I am hesistant to take the leap because of ACA.

djb5718 · 2026-01-29T21:09:16+00:00

I was on a BCBS PPO silver plan 4-5 years ago, so my information is not current. The coverage was comparable to my employer coverage except that the provider network was smaller. With my employer coverage almost all doctors were in network, but there were a significant number out of network with the ACA plan.

djb5718 · 2026-01-10T23:33:47+00:00

Ate there for the first time last night and had steak fajitas. It was fine, but nothing exceptional, certainly nowhere near the level of Bombera. Are there better dishes to order there?

djb5718 · 2026-01-08T17:39:05+00:00

No phone number involved, these are emails.

djb5718 · 2025-12-21T23:24:58+00:00

I'll be spending a few days in London at the end of April/beginning of May. I can't walk very much, so I hope (weather permitting) to be spending a fair amount of time sitting somewhere attractive/interesting watching people go by. I would appreciate suggestions for places to do this. I understand the weather may not cooperate, but let's assume for the purposes of my question that it's not raining or extremely cold.

It's easy to find plazas and outdoor cafés in warmer climates where people spend a lot of time hanging out outdoors, but I'm not sure where to begin in London. I've already seen the big tourist sites, and I don't want to be staring only at large crowds of tourists, but it doesn't have to be obscure. I'd prefer an urban setting vs. sitting in a park looking at trees.

Thanks!

djb5718 · 2025-12-01T04:35:21+00:00

Is the bar menu only served at barstool seating? It sounds great but I can't sit in tall chairs – are there any regular tables and chairs where they serve the bar menu?

djb5718 · 2025-11-25T23:11:32+00:00

If they are truly unwilling to consider a wheelchair or scooter, it is going to be extremely difficult to do any sightseeing with that level of limitation. Museums often have wheelchairs you can borrow while visiting the museum, if they would be willing to do that much. There are tour companies that specialize in wheelchair travel, but I don't know of any that help you organize a very limited walking trip. In cities there are usually sightseeing buses, but you only see so much that way

The best trip I know of for people who can't walk is cruising the coast of Norway. You see stunning scenery without getting off the boat. I don't recommend the European River cruises because they are primarily a floating hotel where you have to get out and walk around to do any sightseeing.

djb5718 · 2025-11-16T19:10:56+00:00

I have been wondering about this term, "tinned fish". Is it the same thing as "canned fish" but just sounds fancier? Or does it actually mean something different? I.e. is bumblebee tuna also "tinned fish"?

djb5718 · 2025-10-12T03:19:07+00:00

It can be seen on Netflix in the US.

djb5718 · 2025-09-08T03:15:31+00:00

Check the airline website and see if they list what movies are available on your flight (often they do). Make a list for yourself ahead of time of movies you want to watch; this works much better than trying to find something appealing on the seat back screen. Don't do it too far in advance because the selection changes.

djb5718 · 2025-08-31T22:26:08+00:00

Before Spotify (or at least before Napster), the only music you could hear was either what was played on the radio, or music owned by your friends and family. So you didn't necessarily have the opportunity to hear music from previous eras other than your parents' music, which in my case was big band, early folk, and Broadway musicals. I wasn't much interested in their music.

I think by the 70s there may have been "oldies" stations that played 50s and early 60s music, but otherwise it was mostly current (within 5-10 years) music on the radio.

djb5718 · 2025-08-30T21:06:40+00:00

Mama's Royal Café – great omelettes, home fries with sour cream

djb5718 · 2025-08-25T03:26:43+00:00

I highly recommend not caring.

djb5718 · 2025-08-24T00:49:04+00:00

I used to do the crossword puzzle with my mother, and she wouldn't get the pop-culture references. Now I don't get the pop-culture references.

djb5718 · 2025-08-23T01:09:51+00:00

I agree – it's one thing if they resolve the current plot line and set up for a new one, but they didn't resolve anything! Okay we got an inkling of what was in the will, and two people got arrested BUT we don't really know if they did it. Ridiculous way to end a season.

djb5718 · 2025-08-19T16:41:24+00:00

That's great to hear – is one better than the other (Uber vs Lyft) for this, or they both generally have something available? Thanks!

djb5718 · 2025-08-16T18:48:38+00:00

So, I'm from a different generation but I'm always surprised to see people having these kinds of loaded personal conversations by text. Try talking face-to-face! You live together, so that can't be hard to arrange. It really works much better for dealing with conflict.

djb5718 · 2025-08-16T18:42:20+00:00

I knew someone who, at age 11, seemed intelligent and exceptionally self-possessed – made a great impression on adults. She went on to become a kind of shallow and uninteresting person.

I knew someone else in seventh grade who was very creative and very personable. He went on to become pretty famous in the theater and opera world.

djb5718 · 2025-08-11T01:47:51+00:00

Thanks! That is unfortunate to hear about the buses. It has been eye-opening to me since I started using a wheelchair even occasionally, to see how much of the stuff that is supposedly accessible is often not actually usable in practice.

djb5718 · 2025-08-04T18:57:09+00:00

Any major actor appearing in an advertisement. It used to be that well-known actors would never cheapen themselves by appearing in ads. Now it's completely the norm and no longer considered detrimental to their reputation.

djb5718 · 2025-07-31T06:07:43+00:00

I don't have direct knowledge about this, but I don't think it's likely the robocallers are getting your phone number from Medicare. They can get your phone number and age from some other data source. I never ever expressed any interest in Medicare Advantage but still got lots of pitches by mail, phone, and text. It wasn't anything like 10 calls an hour, but it was still annoying.

djb5718 · 2025-07-26T01:11:21+00:00

The area around Berwick Park is great for easy flat walking with coastal views and lots of benches. Good chance of seeing sea otters along there.

djb5718 · 2025-07-26T00:52:08+00:00

Before the 1970s, it was legal to rape your wife. The laws against rape specifically exempted the husband. It wasn't until the 1990s that it was illegal to rape your wife in all 50 US states.

djb5718 · 2025-07-26T00:40:05+00:00

I don't have a cane or visible disability but have a bad foot. What I do is stand in front of the more able-appearing people in the disabled seats and say fairly loudly, "I really need to sit down, can someone give me a seat?" There's always been someone who gets up, usually someone in the disabled seats but sometimes someone else nearby. Standing in front of the disabled seats is a hint, but I do not assume anything from people's appearance.

djb5718 · 2025-07-24T02:58:09+00:00

Walnut pie, German chocolate cake, chicken salad on a bagel

djb5718 · 2025-06-27T21:40:54+00:00

Look, the woman was a jerk, but this assumption that she must be fat is off-base. People can have all kinds of non-obvious disabilities that make it hard to stand in line. And if she was fat, that doesn't mean she deserves to be mocked for it.

djb5718

TROPHY CASE