I’ve seen both Iron Man 3 and Star Trek Into Darkness on their opening weekends. I saw them at the Regal Cinemas at Gallery Place. I’ll talk more about each movie but first a little about getting into the place.
Both times I saw the films I picked the first show of the day on Sunday. I thought there would be fewer people and for Iron Man I had to meet someone for brunch. Both times I get to the theater about half an hour early. Both times the doors are locked. Now the way the theater is set up it is a very small mall. The box office for the theater in the lobby of the mall. The theater itself is on the third floor.
I don’t understand why the doors were locked. Sunday morning some of the theaters are rented out for church services. When I saw Iron Man I was let in by someone from the church. I then went over to the other side of the building and let someone in. We had looked at each other across the lobby earlier and had both shrugged our shoulders as to why the doors were locked. I think we were both thinking why can’t we get in. The second time I was let in by the security guard. Now sometime after being let in all the doors were unlocked. But again you think half an hour before the movies starts the doors should be open.
One more quick comment. For both movies I saw between 7 and 10 previews lasting close to 20 minutes. First thing how do you remember that many previews. Ask someone the previews they saw and very few people remember one let alone 10.
Now on to the movies.
Iron Man 3
I enjoyed the film. It was fun. Robert Downey has the wise-cracking Tony Stark down. There are some very funny exchanges with a kid, Harley, (Harley tries to ask all sorts of questions the worm hole Stark went through in the Avengers which causes Stark to have a panic attack and well there are a few couple of scenes with this theme) about in Tennessee where Stark has gone to trace down a lead about the evil villain the Mandarin. Turns out the Mandarin is not all that he seems or actually more than he seems. I won’t give away this very interesting twist but will say that Ben Kingsley is very menacing and well funny at the same time.
The final climatic battle scene in the ship yards is nothing sort of spectacular. Make sure you stay until the very end of the movie. Yes that means after all the credits role for another very funny scene. That’s all I’ll say on it. Stay until the end.
I saw the movie in 3-D. It did add to some of the battle scenes but I’m not sure it is totally necessary to see the movie in 3-D.
Star Trek into Darkness
First off I think 3-D really added to the film. Especially when Kirk and Khan are shot from the Enterprise to attempt to board the Vengeance. Very very effective film making here.
It’s not all that easy to tell who the good guys are from the bad guys. Or maybe how bad the bad guys are. There seems to be two levels here.
There is a very funny scene where Kirk, Spock and Uhura are descending to Kronos. Uhura makes a snide remark toward Spock (it seems they’ve been fighting). Says she doesn’t want to talk about and then proceeds to talk about it. She brings Kirk into the discussion as well. What adds to the humor is they have their backs to each other as they man their posts on the ship.
Benedict Cumberbatch plays the evil Khan. Or at least we think he is the evil villain until we find out a little more on what is going on and how he’s been used. Kirk ends up being played by both Star Fleet and Khan.
There is homage to the Wrath of Khan which I will only mention but it is very well done.
In all a really good movie. All the actors are very good. The building of friendship and trust between the characters is wonderful to watch. This is especially true of Kirk and Spock. Highly recommend this one.
I think I’m going to have to see it again.
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Monday, May 20, 2013
More Peanuts and Baseball
I can under stand how Charlie Brown feels.
I have a bad feeling about the way the Nationals have been playing lately.
I have a bad feeling about the way the Nationals have been playing lately.
Updates to the Hospital Bill and Metro
Here's an update on those two posts.
Medical Bill
I called the collection agency a couple of days after I did the post. I essentially did all of the talking.
I explained the series of events regarding payments. My inability to get a bill that accurately reflected the amount of money I owed. I said I didn't think it unreasonable to get that. I said it was ridiculous that not once but twice it took a month for the hospital to cash my check. And that fact made it impossible for me to determine the actual balance owed. I said I wasn't going to over pay the bill because then it would take months to get that money back.
The guy on the other end agreed with just about everything I said. In fact he barely got in a word edgewise with that I had to say. He agreed that overpaying was not the way to go because it would take a while to get that money back. That it was not out of the question to get an itemized statement showing the actual amount owed.
He said he could send one out but that it would be quicker if I called the hospital and asked for one. He gave me the number to call. I called. I left a message for someone to contact me about getting a bill. No response. A couple of days later I called and left another message. No response. I called last week. Have yet to receive an answer.
I did receive an itemized statement last week. One small problem it did not include the payment I made at the start of the month. A big surprise. What was a big surprise is that it only two a few days to cash my check this time instead of a month. I'm going to be sending small random payments each week. This way the hospital can't say they haven't been receiving any payments from me.
And I'll continue to call to see if I can get anyone to call me back about getting an itemized statement. I won't be holding my breath on that one.
Metro
It would have been hard to top the weekend experience I had with Metro but last Tuesday did. I can usually leave my house and get to my office in around half an our give or take a few minutes one way or the other. Last Tuesday I left my house at 8:05 and didn't reach the office until 9:25. It was just a complete and total mess.
It seems there were two problems on the Red Line which of course had an impact on trains going in both directions. While I was waiting on the platform at Rhode Island Ave. in a span of about 10 minutes I say no less than six trains were going in the direction of Glenmont which of course was not the direction I needed to go. In that time frame no trains were going in the direction of Shady Grove the direction I needed to go.
When a train finally pulled in going to Shady Grove it was completely packed. In fact people practically fell out of the train when the doors were opened. I think well maybe when the next one comes along. The next train sign showed the next train in 10 minutes. It was packed. In fact most trains were packed because of the gap in time between them.
I decided I would go up to Fort Totten and then transfer to the Green Line and get to down town that way. But one small catch, by the time I decided to do that, the next train going in that direction wouldn't be arriving for another ten minutes.
Finally, finally trains started running in the direction I needed. One was finally not completely packed and I was able to get on. But we had to stop before each station because there was a train servicing the platform. So Metro went from not enough trains to too many.
What I don't understand is, why one of those six trains going to Glenmont that went by in that 10 minute period, wasn't taken out of service and sent back in the other. this would have been a completely empty train and could have helped ease the congestion. But then again that would be taking into consideration what passengers were going through and what could help them. And that's something Metro rarely seems to do.
Medical Bill
I called the collection agency a couple of days after I did the post. I essentially did all of the talking.
I explained the series of events regarding payments. My inability to get a bill that accurately reflected the amount of money I owed. I said I didn't think it unreasonable to get that. I said it was ridiculous that not once but twice it took a month for the hospital to cash my check. And that fact made it impossible for me to determine the actual balance owed. I said I wasn't going to over pay the bill because then it would take months to get that money back.
The guy on the other end agreed with just about everything I said. In fact he barely got in a word edgewise with that I had to say. He agreed that overpaying was not the way to go because it would take a while to get that money back. That it was not out of the question to get an itemized statement showing the actual amount owed.
He said he could send one out but that it would be quicker if I called the hospital and asked for one. He gave me the number to call. I called. I left a message for someone to contact me about getting a bill. No response. A couple of days later I called and left another message. No response. I called last week. Have yet to receive an answer.
I did receive an itemized statement last week. One small problem it did not include the payment I made at the start of the month. A big surprise. What was a big surprise is that it only two a few days to cash my check this time instead of a month. I'm going to be sending small random payments each week. This way the hospital can't say they haven't been receiving any payments from me.
And I'll continue to call to see if I can get anyone to call me back about getting an itemized statement. I won't be holding my breath on that one.
Metro
It would have been hard to top the weekend experience I had with Metro but last Tuesday did. I can usually leave my house and get to my office in around half an our give or take a few minutes one way or the other. Last Tuesday I left my house at 8:05 and didn't reach the office until 9:25. It was just a complete and total mess.
It seems there were two problems on the Red Line which of course had an impact on trains going in both directions. While I was waiting on the platform at Rhode Island Ave. in a span of about 10 minutes I say no less than six trains were going in the direction of Glenmont which of course was not the direction I needed to go. In that time frame no trains were going in the direction of Shady Grove the direction I needed to go.
When a train finally pulled in going to Shady Grove it was completely packed. In fact people practically fell out of the train when the doors were opened. I think well maybe when the next one comes along. The next train sign showed the next train in 10 minutes. It was packed. In fact most trains were packed because of the gap in time between them.
I decided I would go up to Fort Totten and then transfer to the Green Line and get to down town that way. But one small catch, by the time I decided to do that, the next train going in that direction wouldn't be arriving for another ten minutes.
Finally, finally trains started running in the direction I needed. One was finally not completely packed and I was able to get on. But we had to stop before each station because there was a train servicing the platform. So Metro went from not enough trains to too many.
What I don't understand is, why one of those six trains going to Glenmont that went by in that 10 minute period, wasn't taken out of service and sent back in the other. this would have been a completely empty train and could have helped ease the congestion. But then again that would be taking into consideration what passengers were going through and what could help them. And that's something Metro rarely seems to do.
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Blossoms in the Front Yard
The two roses bushed in my front yard are finally blowing. The red ones will only last a week or so but the yellow ones should be blooming until the weather gets colds. Sometimes that's as late as December! Oh and there are some lilacs too.
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
A Little More of Winter
This are two really cool pictures that my dad took of the snow Springfield had back in April.
Both pictures are of his back yard. What I think makes them so amazing is they almost look like they are in black and white.
Both pictures are of his back yard. What I think makes them so amazing is they almost look like they are in black and white.
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
The Farce of Metro’s Weekend Service
Farce is defined as:
1: a savory stuffing : forcemeat
2: a light dramatic composition marked by broadly satirical comedy and improbable plot
3: the broad humor characteristic of farce
4: an empty or patently ridiculous act, proceeding, or situation
synonyms: caricature, cartoon, mockery, joke, parody, sham, travesty
Related Words
burlesque, comedy; lampoon, takeoff; counterfeit, fake, feigning, forgery, hoax, humbug, knockoff, phony (also phoney), pretense (or pretence), sham, simulation
I’ll take definition 4 to define Metro’s service over the past weekend. And each of the related words could apply to the level of service just as well.
I’ll start off with Friday. I come home from work and notice that there are printed signs on the platform like the one in the picture. I think that’s a good idea. Put up signs telling people work is being done over the weekend and which side of the platform the trains will be running on. Like I said good idea.
Saturday I head out early (a little after 7:30) because I know there is track work to get to the TRX class my gym has which starts at 8:30. I get to the platform and a train comes in. It’s going in the direction of Glenmont. Remember the sign that said all trains were boarding on one side. Well the train to Glenmont pulls it on the other side. So in fact trains are running on both tracks. People were a little confused at first about what was going on but I think most people going in the direction of Glenmont got on this train.
I wish that was the direction I needed to go but it wasn’t. So I got to wait. The next train sign at first said there would be a train in 8 minutes. Then all of a sudden it changed to 20 minutes. The woman near me on the platform asked if that had just changed to 20 minutes. I said it had. She was less than pleased about that. She said she was going to be late. She quickly pulled out here phone and called someone telling them she would be late. Finally the train showed up. Even leaving early I barely made it to my class on time.
After the class, I got my hair cut and ran a couple more errands and then headed back home. Another fun ride on the Metro. I got on at the DuPont Circle stop. The next train signs showed two trains coming. Both of which would stop at the New York Avenue stop. I of course needed a train that would go beyond that point. What I don’t understand is why the train going the direction of Glenmont (the train I needed to be on) couldn’t be listed as well. Why not let people going beyond New York Avenue know how long they would have to wait for a train? I got off at Union Station and waited. In all my commute from DuPont to Rhode Island Ave took over 45 minutes. Normally it should be less than half that time.
On to Sunday. I’m going to the Nats’ game (unfortunately they lost but Teddy did win the president’s race) and again I decided I needed to leave early. In part because of Metro but also because I was getting tickets for the game I’m going to in June with my fellow volunteers from Food and Friends (it worked out really well too because I’m a season ticket holder and I got $4 off each ticket).
Once more on to the platform at Rhode Island Ave. Here’s what I see on the next train sign. As you can see it is really really helpful. All you know is that a train is coming and it will arrive in 2 minutes. Well not exactly. There is finally information posted as to the number of cars (turns out it is 8) where it is going (Shady Grove) and when it will arrive. But is not 2 minutes it is 8 minutes. Here’s a quick question why post the first information when it is wrong.
My next stop was at Gallery Place to transfer to the Green Line to get to Nats’ Park. I get down on the platform and along comes a train. It says special on it. There’s a picture of it below. The little problem with that is it doesn’t say if is this a Green Line or Yellow Line train. I’m glad it’s special but special to which line would be helpful. The next train sign doesn’t help with this; it doesn't say. The doors open and people get on.
Only once people have boarded the train does the train operator come on and say this is a Yellow Line train. It is “special” because it isn’t going to the end of the line (track work on the Yellow Line closed stations this weekend). About half of the people who’ve just gotten on the train get off. They assumed it was a “special” going to the ball park. Wouldn’t it have been simpler as the doors were opening or even before the doors open for the train operator to announce it was a Yellow Line train. Or maybe even a station manager to announce over the loud speaker the special train now on the track is a Yellow Line train.
I was lucky that the friend I went with to the game gave me a ride home or there would be tales from the Metro to relate.
Where to start.
How about just getting the correct information out to people on what’s going on in the Metro system? Great that you posted signs saying which side of the tracks ALL trains would be running. But why put up the sign when that’s not what’s happening. Why post times on the next train sign when that information is incorrect? Why posts time for when the next train is going to be in a station when it’s not going to be there in that time? How can there be a training arriving in 2 minutes, then it’s 8 minutes, then it’s 20 minutes? Why not just leave the next train sign blank until you actually know when a train is going to arrive? I realize that track work needs to be done. That regular Metro riders will have to face this for 4 or more years to come.
But why can’t Metro get the basic information right. Which track the trains are running on and when they will be in the station. This most basic and fundamental information Metro just can’t get right.
And that is the farce of Metro service on the weekend.
1: a savory stuffing : forcemeat
2: a light dramatic composition marked by broadly satirical comedy and improbable plot
3: the broad humor characteristic of farce
4: an empty or patently ridiculous act, proceeding, or situation
synonyms: caricature, cartoon, mockery, joke, parody, sham, travesty
Related Words
burlesque, comedy; lampoon, takeoff; counterfeit, fake, feigning, forgery, hoax, humbug, knockoff, phony (also phoney), pretense (or pretence), sham, simulation
I’ll take definition 4 to define Metro’s service over the past weekend. And each of the related words could apply to the level of service just as well.
I’ll start off with Friday. I come home from work and notice that there are printed signs on the platform like the one in the picture. I think that’s a good idea. Put up signs telling people work is being done over the weekend and which side of the platform the trains will be running on. Like I said good idea.
Saturday I head out early (a little after 7:30) because I know there is track work to get to the TRX class my gym has which starts at 8:30. I get to the platform and a train comes in. It’s going in the direction of Glenmont. Remember the sign that said all trains were boarding on one side. Well the train to Glenmont pulls it on the other side. So in fact trains are running on both tracks. People were a little confused at first about what was going on but I think most people going in the direction of Glenmont got on this train.
I wish that was the direction I needed to go but it wasn’t. So I got to wait. The next train sign at first said there would be a train in 8 minutes. Then all of a sudden it changed to 20 minutes. The woman near me on the platform asked if that had just changed to 20 minutes. I said it had. She was less than pleased about that. She said she was going to be late. She quickly pulled out here phone and called someone telling them she would be late. Finally the train showed up. Even leaving early I barely made it to my class on time.
After the class, I got my hair cut and ran a couple more errands and then headed back home. Another fun ride on the Metro. I got on at the DuPont Circle stop. The next train signs showed two trains coming. Both of which would stop at the New York Avenue stop. I of course needed a train that would go beyond that point. What I don’t understand is why the train going the direction of Glenmont (the train I needed to be on) couldn’t be listed as well. Why not let people going beyond New York Avenue know how long they would have to wait for a train? I got off at Union Station and waited. In all my commute from DuPont to Rhode Island Ave took over 45 minutes. Normally it should be less than half that time.
On to Sunday. I’m going to the Nats’ game (unfortunately they lost but Teddy did win the president’s race) and again I decided I needed to leave early. In part because of Metro but also because I was getting tickets for the game I’m going to in June with my fellow volunteers from Food and Friends (it worked out really well too because I’m a season ticket holder and I got $4 off each ticket).
Once more on to the platform at Rhode Island Ave. Here’s what I see on the next train sign. As you can see it is really really helpful. All you know is that a train is coming and it will arrive in 2 minutes. Well not exactly. There is finally information posted as to the number of cars (turns out it is 8) where it is going (Shady Grove) and when it will arrive. But is not 2 minutes it is 8 minutes. Here’s a quick question why post the first information when it is wrong.
My next stop was at Gallery Place to transfer to the Green Line to get to Nats’ Park. I get down on the platform and along comes a train. It says special on it. There’s a picture of it below. The little problem with that is it doesn’t say if is this a Green Line or Yellow Line train. I’m glad it’s special but special to which line would be helpful. The next train sign doesn’t help with this; it doesn't say. The doors open and people get on.
Only once people have boarded the train does the train operator come on and say this is a Yellow Line train. It is “special” because it isn’t going to the end of the line (track work on the Yellow Line closed stations this weekend). About half of the people who’ve just gotten on the train get off. They assumed it was a “special” going to the ball park. Wouldn’t it have been simpler as the doors were opening or even before the doors open for the train operator to announce it was a Yellow Line train. Or maybe even a station manager to announce over the loud speaker the special train now on the track is a Yellow Line train.
I was lucky that the friend I went with to the game gave me a ride home or there would be tales from the Metro to relate.
Where to start.
How about just getting the correct information out to people on what’s going on in the Metro system? Great that you posted signs saying which side of the tracks ALL trains would be running. But why put up the sign when that’s not what’s happening. Why post times on the next train sign when that information is incorrect? Why posts time for when the next train is going to be in a station when it’s not going to be there in that time? How can there be a training arriving in 2 minutes, then it’s 8 minutes, then it’s 20 minutes? Why not just leave the next train sign blank until you actually know when a train is going to arrive? I realize that track work needs to be done. That regular Metro riders will have to face this for 4 or more years to come.
But why can’t Metro get the basic information right. Which track the trains are running on and when they will be in the station. This most basic and fundamental information Metro just can’t get right.
And that is the farce of Metro service on the weekend.
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Back to the Nationals
As always a couple presidents stopped by.
Monday, May 06, 2013
The Saga of Paying the Hospital Bill
And it is an interesting story. I will start out by saying that I have not paid the full amount of the bill. This bill is for the scan I got back at the end of December when it was thought I might have an appendicitis. So I still owe money for that but well here’s the tale.
I think this best sums up what’s been happening with my attempts to pay the bill. So I’ll start in the present and then go back over what’s been happened.
Saturday in the mail I got a letter from what I guess is the collection agency for the hospital. The letter was in pink. Get it in pink to show it was a past due amount. It said their records didn’t reflect any recent payments which is true but that would be because I hadn’t received a bill. There was a contact number where I called and left a message.
This morning I wrote out a check not for the whole amount but for a good part of it. I went to put the check along with the payment stub into the provided envelope. One little problem the payment stub was too big to fit into the envelope. It was too wide so I folded it. I tried again to put it into the envelope and again it was too big. This time the statement was too high. So I got to practice my origami skills in attempting to fit the payment stub into the envelope.
That sums up how easy it is to pay the bill.
So now we go back to the start of this little saga.
I decided I would use the money in my health flexible spending account to pay for part of the bill. I had around $370 or so left in it. It was actually a weird amount because I’d used it to pay for part of my gum graft. I filled out the payment form put in the credit card information and mailed it off. I got the bill the next month and the payment had not been credited to my account. I decided I’d try again.
I have no idea why this never went through but I was a month off in my payment schedule because of this. Now with the flexible spending account once the hospital process the payment the company handling the account comes along and says please provide a receipt of what this payment is for. Well I waited and waited and waited and finally got contacted by the flex spending company. But it was a long time.
Along comes the next bill and I make another payment. I figure in like three more months I’ll have this all paid off. Hah! Along comes the next bill and there the amount owed hasn’t changed. I’m thinking did another payment disappear into the ether? I did a little research. No, the bill didn't disappear; it took the hospital four weeks to cash the check. Four weeks.
Now I need to add what makes the "bills" from the hospital so very very special. In just about any other bill that I have ever received ever the bill is set up along these lines. At the top of the statement is a line that shows the previous balance. There is then a section where payments are listed. There the date the company received the payment, there might be some information on what type of payment like a credit card or a check, and then there is the amount of the payment. The last line of the statement is current balance or amount owed something along those lines.
Well this hospital doesn’t do their "bills" that way at all. On their bills there is one line that says payments. It shows the total amount of payments to date. It doesn’t break down when those payments were received or how much the payments were. So in order to figure out if a payment has been credited you need to have the previous bill to compare the two. It baffles me why this would in any way shape or form be called a “bill.”
But it gets even better.
If you need what passes as an actual bill that lists all the dates and amount of payments you can call up the hospital and request something called an itemized statement. In other words what every one else would call a bill. The itemized statement lists all the charges and then lists payments made by date and shows the remaining balance. The kicker on this statement is there is no payment address provided. Because as I was told this isn't a bill so why would you be sending in a payment. Yes indeed why would you.
Like I said on Saturday, I put a call into the service that was mentioned in the letter. I left a message. I have yet to hear back from them. Tomorrow I'm going to call and make arrangements with them on paying the rest of the bill. I have to say I'm looking forward to the conversation because someone is going to get an earful from me.
I think this best sums up what’s been happening with my attempts to pay the bill. So I’ll start in the present and then go back over what’s been happened.
Saturday in the mail I got a letter from what I guess is the collection agency for the hospital. The letter was in pink. Get it in pink to show it was a past due amount. It said their records didn’t reflect any recent payments which is true but that would be because I hadn’t received a bill. There was a contact number where I called and left a message.
This morning I wrote out a check not for the whole amount but for a good part of it. I went to put the check along with the payment stub into the provided envelope. One little problem the payment stub was too big to fit into the envelope. It was too wide so I folded it. I tried again to put it into the envelope and again it was too big. This time the statement was too high. So I got to practice my origami skills in attempting to fit the payment stub into the envelope.
That sums up how easy it is to pay the bill.
So now we go back to the start of this little saga.
I decided I would use the money in my health flexible spending account to pay for part of the bill. I had around $370 or so left in it. It was actually a weird amount because I’d used it to pay for part of my gum graft. I filled out the payment form put in the credit card information and mailed it off. I got the bill the next month and the payment had not been credited to my account. I decided I’d try again.
I have no idea why this never went through but I was a month off in my payment schedule because of this. Now with the flexible spending account once the hospital process the payment the company handling the account comes along and says please provide a receipt of what this payment is for. Well I waited and waited and waited and finally got contacted by the flex spending company. But it was a long time.
Along comes the next bill and I make another payment. I figure in like three more months I’ll have this all paid off. Hah! Along comes the next bill and there the amount owed hasn’t changed. I’m thinking did another payment disappear into the ether? I did a little research. No, the bill didn't disappear; it took the hospital four weeks to cash the check. Four weeks.
Now I need to add what makes the "bills" from the hospital so very very special. In just about any other bill that I have ever received ever the bill is set up along these lines. At the top of the statement is a line that shows the previous balance. There is then a section where payments are listed. There the date the company received the payment, there might be some information on what type of payment like a credit card or a check, and then there is the amount of the payment. The last line of the statement is current balance or amount owed something along those lines.
Well this hospital doesn’t do their "bills" that way at all. On their bills there is one line that says payments. It shows the total amount of payments to date. It doesn’t break down when those payments were received or how much the payments were. So in order to figure out if a payment has been credited you need to have the previous bill to compare the two. It baffles me why this would in any way shape or form be called a “bill.”
But it gets even better.
If you need what passes as an actual bill that lists all the dates and amount of payments you can call up the hospital and request something called an itemized statement. In other words what every one else would call a bill. The itemized statement lists all the charges and then lists payments made by date and shows the remaining balance. The kicker on this statement is there is no payment address provided. Because as I was told this isn't a bill so why would you be sending in a payment. Yes indeed why would you.
Like I said on Saturday, I put a call into the service that was mentioned in the letter. I left a message. I have yet to hear back from them. Tomorrow I'm going to call and make arrangements with them on paying the rest of the bill. I have to say I'm looking forward to the conversation because someone is going to get an earful from me.
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