So after being so bitter at my orthodontist, I heard back from them the same day, and they squeezed me in the next day (Thursday) at 12:30pm, which was as late as I could do since we were headed to NYC for a long weekend. When the receptionist called me with the new appointment, she apologized and explained that Dr. K had been out for 2 days for a funeral, and 4 staff had been out that week with the flu. Okay, fine, but don't pull out the pity card AFTER I call to make sure you are running on time and you tell me yes.
Either way, my polite yelling at the receptionist clearly made an impact. When I went in on Thursday, EVERYONE was apologizing to me. The ortho assistant, 2 receptionists, and Dr. K himself. I ended up having Dr. K for the entire appointment, which was his lunch break, because he felt badly about how I was treated. He told me the funeral excuse, but also said "That's no excuse, and I sincerely apologize for you having to wait and reschedule."
So all is fine, and although I'm still pissed about how much I've had to wait lately, they were genuinely sorry and did everything they could to make me happy. I also talked to the head receptionist about getting a discount, since I'll be out of treatment WAY early, and she said she'd talk to Dr. K about it. A few hours later I got a call from her, and he's going to review my chart and discuss how much discount I can have at my next appointment. Yay! Even if it's $50 I'd be happy, since they normally don't discount at all (you pay for straight teeth, not time).
And the biggest news of all......
THE BRACES ARE COMING OFF MAY 1ST!
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
My hatred of my orthodontist's office
Almost exactly one year ago, I forked over $5,600 (well, part of that, and I'm paying for rest) in the pursuit of straight teeth. Being one year older and one year wiser, I wouldn't do it again. But that's an entirely different post.
The point of this post is to state how much I hate my orthodontist, Dr. Kaufman in Rochester, NY (and yes, I sure hope this post shows up if someone does a search on him). I only have to go in generally every 8 weeks. The first few appointments were right on time, no troubles. They even squeezed me in with a tech the same day several times for poking wires, infections, etc.
Things have rapidly gone south though. 3 appointments ago, they were 30 minutes late. Okay, I figured it was a fluke and they apologized profusely. 2 appointments ago they were ONE HOUR late. Even when I finally was seated by a tech, the appointment was an hour and a half because Dr. Kaufman was still so far behind. To add insult to injury, 3 people were bumped ahead of me in line because they "needed less time with the doctor" (I was getting 8 brackets re-positioned). I spent a total of TWO AND A HALF HOURS there, for what was supposedly a 40 minute appointment.
I had an appointment today at noon. I called at 11:30 to see if they were running behind, since I had a lot of work things I needed to get done. The receptionist checked, and said everything was fine, come at noon. This same receptionist saw me walk in a half hour later and said "Hi Tia, I'm sorry to tell you that we are running behind now." I seriously thought she was kidding, since I had just spoken with her. She wasn't. I grab the latest issue of People and have a seat. I read it cover to cover, and they still haven't called me. I wait a few more minutes, until I'm fuming with anger. At 12:50, nearly an hour past my scheduled time (which was on time just 30 minutes before my time), I've had enough and I go to the receptionist and tell her I can't wait any longer. It took all I had to resist my urge to scream at her. It isn't the nice receptionist's fault that Dr. K can't keep up with his patients. She tries to reschedule me for a week from today. Um, NO, these are supposed to come off in 6 weeks, you're not pushing me off a week for my last adjustment, especially when it isn't my fault that it isn't happening today. She took my number and is calling me after she gets a chance to talk with Dr. K. Who knows when that will be, since he can't even manage to see all of his patients.
The moral of the story is that Dr. Kaufman is all about money and cares not at all about his patients. He has taken on more patients than he can handle, and I am suffering because of it. I'm no longer important, because I have already agreed to pay him, and that's money in his pocket. But I paid for 20-24 months of treatment, and I'm only going to end up with 12 months. You'd better believe I'm asking for some of my money back, and a nasty letter is coming his way.
The point of this post is to state how much I hate my orthodontist, Dr. Kaufman in Rochester, NY (and yes, I sure hope this post shows up if someone does a search on him). I only have to go in generally every 8 weeks. The first few appointments were right on time, no troubles. They even squeezed me in with a tech the same day several times for poking wires, infections, etc.
Things have rapidly gone south though. 3 appointments ago, they were 30 minutes late. Okay, I figured it was a fluke and they apologized profusely. 2 appointments ago they were ONE HOUR late. Even when I finally was seated by a tech, the appointment was an hour and a half because Dr. Kaufman was still so far behind. To add insult to injury, 3 people were bumped ahead of me in line because they "needed less time with the doctor" (I was getting 8 brackets re-positioned). I spent a total of TWO AND A HALF HOURS there, for what was supposedly a 40 minute appointment.
I had an appointment today at noon. I called at 11:30 to see if they were running behind, since I had a lot of work things I needed to get done. The receptionist checked, and said everything was fine, come at noon. This same receptionist saw me walk in a half hour later and said "Hi Tia, I'm sorry to tell you that we are running behind now." I seriously thought she was kidding, since I had just spoken with her. She wasn't. I grab the latest issue of People and have a seat. I read it cover to cover, and they still haven't called me. I wait a few more minutes, until I'm fuming with anger. At 12:50, nearly an hour past my scheduled time (which was on time just 30 minutes before my time), I've had enough and I go to the receptionist and tell her I can't wait any longer. It took all I had to resist my urge to scream at her. It isn't the nice receptionist's fault that Dr. K can't keep up with his patients. She tries to reschedule me for a week from today. Um, NO, these are supposed to come off in 6 weeks, you're not pushing me off a week for my last adjustment, especially when it isn't my fault that it isn't happening today. She took my number and is calling me after she gets a chance to talk with Dr. K. Who knows when that will be, since he can't even manage to see all of his patients.
The moral of the story is that Dr. Kaufman is all about money and cares not at all about his patients. He has taken on more patients than he can handle, and I am suffering because of it. I'm no longer important, because I have already agreed to pay him, and that's money in his pocket. But I paid for 20-24 months of treatment, and I'm only going to end up with 12 months. You'd better believe I'm asking for some of my money back, and a nasty letter is coming his way.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Movies, babies, and movies about babies
This weekend marked the debut of Adelaide Marie! Congratulations to Joe and Maria on the birth of their first baby. I was so excited when I got the call from Joe. Then Bryan says to me, "See, that's the difference between chicks and dudes. You're all excited about this, and I'm depressed. I really liked hanging out with them, and this baby means that we have to find new friends. People with babies can only talk about babies." Men! I guess he is right in a way, in the same way that single people don't generally have married friends, but I have faith that life won't be 100% baby for Mo and Joe, as evidenced by her heading off to a conference in 3 short weeks, and to our wedding in 8 weeks (all with Addy of course).
Bryan was really busy this weekend with clinicals and homework, so I spent the weekend movie watching. Last night I went to see The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. Oscar nominated (I think it won for something?), and depressing as all get out! Based on a true story, the French editor of Elle magazine is an ass, has a girlfriend and 3 kids with her, but cheats on her all the time. Then he has a stroke and is "locked-in" and can only blink one eye. He blinks out the story of his life, with the aid of a charming woman, and dies 10 days after the book is published.
Next up, and BY FAR the best of the 3 movies I saw, was the documentary "The Business of Being Born." It was done by none other than Ricki Lake, but in this movie there are no Jerry Springer-esque moments. It was a fascinating look about how we medicalize births in this country, to the detriment of both women and babies. The picture below is an actual picture from the movie, where this mom delivered her baby at home, squatting (a much more natural position), and picked it up just before the baby hit the floor. This movie really showed the nasty cycle of pitocin-epidural-pitocin-epidural that causes fetal distress and leads to a c-section, all because doctors are impatient and won't let the body do what it needs to do.
The third movie was a total chick flick called "Definitely, Maybe." It was cute, and had some twists and turns as you waited throughout the movie to find out which girl he ends up with. NOt a high-class film, but it was entertaining.
Also to relieve boredom this weekend, I went to DSW, the best shoe-store on earth (okay, the best affordable shoe store on earth). I got some comfy walking shoes (Kangaroos, which Bryan says he had as a kid, but I've never heard of them) and some cute/comfy shoes for the cruise.
Yes, those bare legs you see are because I was wearing a skirt, enjoying the high of 67 degrees! No worries, the next few days were in the 20's and 30's with snow and ice.
We ended the weekend with a yummy dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. Bryan felt bad about being so busy all weekend, so we had a lovely dinner and spent some nice time together discussing the political state of our country. A very heady topic for dinner, but we had fun.
Bryan was really busy this weekend with clinicals and homework, so I spent the weekend movie watching. Last night I went to see The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. Oscar nominated (I think it won for something?), and depressing as all get out! Based on a true story, the French editor of Elle magazine is an ass, has a girlfriend and 3 kids with her, but cheats on her all the time. Then he has a stroke and is "locked-in" and can only blink one eye. He blinks out the story of his life, with the aid of a charming woman, and dies 10 days after the book is published.
Next up, and BY FAR the best of the 3 movies I saw, was the documentary "The Business of Being Born." It was done by none other than Ricki Lake, but in this movie there are no Jerry Springer-esque moments. It was a fascinating look about how we medicalize births in this country, to the detriment of both women and babies. The picture below is an actual picture from the movie, where this mom delivered her baby at home, squatting (a much more natural position), and picked it up just before the baby hit the floor. This movie really showed the nasty cycle of pitocin-epidural-pitocin-epidural that causes fetal distress and leads to a c-section, all because doctors are impatient and won't let the body do what it needs to do.
The third movie was a total chick flick called "Definitely, Maybe." It was cute, and had some twists and turns as you waited throughout the movie to find out which girl he ends up with. NOt a high-class film, but it was entertaining.
Also to relieve boredom this weekend, I went to DSW, the best shoe-store on earth (okay, the best affordable shoe store on earth). I got some comfy walking shoes (Kangaroos, which Bryan says he had as a kid, but I've never heard of them) and some cute/comfy shoes for the cruise.
 |
| From March 2008 |
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| From March 2008 |
Yes, those bare legs you see are because I was wearing a skirt, enjoying the high of 67 degrees! No worries, the next few days were in the 20's and 30's with snow and ice.
We ended the weekend with a yummy dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. Bryan felt bad about being so busy all weekend, so we had a lovely dinner and spent some nice time together discussing the political state of our country. A very heady topic for dinner, but we had fun.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Fruit crisp and general updates
This is one of my staple desserts because it is easy to make and relatively healthy (as far as desserts go).
The recipe itself is designed for a 2 quart square baking dish. I like to make it in my ramekins, so I adjust the amount of fruit slightly. If you use the baking dish, it calls for 5 cups sliced, peeled cooking apples, peaches, pears, or apricots. Now here is how I make it:
Fill 4 ramekins (mine are from Ikea) about 3/4 full with fruit.
For the ones in these pictures, I used 2 granny smith apples, about 1/3c frozen blueberries that I picked in the summer, and 1/2 of the big package of raspberries at the store (or an entire small one). I usually use a mix of peaches (again, frozen from the summer, but thawed first) and blueberries, but we've eaten up all of the peaches from the summer :( The only fruit I have used that was a failure was pear. It made it way too runny. Because I use fresh fruit (or fruit I picked), I don't ever add sugar to the fruit.
Once you have the fruit in the ramekins, you make the topping by mixing these together:
1/2c oats
1/2c packed brown sugar
1/4c flour
1/4tspn nutmeg, ginger, or cinnamon (I've only used cinnamon because we like it the best)
1/4c nuts - optional (I've only used nuts once, since I'm not a big nut fan)
To this mixture, cut in 1/4c of butter until mix is crumbly. Divide mix over ramekins (about 1/2c per ramekin).
Bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes until nice and bubbly. They are best warm, and you can serve with ice cream if you like (Bryan likes his with whipped cream).
Our review of the raspberry, apple, blueberry combo is that is isn't the winner that the combo with the peaches are. We really like the sweetness and juiciness that peaches add.
If you like this and want to save time, I make a double batch of the topping (without the butter) and put it in a ziploc so it's all ready to go for the next time.
When I wasn't baking this week, I was taking care of Bryan, who was stricken with the evil flu. Of course, with his pre-existing issues, having the flu for him is really scary. Here is how he felt a few days ago:
Here's how he feels today:
He's still not at 100%, but he's much better and the gut-wrenching coughing is almost gone. We're both so happy that he's feeling better! I knew he was starting to feel a bit more like himself on Sunday when I heard him singing again. It is the cute way to judge his mood...he's always singing when he's happy. I was happy to finally get a kiss after a week of no contact in an attempt to keep me from getting sick (which worked!).
My sweet mom sent him cookies while he was incapacitated. Yum!
Markisa says thanks for the cookies too, as she loved the box.
And finally, if any of you are blog readers that haven't responded to your wedding invites yet, know you're in the dog pile! We are having a small affair with our nearest and dearest, and 6 of the 11 invitations have yet to be returned! Almost all of our non-RSVP-dependent planning is completed, and now we're really looking forward to the wedding and the cruise, especially since we're getting 8 inches of snow as I type this!
The recipe itself is designed for a 2 quart square baking dish. I like to make it in my ramekins, so I adjust the amount of fruit slightly. If you use the baking dish, it calls for 5 cups sliced, peeled cooking apples, peaches, pears, or apricots. Now here is how I make it:
Fill 4 ramekins (mine are from Ikea) about 3/4 full with fruit.
 |
| From feb 08 |
For the ones in these pictures, I used 2 granny smith apples, about 1/3c frozen blueberries that I picked in the summer, and 1/2 of the big package of raspberries at the store (or an entire small one). I usually use a mix of peaches (again, frozen from the summer, but thawed first) and blueberries, but we've eaten up all of the peaches from the summer :( The only fruit I have used that was a failure was pear. It made it way too runny. Because I use fresh fruit (or fruit I picked), I don't ever add sugar to the fruit.
Once you have the fruit in the ramekins, you make the topping by mixing these together:
1/2c oats
1/2c packed brown sugar
1/4c flour
1/4tspn nutmeg, ginger, or cinnamon (I've only used cinnamon because we like it the best)
1/4c nuts - optional (I've only used nuts once, since I'm not a big nut fan)
To this mixture, cut in 1/4c of butter until mix is crumbly. Divide mix over ramekins (about 1/2c per ramekin).
 |
| From feb 08 |
 |
| From feb 08 |
Bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes until nice and bubbly. They are best warm, and you can serve with ice cream if you like (Bryan likes his with whipped cream).
 |
| From feb 08 |
Our review of the raspberry, apple, blueberry combo is that is isn't the winner that the combo with the peaches are. We really like the sweetness and juiciness that peaches add.
If you like this and want to save time, I make a double batch of the topping (without the butter) and put it in a ziploc so it's all ready to go for the next time.
When I wasn't baking this week, I was taking care of Bryan, who was stricken with the evil flu. Of course, with his pre-existing issues, having the flu for him is really scary. Here is how he felt a few days ago:
 |
| From feb 08 |
Here's how he feels today:
 |
| From feb 08 |
He's still not at 100%, but he's much better and the gut-wrenching coughing is almost gone. We're both so happy that he's feeling better! I knew he was starting to feel a bit more like himself on Sunday when I heard him singing again. It is the cute way to judge his mood...he's always singing when he's happy. I was happy to finally get a kiss after a week of no contact in an attempt to keep me from getting sick (which worked!).
My sweet mom sent him cookies while he was incapacitated. Yum!
 |
| From feb 08 |
Markisa says thanks for the cookies too, as she loved the box.
 |
| From feb 08 |
And finally, if any of you are blog readers that haven't responded to your wedding invites yet, know you're in the dog pile! We are having a small affair with our nearest and dearest, and 6 of the 11 invitations have yet to be returned! Almost all of our non-RSVP-dependent planning is completed, and now we're really looking forward to the wedding and the cruise, especially since we're getting 8 inches of snow as I type this!
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
The terrible twos? No way!
Yesterday was our 2 year anniversary. Two years since I met that adorable man in Powell's, and the first thing he said to me was "Darn, you caught me in the comic book section. I hoped you would see me reading some science book and think I was smart." I was already hooked! From there we went to vegetarian chinese food, played old video games at a funky arcade, and had cupcakes at Saint Cupcake. It was so much fun and was definitely the longest first date I had ever had. I never would have predicted that 2 years later I'd be living in the frigid east, preparing for my wedding!
Yesterday, like the romantic couple we are, we worked (Tia did) took a nursing school test (Bryan did), had spaghetti for dinner (it was too icy and snowy to go to the store) and watched 3 episodes of Millionaire Matchmaker on Bravo. Tres romantique!
Yesterday, in other words, it was a pretty normal day. However, we did have a fun early celebration together on Sunday. After taking an early morning test (a 94, good job baby!), we went to breakfast at Simply Crepes, came home and relaxed for a bit, then headed off to the spa thanks to Sherri and my mom. It was so nice and peaceful. Then home to shower, off to dinner (oops, our favorite place is closed on Sunday, which we discovered as we drove by it). Dinner take 2 was a Vietnamese place. It was okay, but we were the only people in there and it was really cold! With it being a whopping 6 degrees outside, we were looking for warmth. After dinner we went to see Cabaret, with Portlander (and Rockstar Supernova finalist) Storm Large. She was great, but that musical is SO bizarre! We enjoyed it, even though Bryan asked me several times if I had slipped drugs in his dinner...that's how bizarre Cabaret is! The night was capped off with dessert at the Cheesecake Factory. Yum!
Yesterday I was reminded of my future. My future with a man who said, spur of the moment when we were being silly, "We are going to have the best marriage." And I knew he meant it. Baby, if you ever read this, I wholeheartedly agree and can't wait for May. Here's to saying goodbye to celebrating February 12th and hello to May 9th.
Friday, February 8, 2008
Oatmeal chocolate chip banana muffins
It's no secret that I love to bake. Lucky for me, I live in a house where people love to eat baked goods. It's a win-win for all involved. My lastest find is from Allrecipes.com, my favorite cooking website.
These are just too good not to share the recipe. I've made them twice now, and both times they were fantastic. I used my new silicone muffin liners that my mom gave me. I'm not sure if they are the key to this, since I haven't made them any other way. I really like that you make this in just one bowl. No combining wet and dry required.
Directions:
Mash 3 very ripe bananas in a large bowl.
Add 1/2c sugar to the bananas and stir
Add 1 beaten egg and 1/3c apple sauce (I used cinnamon because it is what I had, and it was great) and stir
Add 1tspn baking soda, 1.5tspns baking powder, 1c flour, 1/2c quick cooking oats, 1/2tspn salt and stir
Fold in 3/4c chocolate chips
Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes
The end result:
You can see that just minutes out of the oven and many were already gone!
These are just too good not to share the recipe. I've made them twice now, and both times they were fantastic. I used my new silicone muffin liners that my mom gave me. I'm not sure if they are the key to this, since I haven't made them any other way. I really like that you make this in just one bowl. No combining wet and dry required.
Directions:
Mash 3 very ripe bananas in a large bowl.
Add 1/2c sugar to the bananas and stir
Add 1 beaten egg and 1/3c apple sauce (I used cinnamon because it is what I had, and it was great) and stir
Add 1tspn baking soda, 1.5tspns baking powder, 1c flour, 1/2c quick cooking oats, 1/2tspn salt and stir
Fold in 3/4c chocolate chips
Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes
The end result:
You can see that just minutes out of the oven and many were already gone!
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Updates for my mama
Mom, this whole post is just for you. Don't you feel special?
Here is the re-sized wedding band. I'm sorry the pictures is so blurry, but my camera just doesn't do close-ups very well. It looks fantastic in person and I love it. Thanks for coming to pick it out with me.
Bryan's ring. Note that he put it on his right hand. The left hand was "too scary." He's funny. There was no way my camera would take a picture of the engraving, but it came out very nicely.
Check out the cool ring "box" his ring came in. My ring came in a vintage heart box with a neat little clasp on it, but I forgot to take a picture of it.
The veil, which is 150 times better than the crummy one from Target.
The beautiful flowers you sent that definitely made my day. Unfortunately, as is the issue with tulips, they don't last forever, so we had to finally throw them away today. We all really enjoyed them though, and the red vase they came in is beautiful.
A few pictures of our apartment.
The view from our window today. Although 3 days ago it rained and the grass was bare, 2 days ago we had freezing rain and today it snowed on top of the ice. I haven't even been brave enough to go unearth my car for 3 days now.
Hope this catches us up on all of the things I've promised. More apartment pictures at some point. I love you and miss you. Can't wait to see you in May!
Here is the re-sized wedding band. I'm sorry the pictures is so blurry, but my camera just doesn't do close-ups very well. It looks fantastic in person and I love it. Thanks for coming to pick it out with me.
Bryan's ring. Note that he put it on his right hand. The left hand was "too scary." He's funny. There was no way my camera would take a picture of the engraving, but it came out very nicely.
 |
| From feb 08 |
Check out the cool ring "box" his ring came in. My ring came in a vintage heart box with a neat little clasp on it, but I forgot to take a picture of it.
The veil, which is 150 times better than the crummy one from Target.
 |
| From feb 08 |
The beautiful flowers you sent that definitely made my day. Unfortunately, as is the issue with tulips, they don't last forever, so we had to finally throw them away today. We all really enjoyed them though, and the red vase they came in is beautiful.
A few pictures of our apartment.
The view from our window today. Although 3 days ago it rained and the grass was bare, 2 days ago we had freezing rain and today it snowed on top of the ice. I haven't even been brave enough to go unearth my car for 3 days now.
Hope this catches us up on all of the things I've promised. More apartment pictures at some point. I love you and miss you. Can't wait to see you in May!
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