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umbralatro's LiveJournal:
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| Wednesday, July 30th, 2008 | | 8:29 pm |
| | Tuesday, May 13th, 2008 | | 10:16 pm |
The Pizza Guy Rule
Okay, so long ago in middle school, we were talking about why you tip the pizza delivery guy. Sometimes he's kind of a jerk, sometimes they are just awesome. So why tip them all? Easy. The Pizza Guy Rule. They know where you live! If you screw with them, they can always come by and mess with your house. Not fun, and if they do it right, you won't be able to prove it's them. Well, I'm amazed at how people don't assume this rule in most cases where the person has access to vital information of yours. We have this customer at work who has decided in their infinite insanity to torment us relentlessly. Never before have we been so thoroughly hounded. None of the members of our team can stand this person, including the new member of our team who has talked to them exactly once! This person is completely insane about their commitment to annoying persistence. There was this problem with the system that we had to get corrected. They kept on us, calling several times a day sometimes before we got it fixed and everything corrected. Took a while, but not a completely unreasonable time frame. Well, this person has now submitted a claim. Nothing weird, just submitted a claim. We received it about a week ago. It typically takes our team about 2 weeks to process claims, and legally we have 30 days to process it. This person has decided to call us approximately 5 or 6 times a day, every day, until it gets processed. They are practically demanding that we give them special treatment to process the claim, except they flat out deny that's what they want! It's unbelievable. And the worst part, we have their address. Actually they don't live all that far from me, and they live in an apartment building I was looking at moving to. Well, they single-handedly made a life decision for me, I will never move there. I could not have this person as a building mate. I would honestly be tempted to do something very rude and retaliatory to them. And I don't like that. Plus, the group that their provider works for has the most suspicious name ever. I would never, ever, ever, ever, ever, see anyone who worked for this group of providers. Current Mood:  annoyed | | Wednesday, April 30th, 2008 | | 6:18 pm |
Misrepresentation
So, we were told last week that there would be a meeting we could have with our new owners to find out more about, and more importantly discuss questions about our new policies and benefits. Then it was rescheduled so they could get us all off the phones for it. So today, I was looking forward to the meeting, for one reason because it's 2 hours off the phones, but also so that we could ask questions. We get down there and there's all these people we don't know, even though it's only 2 floors worth of employees, most of whom we know at this point. That was odd. Well, meeting starts at 130. They get started and they keep going, on and on, about the things we can already read about on the website. Fantastic. I nearly fall asleep four or five times. So eventually after the third presenter, they're done! They open the floor to questions. What time is it? 250, meeting is over at 300. What? 10 minutes for questions!? That's ridiculous. So it turns out we get about 5 questions answered and none that important. I think pretty much all the questions were asked by people who don't process claims or take calls, so guess what, they don't actually know how insurance works and ask all the basic questions we handle all day from the people who aren't supposed to know how it works. Completely freaking useless. I was completely disappointed by the fact that Great West could at least give us 20-30 minutes for questions. Cigna is not impressing me at all so far, considering our benefits are complete trash. Overall, I'm left with one feeling. Ick. | | Monday, April 28th, 2008 | | 6:18 pm |
News for today
Well, I heard back on the interview. I did not get the job. It's disappointing. They found someone with more appropriate experience. What's really disappointing about that reasoning is that my very nearly 4 years at Great West is not really good experience for most other jobs I'd be interested in. And I can't get other jobs inside Great West. So, I'm trying very hard to get back into school. I think that will really help me. I'm so tired, I haven't slept a wink I'm so tired, my mind is on the blink I wonder should I get up and fix myself a drink No,no,no. I'm so tired I don't know what to do I'm so tired my mind is set on you I wonder should I call you but I know what you would do You'd say I'm putting you on But it's no joke, it's doing me harm You know I can't sleep, I can't stop my brain You know it's three weeks, I'm going insane You know I'd give you everything I've got for a little peace of mind I'm so tired, I'm feeling so upset Although I'm so tired I'll have another cigarette And curse Sir Walter Raleigh He was such a stupid get. You'd say I'm putting you on But it's no joke, it's doing me harm You know I can't sleep, I can't stop my brain You know it's three weeks, I'm going insane You know I'd give you everything I've got for a little peace of mind I'd give you everything I've got for a little peace of mind I'd give you everything I've got for a little peace of mind I'm So Tired - The Beatles | | Wednesday, April 23rd, 2008 | | 8:16 pm |
My five signature themes!!
So, since I was able to pick up this book fairly quickly and reasonably, I decided to go with alextru and take this test to see what my potential strengths are. Here we go! Context You look back. You look back because that is where the answers lie. You look back to understand the present. From your vantage point the present is unstable, a confusing clamor of competing voices. It is only by casting your mind back to an earlier time, a time when the plans were being drawn up, that the present regains its stability. The earlier time was a simpler time. It was a time of blueprints. As you look back, you begin to see these blueprints emerge. You realize what the initial intentions were. These blueprints or intentions have since become so embellished that they are almost unrecognizable, but now this Context theme reveals them again. This understanding brings you confidence. No longer disoriented, you make better decisions because you sense the underlying structure. You become a better partner because you understand how your colleagues came to be who they are. And counterintuitively you become wiser about the future because you saw its seeds being sown in the past. Faced with new people and new situations, it will take you a little time to orient yourself, but you must give yourself this time. You must discipline yourself to ask the questions and allow the blueprints to emerge because no matter what the situation, if you haven’t seen the blueprints, you will have less confidence in your decisions. Achiever Your Achiever theme helps explain your drive. Achiever describes a constant need for achievement. You feel as if every day starts at zero. By the end of the day you must achieve something tangible in order to feel good about yourself. And by “every day” you mean every single day—workdays, weekends, vacations. No matter how much you may feel you deserve a day of rest, if the day passes without some form of achievement, no matter how small, you will feel dissatisfied. You have an internal fire burning inside you. It pushes you to do more, to achieve more. After each accomplishment is reached, the fire dwindles for a moment, but very soon it rekindles itself, forcing you toward the next accomplishment. Your relentless need for achievement might not be logical. It might not even be focused. But it will always be with you. As an Achiever you must learn to live with this whisper of discontent. It does have its benefits. It brings you the energy you need to work long hours without burning out. It is the jolt you can always count on to get you started on new tasks, new challenges. It is the power supply that causes you to set the pace and define the levels of productivity for your work group. It is the theme that keeps you moving. Learner You love to learn. The subject matter that interests you most will be determined by your other themes and experiences, but whatever the subject, you will always be drawn to the process of learning. The process, more than the content or the result, is especially exciting for you. You are energized by the steady and deliberate journey from ignorance to competence. The thrill of the first few facts, the early efforts to recite or practice what you have learned, the growing confidence of a skill mastered—this is the process that entices you. Your excitement leads you to engage in adult learning experiences—yoga or piano lessons or graduate classes. It enables you to thrive in dynamic work environments where you are asked to take on short project assignments and are expected to learn a lot about the new subject matter in a short period of time and then move on to the next one. This Learner theme does not necessarily mean that you seek to become the subject matter expert, or that you are striving for the respect that accompanies a professional or academic credential. The outcome of the learning is less significant than the “getting there.” Developer You see the potential in others. Very often, in fact, potential is all you see. In your view no individual is fully formed. On the contrary, each individual is a work in progress, alive with possibilities. And you are drawn toward people for this very reason. When you interact with others, your goal is to help them experience success. You look for ways to challenge them. You devise interesting experiences that can stretch them and help them grow. And all the while you are on the lookout for the signs of growth—a new behavior learned or modified, a slight improvement in a skill, a glimpse of excellence or of “flow” where previously there were only halting steps. For you these small increments—invisible to some—are clear signs of potential being realized. These signs of growth in others are your fuel. They bring you strength and satisfaction. Over time many will seek you out for help and encouragement because on some level they know that your helpfulness is both genuine and fulfilling to you. Adaptability You live in the moment. You don’t see the future as a fixed destination. Instead, you see it as a place that you create out of the choices that you make right now. And so you discover your future one choice at a time. This doesn’t mean that you don’t have plans. You probably do. But this theme of Adaptability does enable you to respond willingly to the demands of the moment even if they pull you away from your plans. Unlike some, you don’t resent sudden requests or unforeseen detours. You expect them. They are inevitable. Indeed, on some level you actually look forward to them. You are, at heart, a very flexible person who can stay productive when the demands of work are pulling you in many different directions at once.
So I'm skipping the normal thing today for this posting. Not exactly what I thought I'd get, but it makes sense. Maybe this will explain some things to those who wonder why I do the things I do sometimes. | | Tuesday, April 22nd, 2008 | | 7:35 pm |
| | Monday, April 21st, 2008 | | 7:37 pm |
The Daily Update plus Songs in My Heart Vol. 8
Well, after months of hoping for something, I've decided to give up on trying anything in a romantic direction for a while. It's been fairly consistent disappointment lately. I have too much hope to really give up, but I need time to recharge the emotional batteries. It's been a giant let down and really no good. Doesn't help that people I know haven't had much luck either. It's been a bit of heart ache all around, and that's not that fantastic for confidence either. Love just kinda sucks right now. I'm just glad I'm not down on it in general, just in some broad-ish categories. We'll just have to see what happens next. In the cold misty morning Gleaming rays awake the dawn Here I stand, a stranger in this land Does your conscience betray you? Falling from grace Feel the sun on my face Does desire still hold true? Mystified by her beauty Does the hunter pity his pray Under starless skies All love must die, and fade away Take my hand, divine or damned Make a stand, seize the day Oh, yours or mine, damned of divine Draw the line, come what may Looking down from ethereal skies Silent crystalline tears I cry For all must say their last goodbye To Paradise... My yearning is silenced by angelic skin of white Love conquers all though heaven's fall This fateful night Oh, yours or mine, damned of divine Draw the line, serpentine Love is a tragedy All that I have, all that I'll ever need Is right here inside Let the winds of freedom be my guide Looking down from ethereal skies Silent crystalline tears I cry For all must say their last goodbye To Paradise... Looking down from ethereal skies Silent crystalline tears I cry For all must say their last goodbye To Paradise... Say goodbye, goodbye, horror. So I've cheated and I've lied Been the victim of foolish pride And I've begged and I've crawled And I've battled it and bled for it all Now I'll savor the downfall Of Paradise.. Looking down from ethereal skies Silent crystalline tears I cry For all will say their last goodbye To Paradise... Paradise Lost - Symphony X Current Mood:  cold | | Saturday, April 19th, 2008 | | 4:21 pm |
The Daily Update plus Songs in My Heart Vol. 7
So, this'll be Friday's update, just late. Went to see Expelled, a documentary by Ben Stein about how the scientific community seems to be against any research into whether Intelligent Design has any scientific justification. While it has to over-deliver on it's premise, because otherwise it wouldn't really be an effective movie to market, but overall I think it does it's job. While I don't know about ID itself, and I certainly agree that Darwinism doesn't fully explain the actual origin of life (despite Darwin's actual book title), so the movie brings up a good point. We have spent a lot of money/time trying to use evolution to explain everything, and shouldn't we allow scientists just the freedom to research and publish their ideas. Overall, a worthy message I think. No one has to listen to them, but the ability to speak your theories should be allowed. Sometimes I feel I've got to Run away I've got to Get away From the pain that you drive into the heart of me The love we share Seems to go nowhere And I've lost my light For I toss and turn I can't sleep at night Once I ran to you (I ran) Now I'll run from you This tainted love you've given I give you all a boy could give you Take my tears and that's not nearly all Oh...tainted love Tainted love Now I know I've got to Run away I've got to Get away You don't really want any more from me To make things right You need someone to hold you tight And you think love is to pray But I'm sorry I don't pray that way Don't touch me please I cannot stand the way you tease I love you though you hurt me so Now I'm going to pack my things and go Tainted love, tainted love Tainted love, tainted love Touch me baby, tainted love Touch me baby, tainted love Tainted love Tainted love Tainted love Tainted Love - Soft Cell Current Mood: awake | | Friday, April 18th, 2008 | | 5:18 pm |
The Daily Update plus Songs in My Heart Vol. 6
Well, I had my interview yesterday. The job is a little more customer service than I thought, but it's much more my style. That makes me happy. Plus, it pays good and the only drawback is no medical/dental, but with my current job's changes, I'd basically have no medical insurance anyway. Very much hoping that I get this job. It's a little bit further, but still on a bus line, and if I get a car, it'd be real easy. In her place one hundred candles burning As salty sweat drips from her breast Her hips move and I can feel what theyre saying, swaying They say the beast inside of mes gonna get ya, get ya,get... Black lipstick stains her class of red wine I am your servant, may I light your cigarette? Those lips smooth, yeah I can feel what youre saying, praying They say the beast inside of mes gonna get ya, get ya, get... I beg to serve, your wish is my law Now close those eyes and let me love you to death Shall I prove I mean what Im saying, begging I say the beast inside of mes gonna get ya, get ya, get.. Let me love you too Let me love you to death Hey am I good enough for you? Hey am I good enough for you? Am i? Am i? Am I good enough For you? Love You to Death - Type O Negative Current Mood:  optimistic | | Wednesday, April 16th, 2008 | | 6:10 pm |
The Daily Update plus Songs in My Heart Vol. 5
So, I'm totally slacking. Didn't do this yesterday either. But I was completely exhausted. The Avs managed a thorough blowout of the Wild yesterday. That was nice, except the bloodbath that the game descended into was not so much. We'll see how game 5 goes. I have a job interview tomorrow!! Very excited and very much want this job to not only be a good fit, but also give me the benefits that I am looking for. It's out of customer service directly though, and that would be very good. Still not near home, but that's okay. Is there anybody going to listen to my story All about the girl who came to stay? She's the kind of girl you want so much It makes you sorry Still you don't regret a single day. Ah girl! Ffff...Girl! When I think of all the times I've tried SO HARD to leave her She will turn to me and start to cry; And she promises the earth to me And I believe her After all this time I don't know why. Ah, girl! Ffff...Girl! She's the kind of girl who puts you down When friends are there, you feel a fool. When you say she's looking good She acts as if it's understood. She's cool, ooh, ooh, ooh, Girl! Ffff...Girl! Was she told when she was young that pain Would lead to pleasure? Did she understand it when they said That a man must break his back to earn His day of leisure? Will she still believe it when he's dead? Ah girl!Ffff...Girl! Girl - The Beatles Current Mood: awake | | Monday, April 14th, 2008 | | 5:36 pm |
The Daily Update plus Songs in My Heart Vol. 4
Well, I missed some days, considering I meant to do this each weekday. But, we move on. Today was a typical Monday, but there were pockets today were better than normal. That's something. Music certainly helps. I'm sneaking music via headphones and just using one headphone and listening to callers with the other. It's difficult, but definitely very calming. Sometimes, I feel the fear of uncertainty stinging clear And I can't help but ask myself how much I let the fear Take the wheel and steer It's driven me before And it seems to have a vague, haunting mass appeal But lately I'm beginning to find that I Should be the one behind the wheel Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there With open arms and open eyes yeah Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there I'll be there So if I decide to waiver my chance to be one of the hive Will I choose water over wine and hold my own and drive? It's driven me before And it seems to be the way that everyone else gets around But lately I'm beginning to find that When I drive myself my light is found Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there With open arms and open eyes yeah Whatever tomorrow brings, I'll be there I'll be there Would you choose the water over wine Hold the wheel and drive Drive - Incubus Current Mood: hopeful | | Thursday, April 10th, 2008 | | 6:01 pm |
The Daily Update plus Songs in My Heart Vol. 3
Well, even though the officiating in the Avs game last night was atrocious, they still managed to pull off a win! I cannot believe that a team coached by the man who revolutionized hockey with the defensive trap system (which relies on hooking, holding and interference) didn't get called for a single one of those penalties for 70 whole minutes. Unbelievable. We found out about my about to be former coworker's replacement today. It should be interesting. I don't know much about her, so it could be weird. She's apparently a quiet one, which doesn't work with our team so much. I have wandered far and wide For something real something to die for But I have found you and you do not see All that is me, all that is true And I am more than you will see And I am more than you will need And I am more than you will see More than wanted And as you float the flimsy surface You should know life lies beneath it And don't pretend you feel what I feel For you live illusion and I'm real And I am more than you will see And I am more than you will need And I am more than you will see More than wanted And I am more than you will see And I am more than you will need And I am more than you will see More than wanted And I know, I know You like the way you feel when I play I know, I know You don't really hear what I say And I know, I know You are waiting for something to reign I know, I know You wish you could be more than you say And I am more than you will see And I am more than you will need And I am more than you will see More than wanted And I am more than you will see And I am more than you will need And I am more than you will see More than wanted More than you'll love More than you'll hate More than you'll have More than wanted More than you'll need More than you'll dream More than you'll hold More than wanted More than you'll crave More than you'll cherish More than you'll have More than wanted More Than Wanted - Vanessa Carlton Current Mood: indifferent | | Wednesday, April 9th, 2008 | | 5:29 pm |
The Daily Update plus Songs in My Heart Vol. 2
So, today it is confirmed and official that one of my friends at work is leaving our team and our building. That will be sad. We are going to get someone new on our team, but I don't know how that's going to work. It'll depend on who we get. I keep praying that they'll let me go someday.
Playoffs start today with both the Penguins and the Avalanche playing. Hoping that screaming at my TV will propel them both to victory!
Yesterday
all my troubles seemed so far away
Now it looks as though
they`re here to stay
Oh I believe in yesterday
Suddenly
I`m not half the man I used to be
there`s a shadow hanging over me
Oh yesterday came suddenly
Why she had to go I don`t know
she wouldn`t say
I said something wrong
Now I long for yesterday
Yesterday
Love was such an easy game to play
Now I need a place to hide away
Oh I believe in yesterday
Why she had to go I don't know
she wouldn't say
I said something wrong
Now I long for yesterday
Yesterday
Love was such an easy game to play
Now I need a place to hide away
Oh, I believe in yesterday
Yesterday - The Beatles Current Mood:  blah | | Tuesday, April 8th, 2008 | | 4:43 pm |
The Daily Update plus Songs in My Heart Vol. 1
So, today we got our new schedules at work. I got the 7-330 shift again and Kathy was pushed down to the 9-530 shift. Well, that schedule really doesn't work for her, and right now it doesn't make a whole lot of difference to me, so I traded her. So, starting May 5th, I'll be on the 9-530 shift. They're still checking to see whether they can give me an hour lunch or not. My supervisor thinks there's a good shot at it. I hope so. Other than that, fairly normal day with normal amount of sucking for work. Song: Chain, chain, chain, chain, chain, chain Chain, chain, chain, chain of fools Five long years I thought you were my man But I found out I'm just a link in your chain You got me where you want me I ain't nothing but your fool You treated me mean oh you treated me cruel Chain, chain, chain, chain of fools Every chain has got a weak link I might be weak child, but I'll give you strength You told me to leave you alone My father said come on home My doctor said take it easy Whole bunch of lovin is much too strong I'm added to your chain, chain, chain Chain, chain, chain, chain, Chain, chain of fools One of these mornings the chain is gonna break But up until then, yeah, I'm gonna take all I can take Chain, chain, chain, chain, chain, chain Chain, chain, chain, chain of fools Chain of Fools - Aretha Franklin Current Mood: sad | | Sunday, April 6th, 2008 | | 6:58 pm |
The Emotional Roller Coaster
So, the last two work weeks have been a living hell on my emotions. It has simply been taxing on me to do anything at work. Even happy customers who offer me praise for being knowledgeable and courteous have given me no relief. So, Friday I was breaking down at work. It took everything I had to not lose it and start crying right then and there. And that was with 4 hours left in my shift. I managed to get together with some friends to see a movie with some friends on Friday night. We went to see Run, Fatboy, Run, a romantic comedy co-written by Simon Pegg, who also plays said title Fatboy. The movie uses most of the cliche romcom plot failings, but they are mostly saved by Simon Pegg's uniquely British twist. Since it's a fairly normal romcom, I really don't think this movie inspires much crying in the audience normally, but I found myself crying through about half the movie. Overall, it had just enough Pegg to save it, overall I'd give it a B-. Saturday, I got up early to meet with gecota for breakfast. He helped me sort though some communication differences from Friday, which did relieve some of my stress, but I'm still overloaded. Both breakfast and conversation were really good and I ended up hanging with him after Writer's Group as well. We went to see Juno with forceofdarknes and the movie was quite excellent. Now, I'm sure this movie is supposed to inspire crying and it did it's job well. I cried though probably the whole second half of the movie.
Overall, I felt like a sap and am now completely just emotionally exhausted. I also haven't slept well for the last week. So, I'm really at my limits. I'm debating putting up the ole' shell again. I had a pretty good emotional shell in high school, although I'm pretty sure it just kept out more pleasant experiences than painful ones. Right now, I think it might be the opposite and it might benefit me to have it back up for a while. I just have nothing left right now and need to recharge before I can handle any more. Current Mood: exhausted | | Wednesday, March 19th, 2008 | | 7:05 pm |
So, here we go again
It's been quite a while again. But I need someplace to finally start airing things out in general I think. Maybe this will wind up being it. So, I've been mad lately. Since late Sunday really. There's several things that are just getting under my skin right now. The market for dating has just been utterly crap lately. I've had dates here and there but the kind of people I'm interested in are just not interested in me. And the people who are interested in me, I have no interest in. It's entirely frustrating. Plus, huge age differences. Really not interested in people who are over 10 years older than me. Work is actually at a normal level, so there really isn't much be added to it there, except for the fact that I can't seem to get the English language to mean the same thing at work. I'll clearly (at least to everyone on my team) spell out a question on the audit guidelines, but when I actually send it to someone who might be able to look it over, they can't figure out what I'm talking about or answer an entirely different question. That's frustrating. Actually my ability to communicate effectively what I'm trying to say seems somewhat stifled lately. There's other things compounding it all. Some are just things that exist, others are mistakes that I have made. But all are really frustrating right now. I'm thankful that the weekend isn't far off. I'll get to see friends on Saturday and family on Sunday. I'm hoping that that is able to just level things out a bit, enough for normalcy to take over. Here's to hoping! Plus, hoping the weather holds out on Saturday enough to finish filming. Current Mood: aggravated | | Thursday, May 24th, 2007 | | 10:43 pm |
Health insurance and you, part 1 (or how to hate your insurance the right way)
Part 1 Okay, I’m going to start off with a little background info. I work for a health insurance company doing customer service. I’m not saying which one, for my own sake. But, I’ve dealt directly with most of the big ones for group insurance, and they seem pretty similar. So the ground rules: I will be talking about group health insurance here, if you have insurance that is not provided by your employer, this will not necessarily pertain to you. This is also just my experience from working there (3 years) plus having to deal with them and learning about the insurance companies. So, here we go. The most important rule to remember: The insurance company is not evil, they are stupid. Now, the person who you call and talk to may be very intelligent and know exactly what they’re talking about, however, the people who you don’t talk to (supervisors, other reps, claims, provider department, appeals) could be completely retarded, either in general, or just on that day. Now, there are several reasons for this. While the company itself is probably a money-grubbing whore, they do not actually benefit from processing your claims wrong. Your premium goes mostly into an account which has been set up by your employer and belongs to your employer. The insurance company is given access to it in order to pay the claims made by anyone in your company. A far piece of that does go to the insurance company for administering your plan. They pay the claims and take all the calls so your company doesn’t have to. Second, the plan is written up by your employer. Why isn’t your gastric bypass covered, why can’t you get chiropractic or massage work under your insurance? Because your employer, your company, chose not to pay for that. Same with preventive care, elective abortions, contraception, mental health and so on. The insurance company doesn’t benefit from these things not being covered. In fact, in a lot of cases, if they were covered, the administration fee they get would be higher, so they actually like covering things. So, politics and viewpoints and such on what is or is not a valid medical treatment has very little to do with the actual plan itself. So starting with accusations of your insurance company not paying things to save themselves money is almost always wrong. They may be saving your employer money, but that’s not necessarily in their interest either. As incorrectly denying claims can cause them to lose that employer’s business. Also, trying to bully the phone representative is a bad idea. Because insurance is confusing and sometimes very convoluted, they have a distinct advantage of having been specifically trained on how to interpret everything. They will certainly not get everything right, so don’t implicitly believe everything they say, but in most cases, they have a lot more information than you when it comes to the claim itself. In which case, harassing them or being overly aggressive not only makes them think faster and in a lot of cases makes them dislike you, causing a rise in anger, which will shut down both their ability to fully understand the situation and possibly figure out a solution for you AND will make them much less likely to want to help you. And don’t believe that “It’s their job, they have to help me”, because that line of logic will not benefit you. In a lot of cases, they have several ways to keep themselves from helping you and the ability to communicate with the other reps they work with and warn them that you are unreasonable making the other reps start with a negative view towards you. All these serve to work against you in helping to right your claim. So to conclude part 1, try not to blame your insurance company if something is not covered on your plan. Take your grievances to your employer. Find other co-workers who agree with you and try to convince your employer to add this coverage to their plan. That is your best course of action. Negotiate with your employer as much as possible to have them realize what the priorities of the workers’ needs for that company. And if you believe that your insurance company has processed something wrong, by all means, call them, but try to start from a position that it may be correct and if the rep gives you any reason to believe that it is not, do not attack them. They, in most cases, honestly want to help you, that’s why they suffered through months of training. They want to help people, pleasant people make for easier days and less work. They will appreciate it if you are civil with them, even if the insurance did screw up your claim. These tips should benefit you in dealing with your insurance company. P.S. Most importantly, take news stories and internet reports with a grain of salt if they don’t mention that they are referencing group or individual insurances. Individual insurance is quite possibly out to get you. Of this I have no doubt. Group insurance on the other hand, really does want to help you. They can only lose business by not helping you. But they do have to obey the rules given by your employer on your plan. Current Mood:  contemplative | | Monday, May 21st, 2007 | | 9:51 pm |
Botanic Gardens
So, me and Gecota tried once again to go to the Botanic Gardens. However, this time we made it in! The whole place was beautiful. It was such a nice day and I was able to take a whole lot of pictures. Every pretty thing I saw I now have a picture of. There were some fantastic opportunities there. However, Gecota ran out of available shots several times and had to make more room. So we will have to return at some point for him to be able to get all the shots he would have wanted. But, it was an excellent experience! Current Mood: accomplished | | Tuesday, December 21st, 2004 | | 9:34 pm |
Update
Well, I missed yesterday but I'm right back. Work is crap. Our trainer has started being really testy with us now. Not what we needed right now. Our schedules for next year got put up and 10 out of 14 of us got the crap shift. Way too many. We totally don't get enough calls between 6 and 7 to warrant like a total of 13 people working that shift. It's ridiculous. The negativity which was starting to subside in the environment is back in full force. Nearly everyone has a problem with their schedules. I don't think it would be so bad if more of us got even a bit earlier shifts. I ran the numbers from last quarter against current staffing and even assuming that call volume doubles in January, a poosibility, then we will be taking approximately 4-6 calls an hour for the last 2 hours of our shifts. A complete waste of resources. Even the reps on the floor think its ridiculous. Well, I'm feeling a little better today, but hopefully I can make it to Thursday in one piece. Then the weekend comes and hopefully that will be ok. | | Sunday, December 19th, 2004 | | 10:05 pm |
Today
Well, today was interesting. Was bored out of my mind for most of the morning. Tried to find stuff to do to fill up the time until the evening when I had plans. Then I find out that my friends got together to see a movie that they know I wanted to see, and didn't invite me. Feels real good. Especially after last week. Maybe my dream was right. Who knows. I probably wouldn't feel quite so excluded if this didn't keep happening. But what's the use in complaining. Then I'm just a whiner, which I'm sure makes me more desirable to invite. Damn it all. |
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