Dear So and So

[Owlie]

<raises hand>

Guilty, as charged.

(only because my eczema is totally stress-and-gluten-related and disappeared completely when I cut it out)

I actually wasn't aiming at you, or even anyone here. There's a couple people on another board I'm on who just rub me the wrong way about a lot of things. I know they're trying to be helpful (maybe), but they frequently proclaim all things gluten and dairy to be the cause of all evil in the world. Or pretty darn close.

Dear self--
Yarn money, or new-bike money? You really need to find some cheaper hobbies. Or a job.

Dear Alma mater--
Stop asking for money. I don't have any money. Why? You took it all already. I wiped out most of my savings to pay for my education. Not that I didn't enjoy my time or education there, but the simple reality is that I'm not giving you any money.

[tangentgirl]

Dear Skunk Smell Under the Bathroom: Dissipate, already. You're too far under the house to clean out. Oh, and you're gross. I'd like my bathroom back.

XOXO,

TG

[Crankin]

Dear Clients,

Why do you not show up when you're "having a bad day?"
This is when you are supposed to come for counseling.

[tulip]

Crankin, do your clients get charged for the session even if they don't show up? When I was seeing a counselor, that was a huge incentive (aside from the fact that I'm considerate of other people's time and keep appointments!)

* * *
Dear Self, again,
Congratulations on continuing to be so proactive on this personal finance stuff and really starting to dig yourself out of your hole. January's been really good, and you are ready for February! Yay!!

-tulip

[indysteel]

My therapist charges 70 percent of her usual fee for sessions cancelled with less than 24 hours noticed, but she does offer her regulars one free pass a year. I've only ever cancelled at the last minute because of bad weather. I'm usually more than happy to avail myself of her services. But I also don't really have a mental disorder, minus some infrequent and episodic mild depression. I would suspect that certain populations aren't particularly compliant.

Good job with the financial stuff, Tulip. I'm glad things are looking up!

[Crankin]

Tulip and Indy,
My clients don't get charged, because I "work" in a clinic. You can do the "no show, you still have to pay," thing when you are in a private practice, whether it's an individual or group practice. As an intern, I only see clients on Mass Health; some, who are working, pay a $20.00 co-pay and they don't often miss sessions. The people I see vary in level of problems, but they are not seriously mentally ill, as it's an outpatient clinic. But, some of them have very complicated lives, with all kinds of issues, poverty, domestic violence, substance abuse. This is just a problem in the medical field in general, more in mental health than physical health, but still.
I am very proactive in calling them and getting them back in, as I need a certain amount of hours to get my credits from Lesley and for my license. And, the ones who "forget" are the ones who need to be there the most. My supervisors, both at school and in the clinic would say I am enabling them, but if they get that picture of me "reminding" them to come in and they start coming regularly, then we can build enough of a relationship, so that they don't miss sessions. I guess I spent so much time calling parents to tell them their kids didn't do their homework, that making the calls doesn't bother me.

[Owlie]

Not-dear pharmacology department--
Your website is ridiculous. It's contradictory and hard to navigate, with key pages missing, or the links are wrong. First you tell me to fill out a form, then you tell me the form is "closed" and to fill out the application, then you tell me to fill out the form anyway. The form is kind of crappy and hard to follow.
There's an option to submit recommendation letters online, but you tell me to mail them. You tell me that if I submit the application online, there's a fee that I can pay online. Then you tell me that I'll need to send a check directly to the department. HUH? Oh, and you want a degree verification. Why? I graduated. My transcript has the date my degrees were issued. At least it's free, and I can request one at the same time I request the transcript.

They weren't kidding when they said this institution was ridiculously bureaucratic. This is the sort of thing I expect from Undergraduate Studies, but their website didn't contradict itself, just made things extraordinarily difficult to find!

[Cataboo]

That's graduate school. Jump through a bunch of bizarre loops and do it smiling, otherwise your thesis isn't accepted 'cause the commas are in the wrong place and never gets published. Don't start letting the hoops get to you before it starts

Not-dear pharmacology department--
Your website is ridiculous. It's contradictory and hard to navigate, with key pages missing, or the links are wrong. First you tell me to fill out a form, then you tell me the form is "closed" and to fill out the application, then you tell me to fill out the form anyway. The form is kind of crappy and hard to follow.
There's an option to submit recommendation letters online, but you tell me to mail them. You tell me that if I submit the application online, there's a fee that I can pay online. Then you tell me that I'll need to send a check directly to the department. HUH? Oh, and you want a degree verification. Why? I graduated. My transcript has the date my degrees were issued. At least it's free, and I can request one at the same time I request the transcript.

They weren't kidding when they said this institution was ridiculously bureaucratic. This is the sort of thing I expect from Undergraduate Studies, but their website didn't contradict itself, just made things extraordinarily difficult to find!

[Owlie]

I filled out the (slightly broken) form to be safe, and am happily continuing to fill out the actual application as well. I figure it's fairly safe to submit rec letters through the mail, because every other school I've applied to has provisions to do so.
...Duh, I misread the check thing. Only thing that has me still worried is that the page says it's $80 in one place and $50 in another. Guess we'll find out when I submit the application...

[limewave]

Dear Pharmaceutical Companies, Doctor's, Insurance Agencies,

Why does it cost $250 to treat a child's common ear infection? $150 just for 7ml worth of ear drops? And $200 to treat bronchitis for a toddler? These are common ailments. As a middle-class, working mother, I can't afford traditional health-care for my children anymore.

When I ask why its so expensive, you give me the run-around. The pharmaceutical company blames health insurance. Health insurance blames the pharmaceutical company. And it turns out that the the expensive ear drops were an unnecessary prescription to begin with! Just an "added" precaution. What the frack?

I am going to be asking a lot more questions. I want some straight answers. I'm no longer going to allow you to take advantage of me and my family.

Lime.

[tulip]

Lime, was it Cipro drops? I had a stubborn ear infection a few years ago and a week's worth of drops were $200. The first antibiotics didn't work, so that's why they went with Cipro. But they did start out with the regular antibiotics.

Liquid gold...that's what my stepmother called it back in the 80s when my youngest brother had constant ear infections.

I hope your little one gets better (and stays better) soon.

[Owlie]

Not-dear BF--

[tangentgirl]

Crankin - sounds more like not letting them off the hook than enabling to me. Enabling would mean there were no consequences for not showing up.

Lime - that sucks. Can you tell your doc at the outset that you need a less expensive option? It's not fun to say "i don't have much extra $$ today," but sometimes they will work with you, find sample drugs or something over the counter for that precautionary thing.

Owlie - Hope things get better.

Tulip - wtg!

[bmccasland]

Dear Skinny Feline that lives here,
I'm sorry that I had to force feed you this evening. It wasn't much fun for you. But would you please eat? Why do you like the canned food at 5pm, then not want to eat it at 7pm? Your skinny little body needs the food, if you don't eat, then I'll make you. Oh, and if you were consistant about flavors that you like then maybe we wouldn't have this trouble.

1/26 - I should add that said cat is 17 and has hyperthyroid disease. She currently weighs 4.5 pounds, so is literally skin and bones (she used to weigh in at 8.5 pounds in her younger normally functioning thyroid days). It's a Catch-22, she doesn't feel good because she needs to eat, almost constantly, but the hyperthyroid also messes with her kidneys, so doesn't feel like eating, and is a tad nauseated. I think her sense of smell is also messed up, as well as her eyesight. What can I say, she's an old lady cat.

[Biciclista]

Beth, I can speak for your cat. when they get to that point in life, they are somewhat nauseated from time to time in increasing proportions. So they definitely aren't feeling hungry like they used to. When our cat got like that we bought him all sorts of things and sometimes he'd like some of them. Like clams and shrimp - sometimes he'd act like it was a feast, other times, revolting. good luck with that little kitty.