Edmunds Members - Cars and Conversations (Archived)

henryn

sda said:

I wasn’t ready to replace the tires on the Passat and thought I might get a couple more months out of them but I received a 25% off offer plus multiple rebates that I was eligible for made for solid savings. I replaced at 36k the Bridgestone RE97s that came originally on the car with Good Year ComfortDrive which received positive test results and customer feed back per Tire Rack. They do seem quieter, track and ride well as they should being new. The Bridgestones were wearing evenly and overall were decent tires. They had around 3-4/32 at replacement..you can see the wear bar just starting to show. The new tires have 11/32. Still money I didn’t want to spend.

The 2008 Passat that I owned made it to around 106k on 2 sets of tires. I don't remember what brand the originals were, but they made it to about 45k, and were replaced by a set of Michelins. Those Michelins were still on the Passat, and would still pass inspection, when I sold it at 106k. To the best of my recollection, that Passat never needed an alignment.

jmonroe1

@venture said:
I feel your pain, though I doubt you would be in any trouble if the revenuers came a knocking. They aren't looking for a tomato salesman.

————————————————
I hope that also applies to Edmunds posters too.

jmonroe

jmonroe1

@oldfarmer50 said:
Not a bad idea but if I did get a safe I’d get one like this:

————————————————
I switched to their plastic can model years ago. I was tired of waiting for my money to dry out before going car shopping.

jmonroe

jmonroe1

@stickguy said:
Discussed with the wife about taking our cash and paying everything off (house and RDX) and trying the debt free lifestyle. Though to be comfortable my maverick money has to go into the pot, meaning I would need to find a relatively inexpensive spare car (preferably a truck). Which is where the plan pretty much fell apart.

Finding a good used car buy, especially in the rust belt, is probably impossible these days.

————————————————
You can always do what Son #1 does. Buy a car out of state and do the research to find a reputable garage to do the PPI. So far it’s been working quite well for him.

jmonroe

explorerx4

@oldfarmer50,
You better hope the LEO's never have a reason to get inside your home.
If they do, that cash will be gone as a civil forfeiture and you'll never get it back.

28firefighter

Coming back to the topic of bourbons for a moment. I was able to get my hands on a private selection edition of Angels Envy. I’ve also been trying to get Buffalo Trace to no avail, but supposedly I may be able to get my hands on a bottle of Eagle Rare so I’m off on an adventure shortly to see what I can get.

oldfarmer50

henryn said:

My experience with depositing cash involved $8k, definitely well under 10k. My limited knowledge in that area said that the cutoff point was at 10k, and I asked the teller. She said the laws changed after 9/11. I asked her what the new limit was, and she hemmed and hawed and never answered. This was all about 10 years ago, things very well may have changed again since then.

On the subject of being debt free, that was one thing I was determined to do before I retired. I was carrying quite a bit of debt when my only son graduated college in 1994. Starting then, my (ex)wife and I worked off all our debt with the exception of car payments and mortgage. And we (mostly) managed to stay that way, with the occasional exception of some large expenditures (new A/C unit for the house, etc).

And then when I started planning retirement, I wanted to be 100% debt free. And I did do so. I do use a credit card for convenience, but everything is paid every month when it comes in. I am getting by quite nicely on my Social Security and the RMD (Required Minimum Distribution). I did have one big expenditure recently, paying cash for that new Silverado. But the majority of those funds were from when I sold the last nearly new truck, almost 2 years ago, for $37.5k.

That $10k limit has been around for a while. In the early 80s I had a CD mature and before I reinvested I just wanted to see what $10,000 looked like so I asked for it in cash. The teller hemmed and hawed and told me they’d have to report it to the government. Being young and foolish I said I don’t care who you tell. Back then they had no trouble coming up with $10k cash no matter how much they protested. I took the money home and spread it out in front of my wife who asked what I intended to do with it now. I had no idea but since she had ruined my fun I brought it back to the bank.

oldfarmer50

explorerx4 said:

@oldfarmer50,
You better hope the LEO's never have a reason to get inside your home.
If they do, that cash will be gone as a civil forfeiture and you'll never get it back.

You have a good point. I follow the horror stories of CF and it makes my blood boil.

tjc78

@28firefighter said:
Coming back to the topic of bourbons for a moment. I was able to get my hands on a private selection edition of Angels Envy. I’ve also been trying to get Buffalo Trace to no avail, but supposedly I may be able to get my hands on a bottle of Eagle Rare so I’m off on an adventure shortly to see what I can get.

Angels Envy is good stuff. If you can ever get your hands on the Rye (finished in Rum casks) it’s very good.

Eagle Rare is one of my favorites, but tough to find at retail. Buffalo Trace makes awesome old fashioneds and whiskey sours.

If you can’t get BT, give Wild Turkey 101 a try … an excellent budget bourbon. Old Grand Bonded another good budget choice.

Russel’s Reserve 10 is yet another great pic if you want a 10 year and can’t get Eagle Rare

tjc78

One last thought… don’t sleep on anything from Penelope.

28firefighter

Success on the Eagle Rare. At retail. Tonight will be good!

Thanks for the other recommendations, @tjc78!

ab348

The variation in bourbon availability is puzzling. Up here where we have a generally crummy assortment available, we are absolutely awash in Buffalo Trace. Just about every store has lots of it. Eagle Rare is impossible to get now, though it never used to be. But there is none available in the entire province now. I see the store that is just a bit down the road has Larceny though, along with Angel's Envy and Legent plus a few others.

stickguy

kyfdx said:

stickguy said:

Discussed with the wife about taking our cash and paying everything off (house and RDX) and trying the debt free lifestyle. Though to be comfortable my maverick money has to go into the pot, meaning I would need to find a relatively inexpensive spare car (preferably a truck). Which is where the plan pretty much fell apart.

Finding a good used car buy, especially in the rust belt, is probably impossible these days.

What is your rate on the mortgage?

good question. maybe 3.25%. or 3.625% Something in that range sounds about right.

if we don't do anything I think it will pay itself off in just under 3 years.

roadburner

oldfarmer50 said:

explorerx4 said:

@oldfarmer50,
You better hope the LEO's never have a reason to get inside your home.
If they do, that cash will be gone as a civil forfeiture and you'll never get it back.

You have a good point. I follow the horror stories of CF and it makes my blood boil.

It is definitely a fertile field for abuse. I only request asset forfeitures as a part of a plea deal; it's usually pretty clear cut- like the guy who had three pounds of meth in the cargo area of his SUV.

henryn

I have had Buffalo Trace, and Eagle Rare. Never even heard of Angel's Envy. I guess I just don't have a sophisticated palate, as I don't see the point of the expensive bourbons.

ab348

henryn said:

I have had Buffalo Trace, and Eagle Rare. Never even heard of Angel's Envy. I guess I just don't have a sophisticated palate, as I don't see the point of the expensive bourbons.

With a lot of this whisky, it's not so much about the palate as much as it is the rise in the number of obscure distilleries or variations on existing brands that are relatively scarce in the marketplace, which drives up the price. There is suddenly great interest in bourbons, with lots of YT channels devoted to them and a customer base that likes to collect them. The fear of missing out means that when a limited release is issued they tend to get snapped up immediately because a local store may only have a few cases sent to them. That also drives up the price, which in many instances means you are paying big bucks for pretty mediocre stuff.

tjc78

Buffalo Trace at $30 is a great bottle. At the $60-80 I’ve seen it for, there are other options.

Eagle Rare is the same thing. At retail or even a little above it’s wonderful. But when I see it at $100 or above I pass.

Weller, Pappy, George Stagg… all Buffalo Trace products that sell for stupid prices all the time. I pass on those and try offerings from smaller distilleries for much less money.

Angels envy is a “finished” bourbon. The age it in port wine barrels before release. It is usually under $60. The rye I mentioned is usually around $95

snakeweasel

@henryn said:
I have had Buffalo Trace, and Eagle Rare. Never even heard of Angel's Envy. I guess I just don't have a sophisticated palate, as I don't see the point of the expensive bourbons.

It's not having a sophisticated palate as much as it's snob appeal. Drink what you like, life is to short to drink something you don't really like because some sausage it's good.

snakeweasel

@tjc78 said:
Buffalo Trace at $30 is a great bottle. At the $60-80 I’ve seen it for, there are other options.

Eagle Rare is the same thing. At retail or even a little above it’s wonderful. But when I see it at $100 or above I pass.

Weller, Pappy, George Stagg… all Buffalo Trace products that sell for stupid prices all the time. I pass on those and try offerings from smaller distilleries for much less money.

Angels envy is a “finished” bourbon. The age it in port wine barrels before release. It is usually under $60. The rye I mentioned is usually around $95

A "finished bourbon" is not a bourbon in any legal sense.

oldfarmer50

roadburner said:

oldfarmer50 said:

explorerx4 said:

@oldfarmer50,
You better hope the LEO's never have a reason to get inside your home.
If they do, that cash will be gone as a civil forfeiture and you'll never get it back.

You have a good point. I follow the horror stories of CF and it makes my blood boil.

It is definitely a fertile field for abuse. I only request asset forfeitures as a part of a plea deal; it's usually pretty clear cut- like the guy who had three pounds of meth in the cargo area of his SUV.

Like some of these crazy banking rules CF had good intentions of stopping large cash movements by drug dealers but now it’s turned into literal highway robbery as innocent people lose their money and the government dares them to try and get it back.

I believe that any money seized should be returned unless there is a criminal conviction.

jipster

Angel's Envy has their distillery here in Louisville. Went on their taste testing tour a few years ago, with a group of bourbon drinking family members. Very interesting tour. Clean facility...no rats.

ab348

tjc78 said:

Buffalo Trace at $30 is a great bottle. At the $60-80 I’ve seen it for, there are other options.

Eagle Rare is the same thing. At retail or even a little above it’s wonderful. But when I see it at $100 or above I pass.

Weller, Pappy, George Stagg… all Buffalo Trace products that sell for stupid prices all the time. I pass on those and try offerings from smaller distilleries for much less money.

Angels envy is a “finished” bourbon. The age it in port wine barrels before release. It is usually under $60. The rye I mentioned is usually around $95

Up here, Buffalo Trace is $41CDN, and when we could get Eagle Rare, it was about $60CDN. Angel’s Envy is $80CDN.

Last summer I got a bottle of Weller Special Reserve, their entry-level, for about $40 IIRC. I went into the one store that got it and the clerk sold me on getting a bottle though I had not heard of it before. I tried it that night and liked it, so I went back to the store that had a big stack of cases when I got my bottle to get a backup. It had all sold out in that first day.

28firefighter

I was able to get Eagle Rare for $49 and Angels Envy for $46 - before WAs liquor taxes.

Sandman6472

I had to open up a separate checking account at Wells Fargo when I became the executor of my dad's estate many years after he passed. Apparently there was a small trust set up that was just sitting there as the other three were trying to somehow hide it from me. The irony of all this was that my older two siblings passed & the whole thing fell into my lap since there was a special clause dealing with my twin brother. So, had to fix the tax issues & finally divide the remaining assets among my two deceased siblings spouses and my twin & I. Having that separate checking account allowed me to keep everything clean & above board as the others tried to get a judge to take it all away from me because I was under a doctors care taking certain medications.
We also had to drop Chase bank as the local manager told me they couldn't protect my money after there were four fraud withdrawls on our joint account. If the tellers had looked at our signature cards, they would never have cashed the bogus checks but instead, the manager blamed us. Took his advice & switched banks that require a picture i d for every transaction and have never had an issue since!

explorerx4

Friday and Saturday I dog sat out 2 grand dogs, Samoyed's that weigh 70 and 75 lbs.
Yesterday afternoon I decided to take them for a walk down to the lake.
When we were crossing a parking lot entrance/exit, one of them changed direction and I stumbled over their leash while the other was pulling straight ahead.
I was pretty much out of control and knew I would be hitting the ground.
Luckily I made it across the hard surface, and did a shoulder roll, although I landed flat on my back.
It must have been very entertaining for the many people in their cars.
We finished the walk although my shoulder is pretty sore and my whole backside is too.
Also, tweaked my knee a bit.
The lake looked cold and had some waves.

kyfdx

Walking a big dog is no joke, at our age. Two of them is just asking for trouble. My son's dog is 100 lbs, and I had to ask my wife to stop taking him for a walk. She weighs 115, and it was just an accident waiting to happen.

jmonroe1

@explorerx4 said:
Friday and Saturday I dog sat out 2 grand dogs, Samoyed's that weigh 70 and 75 lbs.
Yesterday afternoon I decided to take them for a walk down to the lake.
When we were crossing a parking lot entrance/exit, one of them changed direction and I stumbled over their leash while the other was pulling straight ahead.
I was pretty much out of control and knew I would be hitting the ground.
Luckily I made it across the hard surface, and did a shoulder roll, although I landed flat on my back.
It must have been very entertaining for the many people in their cars.
We finished the walk although my shoulder is pretty sore and my whole backside is too.
Also, tweaked my knee a bit.
The lake looked cold and had some waves.

————————————————
I hope you heal quickly. Trying to control 2 Samoyed's takes a lot of work if they decide not to cooperate.

When my sons were in their teens we decided to get them a dog. We got them an English Springer Spaniel from a single women who lived with her parents on a small farm that bred them.

Her parents bred Samoyed's and they entered them in sled pulling contests and won quite a few championships for the weight they pulled. They traveled to a few states for those contests. Needless to say they were very proud of those championships and they showed me the trophies to prove how well they did.

FWIW, the woman that bred the English Springer Spaniels did well entering them in typical dog shows and I saw those trophies too. Early on she got my sons interested in entering their puppy in a few local puppy shows. The puppy won the only 3 puppy shows that my sons entered him in. However, that didn’t last very long and they lost interest and never entered him again.

We took the dog to this breeder over the years for grooming and she kept trying to get my sons interested in showing the dog again. But they never did it again. She was kinda disappointed but she realized that boys were more interested in sports. The funny thing about that is the puppy won more championships than they did.

Again, good luck with the healing and let us know how it’s going.

jmonroe

henryn

Back in 2008, it was a dog walking accident that lead directly to my total knee replacement. The knee was bad anyway, due to a football injury dating back many decades, but the dog walking accident definitely pushed me or should I say forced me to take care of the situation.

I have a fenced back yard, with a dog door leading to that back yard, so I don't do much dog walking anymore. Occasionally, yes, carefully, one dog at a time (I have two). Such as vet visits, etc.

tjc78

@snakeweasel said:

@tjc78 said:
Buffalo Trace at $30 is a great bottle. At the $60-80 I’ve seen it for, there are other options.

Eagle Rare is the same thing. At retail or even a little above it’s wonderful. But when I see it at $100 or above I pass.

Weller, Pappy, George Stagg… all Buffalo Trace products that sell for stupid prices all the time. I pass on those and try offerings from smaller distilleries for much less money.

Angels envy is a “finished” bourbon. The age it in port wine barrels before release. It is usually under $60. The rye I mentioned is usually around $95

A "finished bourbon" is not a bourbon in any legal sense.

You are correct!

Sandman6472

I had the tires rotated a few months ago and think I need an alignment as on most roads, the wheel is now cocked towards the left just a bit. And the front left tire is wearing a bit more than the right. Not sure if swapping out the two fronts will solve this issue. But, since my 3-year policy ran out almost 6 months ago, think it's time to get another one. Hopefully they still let you transfer it one time to another vehicle because I doubt the Golf will be here for the next 3 years. Have Goodyears on there now & they are wonderful tires it's just that the dealer network for them is really poor down here. Next time, will either go back to Tires Plus or Discount Tire as I've only heard good things about them. The nearest location is in Lake Worth which is a bit of a ride for us but if their service is that good, might just be worth the trip.

venture

oldfarmer50 said:

henryn said:

My experience with depositing cash involved $8k, definitely well under 10k. My limited knowledge in that area said that the cutoff point was at 10k, and I asked the teller. She said the laws changed after 9/11. I asked her what the new limit was, and she hemmed and hawed and never answered. This was all about 10 years ago, things very well may have changed again since then.

On the subject of being debt free, that was one thing I was determined to do before I retired. I was carrying quite a bit of debt when my only son graduated college in 1994. Starting then, my (ex)wife and I worked off all our debt with the exception of car payments and mortgage. And we (mostly) managed to stay that way, with the occasional exception of some large expenditures (new A/C unit for the house, etc).

And then when I started planning retirement, I wanted to be 100% debt free. And I did do so. I do use a credit card for convenience, but everything is paid every month when it comes in. I am getting by quite nicely on my Social Security and the RMD (Required Minimum Distribution). I did have one big expenditure recently, paying cash for that new Silverado. But the majority of those funds were from when I sold the last nearly new truck, almost 2 years ago, for $37.5k.

That $10k limit has been around for a while. In the early 80s I had a CD mature and before I reinvested I just wanted to see what $10,000 looked like so I asked for it in cash. The teller hemmed and hawed and told me they’d have to report it to the government. Being young and foolish I said I don’t care who you tell. Back then they had no trouble coming up with $10k cash no matter how much they protested. I took the money home and spread it out in front of my wife who asked what I intended to do with it now. I had no idea but since she had ruined my fun I brought it back to the bank.

You should have asked them if you could just borrow it for a while.

abacomike

I arrived at my cardiologist's office at 12:35 PM today for a 1:00 PM appointment. The technician did an EKG on me, checked my blood pressure, checked my medications, etc. She then left. This occurred at about 1:20 PM. At 2:15 PM, the doctor still had not seen me for my 1:00 PM appointment so stood up with my walker and walked out. The secretary said that the doctor had to see just one more patient before he saw me - it would be another 20 minutes or so. I told her I could not sit any longer due to the pain I was experiencing in my back from sitting so long. I told her to have someone call me to reschedule the appointment.

I think it's pathetic that I had to sit there in a small office while in such pain well over 1-1/2 hours. These doctors don't realize that a patient is a human being. I can assume the doctor had an emergency and was running late, but 90 minutes is too much to ask someone who is in pain to wait. Got to change cardiologists.

abacomike

Got my car back from the ceramic specialist I use for my car. The G90 looks like a mirror and when you touch the surface of the car, it's like touching glass. The technician who did the booster application told me that the car didn't have a scratch or ding on it. The 3M ceramic coating lasts over 2 years. Unfortunately, I have to park under a tree that has that brown junk that it sheds every March-June. The coating protected the finish beautifully.

I would highly recommend a ceramic coating for any car that is not garaged or that is outdoors much of the day.

stickguy

I found out when I moved last year how hard it is to find any doctor that would see you. I was lucky to get a super secret referral to one of the few GPs around here that was taking new patients (the person that answered the phone at one of the many I called that weren't taking new patients seemed to like and feel sorry for me, so broke protocol to whisper the name of the other doctor to me). I hope to not need a specialist any time soon because I suspect that will also be a nightmare to find.

henryn

abacomike said:

I arrived at my cardiologist's office at 12:35 PM today for a 1:00 PM appointment. The technician did an EKG on me, checked my blood pressure, checked my medications, etc. She then left. This occurred at about 1:20 PM. At 2:15 PM, the doctor still had not seen me for my 1:00 PM appointment so stood up with my walker and walked out. The secretary said that the doctor had to see just one more patient before he saw me - it would be another 20 minutes or so. I told her I could not sit any longer due to the pain I was experiencing in my back from sitting so long. I told her to have someone call me to reschedule the appointment.

I think it's pathetic that I had to sit there in a small office while in such pain well over 1-1/2 hours. These doctors don't realize that a patient is a human being. I can assume the doctor had an emergency and was running late, but 90 minutes is too much to ask someone who is in pain to wait. Got to change cardiologists.

Cardiologists seem to be the worst. I assume that's because most of their patients are elderly, and in poor health to begin with. After all, a young healthy person has no need whatsoever for a cardiologist.

What they could do differently, and should do differently, is to communicate better. Let you know when they're running late, just how late they are, and offer you the chance to reschedule.

henryn

I am switching my auto insurance back to USAA. A year ago (11 months actually) USAA hit me with a hefty rate increase. I shopped around, and went with Progressive and saved almost half. After the first 6 months, Progressive jumped up half way to where USAA was. Now, after another 6 months, they are right up there with USAA.

I called USAA to get a quote, and it came in almost exactly the same as their price from a year ago, and within 5% of what Progressive wanted for the renewal. So goodbye Progressive.

And no tickets, no accidents, no unusual occurrences over the last year. One interesting note: I get a slight discount with USAA if I install an app on my phone which monitors whether I’m using the phone while driving. Which is no problem for me, I never use the phone in the car (except for Maps).

explorerx4

Stickguy,
I got into the Cleveland Clinic system by going to one their walk in/urgent care locations.
Got my problem looked at(Respiratory Infection) and they asked me if I wanted to get a PCP, so I said 'Yes'.
Since then, I've also seen a Hematologist, an ENT and a Dermatologist.

kyfdx

Received my Medicare card, today. June 1st!!

stickguy

kyfdx said:

Received my Medicare card, today. June 1st!!

one of the bonus features to getting old. That and saving $3 on a haircut at Great Clips.

stickguy

explorerx4 said:

Stickguy,
I got into the Cleveland Clinic system by going to one their walk in/urgent care locations.
Got my problem looked at(Respiratory Infection) and they asked me if I wanted to get a PCP, so I said 'Yes'.
Since then, I've also seen a Hematologist, an ENT and a Dermatologist.

The GP I got is a small practice (I think him, a NP, and they just added another MD) but that are under one of the local hospital health network umbrellas. We already used their lab for blood work. I assume if I had a more serious issue and started with GP he would get me to a specialist in their organization as needed.

28firefighter

I think I'm in the minority of patients, but I will move mountains and tolerate just about anything to ensure I see a doctor that understands my conditions, can perform a true differential diagnosis, and is on the cutting edge of the medical developments in their space. I don't want or need the doctor that holds my hand and gives me a soothing voice, but then as soon as the timer dings, they evaporate without giving me what I need or with their head buried in the computer. I have the doctors that spend the time with me when the time needs to be spent (sometimes 1+ hours for a 30 minute visit) and similarly, booted me after 10 minutes when there is nothing noteworthy going on. Does that mean that sometimes I wait because other patients have needed that additional time? Sure have.

I understand your situation, @abacomike because it was a major source of discomfort for you and it's unfortunate the office couldn't figure out some way to help you. But if it's a good cardiologist, don't let them go...

snakeweasel

henryn said:

I am switching my auto insurance back to USAA. A year ago (11 months actually) USAA hit me with a hefty rate increase. I shopped around, and went with Progressive and saved almost half. After the first 6 months, Progressive jumped up half way to where USAA was. Now, after another 6 months, they are right up there with USAA.

I called USAA to get a quote, and it came in almost exactly the same as their price from a year ago, and within 5% of what Progressive wanted for the renewal. So goodbye Progressive.

And no tickets, no accidents, no unusual occurrences over the last year. One interesting note: I get a slight discount with USAA if I install an app on my phone which monitors whether I’m using the phone while driving. Which is no problem for me, I never use the phone in the car (except for Maps).

I know that Progressive has a program with USAA where they provide motorcycle insurance for USAA members since USAA doesn't provide motorcycle insurance. Not sure how deep that relationship goes.

snakeweasel

stickguy said:

kyfdx said:

Received my Medicare card, today. June 1st!!

one of the bonus features to getting old. That and saving $3 on a haircut at Great Clips.

I save more than that on my haircuts by just shaving my head. Looks better that the Larry Fine hairline I have.

tjc78

@28firefighter said:
I think I'm in the minority of patients, but I will move mountains and tolerate just about anything to ensure I see a doctor that understands my conditions, can perform a true differential diagnosis, and is on the cutting edge of the medical developments in their space. I don't want or need the doctor that holds my hand and gives me a soothing voice, but then as soon as the timer dings, they evaporate without giving me what I need or with their head buried in the computer. I have the doctors that spend the time with me when the time needs to be spent (sometimes 1+ hours for a 30 minute visit) and similarly, booted me after 10 minutes when there is nothing noteworthy going on. Does that mean that sometimes I wait because other patients have needed that additional time? Sure have.

I understand your situation, @abacomike because it was a major source of discomfort for you and it's unfortunate the office couldn't figure out some way to help you. But if it's a good cardiologist, don't let them go...

I don’t have anything to add to this specific conversation, but here is a little insight into the medical world.

Since we bought our place at the shore we have made friends with a couple across the street since our kids all hit it off really well. He is very respected doctor and department head for a pretty large medical group here.

All I can say is he has made me realize that the vast majority of doctors and large practices treat it purely as a business. They keep stats of how long your visits are, restrict how you can care for patients and more. He disagrees with all this and gives the patient what they need.

I should have known all this, but was really surprised.

28firefighter

tjc78 said:

@28firefighter said:

I think I'm in the minority of patients, but I will move mountains and tolerate just about anything to ensure I see a doctor that understands my conditions, can perform a true differential diagnosis, and is on the cutting edge of the medical developments in their space. I don't want or need the doctor that holds my hand and gives me a soothing voice, but then as soon as the timer dings, they evaporate without giving me what I need or with their head buried in the computer. I have the doctors that spend the time with me when the time needs to be spent (sometimes 1+ hours for a 30 minute visit) and similarly, booted me after 10 minutes when there is nothing noteworthy going on. Does that mean that sometimes I wait because other patients have needed that additional time? Sure have.

I understand your situation, @abacomike because it was a major source of discomfort for you and it's unfortunate the office couldn't figure out some way to help you. But if it's a good cardiologist, don't let them go...

I don’t have anything to add to this specific conversation, but here is a little insight into the medical world.

Since we bought our place at the shore we have made friends with a couple across the street since our kids all hit it off really well. He is very respected doctor and department head for a pretty large medical group here.

All I can say is he has made me realize that the vast majority of doctors and large practices treat it purely as a business. They keep stats of how long your visits are, restrict how you can care for patients and more. He disagrees with all this and gives the patient what they need.

I should have known all this, but was really surprised.

100% this.

oldfarmer50

kyfdx said:

Received my Medicare card, today. June 1st!!

Welcome to the geezer club. You can now start listing/complaining about the various things you’ve had removed or no longer work properly.

oldfarmer50

snakeweasel said:

stickguy said:

kyfdx said:

Received my Medicare card, today. June 1st!!

one of the bonus features to getting old. That and saving $3 on a haircut at Great Clips.

I save more than that on my haircuts by just shaving my head. Looks better that the Larry Fine hairline I have.

So now you look like Curly instead? I just go to the hillbilly haircut place when I start looking like one. Inflation has driven even that basic haircut up from $10 to $12.

Michaell

I had the same primary care physician for over 20 years. My wife and I followed him to several different practices in the South Denver area. He moved to Phoenix for about 6 months, and we missed him terribly. When we found out he moved back, we immediately started attending the new practice where he landed.

Then, he went on sabbatical for a year or so, but we knew beforehand that he'd be coming back and start his own practice. When that opened, we started seeing him again.

We got to be pretty good friends, as he is my age (but, with much younger children). His practice was divided in two - one half was an urgent care, for walk in customers, the other for appointment only patients. He became a victim of his own success, and he started talking to me about how more and more of his time was dedicated to the business of the business, and not seeing as many patients.

He ended up selling the practice, but has recently joined a practice closer to downtown Denver, where he only sees patients a couple of days a week.

I've helped him buy or lease a car or two over the years.

stickguy

I occasionally just pull out the covid clipper set, and have my wife give me a touch up. She is decent enough at it that I am not embarrassed to be seen out in public. Plus it is free. She still hasn't quite mastered the scissors work on top so I usually go to the haircut place every other cut to get it cleaned up.

qbrozen

I clipper my own hair. Definitely no worse than Great Clips. I've even been complimented on it.