Two circumstances occurred this weekend that made me realize how updating here is useful and practically necessary. The first was the mouse post. I wanted to look back at my mouse history and figured that the frustration I had would have lead me to posting about it here. Sadly, no. The only mention of a specific mouse was my post from 2014 where I said I had a Microsoft Sidewinder. It would have been nice to know more of the dates for the Logitech and Razer mice. The other thing was looking back at my up and down history of wanting to move out of this house and wanting to stay. In a very real way, this blog has become my personal journal and is the only record of many of my thoughts. And looking back at how I think is pretty important, even if it feels frivolous at the time of writing. So, today I have a bunch of little updates. Probably useless now, but useful going into the future.
I think I'm going to make this a regular thing. I have a lot of 'updates' posts, and this will make it easier for both me and you to see if the post is a new rant/event or an update of ongoing things. I'm sure it will evolve over time, but I want to set up some things that will definitely be recurring. Health, financial management (senseless purchases), family, work. I'll also look back at the previous few posts and see if they're worth updating. Let's start with those and see what else comes up. I'll come up with a cute title structure later.
Health
It was actually a big week for me health wise. I visited the dentist on Thursday and my neurologist on Friday.
The dentist was a planned visit to start a crown on my upper right molar. It had been found cracked at my last cleaning and jumped up to the first priority. On that same side I need 4 fillings, one of them major. The estimate I got for doing the crown work and one filling (the filling was right next to the crown and having the tooth out of the way would make it easier) was like $160. I don't think that's bad and always appreciate/hate my dental insurance when I visit and have work done.
I appreciate my dental insurance as it covers so damned much at such reasonable prices. I hate it because it has that limit. When I think of insurance I think of the opposite. They cover little in the beginning until you've paid your premium for the year and then they start covering 90 or 100 percent. Imagine if health insurance was like dental. I'd get almost all of my fees covered for my doctor visit, my endocrinologist, my prescription drugs, my neurologist, and any urgent/unexpected visits. But once I reach that magic limit, I'd be stuck paying full price for everything. $250 for a doctor visit instead of $20, $400 for a specialist instead of $20. $600 a month for insulin instead of $20. My doctors and specialists would have to work together to plan out any visits and procedures knowing that sometime in the year I'd run out of insurance and everything else would have to wait until next year. I'll freely admit my teeth are bad and I'm not the normal case as I need a lot of work done, but damn it I pay quite a bit for my dental insurance and my employer (the State!) pays a lot more than me. It just feels wrong. Anyway, aside done, back to the visit.
Once I was in the chair and numbed up, my dentist walks in and suggests that as long as I'm in the chair and numb, why don't we knock out all the work on that side of my mouth. The upper right side to be specific. He had his assistant (the hygienist?) go out to the office and get me a quote. It would be $450 to do everything, BUT it would wipe out the rest of my insurance. To me that was an instant NO GO. I don't' mind the money as again, that seems reasonable. But on two of my three crowns, I've needed a root canal shortly after. I'm not blaming the doc, but statistics say that I'm 66% likely to need a root canal. The last time I had one, it was completely out of pocket and cost me $2500. I needed it, I could put it on a credit card, and I got it.... but damn, that would have been a lot better at $500 with insurance.
Anyway, I told him no. Let's just stick with the original plan. It might lead to more problems down the road with the fillings going unfilled for so long, but I know I'm already on the train to dentureville. Let's not bankrupt me on the way there.
Another quick aside, my back is still hurting. It's gotten to the point that it radiates up through my chest. Yeah... tell a nurse they're experiencing chest pain and, well, I figure I'm having a heart attack most days now. One thing that makes it a lot worse? Laying on my back. With my head lower than my ass. Just as my dentist positioned me. So any chair time was bad time at the dentist that day.
Anywho, about 30 minutes in the dentist looks down at me (with his light right in my eyes, blinding me) and said he was just going to knock out another filling as it was right there and would only take three minutes. He wouldn't charge me for it as I'd already said no. BUT, he did just start working on it. I probably could have waved him off, but part of me DOES want to get the work done. As he started on it, I figured that after the procedure I'd tell him I appreciate him getting it done but that I'd go ahead and pay for it. That thought was gone after twenty minutes of him working on that three minute job. Fuck, my back was throbbing by that point. All said, I was in the chair for about two hours.
Of course I had to schedule the next visit to get the permeant crown three weeks out. I wanted a very early morning appointment (they open at 0730 daily) as I wouldn't have to take that much time off work. BUT they only time they had available in the timeframe offered was 1100. The reason they didn't have more options available was because my dentist was going on vacation. A MONTHS vacation! Damn, I guess it really IS good to be a dentist.
It's now been just under three days and I'm already concerned. The swelling is gone and my jaw no longer hurts from being pried open for a couple hours, but there is pretty severe cold sensitivity. Maybe it will pass, but this could be a sign that a root is exposed and that will surely lead to another root canal. Fuck.
The neurologist visit was fine. My migraines have gotten progressively worse over the past year, both in frequency and intensity and I knew it would be a big enough change to warrant a change in the care plan. I figured at 1000mg of depakote a day, I was at the maximum dose and would be titrating off of it and onto another medication. Botox probably as that's next.
My neurologist agreed it was a big change, but I guess I was wrong on the max dose of depakote. I'm now taking 1500mg daily. I have to watch out for side effects as it builds up in my system over the next two weeks. The side effects to really look out for is severe nausea and tremors. TREMORS! I know its the way these meds work, but that just cracks me up (in an entirely NOT funny way) that a seizure medication has the side effect of tremors. If I get through the two weeks without side effects, I then have to monitor my migraines for a couple months to see if its working. I was down to about one severe migraine every 6 weeks and that would be lovely as I'm currently at 6 a month.
If I get the side effects, I'm to immediatly drop back down to 1000mg and call him. If I don't get the effect I want (reduced migraines after 2 months) I'm to call his office. Otherwise it's assumed its working well and I'll see him in a year. And yes, I scheduled out my first appointment for 2022.
There isn't anything else major in health. My blood sugars are doing well. I'm ranging from the upper 770s to the low 120s instead of hovering in the mid 300s. The biggest problem is getting a schedule for taking the blood sugar. My endocrinologist wants me to flip every day. Morning/fasting one day, afternoon/pre-meal the next. I had it down getting my blood sugar every morning, but this change, for whatever reason, throws me off and I've gone three days without a blood sugar reading. Anyway, it's good so I'm not to concerned about it.
The back is worrying in that its just getting worse and I can't pinpoint whats making it worse or even whats making it better. I'll mention it to the doc eventually, but my next appointment is in July (I think). I'm hoping I can make it that long as I really don't want to make a mountain over what I assume is a really bad pulled muscle.
Finances
Some recent purchases. I bought some new shirts. It's worth mentioning as I wear such an unusual size (4XL Tall) that it's difficult to find any shirts, let alone ones I like. I found 4 from one of those catalogue companies, and let me tell you I hate ordering from them. I have to actually use a 'code' from inside the catalogue to get the displayed prices (it's about a 40% discount from the list price). There are about half a dozen different discounts/sales going on, none of which can be matched with the other. After I pick out the shirts that are in stock, apply my catalogue discount (it saves me the most money on their overpriced shirts) and select the $17 standard shipping fee (damn, Amazon IS saving me tons of shipping money), I just sit back and wait.
This was last week. I didn't receive an email with a shipping notification and just figured they didn't send those out. So, I logged in this morning to check and.... they haven't shipped yet. I have to wonder, if I picked the $35 express shipping option would it just be faster shipping and I'd still be waiting, or would I be waiting less with them shipping it in the same method. Damn I hate companies like this.
There's the new mouse. I'm happy enough with it. I noticed last night that its lights stayed on after I shut down the computer. I don't recall that happening when I had the previous Logitech mice before and it doesn't happen with the keyboard. I guess I just have to hope it was a one time fluke as I really don't want my nighttime computer routine to include flipping the mouse over and shutting it off (along with the computer itself, the monitor, and the speakers with their annoyingly bright blue light).
One other thing about the mouse, it turns out I didn't act fast enough between ordering it from Amazon and deciding to buy it local. I couldn't cancel the order and its due to arrive today. I guess I have two choices. I can return it to Best Buy where I bought the local one or I can return it to Amazon. Or three options as I could keep it or give it away to someone... but lets focus on the first two as they're financially smart. Returning it to Best Buy is a lot easier. I don't even have to take the receipt as they can look it up. Just walk in, go to the customer service counter, turn it in, and get the money back in my account in a few days. Returning it to Amazon is easy in that I don't have to 'go' anywhere, but I do need to ship it. Not a huuuuge pain, but I really dislike boxing things up, printing the labels, taping the box closed good enough, taping the label on, and finding a shipping location with a container big enough to take the box. At least finding the box would be easy as I'd just return it in the box it arrives in. Unless it comes in an envelope, then I'm screwed.
The financial problem of the returns is I paid more from Amazon. Amazon sold it themselves for the current $69.99 price but it wouldn't have arrived until Tuesday. Tuesday may as well be Friday as I wouldn't set it up on a work day which means I'd be dealing with the gooey mouse for another week. So I went with another seller that could ship it next day but cost $5 more. $74.99. Best Buy had it in stock for $69.99. Then again, I like having my purchases listed on Amazon as it gives me a timeline and is easier to....
Nevermind. I'll return it to Amazon. I just realized I paid for the Best Buy purchase with my debit card where I paid for the Amazon one with my Amazon credit card. I'd pay interest on the Amazon purchase. Well, that makes that decision easy!
Family/Friends
My brother B and mom both got their second doses of the vaccine this past week. B had almost no side effects while mom feels like shit. That doesn't seem fair, but at least we know the vaccine is doing it's job on Mom. Two weeks and we'll all three be fully vaccinated. That just leaves my brother R waiting for the state to open up to everybody and getting his own vaccination.
R is considering buying a desk. He's like me in that he wants what he wants and evidently he doesn't want something common. The only example he found so far of a corner desk with a hutch on one side and plenty of storage goes for $700. Yikes... and I thought I paid a lot when I put $300 down on my desk.
It's getting more crowded here at home. No, no one else is moving in but damn there is a lot of stuff in this house. The fridge is ridiculously full. From mom's staples she always keeps (why do we need 4 pounds of butter on hand?) to my insulin and energy drinks and work gatorade and lunch carrots/cucumbers, to R's soda and filtered water jug, to Bs low carb after work meals (he gets out at 2100 and plans quick healthy meals), it's just filled to the brim. We even have a problem with coffee mugs and had to put up some hooks for more coffee mug storage.
Got a text from E out in SanFran and he's ready to plan our next get together. Both A in Dallas and E want this to be another 'event' trip like New Orleans a few years back. He saw a story about how expensive it was to rent a car (Florida during spring break has Kia Rios going for $300 a DAY!) and suggested we go to a place where a rental wouldn't be needed. He suggested Las Vegas. That would be fun, but then again with Taxis and Uber, why would we ever need to rent a car? I'm still thinking Austin would be nice, but obviously we have to wait until the pandemic is more over before we make travel plans. I'm not getting on a plane right now!
Work
Not much new at work. I had my first real stint of overtime on this last pay period. I don't get overtime because I'm a firm believer in 80 hours a week. Now, I don't work a regular schedule and that means I can flex my time. If I stay over one night, I leave early the next day. But that pay period I just kept staying over and over and over and over. It wasn't much, but overtime is something I haven't had for like 3 years now!
Previous Posts
I talked about the mouse and there isn't anything more with that.
There really isn't more to discuss on the Bridging Me to Me post.
The Winter Beater. I am currently in the state of mind that buying a second vehicle just isn't worth it. I still lean that way, but not having access to it through the year just makes it feel stupid. And while it sounds morbid, it's just the truth... when Mom passes away I'll not only get her Escape (I've been paying for it, I can't imagine my brothers making a huff about it being mine) and can use it to trade in on a vehicle. It will also get a sport as we'll all 'move up'. Nina will move to the garage, R's Grand Cherokee will move to the covered spot, and my 'second vehicle' can stay out in the driveway parking spot.
I did, before deciding on not buying one, decide on getting a Jeep. Not just any Jeep, but a Jeep with their true, low gear, locking diff, 4x4 system. Something that if I were to slip off the road into a snow bank, I'd be able to pull myself out. All wheel drive systems are nice and give a lot of security, but if this is truly a vehicle to keep me safe in the winter, it seems like a no brainer to go all the way. With that in mind, I saw that for $300 a month I could lease a brand new Jeep Cherokee Trail Hawk with most of the options I want.
How ironic would it be that my 'winter beater' is a brand new 4x4 that's 2 years newer than Nina.
I hope to make this a regular staple post. Maybe once a week? I mean, that would be the majority of my posts but it would mean I leave less out. I don't know... I'll see where it takes me.
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