Time for a change

I have been taking my car to the dealer I bought it from for 5 years. Every time I go there they try to sell me some repair I don't need and ignore my comments of how the car is running. I told them the engine light came on one morning and the car stalled out and they told me I needed a $200 fuel injector cleaning without even diagnosing the car. So I decided to take the car to a different dealer. What a difference. Not only did they listen to me and find the problem I had been having for 50,000 miles and fix it (under warranty). They found another problem and fixed that under warranty. They did an excellent job and were friendly and courteous and it was a great experience. So what a difference a simple change makes. 

I had the same experience when I changed cancer centers. Better service, listened to me and reacted to my needs and I am much happier. 

So, I have been pushing myself to keep working (as in my day job designing clinical diagnostic analyzers)  through this chemotherapy and finally decided it was too much. Fortunately I have great insurance and can take time off work at full pay. So I have decided to take time off work while I undergo the chemo and really relax and let myself heal. As I left work yesterday I felt like I was leaving a piece of me behind, but I realized this change was badly needed and will be a great thing in the long run.

Why Bother

I once went to this cafe where they served a decaf latte made with non-fat milk. The cafe named all their drinks and this one was called the "Why Bother". Similarly I have a bunch of stuff for sale on e-bay right now. Anyone unfamiliar with how the bidding goes on e-bay, Even though the listing lasts 6 days,  most people will do their bidding in the final day or even final hours. Most items sell for about half the price of a new one or you can look at other similar items and see what they sold for to get an idea of how much you should bid. So with 3 days to go in the bidding for my items people are penny bidding. Someone bids 1 cent then gets trumped by someone bidding 2 cents or some bids $1 then some else bids $1.10. Seriously, do they think that by bidding in penny increments they are actually going to win an item. These are items will sell for hundreds of dollars.

Some people are so focused on saving pennies today. When its hundred of thousands perhaps millions of dollars in the future we want to focus on.

Both people are doing what I call ass holing it. Definition: If your an ass hole you believe that your penny manipulations actually have an effect on the final outcome, when in the end your really just bidding to see your self bid or drinking a Latte that has no flavor! Neither is productive or enjoyable.

Together Making Sushi

Well were crossin' over here at the blog-a-sphere. I know the Together Cooking folks are out Mountain Biking, on my bikes by the way. So if they can do my thing, I can do theirs, Truth be told I cant do my thing now so I thought I would russle up some Sushi. I saw this great throw down with Bobby Flay and he was crap at making sushi and I thought I can do better than that. So I took the tips from Marimoto and the crazy Korean Sushi guy who took it to the flay and, well, filleted him. I made the best Veggie (Yes EJ will love it) Sushi Ever. Shown is a carrot, cuke, sesame roll with cilantro and wasabi.  Garnished with Soy Sauce Wasabi and sriracha (Spelled right by the way). Great with shaved pickled Ginger which is also good for nausea. And speaking of nausea, I tell you if Medical Marijuana was legal in New York... I bet if those state senators were going through chemo they would be like hey emergency session right now,  legalize the stuff, immediately!!!!

Reconnect and unplug

Its funny the number of things you can fix by turning them off and back on again. Or reloading the same thing again i.e. Windows software. I had several experiences around these lines last week. Reconnect number one was the power seat in my car. It had broken for the second time in two years. The first time the dealer replaced the switch. This time while waiting for a switch to arrive, I had an epiphany in the middle of the night. I sprung out of bed and headed into the cold garage. My wife hopped up and grabbed me and begged me not to go and try to fix it. I said I had to. So I went to the car, disconnected and reconnected the connector under the seat and Viola, the seat worked. It had been broken for 3 months ,stuck in my wifes forward position, preventing my son and I from driving the car. I came in jubilant and gave my wife a huge hug.

Reconnecting number two, I have two wireless routers which have been acting poorly for years. Disconnecting, not allowing computers to access the internet. So after hours on the phone with Tech support I decide to re-download the firmware into each. They are now both fixed. Who knew?

Unplugging: My normal office I go to for my Chemo treatment was closed so they had me go to a new office. What a difference, the people at the new office had fixes for all the side effects I had been experiencing in my previous treatments. Simple stuff, they even gave me free samples. Now I am having a much better Chemo experience, if you can say that. So sometimes you just need to reconnect the same old thing and sometimes you need to unplug and plug into something new. Who knew!