Judie got a new cellphone today. It has been a struggle. Passwords that don't agree, new passwords, use of secondary EMail, setting up Primary EMail, lost apps, failure of transfer of specific data. In a word, frustrating.
The clerking helping us reset passwords to get into Kindle. Kindle is an Amazon product, so that password was reset. Well it was not reset, a new Amazon account was set up and Judie lost all her previous books, references, etc. from the old Kindle account. Good news is the new Kindle account results in 30 days of free stuff (books?). Is that good or bad.
We finally got AOL back as an EMail service. Except it is buried under a G Mail account.
Got to open G Mail, and then scroll down to AOL and open the EMail account. Sort of circle around and get issue. Disliked, why can't it just pull up AOL with out a ton of going around in circles. It simply means Samsung wants you to go to their preferred mail service and makes it harder to get to the mail service you want.
Good news is the new phone is taller and is all screen format. No buttons on the surface, just on/off on the side like always.
Sneaky way to pay for the phone now. One must lease the phone for 18 months and then buy the phone. Yes, you can buy it outright but it costs more that way. Means more cash flow for the leaser,
Sprint. Also means they got you for 18 months for sure. And probably at the end of 18 months there will be a Galaxy XX.
The memory chip for the old cellphone was moved over to the new phone. No charge for that. Oh, yeah, there was a charge for the screen cover and case. That is a must requirement as the Galaxy 8 has glass on the front and back. No dropping this phone.
Well, Judie does not like change but she will gradually adapt the new cellphone and then will not be able to live without it. But there will be some frustration until she gets it all down.
Life goes on . . .
Wednesday, September 27, 2017
Thursday, September 21, 2017
The Eyes Have it . . .
We drove 50 some odd miles to Grapevine, TX for my eye appointment. We waited in the waiting room for about 45 minutes and then I was called by the eye technician. Nice young lady and was ushered into the room with the Goldman test apparatus. I asked what that was for and she said it was an annual test for me.
I said, "Excuse me, I am here only 30 days from my last appointment and this was not an annual requirement that I know of."
She said, "My records showed it was due. That as a candidate for Glaucoma you get this test annually."
I said, "I was here for a 30 day follow up not any testing for Glaucoma."
We then had a long discussion and it seems the Optometrist is off on a wild goose chase because I have high pressures in my eyes. That is referred to as "Ocular Hypertension" and can lead to Glaucoma. However, my mother had the same problem for years as I do and died at 78 without any Glaucoma developing.
I said I have previously been diagnosed by this office as having high eye pressure as a normal occurrence. The staff had rolled over and the relatively new Optometrist wanted me to have all this rigormaroll all over again. I requested that I see the primary, Dr. Labor, an Ophthalmologist, and MD. She said the doctor only dealt with surgery cases now days. She could get me another Optometrist and I said no, that was the issue.
I had even been to a Retina Specialist, another Ophthalmologist some five years back. He proclaimed at the end of the examination I had 20% chance of having a detached Retina in five years. Five years have passed and no detached Retina, indeed not Retina problems.
So we stopped all activity and I walked out of the office. She later chased me down in the parking lot and gave me the name of the records person so that my charts could be transferred. I thanked her. Like I said, she was a nice technician.
We will seek out an Ophthalmologist locally as recommended by our local physician. And I will write a letter to our former Ophthalmologist, Dr. Kirk Labor explaining why I am leaving his service.
The problem being I went through all this testing and the former Optometrist on Dr. Labor's staff concluded that my Ocular Hypertension was normal for me. It was readily apparent the current Optometrist had not read my past charts and if he did, he did not agree with them. We have a term in the USAF called "Heads up and locked." It means a fighter pilot is not watching behind him, around him in all directions. That is he is locked in on something and is not doing due diligence. That gets you killed in the USAF. It gets you more appointments from this person and I was not having it.
The thing is it has become readily apparent that as patients with solid insurance (Medicare and TRICARE for Life) we are golden in paying for services. So they find more and more reasons to see us often when it is not really needed or required. Judie has 14 different doctors now, I have three and the third one, the eye doctor, has shuffled us off to his minions.
I think the young lady, the technician, got the drift of what was going on. She was nice too. She offered to get another Optometrist but that is the issue. I wanted to see an Ophthalmologist, not another eye mechanic who is trained to sell glasses.
We drove home, a hundred mile round trip that was a total waste.
I said, "Excuse me, I am here only 30 days from my last appointment and this was not an annual requirement that I know of."
She said, "My records showed it was due. That as a candidate for Glaucoma you get this test annually."
I said, "I was here for a 30 day follow up not any testing for Glaucoma."
We then had a long discussion and it seems the Optometrist is off on a wild goose chase because I have high pressures in my eyes. That is referred to as "Ocular Hypertension" and can lead to Glaucoma. However, my mother had the same problem for years as I do and died at 78 without any Glaucoma developing.
I said I have previously been diagnosed by this office as having high eye pressure as a normal occurrence. The staff had rolled over and the relatively new Optometrist wanted me to have all this rigormaroll all over again. I requested that I see the primary, Dr. Labor, an Ophthalmologist, and MD. She said the doctor only dealt with surgery cases now days. She could get me another Optometrist and I said no, that was the issue.
I had even been to a Retina Specialist, another Ophthalmologist some five years back. He proclaimed at the end of the examination I had 20% chance of having a detached Retina in five years. Five years have passed and no detached Retina, indeed not Retina problems.
So we stopped all activity and I walked out of the office. She later chased me down in the parking lot and gave me the name of the records person so that my charts could be transferred. I thanked her. Like I said, she was a nice technician.
We will seek out an Ophthalmologist locally as recommended by our local physician. And I will write a letter to our former Ophthalmologist, Dr. Kirk Labor explaining why I am leaving his service.
The problem being I went through all this testing and the former Optometrist on Dr. Labor's staff concluded that my Ocular Hypertension was normal for me. It was readily apparent the current Optometrist had not read my past charts and if he did, he did not agree with them. We have a term in the USAF called "Heads up and locked." It means a fighter pilot is not watching behind him, around him in all directions. That is he is locked in on something and is not doing due diligence. That gets you killed in the USAF. It gets you more appointments from this person and I was not having it.
The thing is it has become readily apparent that as patients with solid insurance (Medicare and TRICARE for Life) we are golden in paying for services. So they find more and more reasons to see us often when it is not really needed or required. Judie has 14 different doctors now, I have three and the third one, the eye doctor, has shuffled us off to his minions.
I think the young lady, the technician, got the drift of what was going on. She was nice too. She offered to get another Optometrist but that is the issue. I wanted to see an Ophthalmologist, not another eye mechanic who is trained to sell glasses.
We drove home, a hundred mile round trip that was a total waste.
Saturday, September 9, 2017
Annual Trip . . . .
Our annual trip to New Orleans is over. Well, it is not always annual, sometimes other things get in the way but not this year. Harvey sounded like it was going to interrupt us but no, it pushed on through Louisiana with out much trouble to anyone.
As we left the Dallas area I say gasoline price posted as $2.99 a gallon. By the time we reached Tyler, TX is was down to $2.52 a gallon. We finally tanked up in Natchitoches at $2,34 per gallon.
Surprise, surprise, gas was $2.28 in New Roads. It was down to $2.25 in Baton Rouge.
We spent the night at the camp. It was all quite, all things were functional and a quite stay. That was Labor Day night. We got up and packed the car and departed for New Orleans. We went via the Audubon bridge as we filled up with gas at Walmart in New Roads. Drove very leisurely down to New Orleans and the Monteleone Hotel. The navigation system got screwed up since the streets it wanted us to travel were being blocked and worked on. So we trolled around and the system picked up again and took us to the front of the hotel.
We were a bit early but checked in and they gave us a room on the 14th floor. As usual it was small but very nicely appointed and spotlessly clean, The bathrooms at the hotel are tremendous and well appointed.
We got cleaned up and took off for Galitoire's. Bourbon Street was torn up, no car traffic at all. The middle of the street was all dug up and we could see that they were putting down new and better pavement. But no problem, we skirted around and got into Galitoire's. Our waitress of choice, Amber was there and took care of us.
In spite of Judie's poor mobility we still got around, Café DuMonde for Beignets the next morning. On down to the French Market and poked around a bit. Then back to the hotel. We had lunch on the way back and joint called the Chartres House. Just a bar with food on the corner of Chartres behind the Royal Orleans Hotel. But the oyster po-boy was outstanding.
That night we ate at a restaurant located just off from the hotel, in an alley. The food was excellent though pricey. I enjoyed duck and Judie dined on various appetizers. Then a short walk back to the hotel and in for the night.
Next day we left, drove up to Opelousas and ate at Kelly's Diner. I had gumbo and Judie had the plate lunch of beef and on a bed of rice. I suppose it was roast beef but she said some pieces were tender and others were not. Not quite what I would call hash but close. '
From there we drove up to Washington to see the antiques place located in the old school house. It was, alas, closed. But it was a recent high school, looked like it had been closed 10 or 15 years, complete with a gym. Totally abandoned to become a building of antique vendors. Heavily advertised but it too was in decline, and not open except on week ends.
We press on back to New Roads. We late in the new restaurant that is ocated in the old Popeyes place. We both had salads, I enjoyed mine a, a Ceasar with grilled shrimp on top.
And odd day, breakfast at Café DuMonde in New Orleans, lunch in Opelousas and dinner in New Roads. A culinary trip.
We rose Friday and charged back to Weatherford. It felt good to be home again. We had a good time and enjoyed ourselves.
As we left the Dallas area I say gasoline price posted as $2.99 a gallon. By the time we reached Tyler, TX is was down to $2.52 a gallon. We finally tanked up in Natchitoches at $2,34 per gallon.
Surprise, surprise, gas was $2.28 in New Roads. It was down to $2.25 in Baton Rouge.
We spent the night at the camp. It was all quite, all things were functional and a quite stay. That was Labor Day night. We got up and packed the car and departed for New Orleans. We went via the Audubon bridge as we filled up with gas at Walmart in New Roads. Drove very leisurely down to New Orleans and the Monteleone Hotel. The navigation system got screwed up since the streets it wanted us to travel were being blocked and worked on. So we trolled around and the system picked up again and took us to the front of the hotel.
We were a bit early but checked in and they gave us a room on the 14th floor. As usual it was small but very nicely appointed and spotlessly clean, The bathrooms at the hotel are tremendous and well appointed.
We got cleaned up and took off for Galitoire's. Bourbon Street was torn up, no car traffic at all. The middle of the street was all dug up and we could see that they were putting down new and better pavement. But no problem, we skirted around and got into Galitoire's. Our waitress of choice, Amber was there and took care of us.
In spite of Judie's poor mobility we still got around, Café DuMonde for Beignets the next morning. On down to the French Market and poked around a bit. Then back to the hotel. We had lunch on the way back and joint called the Chartres House. Just a bar with food on the corner of Chartres behind the Royal Orleans Hotel. But the oyster po-boy was outstanding.
That night we ate at a restaurant located just off from the hotel, in an alley. The food was excellent though pricey. I enjoyed duck and Judie dined on various appetizers. Then a short walk back to the hotel and in for the night.
Next day we left, drove up to Opelousas and ate at Kelly's Diner. I had gumbo and Judie had the plate lunch of beef and on a bed of rice. I suppose it was roast beef but she said some pieces were tender and others were not. Not quite what I would call hash but close. '
From there we drove up to Washington to see the antiques place located in the old school house. It was, alas, closed. But it was a recent high school, looked like it had been closed 10 or 15 years, complete with a gym. Totally abandoned to become a building of antique vendors. Heavily advertised but it too was in decline, and not open except on week ends.
We press on back to New Roads. We late in the new restaurant that is ocated in the old Popeyes place. We both had salads, I enjoyed mine a, a Ceasar with grilled shrimp on top.
And odd day, breakfast at Café DuMonde in New Orleans, lunch in Opelousas and dinner in New Roads. A culinary trip.
We rose Friday and charged back to Weatherford. It felt good to be home again. We had a good time and enjoyed ourselves.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)