4/29/06 Eastern Magic...We're Going!!!!!

[Belle and Rella's Dad]

Just wanted to pop in and say hey, I hope all is well with everyone, and please take some time to remember all the people involved in September 11. I remember it like it was yesterday, in fact we were at Epcot that day when they made the annoucement that they were going to close the park. My MIL and SIL and her 2 girls were with us and suppose to fly back that late afternoon. It was a horrible day and lets hope it never happens again.

Tom

 

[castlegazer]

HI guys! - The following is just a cathartic recounting of the day for me - no need to read it. I am still feeling the after effects of 9/11 to this day - both in my work which changed profoundly due to economic shock waves, to the constant feeling of loss for those people who were taken. It always helps to write it out on the anniversary.

I'll check on prices today for you guys and post them. We have the same milk price as Suzie said, but we have been buying HGH free milk lately and it's around 2.99-3.99 a gallon.

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It is definately an epic event in my life where I will never forget what I was doing.
I was just pulling into my space at work and a commuter plane had inadvertantly hit the World Trade Center. I went up to my boss' office to watch the news of it because we have the TVs all over up there for the stock market watches. It was then that we realized what had happened and about an hour later we had an indication that our Chairman of our Board was on board the first plane as were 8 others from our sister company here.

It was a chilling realization that deepened the chill of the terror. We later found out that due to a scheduling issue, our Chairman had sent someone in his stead, but we still lost that woman, and the 8 others from our sister company. But most shocking was when they released the name of the pilot - his cousin is my colleague here at work with the same last name. He had been taken away that day and no one noticed. I didn't see him again for a long time. I then kept finding out about more and more people I knew who died that day.

It just kept getting freakier that week as the FBI was combing the area around our corporate offices - they found that some of the terrorists had resided for some time about a mile from here. We continually had helicopters overhead. Rumors were flying about people knowing the terrorists. For us it was a personal loss event that later became a horrifying realization of the act of profound terrorism and how easy it is to do something so unimaginably disgusting.

It was a terrifying time. I am still terrified to this day.

It was made even worse by the fact that I was pregnant and hadn't told anyone at work. I was terrified by what the effect of the stress of the event was having on my baby also.

I am horrified and so deeply and profoundly changed by the loss and tragedy of that day. It was not a far off event for us here - the knife of death touched us so closely. I mourned so deeply for everyone, more deeply than I mourned my own father's death. To be taken in that manner...................


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​

 

[castlegazer]

$2.53/gallon seems to be the going low right now around our house.



That is rockin'!!!! See, they get us all excited for what is still a super high price. But that is going to help enormously! I paid $3.25/gallon not that long ago.

 

[BLBCB]

I was just listening to "themickeyroom" podcast and my name was picked as their contest winner! It isn't a big contest and I'm sure the prize isn't much, but I'm just excited to hear my name read! It's episode #9 if anyone is interested! My couple of seconds of fame!

 

[suziemva]

Barb, that is so cool! Let us know what you won, 'kay?

 

[rubysmom]

Shy--thanks for sharing your 'catharsis' on 9/11. It truly is so important for people to be able to talk about what they experienced and I really appreciate hearing your perspective. We were physically so far removed out here and yet there was such amazing coverage and eyewitness reactions that made the horror of it hit home to me, and to everyone who calls America home, really. I will never forget the phone call from my husband telling me to turn on the TV. I'm so thankful I had the day off, because I could not tear myself away from that TV for hours...

_________________________________________________________________

Barb, I love your fa-mouse moment, but Len truly has you beat with his Village People gig. Congrats, though! ---be sure to tell us what you've won when you find out. You guys really have the best of both worlds when it comes to weather...when it's hot it's hot and when it's not it's not. No messing around with these whimpy 40-60F temps like us cloud-huggers here in WA.

Gas prices have been upwards of $3.50/gal in June/July, down to $3.25 in August, and now at the super low price of $3.09. We routinely have the highest gas prices in WA in our little corner of the state, and as Suzie has heard me complain numerous times, "We have 3 refineries right her in my county!!" Go figure.

Suzie--sorry about the game. Have you seen Invincible? It'll make you feel better, honest. What a great movie!

Our school started last wed also--the kids are happy to be seeing friends every day again. I agree about the small schools--ours is very small and I like it that way, but unless we enroll the kids in public school sports (which is allowed for home-schooled and private schooled kids but is logistically very difficult) they tend to miss out on extracurricular opportunities. I'm sure they'll survive with all the community sports and arts we have around here.

I know I've reminded you guys each time I post, but my 15k is this Sat am. On the 10k, I came in something like 681 out of 771 (yeah, I know ) so I'm hoping for a little better showing this time... perhaps top 500, lol! Doesnt matter to me really--I'm just doing it to get in shape and feel healthy, not to compete...but I do have a shame threshold, so it would be nice to do better!!

When do those sail dates come out again???....

 

[suziemva]

I think one of the worst things about Sept. 11 for me was that about 2/3 of the people I worked with at the time had family in the military working at the Pentagon or in DC. I remember one girl freaking out that her mom AND hubby both worked at the Pentagon and couldn't reach either one. Her hubby worked in the section that was hit (once we found out where) but thankfully was in another section for a meeting! I remember hearing the F16's pass overhead as we were all outside trying to get better cell phone connection. I remember finally getting ahold of Ed, who was working at our Dulles facility. They had grounded the planes on the runways at the airport and there was rumor of another terrorist attack on a plane there (false rumor it turns out). A painter out at Ed's office was knocked off his ladder while painting the outside of the building from the sound barrier blast from the F16's.

A friend of mine was deliverying Pepperidge Farm bread to the commissary at Fort Myer. He saw the plane hit the Pentagon. Said that people were out of their cars on the highway and just watching it all. Like zombies. Worst thing he's ever seen, he said. Never will he forget it.

I remember going to visit my grandpa's inurnment site at Arlington cemetary later on. They had so many funerals each day that they were limiting them. We were actually there when they had the stealth bomber do a fly over for the funeral. Never will I forget the site of the riderless horse in the funeral march. Never will I forget the site of the Pentagon side blown out, desks and file cabinets still visible in place. Just no people there. Like a ghost office.

We lost friends that day at the Pentagon. My boss had something like 15 friends he'd served with gone. One lady I had been friends with at the TO (transportation office) at Fort Belvoir. I'd known her about 10 years. Gone.

It was very hard to see the footage then at the time and no way can I watch it now. I stayed very far away from tv yesterday. Bummer is that even the football game was invaded by it, so we turned it off.

It's funny how America changed after that day. I remember people with flags all over their cars. Barely see one now. I remember people being courteous, letting others in front of them in traffic and in lines at the stores. Don't really see that now. I remember people being so Patriotic. I won't touch that one. It's a shame that the unity we felt then seems to be gone. Hm.

 

[castlegazer]

God, please never let this happen to our great country again.

Good Luck in your 15K, Trish! When I get down to working out, I want to be just like you! I really do!

Barb - Have you found out yet? Give us the web address, please. I am unfamiliar with that.

 

[BLBCB]

Barb - Have you found out yet? Give us the web address, please. I am unfamiliar with that.

I don't know if you can put a link to a site on here? The website is themickeyroom dot com show number 9. Is that how I put things on here? I still have to go back through Suzie's picture course and see if I can finally figure it out. As for what I won, they didn't tell me, just that I was to expect it in the mail. We know how slow the mail is from the U.S. to Canada, so it will be a while before I see it. I will let you all know when it comes though.

 

[castlegazer]

Nevermind! (I edited out a request, but I found Amy and all is well)

Thanks.

And Thanks Barb - I'll go check it out! You always know all the coolest sites.

 

[suziemva]

Not a problem. Glad you were able to get ahold of her!

 

[BLBCB]

Just thought I'd give you an update on Len's knee. Sorry it's so long.

I'm sure you have heard good and bad things about the medical system up here in Canada. It is great, but it really needs some kinks worked out. We can pretty much go see whoever we want, how ever often we want, with almost unlimited amounts of "second opinions" without ever having to pay for any of it. Bill goes directly to the government. Most people don't abuse this, but there are always some that don't mind abusing any system. But I won't get onto that soap box right now.

As you all know, Len hurt his knee on Cataway Cay and was evacuated off the island (wish I could post a picture of that, but I haven't had a chance to finish Suzie's pictures 101 course yet!). Keep in mind this is the beginning of May. The doctor on the ship says that he believes it's a tear and must have surgery. As soon as we get back home, Len sees a GP in the neighboring town, about 1/2 hour from here. Up here in Canada you must see a GP first, and he has to refer you to a specialist. So the GP sends in the request for a specialist appointment, and we should hear within a few weeks when the appointment will be, but it could be a few months before the actual appointment. Turns out there is a specialist coming from Winnipeg to a town only an hour from here (most specialist are only in Winnipeg - 4 1/2 hours from here or Brandon which is almost 3 hours). We can get into see him the end of June. He checks it out and says that he needs an MRI before he decides what to do. The MRI request goes out and we hear back a week later that they were able to squeeze him in for Aug 17. After the MRI, the technician says it should be about 3-5 days before the report is ready. From experience dealing with our medical system, we ask that copy of the report be sent to our GP as well. (We don't really have a GP because there is such a doctor shortage out here that they aren't taking any new patients, so we just go to walk-in clinic and get whoever is on call.) Aug 30 we do get to see the same GP and he just received the MRI that morning. The specialist hasn't called us back, even though the report said there was a total rip of the ACL, and partial tears of the ligaments or something on either side of the knee. The doctor just keeps shaking his head and saying "your knee's a real mess". The GP himself calls the town where the specialist comes one day every 2 months and finds out he will be there the end of the next week. They will squeeze us in. We ask for a photocopy of the report just in case. When we get to the specialist, he does an examination of the knee again, and says a brace should work. I ask why the other doctor says a seperated ACL and the other tears requires surgery, and he doesn't know what I'm talking about. You see the MRI report went to his office in Winnipeg. They have no file on Len there so it was sent to Dauphin. The specialist doesn't see patients in Dauphin, he sees them in Ste. Rose. So he has never seen the MRI report at this point! I happen to have a photocopy in my purse so I whip it out and he changes his mind completely about what should be done. Yes, surgery will have to be done. He then says that he doesn't do surgery anymore, so he will refer me onto a really good surgeon who does this type of thing. So we have at this point been waiting since early May, it is now the end of August. The doctor now says that Len is to only walk on even ground until something can be done with the knee. He is a power technician, working on transformers, etc up on ladder working with extremely high voltage electricity. How is he to only stay on level ground? But it gets better yet!

We wait a week to make sure the request has got to the other doctor's office and we call to see when the appointment is, hoping to speed things up a bit. The sectretary says that "the request hasn't been received yet, but the doctor is currently booking new patients the end of December. After the initial visit, surgery could possibly be done as early as 6 months from then." This is only if the request gets to them right away. If it is slow to get typed and sent out, it could be January before he even sees the surgeon. And this is only if the surgeon is happy with only one visit. With all of my surgeries, I have never been able to just see the guy once and then have surgery scheduled. They don't get paid as much that way I guess. So Len is suppose to stay on level surfaces until next June possibly, if all goes good. I know I've had surgery postponed 3 times and it was almost a year after the first scheduled date that I finally got in. This doesn't even count the recovery time after the surgery!! What gets me really mad is that a local football player had a similar injury a few weeks ago, and he was operated on the next day. They won't allow private health care here, but are you going to tell me that it isn't a two-teered system when the football player who has the money and connections can get the surgery within a day of the injury! Anyone got some extra pixie-dust to send our way?

In the whole scheme of life, this isn't a life-threatening thing and we shouldn't complain. The pain is pretty intense but he can still walk with the brace. Looks like I'll be going for more surgery again too, but this could be done here in Dauphin so there shouldn't be as long of a wait. A few months hopefully. We end up spending quite a bit of time in Winnipeg at the Health Science Centre where most of the specialist are and you see some people there that really put your life into perspective. There are kids without hair hooked up to breathing tanks that are still smiling, people in wheelchairs that will never walk, etc. They have found a way to be happy with their lives, what do I have to complain about.

Thanks for letting me rant about our medical system, and I am now stepping off my soap box and going back to work.

29 C here yesterday so summer still comes to visit a bit. Cold and rainy today though. Have a great weekend everyone.

Barb

 

[Lisa D]

Hi everyone,

I haven't been here for a while - we've had quite a wild ride around here in the last week.

During the first week of school Jimmy was laying around alot and complaining of a pain in the middle of his stomach. We thought it was jitters from starting high school with 2800 students, and the exhaustion from getting around such a large school. Well, he got worse instead of better over the weekend and seemed to be losing a lot of weight. Monday morning (Sept. 11, no doubt) we took him to the ER where he was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. He was admitted where they spent the first day rehydrating him and stabilizing his sugar, and the second day teaching him (and us) how to do the insulin and sugar testing. This whole thing came as a MAJOR shock to all of us - we have no family history whatsover. I never knew stomach discomfort could be a sympton, and of course we felt terrible for thinking it was just nerves!

Barb's story about Len's knee (and I am sending pixie dust your way how can they decide which people should have surgery pronto while others who have jobs and families are made to wait!) got me going on an insurance rant. Our largest hospital in the area (Hospital #1) does not "participate" with our insurance company. We have no choice on who our company is - with Phil's job they only offer one health insurance carrier). Because of this, we went to the ER of Hospital #2 who does participate. Hospital #2 does not handle pediatric diabetes, so they want to transfer him to Hospital #1. When the whole insurance thing comes up, the insurance company decides we should transfer him to a Hospital #3 which is 60 miles away! So they want to transfer my son in an ambulance in which he cannot be administered the insulin he needs for an hour and a half ride! Finally one of the doctors at Hospital #1 convinces the insurance company to let him be admitted there. We do have some insurance coverage at Hospital #1, but it's considered "out of network" and we'll be on the hook for about half of the bill.

Jimmy is feeling much better and will be totally fine. It's just an adjustment for us all. Apparently they are making advancements in diabetes all the time. Thanks for letting me get my "rant" out of the way.

Lisa

 

[suziemva]

Trish - how was the run?! We want details!!!!

 

[rubysmom]

Barb & Lisa--

Both of those situations are so awful for you and your 'boys'! As I read and was trying to brainstorm ways around both of your situations, I realized they are textbook examples of the downsides of both socialized medicine (Canada) and private insurance carriers (USA). I can't get over how the two situations compare and contrast that way. From the point of view of a medical biller, it's absolutely fascinating.

However, from the point of view of a friend, it's extremely frustrating. I've been on that phone trying to get doctors and insurance companies to see eye to eye, and meanwhile someone you love is suffering. I'll be praying for both Len and Jimmy and sending bucket loads of pixie dust your way!

As far as my race goes, it was really great! I did not break 500th place, but I did finish 570th which is over 100 places better than my last race, even with the additional 5K. So on the 10K my pace was a 11:49 mile and this time it was 11:57, but that's because when I got to 8 miles, I just could not keep up my pace. I checked my watch at each mile marker and did great until the 8 mile marker. If you feel like it, you can go to fairhavenrunners.com and check out the stats. Below is a link to my race photo. This was taken about 50 yards from the finish. The other photographer was about 1/2 mile back on a long dock over the bay called Taylor Dock...the photo of me there is not good.

http://www.photoreflect.com/scripts/prsm.dll?eventorder?photo=07Q6007F000596&start=0&album=0&adjust=-1

After looking over the Seattle Marathon website, I've decided that I'm not ready for 26.2 miles, but I am going to register for the half. Next year, I'm planning to do the Portland Marathon, so I'll be getting in touch with The Roses and ulittletinker when the time comes!

 

[mketting]

Hello again everyone! I was on the Disboards tonight because I am helping friends plan a trip and thought I would check in with the April 29 Crew. I couldn't believe you guys were right up there on the first page still.

I did not take time yet to try and catch up with all the posting but hope you are all doing well.

Things are here are back into the full fall swing. I am enrolled in the Master Of Social Work program as planned so I am busier than ever but loving the 3 classes I am in.

Wish we had another Disney Cruise to be planning for but alas do not see one anyime in our future.

Take care

 

[suziemva]

Michelle - nice to see you here! Glad you stopped by to catch up! Please come back and join us again.....feeling a bit abandoned by some.....okay, guilt trip over!

Trish, I don't care what place you came in, you're my hero! To even be able to run 1 mile is impressive to me! You go girl! BTW, that pic is pretty sexy! Dave gonna get one blown up for the house? It would look great over the fireplace downstairs! hee-hee! Love ya', baby!

 

[BLBCB]

Trish,

I am so impressed with your race!! I don't care what place you come in, it's all about personal goals. Have you ever thought about running at the marathon in WDW? I think that would be so incredible to be able to run through the parks. They say you run through "back stage" areas too. Great excuse to go to WDW I think!

Lisa,

I can't even imagine the stress you are dealing with right now. No matter how old they are, when they are sick they are always our little kids in our hearts. It must have been so frustrating to be dealing with a diagnosis like that and having to fight for the hospital/insurance company to accept him so you didn't have to travel. I know what it's like to have to travel for doctors! What do you do if you aren't at home? How do you know which hospital you can go to? Do they make allowances if you are out of your "home area"? How is Jimmy doing emotionally now that it's sunk in a bit? He's now old enough to understand what's going on, but he's also at an age when the world is against them anyway. My thoughts are with you guys.

 

[castlegazer]

Oh my! Barb, that is beyond awful! A few companies here is the states have been promoting a new health care insurance system where they will help you go to Canada and other countries to get medical procedures performed due to it being less expensive. That way they save, the insurance carrier saves, and well, you get a vacation (that's the way they are spinning it) - from the moment I heard about this I thought, waaaaiiiiiiittttt just a freakin minute here! That is soooo not a solution! It puts way too much stress on the other country's health care system if suddenly tons of United States people start flooding in for precedures and get priority because they are paying cash, and then I certainly don't want to go to another country for an intensive procedure, then I also don't even know what type of regulatory procedures they have in place to ensure I am safe - and that's only to name the few questions that immediately popped to mind let alone the thousands of other questions I could come up with.

Is there a way you can bring the inequity to the forefront? I mean, is there someone you can go to? For us it would be our Congressman and Senators who would help - I used to do just that for tons of consituents who felt cheated or pushed aside by the system. To me, the status quo of Len's situation is unacceptable. He needs surgery now!

Lisa - that is very disturbing. I always think - adult onset diabetes comes later in life - kids Jimmy's age could not just suddenly get diabetes - boy was I wrong. I just went and read up on Type 1 diabetes on WebMD and learned a ton. My thoughts and prayers are definately with you guys. I am glad they figured it out and got him stabalized. I am very glad they figured out what to look for also. I had no idea that something like that could happen - but now I know - and I also know that he will be fine with an adjusted life that is going to be hard on all of you for a while.

I currently have a Point of Service health plan and I love it. It has come in extremely handy with my daughter's, well, what we call her "things", but they boil down to minor birth defects that has mandated we have myriads of specialists for her in her short lifetime. It is an amazingly difficult proposal to fight with the insurance companies. I am very sorry you had to go through this while trying to stabilize Jimmy.

Trish - GREAT JOB!!!!! You are my hero!

Michelle - Nice to see you! Good luck in your courses!

 

[rubysmom]

We do have Canadians who come here for medical care all the time, usually for major procedures, but often for routine care, and they pay cash, but they do it to avoid the very thing that Len is going thru. It makes sense to me in a private MD/private insurance set up, but to tax the system the other way 'round will only make it worse, like Shyla said. It's sad when the ins co doesnt even try to hide its blatant greed.

In other news...

Happy Birthday to Suzie!!!!

Have a wonderful day, Sweetie!!