Scooter Chronicles

We are awaiting the doctor at the hopsital/institute Marcia visited today to talk to our health insurance company tomorrow (Wednesday). He is hoping to reverse the decision they have already made. It said that Marcia didn’t need the service of the hospital/institute. This after spending all day there (yes, literally all day). It really takes what hope you have and crushes it.

I have had enough of financial greed dictating whether someone gets health care or not. This needs to change! Either that, or I will seriously consider moving to Canada.

I recently finished reading “The Wasp Factory” by Iain Banks. This was his debut novel. Banks writes both general fiction for mainstream audiences, and science fiction (as Iain M. Banks). This was the second of his 12 mainstream novels I had read, and it’s his most famous. I have read five of his ten sci-fi novels.

“The Wasp Factory” at the time of publication, and maybe a bit still today, was a controversial novel. It made a lot of waves. The copy I have lists about 8 or 9 blurbs on...

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Marcia, Nigel, and I are heading out to Michigan this morning. Driving straight through today. Should be an adventure. But given the lack of time, and trying to save money, we figured skipping a stay in the Pittsburgh area was better left out.

Given Marcia’s appointment with the MHNI while we are there, and possible admission, we might be there for a while. We have been entertaining the idea of Nigel and I coming back home while Marcia is there, as well as just me coming home while Nigel stays with my parents. Or even the both of us staying in Michigan while Marcia is there. We are going to play it by ear, seeing how well Marcia does with adjusting to being there, as well as Nigel’s reactions.

Not to be forgotten...

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May it be peaceful and joyous!

For a bit of time, we noticed that the minivan was taking a long time to heat up. It was a bit frustrating, but it was something we could deal with. On Monday though, it was in the single digits, and after it was kicking out warm air, at one traffic light I started getting cold air. I just figured it was having a hard time keeping up with the cold air (gusting winds, too).

But on the way to and from choir practice that evening, we were having the same problems. Then on my way to work yesterday (Tuesday). Since I was meeting Marcia at a doctor’s appointment of hers, I called the dealer to see if we could sneek the van in for service. I hate dealing with a dealer, but we bought a service contract/extended warranty. Might...

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Over the weekend, Marcia and I watched “Malice”, starring Bill Pullman, Nicole Kidman, and Alec Baldwin. Also lending a hand were Bebe Neuwirth, Anne Bancroft, George C. Scott, Peter Gallagher, and Gwenyth Paltrow.

The movie centers around Andy (Pullman) and Tracy Safian (Kidman). Andy is a professor at a college where there is a serial rapist on the loose. The most recent victim is treated in the operating room by Dr. Jed Hill (Baldwin), who turns out to be a former school-mate of Andy’s. Given the money needed to fix up their home,...

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I have not been feeling good the last couple of days. I also have had a lot of things going on keeping my mind on other issues, and not on blogging. But I wanted to post something.

I had to laugh at this comic because sometimes I feel like that.

I don’t like winter days as a rule, but certainly can’t stand being too warm.

On Tuesday night I finished reading “Tender Morsels” by Margo Lanagan. This was done as a “read-together-then-discuss” thing with my brother-in-law David.

From Publishers Weekly, via Amazon.Com, here is a rundown of the plot:

In her extraordinary and often dark first novel, award-winning story writer Lanagan creates two worlds: the first a pre-industrial village that might have sprung from a Brueghel canvas, a place of victims and victimizers; the second a personal heaven granted to Liga...

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On December 30th, Marcia will be taking a big step towards controlling her migraines.

We had heard about a hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan that specializes in helping patients with head pain. It’s called the Michigan Head Pain and Neurological Institute. We hadn’t thought about it much, or looked into that until my sister-in-law set up an appointment for herself. She had been suffering from headaches since the birth of her second son. After two and a half week stay, she left pain free, or at least with them under significant control (correct me if I am wrong with any of that info, Jodi). During her time there we found out that after an initial appointment, if they decide to take you on, they call you when a bed opens...

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I am a member of the Book & Reader forum. Not really too active, but I post from time to time. Like most forums, I don’t visit as often as some, and when an interesting topic comes up, usually somebody has already added what information, wisdom, or general BS I would have added, so I don’t. But this year I decided to get into their Secret Santa outing.

My gift arrived yesterday. It was “The Beer Book” by Tim Hampson. To be honest, I was hoping for some cool novel that I had never heard of and would really enjoy reading....

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