Saturday, December 27, 2003
Goddammit. Much bitching below.
So I was considering changing my flight back to an earlier day since obviously being at home is making me miserable. A couple weeks before I came home I asked my mother to schedule me a dentist appointment, an oral surgeon appointment, and an optometrist appointment. I haven't had my teeth cleaned since the last time I was home- last winter break- and it's supposed to be done every six months, so obviously I'm overdue. I really need new contacts since my old ones really irritate my eyes and I've been wearing my glasses for most of the last 2 months, but I need a new prescription first. And the oral surgeon...
Two winter breaks ago, the dentist noticed that I hadn't had my wisdom teeth out and urged me to get my ass over to the oral surgeon. So I went, got X-rays, watched their little video, etc. We even scheduled an appointment for the surgery. Then a couple days later my mom called and cancelled it, offering me the $400 it would have cost if I didn't go through with it. She thought the surgeon was "too slick," just trying to get our money, and that having them out was unnecessary. All because she never had hers out and hasn't had any problems yet. I tried explaining that these days everyone has them out because it's easier now than down the road if something goes wrong. As it is, I know I have a hard time brushing that far back and it's very likely that they'll get cavities. So that year she suggested waiting another year or two until they were farther in, so they'd be easier to remove. I didn't see too much of a problem with that, and was tempted by the $400 (which just went to the Cornell bastards anyway >:(), so I didn't have them out.
Well, my health coverage under my parents' plan expires when I turn 21, so I really wanted to have them out this break. So I bring this up (and the fact that she didn't schedule me any of the appointments I asked her to, and it's a busy time of the year since everyone is home for winter break), and she says that it's about time that I take care of those things myself, so I should find some health insurance of my own and schedule my own appointments. Gee, thanks. This would have been good to know earlier, so I could at least get some decent appointments.
So I'm not looking forward to this whole health insurance deal. I might just go with the Cornell plan since it's probably the least complicated for someone like me and I don't generally have any major health problems. But of couse this will involve lots of fine print and phone calls where I'm put on hold for 20 minutes. And I'm not sure what goes on after I leave Cornell...with the types of jobs I'm looking for there's a slim to none chance that I'll be offered health insurance.
I can probably get away with the dentist and eye appointments while I'm still on my parents' plan, but my mom is still being stubborn about the wisdom teeth so who knows about that. Plus I'll get to be chewed out by my dentist, who was upset last year that I didn't have the teeth out...I told him about my mom's idiocy, and he talked to her, but she still didn't change her mind.
I swear, she's in her own little world where her convictions are the absolute truth and anyone who thinks otherwise should be damned to hell. She donates money to the Republican party and an ultra-conservative group called the "Concerned Women for America", yet won't pay for having my wisdom teeth out. These delusional CWA send propaganda letters that make my blood boil when I see them lying around the house. I'm not particularly interested in politics- I'd consider myself a Democrat but didn't bother to vote the past two years- but when this sort of shit is going around it pisses me off. I was going to scan one of the letters to show you how ridiculously intolerant they are, but the scanner isn't working. So the highlights:
On one of the donation cards: "Yes, Beverly! I am thankful for America's priceless, God-given heritage of religious, political, and personal liberty, and will stand with you and CWA to protect it!" Really? Because I find it quite odd that you denounce homosexuals, abortion, and separation of church and state, seeing as how those would all fall under religious, political, and personal liberty!
In the letter: "Our adversaries - the anti-family, anti-child, anti-woman, and anti-God forces who prey on us, our children, and our culture - lie in wait. They are looking for a monent when our attention wanders."
"Other times, it's more subtle: a sneaky political maneuver, a new program introduced in the schools, the quiet introduction of a lawsuit that will end up tearing God out of our schools or forcing our society to 'tolerate' sexual depravity."
"This is just the latest example of rich liberals funneling huge amounts of money into radical politics. Maybe you remember a few years ago, when media mogul Ted Turner gave $1 billion to the United Nations. Microsoft's Bill Gates, the world's richest man, routinely uses both his own money and his tax-exempt foundation to promote liberal causes." Okay, the UN is now radical politics? And Bill Gates' liberal causes- like his foundation that provides college scholarships to minorities? So maybe I was a little disappointed that I wasn't elligible to apply for one, but isn't what he does with his money his own business? Wouldn't that be covered under the "personal liberty" trumpeted on the donation form?
"In contrast to these liberal fatcats, Concerned Women for America relies on the kind donations of individual women and men like you." Why's that, Beverly? Is it because all the stuffy old white conservative men are too stingy with their money to donate to you? Or is it because all the self-made billionaires are smart enough to tolerate and accept change rather than being stuck in a Puritan mentality? Hmm, Beverly? Maybe it's both.
Hmm, started off complaining about health insurance and look where I am. As a disclaimer, I should say that I don't have a problem with moderate Republicans. It's the ultra-conservatives that make can't tolerate anyone who's not white, heterosexual, and Christian. They can think whatever they want, but when they try to shove it in my face I'm not going to like it. Can you see where I'm pissed off that my mom donates money to them while I work a $7/hr job trying to pay for school and will end up graduating many thousands of dollars in debt?
Fucking hell.
So I was considering changing my flight back to an earlier day since obviously being at home is making me miserable. A couple weeks before I came home I asked my mother to schedule me a dentist appointment, an oral surgeon appointment, and an optometrist appointment. I haven't had my teeth cleaned since the last time I was home- last winter break- and it's supposed to be done every six months, so obviously I'm overdue. I really need new contacts since my old ones really irritate my eyes and I've been wearing my glasses for most of the last 2 months, but I need a new prescription first. And the oral surgeon...
Two winter breaks ago, the dentist noticed that I hadn't had my wisdom teeth out and urged me to get my ass over to the oral surgeon. So I went, got X-rays, watched their little video, etc. We even scheduled an appointment for the surgery. Then a couple days later my mom called and cancelled it, offering me the $400 it would have cost if I didn't go through with it. She thought the surgeon was "too slick," just trying to get our money, and that having them out was unnecessary. All because she never had hers out and hasn't had any problems yet. I tried explaining that these days everyone has them out because it's easier now than down the road if something goes wrong. As it is, I know I have a hard time brushing that far back and it's very likely that they'll get cavities. So that year she suggested waiting another year or two until they were farther in, so they'd be easier to remove. I didn't see too much of a problem with that, and was tempted by the $400 (which just went to the Cornell bastards anyway >:(), so I didn't have them out.
Well, my health coverage under my parents' plan expires when I turn 21, so I really wanted to have them out this break. So I bring this up (and the fact that she didn't schedule me any of the appointments I asked her to, and it's a busy time of the year since everyone is home for winter break), and she says that it's about time that I take care of those things myself, so I should find some health insurance of my own and schedule my own appointments. Gee, thanks. This would have been good to know earlier, so I could at least get some decent appointments.
So I'm not looking forward to this whole health insurance deal. I might just go with the Cornell plan since it's probably the least complicated for someone like me and I don't generally have any major health problems. But of couse this will involve lots of fine print and phone calls where I'm put on hold for 20 minutes. And I'm not sure what goes on after I leave Cornell...with the types of jobs I'm looking for there's a slim to none chance that I'll be offered health insurance.
I can probably get away with the dentist and eye appointments while I'm still on my parents' plan, but my mom is still being stubborn about the wisdom teeth so who knows about that. Plus I'll get to be chewed out by my dentist, who was upset last year that I didn't have the teeth out...I told him about my mom's idiocy, and he talked to her, but she still didn't change her mind.
I swear, she's in her own little world where her convictions are the absolute truth and anyone who thinks otherwise should be damned to hell. She donates money to the Republican party and an ultra-conservative group called the "Concerned Women for America", yet won't pay for having my wisdom teeth out. These delusional CWA send propaganda letters that make my blood boil when I see them lying around the house. I'm not particularly interested in politics- I'd consider myself a Democrat but didn't bother to vote the past two years- but when this sort of shit is going around it pisses me off. I was going to scan one of the letters to show you how ridiculously intolerant they are, but the scanner isn't working. So the highlights:
On one of the donation cards: "Yes, Beverly! I am thankful for America's priceless, God-given heritage of religious, political, and personal liberty, and will stand with you and CWA to protect it!" Really? Because I find it quite odd that you denounce homosexuals, abortion, and separation of church and state, seeing as how those would all fall under religious, political, and personal liberty!
In the letter: "Our adversaries - the anti-family, anti-child, anti-woman, and anti-God forces who prey on us, our children, and our culture - lie in wait. They are looking for a monent when our attention wanders."
"Other times, it's more subtle: a sneaky political maneuver, a new program introduced in the schools, the quiet introduction of a lawsuit that will end up tearing God out of our schools or forcing our society to 'tolerate' sexual depravity."
"This is just the latest example of rich liberals funneling huge amounts of money into radical politics. Maybe you remember a few years ago, when media mogul Ted Turner gave $1 billion to the United Nations. Microsoft's Bill Gates, the world's richest man, routinely uses both his own money and his tax-exempt foundation to promote liberal causes." Okay, the UN is now radical politics? And Bill Gates' liberal causes- like his foundation that provides college scholarships to minorities? So maybe I was a little disappointed that I wasn't elligible to apply for one, but isn't what he does with his money his own business? Wouldn't that be covered under the "personal liberty" trumpeted on the donation form?
"In contrast to these liberal fatcats, Concerned Women for America relies on the kind donations of individual women and men like you." Why's that, Beverly? Is it because all the stuffy old white conservative men are too stingy with their money to donate to you? Or is it because all the self-made billionaires are smart enough to tolerate and accept change rather than being stuck in a Puritan mentality? Hmm, Beverly? Maybe it's both.
Hmm, started off complaining about health insurance and look where I am. As a disclaimer, I should say that I don't have a problem with moderate Republicans. It's the ultra-conservatives that make can't tolerate anyone who's not white, heterosexual, and Christian. They can think whatever they want, but when they try to shove it in my face I'm not going to like it. Can you see where I'm pissed off that my mom donates money to them while I work a $7/hr job trying to pay for school and will end up graduating many thousands of dollars in debt?
Fucking hell.
