| Don't mess with aficionados of Polish composers |
[Dec. 20th, 2012|09:09 pm]
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| [ | mood |
| |  okay | ] |
I've been listening to the audiobook version of Watchlist (two novellas written serially by nearly 20 thriller writers) and during the first novella, I was reminded of watching an episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" called "The Masterpiece Society" and a scene in particular where this boy is playing classical piano. I loved that scene.
The next day, on Usenet, someone was whining and saying, "And who the hell did they hire to write that crap that that kid was playing? That sucked! Worst TV music I've ever heard!"
I did not have to jump on this guy myself, plenty of others did, who said, "That's Frederic Chopin's Prelude in E Minor, not music written for TV, so might we suggest a few classes in music appreciation?"
I also got the urge to learn to play that particular prelude again.
The novella's title? "The Chopin Manuscript." |
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| I'm reminded of old Infocom titles when this happens |
[Nov. 27th, 2012|04:42 pm]
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| [ | mood |
| |  amused | ] |
I've been playing a video game called "Zero Game: Virtue's Last Reward" on my portable gaming system, and the localization into English has a few moments of in-jokes and humor that I'm sure were parts of the original Japanese text that did not translate.
The kicker was finishing a solution to a phone puzzle, then being given some "alternate" four digit phone numbers to try. So I entered one of them (5309) and got back the following dialogue:
"Hello?"
"Jenny? I got your number on the wall... Oh, she hung up."
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| Choosing to not indulge in schadenfreude |
[Oct. 20th, 2012|04:05 pm]
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| [ | mood |
| | okay | ] |
Today as I was running an errand near home, I passed by a McDonald's. Outside, there were two elderly women and an elderly man waving signs at the passing cars that said, "REJECT R-74!!" It was already raining, and as I waited at the light near the McDonald's it turned into a torrential downpour that made me turn the wipes up to the highest setting. I looked into the rearview mirror and they were still there, waving signs and getting drenched.
Now, while a younger me might have taken some pleasure in that, the me of today felt sad. I was sad that three people needed to go out and express their hatred so publicly that they were willing to stand in very heavy rain just to wave signs. I did not feel the urge to yell at them, or get out and get in their faces because really, that wouldn't have helped a single bit and I'd look like an asshole.
So, when the light changed, I drove on and hoped that they would come to their senses and get out of the rain and into some drier clothing. |
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| Two men can't be married? Watch this. |
[Sep. 4th, 2012|03:30 pm]
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Late Sunday morning I was running errands. Breakfast was a couple of hours back and I was getting things done. I was kicking butt and taking names. Figuratively, I mean. So after all of the running around was over, I started to make my way home.
Now, since I was driving home in a developed urban environment, I was bound to pass two particular establishments: Starbucks and McDonald's. Can't avoid them, right? So when I got close to the McDonald's, I had this sudden urge to pick up a couple of burgers.
Why is this worth noting? Because this never happens to me. I may crave a burger once in a while, but never McDonald's. In & Out Burger, maybe. Five Guys? Once in a while. Not McDonald's. Just doesn't happen. But here I was, pulling into the drive through line and ordering two Quarter Pounders with cheese. At that point, I knew what was going on.
I drove the rest of the way home, trudged up the stairs, opened the front door and said, "You've been jonesing for a burger, haven't you?"
Greg looked up from the sofa and said, "Yeah, I was actually going to ask if we could have that for dinner instead of the chicken stir-fry you were going to make."
I handed him the McDonald's bag. He opened it, looked inside and said, "Oh, yeaaaaahh...."
Now, if that isn't a marriage, I don't know what is. |
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| Vision benefits - You're doing it wrong |
[Aug. 30th, 2012|12:53 pm]
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Another sad tale from the folks with "decent" health insurance: Two months ago I visited my optometrist. When I called to make the appointment, I told them that my vision insurance had changed, and that I had checked and couldn't find them on the provider list, so did they actually take my insurance? They said they did and I went in. They took my insurance card and I asked again, "Do you actually take this insurance? Remember, I didn't find you on the provider list." "Yes, we do!" the receptionist said cheerfully and I had my eye exam. Fast forward a month. I get a bill from them with an apologetic handwritten note saying that actually, they don't take my insurance and that I should pay them $350 in full and then check with my insurance provider and see if they will reimburse me for some of that. That's all well and good, but I don't happen to have a spare $350 lying around right now so I call the provider. "We're sorry, but until you pay the bill in full we can't reimburse you." "So, just so I understand this," I said, "because they made a mistake, I now owe them $350 which I can't pay them, and you can't do anything to help me until they've been paid, which I can't do because I don't have the money?" "Yes, that's right." I love the smell of a catch-22 in the morning. |
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| Pharmacy benefits: You're doing it wrong - Part 2 |
[Jul. 31st, 2012|11:32 am]
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Recently, due to an error at my mail order pharmacy, I ran out of one of my medications. After clearing this up, I had my doctor fax over a new prescription and give me a prescription for a 14 day bridge, which has always been standard for mail order phamacy insurance.
The day after, I received an e-mail telling me it was too soon to fill my prescription. I called the insurance company and they said because he gave me a 14 day bridge, the "computer" won't allow them to fill it until the 30th due to a change in policy (which I had not known about previously).
However, once I run out after the prescription ships, they will not pay for a bridge because it'll be "too soon" to refill my prescription. I ran out yesterday. I should receive it in the middle of next week. Maybe. Considering this is for my anti-depressant, I can only assume that they're hoping I'll off myself in the intervening gap of not having my medication.
And my insurance is considered one of the "better" plans by those folks I've talked to in the insurance industry. |
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| Just goes to show how long some books linger |
[Jun. 20th, 2012|09:06 pm]
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| [ | mood |
| |  odd | ] |
Tonight, I was playing a game on Facebook that involves as part of it the ability to cook things in a kitchen. The recipes are of course, not actual ones, but once in a while, they make me scratch my head. In one case, there was a clam chowder recipe that used two giant eggs. As soon as I read that I needed two giant eggs, Ben Kingsley started talking in my head:
"Oh, no, look at her butt! It was hanging down like two giant eggs. And there was something between it. Something going into it. Oh, no!..."
This was from the abridged audio version of The Butcher's Theater by Jonathan Kellerman, which I owned in college. I haven't listened to that in easily twenty years. |
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| You can't make up irony this good |
[Jun. 11th, 2012|12:23 pm]
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| [ | mood |
| | amused | ] |
I was in a 7-11 recently, standing in line, when a boy maybe thirteen years of age came up to his mother who was standing in line behind me. He had in his hand one of those game cards you can buy for $10-$20 for either your favorite Faceobok games, or for your favorite free-to-play role-playing games. He was so excited. He had the cash, and he wanted to get it so he could buy a few in-game items.
His mother was adamantly against it. "You do realize that it's a complete waste of money, don't you?"
The child explained that although the game could be played for free, as in no monthly costs, once in a while you had to put some real money into the game to get some key features. "But I've managed to make my points last a really long time. $10 will last me three months. I'll probably even be done playing it at that point."
I had just finished paying for my items and has scooted to the left to bag them as Mom got to the register. "Okay, fine, throw your money away, then. It's still a complete waste." She turned to the clerk. "Thirty dollars' worth of Mega Millions, please." |
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| Dirty Tricks: Best WoW phishing mail I've seen |
[May. 23rd, 2012|12:50 pm]
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Today I received an e-mail supposedly from Blizzard Entertainment telling me that I had been selected to join the beta for the new expansion of "World of Warcraft" called "Mists of Pandaria". It looked real, had the correct URL's for company links, correct addresses and they were even referencing the actual picture files from Blizzard's own websites.
What tipped me off was Blizzard does not randomly hand these things out to people who have not registered for beta access, which I had not. Heck, I haven't played "World of Warcraft" in um... at least eighteen months if not longer. So, I'm not making them any money, why would they invite me randomly to the beta?
So, I checked the source and voila: the sign-up link is for a domain that ends in .tk and is registered in the Netherlands. Hmmmmmm.....
I do worry about folks who have registered for the beta and might be taken in by this crap. |
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| Pharmacy benefits: You're doing it wrong |
[May. 22nd, 2012|01:17 pm]
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| [ | mood |
| |  discontent | ] |
Today I went in to my local pharmacy that I've been using for years to fill a prescription. It's a kind of prescription that requires a hard-copy prescription every month so I cannot use the mail order pharmacy that my health care plan has since they will not fill a 90 day supply of it.
I turned in the prescription at the desk and a few minutes later the pharmacist called me back to the desk. She looked distraught.
"I'm sorry," she said. "But I can't fill this."
"Do you not have it in stock?"
"We have it in stock, but... The fact of the matter is that the price of this medication, even in generic, has gone up for us to procure, and your insurance's reimbursement is too far under our cost. So basically, it would cost us too much money to fill this. I'm sorry."
She handed the prescription back to me and wished me well.
Think about this: I have been told multiple times that the insurance I have, while not the best, is considered to be very good insurance.
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