Not The Kind of Excitement I Was Seeking

I have done a complete 180 on my stance about American healthcare.  Sometimes it takes a sock in the gut to see the light.
Since my COBRA expires tomorrow (18 months are up, I just got the letter last week, I thought I had until the end of August but apparently I miscalculated), I had filled out an application with Blue Cross Blue Shield for coverage.  I could not understand all the fuss about individual healthcare not being affordable.  The plan I applied for was very affordable!  So in my mind, everyone should just go get an individual plan with BCBS and be done with it.
Oh, how I was wrong.  See, you have to get approved by BCBS.  And I, a fairly healthy 32 year old with only stomach troubles and an occasional kidney stone to mar her health record, was not approved.  Which means I am now in the middle of uninsured shitsville.  Praying to the gods of good health that I do not get struck with an emergency appendectomy and have to declare bankruptcy.
BCBS cannot tell me why I was not approved.  All they can do is cheerfully tell me I’ll receive a letter in seven to ten days.  I tried to get someone, ANYONE to tell me if I could get the same coverage at a higher deductible. No. Such. Luck.   Thankfully I had the option to apply for emergency short term coverage, and find out within 24 hours if I am approved or not.  There is, of course, still the possibility I won’t be approved.  But if I am, this affords me the luxury of actually speaking to an insurance rep (at State Farm or some such) and finding out what my options are.
So those of you who have insurance through your employer?  Be grateful.  Because getting it on your own as a healthy, upwardly mobile female caucasian is not as easy as I thought it would be.

Twitterless

I got an e-mail update from Twitter this morning, which I signed up for at some random point.  I don’t understand Twitter.
I have tried to limit the social networking sites I’m on and focus on ones that could potential be career-related–Facebook, LinkedIn.  I hear GoodReads is fun but I just can’t imagine myself having time to upload all the books I own. 
I gave up on Myspace forever ago, and linger around on Friendster just to see what old friends are up to.  Honestly, I mostly like it b/c people generally leave one another alone there.
So, what gives with Twitter?  I don’t get it, and I’m hoping a more ‘net savvy blogger like Leah can fill me in on the attraction.  As far as I can tell, it updates people on what I am doing.  Which would not be terribly interesting.  Hey! I am working!  Hey! I am still working!  Hey! I am taking a nap! Hey! I just went for a walk!  Guh? 
Am I missing the point entirely?
(and this entry confirms that my life is not terribly interesting–since the concert Saturday night, I managed to nap a lot, bake chocolate chip cookies, and run errands.)
ETA:  On a related note, I am on the cusp of Gen X and Gen Y according to this quiz.  I say I should bump my score a little since I use acronyms like “ETA” and I don’t mean expected time of arrival…

Weekend Update

• I just got home from seeing Erasure in Milwaukee. Considering it was the first and may be the last chance I had to see them, it was pretty damn awesome.  It’s possible I’ll post pictures later.  The audience was so comical though.  I’m glad the Pabst Theater has real sit-down seats, because I think I was one of the youngest people in the audience, and I needed to sit at times.  Also, the show ended at 10:30, which I thought was cute, considering the audience demographic.   And obviously I was one of a handful of straight people there.  (so the boy had nothing to worry about in regard to me leaving the house looking cute for the show)
• The opening band, Young Love, was incredible!  I have another ethical dilemma though.  I didn’t buy the cd at the concert b/c it was quite hectic.  So I thought I’d buy it online, direct from their label, because I like to support good up-and-coming artists of any sort.  But I discovered Island Records is also the label of Fallout Boy, who are so overrated and annoying.  However, if I order them any other way, they probably won’t get a very good cut.  Perhaps I should order them from Amazon, so that at least I can give them a good review and bump their rating a bit.  On the other hand, they are on the same label as PJ Harvey and The Killers, so that’s pretty cool.  I am glad they are on a pretty big label, but…ugh….Fallout Boy.  So painful to support anyone who is remotely responsible for them.  (I regret that this blog could even potentially get hits from searching for FB. Yuck)
• I didn’t get to see The Simpsons movie on Friday, which was the plan, because tickets for the show we were going to see sold out.  This really broke my heart since I had been excited about it since Wednesday when I found out E. wanted to take me to see it.  I don’t know when I’ll get to see it now.  Harumph.  No spoilers, please.
• I had prosciutto for the first time in my life last night, at an Italian place in the hood called Spacca Napoli, and it was incredible.  In fact, I just finished off the last of it for my late-night snack.

And it is late, and I’m tired, so it’s off to bed now. 

I Need To Leave The House More

Really. 
I have no ethical dilemmas to report today, but a decision to mull around anyway.  This evening I went to The Fixx for the reading Amy was hosting, and had a ball.  But there was something really fun about dressing up cute, talking to new people, and running into an old friend on the street on the way there.  I feel like I only leave the house to run errands most of the week, and very rarely do I leave my comfort zone of people I know.  Which is fine, god knows I spent plenty of years being the flirt/social butterfly.  But at least the social butterfly part would be kind of fun to play again.
I spend so much time chained to my desk/computer (like right now! agh!), and I’m starting to find it really sad.  Lill Street did not have any classes offered at the moment that I wanted to take, so I am thinking I should take a class elsewhere.  I’m tossing around the idea of a fitness class (god knows I need it), but I am crazy self-conscious about exercising with/around/in front of other people.  Then I thought maybe martial arts, but the last time I tried a martial arts class I thought I was going to pass out and I am in much worse shape now than I was then.  But isn’t the whole point of a class to challenge oneself?  (as Sizzle knows, I have a hard time learning to do things I’m not already good at–makes a ton of sense, huh?)  Maybe I should take dance or an instrument at Old Town School of Folk music.  Classes that allow me to flex my creative muscles always seem to leave me pretty happy.
Whatcha think audience??  Pole dancing at Flirty Girl Fitness?  Shi-shi cooking at the Calphalon Culinary Center?  Some very boring but probably useful professional certification class?  French??  Je ne sais pas …

Another Installment of WWYD?

I might have to make this a regular installment.  What’s really funny is that yesterday’s dilemma and my decision was indeed what Yolanda would do.  I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree…
So, in any niche industry, the community can start to grow very tight and everyone knows everyone.  I’ve certainly found it to be true in both the world of recruiting and the industry my company is in.  It is not unusual for a hiring manager to do a little informal research in the field or with someone in the company who might have worked with this person.  And from talking to others outside my biz, it happens elsewhere too.
However, I’m finding employees are becoming more and more reluctant to give an honest answer or comment at all for fear of litigation.  Totally understandable.  In fact, when I was in such a situation, I blanketed my (valid) complaints about the candidate in question by saying he/she did have very good technical skills.  I did not want to be the reason he/she didn’t get hired, but I also did not want to work with this person.
ETA:  Aforementioned candidate did get hired and ultimately let go, interestingly enough.
So if you were approached about a former contact or colleague that was applying for a job with your company, would you be honest or plead the fifth? And why?

Life

I had started a philosophical blog entry last night, but since my morning is starting off rather crappily, I’m not in the mood to finish it.  So I’m throwing you an old meme instead. 
But before I do that, I need to explain Heather’s comment below. You see, a strange hippy-ish kind of girl tried to bust into her apartment last night thinking it was our neighbor’s.  The same neighbor that had the mysterious perishable package delivered.  She said she, “Needed to get clothes for ___!”  Uh, okay.  What??  Where is our neighbor, why does he need clothes, and why is he having refrigerated goods delivered to his house?

Below is a list of events that one may or may not accomplish in his or her life. Those that are in bold have been crossed off my list.

• Bought everyone in the pub/bar a drink
• Climbed a mountain
• Held a tarantula
• Taken a candlelit bath with someone
• Been in love
• Broken someone’s heart
• Had my heart broken
• Done a striptease
• Bungee jumped
• Watched a lightning storm at sea
• Stayed up all night long, and watched the sun rise
• Seen the Northern Lights
• Gone to a huge sports game
• Grown and eaten my own vegetables
• Slept under the stars
• Changed a baby’s diaper
• Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
• Watched a meteor shower
• Gotten drunk on champagne
• Given money to charity
• Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
• Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
• Had a food fight
• Bet on a winning horse
• Taken a sick day when I wasn’t ill
• Had a snowball fight
• Photocopied my butt or any other intimate body part
• Held a lamb
• Gone skinny dipping
• Taken an ice cold shower
• Seen a total eclipse
• Ridden a roller coaster
• Hit a home run
• Been arrested
• Visited all 50 states
• Taken care of someone who was shit faced
• Stolen a street/highway sign
• Backpacked in Europe
• Taken a road-trip
• Taken a midnight walk on the beach
• Gone sky diving
• Milked a cow
• Alphabetized my records/CDs
• Sung karaoke
• Lounged around in bed all day
• Gone scuba diving
• Danced in the rain
• Gone to a drive-in theater
• Started a business
• Gotten married
• Been in a movie
• Crashed a party
• Gotten divorced
• Had sex at the office
• Made cookies from scratch
• Gotten a tattoo
• Been on television
• Had sex a public place
• Got so drunk I don’t remember anything
• Recorded music
• Had a one-night stand
• Bought a house
• Shaved or waxed off my pubic hair
• Been on a cruise ship
• Spoken more than one language fluently
• Bounced a check
• Called or written my Congressperson
• Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
• Sung loudly by myself in the car
• Written articles for a large publication
• Piloted an airplane
• Helped an animal give birth
• Been fired or laid off from a job (laid off, just for point of clarification)
• Won money on a TV game show
• Broken a bone
• Ridden a motorcycle
• Had a body part below the neck pierced
• Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
• Ridden a horse
• Had major surgery
• Had sex on a moving train
• Slept through an entire flight: takeoff, flight, and landing
• Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
• Visited all 7 continents
• Eaten sushi
• Had my picture in the newspaper
• Parasailed
• Changed my name (I was in kindergarten, though)
• Dyed my hair
• Been a DJ

I still have a lot of life to live apparently…and this gives me some ideas for my 43 Things…

An Ethical Dillema – WWYD*?

*What would you do, of course, but it could also be “What would Yolanda Do?”, which humorously enough would indicate my mom.

Today I was expecting the furniture store to drop off my desk (!!) and Office Depot to pick up my other desk (done and done).  I did not expect a buzz from UPS, telling me my neighbor had a package.
I figured it was something H. had ordered, but it was a bit odd that H. wouldn’t say anything about it (as she always does, and I am happy to oblige when she wants to have something picked up by me).
It was not for H. It was for the neighbor that lives in between us, and for whatever reason, because I was home, I became involved.
The box had a sticker that said “If not home, please leave in foyer.”  It also had a pink sticker that said, “Contents must be refrigerated immediately.”  The UPS man just handed me the package and left.
I felt the right thing to do would be to put the box in MY refrigerator and leave a note on the neighbor’s door.  But, I didn’t want some random box that contains god only knows what in my refrigerator.  And I didn’t want to have it sitting there in the event my neighbor couldn’t come up tonight, or I decided to leave the house, or whatever.
So I left it in front of his door, figuring if he needed to order something that had to be refrigerated immediately, it should have been 1) delivered to work or 2) picked up by a friend or 3) he could have knocked on anyone’s door and politely ask us to take care of it.  Since he did not, I felt I was not responsible. 
And yet I still feel bad.  But not bad enough to go get it and put it in my refrigerator. 

My Life is Rather Dull

I had to laugh because I was talking to a friend last night (in the context of some other things) and she said she blogs fiction because her life is really not all that interesting and she is happy that way.  I would definitely describe my life of late as happily dull and drama-free, which I prefer.  However, there is not much terribly interesting to talk about…(there was a small spat with my formerly landlady about a spot on the floor, but that is a closed case and I don’t feel comfortable blogging about it anyway)
My NEW DESK arrived bright and early today in excellent condition and I LOVE IT.  I will take pictures, I promise.  I am thinking about replacing the handles because they are very …uh… German.  Utilitarian.  And industrial looking.  (did you know they have a huge variety of drawer pulls at Target? I was surprised to find it so!)  But it is so big and nice and fabulous and it makes me happy.
Also, I did finish the Harry Potter book yesterday and was quite satisfied.  Yes, I read a 700+ page book in almost 2 days.  My father remarked, “But that book is the size of the dictionary!”  Perhaps, but a much more intersting and fast paced read.
And Erasure! Erasure is Saturday!  Whee fun! I suppose that makes my life a little less dull, eh?
ETA:  My desk is so huge and sprawling that I feel like my phone is miles away from my computer and keyboard.  Tee hee!

Today’s Entry Is Brought To You By The Letter “P”

Potter – I cracked. I couldn’t wait for two other friends to read it before my turn in the Deathly Hallows queue arrived.  So I bought it for a scant $17.00 at Target after H. told me she purchased a copy there earlier Saturday morning.  Suffice to say I have been positively devouring it.  I understand some people never got into it–I put off reading the first for years before someone finally bought it for me and I caved.  But more than anythng, I think it was the idea of being a part of a cultural “happening” that captivated me. Plus, I wanted to read it before any of the spoilers leaked out. 

Priorities – As such, I spent a goodly portion of my weekend reading when I should have done other things.  I had to reschedule my Office Depot pickup because I did not get everything packed up as I had hoped.  That’s okay though–as long as I get the boxed packed tonight and scoot everything out of the way, the NEW desk will have a home tomorrow.  I’m so close to finishing the Potter book, and will be glad when it is done because then I can actually tear myself away from reading long enough to do other things.

Peeves -  No no, not the annoying ghost in the Potter series.  This morning I already encountered two of my pet peeves, and it’s only 9am or so.  One is poor customer service, as usual at the Starbucks that I keep swearing off but frequent anyway because it is only two doors away!  Um, anyhow, if you have to wipe the outside of my cup on your hands and apron and papertowels, maybe, just MAYBE you should wipe it off for ME since it is likely dripping and thus the cup you give me will be all sticky and gross. Blech.  Jerk.  
The other is poor interview preparation.  I spoke to someone fairly fresh out of school today, which  I sympathize with to some degree.  But for pity’s sake, PLEASE practice your interview skills with someone and MAKE SURE YOUR RESUME IS UPDATED.  i.e., if you are no longer working somewhere, your resume should not list that job as 2003 – present.   

 PC-TV – Thanks for weighing in on this.  I do have a cable hookup, but I just cannot give Comcast any more of my money while their service remains so wretched.  Trust me, this is an easier boycott than P&G, purveyor of delicious Pringles and Crest toothpaste.  Anyway, the consensus off-blog is that PC TV is a bit shady, and I am hesitant to put anything on my computer that I don’t hand-pick and examine carefully before loading.  I am just going to have to busy myself with non-tv activities, plus I have season 1 of Big Love coming on Netflix plus I have been re-watching season 2 of LOST  from Netflix.  Though, that was quickly interupted with the arrival of Mr. Harry Potter in my house…

Painting – Speaking of keeping busy, I really need to sign up for art classes again.  I still have a credit floating around over at Lill Street Art Center. I think I’ll get on that today.

Satellite TV for PC?

Any thoughts?  Is it kosher?
See here.  If it’s legit, it may be just the solution to my no cable/no dish problems.
Help me, Geekie Wan Kenobi! (see also:  Kapgar, Dave, Hilly, E., P., etc)