Updated the travel section on the wedding site, if you want
some information that's not on there yet, please let me know!

Awww so cute!

Thanks mom!

Thanks. I also changed it here so it's correct for anyone who uses relho for their Christmas cards.

Yes, mom. I do. I will e-mail it to you.

Fall Fun

Does anyone have Tena's new address. The one here is still Pesotum.

Yes, in Peoria. I believe it starts at 7.

Opening a discussion on Christmas again: Do we want to have a gift exchange for the kids like we do for the adults? Or do we want to have all families give a gift to each child? Or something in between? Or whatever each person wants to do?

AO, what time and is it in Peoria?

esSO - I sent you an e-mail to your g-mail account. just sad news.

what happened in Mt. Pulaski last night?

V, there is a Peoria Riverman game Nov. 11th. Are you interested in going and watching hockey? PS - I think Matto also might like going.

Thank you Grandma Sandy for the new book and CD. I love to look at all of the pictures of the animals and try to feel them. They look so REAL!

Surgeries are scheduled, right eye will be done on November 8th, left on December 6th. It'll be nice to see clearly again! I knew that they needed improvement, but once you realize how bad they've gotten, it's annoying.

If you have someone you had last year or are otherwise
displeased with the gift exchange list please contact
someone
else and exchange names. I'm limiting my time on the
computer
until I get the cataract taken care of and I don't want to
spend it redoing the gift list. Veronica has opted out. If
anyone else has changed their mind call me and I'll tell you
who has your name and you can contact them with the names of
people you were assigned to give to them.

Envelope was half ripped upon arrival, so there were definitely some google eyes missing. Loved the package all the same. We opened it when we returned from Pocatello and a 2nd place finish for the Bozeman Marching Band. Hometown show tonight...will record and post!

if you need extra googly eyes, there are always some in the roomba or underneath the craft cabinet, or in the dryer lint trap, or stuck to the bottom of my foot when ascending the stairs at night.

also, how did matto get larry schroth's tickets for the stripe game?

Haha! And if you find a green googly-eye Nicolas' monster is missing one. Thanks for making this scavenger hunt Payton!

I think I got Thomas's bookmark. At least it says Thomas on it. I'll send it on to him. I have some other stuff to send too.

Hmmmm if Thomas didn't get a
bookmark did he get something
else? Payton and I thought we
sent him one.

We received the pictures and the items Payton made. Daniela had to point out to Thomas that he didn't get a book mark. Then this morning I had to laugh because I explained to Nicolas what they were for and he said,"but I don't know how to read."

The big question is what flavor cupcakes were smeared. Clint Eastwood told me it says a lot about a man...

> Someone smeared cupcakes on a man’s vehicle parked on Baxter Lane. It was not the first time this happened, the vehicle owner said.

38 burpees this morning. I really need to stop skipping my burpees.

Not my jersey, I can only dream...

Sold the Ford Ranger aka my first vehicle. I was offered a tandem paraglide trip for it, but I took the cash instead.

As for the appointment yesterday, the doctor decide to "throw medicine at it".

If that's anything like the time she offered to watch my ice cream cone, she's going to eat your baby. Just sayin'

Good news, Rita. Lorra said she can watch Kamden while we run the race on Sat. morning. She's looking forward to seeing you guys!

here's what the internet told me:

HIPAA does not prevent your doctor from sharing your information with your insurer. In fact, it has a rule explicitly allowing such sharing without your consent, as both entities are considered authorized under HIPAA. It does, however, prevent the insurer and doctor from sharing your health information with your employer.

HIPAA also limits the price difference for smokers to 20% of the employee premium in any group plan, and this difference is only allowed if a wellness program is instated allowing the smokers to cover the cost of smoking-cessation programs (but not requiring they succeed in quitting). This rule is true of any "health factor".

And if your insurance company, or any third party hired by them, is collecting your personally identifiable health information, HIPAA requires that information be transmitted encrypted, all entities be authenticated, and all data be corroborated. Anyone wishing to host such systems is required to document their security systems and perform risk analysis to meet government compliance audits. In comparison, transmission and storage of your credit card information is regulated by the credit card companies themselves.

doctor appointment at 4 today.

Just when I was feeling fit and young again....Frankie is taking the PSAT/NMSQT today.

I think I'm qualified to be a health coach, what with my AO-fit training and all.

Well, Frank stated my objection better than I could have. I know what the doctor's privacy policy is and what his/her credentials are. I don't know what a "health coach" has been trained to do. I don't know the data retention or security policy of the database. AND they cannot guarantee that my health information will not be used in the future to preclude me from job offers (since our health is tied to our jobs). Insurance companies have already set a precedent for doubling the cost of insurance for smokers, what is to keep them from having a different rate based on your illness? In extreme terms, we could possibly end up one day with a "perfect" blond-haired, blue-eyed society.

As for unions, the ones we have in my office are for the hourly workers. But, as Frank points out the professionals have to jump ship every few years to get a raise. That is bad for the company and the individual. (especially if there is a pre-existing condition to deal with for the health-insurance transfer - ha!).

minor errata: the penalty for not getting the blood draw (sorry, the discount for getting the totally voluntary blood draw) is $50/month.

My objection to this is twofold: first, the heavy-handed carrot/stick approach to this is thinly veiled. Even those who oppose it are unwilling to pay the $50/month price to defy the insurance company's wishes. Second, this is a violation of the employees' HIPAA privacy. By participating in a voluntary program we consent to releasing health information that should be held as confidential between a patient and their doctor.


My thoughts on the union issue are as follows, a major perq the union can offer white collar workers is a relative pay grade for senior staff. It is often the casse in the white collar world that raises to not keep pace with increasing starting salaries. I was given the advice, by a senior faculty member in Logan, to forget long-term commitment to a single institution, but rather to jump ship every five years. He had taught and researched at that school for 35 years, and he pointed to the new faculty members acrosss the room and observed to me that every one of them was paid more than he. Whatever one's opinion is on the value of tenure and retention, one should acknowlege that there is some value to the institution in having long-term commitment and institional memory. For what it's worth.

Arrival (HOU): November 21, 11:14 AM CST (morning)
Departure (HOU): November 25, 6:44 PM CST (evening)