Author: sean

Shmoocon 2015 from afar

I watched this over the stream.

I find it interesting that location services, even when the user says to turn them off, are often still transmitted. I don’t know that there’s an easy way to fix this if the vendors still allow location data to be transmitted even after the user says to turn it off.

Such a feature would be rather easy for Apple to add to the API, but it’d be up to the folks who police the app store to enforce use of it. It might slow application approval, since someone would have to verify that the application is using the correct faculty, etc..

In the disaster that is Android, there’d be no way of enforcing it. With things that I’ve read that say the spyware infection rate being somewhere north of 70% on Android devices, it might well be impossible.

I understand the paranoia, but I don’t share it. I’m okay with my location being tracked. Maybe when I was young and healthy, I would have cared more about being able to just disappear, but I don’t now.

Secrecy and surprise really don’t afford you that much protection if you’re still a lumbering target. I’ll eschew my normal allusions to football, but they’re very appropriate.

I am not at Shmoocon this year, because I couldn’t get a ticket. I am watching from home via the stream. Do with that what you will.

An Affordable Nightmare

I’ve basically not worked this week.

I’m having some issues related to my condition that have been tough. Since May 2013, I’d been taking Tecfidera. No real concern, though, as my neurologist was thinking about switching me to one of the infusion medications.

Last fall, I didn’t enroll in my company’s HMO offerings for a variety of reasons. Naturally, just after the open enrollment period, we received notice our private policy wouldn’t be offered for 2015. Somewhat reluctantly, my wife and I chose a plan offered on the Federal Exchange with a company we’d previously used (and had difficulties with).

We went with the plan largely because we knew that the specialists I’d been seeing accepted it.

My wife saw her PCP last week on the new insurance without any problems.

This week, I had two appointments with specialists scheduled. One of them was with the neurologist who’d been treating my MS since just after diagnosis, the other with a specialist I’d been seeing on referral from the neurologist (albeit, this time to address a problem discovered in a routine test as my PCP; since there was an existing relationship, I figured I’d let them handle it). Friday, tomorrow, I had an appointment scheduled with my neurologist to discuss changes in my treatment.

I saw specialist two late last year. He wanted to run some tests, but agreed it’d probably be better to wait until my new policy started.

Early in the week, I got a call from the second specialist saying they didn’t have my insurance information. Since I didn’t have my card on me at the moment (I’d given it to my wife when she went to pick up a prescription for me), I told the caller the company, and that I’d bring my card with my for my appointment on Wednesday.

So, yesterday we set out to my appointment. After someone rudely cut in front of us, we finally got to the check-in. Hand over my card. Paraphrasing —
“Did you get this from the Exchange?”
“Yes. The woman I spoke to said that you accept this company.”
“We do, but not the plans from the exchange.”

After a bit of back-and-forth about the cost of the appointment as an out-of-network patient, we left.

My wife reminded me that I should call my neurologist, with whom I had an appointment scheduled Friday. They don’t accept the exchange program, either.

Later that afternoon, while looking for replacement specialists on the insurer’s site, I found a doctor at my neurologist’s practice listed. Again, paraphrasing —

“Which doctor?”
“Dr. S.K.”
“Please hold….” “Sir, we don’t accept that insurance at all.”

So, cancel that appointment, too, and see the PCP Friday to get referrals to new specialists.

Meanwhile, I can’t work, and none of my conditions is being treated.

A big “thank you” to the politicians responsible for this.

Distraction-Free Writing

That’s what the latest round of updates to WordPress promised me. Still, I’ll probably be just as bad at writing as I have been lately.

It’s been a busy month. After the past two weeks of work, I’ve had absolutely no energy left for doing things on the weekend. I’m hoping for some major changes come January, but it remains to be seen.

Today, I explained some basic engineering practice at work. A bit shocked that I have to do this sort of thing, really. Maybe I haven’t been in a bubble penetrated only occasionally by “sales engineers.” I’m okay with this. My posterior-kissing skills are almost as bad as my eyesight at this point. Maybe that makes me a bad person.

I’ve also completely forgotten what I wanted to write about. I’m watching football, which is doubly-sad considering the Saints’ performance yesterday. As bad as the CoonasstroSuperdome looked after Katrina, I guess it could be the man-made disaster that is Detroit.

In a way, though, I feel like I’ve been dropped into the Silverdome at work. So much went into what’s there, and there’s just zero willingness to actually fix it.

My debate for tomorrow is whether I try to get down to a going-away party for someone who is very important to me. It’d be tough, but I’m inclined to at least make an effort.

Distraction-Free Writing

That’s what the latest round of updates to WordPress promised me. Still, I’ll probably be just as bad at writing as I have been lately.

It’s been a busy month. After the past two weeks of work, I’ve had absolutely no energy left for doing things on the weekend. I’m hoping for some major changes come January, but it remains to be seen.

Today, I explained some basic engineering practice at work. A bit shocked that I have to do this sort of thing, really. Maybe I haven’t been in a bubble penetrated only occasionally by “sales engineers.” I’m okay with this. My posterior-kissing skills are almost as bad as my eyesight at this point. Maybe that makes me a bad person.

I’ve also completely forgotten what I wanted to write about. I’m watching football, which is doubly-sad considering the Saints’ performance yesterday. As bad as the CoonasstroSuperdome looked after Katrina, I guess it could be the man-made disaster that is Detroit.

In a way, though, I feel like I’ve been dropped into the Silverdome at work. So much went into what’s there, and there’s just zero willingness to actually fix it.

My debate for tomorrow is whether I try to get down to a going-away party for someone who is very important to me. It’d be tough, but I’m inclined to at least make an effort.

Sure Happy It’s Thursday

Before TGIF, there’s SHI…Thursday.

The second part of the week has already been very trying, and almost resulted in an impromptu resignation by me midday.

If you ask me a question, at least have the common courtesy to let me finish my answer before you start talking.

So, though I resisted hasty action, my choice is as easy as I’ve ever made.

In other news, start of Hampton Roads IT conventioneering has started anew. Blame the obstinance of the Shmoo people, outrageous speed of ticket sales. While I’d grown to appreciate the wintertime trip to the capitol, it’s clear that they’ve no place for someone like me. That’s okay. There’s good things here, despite my resolution to leave once my wife finishes school.

I am a bit concerned about a few things with this, however, and I wonder if I’ll be able to voice them without sounding confrontational. In short — we probably won’t draw any out-of-towners with something in frosty Hampton or Newport News.

On an unrelated note, perhaps I’m now too comfortable with writing in November, and am seeing it negatively affect my output at other times. I applied for a writing gig last week; they want a writing sample. I’ve been putting off writing it, and am considering withdrawing my interest. It’s not very much money, and I don’t think I’d be missing anything by not being a professional blogger.

I mean, I know my blog sucks. So does yours. The level of suckiness varies, but they all ultimately suck. This potential assignment perhaps sucks less than many, but I’m still skeptical about whether I want it.

Unrelated, but something I’m still proud of — I think I was able to better articulate what I’d like to do with my business. You would think that someone who’d bought a ton of letters after his name could artfully describe things, but the proper application of the techniques the game of minesweeper shows, actually make investment in the letters wasteful. Ironic. Sorta like rain on your wedding day.

Sure Happy It’s Thursday

Before TGIF, there’s SHI…Thursday.

The second part of the week has already been very trying, and almost resulted in an impromptu resignation by me midday.

If you ask me a question, at least have the common courtesy to let me finish my answer before you start talking.

So, though I resisted hasty action, my choice is as easy as I’ve ever made.

In other news, start of Hampton Roads IT conventioneering has started anew. Blame the obstinance of the Shmoo people, outrageous speed of ticket sales. While I’d grown to appreciate the wintertime trip to the capitol, it’s clear that they’ve no place for someone like me. That’s okay. There’s good things here, despite my resolution to leave once my wife finishes school.

I am a bit concerned about a few things with this, however, and I wonder if I’ll be able to voice them without sounding confrontational. In short — we probably won’t draw any out-of-towners with something in frosty Hampton or Newport News.

On an unrelated note, perhaps I’m now too comfortable with writing in November, and am seeing it negatively affect my output at other times. I applied for a writing gig last week; they want a writing sample. I’ve been putting off writing it, and am considering withdrawing my interest. It’s not very much money, and I don’t think I’d be missing anything by not being a professional blogger.

I mean, I know my blog sucks. So does yours. The level of suckiness varies, but they all ultimately suck. This potential assignment perhaps sucks less than many, but I’m still skeptical about whether I want it.

Unrelated, but something I’m still proud of — I think I was able to better articulate what I’d like to do with my business. You would think that someone who’d bought a ton of letters after his name could artfully describe things, but the proper application of the techniques the game of minesweeper shows, actually make investment in the letters wasteful. Ironic. Sorta like rain on your wedding day.

Sure Happy It's Thursday

Before TGIF, there’s SHI…Thursday.
The second part of the week has already been very trying, and almost resulted in an impromptu resignation by me midday.
If you ask me a question, at least have the common courtesy to let me finish my answer before you start talking.
So, though I resisted hasty action, my choice is as easy as I’ve ever made.
In other news, start of Hampton Roads IT conventioneering has started anew. Blame the obstinance of the Shmoo people, outrageous speed of ticket sales. While I’d grown to appreciate the wintertime trip to the capitol, it’s clear that they’ve no place for someone like me. That’s okay. There’s good things here, despite my resolution to leave once my wife finishes school.
I am a bit concerned about a few things with this, however, and I wonder if I’ll be able to voice them without sounding confrontational. In short — we probably won’t draw any out-of-towners with something in frosty Hampton or Newport News.
On an unrelated note, perhaps I’m now too comfortable with writing in November, and am seeing it negatively affect my output at other times. I applied for a writing gig last week; they want a writing sample. I’ve been putting off writing it, and am considering withdrawing my interest. It’s not very much money, and I don’t think I’d be missing anything by not being a professional blogger.
I mean, I know my blog sucks. So does yours. The level of suckiness varies, but they all ultimately suck. This potential assignment perhaps sucks less than many, but I’m still skeptical about whether I want it.
Unrelated, but something I’m still proud of — I think I was able to better articulate what I’d like to do with my business. You would think that someone who’d bought a ton of letters after his name could artfully describe things, but the proper application of the techniques the game of minesweeper shows, actually make investment in the letters wasteful. Ironic. Sorta like rain on your wedding day.

NoJoMo 30

The end. Please free-write about what you’ve done this month, and the past year.

This month was going okay until I see a FB this morning that a friend with MS from the OD days had lost her husband unexpectedly. There’s just nothing I can say, really.

I don’t know that there’s a good way to describe this year, either. Things began with some hope of normalcy, albeit almost no money. I went to Shmoocon. Listened, wrote, participated. Got home, tried to enjoy the rest of a long weekend, went to work, and got laid off. This was after I went to Shmoocon following assurances that funding for my position was good through the rest of the year. I have no words for the people and companies responsible.

I still have a lot of things to offer, a lot of things I can do. Being cooped up in an office every day isn’t really one of those things. Considering that I’ve now finished this, writing is one of them.

I actually did take advantage of a “Black Friday” deal, in hopes of getting closer to that goal. Yesterday, for “Small Business Saturday,” I went and spent money at three local small businesses.

Yes, it was stuff I probably normally would have bought, anyway. A haircut and beard trim. Stuff from the pharmacy. A locally-brewed beer while I waited for dessert to-go.

Still, it’s a conscious rejection of cookie-cutter suburbia. I can’t think of a football game that’d make me want to stay at $wing_chain_restaurant longer. Barely-edible wings. Lousy beer. Sports. Yep, that’s the place for me!

My wife and I, as she’s been working on a paper about corporate finance shenanigans, have been discussing the excesses of Wall Street. The Occupy kids never quiet got it; Wall Street’s excesses were largely and the behest of their parents’ fund managers. Being able to keep investments in smaller companies offers so many possibilities. Not only to make money on those investments, but to support companies who act responsibly, and share the investors’ values.

Instead of meandering too much, I think I’m going to cut things off here. Four years of NoJoMo finished. A second Movember finished, and I’ll be keeping it through Christmas.

NoJoMo 29

Since today is the last day of the month with a prime number, describe your last prime-numbered age. What were the highlights? What were the low point?

Let’s see; that would have been 31. Unfortunately, it didn’t mean World Class Chocolate….

Well, this one is actually pretty easy. Highlight: marrying my wife. Low point: losing my dad.

I’m trying to remember what sparked this prompt. Maybe it was just me looking for something to plug in after looking that the calendar. I have another prime number birthday before I become a man. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjF93E4LjlA Thanks, coach. (And, I was going to say two, until I realized that 39 is divisible by three….)

Today is “Small Business Saturday.” After my body is ready, I’ll go shop some at my favorite small businesses. First stop is getting my hair cut, and facial hair trimmed. Then to the pharmacy. Then….? Maybe lunch at the brasserie across the street. Sadly, my friends in the grocery store across the street are gone.

NoJoMo 28

Today is “Black Friday.” Is this just a gimmick? Will you be shopping for $religious_observance?

Yes. Probably not much. After this hellacious year, I really don’t have any money to spend. That I bought myself a new laptop for the first time in seven years a couple of months back didn’t help that.

I also haven’t gotten the balance I still owe on my MRI back in October, either. Hopefully, the added expense of my new insurance policy will take some of the cost off of that next year.

I like my current insurer, but that policy won’t be renewed. *cough*thanksObama*cough*

I did put up a Black Friday post on the ITS757 site. I’ve decided to renew the business license for next year. Maybe customers will start flowing in. The sorts of stuff I’m doing at this temporary job are giving me some more ideas. It’s incredible how much money’s been spent on this stuff I’m manning, when it could probably done better…with a lot less footprint. “But you might break something!!1!”

*sigh*

But I am going to focus on shopping small. I’m really happy to see some progress made on a fellow Hatch member’s project. http://www.craftysnorfolk.com I tweeted to see if they’ve got anything for Saturday. No response yet, but, holiday.

So, early post today. Two more days, then I’m finished. While there’s some relief in that, , I feel like I’m just starting to regain my stride when it comes to writing. I have a lot to say, even if nobody’s reading it.