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Sicko thoughts

Last night I got the opportunity to see Sicko for free - apparently as a member of a “who’s who” of local progressive activists and bloggers. I’m not going to post a highly detailed review of Sicko. Other people can and will do that, and I dropped out of grad school for a reason. I just want to post a few of my thoughts on it, with the preface that everyone should go see it.

I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with Michael Moore films. I generally enjoy them and agree with them but feel kind of cheap for only seeing one (very strong) viewpoint. But this movie was mostly an appeal to emotions, and they’re emotions I agree with and can definitely relate to. A while back, Katie posted on her blog about the mounting medical bills we have because we’re having a baby. We have “good” insurance, but we’re paying out our ears in stuff our “good” insurance doesn’t cover. We probably get about five new bills a week. I know we didn’t get both perspectives from watching this movie, but I’m not sure there is or should be another perspective on those mounting bills.

So Sicko was about us. Moore made a point to say that the movie wasn’t about people without insurance. It was about how the “good” insurance that is supposed to help us when we need it is not good at all. The movie was about how insurance companies are neither our friends nor our allies. Indeed, the movie was about how insurance companies do their jobs best when they don’t do their jobs at all. They are the most successful when they collect their premiums and don’t help me.

And they are being successful with us right now. We are doing something as basic as having a baby. For crying out loud, this is basic. Don’t most people have kids these days? Why do we pay so much for insurance that won’t cover this basic, basic thing.

I just don’t get our system. Why do we do this to ourselves? Why? I understand the concept of capitalism and how much it helps us, but if you were sitting in front of a blank screen and had to draw up our medical system, would you do it this way? Would you say “Well, we know we have doctors on one side and people on the other. Why don’t we have this company in the middle to make a profit?” Let me say it again: insurance companies aren’t there to help us. They’re there to help themselves. And we don’t need them!

I know this is going to sound basic, but this is how I see it. All of us are going to need some level of healthcare over our lives. Most people have kids; kids get sick and need shots. Most people get old and get diabetes or other diseases. Most people will get into the occasional wreck and possibly get hurt. Most people will develop allergies or break an arm or get a sinus infection. Most people at some point will need healthcare. So why must we all pay so much for corporations in the middle to make profits off of this need?

As Moore said in the film, why do we pay for some things everyone needs - police, fire departments, the fcc, for crying out loud - but not other things we all need? We all need healthcare. Why can’t it be a right?

Can’t we all admit there are better ways to do it? Can’t we admit there is a better way to live?

Random neighbor question

Say you have a neighbor who is out of town for a while - a month or more - and they left garbage (not smelly) in their garbage cans beside their house - and garbage beside the garbage cans - would it be rude to put their garbage by the street for them?

Would it be weird?

Information overload!

Or at least “word overload.”

I read way too slowly to get in all the stuff I need to before the baby is born.

*sigh*

Being Mr. Tech Guy

In college, I had a job creating ethernet patch cables. Basically, I took bulk Cat 5 cables and attached RJ45 connectors to them, in whatever size necessary.

Based on that experience, I volunteered to connect the lan in our new office, thus saving us money on not hiring someone else to do what I could very well do myself.

So yeah. Anybody know how to tell if I’ve got Crossed or Straight cables? Anybody?

Better her than me

I mean, um, you’re doing a great job, honey!

I just read that the baby is growing at about “a pound and half an inch each week from now until delivery day.” Whoa!

Are you lookin’ at me?

I’m addicted to this Colin Hay (of Men at Work fame) song, “Are You Lookin’ at Me?”

I haven’t downloaded it yet because I know I’d overplay it, but I wonder what the rest of the album sounds like. There’s something about this song that I find extremely compelling.

Random thoughts about “step” parenting

If you think about it, the “step” in “step-parent” is nominal only. “Step-parent” is really a noun, not a verb; if I’m doing my job at home, I’m not step-parenting the kids, I’m parenting them.

But there obviously has to be some distinction. While I do parent the kids, that doesn’t make me their parent. Still, I wish there were some title that sounded less like I’m “half” of something.

After all, I’m sure there are plenty of parents out there who do less parenting than most step-parents.

And, too, I entered my relationship with the kids in the middle. I didn’t choose to parent “children” like I choose to parent Charlotte. But I did choose Henry, Jane, and Elliot.

Sometimes it feels like step-parenting is parenting without all of the privileges and recognition. It’ll be interesting to see how my role in the family changes as I become not only H, J, and E’s step-father but also the father to their little sister.

A post about nothing

I feel like I should blog about something, but I’m not exactly sure what. Lately, I’ve noticed that I am feeling the most like blogging during the one point when I’m furthest from my computer, which probably says something. And I’ve always heard that you shouldn’t blog because you feel like you need to but because you want to. Well, I want to, I’m just not very interesting right now.

I spent today playing with my new operating system, which I’m sure no one is interested in hearing about. Other than that, I did business stuff and got started hanging blinds at our new office. But that’s not particularly interesting.

My mind has been occupied with about three things today: linux, moving, and Katie & the kids. The first two topics are boring, and the third is too personal/vague.

So there you go. A post about nothing.

Linux - a geek thread

So I installed Linux on my computer last week. It was a slow day at the office; I had been wanting to do it for years, so I just jumped right in and did it.

The initial install took less time than an XP install, but it wasn’t all easy, and I had to get help from a friend to get the resolution right on my screen. Even with all the experience he has, it still took the better part of three hours. Wireless was another challenge. And I’m still trying to figure out how this OS works. I keep having to remind myself that while Linux looks similar to Windows, it’s a completely different OS with different, but equally legitimate, ways of doing things.

But I love it. It’s a nice, crisp system. It just feels good. There are far fewer security issues than in Windows - no need for an antivirus program, for instance. And my computer seems to run better in Linux - now that the screen resolution problem is fixed, for instance, everything just looks better than in Windows. Plus, Linux is free and it’s not Microsoft.

But I keep wondering “why?” Why do I have this OS on my computer? Yes, I’ve always wanted it. Yes it’s fun and appeals to the geek in me (and memory is cheap). Really, the whole computer runs so well that I’m considering migrating my parents’ horribly slow computer (it’s a lemon; there’s a chance it’ll work better in Linux for them, too). But I can’t use Linux all of the time. This computer is mine, but I use it as my work computer, too, and the programs I have on it for the office are (grumble grumble) for Windows only; they’re expensive, platform-specific proprietary programs that rely on things like Internet Explorer, which I’ve long loathed.

So while I’m having a blast, I keep wondering about the long-term value. I’m sure there’s a way to get those programs working in Linux, but I’m not sure I’d want to risk it. Maybe I’ll just keep it as dual boot and stay on task more at the office. I don’t know.

I guess there’s no hurry in figuring it out.

How things have changed in a year!

A few minutes ago, E and a friend ran out the door shouting “we’re off to the forbidden forest!” The forbidden forest, of course, is the kudzu patch behind the house. The boys have found the only way to kill kudzu short of buying goats - human feet. It’s quite impressive, really.

A year ago, I remember meeting up with Katie and the kids at a free Disc Exchange show (Time Lee? Scott Miller?). We hadn’t been dating long, and my experience with kids was mostly limited to trying to remember my childhood. Immediately on arriving at the store that night, Katie left me in charge of the kids while she ran and got some pizza.

“Wait, I’m in charge???”

I had no clue what to do. I figured a 14 year old could handle himself, but E and J? Unsure of what to do, I followed them around the store at what I supposed to be a reasonable distance. Katie got back probably twenty minutes later and rescued me with a laugh.

So yeah, go play in the kudzu. Just don’t take the machete!

Being a SAHD

Today I’m being stay-at-home-dad to Katie and the kids. Although the kids are old enough not to need my full attention, I’m still finding that I’m spending most of my time driving to and fro, fixing food, doing laundry, dishes, etc, instead of what I’d like to do on my day off.

It gives me a newfound respect for stay-at-home parents. But I still think I’d like to give it a try!