Schlepping Along...

It's been one of those summers.  

We've had a very wet spring - not as wet as some folks, but when compared to the last few years, we're pretty thoroughly soaked.  We've had regular waves of moderate storms roll through, some turn severe before or after hitting the local area, and we're, well, seeing lots of weeds.  

The past few years have seen droughts, or very wet springs leading to flooding, followed by dry or very dry months.  We'll see what we see, but the continued rain is welcome, provided we get the dry weather to allow the crops to absorb the water and mature.

The rest of my life is going pretty well.  I've found a real niche with my new employer, and having plenty of work keeps me busy.  There are challenges, which come typically from the nature of the work.  There's a limited number of people who can review requests for authorization, and there are quite a few people who need help, so I'm one part of the bottleneck.  I have to process and request the authorizations as quickly and accurately as possible, while the insurance companies get to sit back and think about it.

It's a weird business, but the truly bizarre part is that, with every interaction I have with an insurance company, I am confronted with the statement that varies slightly, but tells me that authorization is not a guarantee of payment, but is an agreement that the requested therapy meets, in the opinion of the reviewers for the medical insurance folks, the reasonable understanding of what the medication may be able to manage, or reduce symptoms, or cure.  But payment will be determined when we submit the claim, a while after the therapy's been delivered, and someone else looks at the patient's records.  That individual may well decide nope, the drug wasn't worth it, and they may deny payment.  Which means a whole other round of appeals.

Which isn't my worry, I've got enough appeals just to get the authorization.  There are some payers, whom I won't name, but enough people have heard of them, that respond negatively to every initial request.  Then for maybe one or two attempts at appeal, they may decide to stick with their original denial.  Then finally, they may change their minds.  

Sometimes it turns out that the medication is limited to being provided by only one company to only one particular group of pharmacies.  That's called a Carve-out, and sometimes it just doesn't work for us.  But we do the best we can for our patients.  Like most pharmacies do.  

Other than that, I've had a few other side projects going.  I had a friend who had a wonky set of stairs put onto her back patio by her HOA, and because of that shoddy bit of work, she was told because it was three steps, not two, she needed a railing.  So I did my usual overbuild job on a set of railings that fit either side of this little platform.  It was about three and a half feet square, and the three steps all varied in height and length - or rise and run, as the proper terms are.

Being somewhat challenged in CAD work, I use a simple 2D CAD program that allows me to draw the design from different directions.  I have developed a spreadsheet which allows me to label each part and then calculate what the most efficient use of lumber will be.  This particular project had about forty individual pieces of lumber that formed railings that ran the sides of the platform, stood on the ground, were attached to the platform and a frame below to increase the overall structural strength.  

This particular challenge also included some solar lights for the stairs, and I added a small platform right next to the door, about chin height on the client.  She could do her grilling out on her grill, then when done place the completed grilling and the other tools and food on the platform, climb the uneven stairs without her hands full, open her back door, then pick up and carry the food in.  I was pretty happy with that part, because it was something I really wished I'd had outside my back door.  But hey, I don't need railings, I've only got two steps.  

After that, I'm seriously considering some home office changes.  The first is a new chair.  My current chair, which was new to me some 20 years ago, is broken on one side so I'm usually sitting with my butt tilted to my left, so I'm leaning to my right constantly.  With three large monitors on my desk, I'm also considering rebuilding my desk.  Currently the main desk is 48" wide by 42" deep, which gives me plenty of room, but I'm finding my right elbow is unsupported (thus one other reason for looking at a new office chair), which may be causing some of the pain there.  But I'm thinking of making a sort of L-shaped corner desk.

I'm thinking of starting with a half-sheet of plywood, four feet by four feet, and cutting one corner off in a triangle that would be 24 inches on each of the short sides, which, thank you Pythagoras, gives me a nearly 34-inch long hypotenuse, or that would be the long side of the triangle.  On either side of the angled cut, the 24" sides remaining, I would add two three-foot extensions, two feet wide, to give me a desk that would be seven feet long on each wing.  One wing would fit below the window to my left side, while the other side would be against a featureless wall, so I'd put a few shelves above the desk for storage and to provide some light.  

So there's that.  Other than that, I'm trying to get into some better shape, hopefully.  We'll see how that goes.  Otherwise, life seems to be going OK.