I never seen a man who looked so all alone, could you use a little company?

[rolanni]

Been doing a lot of running in place, and necessary phone work.  Have I mentioned that I hate talking on the telephone?

So, anyway, Steve got his Medicare card, which meant that I had to call the ACA and our health insurance company to remove him from our joint policy -- I thought.  What really happened is that the ACA cancelled our policy and opened a new one, just for me.  The resulting health insurance payments are significantly less than our joint policy, a circumstance I regard with suspicion and not a little alarm, considering what happened last year, with the ACA adding another $12,000 on top of our Regular Taxes, because we failed to accurate predict how much money we would take in in 2014, and the timing of said income.  I'm thinking I'll just be putting aside the difference between the joint payment and what we pay now, so as not to Repeat History in 2015.

I also needed to get on the phone in order to close out an account that is being nickled and dimed to death by "administrative fees."  Nothing to it, said the rep; you just needed to fill out a form, which he emailed to me.  All twenty pages of it.  Including!

Including, I say, a page that Steve had to fill out in front of a notary, giving his permission for me to close the account with my name on it.

To be fair. . .the instructions did say "Spousal Permission," so I'm guessing , had our positions been reversed, I'd've had to provide my notarized permission for him to receive his own money.  Still -- argh.

In and around those kinds of things, I've slowly been pulling "The Gift of Music," and "The night don't seem so lonely" into an ebook.  This morning, I realized that we have no more ISBNs left, and I'm going to have to buy something at Baker and Taylor's usurious rates, which prospect pleaseth me not, but will have to be done.

Yesterday afternoon, we had the electrician stop by to inspect The Receptacle That Supports The Internet.  Late Thursday, my UPS, which sustains not only my computer, but our wireless hub, started screaming like a dozen little girls, and clicking frantically on and off.  I climbed under my desk -- because of course, the One True Outlet is in the most inconvenient place possible, in keeping with its importance -- and heard the wall outlet sizzling.

Followed a short period during which All The Things were unplugged and the electrician called.

He, as above, arrived yesterday afternoon, diagnosed an old receptacle, no other damage apparent, and replaced the old with a new.  We are now back up and running, and I get to put all the stuff that was under my desk -- boxes packed, because we were going to be! moving! soon! -- back where it was. . .

Later.

I think that's it, on the news front.  There will be no phone calling tomorrow, because -- Sunday.  Which is rather a relief.

Today's blog title brought to you by Cage the Elephant, "No Rest for the Wicked."  Here's your link.

Close-up of Sprite, highlighting another of her wavy whiskers; this one still attached.

Comments

ISBNs

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Do you mean MyIdentifier.com? This might be the same folks, but over here

http://madgeniusclub.com/2013/07/07/some-nuts-and-bolts/

Suggests for ISBNs

So, where do you get your ISBNs? The safest albeit more expensive way is to go through MyIdentfiers.com. This is the Bowker site that sells ISBNs direct to authors and small presses. You can buy them individually or in bulk. Like almost anything else, the more you buy, the bigger the discount.

Re: ISBNs

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

Right, Bowker.

I have never myself heard of MyIdentifier.com, but doubtless things have changed since the last time I bought ISBNs. What with all the self-publishing going on, Bowker -- being the only source for ISBNs, as is only right, since they invented both the need and the system -- was undoubtedly swamped.

We had/have an account; I just need to dig out the information and figure out how many Jacksons I want to say good-bye to.

Another convert

[drammar.livejournal.com]

It was my pleasure to loan out my "borrower's copy" of PIN late last week at work. I received a text today indicating she had devoured it all, and is in the process of scoring the rest of the books.

I just love introducing new people to the Liaden Universe and watching them become fans.

Thank you for writing such good books that it's a fairly regular occurrence!

Re: Another convert

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

Thank you for doing the field work!

[ebartley.livejournal.com]

I have nearly closed my and my husband's joint account with Chase, twice, because of tax shenanigans that only he could untangle because his was the social security number associated with that account. Only *both* the fact that they offered to swap out social security numbers so only I could deal with it and ignorance of where to go for a true joint account stopped me.

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

We actually did close the account with Chase, for much the same sort of reasons. A true joint account continues to elude us, however.

Sprite

[catherine ives (from livejournal.com)]

wavy whiskers may be very rare also. You could find out.
I hate all that kind of technical type buga buga that they put one through too.

[bandicoot.livejournal.com]

I had no idea you had to buy ISBNs. I'd always assumed they were issued by the Library of Congress on request or something ;/

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

There's a couple things going on here.

1. for our so-called "trad published" books, the publisher uses an ISBN from the houses block, and copyrights the book in our name -- that's part of The Deal.

2. when we self-publish something -- the echapbook I'm putting together with the two Archers Beach stories will be *self* published -- we rightly bear the costs of publishing, including buying an ISBN and paying for the copyright.

3. the Library of Congress does not sell ISBN numbers. ISBN numbers were invented in 1965 by the International Organization for Standardization and they are sold through various non-governmental sources throughout the world (sort of like Agency Liquor Stores). In our little part of paradise the organization that sells ISBNs is Bowker, and they charge an Arm, a Leg, and an Ear.

Medicare

[mary wyss (from livejournal.com)]

Did he get the supplemental insurance too? My husband ( the insurance export recommends Plan F. And don't forget the drug plan.

My husband does not like the advantage plans because the carrier can pull out of the state and then the subscriber can be subject to medical underwriting. I was on the Medicare advantage for a year and was irritated under the restrictions. The price was very nice but I took the option to change plans before age 66. I am asthmatic and can be underwritten.

The supplements are not too expensive and the income penalty for part E and the drug plan do not kick in unless the family income is greater than $170,000.

Re: Medicare

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

To be perfectly honest? He told me exactly what he was doing and the reasoning behind it, but the whole "system" keeps flowing right past me, and I can't get a handle on it. Drug coverage, he certainly got, but between Part A, Part B, Part XYZ, and all the various Advantage plans, I couldn't tell you what he finally decided on.

Re: Medicare

[mary wyss (from livejournal.com)]

If he does not like his choice he can change within the first year. I did not like the restrictions in the HMO plan but the cost of that plan was next to nothing.

One on Medicare, one not

[susan beaty (from livejournal.com)]

I wish I could have given you the benefit of my experience earlier in the year when DH turned 65. I, too, was under the impression that I could convert our family Blue Cross Blue Shield policy to an individual policy for me. Since DH didn't apply for Medicare until less than a month before his birthday I didn't find out until the last minute that there were Many Forms involved. It took 3 months for BCBS to finally get it straight that I got my own policy and he went on Medicare. And several phone calls were involved; apparently the first person I talked to gave me incomplete information. Our Blue Cross premium was cut exactly in half when he went on Medicare. The good news is that I knew what hoops to jump through when it came time for me to apply for Medicare and cancel BCBS less than 6 months later when I turn 65.

We liked the Mutual of Omaha Plan F supplemental better than what BCBS offered. Besides which, I'm rather put off by their bureaucracy these days. And we picked the cheapest Part D (prescription drug) plan we found; we'll see how that works for us.

Re: One on Medicare, one not

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

Blue Cross and Blue Shield was for some years the *only* health insurer in Maine, and they fully took advantage of that fact. When the ACA arrived, Maine Community Health Options arose, and Blue Cross was shockedSHOCKED at how many of its customers fled to the new insurer. Which is So Very Much Better in all ways -- even granting that they had to clear a really low bar. Just having an insurer that doesn't treat its customers with Complete Contempt is a big improvement.

I'm three years behind Steve on the run to Medicare, so who knows what the landscape will look like by then.

[margotinez.livejournal.com]

Did Steve have to pay for the notary? Around here (California) that can be $10 or $20 shot. However, our Wells Fargo bank will notarize for free.

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

No, the Town Notary took care of him, gratis. Service of the town.