One size does not fit all

Well, it's Wednesday and the schedules are out for the first week in January... and I'm off for the first 3 days.  Now, ain't that nice.
I replaced the toner cartridge in my printer - I tend to print a lot of things off.  They included an mailing envelope for me to return the cartridge... it's way too small.

Why include something that's not going to fit my cartridge.  Size, you know, has always been very, very important.  This means I'll have to drive it in to Staples.  Well, that's going to have to wait until the holiday traffic is passed.
I printed off the first 60 pages of my next project for my editor.
My Mom had a policy with  Met Life which was supposed to pay for her funeral.  Well, I paid for it out of what was left of her savings.  Met Life has been slow.  Then yesterday my brother sent me a text and said he, too, was listed as a beneficiary.  Shit.  That meant both he and I were going to be getting checks, a bit of a complication since there are 3 of us.  I called Met Life and was told there were actually 3 beneficiaries, though they couldn't tell me who the 3rd was.  I guessed my sister.  I gave her their 800 number and she called them.  Yepper.  She is the 3rd.  If this policy had truly been intended to pay for her funeral expenses, 3 checks would have been a bit of a complication.  I don't like complications, you know?  3 people writing 3 checks to pay for one bill.
Anyway, my blog yesterday on Camp Paradise got massive amounts of hits.  I had no idea so many people had an interest in blond Russian hookers...  Of course, it may just have been the Idiot Jerk in the White House.  I don't now, maybe he was waiting for one of them to pee.

The Good, the Bad, and the Nominations

Okay, so the Golden Globe nominations came out yesterday - they were interesting.  However, one in particular stood out.  A nominee for Best Actor in a Comedy or Musical was that every popular Christian Bale.  You know who I'm talking about, he's a real cutie (with a bit of a temper).  He plays Dick Cheney in a movie called "Vice."  And it's considered a comedy...  Are you laughing yet?  What caught my attention was his picture.  He gained a couple of pounds for the film, as you can see.

If you're like me, you can smell an Oscar nomination.
So I had a conversation with Met Life yesterday about my Mom's funeral benefit.  I was told they mailed it to me on Tuesday.  I was a bit harsh - no language, I don't curse or swear at people over the phone, it does no good.  My voice usually drops an and I use phrases like 'lack of professionalism' and 'demonstrating the total inability to understand the distress,' and 'failure to show any consideration.'  The agent kept repeating 'my condolences,' and how it takes them 7 - 10 business days to process the paperwork.  Of course that's pure bullshit.  This is the age of computers.  You report a death and the agent clicks a box on his / her computer screen which sets some future date for the paperwork to be generated.  In today's high tech world the first human hands to touch that paperwork might actually be an associate as the envelope is loaded into a tray for a bulk mailing.
And now for a bit of irony.  In the project I'm working on there are 2 characters with the last name 'Blanchet' who work at the Louvre.  Gerrard is the Directer of Antiquities.  Last evening, while researching organizational positions at the Louvre, I discovered that the actual Directer of Antiquities' last name is... Blanchet.  I'm not too good at Probability, if anyone is, can they give me the odds of that actually happening.
And finally for today's funny bit.  The Idiot Jerk in the White House wants to nominate Heather Nauert for the position of Ambassador to the United Nations.

She's a spokesperson for the State Department and has been for about a year and a half.  She has no political... or policy experience.  Nikki Haley was a 2 time governor - that's experience.  So, what does Heather have going for her besides being blonde?  Well, before she became a Spokesperson, Heather was an anchor and correspondent on Fox and Friends, the Idiot Jerk's most favorite show.  Evidently that was a Home Run on her resume.

A bit about benefits

Monday!  I'm off.  Originally I had read my schedule wrong and thought I had off 2 days, worked a day, and then had off again.  Turns out I have off a day, work 2 days, and then have off 2 more days.  Does that count as dyslexia?
Maybe that's what's wrong with the Republican party.  Even after a bruising midterms, they continue to go about as though nothing has happened, business as usual.  Do they see going from a majority of 23 to being the minority party by 39 / 40 seats as normal?  Or is there something twisted in their brains which lets them see that loss and still say "hey, we got this!"  I mean, they've always been great on denial and pointing fingers.  Of course, they are terrified to point those fingers at the Idiot Jerk in the White House - that would mean they've made a terrible mistake, that they're completely out of step with a majority of Americans.  Come to think of it, being out of step has never stopped them before.
So, I went on line last evening to order the dogs their Christmas toys.  Well, the first thing I saw at the top of Amazon's home page was an announcement about Aquaman.  Amazon Prime members could actually purchase tickets to see the movie a week before release.  That's right, while the rest of America waits until 12/21, those who have Amazon Prime get the chance to see it early.  So, of course, I bought tickets.  Now, I call that a really nice benefit.

Finally, a bit about Met Life.  If you're my age, or there about, you will remember The Peanuts Gang and Snoopy.  They were unbelievably popular with daily cartoons in the paper and specials on TV.  The specials on TV were almost always sponsored by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company.  Both of my parents bought Met Life insurance policies - it was the thing to do.  Well, now I'm dealing with Met Life.  They are greedy as hell.  I notified them on 11/16 of my Mom's death.  I was told they would mail me paperwork in 7-10 business days.  I notified them on Friday 11/30 that I still had not received the paperwork.  Their agent reminded me they had 7 - 10 business days "and there have been 2 weekends and a holiday since the 16th."  There agent then went on to tell me that once they receive the paperwork back, with the death certificate, they have another 7 - 10 business days before they have to mail out the check.  This means it could be over a month after I notified them that I receive the insurance check.  When I told her there might be people out there who might be in dire straits and might desperately need these funds, she said, "this is our policy."  In my opinion, this defines failure.  So, if you have annuities or polices with Met Life be forewarned, they will hold onto your funds with their tight little fists as long as possible.  They are not there to provide a benefit.

Pudding head dentists

My dentist is not very happy with me, not at all.  My dental plan covers your basic cleanings, fillings of two sides, and extractions if necessary, but not much more.  Every time I go to the dentist my hygienist gives me a periodontal exam, which is not covered in my plan.  I just called and had them permanently cancel that particular exam because I got tired of paying money out of my pocket every year for something that never changed.  My gums are in good shape, but that didn't stop my provider from performing and charging me twice a year for an exam that really was not that necessary.  My dentist would also like to put a number of crowns in my mouth so I might have a perfect smile.

This is not me!!

Are they necessary?  Hell no.  I have been an avid milk drinker since early childhood.  I still drink at least one glass a day, sometime more.  All that calcium has given me strong teeth and bones.  I didn't need to go through an extraction because the tooth, which had crown on it, had cracked.  It took my dentist almost 2 hours to get that tooth out of my mouth.  So why does he feel I need to put crowns on 5 or 6 teeth?  Most likely to put money in his pocket.  When he started counting off those crowns I interrupted and told him that I had been proactive.  I had already checked with Met Life to see what was covered.  Even if I were paying for their most expensive, most comprehensive plan, the end result would still be several thousands of dollars out of my pocket.   Of course, he doesn't really care who pays for it, as long as somebody does.  The poor man doesn't understand how much of a pudding head he is, and he's not alone.  Ain't that a shame?  So, he isn't happy with me.  Tough shit.

There ain't no gold in them there dental plans!

Another funny thing which happened to me when I was making my bi-annual dental visit was my dentists suggested I replace several aging fillings with crowns.  Now I will be the first to admit my teeth are old, and it's true some of the fillings my even be considered relics of some dental dinosaur period, but I'm and not about to fork over a boat load of cash to replace them.  You see, he first brought up the subject of crowns about two years ago when one of my molars cracked under the weight of a vintage filling.  Not being one to be easily snookered in, I said, "hhmm let's wait."  What I did do was check out my dental plan to see what was actually covered.  Notice I said 'dental plan' and not insurance.  Too many confuse the two.  What you purchase through payroll deductions is a plan and it is quite specific on what it covers.  The plan I purchase from Met Life has 3 levels that you could label 'good, better and best.'  I have the good plan.  It does not cover crowns.

Nor does it cover root-canals. It does cover fillings completely, as long as they're only on one side of the tooth, after that it only covers a percentage.  This means that if you have a little cavity that's mostly on the top of the tooth with just a teeny bit on the side, you're going to have some out of the pocket expenses.  I know this to be true since I had one.  

In my plan, crowns are covered at the top level, or 'best plan.'  Of course, you are limited to one crown. Also, at that level, you are required to pay a  hefty deductible, just like in real insurance.  Add the deductible ($1000) to the total of my yearly payments ($820) and subtract that from the total cost of the crown and Met Life's expense is between $50 and $100 dollars.  Now I know there are some who will argue something is better then nothing.  Horseshit.  According to my dentist I have 5 teeth that will need crowns, sooner or later.  Of course I didn't buy insurance, I bought a plan that is minutely specific on what is and what isn't covered.  My plan does cover extractions, which indicates to me Met Life would rather the tooth be pulled then fixed.  Now isn't that a sorry thing?