"The Year Beginning...More Reflections..."

Three weeks into 2012, here are a few reflections...

We remain blessed with our immediate family members alive and healthy...They will gather soon to celebrate our mother's 80th birthday...

The sunrises and sunsets in my South Florida location have been breathtaking...amidst sometimes life's chaos, they offer  moments of reflection and times for thanks for the beauty of our world...

I priced domestic airfares from South Florida to Colorado for a spring ski trip, and they were $997 for a one-stop from Fort Lauderdale and $1,400 from Palm Beach International!  Day ski passes are now about $125 per day and daily ski rentals run about $70 per day at a few of the Colorado resorts!

The international airfares from South Florida to Dubai, UAE, are running about the same  $1,400!  But the 3,634 passenger/1,360 crew Freedom Class Liberty of the Seas only has one balcony cabin left for its Dubai/India itinerary!

...and our economy is supposed to still be in recession!

Controls are arriving for the out-of-control airline industry...expected this week our increased passenger "rights" in response to the abuses that the industry has inflicted...

The cruise industry experienced a horrible event with the flipping of the Costa Concordia.  It was incredible to see how one slight route detour could cause such a result.   But in realized perspective, with the record-breaking number of passengers enjoying the economical multiple benefits of cruising, the safety concerns of the industry are apparent.

It took five months (and about 30 phone calls and personal inquiries) to have my fitness center monthly automatic payment rate dropped $5 per month from $34 per month, after our 550 person firm was given a "Corporate Rate" discount.  A month later this national fitness chain acquired another national chain of fitness centers.   If a member belonged to the other chain, my gym granted all of these acquired members $23 PER YEAR as their lifetime rate!  This is a horrible policy for my gym's dedicated membership that pays the $29 to $34 per month rate!

At the gym, a week after the trend seems to be improving, most of the under 40 pound dumbbells are missing and the weights are never put back in the correct position nor is trash picked up after non caring members drop it on the floor!

Last night, a film documentary was viewed that showed our nation's poor health with about an average per person rate of four times the annual expenses spent for health care relative to other developed nations.  The premise of the film was that switching to diets of non animal and non-processed foods could better control or reverse our large numbers of experienced degenerative disease! The stand up comedians have been having a "field day" discussing our nation of overweight individuals!

Meanwhile, the stocks of four of the major "fast-food" chains have been soaring with increased value and paid dividends.

The phone bills came for my mother and myself, and for the 4th month in a row, they have been higher than our quoted rates, but now I have a response system in place...each month I go to the local phone store with my bill, see a conscientious employee, and after an hour passes, the months' bills are corrected!

"Contemporary Medical Care"

In mid life, my brother announced to the family that he was leaving his medical practice, because of the state of modern medical care.  Before leaving, he had been in his hospital the day after hip surgery, and  he called his medical practitioner wife..."Get me out of here before they kill me!"

Today, while back at the phone store to correct this months' bill errors, the associate was complaining about extreme pain in her mouth.  She had had an ear ache and ended up having a root canal.  The surgery caused an infection that resulted in another root canal that resulted in another infection!

A few days before, mom went for cataract surgery scheduled for 7:45 am.  Shortly after arriving the smoke alarms started ringing that caused the fire alarms to start ringing that shut the elevator and fire doors.  It took over 1.5 hours to stop the anguishing noise!  She had her surgery during this!  That night I was informed that she had felt pain in her arm, and was bleeding, removed a bandage, and discovered they had forgotten to remove the intravenous tube and needle!

Recently, I had been referred to a neurological ophthalmologist for a wandering eye.  I went into the waiting room that was filled to over capacity.  "Are you behind schedule?"..."No we are running on time!".  Two hours later I was taken back to an examining room.  I was given a few eye tests by a technician, and then I was given a series of eye drops to dilate my pupils to prepare for the doctor's exam.  After 45 minutes in another waiting room, the doctor came in and introduced himself, and said that he would have to schedule another appointment because my eyes were too dilated!  A week later I received a copy of the doctor's $730 bill to my insurance company for the first day at the office!

I went to my general practitioner for an annual physical.  After two hours I was called back and weighed and my temperature was taken.  "You  have gained a lot of weight, and your temperature is normal."..."No, I lost weight!"  We went back to an exam room, and the nurse opened a folder..."Are you still taking your dopamine?"..."You must have the file of my father who passed away eight years ago!"..."please go back to the waiting room and we'll straighten this out"...One hour later, I was called back and told to get on the scale again!..."You've had a big weight change!" ..."No, I lost a little weight"..."Your temperature has elevated!"..."Are you still taking your diabetes medicine?"..."You have the wrong patient AGAIN!"...I switched doctors after that visit (and the doctor had not even examined me during the physicals in years!).

When I went for out-patient removal surgery for a leg skin cancer, I was finally taken into the surgery room twelve hours late!  Since the anesthesia had worn off, I was able to ask the attendants (in their spoken Spanish!) if I was supposed to be out?  Luckily I wasn't because they started to prep the wrong leg for surgery!  "And who are you?  You aren't my surgeon!"..."He was too busy, so I was told to start the procedure!  I was sent home that night, to experience extreme chills, and be diagnosed with mrsa staph infection the next day.  I was placed on strong antibiotics too long, that resulted in nerve damage in both hands!  Afterwards, my insurance carrier placed an exclusion on any procedure with cancer mentioned...

In my late 40's I had my first Colonoscopy.  Three benign polyps were discovered and I was told to have a second one, three years later.  At that time I had none, so I was scheduled for another four years later.  One polyp was discovered.  Even though I had cleared the procedure with my insurance company before, none of its cost was covered, because of the polyp. I contested the denial all the way to the insurance commissioner who agreed with the carrier..."Costs of colonosopies where polyps are uncovered will not be covered for 22 years!"

The best patient care is in hospice for most...other than for indignant illegal homeless individuals who also receive lots of care if they walk into a hospital!

"January, Post Holidays Pricing"

January 2, and the Holidays decorations have come down, and this seems to be the time to shop...

Balcony cabins for our planned cruise have come down in pricing to be lower than the interior cabin's original prices...

Christmas decorations and cards are up to 75% off their 50% marked down prices...

Clothing is down 40% to 75%...

Automobile dealerships are offering high prices for "trade-ins" while giving lower new car prices along with cash-backs and nearly 0% financing...

Appliances are running 33% off...

Gather your gift cards and start buying and let's get this economy off dead-center!

"Let's Keep The New Year's Energy Going..."

What a difference a new year makes...

Today as expected, the gym was packed with  people resolved to stay or get in shape!  What was unexpected was how "tuned-in" everyone seemed to each other (see my earlier entry..."Tuned-In, Tuned-Out")...four out of five people responded to my "Hello and Happy New Year" greeting as I passed through the gym! And the dumbbells and barbell plates were all returned to their correct locations!  The positive energy was all-present, and I had a GREAT leg workout!

For different reasons, a similar "positive" result occurred after the dust settled from "911" in New York City...people came together for the good of others...a renewed friendliness prevailed...

Let's keep the New Year's Energy Going, and all make this year the best we can...

"A New Year..."

12:25 AM, Monday, January 12, 2012...

I'm sitting down to write this at my computer, while listening to an operetta in the background. This summary of my activities of my first day of the New Year follows...

1. Made a "To Do List" for projects for later in the day...
2. Massaged a hair restorer into the scalp after conditioning and shampooing...
3. After taking a whirlpool to relax aching joints...

4. After cleaning a guest room closet and set of drawers...do I really need those old sets of t-shirts and garments?

5. After cleaning a dining room drawer that no one ever opens except me to add to it, filled with local "things to do" brochures.

6. After perusing 24 architecture magazines that were accumulating in the TV cabinet...a donation to the architecture program in a local college will be a better use for them than storing them...

7. After sorting through the sets of rolls of drawings from architecture projects during the last 24 months...I didn't really need to keep outdated drawings of the projects that are not going to be built.  Meanwhile, I organized the current projects for easier access in the new year...

8. After taking down the interior and exterior Christmas decorations and boxing them for storage in the garage...

9. After bagging some plastic flower arrangements that were just accumulating dust, and that also can find a better home thru a Goodwill donation...

10. After sorting the wine pantry to place he bottles in order of receipt so that the older ones can be consumed sooner than waiting for a "special day"...

11.After reading the Sunday paper...

12..After having a seafood dinner at a regular family favorite restaurant with friends and family to celebrate the New Year...

13.After taking a whirlpool at the beach after a late afternoon 30 minute rest on a chair facing the ocean...

14.After checking daily e-mails and returning and placing "Happy New Year" calls...

15.After a pasta carb replacement snack...

16.After taking a sauna and swimming two miles in my gym's 25-meter pool...

17.After a pre-workout protein shake...

18.After stopping by a car dealership and test-driving the newest version of my car that markets for twice what I paid for the current one two years prior (its technology is impressive...no keys...and lots of user-friendly (possible maintenance nightmares!) "conveniences")...

19.After placing the key received in the mail from the dealer to see if it was the correct one to win a new auto...it was not, but I did get a consolation prize, flashlight...

20.After having an outdoor brunch (it was a gorgeous South Florida day...with many groups of passing cyclists enjoying it) with Mom after attending church (conveniently the New Year's Holy Day falls on a Sunday!)...

21.After oatmeal and green tea and fruit to start the day...

22.After five hours of sleep...

23.After posting photos on, and checking Facebook New Year's entries...

24.After returning from a house party at a waterfront home to watch the spectacular City 30-minute fireworks display from its dock...while driving back, I was able to call friends in the western "time zones" to wish them the best for 2012...

25.After watching the countdown and (Lady Gaga) "Ball drop" at Times Square while toasting to the New Year with friends...

26.After a salmon salad dinner at a local favorite Northern Italian restaurant...

27.After watching my college lose in an exciting New Year's Eve Bowl while drinking some red wine...

28.After having a bowl of chicken soup at a local deli with Mom...

I want to take this opportunity to wish any of my "blog" readers a healthy, happy, and successful New Year...