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…
Everything Breaks
Prepare For The Universal F***ing
I was thinking about trading in my Tacoma for a Honda Fit last week. I would lose about $13K in the deal. I was disappointed that I couldn’t get a better trade-in value. I was pissed that we’re in the middle of a pandemic lockdown and likely the beginning of a severe recession so selling…
The Second Wave
We are 5 weeks into the Covid-19 lockdown of the US and most of the world. We appear to have temporarily interrupted the spread of the virus through extreme social distancing including closing all schools, most workplaces and all social gatherings. Soon we will begin reopening the country. I have some gloomy predictions. I hope…