LIVING WITH MCL

It's so hot, Southern California Edison (SCE) just cycled off our air conditioner! It's so hot, even Edie's starting to complain, and that just doesn't happen anymore. And don't believe the graphic to the right. On the back porch, the thermometer is reading 104°F. Can you believe it? This is the first time in the 20 years we've had the plan, which for a reduced rate during the summer, allows SCE to cycle off our air conditioner, for up to 6 hours at a time, should the need arise. And it's only been for 50 minutes since they shut it off. That means it could be another 5+ hours before it comes back on. Now that sure isn't something to celebrate!

When I first sat down this morning, I had every intention of writing a political rant. I was pissed off because I believe Kaiser overcharged Edie for a prescription. I find it so amazing, that after 7+ years of dealing with the Medicare Part D prescription drug plan, Kaiser still can't get it right. [Fortunately the quality of care they provide is better than their financial and billing prowess.] This last prescription put Edie $200.50 into the donut hole , but instead of charging her only $200.50 for the prescription, Kaiser charged her $270.50. I assumed, and later confirmed, the extra $70 was the copay for the 3 month prescription for Lyrica. So why was she charged the copay? After all, if she had been within $1 of the donut hole (instead of $721.61), they wouldn't have charged her $995.61 (the drugs only cost $926.61) for the prescription. They would have only charged her $925.61. [At least logic tells me that would be the case.] So why are they charging her the copay in th

Ever since switching from Direct TV to Verizon FIOS last February, I've regretted that decision. Not only does Verizon have the same issue I was so upset with Direct TV about (so obviously it wasn't the fault of Direct TV), but the FIOS program guide sucks, and the DVR is, by far, the absolute worst DVR in the world. The hard drive is half the size of every other DVR hard drive in the world, and it's not nearly as intuitive as that of Direct TV's. So after 8 hours spent running new cables, and upgrading a few other items, I'm finally back in business with Direct TV. It's a good thing the technician/installer arrived at 9 AM. Yes, there may be an early termination fee (although the Verizon service rep said there wouldn't be one), but with the deal Direct TV was offering, access to every channel for the next 5 months, home media DVR, and NFL Sunday ticket, for only $79/per month, I'm still way ahead of the game. And even after the 5 months is up, the total

It went into the 90K service for the Lexus, which included a new timing belt, water pump, major tune up (new wires, and platinum spark plugs) and a host of other things, for a grand total of $1,700. I was expecting around a grand, but when my mechanic came in at over $1,900 initially, I was floored, to say the least. I wasn't sure what to do. The car is 17 years old. Was it really worth it? So I called the local Lexus dealer, and after discovering their cost was over $2,100, and after an additional discussion with my mechanic, who sympathetically agreed to do it all for $1,700, I decided it was worth it. Yeah, the car is 17 years old, but it's still a classy car, and has performed admirably all those years, not to mention it still has a suggested retail value of over $8,000 today. Oh well, like I always say, "such is life". I really don't need a new bike. The two I currently have are both only about 3 years old, and are still in good shape. I'm more bored than

As most of you [should] know, I'm not a fan of vitamins, supplements or anything supposedly designed to boost your immune system. I think they're a scam (and I know about scams), but even if you could boost your immune system, why would you want to? An over active immune system can cause just as much harm as one that is malfunctioning. Even more simply put, an over active (boosted) immune system is a malfunctioning immune system . Still just my saying so, hasn't stopped [no matter how hard I try] the plethora of products on the market (with new ones coming every day), nor the people naive enough, IMO, to use them. Here's an example of a post, from a member of the NHL message board, I found today of particular note. It even includes a new remedy I hadn't heard of before. I have followed a mainly macrobiotic or raw food diet, always organic, for over 20 years.  I rarely had a mere sniffle during that time, so I do believe diet is protective of our health (but darn i

And I have no one to blame but myself. I failed to read a contract, or at least failed to properly understand it. I thought by paying a yearly fee to Orkin for termite inspections of our home, and needed re-treatments, after the initial treatment [tenting] in 1990, we would be covered for any future structural damage [caused by termites] that might occur. Isn't that what insurance is for? Well as it turns out, the so called Orkin guarantee, does nothing more than guarantee they will retreat (at no charge) if termites are found. It doesn't matter whether they were negligent in performing annual inspections, and missed termite infestations, or if their re-treatments had been inadequate, it isn't their fault if termites return, and structural damage occurs 20 years later. [note]Sort of sounds like the health insurance industry. You pay your premiums, but there's no guarantee the insurance company is going to cover your health care expenses.[/note] So now after paying Orkin

BIG SIGH! This seems to be an ongoing issue with me, that is how tough it is some mornings just gettin' out of bed. And it has [almost] nothing to do with the state of the economy, or the tearing apart of the fabric of our society by some factions in our country, or even mine and Edie's illnesses. It's just becoming more noticeable with each passing day how everything I've come to accept and enjoy in life is being altered in ways I'm not happy with. Sure there have been some changes that have been for the better, and have made our lives easier, i.e. computers, the internet, smart phones, wireless everything, etc. but those are just things. And the more I think about it, I'm not so sure the advent of the internet has been such a good thing. I'm talking about things you can't easily describe. It's like how the dynamics of the bike club I started back in the late 80's, along with a few friends, has changed, and now the same thing is occurring with t