tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-147563022024-03-19T04:41:37.138-05:00I'm The DreamerYou may be a dreamer, but I'm The Dreamer, the definite article you might say!The Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12451356610874249436noreply@blogger.comBlogger142125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14756302.post-43530395151391041922013-03-13T17:29:00.001-05:002013-03-13T17:29:12.055-05:00Blood Donation #39Today I made lifetime blood donation #39 at the Kansas State University Student Union. Doesn't look like I'll ever catch my age at this rate.
Can't believe that it has been over a year since I last gave blood (at Gallifrey One in 2012), but things got a bit crazy in my life in May 2012 and I wasn't feel up to giving blood at Gallifrey One last month.
I decided that I would do it when they called me a few weeks ago about this blood drive.
Despite memories of the horrible process they had going on the last time I gave the KSU Student Union, where they were running two sets of numbers, red/black...but only calling the number, and only checking that the right color was coming up sometimes. And, the number sequence was only like 10 apart....red 36, black 45, red 46.....wait...I have red 38, why'd you skip me and the people sitting around me. Including a bunch that have given up waiting and left. Which I considered doing as well.
But, this time, I was thrown by walking into the room and no lines and no volunteers to direct people to chairs...though eventually I found a chair and was then joined by another person that I had passed earlier in the hallway searching for the waiting area as well. But, soon I was called and got processed.
Hopefully this no waiting will continue forward now.
Wonder if there'll be another donation in me this year....The Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12451356610874249436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14756302.post-91128204535000684172012-12-04T12:11:00.001-06:002012-12-04T12:11:57.197-06:00Narcolepsy on Discovery Channel Featuring Julie Flygare<span style="background-color: white; color: #4d4d4d; font-family: GrenobleSerial-Light; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">This </span><strong style="background-color: white; color: #4d4d4d; font-family: GrenobleSerial-Light; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Saturday, December 8, 2012 at 8 a.m. (EST)</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #4d4d4d; font-family: GrenobleSerial-Light; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"> - Discovery Channel airs </span><em style="background-color: white; color: #4d4d4d; font-family: GrenobleSerial-Light; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Narcolepsy: New Strategies for Diagnosis and Treatment</em><span style="background-color: white; color: #4d4d4d; font-family: GrenobleSerial-Light; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">, featuring my story, along with a panel of experts and a second patient perspective. The program will air a second time on </span><strong style="background-color: white; color: #4d4d4d; font-family: GrenobleSerial-Light; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Saturday, Dec. 22, 2012 at 8 a.m. (EST).</strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #4d4d4d; font-family: GrenobleSerial-Light; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"> </span>The Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12451356610874249436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14756302.post-58958258257369898362012-06-18T09:28:00.001-05:002012-06-18T09:28:58.889-05:00Julie Flygare Finishes Mt Washington Road Race with narcolepsy and catap...<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/DBuyKtdhp30?fs=1" width="480"></iframe>The Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12451356610874249436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14756302.post-22956681963803349252012-04-05T16:34:00.001-05:002012-04-05T16:34:23.978-05:00Dalek Relaxation Tape<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/tJSQFzw1pEE?fs=1" width="480"></iframe>The Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12451356610874249436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14756302.post-75422005783844472912012-02-24T08:43:00.001-06:002012-02-24T08:43:06.503-06:001996 TARDIS Console<div style="margin: 0 0 10px 0; padding: 0; font-size: 0.8em; line-height: 1.6em;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/8028861@N06/6778373356/" title="SATURDAY_IMG_9374"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7047/6778373356_753c01dfee.jpg" alt="SATURDAY_IMG_9374 by paulsalamoff" /></a><br/><span style="margin: 0;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/8028861@N06/6778373356/">SATURDAY_IMG_9374</a>, a photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/8028861@N06/">paulsalamoff</a> on Flickr.</span></div><p>Where will my TARDIS take me next?</p>The Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12451356610874249436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14756302.post-2753949082948603632012-02-18T16:21:00.001-06:002012-02-18T16:21:11.884-06:00Blood Donation #38This is probably the weirdest place I've given blood now.... I gave blood today at Gallifrey One!<br />
<br />
This brings my lifetime total to 38.<br />
<br />
Wonder if I'll come back next year to give again....The Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12451356610874249436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14756302.post-8783267511015525922012-01-22T16:52:00.003-06:002012-01-22T16:52:24.116-06:00Technorati Update<pre wrap="">GFJVZATE8N72 </pre>The Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12451356610874249436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14756302.post-86504156470727860192011-11-10T10:49:00.000-06:002011-11-10T10:49:42.227-06:00True Life: I Have NarcolepsyKaty answers your questions about the show and the disorder.<br /><br /><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/_GqxES-pl9w?fs=1" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="344" width="459"></iframe>The Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12451356610874249436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14756302.post-6118002842923186342011-11-09T17:18:00.000-06:002011-11-09T17:18:06.119-06:00True Life | I Have Narcolepsy<a href="http://www.mtv.com/videos/true-life-i-have-narcolepsy/1672872/playlist.jhtml?xrs=share_blogger">True Life | I Have Narcolepsy</a>: Julie and Katie are two young people whose lives revolve around managing Narcolepsy. As they make decisions about medication and relationships, they seek support from their friends and family.<br /><br /><embed src="http://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:uma:videolist:mtv.com:1672872/cp%7Einstance%3Dfullepisode%26autoPlay%3Dfalse%26id%3D1672872%26uri%3Dmgid%3Auma%3Avideolist%3Amtv.com%3A1672872" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" base="." height="288" width="512"></embed>The Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12451356610874249436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14756302.post-1390437940504242452011-11-02T09:21:00.000-05:002011-11-02T09:21:28.495-05:00NARCAPLEXY: True Life Airing Again on Friday!<a href="http://narcaplexy.blogspot.com/2011/11/true-life-airing-again-on-friday.html?spref=bl"></a><blockquote><a href="http://narcaplexy.blogspot.com/2011/11/true-life-airing-again-on-friday.html?spref=bl">NARCAPLEXY: True Life Airing Again on Friday!</a>: FINALLY! True Life: I Have Narcolepsy (co-starring me :D) will air on MTV again this Saturday November 5th at 3pm! Set your DVRs everyone!...</blockquote><br /><br /><br />So, that would be 2pm Central....? Wonder if I should record around....The Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12451356610874249436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14756302.post-72377991479446928112011-10-18T15:36:00.001-05:002011-10-18T15:37:23.077-05:00REM Runner: MTV True Life "I Have Narcolepsy" Premieres Tuesday, October 18th<a href="http://remrunner.blogspot.com/2011/10/mtv-true-life-i-have-narcolepsy.html">REM Runner: MTV True Life "I Have Narcolepsy" Premieres Tuesday, October 18th</a><br /><br />I hope I can stay up long enough to watch it at 7pm today.....The Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12451356610874249436noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14756302.post-11602369345517746562011-10-08T12:52:00.000-05:002011-10-08T12:52:24.502-05:00QHDHP, HSA and Chronic conditions<div class="entryText">
This month is annual open enrollment at
work....time to review plan changes and make selections for January 1st,
2012. This year, premiums have jumped up a lot...particularly for
single people. The implication is that for the last few years, they had
drifted from the mandate that employer pays 95/55 of the health
insurance costs (95% of single, 55% of family). Guess that means they
had been paying more than 95% of my cost? Because my BCBS Plan A
premium jumped by 44%. Plus every 3 years they renegotiate plans...and
this was the year they did that.<br />
<br />
Other than the premium jump...which was much greater compared to
previous years (which hadn't jumped up as much as I had seen with
previous employers). There were only a few changes this year.<br />
The coverage on the 3 plans (A, B, C) have all stayed the same. All
plans are PPO, Plan A has a 20% co-insurance rate versus 35%
co-insurance rate for Plan B (in-network, all are 50% for
out-of-network)...and Plan A has higher co-payments than Plan B...and
higher deductible. New next year, is that BCBS will be offering Plan C
(QHDHP). Other changes, is that Coventry and PHS have now merged, and
United Health Care is now the 3rd provider option (though technically
there were 4 provider choices last year, with addition of UMR... a
sister company of UHC, but with a smaller network...and Coventry and PHS
not yet merged.)<br />
<br />
When I first started, they were HMO, PPO, QHDHP plans....and I had
gone with PPO, even though all my providers were in network. When I had
first moved to the US, I had started on an HMO plan...and it was bad.
Like the time I went out of my way to go to what was supposed to be a
Quest collection site for labwork, instead of letting my doctor do the
labwork on site. And, end up getting fully charged for using an out of
network lab, because the site had cancelled its contract with Quest the
week before (but I had called Quest the morning of the test...so they
shouldn't have misled me)....I complained, they apologized....but I
never got the refund they said they would do.<br />
<br />
Using Quest was only part of the HMO plan, so switching to PPO was
good. Though later things changes to where if the practice where your
primary has their own lab, the lab is automatically considered as
in-network....so there was further savings, but I stayed with PPO
because. Later they brought Quest in for PPO with some providers....I
just picked the PPO provider that didn't use Quest.<br />
Anyways....in my current job...Quest had jumped into the
plans....though its optional. And, the Quest collection site isn't
anywhere that can be reached on foot (and I'm kind of down to just the
one foot now)...and the doctors in my area won't participate with Quest.
At first it was part of the HMO, later it extended to Plan A &
Plan B (since all 3 plans are PPO now). But, its still optional, and
the labs that my doctors do use are in-network.<br />
<br />
When I started, I went with BCBS....because I hadn't established
relationships with local doctors, but BCBS had the larger network...both
in state and out of state, and with relatives scattered around the
country/world....access to a large out of state network was important.
Plus now that I also attend conferences, conventions and such...it is
hopefully less of a worry.<br />
<br />
But, when they switched from HMO, PPO, QHDHP to the Plan A, B, C
naming....I switched to Plan A. Which was at first explained as the HMO
plan with PPO features. But, now they just say all 3 are PPO
plans....just different cost structures.<br />
<br />
I never really considered the QHDHP option...because I never really
understood FSA/HSAs in the beginning....wasn't until 2009 that I started
using an FSA. And, the steep deductible scared me (still is scary).
Though one thing that intrigued me at this job, was that the
prescription plan on the QHDHP/Plan C option was different from the
HMO/PPO/Plan A&B one. The A&B plan was co-insurance, no
deductible...the typical 3 tiers with some extras classes. When I
started, it wasn't an issue...since most of the stuff I took was either
generic or preferred brand (well, when I first moved to Kansas I was on
Prevacid, which wasn't a preferred brand....but primary switched me back
down to Prilosec which is generic. Though can't help wonder if my
health taking its turn for the worse didn't start when that change was
made...and now that Prevacid is available as generic....<img alt=":hmm:" class="middle" src="http://lawrencechen.net/rsc/smilies/thinking.gif" title="ALT: :hmm:" />)<br />
Anyways...Plan C's prescription plan was co-pays after deductible,
which was the kind of prescription coverage I bad before I came here.
Not always a good thing though...since $10 co-pay for generic.. where as
I have a couple of generics where the 20% co-insurance is less...some
generics I've had fill come out to $0.92, $2.02, $3.53, $1.58,
$1.39....on the other hand...the co-insurance on branded meds were
costing me much more than co-pay....and the worse ones were yet to come.<br />
<br />
So, in open enrollment 2008 (for 2009), I decided that it was time to
see what all this FSA business was about. I went with a minimal
contribution....$300 for the year. Well, I didn't know at the time,
that combined with the results of my first 'free' Healthquest screening
from work and my annual physical (Well Man Exam) that I'm not supposed
to be sleepy all the time, have experience that surge in weight gain
during the summer, fall asleep easily during the day, including at least
one uncontrolled nap each day.... I just knew that in 2009,
co-insurance was change from 10% to 20%, and co-pays were going up....
But, I had my first sleep study in December 2008. I got initial setup
that month...so 10% co-insurance versus 20% was a good thing, plus
deductible was less, and already met, in 2008 than in 2009.<br />
<br />
But, because of the OSA dx, I quickly met my deductible (which had
gone from $50 to $150) and spent my entire FSA amount in the first week
of 2009.<br />
<br />
So, in open enrollment 2009, I decided that I should put more into
FSA....but I didn't expect that I would have the same kind of major
expenses that I had, so I increased my amount to only $1200. This was
even though I had an accident in august of 2009, and it had cost me
quite a bit. But, it was the accident that kept on giving....When I got
my teeth cleaned in Jan 2010, it was discovered that I had cracked some
teeth in the accident....so the $1200 was gone in a couple of months.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile...in 2010, I was introduced to Provigil and Lunesta. The
co-insurance on Provigil was about $380 a month, and Lunesta was about
$112 a month. Plus then I had an accident in November of 2010, and
another sleep study in December. What I discovered though was what
happens when I hit my co-insurance maximum for 2010. I still have to
pay co-pays...but after than everything is covered in full. While
reading over the plans on co-insurance maximum, I saw that the
prescription plan had a separate co-insurance max of $2850. I wasn't
going to reach it in 2010, with the Provigil costs....and Lunesta didn't
count towards it (even though they said if you had tried two other
prescriptions before it, they would...which I had....they did require my
pharmacist to call in to get permission to fill it, even though they
would already know that I had been on prescribed 3 different ones before
it. Though I guess 2 of them were off-label? Though the PDL only
lists one drug for the class, which I had been on, and only
generics...they have no preferred brand.) Provigil is also alone, as
the preferred brand....though it is quite different than the other types
of stimulants (Ritalin, Adderall, Concerta, Dex, etc.)<br />
<br />
So, in open enrollment 2010, I considered switching to Plan C. They
still keep telling everybody that Plan C/QHDHP is only for super healthy
people. But, because of the co-pay structure of the prescription plan
(after deductible)...I wondered if it might not be the better way to
go.... It would take 1.5 months worth of Provigil to meet the
deductible..and then I would only have to pay a $30 co-pay. Maybe
sooner, depending on what else happened at the start of the year. I
didn't know I was going to break my foot in November 2010. What I did
find out was that one of my meds was capped at $20 a month (Singulair),
where as it would be $30 co-pay with Plan C. The Plan C prescription
plan didn't have the specialty tiers for things like diabetes, asthma,
anti-cancer.... and it wasn't like I was on Xyrem or something super
expensive. Though I had looked, and Xyrem is on the list of specialty
meds, so its a $75 co-pay.<br />
<br />
But, I had missed the open enrollment presentation (because I had
gone to the NN Conference) and I didn't have a lot of answers on why
they only consider Plan C for super healthy types....and not somebody
like me.<br />
<br />
The other problem is that with an FSA I can spend all the money I
plan to put into it before the money is actually in it. While with an
HSA, the money needs to be there first. They did say the first year is
the hardest.... So, running out of time, I quickly locked in my
discount status, staying with Plan A & BCBS and other stuff...and
went with putting the out-of-pocket maximum of Plan C into my FSA (which
is less than the current maximum that I could put into an FSA.) I had
skimmed the networks of the other providers...to see if my current
doctors were in, and whether they offered any other choices that BCBS
didn't....<br />
<br />
Well, I spent all my FSA for this year in about 4.5 months...and only
because I switched to only submitting the bigger claims after I got my
tax refund.... Though this year the the deductible did feel more
painful. It had gone from $150 to $300...but I also didn't have the big
expenses early in the year...so it was a bunch of little things where I
had to pay the full discounted amount... Not sure where I stand on
reaching co-insurance max this year for health ($1400)....<br />
<br />
Had I still been on Provigil...I would've reached co-insurance max on
the prescription plan around July...but as I had been warned at the NN
Conference, I would build tolerance to it...and it stopped working in
spring time.....where I was then switched to Ritalin.... And, I quickly
built tolerance to that....so at the end of August I was switched to
Nuvigil....which seems to be working better, and apparently its the
other isomer that is in Provigil that we build tolerance to. I briefly
tried Provigil again between refills, and it did little for me.<br />
<br />
Problem with Nuvigil though is that its the non-preferred brand...so
it doesn't count towards my co-insurance max....though I'm about $1000
away, so I probably won't hit it this year....even if I could've gotten
the override (having tried Provigil and Ritalin before, should've met
the tried two other drugs from the PDL first....also the co-pay coupon
from Cephelon apparently doesn't work. Just as the co-pay coupon for
Lunesta didn't work. They both say they won't work with plans that are
state/federal government funded....so no discount for us poor state
employees).<br />
<br />
The other change this year is the prescription plan for Plan C has
changed...its more like the Plan A&B one, except adjusted to fit the
QHDHP. So instead of co-pays after deductible and continuing after out
of pocket max is reached. It is just co-insurance after deductible and
then 100% when out of pocket max is reached. And, tier 3 drugs count
towards the out of pocket max (as do drugs on the anti-cancer tier)....
Also with Plan C, there's no co-pays to see doctors....so once out of
pocket max it reached....they're covered 100% in full. Didn't seem a
huge deal before 2010...because PCP and sleep doctor were in the same
medical home, so $25 co-pay for either....the only specialist where I
had to pay $45 co-pays were related to physical therapy...and I didn't
do that this year (though wonder if maybe it would help my walking
issues since broken foot incident....maybe next year if things continue
to worsen...)<br />
<br />
Given how quickly my FSA went this year, and my current projected
expenses (and the changes this year)....it shouldn't be that hard to
reach the $1500 deductible or the $3000 out of pocket max in 2012...so
it'll be interesting to see what it is like to have things covered 100%
in full after that point. Especially since the current co-insurance on
Nuvigil + Lunesta x 12 is more than the out of pocket max. I had
considered asking about Nuvigil sooner, because paying 60% of it
(non-preferred brand)...instead of 35% for preferred brand)....is about
half the 35% I pay for Provigil. But, when the Provigil stopped
working, doctor wanted to try Ritalin instead first....which did work in
the beginning....but it didn't seem to matter to insurance on when I
did get to be on Nuvigil. I decided that I would more strongly consider
the switch to Plan C.<br />
<br />
The fact that BCBS offered it was certainly a big factor, since I had
concerns over network last year. And, during an open enrollment
presentation..somebody asked why Plan C didn't work even if they hit the
out of pocket max in the year (and all the money they put into the
HSA)...<br />
<br />
<em>for an individual/in-network</em><br />
Plan A has $300 deductible + $1400 co-insurance max & Rx has $2850 co-insurance max (where tier 3 doesn't count towards it)<br />
Plan B has $150 deductible + $3000 co-insurance max & Rx has $2850 co-insurance max (where tier 3 doesn't count towards it)<br />
Plan C has $1500 deductible -> $3000 out of pocket max & Rx works
with the same deductible/out of pocket max (and tier 3 counts).<br />
<br />
So sounds like if you know you're going to be out of pocket more than $3000 in a year...plan C is the way to go.<br />
<br />
Plus with Plan A & B, the co-pays continue after the co-insurance
max is hit. Plan A is $25 (Primary/Urgent Care), $45 (Specialist) and
$100 (ER). Plan B is $20 (Primary), $25 (Urgent Care), $40 (Specialist)
and $100 (ER)....there's an advantage for families, where co-pay for
children is $10 (Primary) or $25 (Specialist)....<br />
<br />
In addition to no co-pays with Plan C (versus Plan A)....there are
two other differences, the Manipulation Therapy (IE: Chiropractor) is
reduced to max of 26 per year (from 30). And the Durable Medical
Equipment maximum is lowered to $1000/year (from $5000/year).<br />
<br />
Since I just got a new CPAP machine this year, I don't anticipate my
DME expenses to be more than $1000...in fact the new machine plus
supplies this year shouldn't break the $1000 mark. But, who knows what
the future holds.<br />
<br />
So, since United Health Care is a new provider this year....I started
to think that I should check out its network as to whether to stay with
BCBS or not. In the first open enrollment presentation, I didn't stay
for the HSA presentation. Because I was at first thinking that I would
stay with Plan A, and this time put the $5000 max into FSA....before
healthcare reform lowers the max to $2500. But, in the time between the
morning presentation and the afternoon one, I started the research on
Plan C/HDHP/HSAs, etc. And, decided I wanted to hear the HSA
presentation.<br />
<br />
Fortunately, they did that one first in the afternoon session.<br />
<br />
So, I instead looked at the HSAs associated with the 3 providers....and decided that BCBS would be who I would go with.<br />
<br />
The BCBS HSA has a maintenance fee that falls between the other two
(close to the low end, where the high end one is significantly
higher...and the one for UHC). The interest rate structures differed,
but all were insignificant for low balances. The other two, offer
maintenance fee elimination with a minimum balance. The lower one
waives off at $3000, the higher one waives off at $5000....there's
differences in investment options and additional fees. BCBS HSA has a
lot less in the additional fees area. And, what investment options it
offered seemed ok.<br />
<br />
But, given that I'm expecting to hit out-of-pocket max (which is the
contribution max for the HSA)....how much the HSA will cost for little
or no balance weighed in. Though I will probably build some of my HSA
over time...since initial expenses will be before the HSA is
sufficiently funded, and I may or may not chose to use HSA funds to meet
all my later out of pocket expenses.<br />
On the additional side, I opted to go with $600 for a limited use FSA
(Dental and Vision....I have one dental related prescription, and I
anticipate the buying a new pair of glasses every year to be a trend
that continues indefinitely.) I kept my Vision insurance.<br />
<br />
Now to see how 2012 goes....<br />
<br />
You are reading "<a href="http://lawrencechen.net/qhdhp-hsa-and-chronic-conditions" rel="nofollow">QHDHP, HSA and Chronic conditions</a>", original ranted about at <a href="http://lawrencechen.net/" rel="nofollow">Lawrence "The Dreamer" Chen's Blog</a></div>
The Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12451356610874249436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14756302.post-24902234341122426782011-10-07T22:33:00.004-05:002011-10-07T22:33:51.882-05:00Blood Donation #37Forgot to write a post on here back on Wednesday, October 5th, 2011.... Hmm, has it almost been 2 years since my last blood donation.<br />
<br />
It was a brutal 2+ hour wait....they had a number queuing system, but they didn't know what number they were on...and kept jumping backwards and forwards....jumped off 22 to 2, then 4 (3 was sitting next to me, she gave up as she had to get to class)...so back to 23, 24....then 6....wait I was 6, well, can't tell 9 and 6 apart on the cards.... was just about to leave when I asked what was up with me not getting called...but after I was up, I saw 25 was sitting in the front row....next to 7.<br />
<br />
Anyways, it was nice giving blood again.... Guess that deferral for low iron really was that I had been giving blood to regularly and that I don't bounce back like I used to. Guess we'll see if I give in the spring.<br />
<br />
But, these delays is making it harder to catch my age....<br />
<br />
<br />The Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12451356610874249436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14756302.post-50981845506663347812011-05-21T06:37:00.000-05:002011-05-21T06:37:22.545-05:00Dear Comcast from Reel Grrls<iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/x8WW5q7SR7c?fs=1" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="295" width="480"></iframe>The Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12451356610874249436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14756302.post-30622927081579080352011-03-14T12:46:00.000-05:002011-03-14T12:46:00.649-05:00SLEEP WALK 2011<iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/2oH-uKCLg2E?fs=1" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="295" width="480"></iframe>The Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12451356610874249436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14756302.post-86985536886609552472010-05-04T13:54:00.000-05:002010-05-04T13:54:46.517-05:00Liquid Nitrogen in the pool at Penguicon 2010<object style="background-image: url("http://i2.ytimg.com/vi/iGtmkN0MUN0/hqdefault.jpg");" height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/iGtmkN0MUN0&hl=en_US&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/iGtmkN0MUN0&hl=en_US&fs=1" allowscriptaccess="never" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="344" width="425"></embed></object>The Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12451356610874249436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14756302.post-87314829521164465262010-01-02T13:52:00.001-06:002010-01-02T13:52:03.149-06:00MagMyPic<img style="visibility:hidden;width:0px;height:0px;" border=0 width=0 height=0 src="http://counters.gigya.com/wildfire/IMP/CXNID=2000002.0NXC/bHQ9MTI2MjQ2MTg3MTQwNSZwdD*xMjYyNDYxOTIwODg5JnA9NTQ3ODEmZD*mbj1ibG9nZ2VyJmc9MSZvPWU4NTY4ZmExMmE3NTRhY2M4YThiZjcyZDExMzI1MDll.gif" /><p><a href="http://www.magmypic.com"><img border="0" src="http://b1.magmypic.com/usermags/a/ca/bf14958ff3a808da0453379a36641_3601.jpg"></a><br>Create <a href="http://www.magmypic.com">Fake Magazine Covers</a> with your own picture at <a href="http://www.magmypic.com">MagMyPic.com</a></p><br><a border=0 href="http://www.gigyamailbutton.com/wildfire/gigyamailbutton.ashx?url=aHR*cDovL3dpbGRmaXJlLmdpZ3lhLmNvbS93aWxkZmlyZS93ZnBvcC5hc3B4P21vZHVsZT1lbWFpbCZ1cmw9aHR*cCUzYSUyZiUyZnd3dy5tYWdteXBpYy5jb2*lMmZwb3N*" target="_blank"><img src="http://cdn.gigya.com/wildfire/i/includeShareButton.gif" border="0" width="60" height="20" /></a>The Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12451356610874249436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14756302.post-29442875092067533042009-10-09T16:36:00.000-05:002009-10-23T15:37:14.132-05:00Blood Donation #36Finding a vein is getting harder and harder.....The Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12451356610874249436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14756302.post-77971634080486905102009-07-31T19:00:00.001-05:002009-07-31T19:04:51.343-05:00Looks Tempting, but will it be irresistible?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgAxwv9MCMp8lWqQ1P9GnbJ4eONjOV1jmT336gsA-kujE0FbutprjHycbHTAdbMU1q77vioqMXJ7VOFYZiz1c4ztQkj9Myb9zuTpPHavR2UwebDQ0K75quP0j8jBUnUAlIE516bw/s1600-h/P1010637.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgAxwv9MCMp8lWqQ1P9GnbJ4eONjOV1jmT336gsA-kujE0FbutprjHycbHTAdbMU1q77vioqMXJ7VOFYZiz1c4ztQkj9Myb9zuTpPHavR2UwebDQ0K75quP0j8jBUnUAlIE516bw/s400/P1010637.JPG" alt="" style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0pt; clear: both; float: left;" border="0" /></a>Earlier today I was craving bacon, and when I usually make bacon...I use the grease to make runny eggs and toast. And, that's a meal.<br /><br />But, I have a patty in the fridge that was going to be supper. Also had one last everything bagel.<br /><br />So, I decided to put it all together.<br /><br />Fried up 3 strips of bacon. While patty was being grilled up. Then toasted the bagel.<br /><br />Put bacon on plate and dropped an egg into the fry pan. And, then dropped one side of the bagel on to it. Hmmm, the yolk fits nicely into the hole. Wonder how that'll make things turn out....probably really messy when I pick it up to eat.<br /><br />The drop another egg and repeat with other side of bagel. Slide patty in between the slices...and it sure looks pretty.<br /><br />Take a picture it'll last longer :D<br /><div style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="http://picasa.google.com/blogger/" target="ext"><img src="http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif" alt="Posted by Picasa" style="border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: border; -moz-background-origin: padding; -moz-background-inline-policy: continuous;" align="middle" border="0" /></a></div>The Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12451356610874249436noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14756302.post-70884238525996649942009-05-09T09:20:00.002-05:002009-05-17T10:47:17.641-05:00Penguicon 7.0 Fortunata 2009, Take Two<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Nd1dp-dxBaI&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Nd1dp-dxBaI&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />The original video used a fragment of a well-known cantata, with credit given to the composer, performers, et cetera. Which did not meet definition of "fair use", and the video was pulled from Youtube. This is the reposted, with no change to the image sequence. The new music comes from the fragment selections licensed for use with Premiere.The Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12451356610874249436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14756302.post-80771622497486121192009-04-07T18:23:00.002-05:002009-04-07T18:28:52.146-05:00Blood Donation #35Looks like I've made my 35th lifetime blood donation. Seems to be getting harder and harder to do it. The veins aren't working as well as they used to, plus apparently my blood iron doesn't bounce back like it used to anymore.<br /><br />Today's donation went pretty slick. They had both the Sunflower/Flint Hills rooms that they had during the summer and the normal Ballroom space. People who made appointments went to the smaller Sunflower/Flint Hills rooms, and walk-ins went to the Ballroom.<br /><br />There was no waiting to check-in or to give blood. It went fast...though it was kind of lonely not seeing all the other people giving blood.The Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12451356610874249436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14756302.post-25991541112366455952009-02-24T16:41:00.001-06:002009-02-24T16:41:29.443-06:00Fat Tuesday No. 8<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/18254825@N08/2258931325/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2139/2258931325_9fcffd19ce_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/18254825@N08/2258931325/">Fat Tuesday No. 8</a><br />Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/18254825@N08/">sbecker67467</a></span></div>Hey look....over in the top right corner....can you see that I'm there?<br clear="all" />The Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12451356610874249436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14756302.post-69186909278927574252009-01-04T11:56:00.002-06:002009-01-04T12:13:58.529-06:00Who the F*** is Corey ColeAnd, why do bill collectors keep calling me for him/her....I've had this number for over a year now. Nobody listens to my OGM....they just keep asking for him/her, and then think that I'm supposed to get him/her to call them. Well, guess where they can go....The Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12451356610874249436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14756302.post-91108555358071365182008-11-25T16:25:00.003-06:002008-11-25T16:25:49.917-06:00LISA '08 Conference Reception 4<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28599114@N04/3056020475/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3246/3056020475_46bbdd2fa5_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28599114@N04/3056020475/">0634</a><br />Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/28599114@N04/">usenixassociation</a></span></div>See.<br clear="all" />The Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12451356610874249436noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14756302.post-81018159819319053662008-11-25T16:25:00.001-06:002008-11-25T16:25:08.526-06:00LISA '08 Conference Reception 3<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28599114@N04/3056020137/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3279/3056020137_dd241429e3_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28599114@N04/3056020137/">0632</a><br />Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/28599114@N04/">usenixassociation</a></span></div>Guess I'm at the popular table :)<br clear="all" />The Dreamerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12451356610874249436noreply@blogger.com0