It’s tourist season in Phoenix Arizona and surrounding areas.
If you live in anyplace cold, and have any reason like family, friends,
business, Spring Training, Arabian Horse show, Parada Sol, wonderful
restaurants, arts, entertainment and lots of sunshine, this is the place to
visit
Out of the blue, we had a call last week from good friends
from Iowa. When I lived there, my wife and I were what she termed “Saturday
night friends.”
This couple were contemporaries when we bought our first houses
together in the same neighborhood. Our young kids played in the street.
These were the couples that we went out to dinner with on
Saturday nights. In those days, and at that stage of our lives, we didn’t just
go out to dinner on a weekday or even a Friday night. Very few did.
But Saturday night was the night to get a sitter and go out
someplace.
This is a wonderful couple, by any one’s standards. Our kids
grew up together, we went to each other’s life cycle events, and since he was
my Dentist, I would see him often.
Those office visits were memorable because after my
appointment, I would accompany my friend to his daily lunch bunch of other
Dentists.
They would ask me about my work, and I would ask them about
the business side of dentistry. A bunch of great guys and going to the Dentist
was something I looked forward to as a result.
We left Iowa permanently almost 20 years ago. This couple
came to visit several times. they would stay with us for a week, and we’d see
them whenever we went back, but somehow, as often happens the ties and bonds
were stretched and finally broken.
Thru mutual friends in Cedar Rapids, they found my phone
number and since they were renting a house here for 6 weeks, we made plans to
get together.
My Fiancé was patient enough to listen to all of the old
stories about people and places and experiences I had shared with these very
nice people.
We had a great time reliving the past and catching up on
what happened to who and did so and so ever get married or did his business do
well or I hadn’t heard he had died etc.
We caught up on each other’s grand kids and current
lifestyles. And then we parted.
I don’t know when I’ll ever see them again. For sure next
time we go back to Cedar Rapids, but I have no clue when that will be.
What a shame. So many years of good friendship and now our
lives have taken different paths and we live about 2,000 miles apart.
As I get older, I seem to have more relationships like that.
This seems to be due to primarily geography but also due to a change in our
life styles and interests as the years go by.
My more formal past relationships with High School Friends
and fraternity brothers are still attached by reunions and email lists and
things like facebook, but these kind of friends are different.
As we go through life, we make new friends and for various
and sundry reasons, we lose old one’s.
It’s kind of exciting to know that one day, we’re likely to
make new friends that become very good one’s, just like, for reasons now
unknown, we lose contact with old friends.
I guess the bottom line is that it’s worth the effort to
maintain contact with old friends and it’s always good to keep our eyes open
for new friends. Hopefully they
will become good friends down the road.
Our President, and others of his ilk, is obviously obsessed
with his burning desire to see universal health care in the US
All things being equal, nobody is against it. It’s just the
way in which it could be accomplished and most of all how to finance it.
This past week saw the stage show conference between the
President and leaders of both parties.
In my view, neither side accomplished anything. The
President gave his sales pitch for the umpteenth time as did his parties
leaders of the house and senate.
And the republicans? Bitch bitch bitch but where’s their
plan? Where’s their recommendation?
One Republican senator said we have to start all over. Ok,
fine, but with what?
Why can’t Republicans make a clear concise plan and take it
to the public? Why not initiate legislation totally apart of what is now before
Congress.
Then maybe, with two separate proposals, a compromise can be
reached that all can live with.
I say Osama’s obsession. I hope he is not so obsessed to put
his better judgment and that of his handlers ahead of pragmatism.
If Congress tried to pass something akin or the total health
bill now before it, it will be a political disaster for Democrats, and in my
opinion and economic disaster for the economy.
To top it all off, we won’t have true universal coverage.
Just less people uninsured at a horrendous cost for everyone.
There are also rumblings of questionable legalities with
passage being accomplished by a Senate conference committee.
Should the current legislation be passed, there are already
challenges as to with what the Federal Government can mandate to states.
It ought to keep lots of lawyers employed for a long time.
I can only assume that the White House obsession and the
urgency is for Obama to use what little political capital he has left to get
some legislation on health care passed.
I think he and everyone would be better off to back off,
take the time and work harder to come up with a plan that can be accepted by a
large majority.
He’ll also be better off to force the Republicans to see
what they can come up with and then work on changing what he doesn’t like about
it.
This would be a true national debate and hopefully, a
reasonable rationale solution to our nations health care.
As readers know, I’m going to be married late next month.
My wonderful Fiancé and I are doing the planning. Most of
the issues like the music, the food, etc are finding us both in general
agreement.
However, today something happened that “takes the cake!”
I don’t know if everyone who reads this is familiar with
this expression, but it is an old one stemming from some old expression, as
termed on Google as:
“Something is the
most extreme example I've known some jerks but you take the cake. Usage notes:
usually said about something bad”
Well today, I can’t
say it was bad. I can only say that it was shocking.
There’s a market for
everything Disc jockey’ s have a range of prices. Places that hold receptions
charge differently depending on a variety of circumstance. Hotels have group
rates, flowers etc.
There’s also a cake
market. Previously, I had no idea but have since learned, that to my shock
“cheap” cakes like you get at the supermarket called a sheet cake can cost
about $5.00/slice, depending on what’s on it.
We found a place
that makes beautiful cake. The kind of cake you see in gourmet magazines or the
Food Channel. That was “only” $25.00/slice. I didn’t even want to know what it
tasted like!
Then we heard from a
guy who knows a guy who recommends somebody who makes terrific wedding cakes
for practically nothing. We called the lady and mentioned our friends name. She
said to fill out a form and with the form she would give us an appointment for
a tasting.
When pressed for even
an approximate price, she said you have to fill out the form, and if ok she
would give us an appointment and then we could see what she has to offer and
how much it is. Can you imagine? I couldn’t. Needless to say, we didn’t bother sending in the form.
Today my soon to be
Mrs. found the perfect cake. The price is tolerable and she loves the taste. We
need two cakes actually, one for my birthday and one for the wedding.
The price? Don’t ask
,but she’s happy and that’s all that counts. Did I mention I don’t even like
cake?
Title: Medicare a better buy than American Home Shield!
I am old enough to qualify for Medicare Health Insurance.
It’s the greatest bargain there is! I only pay $93.50 month and I get all kinds
of coverage.
Another insurance I have is called American Home Shield.
This is not quite the bargain as Medicare but I have it as it covers most home
repairs and only costs $670.00/year.
To put it in medical terms, there’s a co-pay of $60 every
time you call a serviceman under their policy. The rest is covered and if they
can’t fix what’s broken, the will replace it. My home is 33 years old. I
figure, and I’ve been proven right so far, the older my house gets, the more
repairs it will need.
This is very similar to Medicare. My body gets older every
day. I know actuarially, and also from my experience, that the older I get, the
more “repairs” my body is going to need.
In addition to Medicare I pay $25.70 for the drug benefit.
I also have an
AARP J plan that covers that Medicare doesn’t pick up. This is a private
insurance plan that costs me $201.00/month.
In other words, I pay a total of $320.20/month for coverage
that will pay, for all practical purposes, whatever medical bills I may have.
This is why Medicare is underfunded and technically is going
bankrupt.
AARP is not a charity or government run organization. It
basis its premiums on what it has to pay out. It knows what the average Medicare
coverage of a particular medical fee and covers the balance.
Our government on the other hand, while trying to control
medical costs, has to pay the agreed, negotiated percentage of any provider’s
bill.
The providers, such as hospitals, lavatories, physicians etc
complain the Medicare formula is too low and the paper work and compliance
required is too costly.
The result is a Medicare system that is getting deeper into
the red every day, and healthcare providers having to up the number of patients
treated to “make it up on volume!”
This system does have a residual benefit. The Health care
industry has been forced to provide it’s usual services, but in a more
expedient fashion. Doctors have to rush you in and out and hospitals do all
they can to keep their patients in their facilities as briefly as possible.
All this comes to mind due to a recent surgery I have had.
For the 2nd time in 3 years and the fourth time
in 23 years, I somehow tore my meniscus and had to have it repaired. The meniscus is cartilage in the knee where the upper part
comes together with the lower part of the leg. It protects bone rubbing on
bone.
I went to my friendly orthopedists (why not friendly. I’m a
great customer. 2 years ago he re-hooked by torn rotator cuff, and two meniscus
repairs in 3 years – not bad. I ought to get a frequent surgery card or
something from him!)
He took an x ray and said he thought it was another meniscus
tear and ordered an MRI. His physician group owns the x-ray machine and the MRI
machine. Medicare no doubt pays him the same amount they would pay someone else
for the x-ray and MRI but this way his group gets to keep whatever profit there
is.
When I have visited my Doctor, first I see his assistant who
directs me to the “holding tank” awaiting his arrival. He comes in, does his
thing and I am then regulated to his Physicians Assistant who is great, can do
about anything the Doctor can do, and takes all of the time I want with me.
The surgeon can’t do this. Her has to crank through
patients. He has to be in the x- ray and MRI business. That’s not all.
When I had my surgery, it was done at a surgical center.
It has all of the latest things that a hospital would have
but the doctors own it. Another profit/business for them. I asked the OR nurse
why the doctor uses this facility in lieu of the hospital and she told me that
it was cheaper to do it here and they could control the care as they saw fit
without the interference of all that goes on in a hospital. Any patient that
can go home the same day gets operated on in this facility.
One small but interesting aspect of medical treatment in our
country came to light. As they were prepping me for surgery, the nurse handed
me a pen and said to write yes on the leg that they were gong to operate on.
In my previous leg/knee surgeries, the nurse would write yes
or whatever on the leg but not now. Then the surgeon came and in checked that
the right leg had the “yes” on it.
No doubt this was because somebody had been sued and someone
wrote yes on the wrong leg. This way, if it was the wrong leg the patient was
responsible.
Aunt our legal system wonderful I wonder what that lawsuit
must have done to doctors malpractice premiums.
The old expression that “necessity is the mother of
invention” certainly applies to our medical profession, and I might add, I
think for the benefit of all concerned.
As a taxpayer, I think that Medicare fee’s need to be raised
or the eligible age (65) be increased. The difference between what Medicare
charges and what it pays out are so great that it endangers our countries
prosperity and ability to operate as a nation.
As a recipient, I think it’s terrific. I can get incredible
coverage for a fraction of what it really costs.
I can’t get this from American Home Shield, or from my auto
or home insurance company, and I can’t get it from AARP. Only from our
government.
Is this right? Should every taxpayer make up the difference
in what my increasing need for health care will cost and what I have to pay?
Should the rest of my fellow citizens take care of my
medical bills, as I grow older?
Should they pay for all of my medical care if when I turn 65
I already have horrendous pre-existing conditions that will cost millions of
dollars in the last part of my life?
Title: Higher helath insurance premiums in California
My Fiancé and soon to be stepdaughter both have Anthem Blue
Cross health insurance in California.
Last week they were notified that their premiums are going
up 39%! Talk about sticker shock!
There have been some editorials and newspaper articles
lately that the current health care legislation in congress will alleviate such
increases.
The President said that such increases are a “portrait” of
the future if we don’t do something now about health care.
Proponents of the health care package before our legislators
also used the Anthem Blue Cross announcement to slam the increase as a private
company that earned $2.7 billion in the last quarter of 2009
MoveOn also jumped at the chance to lambast Anthem and sent
an email to members saying
“Blue Cross has just announced that it's immediately raising premiums
charged to hundreds of thousands of individual customers by as much as 39%—even
though their parent company's profits soared to a record $4.7 billion last
year.1
Even worse, the insurer has so far refused to
explain why they're increasing their rates, and warned that they might do so
again this year without warning.
The Obama administration is demanding answers from Anthem Blue Cross,
and Congress has opened an investigation.2 But Blue Cross is only going to respond if
this story becomes a major public-relations problem for them.
So it's time to turn up the heat. Let's join the
growing call for an explanation and send a powerful public message that these
abuses by Big Insurance are unacceptable.
The petition says: "Anthem Blue Cross must provide a detailed
explanation for their exorbitant rate increases, or else roll them back
immediately."
These latest rate increases in California—reportedly the largest ever by
Blue Cross for individual policyholders in the state—are yet another powerful
example of how badly broken our health care system is and how desperately we need
to hold Big Insurance accountable for exploiting their customers.”
As always, there are two sides to every story. The Wall Street Journal
(who I respect just a little bit more than MoveOn) says the rate increases are
due to California’s insurance regulations.
Cobra appears to the culprit. Federal rules say that unemployed workers
are allowed to keep their job related health benefits for 18 to 36 months.
In California the law prevents Anthem from dropping recipients even
after the Federal law runs out. The state also caps what the insurer can charge
for these post Cobra customers.
The WSJ says that most states direct these beneficiaries to a high-risk
pool (much like auto insurance companies have) that are partly subsidized.
California however dictates that the individual market has to absorb these
customers and their costs.
Those who’s Cobra has run out are typically older and sicker since a
much higher than normal percentage of younger and healthier workers elected to
drop their coverage. This is Anthem’s rational for raising rates so much.
Anthem says, this is why they lost $58 million in California in 2009 on its
post-Cobra customers.
As the WSJ article points out, if Anthem (part of WellPoint) didn’t
raise premiums to cover these losses, their stock holders would be after them
for bad management.
Back to WellPoints profit for a second.
The Company says that $2.2 billion of its $2.7 billion fourth quarter
profit came from the one time sale of a subsidiary. Anthem’s profit margins are
in line with its two largest nonprofit competitors in the state. It’s net
income on a per member per month basis in 2008 was $12.62 compared to Blue
Shields’ $13.22 and Kaisers $18.45.
Few if any will argue that the cost of our health care system needs to
be lower and we all want the same benefits we now have plus guaranteed
insurability regardless of any pre-existing conditions. However, in my view,
the current Congressional legislation is not the answer and will end up costing
each of us far more than we can imagine.
Republicans, some Democrats and others have solutions that are better
than what’s presently on the table.
Maybe the staged meeting between Obama and the Republicans this coming
week will shed some light on what Government should do.
It would be refreshing
to hear some good Republican idea’s/suggestions on what legislation should
include .
Let’s hope so and let’s hope that Democratic leaders do not use their 50-vote
majority rule to pass the present bill that the public doesn’t understand and
doesn’t want.
Whether it’s for business or pleasure, in the hide and
leather trade or any other, we all always look for a “good” airfare.
There are dozens of websites that offer some scheme or
another to find a bargain. The airlines themselves have websites telling how
they can save you money on their planes as well.
If you are retired, or looking to play “the game” there can
be hours of enjoyment or at the very least, a challenge in finding “the best
deal” be it on hotels, restaurants, and of course air fare. To some, it’s a
hobby that brings satisfaction from just sitting in front of your computer. Big
city newspapers also offer all sorts of “deals.”
However, if you are working, and lead the type of frenetic
life that most of us do, what’s it worth to take the time away from the few
hours of leisure time you may have every day or week end?
What’s it worth to
take time away from your work to find bargain fares or cheap fares for a
business or a pleasure trip?
How long would you shop for a can of peas? How many stores
would you visit to find the best value in a cotton long sleeved shirt in size a
b or c for example? In other words, we all put limits on what it’s worth to us
to shop for a particular item.
All too often I hear people say “I got a deal to go to fly x
for only y.” How can I pass it up?
One other thing air fare shoppers typically never stop to
really think about, and the ads to not talk about, is what the total cost to
travel to someplace. It’s not just the airfare. It’s the hotel, it’s the
taxi’s, the car rental, the food, the snack in the airport, the tips etc. On
vacation, it’s the side trips and sightseeing costs
Having spend all of my adult life traveling, and when I was
with my parents, my early and adolescent years traveling as well, I’ve come to
learn that in general there are trade off’s when it comes to travel.
This is why I use a travel agent. Not any travel agent, but
an expert, grizzled veteran travel agent who has been doing this for about 30
years or more. She knows all the tricks, the inns and outs and is as good in
her business as I am in mine. This is her profession!
I have a friend in our industry that travels molt -times
each month. He too uses a travel agent. One he trusts and has been using for
years. This guy does the impossible for him. Another colleague in the trade has
had wonderful experiences with travel agents, and yet they are a vanishing
breed.
Why? We think we can do better ourselves.
Most if not all travel agents now charge for their service.
They have to as the airlines have cut their commissions so severely. My agent
charges $20 for a domestic ticket. I don’t mind this.
As an employer, I would not hesitate to hire an expert part
time person to work for me for $20/hr. An employee who does not require any w2
or 1099 and is available anytime I want her even if it’s only an hour or so a
month. Wouldn’t you?
When I travel out of the country, the time she spends is far
greater but she gets a little more commission from the airlines. The same can
be said for a cruise.
Bottom line: What’s your time worth? Not just in what you
earn, but on what your valuable and all too often very limited free time is
worth?
One exception: I use hotwire.com and priceline.com when I
want to rent a car or get a US hotel room. They can’t be beat on ease of use,
expediency of choice.
With hotwire, all they tell you is a reasonably close
location and if it’s a 5 or 4 o 3 star hotels, but I’ve never been disappointed
and highly recommend them. When traveling out of the country, I use the
expertise of my travel agent.
Many of my friends and acquaintances keep guns in their
homes.
These are not red necks or whomever one may classify as a hunter
or target shooter. Most are older, often retired, businessmen who feel safer
but I have numerous younger friends who want a gun in their house or car.
I also know
others who spend time in the military or as policemen or firemen who have them
too, but that doesn’t surprise me.
The people I know who have a gun or guns in their house or
in their car have had training on how to use them. They generally also do not
have small children around who might tamper with them.
I have a friend who actually had a gunmen come into her
home, surprise her, shoot her in the leg and was about to shoot her husband
until they gave him their cash and jewelry, so these things happen.
Those with guns say if someone breaks into or sneaks into their
house with a gun, or with or without any weapon “they’re gonna blast em!” Yea, right.
And who’s going to be the bad guy? The guy defending his home, or the intruder?
How much lawyer
and court time to defend yourself for shooting somebody?
And what if you’re in the bedroom and he’s in the kitchen
and the gun is in the hall closet? What if the intruder surprises you in bed
and the gun is under the kitchen sink, or whatever. How many people walk around
their house, especially when they are in bed, with a gun handy?
Would you like
to sleep with a loaded gun under your pillow? (I knew a guy who did) but it’s
not exactly my style!
So what do you do? How do you protect yourself if someone
does try to or successfully get into your house and you are home? More often
than not, it happens at night when you are sleeping and all the lights are off.
Those in the know say to leave a light on all night. Others
say just to have a sign outside that says you have an alarm and will deter
robbers.
I heard an expert say once time that if you put a big bowl outside
your kitchen or back door with the name spike on it, that will cause a burglar
to think twice about trying to get in the house.
When we remodeled our house some years ago, an alarm company
salesmen said that the cost of installing a complete alarm system could be
recovered in just one years home owners insurance premium. He was right.
It has motion detectors, and a clicker that we can set the
alarm from your driveway when we leave. I keep another clicker next to my bed
so I can set the alarm (without the motion detector when I’m home) before going
to sleep.
It also has a cellular feature so that if the intruder tries
to disconnect the phone wires before breaking in, the cell feature will enable
the alarm to call the alarm company who calls the police.
I’m much happier with this clicker that has a panic button
to set off the alarm and call for help. That is if I’m next to the clicker or
the main box that allows this. Just like the gun, I’m not about to walk around
my house with it in my pocket.
But this leads me to another factor. How many times have you
seen a car alarm go off and everyone ignores it.
How many times has a home alarm gone off in one of your
neighbors or your own home and nobody has done anything?
Of course by that time, a pro can get in and out with
whatever he wants, but that’s another story!
As readers may recall, I am getting married! The blessed
event will be next month.
When I first got married back in 1963, I had nothing to do
with it. All I really had to do was to show up.
When our daughter got married some 20 or so years ago, I
tried to participate. I got as far as the meeting with the florists. Once I saw
what was going on between my wife and daughter and the florist, and then saw
the prices, I was asked to depart and “just leave everything to us.”
The florist recommended I see the movie Father of the Bride.
That was very good advice as it helped me to realize that weddings always cost
more than you plan, and take far more time and effort than imagined.
But the title of this blog is test a marriage-plan a
wedding.
The bride or her family (often her mother with young brides)
coaches or directs or dictates what needs to be done and how much to spend.
Meanwhile, the groom has a few ideas of his own. When the couple discusses
various issues about the event, the term “you want to do what?” can often be
heard.
In my case, it’s things like “we have to invite who?” We
have to pay for what? Why do we need these?” And my bride says; Let’s keep it
small and simple” but when I look, the list grows and grows. We both have more
friends and relatives we’d like to invite but can’t possibly accommodate.
If you want to plan a wedding party, then you have all of
the issues that exist in a simple ceremony plus all of the ritual and a myriad
of details that have to take place to follow all of the wedding traditions.
By the way, how did all of these traditions evolve?
Why does every bride want to follow them?
I am told you have to have to do it this way but nobody
really knows or says why except it’s traditional. Now there’s a topic for another
blog. Why do we find tradition so important?
It’s like the wedding takes place on Mars and reality isn’t
a factor. “It’s a wedding.” Once in a life time” (in our case twice!) “Don’t
you want everything to be perfect?
First and always of course is money. How many people? Where
to have it?
Today there are many weddings of people with different
religions. Who’s going to perform the ceremony?
Where to put cousin x or the sister in law y you don’t like,
or what about the crying baby, or the grandparent who can’t stand up? What
about the drunken brother in law of your sister’s second’s husbands brothers
friend who’s “like part of the family?”
One of the most universally humorous weddings is called
Tina’s Wedding. It’s a play that traveled around the country for a number of
years and typified how families are. All of the characters that we all know and
love come together for a wedding. It’s funny because it’s so true which was the
reason for its popularity.
Meanwhile, what about the dresses.
If you’re a female, the
dress is paramount. The big thing. The insane expense, but as the saying goes,
Men are from Venus and women from Mars or something like that. They think
differently than we do, and not on just dresses either.
Since we’ve been going through this exercise, I’ve been made
to watch TV show’s like Yes To The Dress. Unbelievable. I’ve been made to look
through wedding magazines. “Do you like this she asks?” “What do you think of
this one?” I’m still waiting for the preverbal “Do I look fat in this dress? ”
Then there’s the superstition. Again where this stuff comes
from is beyond me.
If you’re still talking the day of the wedding, the odds are
the marriage will last! The way
things are going, my marriage should last forever.
A colleague of mine always referred to holiday’s like
Mother’s Day, Father’s Day and Valentines’ day As Hallmark Holiday’s.
For those of you who are unfamiliar, Hallmark greeting cards
for many years was one of the most successful companies in America. They
produced greeting cards for every possible occasion including of course
birthdays and anniversaries.
It was and still is, customary to give someone a
card for any special occasion and even those not so special as greeting card
company franchise become more extended.
People like to give cards that express their feelings. This
is because most of us can’t express them as well ourselves. Others of us like
to add what someone at Hallmark or their competitors has already written.
But all this leads me up to the holiday yesterday, which was
Valentine’s Day. Pardon me, but event though I was forced to participate, I
have to admit, I think that for Men, it borders on the absurd and ridiculous
What married man, or what man who is in a relationship with
a women dare not give her something on Valentines’ day? If we don’t we’re in
trouble.
I think that Hallmark, and their competitors must have had
seminars around the country, or a telephone or letter writing campaign years
ago to indoctrinate all members of the fairer sex to insist that their male
friends abide by the rules.
Mothers passed it on to daughters and the daughters
to their daughters.
Schools took up this cause. What kids in primary grades
don’t spend hours or days making Valentine’s cards? It’s amazing when you think
about it.
Then there are the candy companies. Can you imagine how much
candy is bought/sold for this one-day holiday? Mind boggling I’m sure but of
course it just can’t be any candy. It has to be in a red box or a heart shaped
container, or they can’t garner the extra price compared to the same candy in a
different package. And the flower industry - It must be half their annual
business!
Who was
St. Valentine anyway? I goggled it and found that he was someone who lived
around 200-300 AD during the time of the Roman Empire. There was something
about martyrdom but the details are all murky and speculativ.
So then
the question arises: Why do we have a holiday that celebrates love named after
some dubious legend of his time?
Why is Valentines’
day one of the busiest days for restaurants in the country?
Whywill men will be in the proverbial dog house if they don’t come home with
something for Valentine’s Day? Does it say why children will be looked down
upon if they don’t bring their parents a homemade or store bought card? No.
But can
men live without women? No. Can men live with someone they love when the women
in their life is not happy? Even worse.
So for the
price of a dinner, a card, or candy, perfume, red underwear, or a flower, or anything
deemed romantic by the opposite sex, we keep peace in the home.
Do we men
ever revolt, or abstain to make a point? Do we complain, and worse of all,
forget to play along?
I don’t know about you, but I don’t wear a tuxedo very
often.
The last time I bought one was about 15 years ago. A shrewd
Hong Kong Tailor lured me off the street with an offer I couldn’t refuse.
Before that, I had bought two tuxedo’s actually for my
daughters wedding about 22 years ago. That episode began when my wife said that
I needed one for this major life cycle event that would be filled with pictures
to last a lifetime.
In those days, I would spend several weeks in the Far East
three and four times a year, so I had plenty of time to shop. Made to measure
clothing was cheap and good in those days in places like Hong Kong, Taipei and
even Seoul, where I spent a good deal of time.
So with her words in mind, I bought a custom made tuxedo in
Taipei and when the tailor asked me to pick a style of design out of pictures
of a dozen or so, I was at a loss. He steered me into what is known as a shawl
collar, as opposed to a notched collar.
The suit fit perfectly, and I was pleased with the design until
I saw a waiter in a hotel restaurant with the same shawl collar. The first day
back from that trip, I happened to see a TV show that had President Reagan and
Bob Hope, both in tuxedos on stage together. I saw what they had on and right
away realized, that the notch collar was in fashion and that the shawl was not.
With thoughts of all those wedding photo’s soon to come, I
wrote the tailor to please make me a new style jacket. He said he could not,
but mine was fine. I felt differently and on another trip a few months later,
when told that the pants and jacket would never match unless we started over, I
ended up buying another tuxedo.
Now, let’s fast forward 15-20 years. The “new” tuxedo I had
bought in Hong Kong about 15 years ago was double breasted. Very chic at the
time.
Since my Fiancé and I were attending a very fancy black tie wedding in
Beverly Hills last fall, I tried on the old double breasted and it still fit.
However, I wondered if the style was still in fashion. One men’s clothing store
told me it was and that they still sold them.
Off I went to the wedding, only to find that I was one of
two men wearing a double breasted tuxedo. The other was the head waiter!
A month ago, we were invited to the Arizona Opera Ball.
Black tie required again. Nix the double breasted tuxedo. I called around to
various stores, and the starting prices were from $600 and went all the way up
to $2,000. Not for me. I wear normally wear one once every 5 years or so.
Rent one? Impossible. None of them ever fit right as I am a
challenge to any tailor, and thus the reason I had clothes made for me for so
many years in Asia when it was cheap and quite good.
Ok, now what do I do? The fancy Opera ball is coming up.
It’s at the Ritz no less. The double breasted is no good, the rental won’t work
and I don’t want to spend all that money for a night or two every few years.
So I shopped. I hate to shop by the way.
Joseph Bank had a
two for one sale in that you bought one suit or tuxedo and got a second for
$100 and a third for free. However, what would I do with three suits? I wear
one maybe 4-5 times a year and when all said and done, the price wasn’t so
cheap either.
I saw a sale at Men’s Warehouse. Everything was half price.
I had never been to a Men’s Warehouse which are all over the country and
heavily advertised. I always thought that was for other people, not me. I
usually bought clothing at places like Nordstroms, or on a sale at Polo, or
Eddy Bauer, or on a whim and at an irresistible price, on a table at Cosco for
running pants or sport shirts etc.
So, Men’s Warehouse it was. I ended up with a tuxedo for
about $200.00. They charge extra for tailoring. I also bought a pair of shiny
black patent leather shoes that even fit for another $90.00. I was set and
figured I must be wearing the cheapest tuxedo at the Opera Ball.
I kept looking at other guys tuxedo’s. The typical guest was
a heavy hitter. It was a donor event.. All of the other tuxedo’s looked about like
mine. These are the kind of guys that go to multi formal charity events a year.
Not a double breasted in sight by the way.
All went well until near the end of the evening and some
strenuous dancing. As I sat down to rest – pop – off came the middle button on
the jacket.
Did I get what I paid for? We’ll see.
I’ve decided to wear it for my upcoming wedding, and can
only hope that the button or some other button doesn’t pop off again.
I’ve got
another formal affair sometime next winter. I wonder if it will be safe to have
the suit cleaned?
I can’t speak for every doctor or dentist, in the country,
but I can for the one’s that I go to.
No doubt, you all have the same experience.
If you go to see
an internist, general practitioner (do they still exist?), surgeon or any type
of specialist you often have to put in your time in the waiting room to check
out the oldest magazines.
You also have to be sure to be on time or they will give
your allotted slot to someone else and then try to ”work you in” later.
Many kinds of doctors run behind of their tightly packed
schedules. This is due to emergencies that take longer than they expect.
A Physicians practice is a business. Not really different
than most other kinds of business.
Each physician has to be concerned about meeting his office
over-head, paying his huge malpractice premiums, paying for the latest
equipment he needs to operate the best way he can (depending on his specialty),
and like every other businessman, earning a living for himself.
To do this, just like the main street merchant, or hide
dealer or anyone, he has to do volume. How?
Simple. Just see as many patients in a day as you possibly
can.
Dentists are different. They don’t rely on insurance or
Medicare. Very little coverage can be obtained. Most dental treatment has to be
paid out of our pocket.
All of these practices need volume and to do that, they have
to rush everyone through, but what do they miss?
My nephew is a cardiologist. He has told me how his practice
forces him to spend only a minimal amount of time with his patients who come to
his office.
My internist is, I hope and feel, is top notch but he’s also
what I call, and tease him about, being “the fastest gun in the west.” He cranks
patients in and out of his office with amazing speed and is sharp enough to
quickly ask the right questions and rapidly examine everyone. He dictates his
findings faster than I can think.
Another specialist I visit operates the same way. Move ‘em
in and move ‘em out. I’ve had outpatient surgery that works the same way.
In a conversation with my dentist (ever notice how we always
say “my dentist”, or “my lawyer” or “my plumber”?) yesterday, we had a
conversation about diagnostics. I’ve also had candid conversations with
physicians in social settings.
The honest one’s admit that they wished they could work at a
slower pace not only for themselves, but to interview their patients to get a
better feel of the root of the patient’s malady.
Physicians Assistants, or PA’s are starting to fill this
role in larger practices. They can afford to take the time to actually talk to
a patient and due the “work ups” or preliminary routine examinations.
In a recent conversation with my dentist, he told me of how
it took him 15 minutes just to find out why one of his patients had a sore jaw
and headaches more often than not. He couldn’t fix her dental problem until he
could combine with what the patient eventually told him and what his
examination showed.
The same thing is true with an MD. If they could really take
the time to interview their patients and explore how they feel and if what they
say during the exam is the whole story, they could treat us all better.
Have you ever walked out of a doctor’s office and realized
you forgot to ask him something?
Have you also realized after the visit you
forgot to tell him something about what you feel?
MD’s don’t have the luxury of really getting to know their
patients and what makes them tick and what makes them ill because be it
Medicare or private insurance, it does not pay them enough to spend the time
they would like to.
Dentist do. Sure they want volume, but they don’t have the
pressure because they can charge what the market price is for their services.
They can operate in a market environment and not an
insurance or reimbursement situation where they can only get paid an insurance
company, or in the case of Medicare, a government agency decides what they
should get paid.
Another example is cosmetic surgery. It’s elective. No
insurance covers it and like the dentist, they charge what the market will
bear. A good deal of eye care also falls into this category.
The price of these services are dictated by competition. As
a result, prices continually fall, as each practitioner wants a bigger share of
the market. Just look at the ads in the paper or now on TV
There’s a lesson here.
Whatever happens to health care
legislation, I hope, but frankly doubt, those involved in the process of health
care for anyone or everyone, will realize that physicians should be paid on
what the market is for their services.
Can you imagine medical care where an MD, advertises that he
will only charge Y for an annual physical, or Z for taking care of your
diabetes, or kidney, or sluggish feeling, etc? It could be akin to the
advertisements in the media by divorce lawyers or personal injury sharks.
A little of this is already happening for those who can
afford it.
Some very reputable internists here are saying to their
patients that they will charge them $2,500 year to take care of whatever
medical needs they have. The won’t take any insurance and they’ll take your
call 24/7 and even come to your home to treat you if need be. One flat fee.
Title: My New Phone-technology beyond comprehension!
About everyone goes through this at one time or another
these days. You see a friend, or
see an advertisement touting the latest mobile phone, and you decide you have
to get rid of that old clunker in your pocket or on your hip.
Too many dropped calls, none of the new features your
friends are always bragging about or using, and always, striving to get a
better deal.
In my case, my last two-year contract with T Mobile was up
and I was told that I would be qualified for a new phone by signing another two-year
contract.
T Mobile is not the best domestic carrier. I say this
because it’s all about the towers. He who has the most towers wins.
I am told that Verizon has the most followed by AT&T but
those who have both these carriers also have dropped calls etc.
I use T Mobile because their monthly charge to receive
emails when out of the country is only $20.00 or so compared to Verizon, who
also has this capability, which is much higher. I also use T Mobile because they
have me sucked in to get a better phone at a lower price for giving them the
proverbial two-year contract.
T Mobile could also take the sim card out of the old phone
and put into the new one so all your numbers are transferred as well as address
book etc. That’s a very big deal as who wants to copy all that over to the new
phone.
They also told me, as you can with the I Phone from AT&T,
that you could use Skype to make very cheap over-seas calls. That would be a
big plus for me. They do it via Google but more on that perhaps in another blog.
So now what phone to pick? I lucked out and had a salesmen
who knew what he was talking about and was very nice.
I had had a blackberry before that I liked because it had
bigger keyboards. While my height has come down over the years, the size of my
fingers has not!
As this competent guy at the T Mobile store led me through
the processor/choices/options and we settled on the blackberry bold. Their
latest greatest, or so I’m led to believe.
Both of my middle aged children had encouraged me to get the
I Phone that they 24/7. I think one of them can even make coffee on it!
Another friend or two swear by the I phone. One very active
international user told me that it only took him two months to get to figure it
out and take advantage of all the features.
When I go to lunch with my contemporaries, every time one
gets a new phone, everyone compares. Maybe with one exception, nobody amongst
us can use all the features. Perhaps more importantly, nobody needs to
use all of the features!
Then there’s the program you want to register for. Do you want unlimited texting, emails,
phone calls, family plan, enemy plan, insurance protection, moo sho pork or
chicken almond ding? Yes, it reminds me of the old Chinese restaurants where if
you bought the dinner for 4 or the dinner for 6 you got free egg roll.
Ok, now I have my brand new shiny phone. It’s much lighter
than my 3-year-old blackberry and the screen is brighter and bigger, but the
damn keys are the size that fit my 7-year-old granddaughters fingers better
than mine.
There’s only one problem? How do I make a call? How do I
check voice mail? How do I send emails or text or go on the Internet, use the calendar
and on and on and on.
The answer of course is “RTM” or read the manual. Sure, no
problem. All I have to do is to find the part that’s in English which is next
to the Spanish, French, etc etc. and try to figure it out. Yea sure, one day
when I have nothing else to do, like on a vacation, a relaxing Sunday, or stuck
on a plane on the runway, I could take the time and effort required.
And will I ever be able to figure it out? I can honestly
predict, I won’t ever learn it all.
In the week that I’ve had it, I have figured out how to use
the basic functions and maybe before the two years are up, I’ll be able to use
a few more, but the point is, and what this blog is about is:
The technology has outstripped the ability of about anyone
over 50 to figure how to use all of this stuff.
It’s not only the new phones,
it’s all of the features of the TV, the kindle, of the computer, of the IPOD
and yes, even the latest fully equipped car that you buy.
It’s really a shame. I don’t know how I ever lived before
without spending half my life figuring out how wonderful the other half of my
life would be by taking advantage of utilizing all of this technology!
In the
news recently, Senate Democratic
leaders unveiled a "jobs agenda” that includes tax breaks for small business
and said they hoped to bring parts of it up for a vote soon.
It appears that the Republicans are
still tongue tied, or brain dead as I have not been able to see anything they
are proposing in the media.
I must say
I don’t get it.
I’m all
for tax cuts for small business, and many other things as history has shown
that lower taxes increase income not decrease it.
In my blog
of January 25th, I proffered that to work down our 10% unemployment,
we need to create an incentive for small business, and for that matter, big
business too.
We don’t
need another government program. Typically, if they work at all, so little of
it ever reaches consumers pockets, they prove to be a gigantic waste of money.
However,
our GDP is increasing, and doing so more rapidly than many learned economists
had anticipated.
It’s well
known that employment lags economic recovery by at least six months and often
twelve months or so, and our solons, if they don’t already, should know all of
this. This began to show up in the small drop in unemployment last week.
If
Congress thinks that we can’t wait and that business needs a shot in the arm to
stimulate hiring, then simply create a “holiday” on the 7.5% employers
contribution to wages.
Additionally,
a law could be passed to allow business to deduct 100% of any new equipment
purchases that could include vehicles as well as machinery.
Would this
create an environment that would stimulate the economy. You bet?
Would
government revenues drop as a result?
Temporarily
yes, but as more people went back to work, and before the “tax holiday” that
should be in place for only 12-24 months ran out, more funds would find their
way into the coffers of Congress, not less.
And by the
way if Congress let’s their plan to let the Bush tax cuts expire next year,
then it’s gong to amount to a huge across the board tax increase for most
segments of our economy.
In a positive way, this was once termed as “irrational
exuberance” by fromer Federal Reserve Chairman Allan Greenspan when he was referring to the housing and finance
markets. He was certainly prescient.
In a negative way, we have markets over-reacting to news
An example is the big drop in stock values here and abroad
yesterday and today.
The “bad” news was not a big surprise to anyone or it
shouldn’t have been to financiers and governments.
Greece has been having financial problems for quite sometime
as has Portugal and some other Southern European countries.
There’s nothing to
brag about here at home either, to say the least.
Commodity markets over-react quite often as well. A
government statistic is announced such as car loadings, or egg or wheat
production, and markets can move sharply.
Traders love this. It’s hard to speculate in a steady
market.
While it’s easy to lose money in a rapidly falling market,
it’s also a great opportunity to make short sales. Opportunities abound on
rapidly rising markets as well.
So why do markets acct irrationally?
In my view, fear and greed. They both dictate emotions, and
when emotions cloud judgment, we have wide price swings.
Having traded hides for much of my career I can attest to
emotion getting in the way. Have you ever bought or sold a stock based on
emotion at least to some degree? It’s hard to find any amateur and many
professionals who haven’t.
Ever buy a car because it was so shiny or smelled good
inside? Aren’t we all vulnerable to the salesmen’s pitch of how we’re going to
“enjoy having this investment” Hah! As PT Barnum said, “there’s a sucker born every minute” and I think
we’re all suckers when emotion clouds judgment.
So how to combat this prevalent human trait?
One way is to step back. Don’t rush to a decision. Take the
time, even if it risks “losing the deal” to evaluate it and “sleep on it” as
the popular, saying goes.
I wish I had learned that lesson about 40 years ago. I’d be
a lot better off financially today!
Early this afternoon friends called to see if we could go to
a concert tonight at the Scottsdale Theatre for the performing arts. It’s only
about 10 minutes from our house.
It turns out that other couple they were going with had to
cancel due to health.
The Phoenix Symphony was playing Gershwin’s Concerto in F
for orchestra and piano to be followed by a Rachmaninoff Symphony.
Needless to say we said yes.
The seats were in the last row of this wonderful
acoustically enhanced theatre that holds somewhere around 500 or so people. The theater is designed well enough that we could see perfectly from our perch and
hear equally as good.
The pianist was Jon Kimura Parker of whom I had never heard.
That shows my ignorance as he has appeared all over the world and is well
renown in music circles.
After his performance, I can see why.
Gershwin is generally hard to play and the continual changes in
the tempo would keep any soloist on his toes. At a few points, he actually had
to jump off his seat in order to reach the far ends of the keyboard.
The conductor was another highly accomplished musician
called James DePriest. He has won about every possible award there is in worldwide
career.
He is in his early 70’s, still energetic, and has been
confined to a wheel chair since 1962.
What challenges he has had to overcome and then to excel. Being
a conductor, traveling continually and in a wheel chair.
To top it all off, he’s black. That’s no problem in this day
and age, but can you imagine the prejudice he must have had to endure early in
his career?
I am an ignoramus when it comes to music, but for someone to
lead an orchestra in an incredibly complex piece of music, again with the
changing tempos, and multiple instruments coming into play has to be very very
hard. To my untrained ear, the performance was flawless
If you ever get a chance to hear any Gershwin performed, and
then to see it with the likes of James DePreist and or Jon Kimura Parker, it
would be a shame to miss it.
Title: Is it good to live in a Home Owners Association property?
I have the good or mis-fortune to have a house in a Home
Owners Association.
The benefits are that your neighbors cannot mow their grass,
or leave an old truck in front of their house. They can’ t make loud noises and
paint their homes horrible colors. They can’t even change the appearance of the
front of their house without approval.
In my Association, a good percentage of homeowners wanted to
rip out the grass that is all around our homes and put in what is termed desert
landscape.
I call it rock, but that’s another story. They wanted to make us
ecologically correct but the main impetus was to save on our Association water
bill. Water is a big deal in Arizona
I was very upset and voiced my opinion to anyone who would
listen at every meeting.
There was no cost rationale as the cost to take out
the grass and put in the rock and accompanying plantings etc would far exceed
the cost of the water; but the majority rules. Fortunately, there was no
majority and we’re still surrounded by beautiful green grass.
The detriments are all of the above. You have to abide to
what the majority of homeowners want.
So, is a homeowners Association or HOA as it’s called good
or bad? It’s very common in condominiums and coop apartments and even some office
buildings.
Those that serve on the board of these Associations have a
thankless task (ask me, I know from my own experience). Residents get up in
arms over this little thing or that and the board is always the bad guys.
Associations as well as charities more often than not don’t
get the most competent volunteers to serve. They get those who are willing to
devote their time and energy to serve on boards and committee’s. This is
nothing new.
So if you want to make your own decisions about the details
of your home, and want to have the right to do whatever you want (most
neighborhoods however have zoning variances) then don’t buy a house where they
have an HOA.
However, if you want to make sure that those of like
mind/taste/income etc will keep your surroundings generally as you wish, then
not only buy in one, but become active to have input so that you have a chance to see things go the way you
want.
I hate to think of the hours I, along with some of my neighbors
have contributed regarding various aspects of our Association, but I’m happy
about it when I drive in every day and see how the place looks.
One of the great joys of being a parent is when your children make you very proud.
My daughter started a business recently that includes dating advice to single people. They are mostly women and far from being teenagers. Typically they are in the 25-45 year old category.
It's surprising to me to hear all of the concerns both sexes have about dating. Since I have had only one dating experience since 1962, I'm really out of the loop!
She just forwarded a testimonial from one of the people she coached. It shows the results what someone can get out of her services. To say the least, I am very proud of her, and recommend anyone who is in the "dating game" to check out her website. It's Dating With Dignity.com
Here's the testimonial that show's how good she is
Hi Marni,
I took your free 8 week course
lat fall in 2009. I'm just writing to give you and update and also to
express my gratitude for offering such teaching for free. I was out of the
county before I could "graduate" from the course and truly celebrate
with you and the rest of the ladies. (I was one course short).
Anway, after my dating fast.
It took me a while to get back to the dating scene. But I made it a point to
focus mainly on my self, be more positive, and simply vibrate more positively.
Well lo and behold, the dates started coming without me even looking or
applying to a dating site. I'm a magnet. I rated my beliefs by paying attention
to the type of men I was attracting.
They all have been good quality
men. Most of them have met my top 5 musts - Integrity, Responsible,
Financially stable, Confident, and complete gentlemen. Now I'm having a hard
time who to choose! Can you believe this? It's simply amazing. Also, all
of my dates have wanted to date me again and have called immediately.
Now you need to give a course
on how to chose between good quality men ;). Anyway, I'm really giving
alot of thought to my situation and I'm truly blessed. All I know is that I
have to make a choice soon. I have two men that I really like and I have to be
wise with my choice. But quite honestly, I never thought I'd be the type
of girl to face such a dilemma.
So I'm writing to give you a
thousand Thank You's! This is the least that I can do. Your shared
knowledged has truly changed my dating life. I wish you the best and plenty of
success with your program. You can certainly use my testimony here ... it is
cetainly true and to good not to share with you.
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