Just another Bust A Blog weblog

Two months ago I had to take Amy to the Sparrow ER because I thought her finger was broken. I should remind myself that when I think something’s broken it’s not and when I don’t it is, but nothing I can do about that now.

Anyway, last week I received several bills for the visit. Seems everyone involved was quite proud of their participation and would like me to send them great big checks as a thank you. I’m all for paying for services rendered but in this case I have no idea what I’m paying for.

I received a bill for the doctor (which I needed a lot of help with because it was billed, “For Sadhishkuar” and I had no idea what a Sadhishkuar was until the nice lady explained that was the name of the doctor who saw Amy), a bill for the radiologist and a bill from the ER. The doc and radiologist I get but the ER bill is puzzling to say the least. It simply said pay $957. But for what? I didn’t know if they were billing me for the doctor too, or for the radiologist for that matter. There was absolutely no explanation whatsoever.

Calling for some clarification proved helpful. The lady on the phone said she’d be glad to send out an itemized bill so I could understand just what exactly I was being billed for.

I got that bill today. If they were going for clarification they missed by, oh, about a freaking mile.

From what I can tell I’m being charged for three x-rays for $266. Okay, I get that. What I don’t get is just what, exactly “Emergency Room” means or why they want $691 for it.

I am all for paying what is due. But I would really like to know just what, exactly, “Emergency Room” means. Is it the nurses or ice pack or clean sheets or use of the room for three hours or the cable on the TV? And does the billing department really consider “Emergency Room” as fully itemized as it can get?

I’m looking forward to talking to the nice lady at Sparrow again.

Original post by Christy

Amy made a big batch of chocolate chip cookies, I piled them up on a fun snowman plate, called the kids and we shuffled through the snow yesterday to meet our new neighbors. We rang the doorbell with high hopes we’d be meeting new friends.

Within 10 seconds I was ready to snatch the cookies from the lady’s hands and go home.

Our new neighbor, while lovely, I’m sure, is from this area. Not just from the area, born and raised right here in our little town. They moved from a subdivision one mile away and they’re only renting for six months while they build a house in the subdivision they moved from.

Why would the news that she’s from our town set me off? Because people who have ties rarely need new friends. They have family and established friendships and their dance cards are already full.

I should have figured – who the heck moves to Michigan? It’s not like there’s a booming economy pumping gobs of money into the area. (I still get quizzical looks when people find out I moved here from Georgia.) And in the three years I’ve lived here I’ve met only one – count ‘em, one – family who moved here without an already established support system. I thank God I met them as soon after our move as I did; I don’t think I would have made it through that first year without Molly and Jeff.

I chatted with the neighbor a few minutes then let her get back to the cable guy who was helping install her high-speed internet connection. As we walked home I felt tears burn my eyes. I tried to hold them back but it was just too much.

A trip to Target helped get me ready to face cooking dinner, but when Sean asked if I’d met the new neighbors tears once again stung my eyes.

“This is ridiculous!” I sputtered. Even so, I knew exactly why I was crying: I was hoping someone else was in my boat – another expatriate in a foreign land who might need a slightly more seasoned tour guide.

Don’t get me wrong; I have met wonderful people from my home school community and church who have completely disproven my “dance card full” theory. But none of them lives in my neighborhood and thinking that a new friend might be mere steps away…

Leave it to Michael to look on the bright side: “Well, Mom, we don’t have any fewer friends back there than we used to!”

Original post by Christy

I saw two surprises when I looked out my kitchen window this morning. First, the snow. I know; snow should not surprise me any more. But after last Monday’s snow melted I thought maybe we wouldn’t see any again until December… but here it is again.

And the second surprise was seeing a portion of a swing set in the backyard of the house behind us. No one has lived there for almost two years and it’s been a tad depressing to never see any lights on or any semblance of life back there. But this morning a portion of a big ol’ swing set is sitting in the backyard, with lots of footprints in the snow around it.

This, obviously, means there are children back there. (Well, I guess the owners could be grandparents but in all likelihood the new occupants have kids.) My kids immediately began guessing the ages of the new neighbor-kids. Amy was disappointed because she figured the young ‘uns must be really little to warrant the swing set, but then she realized the little ones could have older siblings. Michael and Amy both thought potential babysitting dollars could be waiting just beyond the pines. Rebecca’s hoping an eight year-old girl lives back there.

I’m hoping it’s a home schooling family of three (boy, girl, girl) with a mom who’s passionate about algebra and physical science but needs help with grammar and writing.

All speculation will be put to rest this afternoon when we take cookies over in an attempt to welcome them to the ‘hood. An update will follow.

Original post by Christy

Oh my. Sean is not happy with me. Michael is not happy with me. I am not entirely happy with me.

We had the, “Should the government give loans to the car industry?” talk a few minutes ago. “If GM doesn’t get the money it will go bankrupt. Who’s going to buy cars from a bankrupt company?” said Sean. “And they have to keep making the Corvette!” said Michael. “Nowhere in the Constitution does it say the job of government is to float loans to car companies,” said I.

A brouhaha ensued. I will not recount the gory details here, but suffice it to say my boys are not speaking to me.

No one wants to see GM, Ford or Chrysler go out of business, least of all someone whose husband works for one of them. It would be devastating for the country’s economy and the personal economy of nearly everyone I know. Millions of people would be out of a job and the ripple effect would be felt far beyond Detroit. And there is a humongous part of me that wants to see Congress give the loans to the Big Three because I don’t want to see the once-mighty GM file for Chapter 11.

But when I unemotionally (and believe me, that’s a trick) look at the issue there is no way I could support the loans. I don’t think Congress should have given the loans to Chrysler in the 80’s, I don’t think they should have passed the $700 billion bailout last month for Wall Street, and I don’t think they ought to do it for my husband’s beloved industry. What in the world is Congress doing messing around in private businesses? Like they’ve ever solved anything or done anything with great efficiency…

If the loans go through one way I’ll soothe myself is knowing that Congress is partly to blame for GM’s demise. Their complete lack of gumption to do anything about Japan’s manipulation of the yen, passage of onerous laws (CAFE standards, anyone?), and a refusal to address the corporate tax rate have done little to help the domestic auto industry.

The bottom line, though, is the government has defined roles and giving money to companies on the brink of bankruptcy isn’t one of them. I know that view won’t win me many friends at GM, but it might make America a better country for my children.

___________________________________

Read Michael Barone’s interesting piece about this here.

Original post by Christy

I was feeling ambivalent about Obama’s win last week. I wasn’t crazy about McCain but I also wasn’t invested in much of the Obama-bashing that was going around the web. And immediately after his win he zeroed in on the auto industry which was quite unlike the current White House occupant who waited seven years to meet with the Big Three execs and did so only after some serious arm-twisting. But then I saw this picture, taken last week at the first meeting of Obama’s 17-member economic advisory panel:

See the woman sitting next to Biden? That’s Jennifer Granholm, governor of Michigan. Why in the wide, wide world would he select Jennifer Granholm to be an economic advisor? The two-term governor of Michigan has been at the helm as her state slid to a single-state recession with the worst unemployment rate in the country. And that’s who Obama picks for his economic advisor? Are you kidding me?

If this is the caliber of advisors he’s going to surround himself with, then we are in big trouble. Beyond big trouble. Titanic-sized trouble.

So much for hope.

Original post by Christy

Don’t forget to thank a veteran today. And if you don’t know one, you can thank my father. He was in the Air Force and flew in Vietnam, 1968-69.

Thanks, Dad.

Original post by Christy

Last week I was wearing capri’s. Today I’m wearing long underwear. Welcome to winter in Michigan.
Indian summer was in full force last week. Beautiful sunny days with temperatures in the upper 60’s and lower 70’s conned me into believing that maybe, just maybe, this will be the winter where snow doesn’t come. I know, dumb beyond words. But the weather was so lovely last week! No heavy coat needed, no slushy parking lots, no shoveling of the drive… it was wonderful. And it was November! Forgive me for hoping.

On the up side, I won the family contest of When Snow Will Come. Amy and Rebecca guessed late October, Sean and Michael were in late November but I guessed November 7, a mere two days early. Woo hoo! (Hey, when you’re the Mom who, by definition, is always wrong, you’ll take little victories anywhere you can.)

Original post by Christy

Thanks for all the calls and emails asking if Sean still has a job. As far as I know he does. Of course, he hasn’t called in a few hours so I’m not certain…

The news out of Detroit is bleak. The Big Three automakers are bleeding cash and are again slashing jobs. Lansing alone will lose 700 hourly jobs at the start of 2009 and is looking to cut even more salaried folks above the 20% reduction already announced.

Yes, those cuts sound dire for the auto industry, and, to be sure, they are. But to put it in big-picture perspective: one auto industry job supports 10 other jobs. And we’re not talking just the McDonald’s worker or gas station attendant but local doctors and insurance agents and dentists. This is bad, bad news for Lansing.

There’s plenty of blame to throw at all participants. As I’ve written before, the company blew it big time in the 70’s, building crap, then wondering why Americans didn’t want to buy from them in the 80’s. I also blame the execs for not handling the UAW more strongly. Sean will tell me the company has to give them what they want because they’ll walk out and cause the company to lose millions, if not billions, of dollars. That is the ultimate example of cutting off your nose to spite your face and who would be stupid enough to do that? Oh, that’s right - mechanics at Eastern Airlines (remember them?). The mechanics put the company out of business. And I do believe, after watching a strike at Sean’s plant, that the UAW would be stupid enough to do that to GM.

(Side note: If you’re a UAW member working at Sean’s plant, please don’t get mad at him. He’s not the one writing this. And, hey, while you’re at it, could you please get your head out of your butt and realize your union is helping kill the company that provides your job? Thanks a bunch.)

What’s the solution? I don’t know (newsflash, I’m sure) but as long as the UAW is involved I don’t see a good way out. Really, how does a company expect to get ahead when its work force is more adversary than ally? The union workers think they work for the Union. Here’s another newsflash – all those union workers at Sean’s plant won’t be working if GM ceases to exist. Beating a dead horse one more time: if you’re in the UAW at a GM plant you work for GM, not the UAW!

Okay, that horse is off to the glue factory.

I’ve wondered if Sean would be better off getting a job elsewhere, perhaps as a teacher. And when we discuss the option he toys with the idea for a few moments, then comes back to the same conclusion: He loves GM. He loves building cars. He loves producing something in America. He wants to be a part of the GM recovery plan.

He’ll get nothing but support from me. Support, some budget-tightening and blog posts, of course.

Original post by Christy

In an attempt to earn a little bit of money from my blog I signed up for Google’s Ad Sense program. They automatically generate the ads that pop up on the side of my blog. I do not control the content, although Google claims the ads that appear relate to my blog’s topics.

Then how the heck did this one show up yesterday?

Grants that Democrats never have to repay? What a riot! If ever there were a perfect example of the difference between the Republican and Democratic ideology, this is it.

Now if we can just get the Republicans back to believing there is no free lunch, not for farmers, not for bankers or, more importantly, not for themselves.

And, by the way, when I say I’m trying to earn a little bit from my blog, I mean a teeny, tiny, itsy bitsy little bit. In the seven months I’ve had Google’s Ad Sense on my blog I’ve earned a grand total of $2.16. TOTAL. This blog is obviously a labor of love…

One more note: I removed the Google Ad Sense from my blog today because, in addition to the Democrat ad, they placed an ad for bras on this morning. That isn’t a big problem for me except that they had pictures with the ad, showing great big boobies nearly bursting from the advertised bras. Man, I love alliteration… Anyway, the ad block will return when I can figure out how to moderate it more fully. And when it does, feel free to click on it. I could use another penny or two.

Original post by Christy

I am rarely at a loss for words. In most conversations I can add something of value, a tidbit of trivia, a dash of pop culture, a smattering of family/homeschooling/raising kids info. But I met my match tonight. I found myself sitting in a meeting with absolutely nothing – no joke, nothing – to say. And believe me, that takes some doing.

I’d been asked by my pastor to join him and five others to help plan an upcoming conference. John Calvin’s 500th birthday is next year and the conference will mark that occasion as well as look at how reformed faith is experiencing a bit of resurgence among young evangelicals. The concept sounded intriguing to me and I was glad to help in whatever way I could.

Tonight was our first meeting; we went around the room, introduced ourselves, and got to work. Within five minutes I realized I was in way over my head. Three of the men are pastors and they started bantering about Calvin and paedobaptists and Edwards and some other dead guy I’d never heard of. Then one of the lay people chimed in with his two cents’ worth, then another. I mean, the regular church guys read Calvin for fun. I just sat there thinking, “What the heck am I doing here?”

It was a good exercise for me in keeping my trap shut. I didn’t try to interject anything pithy (as I am wont to do) because half the time I couldn’t figure out why they were laughing and the other half I was taking notes in a desperate attempt to keep up.

If only someone had needed the lyrics to an Amy Grant song – ANY Amy Grant song – or tips on how to get a baby to sleep or who’s playing Glinda in the touring company of Wicked, well, then I could have helped. But how to communicate in a hip, young way why Calvin and the reformed system of theology are important today … it was just beyond me.

I’m not new to reformed theology but I have only a cursory knowledge of it. I thought that was plenty until tonight.

As humbling an experience as it was (and hoo boy, was it) I left encouraged to learn a bit more about Calvin and some of the other dead guys the pastors discussed. I don’t want to do it so I have something to say next time; I already know a month of cramming before our next meeting will not help me. But if these folks are so enamored with Mr. Calvin I want to find out why.

The moral of this story: Next time I’m asked to be on a committee I’m doing some research beforehand. A lot of research. Unless the committee’s on Amy Grant’s contribution to CCM between 1978 – 1989. I’ve got that covered.

Me and Amy Grant, November, 1984

Original post by Christy