Today I got Official Word from the Short-term disability claims company that my morbid obesity and diabetes were determined by their doctor-on-a-leash to be preexisting condition for my staph infection.

That's complete bullshit. As if no one ever got a staph infection who wasn't obese and diabetic. I hope you can get a lawyer and contest that.

{{{DCJ}}} That's a lot of crap to have to deal with at once; I'm sorry.

Also, I agree with Zenkitty you should fight the pre-existing condition bullshit.

Ack, Daniel, that is some bullshit.

The decision makers for insurance companies should have our ailments--and have to use our insurance.

Way way back in the day I did temp work for a while processing insurance claims in the evenings. I approved everything. I'm sure some things eventually got caught through whatever their processing was, but I figured I at least a few maybe got through that "shouldn't" have.

Jacob on TWoP just referred to my nation's accent as "the sensuous quacking of the Australian." Apparently he is aware that I spent yesterday evening performing Pingu honks.

So sorry, Daniel. That sucks mightily.

Pingu!

Pingu!

The DVDs just arrived yesterday. This order was to complete my Christmas swag. Some weeks ago now, I was discussing with Wallybee the remaining gaps in my Attenborough holdings. I called out, by name, Life on Earth, The Living Planet and The Secret Life of Plants. Then, when I went looking for them online, I found this: [link]

So I placed an order, but it's an older collection, and there were delays. Then I actually bothered to look into it more closely, and found that (again, I'm guessing, because it's an older collection) the order would be about five quid cheaper if I ordered the individual components. I cancelled the original order and composed a new one.

Now the only problem was that the order fell short of the £25 floor for free shipping. (Amazon UK does free shipping to Australia!) Two Pingu DVDs found their way onto the list, because Ryan is awesome. And they just arrived yesterday, to Ryan's delight. Thus it was that his bedtime routine last night included a judicious quantity of Pingu honking.

Of course, the written word makes this all more intelligible than it would otherwise be. For those who would like to replicate the authentic Australian speech experience: quack quack quack quack quack quack quack quack quack quack quack quack quack quack quack quack quack quack quack quack quack quack quack quack quack quack quack quack quack quack.

DCJ, what a cacophony of bullshit. I'm so sorry. I hope 2012 gets its act in order, pronto.

Gris, I'm going to try that, too.

quack quack quack quack quack quack quack quack quack quack quack quack quack quack quack quack quack quack quack quack quack quack quack quack quack quack quack quack quack quack.

Ooooo, baby, I love it when you quack like that.

So the day rebounded to be pretty good overall. We brought in a massive haul of good stuff, and people worked well for the most part. Except for PB, who literally can't stay on task for a minute at a time, Yes, literally. I need to do his review tonight, and email my boss and the sponsor liaison about beginning the end.

Man, I went eight days without a cigarette. Today I cracked and smoked four. My plan is back to no smoking tomorrow. Progress, not perfection.

WTF, double post.