TABT - HuskieBear Edition

[Ty21]

1 hour ago, HuskieBear said:

just give us time

Ironically already feeling it settle in. Had a weird conversation with someone whose perspective matters to me and said things I didn’t really appreciate and how I’m processing it is unlike how I process when I’m not going through seasonal depression. In for another long winter lol 

[Sugashane]

Football season finally ended. Had a last game after the championship game against a really good school, their population being about 3 times what ours is.

Lost by 6, but kids fought hard as hell. Just didn't have enough subs to contend with them, especially in the trenches. We were leading at the end of the 3rd, they scored a long run within 20 seconds and ended up getting 2 TDs to our 1 in the 4th. Great game, other coach led both teams on prayer and a lot of talking after the game. Crowd was cheering for both teams. Great environment. 

Both my kids were sleeping before we got 5 miles out of town. Then we went to my brother's for a cookout and then watched my Alma mater win by 3 TDs tonight. Couldn't ask for a much better day, hope you all had as good of one.

[dll2000]

On 10/12/2024 at 10:59 PM, Sugashane said:

Football season finally ended. Had a last game after the championship game against a really good school, their population being about 3 times what ours is.

Lost by 6, but kids fought hard as hell. Just didn't have enough subs to contend with them, especially in the trenches. We were leading at the end of the 3rd, they scored a long run within 20 seconds and ended up getting 2 TDs to our 1 in the 4th. Great game, other coach led both teams on prayer and a lot of talking after the game. Crowd was cheering for both teams. Great environment. 

Both my kids were sleeping before we got 5 miles out of town. Then we went to my brother's for a cookout and then watched my Alma mater win by 3 TDs tonight. Couldn't ask for a much better day, hope you all had as good of one.

That is a really good day.

My best overall sports year was amazing.  1985.  Bears best year ever obviously. I don't need to rehash that. 

But my older brothers (2 of them) HS team won state championship in IL and so many of their friends on team were like older brothers to me.   My youth team went undefeated and won league championship and I had biggest hit of the year on a kickoff return tackle in playoffs taking out their best RB.  I got mobbed by my teammates as they all came off the bench and were jumping around.  

Michael Jordan was in his 2nd year for Bulls and was balling (he is Michael Jordan) and Air Jordans came out (I didn't get a pair for several years yet).

As a coach I won (I think) 6 championships.  I would have to really go back and think about it to be sure how many.  We came in 2nd a bunch of times too.  But those were mostly for those kids and those parents.  Those games meant more to them than it did to me.   To me the game was more like a human chess or gaming.  I did really appreciate the relationships I got from it.  Still talk to a lot of those people and go to weddings and funerals and what not.

 

 

[dll2000]

Man. Reverse mortgages seem to leave a lot of wreckage behind on poor or middle class families.  

Don’t do them unless you really have no choice.  I think there are probably better options if you need cash.   A home equity loan if possible is way better. Even running up a credit card is better. 

Kind of like a payday or car title loan.  They just never seem to work out well. 

I get it people are like the house is mine. I can do what I want.  But it seems a selfish and short sited act in most anecdotal cases I see.   I get that isn’t every circumstance. 

I kinda think they should be illegal.

[BEAR FACE DOWN ARROW]

1 hour ago, dll2000 said:

Man. Reverse mortgages seem to leave a lot of wreckage behind on poor or middle class families.  

Don’t do them unless you really have no choice.  I think there are probably better options if you need cash.   A home equity loan if possible is way better. Even running up a credit card is better. 

Kind of like a payday or car title loan.  They just never seem to work out well. 

I get it people are like the house is mine. I can do what I want.  But it seems a selfish and short sited act in most anecdotal cases I see.   I get that isn’t every circumstance. 

I kinda think they should be illegal.

It's interesting to hear you say that.  I've always thought there was a sharky element to those.  Seem to prey on people in dire straights. Old people who are worried etc.  It's maddening how quickly something like spending a week in the hospital can completely derail someones financial life.  My kid spent a week in the hosptial in 2020 and it was like 55k, and medical costs seem to have gone up nearly by half since then.  Madness. 

One thing that's gotten lost in the insanity of our current political climate is how out dated the govt response is to modern financial systems and technology.  The CFPB is the right idea I think but not nearly comprehensive enough. It's a boring polticial issue so no one bothers talking about it. 

If we're making things illegal lets launch the credit reporting agencies into the sun.  Also the way we pay our taxes is needlessly byzantine.  In other countries it's a ******* automatic process.  Ours will never change as long as the tax prep lobby has their way.  That is a MASSIVE industry that literally serves no purpose except to perpetuate itself. 

 

Aaaaanyway.... 

 

 

[dll2000]

23 minutes ago, BEAR FACE DOWN ARROW said:

It's interesting to hear you say that.  I've always thought there was a sharky element to those.  Seem to prey on people in dire straights. Old people who are worried etc.  It's maddening how quickly something like spending a week in the hospital can completely derail someones financial life.  My kid spent a week in the hosptial in 2020 and it was like 55k, and medical costs seem to have gone up nearly by half since then.  Madness. 

One thing that's gotten lost in the insanity of our current political climate is how out dated the govt response is to modern financial systems and technology.  The CFPB is the right idea I think but not nearly comprehensive enough. It's a boring polticial issue so no one bothers talking about it. 

If we're making things illegal lets launch the credit reporting agencies into the sun.  Also the way we pay our taxes is needlessly byzantine.  In other countries it's a ******* automatic process.  Ours will never change as long as the tax prep lobby has their way.  That is a MASSIVE industry that literally serves no purpose except to perpetuate itself. 

 

Aaaaanyway.... 

 

 

Crazy how much medical care is and how scary getting sick or hurt is.  Why I don't do so many things or take few risks by playing sports or what not in my older age.  

I haven't even worked out since last Wed. because I tweaked my back a little.   I can't risk being out of commission because I can't miss too many paychecks.  

I never go to doctor unless I am in dire straights.  Largely because I am too cheap to pay for a visit and I am usually better in a week or so anyway.   Everytime I go it is like we need labs and we need this and we need that.   Ends up being like 2 or 3k for a minor thing I just wanted a basic prescription for.   

But those people make a lot of money and their equipment costs a lot.  The buildings cost a lot.  The staff costs a lot.  Everyone has to be paid.  

I don't know what good answer is there.  If you make it 'free' it really isn't free.  You are just changing who is paying for it and they will eventually ration who gets what as it becomes necessary.  

Selfishly, I don't like how we are kind of piggy bank for worlds healthcare advances.  Most of research and profits are all here.  And everyone else just piggybanks on it or steals it.   We even contribute most to charity that helps it.

We pay $100 a pill for a something you can get in another country for like a $1.

 

 

[BEAR FACE DOWN ARROW]

1 hour ago, dll2000 said:

Crazy how much medical care is and how scary getting sick or hurt is.  Why I don't do so many things or take few risks by playing sports or what not in my older age.  

I haven't even worked out since last Wed. because I tweaked my back a little.   I can't risk being out of commission because I can't miss too many paychecks.  

I never go to doctor unless I am in dire straights.  Largely because I am too cheap to pay for a visit and I am usually better in a week or so anyway.   Everytime I go it is like we need labs and we need this and we need that.   Ends up being like 2 or 3k for a minor thing I just wanted a basic prescription for.   

But those people make a lot of money and their equipment costs a lot.  The buildings cost a lot.  The staff costs a lot.  Everyone has to be paid.  

I don't know what good answer is there.  If you make it 'free' it really isn't free.  You are just changing who is paying for it and they will eventually ration who gets what as it becomes necessary.  

Selfishly, I don't like how we are kind of piggy bank for worlds healthcare advances.  Most of research and profits are all here.  And everyone else just piggybanks on it or steals it.   We even contribute most to charity that helps it.

We pay $100 a pill for a something you can get in another country for like a $1.

 

 

Part of the reason that we're paying so much is because eventually we're all paying for it anyway.  Only country in the world that subsidizes insurers with taxpayer money.  Uninsured bills eventually get paid, but only after like 3 different levels of bureaucracy have their hands on it. 

Then you've got private equity involved.  There is no benefit to this arrangement except to the funds and firms.  I have a lot of clients in finance, and it seems like every year more of them are in healthcare finance.  These are huge orgs that literally add nothing to healthcare that couldn't be provided by other funding sources, but they are also hugely profitable no matter what the end result is for the actual healthcare providers.   My inlaws have a place in western IL where the nearest hospital is like 40 min away now.  One of their neighbors jokes about how it as his company is the capital company that closed down the two nearest hospitals. Hyuk! Thanks pal! Hope it's not your grandkids that bust their leg jumping off a dock. 

I think maybe in the 80s the myth that the nationalized systems provided worse care might have been true, but our standard of care has gotten way worse in the last couple decades. The pandemic accelerated that as the working conditions for everybody in the industry got way worse. Took my kids in for their shots today and the Dr was saying (I hear this every time) that it's really difficult to get nurses and office staff as nobody wants to work that hard for what their system pays.  Nurses and cleanup seem to have it especialyl tough, and I feel like nurses especially are often the heroes. My nephew had a week where he was getting sicker and slower and no one at the office or urgent care could figure it out.  Finally one old nurse who usually did ER stuff called an emergency ambluance and rode down to Luries with him, all in a massive hurry yelling orders and rushing.  Turns out he had a nasty flu that triggered latent diabetes and he was probably minutes-to-hours away from a diabetic coma.  Nurses are the best. 

I'm also bad at taking care of my medical health,  just for the hassle factor.  Too busy all spring and summer and then in fall I get busy with kid stuff, and also every single day I have an appt the wind is always up for windsurfing.  Backs suck. Designed on a friday afternoon or something.  I am religious about stretching mine, and OK at keeping up with exercise like rowing to keep it strong.  I have a couple sections of spine that are trying to fuse so I do my best to **** up their plans. 

When I was in SE Asia it was crazy how easy it was to get stuff done. Like a pharmacist will take one look at you and just give you the antibiotics you need (yes I know there are big problems with that)  Every time I get sick here I have to go in like three times before they give in.  My whole house had strep two years ago, and everyone but my tested positive so everyone but me gets drugs.  I get worse and worse until I literally was having some kind of feverish seizure and my wife called and yelled at them.  Same exact thing happened last year nd got same answer.  I hate to admit this, but I just went online to a telehealth service and pretty much proscribed myself a z pak and was better in like a day. 

We were on vacation in Canada this summer and I ended up talking to a Dr on a beach for a while.  He was Italian and thought the Canadian system was so bad compared to home, but when asked to compare it to the US he rattled off all kinds of statistics on life expectancy and infant mortality etc and thought the US sounded terriftying. He was some kind of traveling consultant Dr. and suggested we get dual citizenship in the EU stat.  Yikes. I think my question is "how are you liking the island" so not sure how we got onto that subject.  No idea why but I always end up getting way more info than expected-often more than wanted-when I get to chatting with people.  Must be a midwest thing. 

[dll2000]

I don't even think to ask for antibiotics anymore they are such a pain about it.  

Havent in at least a decade.

I have been to doctor twice in probably a decade and I turn 50 this year.

I have had gout since I was in early 20s and each time I got it seems they have rediagnose me.  So we have to do labs to prove it.  Which cost a fortune.

But I need prescriptions for flare ups or they last forever.  So everytime I run out I have to go back and go through it all again.  

What should be a routine visit ends up costing me 3k.