February 2010

The uninsured life

25 February 2010

“When I lost my job I lost my insurance. That isn’t how it was supposed to work, but due to an ongoing series of Kafkaesque entanglements, my employer decided I didn’t want the COBRA insurance offered. (I am still trying to get this straightened out, so I won’t go into more detail than that.) Because of this, in fairly short order my prescriptions all ran out, and I was unable to get more because my doctors’ won’t see patients who don’t have insurance. “

Read →

Obituary

24 February 2010

“For a class assignment we were instructed to write our own obituary, and encouraged to lie. Wow, thinking about death and making things up — two of my favorite activities!”

Read →

Prom king and other dubious honors

23 February 2010

“You see, any kind of on-line “poll” is inherently a popularity contest, open to manipulation with trivial effort. The technology supporting these voting systems is as secure as a paper door. Most people already have multiple e-mail addresses, and if you don’t then Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft will set you up in moments. I know a few people who have admitted they log in to these polls from all their addresses in order to pad their vote counts, and plenty of others just use browser tricks to vote several times a day.”

Read →

Workshop

22 February 2010

I’m taking a couple of writing classes at Miami Dade College while I wait for something to click. (“Something to click” is my way of politely saying “someone to start buying my writing.”)

Read →

Hello, My Name Is…

9 February 2010

Life is strange, isn’t it? One day you are minding your own business, getting over being laid off and trying to find enough work to stay alive, and the next you are reading a tiny bit of your story for a commentary on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Read →

Snowfall

8 February 2010

“I just spent a few days in Washington, DC, visiting friends and going to a concert. My visit coincided — quite unintentionally — with the arrival of one of the heaviest snowfalls in recent memory. Here are a few photos.”

Read →