Ham... wallet?

[fictional]

As a synonym for female genitalia, it leaves something to be desired, no? Oh spam filter, what would I do without you...

On another front, dreamwidth!!! I feel so out of the loop. This is definitely a sucktastic time to never be near the internets. It is impossible to perform the appropriate amounts of suck-up networking. Anyways, if any of you have an invite going spare... *bats eyelashes*

News from the cancer fields: Things mostly the same, except the bills have started coming in. I hate them. They are incomprehensible, the people you can reach by phone are, apparently, paid to be unhelpful, and it is infuriating. My parents continue to be remarkably incompetent for the educated, sensible people that they are, and I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY. Last night, my dad had a fever. Does my mother call the doctor? No. Does she read the nice red, crab-decorated notebook that I have prepared where I write down everything that happens, all the instructions given, and all the doctor's contact info? No. She calls me. Whereupon I have to do all of this, over the phone, and then speak to the doctor, who recommends an antibiotic and calls it in -- then I have to come to their house to pick up the prescription card, run it to the all-night pharmacy, wait to get the prescription filled, run it back to the house. In the middle of the night. (D. [blessings be on his head] drives me around, so this is less aggravating than it could have been, and I'm happy to do the running, but what the fuck????)

!!!

Also, Eve Sedgwick has died. I was extremely fond of her, and will always be inexpressibly grateful to have had the opportunity to work & make things with her, if briefly. On my very first day at the Graduate Center, I met her... and was blown away in a wave of fangirliness -- and since I was already sort of nervous and freaked out with first day jitters, it was all sort of overwhelming. She gave me an enormous cuddly, comforting hug, and I've never forgotten it. It was always a shock to realize that such a fine, penetrating, incisive intellect was housed in such a... snuggly exterior. She was profoundly kind, and I will miss knowing that she is in the world. Sigh. Also, cancer. FUCK YOU.

Anyway. How are you guys doing?

Here is some cool stuff:

a video shown at a Sony executive conference earlier this year regarding the information age. I thought it was pretty neat.

And the Indonesian hobbit skeleton goes live today at SUNY Stonybrook for the first time.

Also, Trek Yourself! Cheezy goodness, sponsored (appropriately) by Cheeze-it. You haven't lived till you've seen yourself as a Vulcan. Live long and prosper, kids.

Comments

[faris-nallaneen.livejournal.com]

oh, man. the fucking BILLS. What I do with my clients' medical bills is this: make a binder for them; punch holes in them and staple each bill together; make one section per billed service cluster (you'll get to 30-40 sections fairly quickly) because you are going to get multiple bills for each cluster of services; write on the tops of the pages the date you spoke to the customer service rep, their name, and what they said; when the insurance stuff that Rach talked about starts coming in, file that in the appropriate section in front of the bill; when you pay a portion of a bill, photocopy the check and/or credit card statement and add that to the section in front of the insurance stuff; when you contest things with the insurance company, keep a copy of the letter you send them in the appropriate section.

I recommend a nice calming color for the binder - light blue is good, ditto pine needle green.

When I get back from Europe next week I can set this up for you, if you like. Or you might prefer your own system. But the basic rule is pretty obvious and you already know it: KEEP EVERYTHING and TAKE NOTES.

anyway, I love you. And I saw Oscar Wilde's grave today!

[kalichan.livejournal.com]

Oscar Wilde's grave! You are the luckiest.

I owe you email, I know. But now I have to take my dad to the doctor. He insists on taking the subway, even though he has a temperature. WHAT THE FUCK.

Your bill suggestion is good, except... I don't understand what insurance stuff is related to what bill?? They don't seem to match up, really. I'm going to try to organize it myself, but may enlist you upon your return.

lovelovelovelove.

[faris-nallaneen.livejournal.com]

what I do when the insurance doesn't match the bills is I photocopy the insurance thing and put a copy with each bill it partially matches to, with the relevant part highlighted. So if there is a bill from, say, the radiologist, billing for services A, B, and C, and then an insurance thing comes saying they are paying for 60% of B, all of C, and 60% of D which you never got a bill for in the first place, you then photocopy the insurance thing and highlight B and C on one copy (which goes with the bill for A, B, and C) and highlight D on the other copy (which goes in a new section for D for when that bill inevitably comes), and...uh. I am making this more confusing than it needs to be, aren't I? I'll come over when I get in, bringing binder & 3 hole punch & highlighters. It'll be like when we made the quilt, except we'll actually finish this!

Hope doctor visit goes smoothly - I am off to sit by the canal st-martin. you can write me email at yr leisure. tomorrow is back to London!

[kalichan.livejournal.com]

Er... I hope it will be less eccentric than the quilt! Highlighters. I am excited already.