Mornin' everyone.

Just curious, Tet - does DD know that you are reposting her messages here? And that we're loving them? Best not tell her, eh?

Perhaps the only topic more frustrating to talk about than the costs & billing procedures in the medical profession is politics. (Am I right, Twocat?) To say that either is slightly less than perfect would be a bit of an understatement.

For anyone interested, here is a link to the recipe for the Chocolate Whiskey Cake:  http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1014419-chocolate-whiskey-cake.  I wonder what it would taste like with Cointreau or Kahula instead of the whiskey?

Lat night, I went as one of three 'local experts' to a near-by town's public hearing for some proposed changes to their wetlands ordinances. Most in the audience were against the proposals. The three of us tried to address their concerns, but the good folks just weren't listening, and kept bringing up the same fears, even after we explained why what they feared just doesn't happen. We made the same changes to our ordinances in '08, and the things they are afraid would happen in their town have never happened in ours in those eight years. How can you reason with someone who just won't listen to anything you say? Yep, it was a tough, long meeting.

So I got to bed late last night (and without dinner), and woke up early this morning. What to do but head out for a workout. 7 and a scootch RW miles in 30F temps, and under mostly clear skies and a near-fool moon. I worked hard, mustered some decent speed, and am now nicely fatigued. I suspect there'll be a quick ketchup nap when I go home at lunch time...

Have a greta Tuesday!

Jay

0532

27F (I think it was at least 33F)

7.32 miles

9:04 average pace

We had a guest runner from Vermont who was in town on business, So visitor Andy ran with Bob, Jane, Marty, Carol, and Ralph while I was chatting with Tricia and we ended up quite a bit ahead of them. We waited at the School of Ed for the group only to find out that Ralph had started walking because he felt his bum calf complain. Marty stayed with Ralph, and so did Bob, I think. Jane and Tricia decided to go left at Adair and Carol and I wanted to go right to the bridge behind the School of Business. Poor Andy!  He went left with Tricia and Jane, leaving Carol and me free to run as far and fast as we wished. All in all, I think we all ran what suited us. In the last 2 miles, we ended up within a few meters of each other. Ralph and Marty ended up having a nice slow run and man to man talk. I like when men have meaningful conversations on a run.

Ha! I remember talking about this on the bus ride to the start of the Freedom's Run marathon. There are times I'm glad I didn't have a girl. My brother has two and that's enough for me! Boys were challenging enough, especially that younger one.

 

Holly, the green-ness of your grass is stunning. My lawn is still all white, and will be for awhile still.

 

Insurance isn't the most frustrating part... it's the providers who refuse to negotiate with insurance companies and have free reign to charge whatever they want. Also, the level of unnecessary and redundant care in this country is insane. It's a perfect "fox watching the hen house" situation and most of the "reform" has been on the insurers and payers, not on the provider side. Until some controls get put in place there, we have a totally unsustainable system that will hamper individuals' ability to pay for their care, and will hold our country back in the global marketplace in the future. <steps off soapbox>

 

1. It is funny that my girl was my easiest child. Wait. My second son was easy. Okay. Let's just say the biggest challenge was DS1, the middle child.

2. Holly's yard is luscious green! Our yard is chickweed and sticks and dirt.

3.  Let's agree that the system is not really even a system. Insurance is frustrating. Hospital corporations are frustrating. But. Let's talk about "provider".  If provider is hospital corporation, okay.  If healthcare providers are physicians and nurses?  I believe physcians practicing evidence based medicine should be permitted to order any tests the patient needs to help the physician diagnose the complaint. And the physician practicing evidence based medicine should be able to prescribe the treatment that best cures the diagnosis. I do not want insurance companies telling my physician what I need based on their algorithms.

Thankfully, right now, I have great insurance that doesn't cost a lot. That is changing and we are being coerced into a Health Saving Plan...in a few years it's likely I won't have a choice.

No run yet. It was tweener weather when I got up. To cold for shorts yet too warm for running pants. Maybe I could have gotten away without a jacket...but...This afternoon it will be sunny and in the low 60's. Short sleeves and shorts weather.

Looks like some good runs/walks have been happening between the insurance rants (no raves definitely).  Ran 7 into major gusts in both directions - never understand how that happens. long one planned for tomorrow afternoon

our insurance story - after i retired we switched to medicare & tufts wrap around.  it took over 4 months to get it straightened out - with me understanding the health care system & speaking english.  i called all our providers and explained the issues and they were fine,  however, if i hadn't known to talk to everyone, i'm sure we would still be fighting the bills.

deez - good luck!

marj

Well, health insurance seems to be a hot topic round here.  800 a month sounds outrageous to me, but what do I know.

I was tired this morning and decided not to run.  But then as I was sitting in bed drinking my coffee, waking up, I looked at the clock and realized I still had time to squeeze in 3 miles.  So that's what I did, and the run felt better than I expected.  Best part was no complaints whatsoever from my knee.  That made me pretty happy.   "yippee"

Then I bike/bus/biked to work.  One bus I get on, the driver knows me now because of my bike.  Retired policeman, loves driving buses part-time.  Think I would like that gig someday.

.....ok, First ''rough hike'' in 2-years>>>>>>>>>>w0w

first hiking buddy

CRACKED HIS TIBULA and will be out for at least a month

second hiking buddy

is having PRE-SURGERY today for his Second Shoulder Replacement

and

third hiking buddy

is babysitting his 6-grandkids

I felt better in comparison

=====================

40-min off trail hike 4-lb hiking pole

, 50s and windy

this was a ''Moderate Difficulty'' trail at best,,,,,,,,,,,,and it Kicked my Butt

so naturally,

me and fourth hiking buddy are driving

to a Natural Arch State Park next week to try a ''Maximum Difficulty'' hiking trail

I'm an Idiot.

(but at least I'm an Outside Idiot)

.................................good running guys..............Let Common Sense Prevail................at least occasionally

ya got me rose//............he THINKS he'll be ready in 2-weeks,

but I told him to lay out a month.

he just emailed me sunday to say he  couldn't make the hike

I suppose you could ''crack'' a tibia, I just never heard of anyone doing it

eta-

I just noticed he spelt ''fibula and tibia'' as one word, so maybe he did

We're supposed to get 8-10 inches of snow! It is spring, right? I think I liked January better...

Wow, lucky.

I wished we'd be getting some of it up here

a little southeast of erika-land and rhoon-land

.

Speaking of rhoon-land, it's such a huge state stretching across what used to be four time zones before being unified into a single Alaska one and the equivalent distance from the east-to-west coasts to say nothing of being some 2.5X the size of the state that used to be largest but, with a population less than a dozen-and-a-half other U.S. cities and about the same as several others, e.g. Seattle, Boston, etc., it shouldn't be a surprise to run into a teacher <<<(that would be Amanda)>>> down here from rhoon land over spring break who told me that the father of one of her students <<<(that would be Gwenith)>>> is a well-known runner and pilot in the area.

.

ps jay - I would not want to see the iphone

message from my DD to my e-mail,

if she waited that long,

if she had any idea I'm posting

her curt cuties to me.

.
pps tomW - I'd be done posting too if she had any idea what TW' lets Claire do.

.

ppps tomS  - I wonder if your next eye surgery will make you even faster yet

would someone please check his birth certificate.

thanks.