Thursday, January 20, 2011

A Day of Contrasts

After a day of holding my feverish youngest who wouldn't let me put him down to get any housework done, my house is cleaner than it has been for a while.

Hmmmm.....

Former trip to the doctor:
Call doctor with feverish toddler yanking on ears.
Get appt. for the next afternoon with a PA (if you're lucky)
30 minute drive to clinic.
Arrive at clinic.
Sit in waiting room for 30 minutes.
Summoned by nurse.
Cursory check by nurse.
Wait for PA approx 15 minutes up to 45 minutes.
Cursory check, write scrip.
Stop to pay. Argue about submitting to insurance. Leave without paying.
Drop scrip. Go home. Make dinner.
Go back for scrip.Wait for ten more minutes. Told they only have enough for two days.
Two days later, go back. Wait for 30 minutes.
Six months later, receive bill from doctor's office for $120.

OR: Drive to Walk-in clinic, wait 45 minutes. See a nurse practitioner. Get scrip. Pay her $62. Have it filled at clinic. Wait 45 minutes. Pay $30.

Today:
Call clinic at 4PM. Told to come in. Now.
Drive 1.5 minutes to clinic.
Five minute wait while filling out paperwork.
Nurse. Cursory check. Leaves.
Enter doctor.
Checks ears. Writes scrip.
Check out. $55.
Drop scrip at pharmacy next door.
Five minute wait. $5.

*****


Recycling before the move:
Pay company $5 every other month.
Throw recycling into provided container and place at curbside every Monday.


Recycling now:
First, list of recyclables is so ridiculously confusing I'm flummoxed as to how anyone knows what can and can not be recycled.
Separate recyclables.
Drive to recycling center.
Which is only open twice a week.
Two hours at a time.
get out of nice warm car.
Place separated recyclables into individual containers which are only labeled slightly better than if they were in Chinese. (For instance, if we are supposed to separate green and clear soda bottles, why is there no demarcation on the containers of which goes where? And why are the #2 milk containers across the lot from the other #2 plastics.)

Get back in car.
Restore warmth to fingers.
Cost: numb fingers and bruised thumb.

Apparently I'm only as green as curbside pickup.

5 comments:

Sr. Citizen said...

City/Boro: Choices: Warm fingers- really sick kid Or Quick fix on kid and cold fingers.

I'm guessing you will get more sleep tonight with cold fingers. They warm up, achie kids never shut up.

Anyway it's to far to move back to Hot Trash Heaven.

Now, on with some life threating problems, where the heck did Mrs. hide my coffee cup this afternoon. New pot all brewed and to hot to drink with a glass and straw. OOOO Wooooo at the Berg.

Sr.

Mrs. D said...

Had no idea you had to separate the green and clear plastics. Huh. When I first started recycling I was so nervous because all the cars are packed in there waiting for you to hurry and get done so more cars can pull in. All the while you have no idea what goes where and why it goes there.

Do you keep lids on? Do you not recycle plastic #5's? Where do the freaking newspapers go? Not to mention the recycles taking over the entire garage now just waiting for a 2 hour window. Recycling has actually taken years off my life.

Chaos-Jamie said...

I think that those of you who were here when recycling first started got less details than they give out now. Now they give tons of details, but don't provide the containers to follow through.

And regarding your cardboard resolution, from what I can tell from the list, all they take is corrugated. I need to find someone in the know so I can throw all my cereal boxes away.

(Take the lids off, they don't do #5s, and come over and check my list so you can be as flummoxed as I am. But less guilty.)

Senior Citizen said...

Cardboard (any kind) West side. Newspapers NW corner.

Need help deciding: look for smiling tired and cold helper. Just stand around looking lost or get a walking stick and they show up trying to be kind to old folks of any age. Sr.

MotherT said...

Here in our little town, they charge us to recycle. So, guess what?? Everything goes into the trash.