HAPPY FRIDAY!!!

TGIF. Seriously. WHY? Well, found out this week my company is destroying our healthcare bennies (seriously, it's a nasty situation), I've had the flu but am somewhat better today, but my supervisor hasn't ever approved my time off for Mon. and Tues. when I was really bad off, so I'm just waiting for the other shoe to drop from Corporate. Pay cuts? No more paid time off? No more rentention bonus? No Flex-spend account (which we really need for next year to get hubby's dental work done)? Gah. They're lame and if they do cut my pay, I'll be looking elsewhere ... even though when I've looked in the past, no one could touch what I make there. *sigh*

The medical field is going to hell in a handbasket PDQ, and much of that is the pork bellies on Capitol Hill. Sadly, I've considered myself a Republican much of my life, but am now going to register as a Democrat -- a Blue Dog Democrat to be more specific. They support the average American, NOT big business, are pro-life, pro-NRA, anti gay marriage (why can't we do like Mexico City and just call them gay unions -- they get the bennies of married heteros ...) ... I'm thinking of getting more involved in politics. WHY? HIPAA was passed to protect our private medical information from being shared with anyone without our permission. Most people in this country don't know that someone like me exists -- I type medical records all day. I have to comply with HIPAA -- I don't share personal information on anyone, give no specifics when requesting help understanding a doctor, and do my best to provide the most accurate record I possibly can.

Sadly, I've always worked for a company who outsources medical records off shore -- our friends in India get to type them so we don't have to stay up all night. This has always bothered me, and one of the main reasons is that HIPAA can't be enforced in other countries. So, our friends in India (and before anyone gets ornery with me, I have nothing against people from other countries) type your medical records and are not legally obligated to keep that information private. That includes your Social Security Number, if your hospital or clinic happens to identify you by that number. Anyone else concerned about this? Our company insists they do keep it private, but who the heck really knows? Our private medical information is over there, floating around. Not only does this bother me, but it bothers me that my credit card company and my cable company has moved their customer service to India as well, meaning my financial information, including SSN and mother's maiden name, are in another country. Why should my information be anywhere but on Ameircan soil, with other Americans protecting it?

The company I originally started working for almost 4 years ago has been swallowed up by another company, and our bennies are getting cut. The smaller company always did outsource off shore, and it didn't bother me quite as much then ... partly because they did it and still made sure we had good bennies and that we were happy, but the big company insists they can't do that. So. My open-heart surgery this year cost me $4500, hitting my out of pocket max for the first time in my LIFE. Had it happened NEXT year, it would have cost over $10K before I hit my OOP max. And for the privilege of owing more than double the debt, my premium would have remained exactly. the. same. Around 85% to 90% of medical transcriptionists are women. Our corporate employees (most of whom are men), however, get to keep our old insurance. Can anyone say discrimination?

Thank heaven for Nestle and their insurance through hubby. Hopefully they don't decide to become idiots like my employers.

Speaking of hubby, I'm completely and totally jealous of my sweet husband, who has dropped like 40 pounds of FAT in about 6 weeks -- going from a tight 40 waist pair of jeans (which i can now wear, blargh), to a size 34 waist (which he looks *tight* in). Go Moe! He's working very hard to win this competition, and I sure hope he does. :)

Today, I have the flu. I have the flu and other bugs a lot these days. The body still isn't happy after open-heart surgery, still feel like an alien force has invaded and cursed me. But life is good anyway. Even when I'm emotional, moody, and sick, my sweet man is still loving and patient with me. Even when I don't deserve it. :) awwww. We're disgustingly happy.

So, I started a blog because I checked up on kipluck and colorchrome and read their blogs one morning instead of working (hey! I logged out of the timeclock first!), and realized I probably need one of my own, where I can be as narcissistic as I like and talk only about me. So I started one. And realized I'm not all that interesting. ha.

I'm 30 years old, happily married, mother of one, step-mother of another one, and content with life as we know it. My surgery earlier this year was to repair something wrong with my left ventricle which I've apparently had my whole life but never knew about until shortly before my 30th birthday. It's all better now, I mostly am back to normal with energy and stamina, but I still do get sick frequently (see above).

I'm a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, otherwise known as the Mormons. Yep, I go to church every Sunday and believe in the Gospel whole-heartedly. If I didn't, I wouldn't be where I am today. I believe the Priesthood was restored through Joseph Smith, and through that Priesthood, I was blessed during my surgery and recovery to be as healthy as I am today, just 4 months later. I believe in the Book of Mormon and other scriptures, including the Bible, and I believe that the Lord has a plan for each of us. Sometimes we get impatient with Him, but if we can convince ourselves to wait for His timing, things turn out often much better than if we'd taken our own shortcuts. Trust me. I'm living proof of this.

Ten years ago, I was engaged to a drunk, and I eventually married him and became a battered wife. I was very rebellious and didn't want to wait on the Lord's timing, and because of that, I placed myself in a very dangerous position with a very stupid man and nearly died. I had a child by him and left when she was just a tiny infant. Then I stayed single and bitter until one day when my brother-in-law decided to hook me up with his friend, the soft-spoken hottie Tongan I'm completely in love with and am now married to. Our wedding was 8 weeks after my surgery. He's been there through all of this with me, and I've never been happier. Following the Lord's plan has given me much more satisfaction and joy than being a rebellious, prideful person. I'm still prideful at times, but try not to be rebellious anymore. That being said, my husband knew we'd get married from our first date. It took me a lot longer to see it.

This is pretty random, but maybe that's because I am. I'll blog more later, but had to get some thoughts down today before I lose my mind. See, I'm a writer and a musician. Without a computer or a piano the last few years, I've become entirely too career focused. If I can write, even if it's just random stuff, or if I can play a piano every day, I'm fine. But now we have a home computer that isn't slower than molasses going uphill in January, so I can write a bit. A piano isn't a possibility. Yet.

ahhh. I feel better now. A bit.

So, this is my new blog. Just had to make one after catching up on Colorchrome's and Kip's this morning instead of working. Yep. I'll post more later, but wanted to check it out now, see how it flies.