Yay, that's $1k more than you wouldve got without negotiating! Sorry they're being annoying about the questions and timeliness.

Yay, that's $1k more than you wouldve got without negotiating! Sorry they're being annoying about the questions and timeliness.

Yes, and there's a 90-day review that *could* result in a raise.

I am pretty good at push-ups now thanks to my stretch teacher. I usually do them in sets of ten. I am muy impressed with Stephanie and amyth for their push-up mojo.

I can't do pushups. I hate them. It's congenital, but it doesn't bother me any the less for that.

If I were in your place, smonster, I would take the job... any job. But how long they took to not answer all your questions does make me worry about what the working environment will be like.

Congrats, smonster! What msbelle said.

erikaj, I'm sorry to hear that. That's gotta be hard.

Seska, I'm glad at least that the doctor was easy about prescribing meds. The flu thing is stupid on a number of levels. Is that cost-cutting even worse now that the Tories are (kinda) in?

Even back when I wasn't disabled and wasn't overweight, I sucked at push-ups and pull-ups. Or climbing up a rope. I tried hard but I never really got better at those things. Now that I'm disabled, I can't really do either just because keeping my wrists bent for push-ups or the act of pulling would trash me.

Brother's trip to NY they told him at the last minute he could not take his fold up walker as carry-on (after telling him he could and confirming it at check in.) He had been waiting an hour and even chatting with the flight person at the desk, but they waited until boarding was announced to wonder, "are you going to have trouble getting on board without that walkers." So it ended up with one flight attendent checking the walker and two other helping him board. The flight attendents grumbled about his needing help at the last minute. My brother very calmly told them, "if you had told me there was a problem sooner, in response to my specific questions, this would not be happening at the last moment."

In terms of UK medical, I think there are two problems. One is that it is socialized medicine rather than socialized insurance. Hybrid systems like Canada or France tend to provider better care than either private dominated systems like the U.S. or overwhelmingly public systems like the UK. (Even most doctors who are not direct employees are paid on the list system, which kind of messes up incentives and price signals and things.) The other problem is that the UK has tended to operate health care on shoe string, putting a lot smaller percent of GDP into health care than other rich nations. You can get away with that better in a mostly socialized system than you can in others, because you can tell providers, "here is your budget, do the best you can with it." That actually is pretty money saving, but again does not produce the best care. The U.S. system is so awful that the UK is slightly less bad for a fraction of the cost. But not the same thing as good.

God, yes, Typo Boy.

I've noticed US airlines getting worse about accommodation. Some of them are trying to monetize pre-boarding so it becomes confusing whether you have to pay extra to be pre-boarded even though you're supposed to get it as accommodation if you need that for your disability. So boarding procedures are changing and I think it's upsetting the routine.

A flight attendant and a passenger bitched at me not too long ago because I needed help getting my bag in the overhead (as I'd stated beforehand) and they'd not given any extra pre-board time before letting the impatient regular passengers on.

I still do the exercises the PT gave me, way back when, in bed before I get up. It's the perfect time - I get it done while I'm still warm and comfy and haven't woke up enough to bitch about it and put it off. Now if only I could walk a mile *before* I get out of bed in the morning!

May the job answer your questions speedily and allow you to say yes, smonster.

Seska, your frustration is entirely understandable. People who've never been disabled or in chronic pain, and never had a loved one who was, just don't comprehend the situation sometimes. They could if they tried, but it's easier to complain and throw blame.

I'd be surprised if I could complete two push-ups.