The last couple of days there has been a rant brewing in my head. So many news papers are now requiring that you sign up and log in every time you want to read one of their articles. Sorry guys, but I am not the only one who is getting more and more pissed about this. I don't really mind giving you some info about me, though with all the people who just make stuff up I don't know how accurate you can say the data you collected is. And if I'm a member of a site its because the site needs to be confidential, or its a place that I need to go to do some specific job - like when I log in here to write on my blog.

Last night I had this discussion with Kevin, Rick and Ammy. We know that these companies marketing departments have latched on to this idea and they aren't going to let go, but it doesn't really benefit them that much and they actually lose readership this way.

In the past my habits have followed a path of: Oh, I would like to read that - I have to sign in? - oh fine - then i read. Or: Oh, I would like to read that - I have to sign in? - yeah, maybe later.

It's annoying, I get frustrated and I move on in one fashion or another. Today the New York Times did it to me and it was the last straw. I signed up a while ago for their email list that gives me the headlines every day. And so I get my email and read the headlines. Most times I don't end up wanting to read the rest of the article. I did today though, so I clicked on the link in the email and low and behold... THE LOG IN PAGE!

They sent me an email, can't the email tell the page to check my old cookie and be done with it? I mean really, I'm coming from my email that they sent to me - I'm quite obviously already a member. Lets not put a requirement on how determined you are and how many places you have to remember which login combination for in order to be an informed citizen.

*sighs* This time I was annoyed enough not to log in and not to read.

Anyone want to tell me about the situation in Colorado where the bishop is denying religious rights to anyone who votes for a politician or policy that doesn't support the churches desires? (hee hee - this one is another rant all in its self!!)

I'm warning you now... this is a rant... just warning you!!!!

I am so so so angry!!! Some of you know that I have a possible health issue. It’s a possible issue with a non-cancerous breast lump. If you want the whole story read it here.

To continue the story, I knew that my insurance ran out on my birthday, May 1st. Since that was coming up fast Kevin and I got to work on making sure I was going to be covered all the way through. Now one of the downsides of my current insurance is that it won't cover anything preventative, only specialist/emergency issues while I'm not in the state of NY, which is the insurances origin.

So I call to find out what paperwork I need to deal with in order to transfer myself over to Kevin's insurance on my birthday. I get on the phone with them and they are all of a sudden telling me that they have made a mistake and they need to cut my insurance that day. No grace period, nothing.

So Kevin was wonderful, we scrambled, signed some papers at Google to start the process of getting me on his insurance. The only thing missing is the letter from my old insurance telling me the date that they stopped covering me. This allows the new insurance to retroactively pick me up from that day and I have continuous insurance.

The insurance company promised to fax a copy of the letter I needed. They said it would take them 3 days to get the letter together. After meeting with Google, the HR department asks if the letter can be faxed directly to them. I call back to find out if this is possible. Well the girl I had been talking to has left for the day. Well I just want to change the fax number, so I tell the guy this and he comes back telling me its illegal for them to fax this to me at all. He says he can mail it, or I can have the new insurance agency call them. Kevin and I decide that it will be easier to have it mailed.

That was Monday and I have been checking every day for the letter so I can get things going. I have an eye doctor appointment on Tuesday (I've been wearing the same contacts way longer than I should have) and my third breast exam this year is on March 31st.

I got the letter today. It’s a computer print out that the guy I talked to that day made from his computer screen. It lists my original end date, 05/01/04. It says NOTHING about the fact that they already dropped me from the insurance; it doesn't have the right end date on it, and it does me NO GOOD WHAT-SO-EVER!!!

I'm so angry right now. By the time the mail was delivered today, the insurance company was closed (east coast time). So now I'm stuck, waiting all weekend... further putting off this issue. While I can claim that I have insurance... I really don't and the whole issue is kind of shaky. I think I would be covered by Kevin's insurance - as in the insurance company would wait for everything to go through and then back pay the docs. But I see headaches for me in this situation.

Truly, I got this letter and wanted to cry and scream and stamp my feet. They have reduced me to a child having a tantrum. This whole unknown health issue is stressful enough to me without adding this crap on top of it all.

Anyway, thanks for letting me rant!! I might still go do some screaming or something. The insurance company will at least get an earful on Monday! *sighs*

NOTE: Later in the evening, after I had figured out how to get them to fax me the right letter on Monday, Kevin called me. He went to check his desk at work and a fax had arrived. Apparently the guy who insisted he mail the letter (and got it wrong) never bothered to tell the first girl I had talked to about this. So when she got the letter she faxed it to Kevin anyway. All in one day the insurance company messed things up completely and then fixed it, all without even knowing it. Don't you love with the right hand doesn't know what the left hand is doing!!! End Rant!