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Apparently "bringing about real change" means spamming me to death

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 04:42:00 GMT

Here is a little free advice to those running for office this election year, considering the fact that you have no idea what normal people do or what makes them tick. People don't like spam. In fact, there are billions of dollars spent every year to stop people from sending unsolicited email to people that are not interested in buying (or buying into!) services. You have become part of the problem by sending me emails telling me about your "solutions".

If I am on the fence about a particular candidate - and I'm not - and you really want to seal the deal and drive me to making a decision, then by all means go ahead and send me more spam. I will remember that when I don't cast a ballet for you on election day.

Oh yeah... and about the "opt out" form thingie on your website that you apparently ignore. In the "internet world" that means that you are supposed to stop sending emails to the person that submits it. Seriously Senator, stop going out of your way to push me away. Your work is already done.

RANT: Remember when insurance was a benefit?

Fri, 05 Jan 2007 17:22:29 GMT

It is time for my yearly complaining about health insurance becoming more and more ridiculous every year. The insurance premiums that are offered by my employer are now more than many people's salaries!

For those of you that work for big companies, you are going to likely be shocked by these numbers, but this is the email I receieved this morning from the owner of our company:

[unnamed company] will be renewing its agreement with United Healthcare in March. The new premium amounts are as follows:

	Current	Renewal
Employee Only	340.59	381.46
Employee and Spouse	747.51	837.21
Employee and Child	665.22	745.05
Employee and Family	1140.77	1277.66

If you have any questions, please see [HR person]. Also, please appreciate the additional amount that [unnamed company] is paying on your behalf.

May you all have a healthy 2007!

Barf!

So the obvious answer is to go get private policies, right? Here is the catch. For those of us (which was me until last year!) who are still planning on growing our families, to the best of my knowledge it is not possible to get reasonable maternity coverage on a private policy in Texas. It has been determined that this is an "elective procedure" according to my insurance agent. So for you big company employees who consider going to smaller shops, or you single guys how consider going towards families.... take heed! Life ain't cheap.

Grand Canyon... It's on!

Mon, 11 Jul 2005 05:00:00 GMT

My father and I decided that this was the year that we would hike the North Rim to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. I know this seems crazy, but it is actually a paperwork challenge to be able to hike the Grand Canyon. There is an application process in which you have to fax your request in the 1st day of the month 6 months before the intended date of your trip with a detailed itinerary, including where you will be sleeping and when. We sent faxed our paperwork in and held our breath on the 1st of April, 6 months before we hoped to go in September. After no word for a month we finally contacted them, only to find out that we had been rejected. Discouraged, but not beaten, we laid out the calendar to see if there was another time that would work. We decided that November would be acceptable, albeit a little colder. It should be in the 60s in the bottom of the canyon though where we will spend the majority of our time. Once again, we laid out our itinerary and faxed in on July 1. My dad received a letter today dated July 6, 2005 telling him that they were sorry, but they were unable to accept out application. He spent a good hour walking around the house cussing and feeling terribly disappointed. A bit later my mom noticed there was another letter from the Grand Canyon dated July 7, 2005.

Dear Mr. Shuck, we have accepted your request to hike the Grand Canyon on the dates of November 1, 2 and 3, 2005. Enlcosed are your passes, which you will need to affix to your backpack and carry with you in the canyon. There is no need to stop by the back country headquarters before departing on the trail.

So in 3.5 months, I will be taking this in....