employing” me as driver, carrier of stuff and general go-fer. It's amazing how many house fires happen at 2am.
As I don't have the time to devote like mom did, I have tried to keep up donating blood every 8 weeks. I usually go on Saturday mornings at the Sheboygan office. I have very difficult veins to “get” and the phlebotomists there are the best I've ever had draw my blood. Even with those veins they are usually happy to see me as I have a rarer blood type and they profusely thank me when I'm done. I know they are just “doing their job”, but they do seem to be happier when they are busy with folks donating one after the other.
So, think about it. The chances of needing blood at some point in your life or a loved ones life is, unfortunately, high. Accidents, surgery, and cancer are just some of the reasons why you might need it. There is no synthetic blood. There is no substitute. Your body can easily replace the pint taken from you within a few days. If you donate now, someone who may not have had a chance before may just be given the second chance they need to heal.
Blog for the week of Feb. 25th
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
The death of HD DVD
My husband Scott and I love watching movies in our home theater and sometimes living room. Our newest addition is the HD DVD player Toshiba HD-XA1 bought last April. Since then, we've enjoyed the crystal clear picture on our 92 inch screen that my husband made. We've mostly rented HD DVD movies from Netflix but have also bought some of our favorite movies to add to our collection of DVDs.
However, the news of the last few weeks has been very sad. It seems that as more movie studios decide they are going with the Blu-ray format, HD DVD has lost the format war. The scuttle butt on the HD websites is that Toshiba is no longer going to make their HD DVD player. That hasn't been officially announced yet, but it probably will be soon. Wal Mart is phasing out what stock of the players and the movies they have and Best Buy will no longer be prominently featuring the HD discs. This makes both my husband and myself sad. Not just because we “bought” into a technology that will be dead, but because it is the better format. We got a good deal on the player, and it is a good DVD player, but we won't be able to use it to its full advantage with new movie releases.
Life is full of examples where a better thing is passed over for a less better thing. What the circumstances were for the Blu-ray winning, I can only speculate. Why the movie studios choose to go with a format that requires buying a more expensive player, or a gaming system that doesn't have a remote for the player (you can purchase separately), and requiring manufacturing companies to buy all new equipment to make the discs is beyond me. I just know that it will be a long time before we can think about purchasing a Blu-ray player and discs. It would be like welcoming the enemy into our home and that's just not right.
Blog for the week of Feb. 18th
However, the news of the last few weeks has been very sad. It seems that as more movie studios decide they are going with the Blu-ray format, HD DVD has lost the format war. The scuttle butt on the HD websites is that Toshiba is no longer going to make their HD DVD player. That hasn't been officially announced yet, but it probably will be soon. Wal Mart is phasing out what stock of the players and the movies they have and Best Buy will no longer be prominently featuring the HD discs. This makes both my husband and myself sad. Not just because we “bought” into a technology that will be dead, but because it is the better format. We got a good deal on the player, and it is a good DVD player, but we won't be able to use it to its full advantage with new movie releases.
Life is full of examples where a better thing is passed over for a less better thing. What the circumstances were for the Blu-ray winning, I can only speculate. Why the movie studios choose to go with a format that requires buying a more expensive player, or a gaming system that doesn't have a remote for the player (you can purchase separately), and requiring manufacturing companies to buy all new equipment to make the discs is beyond me. I just know that it will be a long time before we can think about purchasing a Blu-ray player and discs. It would be like welcoming the enemy into our home and that's just not right.
Blog for the week of Feb. 18th
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Know it alls....
I’m a billing coordinator for two and soon to be three retail pharmacies. For the most part, it’s not a bad job but it does get very tedious at times. There is, however, something that will set me on edge and make me cringe every time I hear it.
“I got this bill, I don’t owe you money!”
Part of my responsibilities are to send out monthly statements to the various folks who get discharge medications or medical equipment when they are discharged from the hospital. Most have no clue where these items come from despite signing a form stating they are BUYING these items, WHERE the items are coming from and the AMOUNT they owe. It has also been my experience that most people can not, do not, or refuse to understand what their insurance entails. They think it’s this magical, mysterious program that allows them to float carefree through their medical experience without knowing the details of payment or what they will eventually owe. It’s supposed to somehow “get done” without them participating in the process. As if having the rotten luck of needing medical care excuses them from knowing their own personal business.
I’m not going to argue about the medical care or the insurance industry of this country. What I would argue about is that if you have medical insurance, you should know at least the minimum of coverage, that believe it or not all computers are NOT linked together like HAL 9000 and are smart enough to read your lips, and that if you get a bill and you don’t understand why you’ve gotten a bill, drop the attitude when calling and maybe ask politely why you’ve gotten a bill. If I hear the statement, “MY FRIEND HAD THIS SURGERY AND THEY DIDN’T PAY ONE PENNY!” once more, I’m going to start asking what plan those friends have because I want to switch to it.
And, contrary to popular belief, Medicare does NOT pay for EVERYTHING! I understand that most of the “older” generation who are on Medicare think that it does, but it really doesn’t. In fact, Medicare pays for little outside of Part A (hospital coverage). But the policyholders don’t usually bother to figure this out because at that point in their lives they think they know it all. And not only do they think they know it all, I usually can’t tell them otherwise because they no longer listen to explanations.
As to the phrase “I don’t owe you money” or “you’ll get your money”, at what point does the caller think that this is my personal money? I’ve never once thought that when I bought groceries or movie tickets or a car, that when I handed my money to the cashier or salesman that this was their personal money. Sure, at some point it does become their paycheck or commission, but honestly, it is the business’, not the employees. Does the caller think that by personifying the money and being hostile that I’ll say, “oh, that’s ok, you don’t have to pay me back” like I’m a long lost grandmother telling her grandchild to forget about the $5 bucks for the movie? Perhaps if the caller would take some time to know and understand their insurance coverage, less energy would be wasted on being angry and could be channeled into healing thereby removing the necessity of using said insurance to begin with.
Blog for the week of Feb.11th
“I got this bill, I don’t owe you money!”
Part of my responsibilities are to send out monthly statements to the various folks who get discharge medications or medical equipment when they are discharged from the hospital. Most have no clue where these items come from despite signing a form stating they are BUYING these items, WHERE the items are coming from and the AMOUNT they owe. It has also been my experience that most people can not, do not, or refuse to understand what their insurance entails. They think it’s this magical, mysterious program that allows them to float carefree through their medical experience without knowing the details of payment or what they will eventually owe. It’s supposed to somehow “get done” without them participating in the process. As if having the rotten luck of needing medical care excuses them from knowing their own personal business.
I’m not going to argue about the medical care or the insurance industry of this country. What I would argue about is that if you have medical insurance, you should know at least the minimum of coverage, that believe it or not all computers are NOT linked together like HAL 9000 and are smart enough to read your lips, and that if you get a bill and you don’t understand why you’ve gotten a bill, drop the attitude when calling and maybe ask politely why you’ve gotten a bill. If I hear the statement, “MY FRIEND HAD THIS SURGERY AND THEY DIDN’T PAY ONE PENNY!” once more, I’m going to start asking what plan those friends have because I want to switch to it.
And, contrary to popular belief, Medicare does NOT pay for EVERYTHING! I understand that most of the “older” generation who are on Medicare think that it does, but it really doesn’t. In fact, Medicare pays for little outside of Part A (hospital coverage). But the policyholders don’t usually bother to figure this out because at that point in their lives they think they know it all. And not only do they think they know it all, I usually can’t tell them otherwise because they no longer listen to explanations.
As to the phrase “I don’t owe you money” or “you’ll get your money”, at what point does the caller think that this is my personal money? I’ve never once thought that when I bought groceries or movie tickets or a car, that when I handed my money to the cashier or salesman that this was their personal money. Sure, at some point it does become their paycheck or commission, but honestly, it is the business’, not the employees. Does the caller think that by personifying the money and being hostile that I’ll say, “oh, that’s ok, you don’t have to pay me back” like I’m a long lost grandmother telling her grandchild to forget about the $5 bucks for the movie? Perhaps if the caller would take some time to know and understand their insurance coverage, less energy would be wasted on being angry and could be channeled into healing thereby removing the necessity of using said insurance to begin with.
Blog for the week of Feb.11th
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Newbie Blogger
Hello,
I'm being tasked by my English 102 teacher to keep a blog with new entries at least every week. I don't think he cares if we blog more than that, so who knows if this will become a part of my life or not. I'm a "non-traditional" student, meaning I'm over 22, am returning to college after some years from my first attempt at higher education and am hoping this isn't just a mid-life crisis.
I am returning to school in an attempt to better myself, fullfill a regret I can still fix (never finishing "traditional" college), and because I think I've finally figured out what I want to do in life. Better late than never, right? I did graduate from a technical college, with honors, in the Pharmacy Technician program in 1990. Since then I've worked at a medium sized hospital as an in-patient technician for 7 years, as a nursing home technician for 1 year, and then became the billing co-ordinator for the Retail Pharmacies for the last 10 years. I don't enjoy this job, and that is another reason I am back in school.
Thanks for reading my first ever blog!
I'm being tasked by my English 102 teacher to keep a blog with new entries at least every week. I don't think he cares if we blog more than that, so who knows if this will become a part of my life or not. I'm a "non-traditional" student, meaning I'm over 22, am returning to college after some years from my first attempt at higher education and am hoping this isn't just a mid-life crisis.
I am returning to school in an attempt to better myself, fullfill a regret I can still fix (never finishing "traditional" college), and because I think I've finally figured out what I want to do in life. Better late than never, right? I did graduate from a technical college, with honors, in the Pharmacy Technician program in 1990. Since then I've worked at a medium sized hospital as an in-patient technician for 7 years, as a nursing home technician for 1 year, and then became the billing co-ordinator for the Retail Pharmacies for the last 10 years. I don't enjoy this job, and that is another reason I am back in school.
Thanks for reading my first ever blog!
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