Conversations At Work

Chat Buddy says:
have you heard of people sitting on balls
Chat Buddy says:
at work.. instead of a chair
Wendy says:
Yeah.
Chat Buddy says:
fitness balls
Wendy says:
Supposed to be good for your posture.
Chat Buddy says:
and abs
Chat Buddy says:
i might get one
Wendy says:
You'll fall off.
Chat Buddy says:
i might fall off
Wendy says:
I suspect that just sitting up straight is what's good for your abs.
Chat Buddy says:
you see me... i slouch
Wendy says:
Me, too.
Wendy says:
Except for right now.
Chat Buddy says:
not me
Wendy says:
I wish we had better desks.
Chat Buddy says:
i wish we had better chairs
Chat Buddy says:
your turn...
Wendy says:
I wish I understood tax credits.
Chat Buddy says:
i wish the sun was shining
Wendy says:
I wish we didn't have a meeting in 45 minutes.
Chat Buddy says:
i wish i won the lottery and could leave this filth behind me
Wendy says:
I wish you'd get a ball to sit on so I could laugh when you fall off.
Chat Buddy says:
i wish my ball would vibrate. that would be fun
Wendy says:
And you'd NEVER leave your desk.
Wendy says:
Wait...ball? You only have one?
Chat Buddy says:
did you know that if you have a testicle removed, they can put in an artificial one?
Wendy says:
I did not.
Chat Buddy says:
it was on tv
Wendy says:
....what, exactly, would the artificial one be FOR?
Chat Buddy says:
um.... just so there are 2 to play with
Chat Buddy says:
i mean.. .so if feels natural to your partner
Wendy says:
lol…have an artificial ball implanted in order to feel natural.
Chat Buddy says:
would you get a new boob if you lost one?
Wendy says:
I'm not THAT absent minded.
Chat Buddy says:
you wouldn't laugh if i fell off my ball, would you?
Wendy says:
Yes. Yes, I would.

Unattended

When Todd is left unattended, you get candy bars taped to walls. When I'm left unattended, you get pointless blogs. So, today I noticed something about my yard. The kudzu is doing wonderfully. Bushy and green and spreading.



The mutant tree bush is also doing well. All 4-5 types of bush/tree are thriving and vibrant.



The grass growing in the middle of the walkway is spreading nicely.



The entire rest of the yard looks like a wasteland. I'm firmly convinced that Mother Nature is punishing me for something. At least there's lots of color. Yellow and brown count, right?

Are you fucking kidding me?

Yesterday I went to the doctor and was given prescriptions for allergy medicine. For some reason, this year, my allergies have gone ape-shit. He gave me prescriptions for two things. One is a nasal spray, which, if used daily for a week or so, will prevent histamines from being released. The other is an anti-histamine, which prevents released histamines from attaching. When I went to the pharmacy to pick up the prescriptions, I was shocked to discover that each medicine had a $50 co-pay. My insurance company has 3 tiers of drugs, which cost $10, $20, and $50, respectively. The tiers are explained as follows (the important lines are italicized):

# Tier 1- Drugs offering the greatest value within a therapeutic class. Some of these are the generic equivalents of brand name drugs.
# Tier 2 - Moderate Cost Drugs. These can be multi-source brand name drugs which are drugs which have a generic equivalent. Other drugs on this tier are the preferred drugs within a therapeutic class based on clinical efficacy and cost as determined by the Anthem Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee.
# Tier 3 - Higher Cost Drugs. These are typically single source brand name drugs which are brand name drugs that do not have a generic equivalent. These also may include single source brand name drugs that have no other therapeutic equivalent, but are determined to be a third tier drug solely on the basis of cost. In addition, drugs on this tier may be a higher cost than equivalent drugs on lower tiers or drugs determined to be less efficient than equivalent drugs on lower tiers by the Anthem Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee.

Yes. The insurance company is evidently in charge of determining which drugs I should take. They know which drugs are efficient and which are inefficient. I'm not sure why I should go to a doctor at all. I can understand why insurance companies have different co-pay amounts for generic and name brand drugs. It makes perfect sense that they should try to influence the patients to take the least expensive version of a medication. But that third tier is bullshit. There is no valid reason for the insurance company to dictate which drugs are effective. That should be up to the doctor and patient.

Inappropriate Behavior

Yesterday, Megan came to me to complain because Tripp was trying to kiss her. By "came to me," I mean that she beat the shit out of him until I heard him crying and made her stop. Anyway, she told me what he was doing to antagonize her, and I had a short discussion with him. It consisted of "Don't kiss your sister." His response was "But I like her." This led to further discussion, in which I told him that it's not ok to kiss people without their permission. At that point, Megan decided to tell me that Tripp has been kissing girls at daycare...without their permission. The whole permission thing seemed just beyond Tripp's grasp. I said, over and over, "You can't just go around kissing whoever you want, whenever you want. The other person has to say it's ok first!" He kept saying, over and over, "But they won't say it's ok!" I suspect that Tripp and I will be having this conversation a few more times.

And on a related note....according to one of my coworkers, if you want to have a three-some, you have to order a pizza.

Working Hard

Here at work we have a couple of pranksters. For example, one day a coworker left his cell phone lying on his desk while he went to lunch...when he came back, his phone was programmed to display everything in Spanish. On another occasion, a coworker left for a business trip and while he was gone, someone reprogrammed his office phone so that when he makes interoffice calls, the caller id will read "CALL FROM IDIOT" rather than reading "CALL FROM EXT 000"

Well, earlier this week they decided to redecorate my office while I was gone. I have a basket of miniature candy bars on my desk (part of my plot to appear skinnier by making the people around me fatter.) When I got back, the candy bars (and also my little ducky) were taped to the walls and ceiling.

Home Run!

Last night at the Mariner's game, Tripp caught a home run ball. Well, he didn't exactly "catch" it. The ball fell neatly into his lap after bouncing off a couple of gloves. But he was definitely excited about it. We were on TV and everything!

Cell Phone Plans

I recently changed my cell phone plan to include unlimited PCS to PCS calls. This means Vince and I can call each other as often as necessary...for free. Very handy. Mostly because we have long, deep conversations like the following:

*ring*
Me: Hey, you know that big box of porn in the garage?
Him: Yep.
Me: Is there anything in there with a midget blowing a clown?
Him: No, but there's one with a midget as Santa's evil elf.
Me: Ok, thanks. Talk to you later.
Him: Bye.