Venting...

I generally try to stay away from griping about work. The past few weeks have me wanting to break that rule. It is not just the fact that we are so busy, some of the things that I see go on make me shake my head in disgust. Unfortunately, my head has been shaking for 2 weeks straight. For about 2 weeks now, we have been averaging more than 450 prescriptions a day during the week. That may not sound like much, so let me break it down a little better. If we fill 480 prescriptions on one day, and we are open 12 hours (9-9) then we average 40 prescriptions an hour. That is less than 2 minutes to fill each prescription. If there is an insurance problem, or a question for the doctor, do you think either of those will take less than 2 minutes to fix? Do you see how the process could get backed up? I could go on and on about how many we fill and the time needed and the drive thru, but I just want to talk about a phone call I had today. On Saturday, a young lady brought us a prescription and her insurance card and said she would be calling to find out the price. The prescription was for Nuvaring (it is a vaginal ring used for birth control-birth control pills without the pills). She called back today to get the price. I had to do some work to get her insurance to work which involved my calling the insurance to get the correct info to bill the prescription. When I had fixed the problem, I called her back to tell her what her copay would be. After her insurance paid their part, her copay was $45 for the Nuvaring. She was surprised by this and told her mother (who was in the background) how much the copay was. Her mother took the phone from her and said "Are you kidding me? They said the price without insurance was $60! Are you telling me that the insurance is not going to pay any more than that to give my sexually active daughter birth control so she does not get pregnant? (to her daughter) Well you are just going to have to hold it, because I do not have that kind of money," click. Since I did not get much of a chance to reply, I have been thinking of some of the things I could have said to her to try and help her with her terrible predicament:

1. This is the good answer, the one I really would have said, had she given me the chance. "If your daughter is able to take birth control in tablet form, there are two that I could recommend to you that would be $9 per month whether you have insurance or not."
2. Now for the answers that the lady made me WISH I could say. "Since your daughter obviously is not responsible enough to remember to take a pill everyday, should she really be having sex?"
3. Two words: Chastity belt
4. Well you might want to find out what the copay is for Valtrex (herpes med) because it sounds like you will be needing it soon and it is really expensive.
5. Since Wal-Mart sells Plan-B for about $35, you could use it afterwards and save $10! (Yeah, that one is kind of harsh)
6. I understand your frustration with the insurance, it is ridiculous for them to make you pay more for a prescription just because there are cheaper alternatives that work just as well, but with less convenience.
7. Did you know that some insurances do not cover birth control at all? Man those moms and dads are REALLY up a creek! How could an insurance not keep ITS responsibility to make sure your sexually active daughter does not get pregnant?

Like I said, I do not like griping because I tend to get on rants. It just does not sit well with me sometimes that I am the fall guy for insurances, doctors, stupid kids, you name it and for some reason someone is chewing me out and hanging up on me. Sorry to be venting like this but I could not let that one go.

Remembering Dad's Toyota

The past few weeks have caused me to think about the pickup my Dad had while I was in middle and high school. It was a Toyota with a little diesel engine and a camper on it. Dad always took care of it (often changed the oil himself) and I think it had somewhere in the neighborhood of 170,000 miles on it when he got rid of it. The reason I have thought of it recently is because of the slick roads and the fact that I had to get new tires on Amber's car. We took that truck up to Kansas City more than once for vacations. Jami and I would ride in the back and other than the noise, it was not that bad. There are many stories that I vividly remember with that pickup. This one I will call "The Snake."

When I was in high school and my first two years of college, I did lawncare and a few odd jobs to make money. One time a lady from church asked if I could come out to her place to mow down weeds, weed-eat around the house and do some general cleanup. I thought it sounded cool to me and I must have made arrangements with Dad because I took his truck. The first thing that should have tipped me off was the location of the house. She lived out by herself, miles away from just about anything. When I got there, she said she had some trash in barrels that she wanted me to load in the truck and take to a different spot on her property to dump. When I say trash, I mean the partially charred remains of trash that has been burned and left out in the elements, and when I say barrels I mean large metal barrels that have rusted through in spots enough to create holes. Well, I went ahead and started loading the trash in the truck until I started to hear a noise. The noise sounded like a rattle and I caught a glimpse of a snake in one of the barrels. I was not sure what kind of snake I was dealing with, but the rattle kind of concerned me. When I told the woman about it, she decided to burn the trash some more to either kill the snake or drive it out of the barrels. So she lit the stuff on top on fire and after a short time it burned out. After the smoldering was done, I had to go through the remaining half-burned, half-wet mess that was left. I sifted through the trash and then loaded up the truck with it. When I say loaded the truck, I mean loaded. There was not too much room left in the camper once I had all the trash in the back. Now that we were loaded up, she and I got in the truck to take the stuff to the dumpsite. The problem was that it was on another part of her property, so there were no roads, really not even a path. The toyota was a great little truck, but it was not a 4 wheel drive. Also, at the time I was using it, dad was just about ready to get rid of it. It had 160,000+ miles on it and the rear wheels (the drive wheels) had 110,000+ miles on them. The back tires were slick to say the least and we are getting ready to go "off-roading". We got stuck less than 100 yards from the house before we even made it out of the "yard". Then things really got weird. Since we were not near anything or anyone, we had to wait on a "neighbor" to come pull the truck out. While we waited we had bologna and mayo sandwiches, oh man it was a feast. About an hour later the neighbors pulled the truck out and we were on our way again. Surprisingly, we did not get stuck again. Once we made it to the dumpsite (which was just a ravine in the middle of a pasture) I started to pull all the trash out of the back of the truck. I had almost everything out when I caught a glimpse of the snake in the back of the truck. Somehow, I had loaded the snake in with the other trash and it was still alive and now in the truck. He decided to coil up in the one of the front corners of the truck bed and I was frustrated enough to start throwing large rocks into the bed at him. That did nothing but make a bunch of noise. I pulled just about everything out of the truck and we headed back to the house. The lady said she had something at the house that she could take care of the snake with. When we got back to the house, she came out with insect killer in a spray bottle. She opened the windows on the side of the camper and started spraying the snake with insect killer. The snake almost seemed to smile at that and just sat there blowing bubbles in the spray. I finally was done with the whole thing and told her that I would go home, take care of the snake, and come back tomorrow to mow. On the way home I left the back of the truck open in the hopes that the snake would just find his way out the back. For awhile, it looked like he was going to. He went all the way to the back and even was hanging half off of the tailgate. But, he decided to turn around and make his way back up the front of the truck bed. When I got home and found a shovel, I was finally able to take care of the snake. He was about 4 feet long and probably just a garter snake, really scary stuff. The best part of the story is that I had a friend go back with me the next day to mow and weedeat and since we split the pay, I made $20 from the two days worth of work.

What would Grandpa think?

Growing up, I was blessed to have my grandparents with me even past my high school graduation. My Mother's father was in the military and was stationed in the Pacific in WWII. I regret not questioning him more than I did about that time, and also that I did not ask my grandparents more questions in general. The stories that I did hear from them have always made me wonder what it was like to be in that time. I often feel like I am in between generations. The time that I grew up in would place me in Generation X, but I feel tied to my parents' and to some extent my grandparents' generations more than mine or the following generations. Granted, if my Father listened to a good portion of my music I think he would shake his head. I guess the values that my family instilled in me make me feel more tied to older generations than the more recent ones. I am not sure where all this is coming from or going, so bear with me. Sometimes I wonder what my Grandpa would think if he were here today. How different are things now than when he was young? Technological advances and cultural advancement (or in some things, decline) are just two areas that are vastly different from years gone by. Notice I say 'different' and not 'better' or 'worse'. It just makes me sad that I did not talk more with Grandpa and Grandma about their lives; what it was like for them growing up, and what they thought about the changes that happen all the time.

Missed Me?

Hello, good evening and "Thanks for making us part of your day." I enjoy listening to Colin Cowherd on ESPN radio and he opens his show with that quote.
It has been awhile, hasn't it? What have I missed since my last post? Christmas was not great this year. Amber was very sick on Christmas day so we did not even celebrate until a few days later and it was a real bummer. So, there is not a bunch to chat about from Christmas. Abbie loved getting gifts and "processing" her gifts much like her father has done before. The bowl season was pretty much a disappointment. The Big 12 did not do well, OSU lost, Missouri looked bad, Tech lost, and worst of all....Texas won. The Championship game was hard, it was a good game and we played better than in the past, but just could not get the job done. It is always tough when the college football season is over. NFL playoffs do give some solace, but they are not like college games. OU basketball is looking good. Blake Griffin continues to impress. I watched the K-State game and he makes plays that make everyone just ooohh and aaahhh. I had to work last night while they whooped Texas on Big Monday, so I missed it. I hope they continue to improve.
Work has been a bear. I have hired another part-time tech and hope to hire another soon, but we are just getting killed. It is tough to get all the prescriptions taken care of to begin with, not to mention all the other things that go along with it. If the flu hits at all, we are in big trouble. We could be in trouble anyway, it is just big time busy. We had a day last week that was slower, and we still filled 400. I am afraid it is starting to wear on me. Sometimes when I come home it is like my head is just swimming for awhile. Don't get me wrong, I am glad we are busy, I always prefer busy to slow.
Sorry I did not post any pictures with this, I will try and get some new pictures of Stinky and post them next time. I am so glad to be off tomorrow. Have a good week.

Sam and Chris, separated at birth?

OK, here is the photographic proof of what we have been saying for 2 years. Sam Bradford and my nephew Chris are brothers. If you thought Sarah Palin and Tina Fey were dead ringers, tell me what you think of these two. The best part is that Chris is a big OSU fan and hates it when we talk about how much he looks like the Heisman trophy winner. BOOMER SOONER!

Waiting for Big Al

Little Al is our dog.  I have talked about him before,but I have to give the whole story to describe these pictures.  We got Little Al sometime in early 2000 from Amber's brother Alan.  He (Alan) originally wanted Al for himself, but there was a city ordinance in the town he was moving to that prohibited pit bulls.  So, we got to have Little Al since Big Al could not keep him.  Al has been our dog, actually more like our firstborn, ever since.  He is great with Abbie and all of the family.  He loves going to Ralph and Janice's and will torment us if he thinks we are going without him.  But of all the people he loves, Big Al still seems to be his favorite.  Alan stayed with us for a couple of days last week and I took these pictures of Little Al after he found out that Alan was coming.  Al was beside himself until Alan got here.  Al did not stay with Alan for very long, but he sure has never forgotten him.  It is something that just makes me smile.

At least she had not fallen asleep...

Embarrassing pictures that parents take of their kids are fun aren't they?  If you are the parent, of course.  I could not resist catching Abbie "in the act."  There is an old photo of me in a similar position, but I had fallen asleep.  Over the years that photo has provided much joy for many family members not named Joby.  So that is why Abbie gets the same treatment.  I know, my photo was not broadcast over the internet, but that is the price you pay for technology, right?  By the way, her favorite part of this process is when she comes running out of the bathroom with her underwear around her ankles yelling "all done, all done!"

Post bedlam thoughts

Man what a game that was last night. I have some thoughts afterwards and after the BCS fallout from today. First, the flip that Bradford did may have won him the Heisman. That play is a definite signature play and one that just made a statement about what he means to the team. Second, I hope the torn ligaments in Bradford's left hand do not affect him that much. Remember when Jason White won the Heisman and led us in destroying people all year only to be hampered by an injury in the last two games? I have an uneasy feeling about that. Third, who is ever going to want to play middle linebacker on defense for us again? It is almost an automatic knee injury this year. Fourth, I can not believe how many people (especially at ESPN) got on the Texas bandwagon against us. I can just see those same people really wanting to see us fall on our face vs. Missouri and our bowl game. I think it could help the team if they take on an "us against the world" mentality. Finally, man do the Cowboy fans hate us or what? I have seen some really bitter stuff coming out since the game and the BCS came out. I am not a fan of the Cowboys by any strech, but I do not think it comes close to hatred. Now Chase Daniel on the other hand...

A house is not a home...

I have uploaded some pictures to flickr of our house.  I would have put some on this post, but there are too many to choose from.  Recently, we have done some work (or had some work done, I should say) to our house.  Taking down wallpaper, painting, carpet, new furniture and decorations.  I am not a big fan of this type of thing because of the expense.  But, I sure do appreciate the results.  It feels more like "our home" now that we have put more of our stamp on and in it.  Amber picked out the carpet, furniture and paint styles and did a great job.  Alana and Janice picked out some furniture and the decorations.  They also put things in order for our thanksgiving gathering and had the house looking spectacular.  Our painters were top notch and we are much more at home now, and most importantly have an OU decorated bathroom!  Even though it is expensive to do this kind of thing, it is worth it.  I am very thankful for our home and family.

The pictures are here: http://flickr.com/photos/abbiesdaddy/sets/72157610298303532/

Happy Thanksgiving

We went to Mom and Dad's this past weekend to celebrate Thanksgiving.  We had a good time and enjoyed some great food.  The kids were fun to watch and really enjoyed it when Amber read to them.  We really did not get to stay very long since I had to get back for a meeting.  It was good to see everyone, though.

A night of Thunder

I went to my first Thunder basketball game last night.  My brother-in-law has season tickets and was nice enough to ask my father-in-law and I if we would like to go to the game against the Rockets.  I enjoy watching sports, but I am not a fan of being in crowds of LOTS of people.  I have been to a few sporting events in my life.  Our family used to go to Kansas City and watch Royals games when I was younger.  I got to see George Brett and Bo Jackson hit home runs and Bo broke a bat over his knee.  I have only been to a couple of Sooner football games.  One at Norman and the Big 12 Championship in 2004 at Kansas City.  That being said, I think one of the best parts of going to the event is the crowd.  Yes, it is fun to watch the stars shine on their stage, but when the crowd gets into a good game, that is what I enjoy most.  There were some good crowds at Kansas City, but in an open park like that, it was not overpowering.  The big 12 championship was almost all Sooner fans and when AD ran for a touchdown to our endzone, it got pretty nuts.  I was hoping the crowd would be "electric" for the game last night and for the most part I was dissappointed.  Do not get me wrong, I really enjoyed the game, but the crowd seemed flat for the most part.  The team played a good 1st quarter and a decent 2nd quarter to trail at half 56-50.  I thought the 1st half was a good showing and more than I expected against a team as good as the Rockets.  The 3rd quarter was brutal.  The Thunder could not hit anything and by the time they started to score, they were down by about 15.  Through all this time it seemed to me the crowd was not as loud or excited as I had expected.  The 4th quarter was better and the Thunder looked like they could make a run.  I started to feel the crowd coming alive and there were critical points that could have turned the game.  First, early in the quarter, the Thunder trimmed the lead to 8 and had a chance to get it to 6.  After a steal, we had the ball and the crowd was into it.  The Rockets fouled us and called timeout before the free throws.  Our best player was still on the bench for his start of the 4th quarter rest.  The coach did not put him back in, we missed both free throws, Houston made a couple of buckets and in no time we were down by 12 instead of 6.  Then, later in the quarter the team started playing good defense and the crowd started to pick up.  THE play that could have "Blown the roof off the dump" was a breakaway after a Houston turnover.  We were pushing the ball up and I could see Kevin Durant (our best player) coming on the backside for an alleyoop that would have been HUGE.  But the pass was behind him and we turned the ball over and the crowd just fizzled.  I had a good time and I think the team can be good, they are just young.

I have returned...

Hi there.  I am sorry for the long hiatus, but it has been tough to find the time and I have not taken any new pictures recently.  I have any number of things to rant about.  Aggravations at work, the aggravating new dress code at work, the aggravating (if not scary) election results, and numerous other aggravations.  But, I choose to talk about the picture above.  This past weekend we went to Ada for a brief visit to celebrate Dad's birthday (belatedly).  Even though the stay was brief, it was a very enjoyable trip.  Mom had the idea to have a picnic style lunch at the park and it was a great idea.  The weather was pefect.  There was lots of sunshine and almost no wind.  We all ate some KFC (Abbie too, thank goodness), then played on the swing, jungle gym, and fed the ducks.  Abbie really took to leading mom and dad around and sort of "showing off" for them.  It was neat to watch.  I have not really seen Abbie be like that with mom and dad until now.  It made me smile inside and out.  When the ducks saw us coming, they made a beeline (or is that a duckline?) to us for what little bread we had.  They were honking up a storm and Abbie is not real fond of loud noises.  She went to dad for security and thats when I took this picture.  Again, it just makes me smile.  We missed Jami and her crew, hopefully the whole gang can get together for Mom's birthday, I am interested to see what kind of trouble Abbie and Rosie get into.  It is late so I will stop, but I will try to be on a little more often.  Have a good weekend.  

PS. This is for Jami, How did the kids like the candy?  You're welcome by the way.

snap crackle pop

I have come to a conclusion.  It is a good thing that I did not try to get into a profession that requires any kind of stealth or sneaking around quietly.  I told Amber this today and she agreed and knew what I was talking about before I finished.  I can not walk without my ankle crackling like rice crispies.  It is not something I can control either.  Amber said if I am in another room, she knows when I am coming into the room she is in because she can hear my ankle crackle.  So there it is, I can never sneak up on anyone again.  I am the surprise party crasher, "Hey what is that popping sound?  Is Joby around here somewhere?"  It is not painful (my ankle, anyway), other than the pain of the repetitive noise.  I realize this is really random, but it is just one of those things that has been rattling around my head lately.  BOOMER SOONER, GO OU-BEAT TEXAS!!!!!!!

Diversification

As you have probably noticed, I have made changes to the blog.  I removed most of the pictures (except the ones that are with the posts), and the music player is gone.  I have created two new blogs.  One is for pictures: http://abbiesdaddyspictures.blogspot.com/ and one is for music:  http://abbiesdaddysmusic.blogspot.com/.  The links to the blogs are also on the right with my other links.  You can click on the picture link to see the slide show from my flickr page or click on the music blog to listen to my playlist.  I just felt the blog was getting crowded.  Let me know what you think.  I am going to try and add new things on the new blogs, but I will probably continue to do the most posting here.

PS. there is a new (short) post on my music blog.

Red River Rivalry

I had planned on finding a picture of some longhorns and posting it upside down for this post, but I thought this picture of Abbie was too cute.  She loves wearing dresses and saying cheese for pictures.  OU-Texas is this weekend and I am really excited this year.  It seems that I have had to work the past couple of years on OU-Texas, but this year I am off on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  Also, the game could be the biggest of the year.  #1 vs. #5, ESPN College Gameday will be there, and I get to stay home and watch the WHOLE thing!  I am pumped!  I am also ready to watch the OSU-Missouri game.  I am interested to see how both teams handle the pressure of a big game against a great offense.  I think the OU-OSU game at Stillwater could be bigger for us than the Texas game (provided we beat Texas).  But, there are a bunch of games to play before worrying about that.  I also noticed that the Newkirk Tigers are 4-1 and 2-0 in District play.  Maybe the Young's leaving town has brought some success to the lowly Tigers?  Just kidding, guys.  Anyway, I am off today and tomorrow, so I hope to get some pictures and maybe some more posts in.  If not, BOOMER SOONER!!!!

Watch out for those angry Pharmacists

I have been looking at blogs quite a bit lately.  I have been searching for blogs regarding pharmacy and to my surprise there are quite a few.  But, the sad thing is that the common thread among almost all of them is the bitterness and anger that is displayed.  These people are stressed, feel very unappreciated, and taken advantage of.  I have found at least 20 pharmacy blogs and they are littered with stories of hateful customers, doctors, and inept store management.  I have been surprised to see all this venom spit out due to my profession.  But here is the thing, I identify with ALL of them.  All of the stories make me think of days that I have had to deal with at work.  I feel like I am a positive person for the most part.  Granted, I can get pretty worked up over stuff at work just like the next guy.  I am not immune to the frustration felt when people are hateful.  I guess seeing my wife when I come home, and maybe little miss smiles-alot on the left, seem to help me leave work at work (for the most part).  So watch out for those angry pharmacists.

Pick, pick, pick

I am a little bit at a loss for words. I realize that I have not written much lately, but not much has been coming to mind. I have been thinking about "being a pest." I have been known to pick at people a little bit. I know my sister, wife, and now my daughter would attest to this. I caught myself the other day while Abbie was sleeping. She was sleeping peacefully on the couch and I had this need to run my finger on the bottom of her foot. I wanted to see if she just wiggled her foot, pulled her leg back, scratched her foot, or slapped my hand. Why? I do not know. Amber has asked me before why I persist in picking at people when it is obvious that they are not amused. I guess I just want to see a reaction. I want to see what kind of response I can elicit. I know that sounds childish, but that is about the best explanation I can come up with. It sounds better to me than "I am a jerk who likes to pester people." I even have picked at Little Al while he was sleeping. I am thankful that he is as patient as he is. The old saying about letting sleeping dogs lie just has not set in, I guess. When I was in elementary school we had a dog named Marcus. He was a voracious eater, as most dogs are. He would growl if anyone got within 3 feet of him while he was eating. Well, that was just too cool to me. I can remember him biting me twice when I pestered him while he ate. On my first day of school in the First grade, I thought it would be funny to poke the kid in front of me when he raised his hand. Needless to say, he and I started the first grade school year with our names on the board. I think he got in trouble more because his mother was the teacher, but that is neither here nor there. Does this sound stupid to anyone other than me? I am sure Jami could go on for some time about the numerous ways I have pestered her over the years. I am sorry, I just can not explain it. Anyway, say a prayer for Amber and Abbie, that they do not go crazy living with me.

Interesting

Yes, that is a fly that I took a picture of.  Yes that is my hairy knee he is perched on.  I thought it might illustrate the point in my blog today.  Some people (ok, MOST people) would be repulsed by an image like this.  But, some would look and be interested, even fascinated.  As a parent, I have come to find out that there are events that happen that I would not have taken note of before becoming a parent, but now they are of great importance and significance.  A young child deciding on her own to go to the bathroom and poop by herself is not really a thing to be cheered and ballyhooed, is it?  It sure is if you are her parents and she has been fighting with you about potty training!  Abbie did just that today.  She went to the bathroom on her own, and went #2 by herself.  I will never cease to be amazed.  I know we may still have to work with her and have some setbacks, but it sure was something to see, no matter who you are.

Howdy do from stinkeroo

IMG_1937, originally uploaded by jly_thechampion.

I have been uploading photos to my flickr page by the ton. This is one from late 2006 on a football Saturday. I have been looking around on the flickr site and it is pretty interesting. The site has groups that contain certain types of photos that people have uploaded. There are groups that visually try to debunk the myth that pitbulls are just naturally evil. I had to put a couple of Little Al on there to help the cause. There is a group that has pictures of tornados, which is very cool. Since I have been adding pictures from early to late, I have seen a number of pictures that surprise me. I just can not believe the changes Abbie has made in 3 short years. She started back to Mother's Day Out today. What a difference a year makes. Last year she cried like crazy in the first few weeks, but now she is excited to "go to school." I could talk a ton about all the football I have watched in the past 4 days (it has been great!), but I do not want to bore anyone. Suffice it to say, OU has looked real good so far, but with some areas still needing work. I am finishing up my vacation and will be going back to work on Saturday. I think I have to work when OU plays Texas, too. That seems to happen every year! Have a good week.

Vacation

Well, my first piece of vacation is about over. I am bummed about having to go back to work. My schedule looks to be shaping up well, though. I have to work Saturday and Sunday, but will be off Monday for Labor day. Tuesday will be tough. I am working at the Supercenter on I-35 in Norman, which is usually busy anyway but the day after a holiday could be a monster. Then, I work Wednesday and Thursday at my store. Friday will start another 8 days off, that is so cool! People have asked where we were going on vacation, and aside from seeing my family in Ada, we did not go anywhere. That is OK with me. I enjoy traveling as much as the next guy, but sometimes there is something to be said for spending some downtime at home. If you have not noticed, I added a new link to my flickr page (the links are on the right just below the picture labelled "Little Miss Stinker"). It is a site that I am in the process of uploading my digital photos to. Take a look and see what you think. Right now I am still loading photos from early '06, so it is a little trip down memory lane. If my blog can handle it, I am planning on adding a widget that will display ALL the pictures from my flickr page, so be on the lookout.
Another thing that has me smiling is the start of college football season. OU plays this weekend and I am ready for the season to get rolling, BOOMER SOONER! The new season of House will be starting September 16, I think. I am excited to see some new episodes. Here is a link to a little video montage of House that is pretty cool: http://www.fanpop.com/spots/house-md/videos/2163020 . If you know my Dad, see if you don't think Hugh Laurie looks like him. Sometimes he really looks like Dad to me. If you are having trouble with motivation to get something done or believing in yourself, see if this video doesn't get you moving: http://www.fanpop.com/spots/michael-jordan/videos/3109 . It is just after 11PM and Al just came in. He can push the backdoor open by himself to get back in the house and he scares me to death every time he does it. I wish I could get him to close it, too. I hope everyone has a good weekend. Check out my new stuff and tell me what you think.