I'm a bit incensed at the minute. Like many folks, I have allergy and hayfever problems and I need to take drugs to be able to breathe. In England, I could get my allergy medicine over the counter, not having to pay for a doctor's visit (oh, wait, I didn't have to pay for a doctor's visit anyway!) or worry about getting a prescription. A month's worth of the medicine cost me about $40 a month.
Welcome back to the US. Yesterday, I paid a doctor $30 to see me for 5 minutes (after waiting nearly 2 hours) and then had to pay over $70 for a month's worth of the exact same medicine. AND I HAVE INSURANCE. This is absolutely ridiculous.
I know the National Health Service in England isn't perfect, but it's a far sight better than what we have here.
Friday, August 24, 2007
Monday, August 13, 2007
Vacation
My word, what a week!
In case I had forgotten my American roots, I had a crash-course reminder this week. Guy's been visiting the US for a couple of weeks now, and made the midwest a stop on his tour. He arrived about ten days ago and spent a couple of days here with me. We didn't do much--went to church, travelled to Cape and went to Lambert's in Sikeston. Oh, and I dragged him to a clergy picnic, poor chap. On Tuesday of last week, we got up early and headed north toward Mom and Dad's. We made a couple of stops along the way--Johnson's Shut-Ins and Elephant Rocks. We then slowly made our way across Missouri, generally avoiding the Interstate. About 9 hours after we left, we finally arrived. We spent that evening in, but that was the last rest we got for a few days. Wednesday, I showed him around where I grew up, where I went to school, and some of the local places of interest. That took about half a day. We spent the afternoon around Sedalia, doing some shopping for him, got some coffee and played on a high speed internet connection while we could (Mom and Dad's connection has gotten better, but it wasn't as fast as we were used to). That night, we went to Campmeeting, a rural American phenomenon, really. It was hot, but the sermon was good, so on the whole, Wednesday was good.
Thursday, we took in America's pastime and drove to Kansas City for a Royals baseball game. It was an afternoon start, so we roasted for several hours. Most of us came away a lovely shade of red--some pinker than others. I realized how much I had missed baseball. It's such a fun sport to take in live. That night we came home and were so beat we didn't want to do anything else. So we stayed in and played cards (a tradition we started on Tuesday night, actually). It was fun spending time with family again. I missed those hours, sitting around a table, playing a 'meaningless' game of cards--it isn't about the game, but about the time we share together. More families should do this.
Friday we finally made it to the Missouri State Fair. Woohoo! It was hot. Again. But it was fun to be back at the fair. We ate all the things you're supposed to eat at the fair. Took in the pig races, a horse show, and finished the day at the Rodeo. An exhausting, but fun day.
Saturday, Guy and I said good-bye to the folks and headed to Nashville. That night, we had tickets to a football game--Titans v Redskins. The fans were rude. The game a general bore. The prices ridiculous ($20 to park in a gravel lot). I'll agree with Guy, probably my least favorite aspect of the trip. While baseball might be best enjoyed in person, football is best watched on TV--fewer drunken idiots and I can find something else to do between plays.
Sunday, I was tired, so we stayed in the hotel and had a lazy morning. Just after noon, we went to The Hermitage, Andrew Jackson's home. It was cool. A bit pricey at $15 each. But now I can say I've been. We then went to a minor league baseball game, where Guy finally got to see a home run!
Dropped Guy off at the airport this morning and drove back for a meeting at 1:00 this afternoon.
All in all a good vacation. I enjoyed reconnecting with those quintessential American things like baseball and the fair and the rodeo and even some presidential history. Now that I'm back at work, I'll finally get some rest! It's been exhausting, but fun.
And it was good to see Guy again. I hope he enjoyed his time in the US. He certainly experienced the wide-range of experiences this country has to offer. I don't think we scared him off too badly. Perhaps he'll visit again sometime.
And now we settle in.
In case I had forgotten my American roots, I had a crash-course reminder this week. Guy's been visiting the US for a couple of weeks now, and made the midwest a stop on his tour. He arrived about ten days ago and spent a couple of days here with me. We didn't do much--went to church, travelled to Cape and went to Lambert's in Sikeston. Oh, and I dragged him to a clergy picnic, poor chap. On Tuesday of last week, we got up early and headed north toward Mom and Dad's. We made a couple of stops along the way--Johnson's Shut-Ins and Elephant Rocks. We then slowly made our way across Missouri, generally avoiding the Interstate. About 9 hours after we left, we finally arrived. We spent that evening in, but that was the last rest we got for a few days. Wednesday, I showed him around where I grew up, where I went to school, and some of the local places of interest. That took about half a day. We spent the afternoon around Sedalia, doing some shopping for him, got some coffee and played on a high speed internet connection while we could (Mom and Dad's connection has gotten better, but it wasn't as fast as we were used to). That night, we went to Campmeeting, a rural American phenomenon, really. It was hot, but the sermon was good, so on the whole, Wednesday was good.
Thursday, we took in America's pastime and drove to Kansas City for a Royals baseball game. It was an afternoon start, so we roasted for several hours. Most of us came away a lovely shade of red--some pinker than others. I realized how much I had missed baseball. It's such a fun sport to take in live. That night we came home and were so beat we didn't want to do anything else. So we stayed in and played cards (a tradition we started on Tuesday night, actually). It was fun spending time with family again. I missed those hours, sitting around a table, playing a 'meaningless' game of cards--it isn't about the game, but about the time we share together. More families should do this.
Friday we finally made it to the Missouri State Fair. Woohoo! It was hot. Again. But it was fun to be back at the fair. We ate all the things you're supposed to eat at the fair. Took in the pig races, a horse show, and finished the day at the Rodeo. An exhausting, but fun day.
Saturday, Guy and I said good-bye to the folks and headed to Nashville. That night, we had tickets to a football game--Titans v Redskins. The fans were rude. The game a general bore. The prices ridiculous ($20 to park in a gravel lot). I'll agree with Guy, probably my least favorite aspect of the trip. While baseball might be best enjoyed in person, football is best watched on TV--fewer drunken idiots and I can find something else to do between plays.
Sunday, I was tired, so we stayed in the hotel and had a lazy morning. Just after noon, we went to The Hermitage, Andrew Jackson's home. It was cool. A bit pricey at $15 each. But now I can say I've been. We then went to a minor league baseball game, where Guy finally got to see a home run!
Dropped Guy off at the airport this morning and drove back for a meeting at 1:00 this afternoon.
All in all a good vacation. I enjoyed reconnecting with those quintessential American things like baseball and the fair and the rodeo and even some presidential history. Now that I'm back at work, I'll finally get some rest! It's been exhausting, but fun.
And it was good to see Guy again. I hope he enjoyed his time in the US. He certainly experienced the wide-range of experiences this country has to offer. I don't think we scared him off too badly. Perhaps he'll visit again sometime.
And now we settle in.
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