Dear So and So

[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.