Open Letter to Health Insurance Executives

Dear Insurance Company Executives,

I know you have people whose job it is to figure out how to deny coverage. I know your companies have structured themselves to benefit your shareholders at the expense of customer health. I also know, if you don't change your tune, I, along with everyone else you have shafted, will work tirelessly to put you out of business in favor of single payer.

Let me offer you a bit of advice: do something different. I would gladly switch insurance companies if one was out there that was FOR customers. If there was a company that was modelled on social business - and cared for consumers' health - I would HAPPILY pay that company's premiums. I would recommend them to all my friends and family. I would write about how wonderful that company was. I would post videos everywhere on its amazing customer centered policies.

An honest, caring insurance company is what I want...if things stay as they are.

You have an opportunity here. You can change the way you do business, or you can risk death. It has already started with the regulations of the ACA. Single payer is not far behind. If you want to continue making money, abandon your antiquated ways of nickel and diming people. Pursue an ethical and responsible model of business and you might convince America that insurance companies do not have to be the scum of the Earth. You might.

I hope this letter reaches you during the holidays while you are enjoying perfect health with all your family members, courtesy of those profits squeezed from middle class America. You're welcome.

Have a blessed holiday season!

Best wishes,

Alexis Donkin

For the Love of Qwerty

Why oh why are all the keyboards gone?! For some idiotic reason the designs of cell phones these days have removed keyboards except for the "old people model" (you know what I'm talking about).

This is the STUPIDEST thing ever.

First of all, I hate touch screen keyboards. Why? Because I can't FEEL what I'm touching except for that annoying vibrate feedback. Yelch. I also don't feel comfortable using 2 thumbs on a touchscreen (Does this make me old? Probably...sigh). Inevitably what I intended to press doesn't read as "pressed" and something completely unexpected occurs. It's super fun.

Beyond this, however, touchscreen keys do not work well for me - I don't just mean pressing the wrong spot. I mean I don't have enough blood in my fingers. Literally they cannot always register my fingers on the screen. If I have to use a touchscreen keyboard, I will live in an endless circuit of frustration (thanks phone companies!).

My husband also has problems with touchscreen keys. He has good circulation. So what's his issue? Why can't the screen register his fingers? Callouses.

Just like some people will always buy paper books, or records, keep a classic option like the QWERTY KEYBOARD! I love feeling the buttons click as they press into the board. I love how I know EXACTLY what button I pressed and what letter will show up on my screen. I love how my keyboard never takes up a third of my screen and how I'm never a slave to it when viewing webpages or apps.

So, HTC and Samsung, SOMEONE - do an ANDROID lover a favor - make a few REAL keyboard options that don't suck giant hairy ones. Thanks a bunch!

Love, Your Neighborhood Hipster

The Indie Author Shake-down

Did you know that "Indie Author Services" are like the biggest shake-downs ever? Well, besides King's Candy Crush of course (p.s. I'm exceptionally lazy and NOT linking to that goofy game because my internet is being slow, so sue me!). I mean, even the social media sites that have popped up EVERYWHERE and the membership organization sites that are ALL OVER are just INSANE.

It makes me want to slap someone.

I keep picturing people with greasy slicked back hair, gold chains, and too much chest hair poking out of their button shirts.

Gross!

I do not understand how people are able to pay for all these services, and think they are even worth the money. No one KNOWS if they're actually worth the money. No one knows what works at selling books and what doesn't.

Surprise! There is no magic formula. Let me repeat myself - there is no magic formula.

And just in case you didn't know what that means - it means, don't waste your money on jerk-offs trying to charge you to join their websites. And what about the other thing indie authors have in abundance? Yeah, don't waste your time if it seems like there aren't enough people USING the site or it doesn't offer you tons of things you actually will use and need.

I know there are a ton of people like me out there or even worse (In fact, I would say I'm concerned more about people who are just starting out.). All those people may want to publish books, and they could, if they had the right support at an affordable price. Sorry, but $300 is not affordable for most indies. It's crazypants.

CRAZYPANTS I TELL YOU!

How about free? I'm just saying that your best bet as an indie is to find another indie with the skill set you need and to trade services. You edit for him, and he designs a cover for you. True indies wear many hats. It's like working at a non-profit (and believe me, most indies are familiar with non-profit! Badumcha!). You will find someone with the skills you need who wants the skills you have. I'm positive.

This business might be a business, but it's not about making money. It's about sharing passion. I think a lot of indies forgot that along the way.

Channeling Nesting Instinct by Going Undercover

It's the kind of thing that keeps you up at night. It gets your blood pumping and your mind whirring. It drives you to distraction. It makes you fidget, fuss, and down right squirm.

Yes, it is the instinct to nest.

I've never felt like this instinct was adequately explained. It always feels like something that is glossed over in books. Maybe no one thought it needed explanation, or maybe I got tired of those books long before the box inset on the instinct. I don't know. All I know is that I wasn't sufficiently prepared for the agitation I'm experiencing now.

Nesting appears to be associated mostly with arranging, organizing, and cleaning. It makes sense that such an instinct would be called "nesting," referring to the preparations so many birds and other animals make before their offspring arrive.

In my head I thought this organizing tendency would refer only to my living space. In reality, nesting means so much more.

As many of us know, there are limits to resources and money. This hampers the nesting instinct. Literally, I can't go out and spend a bagillion dollars on a nursery (ha!) or other gear because A) I don't have a bagillion dollars (you thought I was hiding it!) and B) I don't have the space and C) much of it is pointless!

So what is a nesting mommy to do?

Well first I was channeling this need into my professional life by researching job opportunities and literary magazines. Then it extended to writing and editting short stories. Unfortunately this is a bit like getting a cat to satisfy a baby bug - in short, a bandage that only works for a little while.

I have to wait to overhaul our apartment until we get our saw. I'd already purged some of my clothes and books. I still have to deal with shoes and I could rearrange our clothing to make it more usable/accessible. I will probably do that this week. When I'm particularly "nesty" I clean, which is something that always needs doing. All this helps, however I need something more baby oriented.

Yesterday I wandered around downtown Walnut Creek looking in the kid's sections, much to Christian's chagrin (and my limited satisfaction). The cute outfits and sweet toys just whet my appetite as opposed to helping tame it.

Thus, I went home and started contacting companies. I asked for samples and promotional materials. Some of them I expected would definitely have samples while others I expected would definitely not. Still it was a good way for me to get an idea of the companies out there and the ways they respond to customer inquiries.

So far I've gotten responses from several cloth diaper companies who, as expected, do not give samples. However their email responses were VERY thorough and helpful as to directing potential customers to tips, cheap ways to get started with cloth, and even some sites that do giveaways. Some were better in their emails than others, but overall I was fairly impressed.

Some companies no longer give samples because freebie sites (and stupid people) have capitalized and abused the companies' good will. This really bugged me and I realized many of the companies had probably altered their sample services because of such scum buckets. This effectively ruined it for the rest of us upstanding individuals who just genuinely wanted to give companies a chance to let their products speak for themselves.

I found the biggest companies like disposable diaper and formula producers require some kind of membership/registration in order to get any kind of sampling. Some of this involves giveaways and "contests" while other times it requires some kind of "viral" marketting ploy (I.e. "invite your friends" or "get a sample when a friend likes our page!"). The blatant attempts at astroturfing drive me bonkers, turning me - a potential customer - quite sour against the company.

Of course, I'm not the average customer. I expect many people are able to ignore (or are utterly oblivious to) such things.

Still, I haven't received responses from all the companies I contacted and I have yet to contact many retailers (and many other companies). Already the exercise has been illuminating, and has satisfied my nesting instinct without costing me more than an hour of my time. In fact, it worked so well, I slept THROUGH THE NIGHT for the first time in the second trimester!! That in itself was worth it.

As I get responses I'll report back my findings. I'm sure you'll find them illuminating, educating, and in some cases quite entertaining. The best responses I'll be sure to post directly here. To save companies from being inundated, I'm not going to broadcast specific companies that give out samples (should I actually find them) except for the obvious and common. I will however talk about what I receive (if anything).

I can't wait to see what happens!