ChasUFarley

Thank you - Knopfler's song is riddled with ghost stories and myths - great song. The song has a very Scottish feel to it - the guitar sounds sort of like bag pipes in places - Anyone remember the 80's group Big Country? Yeah, that sorta feel. Loud, patriotic, spiritual - all good things. The thing I like best about Knopfler isn't his hits - it's his un-released stuff. I've had enough of "(I Want My MTV) Money For Nothing" for a lifetime, thank you. Gimme the "b-side" stuff - it's usually deeper and certainly more interesting. Here's a clip from a documentary where Knopfler is interviewed about his interest in Scottish music - if you're into the Chieftans, etc., you'll like this. I love Knopfler's tone - if I played guitar, he is who I would model myself after and his equipment is what I would want - it's rich as fudge and warm like wool - comfort items. And if you've got another 5 mins. - please take a listen to this - it's absolutely everything that is good about music in one song. --------------------- Now, Matthews... I loved him when he first came out, but he got played to death. Yeah, The Dave Mathhews Band was very fresh - a new flavor of jam-bands in a boy-band era. I've always respected him music, but kept away from the commercial stuff. The thing I love about "Gravedigger" is that I love walking thru cemetaries. They're supposed to be a place for the living, too - not just the dead. We have some great ones in my area and some very old ones - going back to the mid 1600's - those are in Portsmouth, NH. Anyhow, you'll find a lot of family plots, etc. - my family even has it's own, which goes back to 1720 - I'm as native as they come. But Matthew's song could have been written by anyone taking that sorta walk. It's bittersweet and the mode that it's in lends itself so well to mortality. It's not like anything I'd heard before - some may consider it morbid... nah... that's life. Anyhow .... I hope I didn't bore you - just some thoughts to add to the Guitar Thread...

Hubby and I were talking about great songs that are perfect for this time of year - late fall, halloween, etc... Here's a sample of what we talked about: What It Is and... a little more dark... gravedigger

Great ghostly tune by a great guitarist

Dingbats

um.... I've been thinking about this and gotta ask... WHY did you post that? Just curious - maybe it was the elephant sandwich I had for lunch, when I was driving my Dodge Viper or just because of the ten feet of snow we got here in the 90 degree weather ... but I'm just wondering...

bozz - WHAT FUN! I wanna come to your house! I wish I could decorate like that, but oldest is only 5 and he got grossed out when we scooped the punkin seeds out of the jack o'lantern this weekend - the kid actually gagged just watching me do it... and he's scared of his best friend who's dressing up as a ghost. So, we're doing Halloween on the tame side... Kristopher is going as Superman (I actually found pajamas with a cape - whoo-hooo!) Andreas is going as Thomas the Tank... appropriate for that kid... Pictures to come!

I've discovered some pretty good - certainly drinkable - wine for under $7 - Not bad - not great - but it's not Blue Nun...

I haven't been since I was in high school.... what fun! (sigh)... Wish I lived closer!!!!!

Hope it's a sweet day!

Sudo... I've seen you in summer shorts and cain't imagine you parading around in your tightie whities... By the way, those of you who are so 'critical' of RHPS... you like never liked a song by Queen, or The Who, or New York Dolls... you're as straight laced as Archie Bunker, right?

Okay.... I've been spending time with Kristopher again.... He got a homework assignment - it's a big picture of a turkey that he has to disguise. He's supposed to use stuff around the house to make it look like it's not a turkey anymore so it won't get eaten for Thanksgiving. ME: So, how you want to disguise this turkey? Kid: As a chicken! ME: A chicken? No, hunnie.... (I explained the objective again - so the turkey doesn't get eaten... yaddy, yaddy...) Think about someone or something you can dress him up as - like a superhero or a cartoon character - maybe as Clifford The Big Red Dog... Kid: He's going to be a police... CHICKEN! ME: A policechicken? Are you sure? Kids: Yeah, a policechicken named "Doc".... ME: uh.... okay.... (thinking, yeah we got feathers and blue paint and....) So, we're dressing up this damn turkey to look like a chicken who's dressed up in a police uniform... :unsure:

OMG - that's my husband!

i'm speechless.... i'm humbled.... i love youse guys... thank you....

Yeah, I hear ya... I worked retail for nearly 10 years and women can be the worst customers in the world - they are also the messiest... you wanna see some real slobs? Go into the clothing or shoes section of a store around Easter time - YIKES! Anyhow, I think that my working with the public raised my expectations for service. I never raise my voice or threaten anyone or even tell someone who's crossed me what I'm going to do. I just start quietly going up the chain of management. By the way, it's been several days now - no call from Key Bank! And if you wanna hear some real doozies of complaints, you should do what I do now - work in healthcare as a patient advocate. YIKES and DOUBLE YIKES! Today, on my desk, was a complaint that looked something like this: Anne Brown* called to report that her mother's cardiologist, Dr. Xyz was very rude and inconsiderate. The family opted not to send the mother to Portland, and Dr. Xyz walked in the patient's room and said, "Lady, you're family won't send you to Portland, so you're going to die." The woman died four hours later. Ms. Brown reports she haunted by this incident. *Facts are changed - for obvious reasons Honestly - I wanted to shut down my 'puter and walk out the door - FOR GOOD. :(

I feel strongly about this board staying about TWI. It's made a name for itself, and has integrity because of the quality of the posters who post here. However, when you start writing a lot about other groups then you not only invite those people to the mix, but then there's the privacy issues (name dropping), and other problems that can come up where you discuss anything that could harm someone's reputation. In short, I think it would open up a can of worms that no moderator would want to really deal with. Please don't think this is my saying that people from or who are with groups such as CFF, etc., are not welcome - that is not the case. But I don't think those groups should, at all, become the focus. I don't think there's anything wrong with an occasional thread, but I think a dedicated place for that would be... well.... just awkward.

QUICK! CALL 9-1-1 He's d.c. al coding with a bad case of GAS - gear aquistion syndrome - he needs intervention! Hide the plastic! Tell his wife - wives usually know how to stop these things Get yourself in a 12 bar - er... I mean, 12 step program - PRONTO!

Sorry GS, but this sounds like damage control.... And when you say it's not about popularity, referring to your not being popular at the Yahoo board because you posted here, well... it usually IS about popularity. Like, when someone says something isn't about money - IT IS really about money. KnowwhatImean? Honestly, if you're that censored over there - word count limits, etc., then why bother? The air is much fresher here, thank you. Yah-hooo-oooooooooooooooo!

Kit, I wish I had your patience right now. We have a small home equity loan thru Key Bank. There are no Key Banks in NH, they do not have an on-line portal to pay, and when I've paid via snail mail it has taken 12-14 business days for the check to clear. Therefore, I pay the bill IN PERSON, at a Key Bank location in Maine, which is 60 miles round-trip from my front door. I use the trip to visit some relatives, etc., who are in the area, so it's not that bad. Last month, due to some time constraints, I had to pay over the phone. The customer service rep., although very sweet, keyed my payment amount in wrong and that resulted in my incurring a late fee. She keyed the amount in at $29.xx below what my usual payment amount would be, as she put a decimal point in the wrong spot. When I was contacted by collections, I had them correct it, review my account information - which was consistant up until that one error - and they waived the late fee. All was well. Or so I thought. I received a call from Key Bank on 10/15 - someone said I had asked for a reminder call that the October bill was due. I had not asked for a call, but said, "Thank you," and hung up. On 10/17 and 10/18 I received calls about the account being in collections - I refered them to the $29.xx payment I had made the previous week, "Oh, yeah. Sorry for the call," they said. Okay, fine. On 10/21 I received a call from collections - this time, they are saying my October bill is overdue. It is not because there is a 10 day grace period. Since I pay the bill in person, I use that time to pick the best day to make the trip. I assured them they would have their payment soon - yaddy, yaddy, yaddy. On 10/23 I received another call from another collections company - same account. Same issue. I gave them the same answer. I also told them this is getting crazy - did they ever check to see what my response was with their calls? Good grief! On - you guessed it - 10/24 I was left a voice mail from collections. I called them back and said, "ENOUGH ALREADY!" The account was not 10 days late - it has never been late - and I explained AGAIN that I make the payment IN PERSON because no other method is that reliable. (What freaking century is this, anyhow?) The chick was beyond rude about it - "You were LATE LAST MONTH!" No, I wasn't. I explained the situation and what happened - even disclosed the manager's name I spoke with, the confirmation number I received when the fee was waived - you name it. I had all that info. As I was getting off the phone with Miss Priss, she says, "I need to verify your information. Where does your husband work?" I replied nothing had changed since we got the loan and that she had all of our infomation. About that same time, the baby started crying - I really needed to tend to him, and said, "excuse me, but do you hear that in the background? I have better things to do, sorry." She persisted on about getting his work info - I said, "We have the loan already, don't play these games with me." She stated they did not have access to our information and wanted me to give her more information. I responded, "If you don't have the information there must be a good reason for it. I've had enough of this and will not engage in this conversation with you anymore. GOOD BYE!" And hung up on her. Then, I found the phone number to the Key Bank executive office. I called them - kept my cool when I really wanted to blow my top - and explained the whole mess. The contact is beyond excessive and the rudeness I encountered from collections is not acceptable. I've been a customer of their's for over 20 years but said that if their policy did not change, I would find another local bank who would buy the loan because of their horrible interoffice communications in customer service. The person I spoke to seemed really responsive... she said she would call me back... What's a day without a call from this bank?

And of course, you're next Bluzeman!

Up on Cripple Creek - The Band (but Bob Dylan wrote it...) Get sick, get well, hang around an ink well. Ring bell, hard to tell if anything is going to sell,

Shaz -- Not to derail things, but I can add some light to your encounter with the medical imaging secretary or technician you spoke with: 1. If you had asked for the originals to be sent to you, then no, they should only be sent to a doctor. 2. A copy can be given to you - usually they do this on CDs. Sometimes they can charge a fee, but it is minimal. The fee is generally less than $3.00, and it not a HIPAA violation to charge a fee. If the hospital you were dealing with is a non-profit, that may explain the fee. You most certainly have the right to have your records, but some hospitals will charge for a copy of a particurly large medical record or several films, etc. 3. Although I agree she didn't use great judgement when she asked, "What do you want them for?" I think she was trying to figure out how best to meet your needs. She could have phrased her question better - she may have also been sniffing for a pending lawsuit, considering you had a worker's comp case. That's not uncommon. Since many hospitals are short-staffed and have a big work load, especially in rural areas, I consider sometimes that the staff person may not have time for a lot of 'niceities' - that doesn't excuse rudeness - but I have the impression she wasn't being difficult, but perhaps was just trying to find out your specific need. TIP: Ask for the Quality Review or Healthcare Quality department next time and file a complaint. Ask what their policy is for the records and what they do when someone may have a hardship - would they waive the fee? You will get your request free, and usually sooner than you would have otherwise.

OMG - nothing is scarier than an angry black woman -- and she is funnnnyyyyyy! "I'm gonna slap your a $ $ to sleep!" - LOL! Love it.

Although I didn't need another reason to dislike that moderator, I now have several more to add to my list. His response to you is almost comical - calling you controversal and telling you to "play nice" - I laughed my sweet fanny off on that one... He's certainly two French fries short of a Happy Meal....

Okay, and I bet a shrimp's personal trainer would be.... a mussel! pssst! Do you listen to "Wait! Wait! Don't Tell Me on NPR?"

It's 11:45PM EST, and I think I just woke up the whole house trying to supress my laughter.... Oh, that was rich....