Random thoughts for Friday

Last night, we saw a wonderful one-man show called "Clooney, Cowell, Pitt and Me" by Sandro Monetti. It was a witty show about one man's journey through Hollywood A-Listers. Sandro is a correspondent for the BBC, BAFTA and other British media outlets. I had seen a dress rehearsal of it but thought Ryan would like to see it. The 2nd time the show had a better pace & the script was much tighter. Our favorite story was about Christian Bale and his petunias. The show ended it's LA run last night and it's off to New York for the "East of Edinburgh Fringe Festival". After that, it goes to Edinburgh. I hope to go to Edinburgh with a show one day.

I got an email today asking if I would like to go to Antarctica for 14 days. Antarctica?! Sure, how much? I open the email and the rates start at $13,000. By the time I pick my dates & flights, the trip costs $24,385. For that kind of money, I could have my wedding twice and another trip to Montana. But I would like to go to Antarctica one day.

It's closing weekend at the Lyric Theatre again. It's always a bittersweet feeling to close a show. I look forward to having my weekend nights back but I will miss going to the theatre & seeing the cast. And of course, the Lyric is like a second home. I hope it all ends on a good note.

I was held hostage today

No, really I was. I was held hostage by an evil, sinister, immoral corporation called Kaiser Permanente. Now, I don't blame them for ALL the things that are wrong with our healthcare system. But they should be held responsible for their crimes. But unfortunately, they are backed by the government & big business. So there's not much one can do about it but bitch about it on a blog only 10 people read.

Every year since I was 16, I go see a doctor for my mysterious lady parts. Yes, that's what we call them. Growing up in Catholic schools with no Sex Ed classes, they were mysterious parts till I was about 16. Biology has never been my strong suit. And whenever someone tried to talk to me about them, I would just cover my ears and yell real loud "I'm not listening!"

I think it is the names of our lady parts that makes me cringe. They sound gross no matter how you say them. Why couldn't they gave us cool names for our lady parts like the pinky or the void? Or my personal favorite: the tunnel. Sounds so dark & mysterious. See...aren't those fun names?! I would much rather say that than vagina. Vagina sounds like it should be the word to describe that vomit that's still in your mouth after your throw up. Like the last little bit you didn't have the energy to project into the toilet with rest of it. Anyhow, I'm getting off the subject.

Now, I haven't seen a Kaiser doctor, (I always think German doctor when I say that), since 2007. Since then, I've had the freedom of United Healthcare. Under their plan, I could pick any doctor that accepted UHC. Which was great! I had a great dermatologist, a PT specialist and a wonderful Lady Parts doctor. For 4 years, I saw these amazing doctors. I didn't like what they had to say most of the time:

The dermatalogist: "You should think about using botox on that wrinkle in your forehead"

The PT specialist: "You should think about having more aggressive treatment on that shoulder"

The Lady Part doctor: "You should lose more weight"

But they did their jobs well, gave me the pills I asked for and were always on time. The one time one of these doctors was late, she called me herself to let me know she was running 20 minutes behind. How cool was that?! Plus they didn't have the typical 9-5 schedules so my appointments were always before or after work. My only complaints with UHC was all the red-tape and hidden fees. I was constantly on the phone with them trying to explain why I need anti-inflammatory pills or why my right hip still needed therapy.

Late last year, I got under Ryan's healthcare plan. I knew what I was getting into. I wasn't going to be able to see the doctors I liked but at least the hidden fees & red tape were gone.

Anyhow, I had a 9am appointment at the West LA center because it's close to work. The West LA center charges for parking which should be a crime itself. I had only three singles with me but I thought there's no way this appointment could take more than 2 hours, right? Wrong.

I check-in at 8:50am and at 9am, they call me back. I'm thinking "Great, we're on time". It's a early Christmas miracle. So, I go to the nurses station and get my blood pressure taken. I eyed the scale in the corner somewhat regretting that heavy breakfast I had at 7am but the nurse never asked me to get on it. Oh yea, this is going great. Maybe they won't say anything about my weight. Maybe they will do the exam and I'm out the door by 9:30am. I'm feeling good about this one.

But the good feeling goes away when the nurses tells me to go back to the waiting room while they get a room ready for me. Hmmm... it's never a good sign when you have to go back to the waiting room. But I go back and start reading the book I brought with me.

The frustration level doesn't start to rise till 9:30am. From there, it just keeps on rising. In the waiting room, I'm surrounded my pregnant women who are going to their appointments. I'm starting to think that the pregnant women are getting special treatment. Which doesn't help my frustration. At 9:45am, I have finished my book and the frustration jumps another 20 notches. I go to the front desk and asks how much longer. The woman behind the thick glass smiles and says she's not sure. They're running behind. Frustration at critical mass - its not longer stable! I leave the room to go call the office and let them know I will be later than intended. I go back to the waiting room to find my seat taken. In fact, every seat is occupied by a pregnant woman! Where the hell did they all come from? Leaning against a wall, it dawns on me - I'm being held hostage. They know I need to see a doctor to get a prescription refill. They know I can't leave without that refill. They also know that I don't want to come back to get that refill.

At 10am, the frustration has boiled over when I realized $3 is not going to cover the parking. Now, my car is a hostage. I go back to the window and ask again how long will it be. There's still no update from the doctor. The nurse thinks she is giving me good news when she tells me there is only 1 patient ahead of me. Which then pushes me to giving her a newsflash. Here's a breakdown of my angry rant: I start with how I was on time but the doctor was not. Followed by the hostage feeling I am feeling. Then, I move onto how my car is now a hostage. Wrapping it with the old "I-never-get-treated-this-why-by-providers-outside-of-Kaiser" speech. (Which is true). The nurse does nothing but offers this helpful truth: "There's an ATM machine on the first floor".

At 10:15am, I'm called back & placed in a room. At 10:30am, the doctor finally walks in and asks how I'm doing. I'm almost launched into my "Kaiser is evil" speech but decide against it. I need this woman to do her job & give me my refill as quickly as possible.

The exam lasts only 20 minutes. In that time, she is trying to make small talk as she uses a cold metal vise on my lady parts. I tried ignore this cold & painful process by thinking this is what a robotic version of Karl Urban's penis might feel like. (Usually its the nineties version Christian Slater I'm thinking about but I watched a little of DOOM on HBO during breakfast today). But then I look over on the sink counter. And there on the counter, in large letters is the word vagina. With a diagram.

God, I hate that word

Rebirth! Well...sort of....

A couple of years ago, when everyone I knew had a blog, I started a blog about living in LA. It went well for several months and it kept me busy at a job that was boring. That was over 5 years ago. I can't even remember the actual name of the blog other than it had to do with "swimming" and "Los Angeles". I stopped blogging because I quit my depressing job at MGM and took a very complex position at a small film company. Now, it seems like the circle of life has completed another loop. I've got a great job at Fox Cable Networks - pays more, the perks are really great and I love being on the lot. The downside, if it's even considered a downside, is that I have very little work to do. Hmmm....you can only watch so much Instant Netflix, check email, harvest crops on Farmville, before you start counting down the minutes to 6pm. What to do, what to do.... (taps fingers on the desk as I look around).

As bad as my English, spelling and grammar skills are, I've always enjoyed writing. I went through a phase of writing short stories. Follow by a phase of writing poems, then followed by a phase of writing treatments for movies I would one day direct. I believe 3 poems were published before I graduated from high school. I kept a journal from 6th grade all the way into my late 20's. My high school journals are the thickest journals. I never missed a day to write about the painful days of being a social misfit in a very closed-minded Catholic school. Despite the ups & downs, writing has always been a comfort to me. Into my 30s, I rarely found time to write. Until now...

Another reason why I decided to blog again is that I'm getting out there again. I'm giving LA another chance. For a long time, I wasn't doing much. It was the same things over and over. Work, tennis, theatre, photography, rinse and repeat. I stopped going out & meeting people because I was homesick for Chicago, my home. (Yes, yes, I was born in Michigan, lived there for 17 years and so on. But I've always felt that home is where the heart is and my heart is always in Chicago. Chicago has always felt like home. I miss it more than any other place I've lived in). Plus, I was disappointed by what I had seen in LA so far.

Maybe it's the Kings winning their first round of playoffs in the NHL. Maybe it's the fact that I joined several Meetup Groups. Or maybe it's the fact that come May, I have lived in Los Angeles for 9 years - longer than I lived in Chicago. Whatever the reason, I feel a strange renewed vibe about LA. I find myself going out, trying new venues & events, meeting new people, (which is hard for me since I don't like 90% of the population), and not feeling so disgusted with LA.

Then again, this feeling and blog could be short lived. We'll see what I find.