Month: March 2008

Medical Forms

I recently had some blood drawn to have my cholesterol and blood sugar tested.
The doctor sent me a letter summarizing my test results.

The letter was a form, with very few little info on it.
It basically said:

Total Cholesterol: 139 (Goal is under 200)
HDL (Good) Cholesterol: 40 (Goal is over 40)
Blood Sugar (fasting): 93 (Goal is under 100, 130 diabetic)
[x] Your results are normal.
[x] Continue current treatment.

Now, I appreciate getting the results back, but they seem a bit sparse.
First of all, only Total and HDL cholesterol are listed.
LDL cholesterol is *probably* the difference, but I don’t know if there are other factors, it would have been good to see it broken out as a separate line item.
Triglycerides are missing. They are usually part of the bloodwork – did it not get done, or did the doctor omit the result when he passed it along?

I’m disappointed my HDL isn’t better than it is, I’ve been taking fish oil to try and boost that. I’ll switch from taking 2 fish oil pills a day to 4 and see if that helps…

The form also doesn’t show much info about upper and lower limits, areas outside normal, critical ranges… basically it’s just the numbers without context.

To give it proper context, on Saturday I wrote a PHP script to generate graphical charts (using GDlib, I was too lazy to install ImageMagick). I then did some poking around online to find out what normal and critical ranges are for each item. I used the doctor’s lackluster letter, and vitals data from when I last gave blood (which was the day after I had the blood drawn for the labs).

Click here to see the resulting charts (triglycerides is a fake number, just to show how it would appear if I had data for it).

TaxCut = teh suck

I decided this morning I’d finally stop procrastinating and do my taxes. So I went online and bought TaxCut and went to use it.

The first screen comes up, and asks if you want to start a new return or continue an old on. I chose “start new”.

The next screen comes up all mangled:

I try clicking the “Federal” tab anyway, and this comes up:

I click “OK” and try clicking the “Federal” tab again.

The program crashes and burns:

I do a little search, and find this post:

TaxCut doesn’t work on OSX w/ Case-sensitive file systems

I contact TaxCut tech support and have the following conversation:

Welcome to TaxCut technical support. Please wait while we find a technical support agent to assist you.

Feel free to minimize this window. When an agent is available the window will pop to the forefront.

You have been connected to Chanika S..

Tev Kaber: Hello

Chanika S.: Hello Tev, welcome to H&R Block’s Live TaxCut Support Chat in North America! Please hold a moment while I review the information you’ve submitted to us.

Tev Kaber: Ok

Chanika S.: Thank you for holding.

Chanika S.: we I going to do is walk you through uninstalling and reinstalling.

Tev Kaber: ok…

Chanika S.: Click the Start button, and select Settings, then select Control Panel.
In the Control Panel, double-click the Add or Remove Programs icon.
Select the TaxCut program you want to delete, and follow instructions on screen

Tev Kaber: um, you did read my details, right? i’m on a mac.

Chanika S.: ok one moment.

Tev Kaber: from what i’ve read online, the issue is taxcut was not written to be properly case-sensitive on systems using case-sensitive filesystems

Tev Kaber: in other words, the program is trying to load “f2xmit.cxml” but the actual file is called “F2XMIT.CXML”…

Chanika S.: are you trying to create an different account or is this the first account?

Chanika S.: hello.

Tev Kaber: first account

Tev Kaber: just running it for the first time

Chanika S.: Turn off extensions. This will ensure that other programs do not interfere with the process.
Uninstall TaxCut.

Tev Kaber: i don’t think that’s the issue. please look at know issues and see if case-sensitive filesystems are mentioned

Tev Kaber: known issues, i mean

Chanika S.: ok we are going to uninstall and reinstall to see if this will work.

Chanika S.: Backup any TaxCut data files to a floppy disk.
Open the Hard Disk.
Click and drag the appropriate TaxCut folder and any install log files to the trash. The folder name usually includes TaxCut and the year.
Double-click the User folder.

Tev Kaber: ok, i found the solution

Tev Kaber: to make it work on a computer using a case-sensitive filesystem, you have to create a disc image that is using the older non-case-sensitive filesystem and install taxcut there

Tev Kaber: but this is inexcusably sloppy programming on taxcut’s part

Tev Kaber: and should definitely be in your support “known issues” for mac users

Chanika S.: I will forward this to our developers to see if this can be resolved.

Tev Kaber: please do. it’s terribly bad that this was never tested to be case-sensitive before it shipped. “f2xmit.cxml” is not the same as “F2XMIT.CXML”, and it’s a poor programmer who expects the two to match (being a programmer myself, I know this)

Tev Kaber: ok, i have it up and running in a virtual disk using a different filesystem from the rest of my computer. but after this hassle, i think next time I’ll go with a different tax software provider.

Tev Kaber: thank you for your time

Chanika S.: I do apologize for the inconvenience I will make sure to get this to the right person.

Tev Kaber: ok, thanks.

So I finally found a workaround (create a virtual disk with a non-case sensitive filesystem, then install TaxCut on the virtual disk), not with TaxCut support’s help, but in spite of it.

Talk about lazy, garbage programmers!

If I hadn’t just plunked down money, there’s no way I would use TaxCut. Next year I won’t touch it with a 10-foot pole.

Teh Halos

I was at Best Buy today, and noticed by the checkout they had Halo 3 collector’s editions on clearance.

Guess they couldn’t get rid of them at $130 a pop, so to clear shelf space, they had them marked down to $50. The regular edition is still $60, so I figured, what the hell, and picked it up. Cheaper than the regular one, and I get the shiny mini-helmet.

Bat Country

Staples is sending Adam to Las Vegas for the Staples Global Sales Meeting to set up some interactive displays.
He talked me into going along, so I’m headed to Vegas!

I wasn’t too hard to convince, I’ve never been to Vegas and it seems like there’s plenty to do.

Plane tickets were really cheap, only $270 round trip on JetBlue.
JetBlue is pretty cool, very nice website, you pick your seat when you buy your ticket.

Now I need to look up things to do in Vegas that don’t involve betting my entire savings on black and crossing my fingers.

Twister + Gravity

I went indoor rock climbing today after work, with Colleen and Lisa. They have it at the Worcester YMCA.

I was a bit apprehensive, but figured I would give it a try.

I didn’t like it that much the first climb, but by the third it was pretty fun.

They have colored tape by each “feature” (hand/foothold) and you go on a path by only using features with tape of a particular color. Since it’s hard to see all the features and tape while climbing, people below will shout out helpful suggestions. “Now reach up with your left hand, and grab the swiss cheese!” Since the features all have different shapes and colors, Colleen and Lisa have nicknames for most of them. So it ends up resembling a bizarre game of twister, but with gravity to contend with.

So it was pretty fun. I’m probably going to be sore in the morning, you end up doing a lot of reaching and split-type movements.

The only downside is the location. The Worcester YMCA is on 766 Main Street, deep in the seediest part of Worcester. Driving there was horrible, and while leaving, a couple blocks away, I saw three police cars pulled over, lights flashing, while the K-9 unit arrested what appeared to be crack dealers.

The YMCA itself is very run-down, and looks like it was bombed-out and half-renovated with some new drywall and plaster, but then the funding ran out.

Maybe next time I can find a less horrible way to get there.

New STD Study

This infuriates me:
Study: 1 in 4 teen girls has an STD.

Do you know why that is? Basically because CDC has been in my opinion, extremely lax and lazy, and because Christian groups suck.

Let me explain.

The primary STD in question is HPV, human papillomavirus. It has been widely known for some time that it poses a significant health risk, mainly as a cancer-causing agent (according to one study, a TEN TIMES greater cancer risk than smoking).

Think about that, the marketing around the dangers of smoking, vs. the marketing around the dangers of HPV.

It can also TURN YOU INTO A TREE but that’s very rare.

However, there has been little in the way of efforts to increase awareness about HPV. So most people have never heard of it, and if they have, it’s probably from a drug company ad, not any sort of medical group getting the word out.

There is a vaccine for HPV, but Christian groups seem to think that STDs are God’s punishment for premarital sex, and therefore giving a vaccine to a young girl is an abomination. This is because they are all, quite frankly, hicks, in the worst sense of the word. Fucking retarded hicks.

But that’s only half the problem. You see, the CDC and medical community has a vaccine for women, but not one for men. HPV also can cause cancer in men, but THEY DON’T EVEN HAVE A TEST AVAILABLE FOR MEN.

Yes, that’s right. They have ignored fully HALF of the population. The vaccine for women would PROBABLY work for men as well, but we don’t know, because IT’S NEVER BEEN TESTED ON MEN.

Not only that, but if men ask about HPV they are basically patted on the head and told not to worry about it, despite direct evidence that it causes cancer in men.

Talk about your gender bias.

The CDC, AMA, and medical community in general need to shape up, in a major way.
Right now, when it comes to HPV, they are doing a marginal job for 50% of the population, and a truly, truly abysmal (one might even say criminal) job for the other 50%.

Land Ho!

As seems to happen when I am away for the weekend, disaster struck at home.

While I was in Holyoke visiting Sarah, torrential downpours flooded the basement.

Luckily, this has happened before, and so we keep pretty much everything off the floor.
It’s still a pain to clean up, and thankfully, Adam had it almost completely clean by the time I got back Sunday afternoon. I did have to break down some soggy cardboard boxes and clean up a bunch of wet kitty litter for an hour or so. The basement was freezing, since the garage doors were open to air the place out, and by the time I was done my hands were wet and frozen. I took a shower to clean the muck off and warm up, and the warm water of the shower made my hands feel like they were burning.

But it went pretty well considering there was an inch of water in the basement only hours ago.

Not to Scale

I went to the doctor today. He said I had damaged a ligament, not a disc. Which is good news, but will still take a while to heal. Hopefully it doesn’t snow for a while.

Part of getting my vitals taken was being weighed. I discovered my scale is not only inconsistent, it is also inaccurate.

My scale gives a range of readings, depending on where I stand on the scale.
Front of scale: 143.0. Middle of scale: 145.6. Back of scale: 146.4.

The doctor’s scale, which I’m guessing is more accurate, came out thusly: 137.

Definitely time for a new scale, methinks.

The ONE thing a scale is supposed to be good at is determining your weight…

He One Spinal Cracker

My back’s been bothering me – not severely, but intermittently – ever since one of the many rounds of shoveling this winter.

This morning I decided to try stretching, to see if I could get my back to snap back into place or something.

I made it worse. =(

Now it hurts a lot more… my theory is that it’s a slipped disc, since prodding my spine, I can feel a very tender spot between two of my vertebrae. However, it could also be a micro-fracture, or muscle-related.

I think I’ll try and schedule an appointment with my doctor, to get a spinal x-ray to figure out what’s going on.
Then I can figure out if I need a chiropractor, a lot of massage, or a back brace. =P

Cinna-Yum-Yum Sticks

I was about to make myself some Hastings Cakes for dessert, when I thought, “why not try a variant?”

So here are Cinna-Yum-Yum Sticks.

Ingredients:

1 Joseph’s Flax Pita
3 Tbsp. Egg Beaters
1 Tbsp. Milk
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. sugar

Slice the pita into strips.

Mix the egg, milk, cinnamon and sugar in a bowl.

Soak the strips in the mixture and fry them.

I did it in two batches so that I could lay them out evenly in the pan and have room to flip them.

I also used oil spray to keep oil usage down.

They turned out pretty good.
There is a small hint of grain flavor under the cinnamon and sugar, but not enough to detract from the overall flavor.

A yummy snack.

Nutrition

Calories: 118
Fat: 2g
Sat. Fat: 0g
Cholesterol: 0.3mg
Sodium: 430mg
Carbohydrates: 18g
Fiber: 6g
Sugar: 7g
Protein: 12g
Calcium: 90mg