Aug
20
weekend trip to Baltimore
Filed under pics, travel at 7:22 pm | 2 Comments
A few weekends ago we made a trip up to Baltimore to hang out with some 
friends from Michigan. Jason and Jodi were visiting family up the east coast, so we converged on Baltimore and did some sight-seeing together.
It was a really hot weekend, but we still managed to enjoy our
touristy activities. We strolled through the Inner Harbor, enjoying some dinner, a trip through Barnes and Noble, some good old fashioned ice cream, and a bunch of people watching. The following morning we visited Fort McHenry, the place that inspired the National Anthem (i.e., The Star Spangled Banner). Did you know it was written during the War of 1812, and not the Revolutionary War? Let’s pretend I knew it, too.
A quick, but very memorable trip.
Aug
18
One annoying aspect of moving is finding new health care providers (e.g., general physician, pediatrician, optometrist, dentist, specialists). Part of the difficulty is knowing what metrics to use in deciding which provider or practice is the best fit. Ideally we could get personal recommendations from friends or co-workers, but that approach is often deficient due to things like insurance participation or location.
Presently we’re trying to find a dentist near my work, as it’s time for the normal cleaning. After personal recommendations didn’t pan out, Rachel started by checking our insurance provider’s list of participating dentists in the area. From there, she went to the interwebs in search of information on said dentists. As it turns out, there is something called the Virginia Board of Dentistry, and they just saved me a mouth full of hurt. One of the dentists was listed in a Case Decision with the following publicly stated Order and Sanction,
Reprimand, monetary penalty of $4000 and probation with terms imposed for conducting his practice in a manner likely to cause injury to patients due to mental and physical incompetence.
Tempting, but I think I’ll try one of the other dentists first.
Aug
17
“Move along. Nothing to see here.” –West Virginia
Filed under Washington D.C., traffic at 4:18 pm | 1 Comment
We occasionally talk about how awful it would be if the D.C. area ever had to evacuate. The transportation infrastructure here is wholly inadequate on a “normal” day, let alone in the midst of a mass exodus. As such, I was pleased to read in the paper the other day that some states are working to have evacuation plans in place. The title of the article sounds promising: “W. Va. Safety Officials Lay Exit Plans For Area Evacuees.” In particular, be sure to read how proud West Virginia is to be “leading the nation” in emergency planning.
So what is their grand plan? “[T]he current plan is to encourage displaced people to continue evacuation until they get to Ohio.” Thank you, West Virginia. That’s very big of you.