Topic: The things that make me sad, angry, and upset

[rrocket]

Yeah, access is easy, and follow up communication is 1000x better than what I am used to. Most Drs have a online portal setup where you can see test results, ask him questions (and get quick responses!), share photos, request school letters, etc - no cost either. The visits do end up costing me about $100/visit, after insurance. Pharmacy costs were a pleasant surprise too....you hear so much about the cost of drugs in the US, and they are high, but insurance covers the large majority. The antibiotics he's on now billed out at $189 for this tiny little bottle, but insurance covered all but $5.

Well that's the thing. It's great if you have great insurance. But many have none at all.

The number 1cause of bankruptcy in the U.S.is medical debt.

Think about that for a second or two...

[Firm]

Yeah, access is easy, and follow up communication is 1000x better than what I am used to. Most Drs have a online portal setup where you can see test results, ask him questions (and get quick responses!), share photos, request school letters, etc - no cost either. The visits do end up costing me about $100/visit, after insurance. Pharmacy costs were a pleasant surprise too....you hear so much about the cost of drugs in the US, and they are high, but insurance covers the large majority. The antibiotics he's on now billed out at $189 for this tiny little bottle, but insurance covered all but $5.

Well that's the thing. It's great if you have great insurance. But many have none at all.

The number 1cause of bankruptcy in the U.S.is medical debt.

Think about that for a second or two...

You're right, it's true, the key is having good insurance....without it, things get rough pretty quick. I've said it  bunch of times, it's a great system for those who can afford it (the insurance that is), it's pretty awful for those who can't. That said, there are a lot of programs around to help people who need it, for example, St. Jude's children's hospital for example is here in Memphis and serves families with sick children from all around the country....Families never receive a bill from them; they will bill insurance (if you have it) but otherwise treatment is funding by the organization's own fund raising, investments, grants, etc. Fortunately we've never visited, but it's comforting know that such a place exists, and the fact that it's right here is also nice. If you have a kid sick enough to be there, financing isn't something you should have to worry about.
My company is closely involved with supporting St. Jude, and it's something that a lot of people here are very proud to support - myself included.

[Great_Big_Abyss]

How are the wait times/service at a place like St Jude?  Closer in line to what we have up here?  Or better.  Genuinely curious what kind of care one gets for 'free' down there.

[Firm]

How are the wait times/service at a place like St Jude?  Closer in line to what we have up here?  Or better.  Genuinely curious what kind of care one gets for 'free' down there.

St. Jude doesn't have an emergency room, they are strictly for really sick kids, so it's not like you just walk in off the street. I am not sure what the criteria is to go there. For a metro area of a mere 1.4M, there's like something like 8 proper hospitals with emergencies services, so the ratio of available services to population is pretty good. We haven't had to use one yet, but you can check all the wait times online, in real-time, I took a look now and they range from 11-minutes to 83-minutes....and it's a storm night here (remnants of hurricane Francine) so I am sure there's more going on than normal.

[Bubba]

 I took a look now and they range from 11-minutes to 83-minutes....and it's a storm night here (remnants of hurricane Francine) so I am sure there's more going on than normal.

Wow, even an 83 minute wait is pure fantasy in Winnipeg.  I've attached the current wait times on a Thursday evening. 

[aquadorhj]

i f-cked up.

parked SLK at restaurant parking lot on monday for lunch.

when leaving, i hear loud "GRKSKTKSHTTCH".  stop, step out, and look.

my front bumper was cracked.....  apparently my front bumper went over the curbstop/wheel stop thingies.  that in itself was OK, but there was protruding rebar holding the curbstop which kicked the sh1t out of bottom of my bumper. and i ended up with cracked bumper...

it's less than 2 years old, from that unfortunate rabbit incident that resulted in me having new bumper!!!....   fuxk...   this is going to be most expensive lunch i ever have.

[Gurgie]

i f-cked up.

parked SLK at restaurant parking lot on monday for lunch.

when leaving, i hear loud "GRKSKTKSHTTCH".  stop, step out, and look.

my front bumper was cracked.....  apparently my front bumper went over the curbstop/wheel stop thingies.  that in itself was OK, but there was protruding rebar holding the curbstop which kicked the sh1t out of bottom of my bumper. and i ended up with cracked bumper...

it's less than 2 years old, from that unfortunate rabbit incident that resulted in me having new bumper!!!....   fuxk...   this is going to be most expensive lunch i ever have.

Ouch!! I was always so stupid careful with my SLK anytime I was parked forwards near a parking curb or sidewalk. Actually, even when I would back it in, I'd open the door & look how close I was to the curb just to make sure I didn't hit the exhaust. Both ends of the car are quite low & needed to be soooooo careful.

[JohnnyMac]

i f-cked up.

parked SLK at restaurant parking lot on monday for lunch.

when leaving, i hear loud "GRKSKTKSHTTCH".  stop, step out, and look.

my front bumper was cracked.....  apparently my front bumper went over the curbstop/wheel stop thingies.  that in itself was OK, but there was protruding rebar holding the curbstop which kicked the sh1t out of bottom of my bumper. and i ended up with cracked bumper...

it's less than 2 years old, from that unfortunate rabbit incident that resulted in me having new bumper!!!....   fuxk...   this is going to be most expensive lunch i ever have.

Ouch, that sucks.  One of the worries everyone has when driving a lower car. 

[Great_Big_Abyss]

That sucks. 

One of those things one doesn't think about when driving a CUV.  I was always cognizant about it when driving a lower car like the Mazda3, or a Civic, as scraping the lower air dam, or potentially opening a door into a high curb was a real possibility. 

[PJungnitsch]

That is a painful sound

Every so often I get something like an ES350 as a loaner and I have to recalibrate my thinking on obstacles. Without curb ramps I couldn't even park it in my driveway without hitting the front air dam

[EV Dan]

i f-cked up.

parked SLK at restaurant parking lot on monday for lunch.

when leaving, i hear loud "GRKSKTKSHTTCH".  stop, step out, and look.

my front bumper was cracked.....  apparently my front bumper went over the curbstop/wheel stop thingies.  that in itself was OK, but there was protruding rebar holding the curbstop which kicked the sh1t out of bottom of my bumper. and i ended up with cracked bumper...

it's less than 2 years old, from that unfortunate rabbit incident that resulted in me having new bumper!!!....   fuxk...   this is going to be most expensive lunch i ever have.

I hate those nailed down concrete blocks. Once I was in a passenger seat and my friend went over one of those in a parking lot, since he forgot there was something in front when he had parked. It wasn't a pleasant experience as far as my spine was concerned 
Nowadays I don't get near them, even when driving my 'zaurus.

[Fobroader]

Ohhhh, damn, that sucks. I didn't have that issue since I had my Altima, which I sold in 2010, till I got the Ridgeline, I hated those things with an undying passion. My trucks and Jeep before had no issues but the RL, that thing drug that stupid air dam over everything.

[Bubba]

i f-cked up.

parked SLK at restaurant parking lot on monday for lunch.

when leaving, i hear loud "GRKSKTKSHTTCH".  stop, step out, and look.

my front bumper was cracked.....  apparently my front bumper went over the curbstop/wheel stop thingies.  that in itself was OK, but there was protruding rebar holding the curbstop which kicked the sh1t out of bottom of my bumper. and i ended up with cracked bumper...

it's less than 2 years old, from that unfortunate rabbit incident that resulted in me having new bumper!!!....   fuxk...   this is going to be most expensive lunch i ever have.

[rrocket]

F my life, that's a terrible sound!

I was fond of backing in on the low cars I've owned.

[TheHire]

That's okay man, happens to the best and worst of us! The city has installed these speed "humps" on my street, I need to go over 2-3 of them every time I come home, depending on which side I come from. The 550 Maranello does NOT like them... I need to have slowed down sufficiently, then blip the gas ever so slightly to raise the front end, to go over without scraping the front lip. It's quite literally the only way to do it.

The underside of the Diablo's front bumper is a bit scratched up from the years of previous owner use, but I feel like I want to drive it a couple of seasons before actually investing in a repaint. Without really spending real miles behind the wheel for months at a time, there's no way for me to know the dimensions as well as I do my other stuff... so I'm sure I'll scrape it coming on or off a driveway somewhere. The '91 was one of the only early years that didn't have an axle lift system. I'd like to retrofit one one day...

[rrocket]

That's okay man, happens to the best and worst of us! The city has installed these speed "humps" on my street, I need to go over 2-3 of them every time I come home, depending on which side I come from. The 550 Maranello does NOT like them... I need to have slowed down sufficiently, then blip the gas ever so slightly to raise the front end, to go over without scraping the front lip. It's quite literally the only way to do it.

The underside of the Diablo's front bumper is a bit scratched up from the years of previous owner use, but I feel like I want to drive it a couple of seasons before actually investing in a repaint. Without really spending real miles behind the wheel for months at a time, there's no way for me to know the dimensions as well as I do my other stuff... so I'm sure I'll scrape it coming on or off a driveway somewhere. The '91 was one of the only early years that didn't have an axle lift system. I'd like to retrofit one one day...

With the BS you have you drive in and the quality of car, I'd seriously consider some perishable lip guards (like SlipLo). I've seen them a few times on exotics.

Seems worthy of the relatively small expense compared to the alternative.

[BWII]

The city has installed these speed "humps" on my street,  The 550 Maranello...The Diablo...

Hmm...one has to wonder WHY they installed them on YOUR street...

[OliverD]

The city has installed these speed "humps" on my street,  The 550 Maranello...The Diablo...

Hmm...one has to wonder WHY they installed them on YOUR street...

 

[valuator]

That's okay man, happens to the best and worst of us! The city has installed these speed "humps" on my street, I need to go over 2-3 of them every time I come home, depending on which side I come from. The 550 Maranello does NOT like them... I need to have slowed down sufficiently, then blip the gas ever so slightly to raise the front end, to go over without scraping the front lip. It's quite literally the only way to do it.

The underside of the Diablo's front bumper is a bit scratched up from the years of previous owner use, but I feel like I want to drive it a couple of seasons before actually investing in a repaint. Without really spending real miles behind the wheel for months at a time, there's no way for me to know the dimensions as well as I do my other stuff... so I'm sure I'll scrape it coming on or off a driveway somewhere. The '91 was one of the only early years that didn't have an axle lift system. I'd like to retrofit one one day...

I hear ya...these popped up all over my neighbourhood this year.  Funny watching folks take them full speed 

[OliverD]

That's okay man, happens to the best and worst of us! The city has installed these speed "humps" on my street, I need to go over 2-3 of them every time I come home, depending on which side I come from. The 550 Maranello does NOT like them... I need to have slowed down sufficiently, then blip the gas ever so slightly to raise the front end, to go over without scraping the front lip. It's quite literally the only way to do it.

The underside of the Diablo's front bumper is a bit scratched up from the years of previous owner use, but I feel like I want to drive it a couple of seasons before actually investing in a repaint. Without really spending real miles behind the wheel for months at a time, there's no way for me to know the dimensions as well as I do my other stuff... so I'm sure I'll scrape it coming on or off a driveway somewhere. The '91 was one of the only early years that didn't have an axle lift system. I'd like to retrofit one one day...

I hear ya...these popped up all over my neighbourhood this year.  Funny watching folks take them full speed 

They added a few of these to a street here in Fredericton after three people, including two teenagers, died in a crash while doing between 138 and 174 km/h. This is a residential street with a speed limit of 50.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/fredericton-police-speed-alcohol-1.7325399