one of those days...

where people piss me off, so really i shouldn't meet up with anyone today...

i have just returned from an unproductive errand run where i attempted to do the following:

1. recycle my cans and cardboard at reading terminal. just trying to do my part as a conscious citizen but philadelphia does not make it easy to recycle. sometimes people in my building leave things out on the sidewalk for pick up on thursday morning - like we were instructed to do with recyclables - and they sit there for like 3 days...clearly it's not being picked up. and so i tried to save my stuff and drop it off today and apparently reading terminal no longer recycles these things, only newspapers and bottles. a little part of me died as i had to throw my stuff into a regular trash can.

2. check on my prescription at rite-aid. sometimes philadelphia scares me because it seems like all the workers i run into (gap, banana republic, post office, etc) are so incompetent and unprofessional. seriously, no joke, it's horrible!! i waited in the "consultation" line for awhile before someone noticed me not because they heard me, but because they were going to get their wallet for lunch. yes, i heard all of this, and yet they did not hear me asking for help. the woman checked my account, and asked if i'd ever been to rite-aid before. umm yes, i've gotten my prescription filled here for the last 11 months?!? okay she finds my file but there is no new prescription under my name. shit balls, the office manager has either not gotten my message, not done the refill, or it's been denied, but thanks for not telling me?!?!

3. H&R block for taxes. i need help with my federal taxes because i have a 1099-c form due to some forgiven student loans. thanks for the forgiving, but now i have to claim this saved money as income and turbo tax online refuses to do it because the situation is apparently too complicated. so i have accepted the fact that i will probably have to pay $40 to H&R and then additional taxes to the gov. okay fine, so i get to H&R and wait 10 minutes at the front desk before someone comes out to talk to me. 10 minutes! at the front desk that was unmanned! 1 person came and left during that time, another came in later and stood around with me but he had an appointment.

i am LIVID - how can you run a business like this?!?1 PHILADELPHIA YOU ARE KILLING ME!!! the woman that finally came up was really nice though, i think she saw the frustration in my face, and took my information and said to come back in one hour.

oh yeah #4.
i placed my apartment on craiglist a few weeks ago and got 3 responses to look at it. i emailed them all in a group email (bcc) saying that i would have an open house on sunday - no responses. so yesterday i emailed each one individually to ask if they were still interested and one girl wrote back today "no, but thanks for following up". well i'm glad she at least responses but really, THANK YOU for your time since you're too busy to follow up with me.

sheeeesh i need to calm down, take a breath, and go watch some movies.


it's friday the 13th and people better watch out or i'm going to freaking lose it on them.

URGH

The neighbors across from me must have burned some plastic or something gross because my apartment - and the whole floor - smells disgusting. Like "this is going to for sure give you cancer" disgusting.

Thanks 402. You finally moved your shoes from the hallway only to replace them with a smell.

Me versus medical billing:

yayayayayayayay - IT"S A NEW DAY - HALLELUJAH!!!!!!!

anna verses drexel med, women's center

round one: they charge me $352 + $50 injection fee PER HPV SHOT! (it's 3 shots total)
are you effing kidding me???
- i pay off first bill.

beginning in may, i start to call and complain, because it should really be only like $350 TOTAL, about $150 a shot. and so i wait and play the calling game.

round two: susan from billing (we are first name basis now) starts to tell me that the billing office is in talks with the med center. i keep calling every few weeks. she tells me that they are still trying to get in touch with the office manager and supervisors
- get bill for other two shots - now have balance of over $900.

round three: susan tells me that they have been unable to get a response from the women's center supervisor. after thanksgiving, i call and leave a message for the supervisor

today susan leaves me a message telling me good news: i only have to pay $78 more and it's DONE! I"M HOME FREEEEEEE

TAKE THAT DREXEL BITCHES and INSURANCE CO ASSWIPES, you ain't gettin anymore of my monay lalalalalalalalala anna versus drexel and ANNA WON!!!!!!!!!!!!! aiaiaiaiaiai

for the love of everything holy, who charges $50 per injection site?

omg am totally riding high now that i won't have to pay that crazy ass bill. months later, it's done.

**
in reality though, i am grateful for all of my healthcare coverage, past and future. not presently, because under drexel's lame ass plan, i get no coverage for preventative health measures, yearly checkups, or any kind of general work. it's basically catasrophic coverage - gee thanks! so i paid out of pocket of all bloodwork, urine tests, office visits, etc and BELIEEEEVE me that is all quite expensive. it's crazy how much testing they do with your blood and how much it actually costs.

but underlying it all i suppose i can be grateful for this experience now, as it has taught me a lot about the healthcare/insurance system and what many people in this country are going through...urgh it sucks and hopefully we can do something about it soon!