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Post by stepper on Jul 30, 2016 22:46:24 GMT -6
So much for heading home. SIL got worse and they had to MedEvac her to Cooper Hospital to have a permanent trachea installed in her neck to give her an open airway. The vocal cords were not operating correctly - blocking her airway. If the vocal cords ever heal up the trachea can be removed.
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Post by Mini Mia on Jul 31, 2016 0:08:11 GMT -6
So sorry to hear that.
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Post by Phalon on Jul 31, 2016 22:56:41 GMT -6
Very sorry she's having such problems, Stepper.
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Post by stepper on Aug 1, 2016 16:59:31 GMT -6
SIL didn't make it. They were feeding her breakfast when her daughter noticed that all of a sudden she didn't look well. The thing checking her oxygen level indicated it was dropping precipitously - seven minutes later her heart stopped and because she had a DNR, they quit working on her. I'll be headed north in a few days and won't have access.
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Post by Mini Mia on Aug 1, 2016 19:05:08 GMT -6
Oh, I'm so sorry. My heart goes out to you and your family. It's so tragic after all she overcame, and was doing so well.
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Post by Phalon on Aug 1, 2016 21:51:10 GMT -6
I'm so very sorry. My most sincere condolences to your brother, you and all your family.
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Post by stepper on Aug 2, 2016 17:55:47 GMT -6
Appreciate all the well wishes.
So somebody tell me, when the heck did flying get so expensive? Last time for me was in 1991 when mom died. Booking the round trip was not only confusing (poor web design) it was frustrating. I finally found flights that departed at an okay time, and arrived at the destinations at a reasonable time. (One of the trips left both locations about 0600 and arrived at the destinations just before midnight - and included changing airlines.)
It cost me more than $1,100. If you can book flights early enough I understand it's not nearly so bad, but under the circumstances, waiting for cheap seats isn't an option.
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Post by Mini Mia on Aug 3, 2016 1:43:47 GMT -6
I haven't flown since 1982.
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Post by Phalon on Aug 3, 2016 4:47:51 GMT -6
I haven't flown in years either, but way back in my previous life as a corporate travel agent, and before people used the Internet to book airline reservations (you had to call the airline directly or use a travel agent), there used to be bereavement fares - a discounted last minute fare for people going to the funeral of a family member. I don't know if airlines still offer them, or if in-laws are a qualifying family member.
Though advance reservations were (are?) always cheaper, there were (are?) ways to bring down the cost of last minute bookings.
1. Staying over a Saturday night; it usually required advance booking, but not always.
2. Using alternate airports. I don't think Austin would be cheaper than San Antonio, but I'd check anyway. Larger airports are generally less expensive. Houston would be a haul, but it chances are it would be be significantly cheaper. It might even be cheaper to purchase two roundtrip tickets - one from San Antonio to Houston, and another from Houston to wherever you are going. On the other end....I think you mentioned Virginia? Back then, either D.C. airport would have been less expensive then any of the Virginia airports I can think of.
3. Since you mentioned it - make sure your connections are one airline only, and don't have too long of a connection time. I can't remember exactly how long the connection requirement was (2-3 hours maybe), but anything longer would be considered a point-to-point fare instead of a through-fare.
4. Unless you are paying full-fare, it is generally less expensive to use the same airline roundtrip.
5. If you're making connections, force the connections on the outbound and return flights through the same airport, then price it as two roundtrips to see if it's less expensive - for example San Antonio/Dallas roundtrip as one ticket, and Dallas/wherever roundtrip as another.
6. Lookit the fare breakdown on your ticket. Without knowing what airlines, or airports you are using it should look something vaguely like - AA Y SAT x/IAH RIC 500USD; RIC x/IAH SAT 500USD along with a bunch of taxes and surcharges. If there are multiple codes other than the airline and airport codes, along with a bunch of prices in-between you are getting charged point-to-point instead of through; if you see a Y by itself anywhere you are being charged full coach fare without any discount what-so-ever which is pretty unheard of, even back then. If the outbound and return prices are vastly different, check the fare rules of the less expensive of the two, and see if you can change your flights to qualify for the that fare type.
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Post by stepper on Aug 3, 2016 19:33:32 GMT -6
Okay – acknowledging that we’ve again ventured way off target here, let me say I appreciate all the well wishes and especially the flight booking advice. I accept full blame for having caused us to again go astray.
I remembered about that - used it in '87 when dad died - but I couldn't find any references for it on any of the web sites. Maybe they don't do it anymore, or maybe you have to talk to them to get it. When I was booking my flights, it was simply another thing that had to be done and coordinated - meaning looking for decent depart and arrive times. I suppose I could have rented a vehicle but usually someone is going to do pick up and drop off 'duty' at the airport. You know how it is when there's a familial emergency, all hands on deck and pretty much everyone wants to help.
Doing that. If I had known my brother was staying one more day I would have done the same so whoever is doing the 'to the airport' trip would have had one less trip. I found out we had one good co-incidence - they arrive slightly more than an hour after I get there so I'll just wait for them and we'll all get the same ride from the airport.
I completely forgot about that. Steppet's sister - yet another SIL - lives in TN now but used to live half way between us and Houston. She shopped SAT, IAH, HOU, & AUS flights when she was going anywhere. And you're right, different airport do have different prices. Houston is a long way from here - enough that it'd make more sense to stay overnight. Austin/Bergstrom is reasonable as long as you aren't driving any where near to rush hours.
They are all American Airlines - on the "ticket". The small print for one leg on the return says 'operated by Republic Airlines as American Eagle' which I'm guessing means it's a subsidiary because the main line still says American. The trip up goes through Dallas and Atlanta. The trip back stops at Charlotte Douglas IAP and is the longest lay over - 2 1/2 hours. The others are about an hour.
And - [/quote] Lookit the fare breakdown on your ticket.[/quote] I didn't know to do this - and it would have taken some experimentation to try to make it happen since I worked mine through Priceline. The cost was the same both ways though. I don't actually have "tickets" so I don't have any of the codes you referenced. What I have is a couple of confirmation e-mails that include a Trip Number for Priceline, and a customer ticket number for me. I go to the airport to a kiosk and put in the ticket number, and it prints out the boarding passes for that part of the trip - all the ones I'll need for that day. Then clear the airport gropers, and head for gates. I'm taking a carry on, and a backpack. As I understand it, the carry on goes in the over head and I can put the backpack under the seat in front of me. The carry on is just like the ones flight personnel use - small black two wheeled thing with a telescoping handle. It will have only clothes plus one pair of dress boots and a belt. The backpack has everything else - various snacks, toiletries, a battery operated fan, cell phone charger, a single subject notebook, pen, a small digital camera, and a new book I haven't read yet. I've checked a few websites about what's allowed and unless I get someone having a bad day, everything is okay.
The sites do warm though that some of the TSA agents will arbitrarily invent rules about snacks and confiscate them. That statement is followed by one saying that arguing with them will frequently delay you long enough that you'll miss your flight. They also warn to keep a wary eye on all valuables even if in carry on baggage. Sometimes the airlines will have people check their carry on at the gate due to a lack of overhead storage.
As ever, I appreciate all the ideas. I'll have to remember to save them someplace convenient. It's sad to say but we are all getting long in the tooth as it were and I'm afraid this is going to become a more frequent occurrence.
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Post by stepper on Aug 15, 2016 18:54:13 GMT -6
You really want to stay fit and healthy, but for goodness sakes keep your health insurance paid up. Bro-1 is getting hospital and doctors bills. So far the total is $600,000+. More than half a million dollars - and it's far more than they made during their lifetimes.
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Post by Mini Mia on Aug 15, 2016 20:25:36 GMT -6
Yeah. When I took over Mom's checkbook and bills/mailbox, what Medicare & AARP paid out boggled my mind. Dialysis is VERY expensive. Mom was so worried she'd forget to pay their monthly fees, she had them come directly out of an extra checking account that she rarely used for anything else. Had her direct deposits go into it to make sure more was going in than coming out.
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Post by stepper on Aug 16, 2016 19:23:47 GMT -6
I do something along the same lines - multiple accounts and a couple are reserved for specific purposes. I was managing my own escrow account - when the house was paid off I kept it. There's always enough in it to pay taxes or home insurance when they come due, and since it's "my" account I have it as an interest bearing account. It doesn't pay that much in interest, but it pays more than having a bank manage your escrow account for you. One thing I’m resisting is allowing direct deductions by anyone – the phone company or the city for the water/sewer/trash bill for instance. There have been too many instances of over billing or refusal of a company to terminate services (and billing) in a timely manner.
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Post by Mini Mia on Aug 16, 2016 20:51:09 GMT -6
I have only two direct deductions. One is my Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shields health insurance, the other is my Woodmen of the World policy. I don't include any other bills due to the same reasons you listed.
I don't have paypal account, but if I ever do sign up for it, I'll open up another, separate, bank account that is only for that purpose. I keep only around two thousand dollars in my personal checking account, and transfer two/three thousand to replenish the supply when it gets down to around a few hundred dollars.
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Post by stepper on Aug 17, 2016 20:36:02 GMT -6
The guy I work with does that. He has a serious comic book habit and has been known to drop four grand on a single comic. For those occasions he adds more to the paypal account, but otherwise he limits how much is there.
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Post by stepper on Sept 8, 2016 20:08:52 GMT -6
Not that I've been 'working' on it, but my weight had reached a plateau back when we were all discussing losing weight or otherwise getting into better shape. I hadn’t been on a scale for some time, but when I got back from the funeral I accidentally stepped on the bathroom scale and decided to see what I weighed. I was surprised to find that I’d lost a few more pounds which put me under what had been my goal. Just barely, but still, it was a surprise to find it had happened. I’ve been back about a month now and this morning I looked again. Another two pounds disappeared. I’m hoping the trend continues for quite a while even if it requires a new set of clothes. I can only imagine getting back to my weight when I retired, but it’d shock a lot of people – including me!
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Post by Mini Mia on Sept 8, 2016 23:19:04 GMT -6
I've gained. I really need to get something figured out soon. I don't have Mom as my excuse anymore.
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Post by stepper on Sept 9, 2016 21:02:45 GMT -6
Well, I think I said before, I'm drinking more ice water which in turn means I'm drinking less soda. And I'm drinking tea a little more often. Since I noticed that my weight was down a touch I've been consciously trying to avoid snacking foods later in the evening - that consisting mostly of chips. I wish I could tell you I'd found a surefire weight loss trick, but I haven't. You know, some people, me included, tend to eat "comfort food" when faced with stress, unhappy situations, and you have the added complication of undergoing physiological changes.
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Post by Phalon on Sept 11, 2016 6:17:46 GMT -6
Congratulations, Stepper.
I'm sure I've gained over the summer - who the hell knows for sure because who the hell knows in which box, in which room, or in which building the scale is hiding. Take out dinners when the kitchen was torn-up, followed by a summer of ghastly heat and humidity - I haven't done a lick of exercise outside of work. Too hot outside, nowhere to do it inside. I haven't even ridden my bike - not even once! It's buried in the garage behind furniture and boxes.
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Post by stepper on Sept 11, 2016 13:49:15 GMT -6
Thanks. It's hard to see how with all the stress and crap you've put up with this summer, and the effect the excessive humidity had on you, plus working at a nursery, that it you didn't literally melt away.
The Shadow Knows! But he's such a clown he may have moved it. What about at work. No scales big enough to weigh a person?
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Post by Phalon on Feb 5, 2018 13:41:55 GMT -6
BLAH!!!!
Had my yearly check up bright and early this morning, and it's taken me three years, but I've managed to undo all that hard work I did when this thread started! Urgh! I not only gained the weight I'd lost back, I added an additional 7 pounds on top of it!
I can blame menopause...and the weight gain that comes with it, along with those horrid hot flashes that make exercising exceedingly uncomfortable. I'm sure that's a part of it - it's one of those unpleasant facts we face as we get older. The honest truth though, is that I have been a slug this winter - I shovel when it snows, I walk errands when weather permits instead of driving, but other than that - no regular exercise to speak of. And last summer - after working outside in the humidity all day, all I wanted to do when I got home from work, was be in the air-conditioning. It was rare that I even got on my bike to ride through the neighborhood.
Good news is - Doc says menopause is an empowering time in a woman's life. We've earned the right to take no sh!t. It's our time to enjoy ourselves, she says. "Get rid of those jeans from the 80s", she said, "you're never going to fit back into them - you've had two children, and what your body did was amazing. And if it's not the shape now that it was then, you shouldn't expect it to be."
So yeah - I'll get rid of my jeans from the 80s (I think the girls have long taken them anyway; worn vintage denim is in fashion, you know).
But I am not willing to give up the jeans I bought three years ago, after all the work I did in this thread.
Back to the grind.
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Post by Mini Mia on Feb 10, 2018 18:33:32 GMT -6
I haven't even thought about starting my exercises again. Now that I don't have Mom's health as a distraction, I don't seem to be able to get motivated.
I got an email from Stepper on February 6th. Seems he's having health issues. He was hospitalized the week before, and this is the news he shared with me:
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Post by Phalon on Feb 11, 2018 9:53:46 GMT -6
Yeah, once you get out of the habit, it's hard to get the motivation back. I took a look this past week at habits I've fallen out of and habits I've fallen into. I eat healthy, and once I gave up sweets, I pretty much gave them up entirely - except over the holidays, when they were in the house, I rarely eat them, and never buy them. It's not what I eat, it's how I eat - I don't eat breakfast, have a healthy lunch and dinner, but tend to snack later at night than I should. Cheese and bread or crackers are my weaknessness. Also, I used to be very active after dinner - working outside in the yard, biking, walking, roller-skiing, etc. Now, especially since it's winter and already dark after dinner, I really don't to much physical activity in the evenings - mostly I read, watch T.V., or am on the computer.
And I drink way too much coffee, and drink very little water; some days the only thing I drink is coffee. I don't know if that's got anything to do with gaining weight (I doubt it), but it definitely can't be a good thing - something I want to change.
Changes I've made during this past week - nothing to eat past the eight o'clock hour, cut out one cup of coffee per day and eat something for breakfast, drink at least two glasses of water, and get 1/2 hour of exercise in the evenings. Oh, and the cheese thing - I've tried to make sure I only have cheese during one meal.
Hopefully I'll start seeing some results in a couple of weeks.
Sounds like a lot to have to deal with at one time.
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Post by Mini Mia on Feb 11, 2018 20:34:37 GMT -6
Habits are hard to make and hard to break, and once you've gotten out of the habit of doing something, it's harder to try and get back into the habit.
I'm glad Stepper is still able to have control of his hands to type his email. Hopefully he can bounce back fast. Strokes are one of the scary things to deal with in life.
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Post by Phalon on Feb 12, 2018 8:44:59 GMT -6
Maybe not easier, but I don't think it's any harder. More like just the same. Kind of like Goldilocks and the Three Degrees of Difficulty - it's not too hard, not very easy, but is somewhere in the middle.
I would imagine, based on some of the things he posted in this thread, that his doctors are going to recommend some long-term lifestyle changes.
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Post by Mini Mia on Feb 12, 2018 20:01:44 GMT -6
Habits: I guess it just depends on how impossible you make it in your head.
Stepper: Possibly. Hopefully he won't have a long recuperation period.
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Post by katina2nd on Feb 12, 2018 20:37:30 GMT -6
If you're reading this Stepper, all the best mate, hope you overcome your ailments and bounce back quickly.
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Post by Phalon on Feb 13, 2018 8:27:15 GMT -6
Good habits are easier to fall out of than bad habits, and bad habits are easier to fall into than good habits. Why is that?
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Post by Mini Mia on Feb 13, 2018 21:45:11 GMT -6
I have no idea. Figure it out and share the reason here. I'm still biting my nails. I know I got the habit from Mom, but she just up and quick when she was in her 30s/40s, quick smoking too. Never had a problem with either. At least I don't smoke.
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Post by Phalon on Feb 15, 2018 21:42:33 GMT -6
HA! I will definitely share it here, there, and everywhere, but I'm sure it'll remain one of life's great mysteries!
You're smart. I wish I was. sigh.
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