Well, here’s a great new option. I’ve been thinking about this for a couple of days as people know, and I’m debating making the switch. I’m writing this entry as a way to see how well it works, but also because I want to know what other people think. I’d like to get feedback from people as to ease of use for commenting and navigation. And, I want to make sure that I’m not making it confusing for people by making this switch.
I’m going to post this now and see what I end up getting.
I’m running a test entry here that will, in all likelihood not remain up. There have been some developments on the graphical verification that may cause me to use my Tazcat ID on Live journal after all. Apparently, Google has started requiring some posters to go through the verification process in order to post entries to their own blogs. So, for once I’m using the web site and not the Word plug-in to post this entry because I want to see if I can successfully post. Live Journal is looking pretty good right now guys.
Okay, I just had to put this one up here. There’s no denying my feelings about cats, but I’m not the biggest fan of dogs partly because I’m allergic to them, but this was really funny. I know I’ve got several people reading this who have dogs, so I thought it would be an appropriate post.
Dog peeves about humans
1. Passing gas and blaming it on me… not funny… not funny at all !!!
2. Yelling at me for barking… I’M A DOG, YOU NUMBSKULL!
3. Taking me for a walk, then not letting me check stuff out. Exactly whose
walk is this anyway?
4. Any trick that involves balancing food on my nose… stop it!
5. Any haircut that involves bows or ribbons. Now you know why we chew your
stuff up when you’re not home.
6. The sleight of hand, fake fetch throw. You fooled a dog! Woooo-Hooooooo! Oh, what a proud moment for the top of the food chain.
7. Taking me to the vet for “the big snip”, then acting surprised when I freak out every time we go back!
8. Getting upset when I sniff the crotches of your guests. Sorry, but I haven’t quite mastered that handshake thing yet.
9. Dog sweaters. Hello??? Haven’t you noticed the fur?
10. How you act disgusted when I lick myself. Now lay off me on some of these things, We both know who’s boss here (you don’t see me picking up your poop, do you?).
Well, it’s official. I got my W2 form on Wednesday when I was at the office, and as of about 15 minutes ago both the Federal and Wisconsin returns were sent electronically to their respective locations. And I’m getting refunds! I should have everything before Valentine’s Day, so it’ll be a very nice way to celebrate! I love it though. It’s not even February yet and my taxes are done!!!!! I don’t have to dread April 15th.
Okay, I know the saying “everyone’s doing it” is not usually the best reason for doing things, but in this case I think it’s all right to follow what others are doing.
I was out of town Friday night, and last night I was on the phone until almost 11:00 PM so was too tired to read my usual string of blogs. However, I’ve been making up for that this morning and actually got a couple of ideas for posts, but I’m thinking that for now I’ll do this one. You are all about to find out the alphabet my way.
A – AVAILABLE: Nope. Haven’t been for just over 8 years now.
B – BEST FRIEND: I don’t know. That’s a tough one.
C – CRUSH: I’ve had several throughout the years. You’d think I’d get a clue after most of them didn’t give me the time of day. SMILE!!!
D – DAD’S NAME: Dad, of course. No really, it’s Earl.
E – EASIEST PERSON TO TALK TO: Okay, this is pretty sad. These days I find it easy to talk to pretty much everyone. As far as deep dark secrets though, that all depends on the situation and if I think something I’ve been through or done could help someone else.
F – FAVORITE ACTOR/ACTRESS: Okay, you guys are going to laugh. I guess this kind of goes back to the crush thing but I just thought of it. I used to think Fred Savage from The Wonder Years was great. I guess there was something about his voice or something.
G – GUMMY BEARS OR GUMMY WORMS: You know, they’re both really good. I think the worms feel just a little too real though so I suppose I’ll stick to the bears.
H – HOMETOWN: Is that the town where I was born or where I live now? I suppose I’ll say where I grew up. That would be River Falls, Wisconsin.
I – INSTRUMENT: These days it’s pretty much the radio. I used to play flute, clarinet, and occasionally the saxophone, but my favorite ended up being the clarinet. Once in a while I still get the chance to play but not often.
J – JUNK FOOD FAVORITE: Whatever’s available as long as it doesn’t contain nuts.
K – KIDS: Mine or someone else’s? I don’t have any, so it must be OPK.
L – LONGEST CAR RIDE: Well, I guess the longest ride I’ve had was from Milwaukee to Salt Lake City, Utah on a Greyhound. We only had one layover in Chicago and the rest of the time we were on the bus. It ended up being over 27 hours. NEVER AGAIN!!!!!!
M – MILK FLAVOR: 2 percent white.
N – NUMBER OF SIBLINGS: two older sisters and two older brothers
O – ONE WISH: This is another one that makes me think. I always said that the one thing I wanted to do in life was to make a difference for at least one person. I like that, but I think now I’m broadening my horizons a bit. I think my wish these days is to live a happy, healthy life and to be financially secure. I think that’s starting to happen. SMILE!
P – PHOBIAS: Want to laugh? I used to be totally afraid of vacuums. I still don’t really like them all that much, but I don’t have to leave the room anymore when they’re turned on.
Q – QUOTE: I honestly don’t think I have one. Ask me about favorite books or whatever and I might come up with an answer.
R – REASON TO SMILE: Okay, I might as well say goodbye to everyone now, because after Jim reads what I’m about to write about him he may have to kill me for exposing a side of him that he probably doesn’t want people to know. Anyway, he loves both Taz and Cally, but when we first got Cally she wouldn’t give him the time of day. Over time though, she started letting him get close to her and give her attention. Now, pretty much every night Jim and Cally have their time together when she leads him from the bathroom to the bedroom and then insists that he pet her. Jim talks to Cally, and Cally stands there purring with this really super loud purr that Jim can even hear and that I can hear across the room. The whole thing is just really cute.
S – SONG YOU LAST HEARD: Hmm. Maybe I should dig into my 100 plus gigs of music on my hard drive and come up with something? I honestly don’t remember.
U – UNKNOWN FACT ABOUT ME: Hmm. Let’s see … When I was 5 years old I had this dream of becoming a bus driver. And no, I didn’t have any vision back then either.
V – VEGETABLE YOU HATE: Peas, carrots, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, peppers, celery, tomatoes, onions … Oh wait, it said vegetable, not vegetables.
W – WORST HABIT: Biting my fingernails. I’ve done it since I was a kid.
X – X-RAYS YOU’VE HAD: Way too many to count! I’m just a bundle of radioactive energy, so look out!
Y – YUMMY FOOD: A nice juicy steak with garlic mashed potatoes and mushrooms.
Z – ZODIAC SIGN: Capricorn, and yes, I am stubborn!
Okay, a possible update on my earlier post. I discovered, somewhat by accident, an option that allows me to moderate comments that are sent to the blog. This way I can get rid of all those really weird unwanted comments before they hit the site, and it won’t cause any problems for screen reader users. So I guess I’m going to try posting a comment on my own blog here in a bit so that I can see if it’s going to do what I want it to do. Let’s see what happens. Please don’t stop commenting guys, I’m not trying to get rid of you!
I just have to say this today. I love getting and reading comments on my blog. I love knowing that people are reading what I’m putting up here. But, I can’t stand the latest strain of comments I’ve been getting. I’m sure everyone knows about them. They’re the really cheesy ones that have really weird names attached to them. You read the comment and it says something like, “Wonderful blog. In my spare time I love looking for blogs just like yours. I’m going to keep coming back often. Oh, by the way, I’ve got this great blog all about how to refinance, or how to save money, or how to put my little right pinky toe into my front left ear. Come check it out sometime.”
And then, they’re not easy to find either. I find myself having to go back through the archives every couple of days to remove these types of comments. And, once I remove one, another one shows up. I’m sure they’re nothing more than some sort of service searching for random keywords and then sending out messages.
Oh, and then there was the one one time where I got the usual canned message, and then the person says, “Son, you’ve really got to check out this site!” Last time I checked I was nobody’s son, and the possibility of becoming a son terrifies me beyond anything else. SMILE! So, keep up the good comments, and the rest of them can go away with the snow!
It’s often said that there are only two things in life that are certain; taxes and death. I don’t plan to die any time soon, so that leaves me with the other inevitability. You guessed it. It’s that time of year again. Sorry guys, but April 15 is coming up fast, less than three months away. Last year I had my taxes filed and my refunds back before the beginning of March, and I’m trying for that again. My dad is a CPA, but he has told me that I have to find a way to do my own taxes now because he lives in Idaho these days and doesn’t want to have to learn tax rules for more than one state. I suppose that makes sense, but it sure had me concerned for a while.
The really sad thing is, I’m actually looking forward to tax preparation this year. You’re probably thinking that I’ve really gone off the deep end this time. I hate math and numbers, yet I’m looking forward to taxes? And, what’s more, I do them myself, starting with my 2004 return.
Several weeks back there was a news story about H&R Block. I don’t have all the details, but apparently they were sending out their tax program to current customers. That’s fine, but the really terrifying thing is that they were including the people’s social security numbers right on the address label. Talk about identity theft waiting to happen. And then of course there’s the cost involved in using a large firm like that. I’m cheap!
Last year close to tax time I was reading several email messages about filing tax returns, and how it could be done independently by a blind person. There are several programs out there that allow you to fill out forms, but there are some accessibility issues, not to mention that (to me at least), the forms were really confusing. If this is true, see line number 21FBC. If this is true check the blue square in the green box labeled MINE. Okay, so you get the idea. I just didn’t want to deal with that, and had absolutely no idea what I was going to do.
That’s when I read a message about Tax Act Online. They too offer software, but the online version is fabulous! It’s nothing more than a form on a web page so it’s completely accessible. And, best of all, it is totally simplified. Just answer questions and you’re good to go. I needed to have someone read me some information from my W2 form last year, but once I wrote that information down I was able to go back later and fill out the forms myself. Each page states that all information is secure, and there is usually only one question per page. There are three levels that you can choose from, one is free, one is $9.95, and the third is $15.95. Last year I chose the free option. This year I chose the $9.95 option because I wanted to be able to import information from last year’s return into this year’s forms. So, information like my address, phone number, etc. don’t have to be entered again. You are asked to verify it, but it doesn’t have to be reentered. The other nice thing is that you can save your place at any time, and when you log back in later you have the opportunity to start back at the beginning or continue from where you left off. I started the process this afternoon even though I don’t have my W2 yet because I wanted to get all the preliminary stuff out of the way first.
Not only does this site allow you to fill out your Federal return, but the information can be automatically added to the State forms as well. And, once you’re done, it will look through the return, check it for any potential problems, and let you know of these problems. As you enter information, there is a status bar that displays your estimated return amount, so you can tell in real time what your return is going to be. Finally, you can file online and make printed copies of the returns to have on file. I chose to have my returns direct deposited into my checking account last year which also increases the processing speed. I think it was maybe 2 weeks or so from the time I filed until I had my return in my account. It was great! There was a fee for e-filing, but don’t remember what it was. I know it was very reasonable though, and that is why I’ve chosen to do it this way again this year.
If you have to pay taxes and want to do it independently, I honestly recommend this way of doing it. It’s so easy, and there’s help all the way through. I felt very confident that what I’d done was accurate, and apparently, (so far) so did the IRS.
Recent events have prompted me to create an identity over on Live Journal. At this time I have no plans to move my current blog, however, I’m finding some really cool things on Live Journal. I think the biggest thing that is very helpful is that they offer an audio alternative to the visual graphical verification. (See my previous entry). This allowed me to independently create my username and profile. One problem I always had with Live Journal is that if I wanted to leave comments for people I always had to do it anonymously because they didn’t have a feature like Blogspot has that allows a person to sign entries with a different name, and apparently Blogspot doesn’t support Open ID. So, commenting was a bit of a pain. Now though, if anyone sees the username “tazcat” that’d be me. I was trying for something with Cally’s name but “callycat” and calicocat” were both all ready taken, and it’s a Saturday night and I don’t have to think hard if I don’t want to! So, it’s “tazcat”.
Another really neat feature is that when comments are emailed to the user, you can send a reply comment directly from the email that is posted to the appropriate journal, and emailed to the original sender. To me, that was a really neat surprise.
I find the layout a bit different, (I actually really do prefer the layout of Blogspot because it’s easier to navigate from entry to entry with screen-readers), but, with the addition of Place Markers in JAWS, Live Journal isn’t all that bad.
So again, at this point I do plan to stay here, but if any Live Journal users ever see “tazcat” just know that it’s me.
Well, it’s been a while, so I wanted to post something new. I’m hoping that people will spread the word regarding this issue and help make a difference.
This past week, Darrell Shandrow of The Blind Access Journal has created an online petition concerning graphical verification on the Google web site. Google, the popular search engine has branched out into many different areas including email and groups, not to mention the blogs that we all use and love so much. However, due to these graphics, which tell the user to write alphanumeric characters from a graphic into an edit box in order to verify that the entity signing up for said services is actually a human and not some sort of automated process has put up a major barrier to those of us in the blind community. I encourage everyone, not just blind and/or low vision people, but everyone to sign this petition. I was up reading signatures this morning and at that time there were close to 2000 names. I was number 844. What number are you? The temptation to sign multiple times using different email addresses is strong, but I don’t want to jeopardize anything by trying to screw with the system.
Anyway, if you haven’t all ready signed, (and I saw some of your names up there all ready), please sign soon! I don’t know how long Darrell will leave this up, and the more people that sign the better. The text of the petition reads:
To: Google Inc.
We, the undersigned, ask Google Inc. to “do no evil” and follow their mission statement to “organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful” by promptly adding accessibility to their visual word verification scheme so that the blind and visually impaired are allowed to fully participate in all products and services offered by the company on terms of equality with our sighted peers.
Sincerely,
And then many, many names follow. Please take this opportunity to help make a difference.
Well, this will probably be a bit of everything. I’ve been storing up entries, and since I haven’t posted anything in a while I wanted to add something.
First off, I’m really excited because I got a new cell phone on Monday. I know it’s not really that big of a deal, but it’s a new toy, and so to me it’s great. I also renewed my expired contract with Sprint. Hey, anyone else on Sprint? I’ve got unlimited mobile to mobile minutes again! Yeehaa!
Anyway, this phone is a Samsung PMA840. It’s nice and small, (another flip phone since I really like those), and it has an internal antenna. I’ve heard both good and bad things about internal antennas, but I’ve had two phones with them so far at different times, and haven’t found the lack of external antenna to be a really large problem. It’s got a speaker phone, and, (just what I’ve always wanted), a camera. Okay, so the camera won’t exactly be on the top of my priority list, but hey, if I can get someone to take a picture of Taz and Cally I can at least have a really cute screen saver, right?
One of the first things that drew me to the phone was the buttons. I’m pretty good with buttons, and I didn’t have any problems with my Samsung VI660. But, these buttons are more distinct rather than flush to the surface of the phone. Samsung offers number-driven menus, and the other nice surprise is that the menu structure was the same on this phone as it was on my old phone so I can access my ring tones and things like that. I’m never happy with one ring tone for very long. My old phone has the ability to audibly give me signal strength, battery status, and my network. When upgrading to a new phone I wanted to make sure that I wouldn’t lose that ability. I’m interested in taking a step forward, not backward in terms of phone accessibility. I called a local Sprint store because I was actually looking for a different phone. I was told when I called the national number that I could only get my $150 instant rebate at a store, but the phone that I wanted wasn’t available at any stores. I asked the lady I was talking to how I was supposed to get the phone if it wasn’t available. She really didn’t give me an answer So, when I called this local store, I asked about the phone. The guy that answered said that they didn’t have it, but he gave me this other model number, (the one I ended up getting). Right from the beginning I really liked this guy, and the second person I ended up talking with as well. I explained my situation, and told him what I all ready had. I wanted to know if this new phone would have the same features. Nobody in the store had any idea. But, I was placed on hold while the guy went and grabbed one of these phones. With me on the line, he looked at the manual and discovered that, yes, the features do exist on the new phone. I asked a couple more questions, and then I said that I’d be coming to get the phone and wondered if he could start the battery charging for me. When I got to the store about an hour and a half later, he not only had the battery charging, but he had started the process needed to activate the new phone. After two and a half years with Sprint I also finally decided to upgrade to a more modern plan. I’m all about saving money, so when I found out that I could get a good plan for less than $49.99 a month I jumped at it. I had 500 anytime minutes, unlimited nights and weekends, and unlimited roaming. I rarely ever used all 500 minutes, and had actually been debating whether or not to lower my minutes. I ended up going with a plan that will only cost me $34.95, give me 400 minutes, and all the other features I had before. The nice thing about this plan though is that if for some reason I do go over my minutes, instead of paying a per-minute charge for going over, I can get an additional 50 minutes for $5.00. There’s a cap at 900 minutes, but I’ll never go that high, at least not at this point. So, for every 50 minutes I go over they just add $5.00 onto my bill. I like that idea, because even if I do use 500 minutes it’s still cheaper than what I was paying before. I also started paying again for handset insurance, because I’ve needed it before and it’s a really nice thing to have. The guy was very helpful in pointing out where the different buttons were, and checking the menus for me so I’d know the sequence to get to my rings.
After getting back home and playing a bit with the phone, I discovered that in addition to the status messages I can get, name and digit dial features work much more reliably on this phone. So, I can press a button and speak a number and the phone will dial it, whether the number is in my address book or not. This will come in very handy when my fingers are too cold to push buttons. So, I don’t have talking caller ID or anything like that yet, but I’m going to try to get some help setting up distinctive rings for some numbers and at this point that’s a reasonable compromise. I’m happy with Sprint, and don’t want to switch over to another provider at this time.
Well, I started this entry yesterday, and since then had the opportunity to use the digit dial features quite a bit more. I was using my earphone while traveling yesterday. It was cold and rainy, and I really didn’t feel like trying to use the phone in those conditions. Using the button on my phone I was able to walk around giving my phone commands and having it make calls for me. And, even with the phone in my purse the signal strength was high. It kept the phone dry, and it worked out really well.
I said that I was going to put a couple of different topics into one entry, but I don’t know if there’s a size limit for posting entries, and I figure I’d rather keep things separate. So, my next entry will follow shortly, after I get some food and post this one.
It’s the time of year when we have to do the meanest, most terrible thing in the world. We have to take Taz and Cally to the vet for their shots. Today was quite interesting as far as getting them ready, convincing them to go into their carriers, and everything else. Jim put the carriers down early yesterday so that they’d see them and maybe get used to them. Fat chance.
This morning I thought it was going to be easy. Taz was in his usual place on top of Jim’s monitor and Cally was in her place on the back of my recliner. Unfortunately, Taz is way too smart. He must have sensed that it was getting close to the time to come and get him because a couple of minutes before I was going to take him off the monitor he got down himself and disappeared. My plan was to take Taz first because I knew to expect this reaction, and then to get Cally, who, even though she doesn’t usually like the carrier, can’t resist getting attention. So, after Taz disappeared it was time to go to plan B.
Cally was still on my recliner so I went and picked her up. Not easy, as you will see in a minute. I got her into her carrier with very little trouble, and only one sad meow. Then it was time to try to find Taz. We called and called, and even tried bribing him with a treat, and a piece of cheese, which is one of his favorite things that we don’t give him anymore. Nothing. It was almost time for us to go and we still had no Taz. So, as a last resort, we tried opening a can of wet food that they were going to get for a special treat at some other time. That did it. Taz couldn’t resist. He came out and let out one of his demanding “feed me” meows. I picked him up, walked into the bedroom, and closed the door. His heart was beating really fast and I knew he was terrified. He started struggling right away, but I still managed to get him into his carrier. Poor Cally, in the mean time, had managed to turn her carrier completely upside down, and if she had rolled any more she would have fallen off the bed. Poor thing!
They were quiet until we opened the door. I normally carry Taz because he’s lighter. So, we’re walking down the hall of our building, and Cally starts letting out these really loud, long, sad meows. She sounded like she was in extreme pain, and we both felt really super guilty. We finally got them outside and to the vet, but by that time they had both gone completely silent, which to me is sometimes almost worse than the meowing.
So, we got to the vet, and they were able to take us in pretty much right away. Taz went first. He needed to have both the standard shots, Rabies and Distemper, and then to make matters worse, every two years or so we get him an allergy shot. I think he’s allergic to himself. Then we got his claws trimmed, (very nice considering that those things are sharp!), and then we got him weighed. He’s still a skinny little runt, but he went from 7.8 pounds up to 8.2. I was glad to hear that he’d put on even that amount of weight. He was kind of funny though because he didn’t want to come out of his carrier when it was on the table, but he sure went back in fast when everything was done!
Cally was next. She was even more difficult to get out, and she wouldn’t even go back in when she was done. She got both shots as well, and no allergy shot. I got her claws trimmed as well, and she got the scale treatment. She is now officially considered a butterball in my book. She went from 13 pounds in 2004 up to 14.5 pounds today! She is one BIG cat! The vet says that she needs to go on a diet. The problem is, that’s not easy around here. They have always shared one bowl, except when I’m giving them fresh food or canned junk. They wouldn’t eat separate food, again because it comes down to the separate bowl issue. She’s active, running, jumping, climbing, so obviously the weight isn’t bothering her too much. So, I’m trying to figure out the best way to handle this. Anyone have any suggestions? If we switched them over to diet cat food I’d be concerned that Taz might lose weight, and we don’t want that.
So, that’s where we’re at. The trip home was uneventful, and Cally was sure happy to get out of her carrier. I gave them both a half a can of wet food, since I’d all ready opened the can earlier. I didn’t want it to go to waste. I figured it was a treat for them since they’d been so good overall. Cally seems to have all ready forgiven me, so that makes me happy. She keeps coming in here and rubbing against me begging for attention, so to me that means that all is well in the world of Cally. Now she’s looking for a place to curl up in one of her other favorite places; a boring cardboard box. Have a nice nap, Cally! Taz? Well, he’ll come around tonight when it’s time for bed.
Okay everyone. I want you all to know that I am officially certifiably NUTS! Yes, it’s true. In a couple of hours I’ll be visiting with a friend who has a hot tub. That’s not what makes me crazy. What makes me crazy, (at least according to some people), is the fact that the temperature outside is 38 degrees with a wind chill of 28. We’re expecting light rain or snow later in the day. And, this hot tub is outside. So, as you can see, I’m apparently not quite right in the head if I’m volunteering to do this. SMILE! I’ve been told that it’s actually really neat doing this in the winter though because it’s warm in the hot tub and you really don’t notice the cold all that much. We’ll see what happens though. I’ll let everyone know how it went either tonight or tomorrow.
Okay, so now I’ll talk about my birthday dinner. It was a lot of fun. Several people got together and took me to dinner at TGI Fridays. I had the best steak! They had the staff at the restaurant sing to me and they gave me balloons and this really huge ice cream sundae. Of course by the time I got to the ice cream I was pretty full and couldn’t finish all of it, but it was still good.
I got the cutest gift that night though. It’s a cat, and it has all kinds of costumes for different holidays. If I remember right, there’s Valentine’s Day, Easter, 4th of July, Halloween, and Christmas. I’ve got a shelf outside our door, and the cat is now sitting there, waiting for each holiday so that I can dress it in the correct outfit. It’s really neat! And no, I don’t worry that someone will walk away with it. We’ve got a security camera not too far from our door. SMILE!
Well guys, it’s time for another episode of “Raving Rants”. This time it’s based on the bureaucratic operations of what is supposed to be one of the best hospital facilities in Wisconsin. It goes something like this.
A week or two before Christmas I called and left a message for my doctor expressing interest in knowing what the status was on my CPAP machine. I heard nothing until the week before New years, when they called simply to tell me that they’d call after the new year. Thanks so much, people. Then, on Tuesday of this week I finally got a call from my doctor. She said that the results were in, and we briefly discussed them. At that point she told me that she was going to be faxing (that afternoon) a prescription to a home care medical facility that I have worked with in the past so that I could get my machine. I told her that I was going out of town in two weeks and would really like to get this taken care of before leaving. She told me that I should call this medical place on Friday, (today), to make sure that the prescription was received.
Well, I decided to be a bit ambitious and I actually called the place yesterday, figuring that if, in fact, the prescription had been faxed over they’d have it and be able to help me that much sooner. Well, there was no prescription. Okay, I figured that I’d wait until today like my doctor said to do and give them the benefit of the doubt. So, I called again this morning. Guess what? Still no prescription.
So, at this point I placed another call to my doctor’s office. Of course she wasn’t in, so I purposely left a message for the attending physician. (This hospital is part of the Medical College, so we get a lot of interns, which is fine with me since I’ve grown up seeing interns.) Anyway, a couple of hours later the phone rang I was impressed since the number that came up on the caller ID was the hospital. (It shows up as all zeros. Go figure.) So, I answered the phone thinking it would be my doctor. Instead it was the nurse that basically screens calls for the doctor. The minute I heard who was calling I had to cringe because both Jim and I have dealt with this lady before, and she’s notorious for not passing on messages. She informed me that I couldn’t get a CPAP machine without seeing a pulmonary specialist and having a more recent physical and other tests. I asked her how recent she wanted because I had just been in during September. She kept insisting that I hadn’t been to the clinic since 2003. At this point the Irish in me was starting to come out. Don’t worry, I behaved myself, but it wasn’t easy. I said that I thought she should look a little closer at the records because I’ve been in 3 times since September. (Believe me I know I’ve been there, and she can have my medical bills to prove it.) She did some looking and then basically said, “Oh, you have been in. That helps.) I wanted to tell her a thing or two at this point, but again kept my mouth shut. Can we say “Here’s Your sign?”
Then, she made two statements that I found to be rather contradictory. In one breath she told me that she would page the doctor, and in the next she was telling me that she had all ready paged her. Then, before I had the chance to say anything more she hung up. Nice person, huh?
Then, later this afternoon I got another call, this time from the sleep lab. The lady that called said that she was doing a follow-up call to see if I had gotten the results of my study. I gave her a brief overview of the situation and she told me to keep on them about it. She said that some people don’t get their results at all, and that she would send a reminder note over to the clinic, kind of as a reinforcement. Very interesting.
That’s the last I’ve heard from anyone at the hospital. I leave for Florida in 9 days, and something tells me that this is not going to be resolved by then.
This might sound kind of odd, but there are sometimes when I really wish I was a man. There are many reasons for this, but the biggest one at this point is that in most cases, men are given more respect in situations like this. There have been times when I’ve tried to get things done and run up against walls, but when Jim calls for the same thing he gets results. I’d have him step in for me in this situation, but then my ego gets in the way. There’s this part of me that says I’m an adult and shouldn’t need a man to fight my battles for me. Okay, so is it ego, or am I just plain stubborn? I’m sure that plays a major part of it. SMILE!
Anyway, that’s my update/rant. I’ll let everyone know what happens once I hear more. Oh, speaking of letting everyone know things, I just realized that I never wrote any more about my birthday dinner. That’ll be a separate entry.
