It Came From the 1971 Sears Catalog

It Came From the 1971 Sears Catalog is an incredibly funny site devoted to items found in the 1971 Sears Catalog.

Seeing some of the items brings back nightmares... ummm... I mean fond memories.

I wasted almost three hours of my life last night

I watched "Gangs of New York" – all of it, and I'm still scratching my head and wondering why. I had heard raves about the movie, but I can't believe I wasted almost 3 hours of my life watching it.

I didn't even mind the violence and gore. The thing jumped all over the place, the acting was blah (except for Daniel Day Lewis and one or two others), and the ending seemed very anti-climactic. I couldn't even feel sympathy or empathy for ANYONE in that movie, except maybe Liam Neeson, and he died within the first half-hour.

It was just kind of weird - someone on imdb.com said it was like watching "Mad Max" meets "A Clockwork Orange". They hit the nail on the head. Basically the only thing it did do was make me want to learn more about that particular period in NY history - the real story as opposed to what I watched last night.

I didn't mind the violence in the movie. I love the battle scenes in "Braveheart". They're well done, and worth watching, even if they're a bit gory. In the first battle scene in "Gangs of New York", though, there were parts where you could SEE that it was faked - guys getting whacked with knives and clubs that somehow didn't quite "connect" with the intended victims, yet they fell down dead anyway.

The whole Draft Riot stuff at the end of the movie felt like it was just sort of thrown in there, with no real explanation or lead-in. Leonardo DiCaprio wasn't convincing in the slightest. The "romance" between Leonardo and Cameron was just weird all-around, and what exactly was the point of all those other half-naked women?

I couldn't send it back to NetFlix fast enough this morning.

If it Sounds too Good to be True...

It usually is.

Take today, for example. Now that the company-subsidized portion of my COBRA is coming to an end, I decided to start looking into some (hopefully) less expensive individual health insurance. So, I did a Google search on individual health insurance, and looked for some quotes via the websites listed on QuoteMonster. I filled out a bit of basic info, and the immediate results returned were for GHI, at pretty much the same amount I would be paying for my current COBRA coverage. A bit disappointing, but reassuring also, to know that my current coverage cost isn't totally out of the norm.

Then, I received a call from Deborah, from IAB, also known as International Association of Benefits. She informed me that I would be pre-approved for a group member benefits, for anywhere between $109.50-$169.50 per month, depending on which plan I chose. According to Deborah, the plans provide healthcare, hospital, prescription and dental benefits, as well as alternative benefits, such as vitamins/nutritional supplements, cosmetic, and gastric bypass. Additional benefits included travel coverage and an accidental death and dismemberment benefit.

By the time Deborah and I finished our conversation, I was pretty much ready to sign up. However, because I tend to be a bit "anal" about checking things out before entrusting my financial and physical well-being (not to mention my credit card) to a complete stranger, I asked her if there was something in print that she could send me in the mail to look at. She told me that the company doesn't send out anything in hard copy (red flag #1), but directed me to their website to review the benefit plan information. I let her know that I needed a few days to reach a decision, took down her name and phone number, and proceeded to the company's website.

I reviewed the listings for each of their "Benefit Plans", the Elite, the Premier Plus, and the Premier. At first glance, they each looked okay. For example, the Elite plan listed benefits such as:

• Healthcare Benefits
  
• Hospitals and Medical Facilities


• Physicians


• ICU/CCU Benefit



• Dental Care Plan
  
• Dental Network


• Insured Dental Plan ( Benefits: $1,000 per person per year)



• Chiropractic Benefits


• Mail Order Hearing Aids


• Beltone Hearing Aids


• Vision Care Plan


• Mail Order Contacts


• Mail Order Prescription Plan


• Neighborhood Pharmacy - Prescriptions


• Vitamins and Nutritional Supplements


• Medical Records Service


• Travel Assistance


• Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance


• Accident Medical Coverage - $5,000


• Emergency Rescue


• 24 Hour Nurse Line


• Emergency Roadside Assistance


• Financial Help Line

But then there were some truly weird ones. Benefits I've never seen in all my health insurance-covered years. Benefits like:

• Legal Club Benefits


• Car Rental


• Golf


• Hotel


• Theme & Amusement Park


• Concierge Service


• DHL Express

Red flag #2 was a toss-up between the golf and theme park benefits. While I am all for discounts on my annual pilgrimages to the Holy House of the Mouse, and as much as I claim they do wonders for my spiritual, mental and physical health, I do not expect them to be covered as a health insurance benefit!

So, I decided to do some additional independent research. Back to Google, only this time, I search for "International Association of Benefits". And boy, did I get results! Lots of results. I got results for Better Business Bureau alerts. I got results for suits filed by the Texas Attorney General and Illinois Attorney General. I got results for news stories like this one from Fox 31 in Denver, and this one. I also got results for several IAB Associates, like this one, and an associate recruiting ad.

Bottom line, International Association of Benefits is not health insurance. It's a health discount program with a shady reputation, at best. Check with your health and dental providers to see if they accept Galaxy and Careington, the plans listed on IAB's site, or any other health discount card plan before switching, even if they're listed in the plan's provider list.

Somehow, I don't think I'll be calling Deborah back anytime soon.

I got CROCS!!!

The FedEx guy just delivered my Crocs! For those who are wondering what the hell a Croc is, they're shoes! After looking for alternatives to my six pairs of New Balance running shoes, and hearing all sorts of rave reviews about them on the Sweet Potato Queens Message Board of Love, aka the MBOL, I decided to order a pair of the Highland model in black.

So, after signing for the package, I rushed inside and tore open the box of Crocs. Or would that be the Crocs Box? Anyhoo, I put them on and boy, are they comfy! I think I may just have found what I'm looking for in a shoe!