Government subsidies for those who don't need it, and do
In my own little corner of the world, I'm a cog in the government wheel testing people for Medicaid coverage for nursing homes. If you don't think you'll ever need Medicaid, answer this question: do you have at least $7000/month in disability insurance or retirement income? If you don't, you're a stroke or a bad car accident
away from needing Medicare.
Saturday, September 03, 2011
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Family Vacation to Delaware
Mom and Dad had decided a while ago that to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary, they wanted to go on a family vacation with their kids (and significant others). Everyone agreed on the first weekend in August, and Dave & Sarah made such an excellent case for the Wilmington, Delaware area, so that's what we did!
We all got to our motel in Wilmington Friday afternoon. That evening we went to Longwood Gardens, which has more amazing and beautiful kinds of plants than I've ever seen. And the Italian Water Garden was pure beauty.
When we got back, Dave and Sarah got out a bottle of champagne and we all toasted their engagement. They've been looking at some beautiful places in the Albany area to have a catered reception, and Sarah has pictures of about nine gowns she wants to try.
Ralph and Dave have not lost their humorous touch. For example, while at Longwood Gardens...
Mom: What's in the Conservatory?
Ralph: Mr Plum with the knife.
Also, the boys decided our new Honda Insight looked like a Transformer, a Decepticon no less (those are the evil Transformers) and gave it an appropriate name: Otakron. (I had just gone to Otakon the previous weekend)
below: Ralph with Otakron
The next day we went to the Hagley Museum, where the du Pont family started making its millions by manufacturing high-quality black powder for guns. This was Ralph and Ken's favorite (possibly Dad's too; I didn't poll him)--lots of cool 19th century technology. I enjoyed the foreman's home with its middle-class late-1800s furnishings and all the bits of social history along with it, and the river where the mills were.
That night we had dinner at the Wilmington Riverfront at Iron Hill Brewery--great food, service and of course, beer. I am not a beer person and I drank nearly all of my sampler of their delicious blackberry-flavored specialty ale.
Sunday we hit Winterthur--I'd been there twice but we had a great guide through the house, and the natural-style landscaping is always lovely.
Monday we thought we were out of luck for a place to go, but the Brandywine Museum was open, so we enjoyed three generations of Wyeth paintings and other art. I actually liked George Weymouth's work as much as any of the Wyeths.
Naturally, we had to go to the beach (Sarah and I both love the beach, and Mom has a thing for funnel cakes), so we drove 1 1/2 hours there. Ken and I had just been to Rehoboth in May and loved it: cool stores, a short boardwalk but with everything from the necessary funnel cakes to "nostalgia" portrait photography, and a nice beach.
at left: Dave and Sarah at the beach
I rode to the beach with Ralph so we got to talk about some serious stuff, such as why he wants to be a psychiatric nurse (he has 2 semesters of nursing school left, and did his psych rotation last semester). So good to have a real talk in person (and with no 3 year old interrupting)!
The whole vacation was just as good as my best memories of vacations when we were all kids--and in some ways, better. No sibling fights, and no getting stuck on the swan boats (though Ralph and I agreed we should go to Dutch Wonderland again for nostalgia's sake, and take his kids with us.)
We all got to our motel in Wilmington Friday afternoon. That evening we went to Longwood Gardens, which has more amazing and beautiful kinds of plants than I've ever seen. And the Italian Water Garden was pure beauty.
When we got back, Dave and Sarah got out a bottle of champagne and we all toasted their engagement. They've been looking at some beautiful places in the Albany area to have a catered reception, and Sarah has pictures of about nine gowns she wants to try.
Ralph and Dave have not lost their humorous touch. For example, while at Longwood Gardens...
Mom: What's in the Conservatory?
Ralph: Mr Plum with the knife.
Also, the boys decided our new Honda Insight looked like a Transformer, a Decepticon no less (those are the evil Transformers) and gave it an appropriate name: Otakron. (I had just gone to Otakon the previous weekend)
below: Ralph with Otakron
The next day we went to the Hagley Museum, where the du Pont family started making its millions by manufacturing high-quality black powder for guns. This was Ralph and Ken's favorite (possibly Dad's too; I didn't poll him)--lots of cool 19th century technology. I enjoyed the foreman's home with its middle-class late-1800s furnishings and all the bits of social history along with it, and the river where the mills were.
That night we had dinner at the Wilmington Riverfront at Iron Hill Brewery--great food, service and of course, beer. I am not a beer person and I drank nearly all of my sampler of their delicious blackberry-flavored specialty ale.
Sunday we hit Winterthur--I'd been there twice but we had a great guide through the house, and the natural-style landscaping is always lovely.
Monday we thought we were out of luck for a place to go, but the Brandywine Museum was open, so we enjoyed three generations of Wyeth paintings and other art. I actually liked George Weymouth's work as much as any of the Wyeths.
Naturally, we had to go to the beach (Sarah and I both love the beach, and Mom has a thing for funnel cakes), so we drove 1 1/2 hours there. Ken and I had just been to Rehoboth in May and loved it: cool stores, a short boardwalk but with everything from the necessary funnel cakes to "nostalgia" portrait photography, and a nice beach.
at left: Dave and Sarah at the beach
I rode to the beach with Ralph so we got to talk about some serious stuff, such as why he wants to be a psychiatric nurse (he has 2 semesters of nursing school left, and did his psych rotation last semester). So good to have a real talk in person (and with no 3 year old interrupting)!
The whole vacation was just as good as my best memories of vacations when we were all kids--and in some ways, better. No sibling fights, and no getting stuck on the swan boats (though Ralph and I agreed we should go to Dutch Wonderland again for nostalgia's sake, and take his kids with us.)
Sunday, July 17, 2011
I know, it's been a long time...
I'm finally moved into the new work location closer to work that I was supposed to be in last October, and mostly settled in (I still need a phone with a working voicemail system). My commute is now cut in half three days a week (I'm spending at least part of the day twice a week at the old office to pick up mail and bring really complex issues that require bringing binders of papers to my boss). Hurrah!
And I'm commuting sometimes in our NEW CAR!!!
Ken's (formerly his mom's) 17-year-old Honda Accord was having clutch issues and other problems, and Ken's research led him to believe it would need to have new hardware installed to carry a child safety seat properly, and the driving around here is not friendly for a stick-shift. So, we bought a 2011 Honda Insight--we preferred the visibility, braking, and dashboard layout to the Prizm, and we could get a new Insight for the cost of a used Prizm. We're loving it--the handling, the lower mileage, and the marvelous hookup and screen for our iPods. So we have good music wherever we go! Of course, we have friendly debates over who gets the Insight for each weekday morning and who gets the 11 year old Prizm.
Friday night Ken and I enjoyed seeing old friends and enjoying one of our favorite folk bands, Broadside Electric on Friday. They had a couple of new old ballads dusted off and rocked/klezmered/Broadsided out, as well as some old favorites. One had audience members asking what the time signature was. Band members' replies: "Something like 23/8." "9 plus 11 over 8, I think." "We don't even try to figure it out." Lots of British Isles and central European pieces, many of them so danceable I almost got up to pull out some of my international-folkdancing moves, and regret I didn't.
I've worked up my own not-hot salsa recipe. I season it up with onion, garlic, and two cilantro substitutes I found on the Internet: mint and basil. Both of which I have in plenty so yay, I don't have to buy cilantro plants! It's pretty good. Husband likes it too, though he likes more onion than I do. It's great with Food Should Taste Good brand chips (I like Olive with the salsa, Ken prefers Sweet Potato.) And we just got homegrown tomatoes free from a fellow gardener at Quaker meeting, so I will make more soon! Pity I didn't bring some of my oregano to meeting to go with the tomatoes...
Next post: a trip back in time to my New Paltz trip where my brothers and I surprised Mom and Dad for their 25th wedding anniversary!! I hope to nab photos from Sheila and Sarah.
And I'm commuting sometimes in our NEW CAR!!!
Friday night Ken and I enjoyed seeing old friends and enjoying one of our favorite folk bands, Broadside Electric on Friday. They had a couple of new old ballads dusted off and rocked/klezmered/Broadsided out, as well as some old favorites. One had audience members asking what the time signature was. Band members' replies: "Something like 23/8." "9 plus 11 over 8, I think." "We don't even try to figure it out." Lots of British Isles and central European pieces, many of them so danceable I almost got up to pull out some of my international-folkdancing moves, and regret I didn't.
I've worked up my own not-hot salsa recipe. I season it up with onion, garlic, and two cilantro substitutes I found on the Internet: mint and basil. Both of which I have in plenty so yay, I don't have to buy cilantro plants! It's pretty good. Husband likes it too, though he likes more onion than I do. It's great with Food Should Taste Good brand chips (I like Olive with the salsa, Ken prefers Sweet Potato.) And we just got homegrown tomatoes free from a fellow gardener at Quaker meeting, so I will make more soon! Pity I didn't bring some of my oregano to meeting to go with the tomatoes...
Next post: a trip back in time to my New Paltz trip where my brothers and I surprised Mom and Dad for their 25th wedding anniversary!! I hope to nab photos from Sheila and Sarah.
Monday, May 30, 2011
Balticon, or Nerds Taking Over a Hotel and Having Lots of Fun
Tom came up and Fran came down and the four of us went to Balticon, a little north of the actual city of Baltimore.
Things we did:
Wore appropriate T-shirts dealing with Star Trek, Babylon 5 (I'm delighted my "Ivanova quotation" shirt still elicits happy recognition from many fellow B5 fans.
Bought books (duh).
Chatted with up-and-coming webcomic artists including the creators of Snow By Night.
Met a small boy in a crayon-red Dalek costume his parents had made.
Attended lectures on current medical research on depression and on how to analyze a medical-journal article.
Ate homemade pasta at an excellent local Italian restaurant.
Saw gorgeous, grotesque and humorous artwork from paintings of cats (always a beloved subject) to a Rube-Goldberg-like steampunk-style contraption.
Sang along with a professional classical pianist as she played "Desperado," "Piano Man," and "Your Song." We also sang the closing song from Portal (it's a computer game.)
Stuff I did on my own:
Danced Victorian-era dances at the Steampunk ball, older traditional dances as the Medieval Dance, and to contemporary music at the Time Travelers' Ball.
Went to a workshop called "Cthulu in a Hat" where the moderator pulled three random items out of a hat and three authors had to write a story incorporating all three items. For example: a Goth-style bracelet, a bumper sticker, and a stingray (the animal, not the car). Audience members could write too, and later that day we read our stories for the group. Great fun and an excellent creative writing exercise!
Met two highly excitable teenage Hetalia fans, costumed as Hungary and Russia. We had a delightful five minutes talking about the anime together.
Sat in on a live podcast.
Attended a "Needleworkers' Tea" where I saw all kinds of knitting projects in the making, drank tea, ate scones and cucumber sandwiches, admired medieval-style embroidery, and worked on a small quilting project I've been neglecting for about 4 years.
Chatted about cats (and bragged about Ivan, of course) at a late-night party.
Things we did:
Wore appropriate T-shirts dealing with Star Trek, Babylon 5 (I'm delighted my "Ivanova quotation" shirt still elicits happy recognition from many fellow B5 fans.
Bought books (duh).
Chatted with up-and-coming webcomic artists including the creators of Snow By Night.
Met a small boy in a crayon-red Dalek costume his parents had made.
Attended lectures on current medical research on depression and on how to analyze a medical-journal article.
Ate homemade pasta at an excellent local Italian restaurant.
Saw gorgeous, grotesque and humorous artwork from paintings of cats (always a beloved subject) to a Rube-Goldberg-like steampunk-style contraption.
Sang along with a professional classical pianist as she played "Desperado," "Piano Man," and "Your Song." We also sang the closing song from Portal (it's a computer game.)
Stuff I did on my own:
Danced Victorian-era dances at the Steampunk ball, older traditional dances as the Medieval Dance, and to contemporary music at the Time Travelers' Ball.
Went to a workshop called "Cthulu in a Hat" where the moderator pulled three random items out of a hat and three authors had to write a story incorporating all three items. For example: a Goth-style bracelet, a bumper sticker, and a stingray (the animal, not the car). Audience members could write too, and later that day we read our stories for the group. Great fun and an excellent creative writing exercise!
Met two highly excitable teenage Hetalia fans, costumed as Hungary and Russia. We had a delightful five minutes talking about the anime together.
Sat in on a live podcast.
Attended a "Needleworkers' Tea" where I saw all kinds of knitting projects in the making, drank tea, ate scones and cucumber sandwiches, admired medieval-style embroidery, and worked on a small quilting project I've been neglecting for about 4 years.
Chatted about cats (and bragged about Ivan, of course) at a late-night party.
Saturday, April 09, 2011
on open adoptions
Our adoption agency sent out an email of helpful websites that included a wonderful blog by an adoptive mom blogging about her family's experiences with open adoption (theirs is more open than average).
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Infant Care class!
This month's Waiting Parent Support meeting at our adoption agency was infant care class. I couldn't resist. Naturally we both went.
Of course I walked in, saw the baby dolls on the table and squeed, "I was hoping we'd have baby dolls to practice on!"
Yes, I know how to feed and burp and diaper a baby, but I haven't actually done the diapering thing in *years* and there are adoption-specific things to know. Our teacher was great--three hours of infant care and I only looked at the clock three times.
Yes we got to practice. Ken had the baby in "football carry" before the teacher even demonstrated it. And he diapered the baby first, with a newborn Pampers. He did an excellent job. When he was putting on the onesie, I remembered a great trick--"gathering" the fabric of the sleeve in your hand so you don't have to spend forever trying to pull it up on the baby. While they're wiggling.
I wish I'd brought the camera; it was very big deal and heartwarming.
Oh, adoption-specific things? The baby should be held and cared for by the adoptive parents most of the time, so the bonding can start. We've lost all those months a baby hears its mother's (and often father's/other caregiver's voices) and feels the heartbeat while the mom is pregnant. I remember before Sheila was born, Ralph's voice was often the only thing that would keep her from kicking like crazy, so he used to read to her. So, for us, birth, or even a few weeks after depending on the baby's situation, is the first time we get to start that bonding. This doesn't mean grandparents, aunts and uncles and so on won't get to hold the baby--just not for long. (You can do all the cooking and laundry you want, though!)
Other things: we learned some good soothing methods, especially for babies who were drug-exposed, tips on finding a good pediatrician who's experienced with adopted children (there's usually little family history such as allergies and illnesses available), and going ahead with doing a baby registry. Adoption baby showers are done after the baby is born, since one doesn't know how old or big the baby will be and often has a week or less notice between being picked to get a baby and getting the baby.
Each support group class helps me feel the adoption process is going to end in a baby!
Of course I walked in, saw the baby dolls on the table and squeed, "I was hoping we'd have baby dolls to practice on!"
Yes, I know how to feed and burp and diaper a baby, but I haven't actually done the diapering thing in *years* and there are adoption-specific things to know. Our teacher was great--three hours of infant care and I only looked at the clock three times.
Yes we got to practice. Ken had the baby in "football carry" before the teacher even demonstrated it. And he diapered the baby first, with a newborn Pampers. He did an excellent job. When he was putting on the onesie, I remembered a great trick--"gathering" the fabric of the sleeve in your hand so you don't have to spend forever trying to pull it up on the baby. While they're wiggling.
I wish I'd brought the camera; it was very big deal and heartwarming.
Oh, adoption-specific things? The baby should be held and cared for by the adoptive parents most of the time, so the bonding can start. We've lost all those months a baby hears its mother's (and often father's/other caregiver's voices) and feels the heartbeat while the mom is pregnant. I remember before Sheila was born, Ralph's voice was often the only thing that would keep her from kicking like crazy, so he used to read to her. So, for us, birth, or even a few weeks after depending on the baby's situation, is the first time we get to start that bonding. This doesn't mean grandparents, aunts and uncles and so on won't get to hold the baby--just not for long. (You can do all the cooking and laundry you want, though!)
Other things: we learned some good soothing methods, especially for babies who were drug-exposed, tips on finding a good pediatrician who's experienced with adopted children (there's usually little family history such as allergies and illnesses available), and going ahead with doing a baby registry. Adoption baby showers are done after the baby is born, since one doesn't know how old or big the baby will be and often has a week or less notice between being picked to get a baby and getting the baby.
Each support group class helps me feel the adoption process is going to end in a baby!
Friday, March 04, 2011
My Blackberry Is Not Working! - The One Ronnie, Preview - BBC One
One of the advantages of being sick at home is surfing the Web. This one was linked from Ira Flatow's blog on Science Friday, one of my favorite radio programs...
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