Ho Hum, what an appropriate title for a shit show of a day. Our internet with AT&T went down early this morning along with our cell service. Fortunately, we have Comcast as a backup. Unfortunately, Comcast still sucks. Needless to say, it’s been a trying day. It has me counting down the hours to Momcation 5.0.
I should have known today was going to be a special kind of crazy. After all, it is the day the taxman cometh. One bright spot was that our menagerie was hopping this morning. We even had a new visitor. A beautiful mottled duck joined the others for a snack. The animals have gotten so used to me that they don’t fly away anymore when I bring out the food or water. Even the skittish blue jays and squirrels have started to stay.
Instead of running, I’ve been working on Zumba chores for Momcation. I haven’t taught since I tore a tendon and was diagnosed with Graves, so I’m excited to give it a go. After all, it’s only been six years. Honestly, I had forgotten both how hard and how much fun it is to put together a class. I’m a bit rusty, so hopefully I’ll be able to give my fellow moms a good workout. It’s also a test to see if my ankle and body will tolerate it. If it goes well, I’m going to start teaching again as I need a second income.
Describe a positive thing a family member has done for you.
My family has done so much for me that I don’t even know where to start. I guess I’ll put it in broad strokes because otherwise, we’d have a War and Peace size answer here. The biggest thing was that they have supported me through life at every stage and every difficulty. I know that’s a pretty general answer, but the truth having support makes a huge difference.
Apparently, there’s some sort of eclipse today, which I’m sure will bring out all the weirdos. The nut jobs and tin foil-wearing conspiracy theorists love to get worked up about these things. It’s been entertaining to read some of the crazier posts people have made. I’ll be sharing some of them here for your entertainment. My favorite posts are the ones questioning our ability to have an eclipse during a crescent moon. That and the posts say they’ll look at the sun directly because the government said they shouldn’t look at it directly.
Enough about the eclipse and silly people, I had an interesting yet quiet weekend with the Mayor and my puppies. I binge-watched Euphoria and Regime. If you haven’t watched either, you should watch both. Zendaya and Kate Winslet are supremely talented actresses. You won’t be disappointed in either’s performance. Euphoria tackles some pretty heavy subject matter but it is so well done. Zendaya’s performance as Rue, a high school student addicted to opiates, is powerful. I highly recommend you check out both.
Pictures taken in Arkansas by my friend’s daughter that was working with NASA today.
Hubby is halfway home, he has completed the first leg of his trip. Now he’s waiting to get airborne to head back to FLL. Right now it looks like his flight has a slight delay, but nothing too major. I’m back at work, watching The Heart Doctor on Acorn because I’m bored out of my gourd. Nothing is happening at work. Fortunately, it gives me plenty of time to work as publisher of my blog. Speaking of which, I’ll be adding a separate recipe and travel section shortly. The recipe section is self-explanatory. As for the travel section, it will include blogs about my travels and travel recommendations.
Photos from my friend’s house in AR, which is in the path of totality
Off he goes to Vegas. The Hubby is heading west for some much-needed time off with his boys. Hopefully, they’ll do well in the casino since our washing machine just broke. We’ve been in the house for 18 years (this coming July) and this is our 4th or 5th washing machine. These appliances are shit. I wish we could buy appliances that lasted decades like our parents and grandparents. Instead, we’re forced to buy overpriced shit that will last less than five years. Appliance manufacturing is an exercise of mediocrity.
While he’s off in Vegas, I plan to do mostly nothing. Saturday morning the Mayor and I will be meeting my brothers for brunch, which will be nice. Enjoying brunch on the ocean never gets old. It’s simply divine. Aside from brunch, I’ll probably bake some more bread and some puppy treats. I liked the rustic Italian loaf I made last week, so I’ll probably make that again. Additionally, I may try my hand at focaccia afterward. Otherwise, I’ll continue to do what I do all week, which is binge shows on streaming services.
For the rest of the afternoon, I’ll be watching yet another show on Acorn because I’m bored. Afterward, I’ll head to the airport to drop off the hubby. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate and won’t be the proverbial fly in the ointment to his trip. Otherwise, he’ll spend his night gnashing his teeth at FLL or MDW, which would not be fun.
What Olympic sports do you enjoy watching the most?
I have two answers to this question, which I think is fair given there are both summer and Winter Olympics. My favorite summer Olympic sport to watch is women’s gymnastics. I can’t wait to see Simone Biles and company in action in Paris later this year. Gabbi Douglas is back as well and I’m hoping Suni Lee can compete.
As for the winter games, I love watching hockey. I cannot wait for the NHLers to be back in the games. One of my favorite memories from the rink is coming off the ice from a mite game to watch the end of the US vs. Russia game. The third period ended in a 2-2 tie. Bob (Sergei Bobrobsky) was in the net for the Russians while Quick was in the net for the Americans. The shootout went several rounds until TJ Oshie put it away. He had Bob’s number scoring on 4 of his 6 shootout attempts. The lobby of the rink erupted; it was awesome.
I hope all who celebrate had a wonderful Easter. I know we sure did. Unusually, we were able to sleep in on Easter morning. No longer were there kids begging us to get up, so they could find their baskets and their hidden eggs. Since only Goalielocks was home, we didn’t even get their baskets out of the attic. We put the candy out on the island for all to enjoy. When Goalielocks goes back to school, I’m sending it with him. Lord knows I don’t need that stuff in my house.
We met the Burrage’s at church for Easter Service, which was fantastic. Goalielocks ran into someone that he graduated with from West Boca. Now he was the class joker and a pretty popular guy in high school. Goalielocks pretty much knew everyone and everyone knew him. Elijah, who is autistic, shared an English class with Goalielocks. Elijah was so excited to see Goalielocks and show him off to everyone.
It was a really sweet interaction. Moreover, it gave me insight into how my son treated people in high school. I mentioned this to him and he said “What did you expect? How did you think I treated him?” All while looking at me like I’m a fool. The questions he asked made me happy. Our children may not be perfect, but you hope they go into the world and treat people with kindness and love no matter what.
Anyway, I digress. After church, we headed to Melly’s folks’ house for brunch. We had a very tasty quiche. I mean eggs, cheese, cream, and vegetables what isn’t to love? In addition, there was some tasty spiral ham, which paired perfectly with the rustic Italian loaf I had baked. Naturally, there were also fruits and a salad on the table, but I was too full from the quiche to enjoy them. A girl had to have priorities and yesterday it was quiche.
The rest of the day was spent chilling at home with the puppies watching Euphoria and going for a run. We popped a pizza in for a quick dinner, which hit the spot. I spent most of the night trying to avoid eating the jelly beans and Cadbury eggs I had set out for the boys. That was definitely easier said than done.
What are your morning rituals? What does the first hour of your day look like?
My morning ritual always starts with walking the dogs one at a time. They’re far too strong for me to walk them together. After I walk the dogs, I give them their donut. Once the dogs have had their treat, I fill up the bird feeders out front. Once the dogs and birds are fed, I sit down with my coffee and watch the Great British Bake Off until it’s time to work.
Boredom has been a constant fixture of my weekday since last Wednesday. I don’t like being idle. I prefer a fast-paced, busy day that moves quickly. Now on this pilot program, boredom is the name of the game. The only silver lining to the situation is that I’ve enjoyed getting caught up on documentaries and British comedies. I’ve definitely learned a lot in the last week.
Whoops, got sidetracked harassing Cigna on X again. They finally approved a comparable drug to the one I’ve been taking the last two years. Those crafty bastards at Cigna approved something they don’t cover, so my co-pay is $1385.85. Last time I filled the script, it was $75 for a 3-month supply. Since going down the rabbit hole, I’m more convinced than ever that nothing will change. Given the amount of money these companies donate, really blackmail, to our politicians’ campaigns is sickening.
Our system is so irrevocably broken, it’s sad. The insurers and big hospital systems are dictating care to the detriment of their patients. We’re caught in between dishonest insurers that gate-keep coverage. Additionally, the corporate or private equity run health systems would rather you die than give you adequate care. Lastly, if I see another humble brag on X about more people having access to health insurance, I’m going to vomit. Access to health insurance is no longer synonymous with access to care.
What’s something most people don’t understand?
I think people struggle to understand autoimmune disease and how impactful they are to people’s lives. It’s hard for people to square a seemingly healthy looking person, who’s struggling with serious illness. Anyway, autoimmune diseases suck just as much as Cigna.
More coffee, please… There doesn’t seem to be enough coffee onboard to get me through this tedious Monday. My boss moved me to a pilot team last week, which has resulted in my absolute boredom and no sales. If there is an upside, it’s that I’ve been able to watch some great documentaries over the past few work days. I just finished one on the sophisticated Queen Elizabeth I.
Now I’m watching one on the London of Tudor England. Unsurprisingly, it goes along well with my obsession for reading all things Tudor or Tudor adjacent. Nevertheless, I hate being bored and unproductive at work. Especially when I’ve been having a spectacular month thus far. Hopefully, they move me off this pilot and back into a space where I can be successful.
While Monday is definitely calling for more coffee and patience, the weekend was pretty good. Goalielocks was here through late Saturday afternoon. I love having him home and wish Jake could have been home too. Having the boys in the house makes my heart full. It’s a different dynamic when your kid is visiting versus when they live under your roof. I did make some homemade sourdough Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal for him to take home.
Aside from the fact I had to work Saturday, I did have a fun weekend. Friday night we had dinner with John and Hanh at Batch, which was tasty and fun. Afterward, we went back to their house to hang out while the Mayor got his occupational therapy. After work Saturday, we went back to their house to watch the Panther’s game. When we left their house just after 11:00, we got to see the rocket launch. From the road, we had a different view than what we can see from our house. For the first time, we could see the fireball streaking through the sky behind the rocket.
Sunday morning I headed to our Coffee & Collateral event for PanCan. We have the best affiliate group in the business. The morning was so much fun and time well spent. As a group, we were able to get our fliers and postcards into a lot of local businesses. Importantly, we were also able to cultivate some promising partnerships with a few businesses. One of the most powerful parts of this experience is hearing stories of how pancreatic cancer or cancer has impacted their life. While we raise funds for pancreatic cancer, cancer research can impact several other types of cancers.
Afterward, I got to baking. I whipped up two quick sourdough loaves. I intended to make the 24 sourdough loaf but forgot to start it Friday night. Once the loaves came out of the oven, I started on the fresh pasta we’d be having for dinner. I was a bit intimidated at first, but it proved to be easier than I expected. To be clear, it is a time-intensive exercise, but you could easily make the pasta on the weekend for use during the week. Truly, the effort was worthwhile. The difference between fresh and store-bought pasta is stark. I’ll try to post the recipe this week.
How often do you say “no” to things that would interfere with your goals?
I say “no” to things that interfere with my goals or routines often. Unfortunately, I’ve found that maintaining my routine is important when managing an autoimmune disease. Before I was diagnosed with Graves, I had a routine but could be flexible in making changes to the routine. Now if I change up the routine, the wheels fall off. I don’t like feeling like an outsider in my own body.
People suck! The last two weeks of love had been dominated by fighting with Cigna over coverage and prior with denials. I have to say that I think Dr. Chirag Shah, Dr. Karen Weinstein, and Alexis R from Cigna were at the top of my list of people who suck untimely yesterday (more on that later.) The two doctors are medical directors at Cigna or Evernorth (a Cigna subsidiary) whose job is to review and deny prior authorizations. Given the speed with which my requests were denied, I’m skeptical that they reviewed the records.
Cigna uses PXDX, a computer program, to deny claims in seconds. The doctor signs off on the computer program’s decision without the patient’s record being reviewed. At this time, Cigna is fighting two separate class action lawsuits for denying claims without proper review. One based in California arose from a patient whose vitamin D lab test was denied coverage despite a diagnosed deficiency. Funny enough, they denied my vitamin D lab tests three times last year despite the diagnosis being on my records from three different doctors. I will also be fighting to have those expenses reimbursed.
Back to people suck. The person that sucks the most this week is Sidney from Jackson, MS. She was kind enough to avail herself of my credit card to purchase nearly $750 in goodies. Unfortunately, Sidney is not the brightest bulb on the tree. She updated all of her contact information on the file before changing the email address, so I have her home address and phone number. Dear lord the area between her ears is as empty as a liminal space.
Fortunately, my credit card company shut down and blocked the orders immediately. Nonetheless, I was still on the phone for twenty minutes making sure the account was now secured. The representative I spoke with was wonderful and professional. She took care of everything expeditiously. Of course, the dilemma now is to if I should file a police report. Kohl’s canceled the order immediately, so there are no monetary damages. Yet Sidney from Jackson, MS still committed fraud. I’m not sure I’m willing to waste my time. Anyway, people suck and I hope I never see any of these folks in a crowd or otherwise.
Who was your most influential teacher? Why?
I had so many incredible teachers over the years, but one stands out. If you had told me the first day I sat in this class that this teacher would change my life, I would have laughed at you. The grade was tenth, the class was speech and the teacher was Mr. Quinlan. In that class, he saw something in me and invited me to join the speech team. At first, I was reticent to join, but ultimately decided it would look good on college applications so I joined.
I joined the team to compete in the extemporaneous speaking category. In this category, speakers had to draw three questions and then pick which one they were going to give a speech on in 30 minutes. It was baptism by fire, but it gave me the ability to speak confidently in front of rooms of people as well as synthesize information quickly and succinctly. These skills have served me well as an adult and I’m forever grateful to Q for that gift.
I’m taking a break from the rabbit hole that is Cigna and health insurance in this country. The truth of the matter is both Presidential candidates happily took money from Cigna for their campaigns. This means both potential Presidents will allow Cigna to continue defrauding Medicare while abusing its insured. Shoot even the anti-business Bernie Sanders has no problem taking money from big business. The billionaire politicians, along with the insurance companies bear responsibility for the clusterfuck that is our healthcare.
Anyway, so much for taking a break. Am I right?!? Goalielocks is home for spring break and that makes my mamma’s heart so happy. If Jake was here, life (even with Cigna in it) would be perfect. I’m privileged to have three amazing boys and two perfect puppies. As I take a break from the insanity, I’m trying to focus on the bright side of life. I also had to grocery shop for the third time this week. With both younger boys home, the amount of food and milk we go through grows exponentially. Fortunately, I have the best Shipt shopper in Eric who always takes good care of us.
What do you wish you could do more every day?
I wish I had more time to exercise during the day. Moreover, I’d love more time to sleep, read, and play with my puppies. Of course, I can’t forget baking. I’d love a lot of additional time to bake.
I went down the X rabbit hole last night reading posts on Cigna, pharmacy benefit managers, and health insurance in general. The fact that the Federal government allows these companies to operate unchecked, even after being caught defrauding the Federal Government, is appalling. It’s unbelievable the number of people who pay for insurance that find themselves fighting to get care. It’s morally and ethically wrong.
In the ongoing saga of prior authorization hell, they did ultimately approve my hubby’s knee MRI. Alexis R, from Cigna, emailed me yesterday stating, “The mayor’s medication, cephalexin, is considered a non-preferred covered medicine. This would require prior authorization and we have not received it at this time.” According to her email today, the problem wasn’t the Cephalexin itself, but the dosage. These folks can’t even get their facts straight.
This whole thing feels like a plot out of a bad sitcom only nobody is laughing. The fact of the matter is delaying care leads to poor healthcare outcomes. Ultimately, the poor outcomes lead to greater expense and death. Dealing with these issues is not an anodyne experience. Dealing with insurance companies is quite a pernicious ordeal.
What tattoo do you want and where would you put it?
I’m not into tattoos or putting anything permanently on my body. For one, I seem to be allergic to absolutely everything. Two, I don’t know where I’d put it. Three, it’s not something I’d ever spend money on. If I had to do it, I would tattoo my kids’ initials on a heart or something on my ankle. Anyway, I have to get back to my rabbit hole.
The fact that the prior auth process exists underlines just how screwed up our healthcare system is in this country. Since the year started, we have had three prior auth issues with our insurer. The first was a prior auth for an MRI on Hubby’s knee to verify the extent of damage. The second was their denial of a prior auth request for a medication I’ve been taking since 2021. They denied it so quickly that I received a notification of the denial before receiving the notification that the authorization was filed. Lastly, they requested prior auth for the Mayor’s antibiotics to fight his post-surgical infection.
Now read that last sentence again. They now require prior authorization for antibiotics. Admittedly, I am not a doctor, however, I’m pretty sure that infections are supposed to be treated expeditiously. As a result, we ended up having to pay for the medication out of pocket. The doctor’s office couldn’t believe the insurance requested prior authorization for an antibiotic. This is an absolute abomination. Insurance companies shouldn’t be requiring prior auths for well-known first-line treatments.
Cigna, to their credit, did respond when I tweeted my disgust to them, Governor Desantis, Senator Rubio, and Representative Frankel. Nonetheless, it’s too little too late. I will be requesting reimbursement from their customer care team. I aim to ensure that we rein in this prior authorization nonsense here in Florida.. It is, however, a national issue. Fortunately, I work in insurance, so I can navigate the mind field pretty well. I can’t imagine how difficult the experience would be for people not familiar with insurance.
What activities do you lose yourself in?
I lose myself in baking, running, cuddling with the puppies, and reading. Those activities are my happy place. I love losing myself in a good book. Perhaps that’s why my night time ritual includes reading a book before bed with Anakin on my lap.
