For my entire life I had a mission. As a child growing up in chaos, my mission was to grow up and have a stable family. In middle school, my mission was to get straight A’s and become high school valedictorian. In high school, it was to graduate 1st and get into a good college…
Author: Steve Ainslie
I Had 2 Covid-19 Tests
I had a Covid-19 antibody test and a nasal swab test this week. Here’s what it was like.
Slice and Dice
I am having surgery next week to repair an inguinal hernia. This is my first major medical procedure of my life. I’ve never had surgery, anesthesia or even an IV. I’m not worried about the surgery. My surgeon does 300-400 of these a year so I figure he knows what he’s doing. My concern is…
Hard Decisions
It is never hard to decide between doing the right thing and the wrong thing. Should I stab my landlord in the chest with a steak knife over a dispute or should I negotiate to pay a fee to break my lease? Should I take my sick dog to the vet or should I wait a few…
Rolling The Dice on Health Insurance and Losing
I haven’t been to a doctor in 10 years. Thanks to a combination of youth, good genes, luck, diet and exercise, I’ve been fortunate to be healthy. Even so, except for brief periods, I’ve always had health insurance. So when I lost my job in 2016, I signed up for an ACA plan. A year…
My First Surgery – Alone and During a Pandemic Lockdown
May 12, 2020 Been on lockdown for 2 months now. I’ve found a way to cope with the isolation through lots of dog walks, biking and working out. Unfortunately, I have a problem that requires surgery and then will require at least 4 weeks of no intense exercise (and then likely several months to get…
How To Use Product Reviews Effectively
Today I’ll pick on Amazon Product Reviews. However, this post applies to just about any online review system. The problem with product (or service) reviews online is that many of them are completely bogus. Even the ones that might not be bot generated or “sponsored” reviews are sketchy at best. So how do I determine…
Opting Out of The Ratings Game
After I bought my new car, I was contacted four separate times from different people at the dealership to “make sure everything was satisfactory” and to remind how important it was that I fill out their customer satisfaction survey and rate them all 5 stars. The sales rep asked me. His manager asked me. The sales VP…
Face Masks and Kabuki Theater
If you are wearing a homemade fabric face mask or a surgical mask because you think it is protecting you or others from Covid-19, I encourage you listen to Dr. Michael Osterholm’s Covid-19 podcast. In it, he explains the results of a study he completed that tested the efficacy of fabric face masks, surgical masks and…