Auld Lang Syne

Today is the last day of 2014. Although it has been a good year for my family, it has not been a good one for the world in general. Countries are fighting and threatening each other. Political leaders have put rifts into our nation that will take years to repair. I hope that tonight they will spend a moment to reflect on what they did wrong and what they can do next year to make things better. It is hard enough when countries are at war, but even harder when a nation's people are battling amongst themselves.

Life's Menu

There are two types of menus. One is "have it your way" and the other is "no substitutions". We can't always have it our way and sometimes we need to adhere to no substitutions. We have a patient that lives in a foreign country and my boss wants him to relocate here for a few months for treatment. She wants him to get an F-1 Visa so he can stay as a student. First you need to be accepted into a college, then get an I-20 certificate then an F-1 Visa. Those are the rules, no substitutions. The problem is that the patient is 17 years old with no high school diploma. How can he be accepted into college if he has dropped out of high school? She thinks that he can take one college class and be considered a college student and qualify for the visa. She thinks she can have it her way, but every school says there are no substitutions. I could have told her the answer before I called three colleges, but I have learned over the years to make the calls, get people's names and blame the answer on them.

Winter Break

This week is winter break for teachers and students. The rest of the world will go about business as usual. The only good part will be that there is less traffic on the morning commute. I hope the world will calm down and regroup so that 2015 will be better than 2014.

Snapshot

We live life as if we are in a video. There is constant movement and it is not easy to rewind. If we want to see a situation clearly, we need to separate it into snapshots. Time needs to stand still so we can soak in every nuance. The events that have taken place in New York for the past few weeks happened in fast forward mode. In order to see the truth, we need to stop the motion and scrutinize the still picture. When a whole is fragmented into pieces, each piece holds importance. As I read articles on the internet, I see the pictures that accompany them and then I can make my decision as to how I really feel. This morning I saw the picture of hundreds of police officers turning their backs on the mayor of New York as he spoke at a funeral. They were not only NY officers. I can tell from the uniforms. They were police and troopers from all over the country. What other people saw as disrespect, I saw as unity.

Bill Me

On the ride home yesterday, every few miles the traffic slowed down. I did not know why, but it slowed then went back to normal. I realized why when I got to my neighborhood. It was mall traffic. Everyone was out returning gifts. The same gifts that the "giver" put hours of thought into. Every "giver" made a list and went to the stores and shopped for days, in order to have the perfect present for each person. They bought it and wrapped it and presented it with a smile. The "recipient" then had to look pleased, as if this was the gift of a lifetime. All the while they were creating a strategy of attack in their head, as to which stores they would go to first, to return the gifts. Not many people are happy with what they get. Wrong color, wrong size and mostly wrong choice. People should just buy what they want and send out bills.

Ask A Two Year Old

I spent the best day ever with my granddaughter. She is beautiful and sweet and smart. The sparkle in her eyes could light up a street. For Christmas, she received a leappad from her uncle. Even though she is only two years old, she understood how to use it. She navigated through the options like a pro. When she did not understand the next step she asked for help. I showed her once and she was able to continue playing. She drew pictures, changed colors, sent emoticon and word messages. She had more computer knowledge at two than I had in college. I used to think it was hard saying goodbye to my son and daughter in law after my Christmas visit. Now it is even harder saying goodbye to my little blond haired beauty.

By Name

We have reached a milestone. My granddaughter now  knows us by name. We saw her last week for her birthday and when we arrived at her house last night for Christmas Eve she ran to us calling"Grandma" and "Poppy".  We only see her  a few times a year so she was always prompted to say our names. This time she did it by recognition. It was the best feeling. She even asked where her little cousin was.  I have two grandchildren. One I see daily and the other about five times a year. Until now, Skype was hard as she was more interested in hitting the keyboard than focusing on me. Yesterday was a game changer. The best gift I received was being called grandma.

Two Lands

Tonight is Christmas Eve. I am heading back to Massachusetts. It will be like heading out of an inferno into a paradise. The tone of New York in the past few weeks has been sickening, to say the least. Holiday spirit is shot, no pun intended. Most New Yorkers have a cloud over their head that even Santa Claus cannot remove. Groups of people now gather to riot instead of carol. Singing  words of peace have been replaced with chanting words of hate. I will enter Interstate 95 from the land of chaos and exit it in the land of calm. I wish everyone could follow me.

Small Things

Yesterday was one of the best birthdays I can remember. Nothing big happened, but it was all of the small things grouped together that made the day so special. Everyone that I love called to say happy birthday. My parents sang to me. When I got to work there was a balloon hanging from my chair. Someone bought me a $1 Happy Birthday glass that I will use every day. My staff treated me to lunch. I came home to a bouquet of flowers on my dining room table. I received pictures of my grandson in his new metal pedal car, showing the happiest baby ever. My sister made me  the best chicken wrap for dinner. Better than any restaurant. I topped off the day with a large Carvel sundae, loaded with hot fudge. If you string all of the events together, they equal love and happiness. All of the money in the world cannot buy that.

Happy Birthday

Today is my birthday. I have to think about how old I am. It is not a milestone birthday. The older I get, the less important the day is. Every day is equal if I get out of bed and stand on my own two feet. I did the math and came to the conclusion that I am 59 years old. I think.

RIP NYPD Officers

I spent most of yesterday afternoon crying. I cried for two men I never met, but knew well. I cried for two senseless deaths that were fueled by our city's leaders. I cried for two families that will never see their sons again. Things must change and the change must come from our so called leaders. When you vote a politician into office, he is supposed to represent all, not just some. The mayor turned his back on his police officers for the last few weeks and last night as he entered Woodhull Hospital to "console" the grieving families, his officers turned their backs on him. I hope he felt the shame and disgrace that all NYPD and police force families felt as he berated and betrayed our city's finest for doing their jobs. He stirred the pot of prejudice and allowed a professional agitator to sit among the city leaders. He allowed protesters to chant a hate mantra of, "What do we want..dead cops. When do we want it ..now", at a rally last week. Was that freedom of speech or was it a future plan? We now have the answer. Mr. de Blasio ( real name Warren Wilhelm) has blood on his hands that will never wash away. He incited the sparks that grew into an inferno. Two innocent men paid the price for his lack of leadership. He does not have the skill to run New York. He showed us this in the past few weeks. I hope that he never has a peaceful nights sleep again. When he closes his eyes to rest, I hope he has the faces of Officer Liu and Officer Ramos etched in his mind forever. Do the right thing, Warren and resign. You owe the NYPD nothing less.

Time Flew

Last night flew by. I went to my family for a Hanukkah dinner and before I knew it, five hours had passed. Those five hours were packed full of good food, great company and more laughs than I had in a long time. When you have a good mix of people, the minutes race by. If one of the group did not have work the next morning, we would probably still be sitting around the dining room table.

Up Code

I have been a medical biller for 24 years. When I receive an explanation of benefits from my own doctors, I tend to make sure the code is correct. I received an EOB the other day for when my husband needed medical clearance for a cataract surgery. The doctor billed the insurance company $500 and coded it as a consultation. I did not have to pay a copay, but I was annoyed that the doctor's office billed that way. I called to question it. They got a bit nasty and said it was correct. I had the coding book in front of me and I said it was not correct. He did not receive that high of a level of services. They used the code for a new patient or a patient who had not been seen by the doctor in over a year and needed a comprehensive exam. He sees the doctor every 6 months. All they did was do an EKG, which was charged for separately, and take his blood pressure. They will not change the code and resubmit, but at least they now know not to do that to me again.

Don't Hire friends

My boss has learned the hard way to never hire a friend. Years ago we had our website built by the husband of one of our doctors. He did a good job for a while and then slacked off. After years of frustration, we decided to do the site by ourselves. The only problem is that he has to release the website from his online accounts. He has failed to do this. We have called him and emailed him. The web hosting company has done the same. No response. We are at the point of suing him. I told my boss that she has been too nice. We still have business dealings with his wife. I would have threatened to end them immediately if he did not comply with our request. She is afraid to do that. Being nice got her nowhere.

Cheese

On the New York Thruway there are brand new service areas. They are like mini food malls. When we stopped at one on Sunday, we saw a new type of restaurant. It was called Cheese Man. It was everything cheese. All types of mac and cheese and grilled cheese paninis. It looked like it would be delicious. I got mac and cheese. My husband got a grilled chicken and cheese panini. My daughter in law got both as she was sharing with the baby. It tasted ok. A bit disappointing. The next day everyone but me felt sick.  I guess too much cheese is not good for everyone. Next time we will stick to McDonald's.

Party Time

Today is our annual office party. Same food, same people, same conversation. I will be the hostess, as usual, as no one really takes the initiative. That's alright because I would rather do things my way. It is an 11 year routine that I have down pat. The new employees will have the best time, as everything that is done for the first time seems better.

Back Home

We are home again until next week when we return to New England. The drive was fast and smooth. The baby never made a sound for hours. I am now back to my regular work routine. The only missing link is Shelby. We will pick him up later and we will be whole again.

In Person

This weekend I got to spend time with my granddaughter in person. While pictures are great, you do not really know someone until they are with you in real life. I got to see that her skin is like a porcelain doll. I got to hear her tiny voice when she says, "Help please". I got to see that her eyes are a beautiful blue and her blond hair is silky soft. I learned things about her, like the fact that she hates the sound of a vacuum cleaner and that she loves parmesan cheese on her pasta, just like her mother. She has the energy of a fireball and the personality of a sprite. I will be back here in 10 days. I can't wait to learn more.

Sheer Joy

Last night I saw sheer joy. My granddaughter was opening a few of her birthday gifts. Today at her party she will open the rest. Last year she was more interested in ripping the wrapping paper. This year she was more interested in what was inside the boxes. She opened a big box from my other son and daughter in law and waited for her father to take out the gift. As he lifted it out, her eyes opened wide. It was a pink Radio Flyer tricycle. All of a sudden she started jumping up and down squealing and clapping her hands. I have never seen a child more excited. It was as if she wanted this bike all of her life and here it was. She sat on it the rest of the night and when it was bedtime, she cried as it was put away. We did not capture her reaction on video as we never thought it would be so intense. I will have the picture of her sheer joy in my mind forever.

12/12

Today is my granddaughter's 2nd birthday. We are heading up to Massachusetts to celebrate with her. All of us except one. My son, her uncle, was denied the day off because of the NYC protesters. When will it end? Millions of dollars spent proving nothing. If the protesters had jobs, they would be occupied doing them, instead of walking around the city causing millions of dollars of overtime. They protest the police, while putting money in their pockets. About $1000 a day per officer is being spent to control crowds that walk aimlessly. Let's do the math. If every officer loses his 2 days off for a month controlling these crowds, they earn an extra $8000. If the protesters used their brains, they would stay home. They are accomplishing nothing but ruining my family weekend. We will do Face Time to try to include my son in her birthday party. It is not like being there, but at least it is something.

Behind The Scenes

People think that things magically happen behind the scenes. Meals "get made". Laundry "gets done". Holiday parties "are planned". Every year my office has a holiday party. My bookkeeper and I plan it, make sure all the foods are brought in and set the room up the morning of the party. This year someone had the bright idea of holding a meeting during the first hour of the party, in the party room. How do they think the room will be set up? Where do they think the tables and chairs will go? Where do we put the food when it arrives? I decided that the food will be dumped on the front office counter and when it is party time, people can get it themselves and sit wherever they want. Maybe then they will realize that a lot happens behind the scenes.

Forcing The Issue

Yesterday was a Nor'Easter. A heavy rain and wind storm that caused flooding. Many of my office's patients are elderly and do not drive well in a storm, so when it rains they cancel their appointments. My boss hates that since money is lost for the day. She told me to coax them into coming. Tell them that the rain was not so bad. Tell them that everyone else was coming. Make them feel guilty about cancelling their appointments. I heard what she wanted me to do but I would not do it. When each patient called to cancel, I told them that their safety was the most important thing and that it was fine that they were staying home. I will not compromise my ethics for someone else's greed.

Honesty

Last night I went for an evaluation for physical therapy. I went to a neighborhood place called STARS. I have wonderful benefits and my doctor recommended 2-3 times a week. I have been feeling better and almost cancelled the appointment. At the evaluation, I was asked to move in many different ways. I was asked to stretch and pull. After doing all of this, the physical therapist made his suggestions. He suggested that I do not need his services and if I do a few simple exercises at home each day, I would heal as quickly as if I came to him. I did not expect to hear that, but I was very happy. If he told me to have the therapy I would have. He was an honest guy and I thank him for that.

Parenting

At what age do we stop worrying about our children? When they are a) in college b) married c) have their own children d) retired e) none of the above. The correct answer is "e". None of the above. As long as we are the parent and they are they children, the worrying will never end. It will only change. We are no longer concerned about toilet training or good grades or their popularity. The main worries remain the same forever. Health, safety and happiness.

Empty

I was out all day yesterday and no one else was. I went to Walmart  twice and the store was empty. I went to Stop and Shop and again, empty. I moved on to Sears and no one was their either. I ate at Red Lobster and had the restaurant almost to myself. Either the rain or the economy kept people at home.

Picture Perfect

Yesterday I had the pleasure of accompanying my daughter in law and grandson to have his holiday pictures taken. The studio was filled with many parents and children. Everyone was beautifully dressed and each parent looked so proud. The appointment ran exactly on time and my grandson behaved like a good little boy. He smiled and posed and had a good time. The only problem was choosing the best picture. I remember doing this one time with my own sons. One was cranky and one got a fever as we waited and had bright red cheeks for the pictures. This time the experience was better.

Mo Money

Thanks Reverend Al. Because of your rallies against the police, you are putting money in their pockets. Each day, police officers are mandated to stay for a second shift. They are losing their days off. All of this is being done at an overtime rate. The city is spending $22 million dollars a week to cater to your nonsense. This is a perfect time of year for this, with the upcoming holiday season. If people only realized how much your "activism" demonstration is costing the city, they would be astonished. As Patrick Lynch said, "When you resist arrest, tragedy follows". I am sorry for the family that lost their loved one, but sometimes we are a catalyst in our own destiny.

You Reap

There is an old saying from the Bible that you reap what you sow. For some reason, we are forgetting that and blaming a bad crop for the seeds that were not sowed. If I light a match and burn down my house, is the match to blame? If I drive while intoxicated and hit a tree, is the tree at fault? If I put on a blindfold and hit my finger while trying to hammer a nail, is the nail wrong? Of course these examples seem silly. Let me give you two more. If I rob a convenience store, fight to take away an officer's gun, punch him in the face and charge at him, is it his fault that I am killed? If I sell something illegally, argue with the police, resist arrest and fight with officers 1/2 my size, thrashing myself around while knowing I have health conditions, is the officer to blame if I die? That is what America is facing this week. The bottom line is not race. It is being a criminal and having no respect for authority. If each man would have been calm and let the officer do his job, they would be alive today. I take offense to our politicians who vilify the law and praise the criminal. Shame on them. These officers did not look at color. They looked at behavior. Stop the protests and go home and teach your children respect and honesty.

A Cadillac

Today my husband is going to get a "Cadillac". That is our family's way of referring to a cataract. He has always had 20/20 vision but since last year his vision has become cloudy. This morning he will have one eye done and in a few weeks he will have the other one. I was blessed with great hearing but my glasses are as thick as bottlecaps. Thank heaven for contact lenses. My wish would  be to have cataracts and then I could have the surgery and never have to wear glasses or lenses again. Maybe one day.

PT

After two months, two doctors and two MRI's, a decision has been made. I need to go to physical therapy. I said this all along. My neurologist said that I should go 2-3 times a week. Most people would think this is a nuisance. I think it will be relaxing. On the Rx for the therapy,I saw the words massage, heat and exercise. The trifecta of relaxation. I have no idea how long each session is but even if I have a half hour being massaged with heat, it is a win win situation. I will refer to it as "going to the spa". I hope they won't mind me wearing sunglasses and a terrycloth robe. 

Tests

I am up with the birds. I have another MRI this morning. I have no idea what the doctor is looking for. Maybe a sunken pirate ship. I am doing this before work as I do not want to waste a sick day. After this, there should be no more tests. No matter what it shows, I am going to ignore the findings and go about business as usual. That is the best form of medicine for me.