What's bugging you? [2019]

[NeedMoreFans]

This pales in comparison to HiAndTight's city of Milwaukee and sister woes, but now that Apple is about to phase out iTunes (and force people into paying monthly for Apple Music), I'm wondering how I'll retain the thousands of tracks currently in my iTunes account that did not originate as Apple purchases.

 

I know that Kids These Days just stream everything through their phones, but I'm pretty attached to the content on my iPod. My iTunes content is all on an older iMac that I suppose I could just keep for the music files (it's old enough to be upgrade resistant now), but that seems like an unnecessary reason to have an extra desktop sitting around.

 

These are really what external hard drives are made for

 

You could also transfer from itunes to Google Play if you wanted.

 

 

The problem I have run into is that a lot of the music I purchased through iTunes is DRM protected, so I cannot play it on my Android. I also cannot remove the DRM without either paying Apple $25 to subscribe to iTunes Match or burn all the songs onto a CD, delete the music, then put it back on the computer.

[MrTPlush]

Your music isn't going anywhere and you won't need to pay the monthly fee to get to it. Take a deep breath you old-timers!

[FVBrewerFan]

You guys lost me with all this isongs and extra hard drive talk. I'm still trying to figure out how to move my Head East and Bad Co. albums from 8 track to cassette.

[jerichoholicninja]

When you're driving with your cruise on but the person in front of you isn't and their top speed varies +/- 10 MPH.

[TURBO]

When you're driving with your cruise on but the person in front of you isn't and their top speed varies +/- 10 MPH.

 

I find cruise almost impossible to use because of what you just stated. People are just so clueless as to what is going on around them. It is a constant headache.

 

Today, at two different stoplights, I had to beep my horn at the fool ahead of me when the light turned green and they were on their phones, texting, whatever. They just sit there while all the traffic behind them waits on them to figure out the light turned green. I get up next to them on the straight away and look over to see a 20 something mother, with 2 kids strapped in the backseat, while she continued to be on her phone, looking down. People are on their phones even with little ones in the vehicle and paying zero attention to anything around them. How freaking selfish can people be?

 

Was also waiting at a roundabout next to an older couple. (2 lane roundabout) Traffic was heavy, we were waiting a long time, and you could see it wasn't about to get belter by the cars coming. The old lady driving the car next to me got pissed and just drove right out into the traffic. 2 cars slammed on the breaks to miss her, another one actually drove up onto the roundabout a couple feet, and I have no idea how there was no contact by a single car due to how heavy the traffic was. That old lady just had enough, and hoped everyone else was paying attention. It was unbelievable.

[DHonks]

wow tr, those are pretty crazy! I drove from AZ to MT a few weeks ago, and I'm using my cruise control the entire time on highways that aren't busy but have 65-80mph speed limits. There were some cars that flew up on my several times because they would speed up, move over, then slow down. Why did they need to pass me? Also, I hate it when cars drive at the same speed as me but on my rear bumpers. In drivers ed 20-something years ago, this was a scenario where we were told to tap the horn gently. Then again, we were told to tap the horn in many circumstances that might get someone shot these days.

[MrTPlush]

When you're driving with your cruise on but the person in front of you isn't and their top speed varies +/- 10 MPH.

 

I find cruise almost impossible to use because of what you just stated. People are just so clueless as to what is going on around them. It is a constant headache.

 

Adaptive cruise control is one of the greatest inventions ever.

 

 

In other car related news wow do I hate the Chicago suburbs. What a dump of a place to live. I wonder how much you must hate your life to deal with that traffic everyday. I go to my hotel and then wait for almost 7pm to roll around before I dare go to a store or get food. Absolute trash motorists too. I frequented/lived in the NW area for 3-4 years at times and that was enough for me. Going back a few weeks recently has really reminded me what a pile of crud the area and people are.

[Patrick425]

People are just so clueless as to what is going on around them. It is a constant headache.

 

This pretty much sums up 99% of what bugs me. Most of it while driving (please put your phones down people!!), but also just other general, every day, contact with other people. Pedestrian traffic can be just as annoying. Example one: I'm waking down the sidewalk, a group of 2 -4 people walking abreast are walking towards me filling up the entire sidewalk. Somethings gotta give. Many times there is absolutely no effort at all to make room on their part. So, what I do sometimes is just stop in my tracks and make them go around me. Example two: Walking down the sidewalk, and an individual or group of people exit a building without looking to see if someone is about to pass by (me). They just saunter out slowly completely unaware of other human beings. The George Castanza inside of me is screaming "We are living in a society here people!".

[Baldkin]

People are just so clueless as to what is going on around them. It is a constant headache.

 

This pretty much sums up 99% of what bugs me. Most of it while driving (please put your phones down people!!), but also just other general, every day, contact with other people. Pedestrian traffic can be just as annoying. Example one: I'm waking down the sidewalk, a group of 2 -4 people walking abreast are walking towards me filling up the entire sidewalk. Somethings gotta give. Many times there is absolutely no effort at all to make room on their part. So, what I do sometimes is just stop in my tracks and make them go around me. Example two: Walking down the sidewalk, and an individual or group of people exit a building without looking to see if someone is about to pass by (me). They just saunter out slowly completely unaware of other human beings. The George Castanza inside of me is screaming "We are living in a society here people!".

 

There are huge spaces where no one walks at Miller Park where you can stand and wait for someone.

 

Instead, people stand and wait exactly where everyone else needs to walk.

[nate82]

Biggest thing that is bugging me lately again is people walking into the elevator as soon as the doors open. Hello other people use the elevator and would like to get off but no you are in such a hurry you don't let anyone off and you are already smashing the floor button and the close elevator door button.

[Baldkin]

Biggest thing that is bugging me lately again is people walking into the elevator as soon as the doors open. Hello other people use the elevator and would like to get off but no you are in such a hurry you don't let anyone off and you are already smashing the floor button and the close elevator door button.

 

Stand dead center of the elevator door about an inch from it. It's fun to freak out the people who try to shove their way in immediately.

[OldHeidelberg]

Biggest thing that is bugging me lately again is people walking into the elevator as soon as the doors open. Hello other people use the elevator and would like to get off but no you are in such a hurry you don't let anyone off and you are already smashing the floor button and the close elevator door button.

 

That bugs me too, I have dog and when in my condo in Florida have to take him in and out on the elevators 3-4 times a day. The door opens the first floor and people are standing in the way and don't think to step back and let everyone out. And on top of it if they don't like dogs they give me a dirty look like it's my fault he came so close to them. Its a harmless beagle not a pit bull, jeezuz.

 

While I am it I also don't care for people who hate dogs.

[Patrick425]

My Mom and Dad moved into assisted living about 14 months ago. It was really my Mom that needed the care (diagnosed with Alsheimers, but sister and I disagree with each other regarding that diagnosis, there was a medication issue that happened that put my Mom into her current "state", but that's a long story). My Dad just went because he did not want her to be there alone. A little over 2 weeks ago, my Dad fell and broke his hip. He is now out of the hospital and out of rehab and back at the assisted living place with my Mom. So, now my Dad needs extra care and there was a meeting to discuss that and how the costs would change while he needed this extra care.

 

At this meeting it showed that my Mom currently gets 21 hours of care and my Dad will now require 25 hours of care. They don't make a record of the actual hours of care that each receives, they just bill based on what a computer program spits out after they enter what care is required (showering, bathroom, brushing teeth and assistance with dentures, administering medicine, etc). The problem is that it is clear that neither one of them are getting anywhere close to this number of hours of care a week. My Mom is probably getting about half of that amount. When you bring this up they just basically state "Well, sorry, that is what the computer is spitting out". They act like we are being unreasonable in questioning this and that we just didn't understand how the program works. I used with the analogy with them of an Electrician coming to their house and them giving the electrician a list of items they wanted done and the electrician then plugged that into their program and having it spit out 5 hours of work. Then, the electrician completes the work in 2 hours and hands them a bill for 5 hours of work. Would they object to that or would they just pay it?

 

In the end I really think that it's just a poor way of billing. If they just had a flat fee for each service or level of care rather than an hourly rate that has nothing to do with actual hours of care actually provided it would probably be a bit more palatable to hear. The hourly bs is just causes confusion and anger.

[nate82]

I am fairly confident that you have to keep track of the service hours if you are charging by the hour.

[JimH5]

My Mom and Dad moved into assisted living about 14 months ago. It was really my Mom that needed the care (diagnosed with Alsheimers, but sister and I disagree with each other regarding that diagnosis, there was a medication issue that happened that put my Mom into her current "state", but that's a long story). My Dad just went because he did not want her to be there alone. A little over 2 weeks ago, my Dad fell and broke his hip. He is now out of the hospital and out of rehab and back at the assisted living place with my Mom. So, now my Dad needs extra care and there was a meeting to discuss that and how the costs would change while he needed this extra care.

 

At this meeting it showed that my Mom currently gets 21 hours of care and my Dad will now require 25 hours of care. They don't make a record of the actual hours of care that each receives, they just bill based on what a computer program spits out after they enter what care is required (showering, bathroom, brushing teeth and assistance with dentures, administering medicine, etc). The problem is that it is clear that neither one of them are getting anywhere close to this number of hours of care a week. My Mom is probably getting about half of that amount. When you bring this up they just basically state "Well, sorry, that is what the computer is spitting out". They act like we are being unreasonable in questioning this and that we just didn't understand how the program works. I used with the analogy with them of an Electrician coming to their house and them giving the electrician a list of items they wanted done and the electrician then plugged that into their program and having it spit out 5 hours of work. Then, the electrician completes the work in 2 hours and hands them a bill for 5 hours of work. Would they object to that or would they just pay it?

 

In the end I really think that it's just a poor way of billing. If they just had a flat fee for each service or level of care rather than an hourly rate that has nothing to do with actual hours of care actually provided it would probably be a bit more palatable to hear. The hourly bs is just causes confusion and anger.

 

My dad passed away in May of 2018. For the last few months of his life, he had in-home care from Comfort Keepers. Some of the care was deemed medical, but a lot of it was more personal care stuff. He was healthy enough to stay in his home, but not healthy enough to be totally on his own.

 

Comfort Keepers caregivers turned in timesheets that he signed, and a chart of checkbox items that they helped with each day. He signed the documents every week and was billed according to time spent and their hourly rate. Not sure if your situation calls for that, but it doesn't seem unreasonable.

 

After he died, I found an expired insurance policy that included a Long Term Care provision that extended coverage even after the Life Insurance portion had ended. I submitted claims based on those timesheets and bills and his estate received a portion of those expenses back. Maybe something for you to check.

[nodakfan17]

Joe Buck calling golf.

[GAME05]

Joe Buck calling anything.

[Patrick425]

My Mom and Dad moved into assisted living about 14 months ago. It was really my Mom that needed the care (diagnosed with Alsheimers, but sister and I disagree with each other regarding that diagnosis, there was a medication issue that happened that put my Mom into her current "state", but that's a long story). My Dad just went because he did not want her to be there alone. A little over 2 weeks ago, my Dad fell and broke his hip. He is now out of the hospital and out of rehab and back at the assisted living place with my Mom. So, now my Dad needs extra care and there was a meeting to discuss that and how the costs would change while he needed this extra care.

 

At this meeting it showed that my Mom currently gets 21 hours of care and my Dad will now require 25 hours of care. They don't make a record of the actual hours of care that each receives, they just bill based on what a computer program spits out after they enter what care is required (showering, bathroom, brushing teeth and assistance with dentures, administering medicine, etc). The problem is that it is clear that neither one of them are getting anywhere close to this number of hours of care a week. My Mom is probably getting about half of that amount. When you bring this up they just basically state "Well, sorry, that is what the computer is spitting out". They act like we are being unreasonable in questioning this and that we just didn't understand how the program works. I used with the analogy with them of an Electrician coming to their house and them giving the electrician a list of items they wanted done and the electrician then plugged that into their program and having it spit out 5 hours of work. Then, the electrician completes the work in 2 hours and hands them a bill for 5 hours of work. Would they object to that or would they just pay it?

 

In the end I really think that it's just a poor way of billing. If they just had a flat fee for each service or level of care rather than an hourly rate that has nothing to do with actual hours of care actually provided it would probably be a bit more palatable to hear. The hourly bs is just causes confusion and anger.

 

My dad passed away in May of 2018. For the last few months of his life, he had in-home care from Comfort Keepers. Some of the care was deemed medical, but a lot of it was more personal care stuff. He was healthy enough to stay in his home, but not healthy enough to be totally on his own.

 

Comfort Keepers caregivers turned in timesheets that he signed, and a chart of checkbox items that they helped with each day. He signed the documents every week and was billed according to time spent and their hourly rate. Not sure if your situation calls for that, but it doesn't seem unreasonable.

 

After he died, I found an expired insurance policy that included a Long Term Care provision that extended coverage even after the Life Insurance portion had ended. I submitted claims based on those timesheets and bills and his estate received a portion of those expenses back. Maybe something for you to check.

 

It's funny you should mention comfort keepers. We had to get them for my Mom, even though she is already in assisted living, while my dad was in rehab for his hip. My Mom does not have the capacity to sign anything regarding hours. I'm not sure if my sister signed an hours sheet, but they sent me the billing information and all the hours were detailed on the bill.

 

It's a little different in that we requested certain hours for comfort care to be there (like 7pm to 9am for example) and there was a comfort keepers care giver physically in the assisted living apartment during those hours. With the care provided by the assisted level staff, they come at certain times of the day to assist with tasks like using the bathroom. That may take 10-15 minutes each time they come in, but it's been indicated to me that none of that is recorded. The hours they charge are for are based solely on how many hours a computer program states that type of care should take. This facility has many residents and the people who run it have many facilities. So, I would have a hard time believing that what they are doing is illegal and no one has ever called them on it. I've researched average cost of assisted living on various web site. Seems like the overall costs for my Mom and Dad are in line with the averages for Wisconsin. It's just frustrating to me and I wish they would bill in some other manner, like for care service provided or by care level, and not hourly....because the amount of hours is not correct.

 

Also, while we need to keep the facility accountable, it's a tricky situation. They are providing care for my parents and it seems that all elderly care facilities are currently struggling to find quality care givers that they can employ. If we have an issue with care and complain and word gets back to the actual care giver....does that fix the situation, or just makes the care that much worse for my parents. Unless we are willing to uproot my parents and move them because we believe the grass is greener somewhere else (and that is probably not true), then it's hard to do too much complaining or to threaten any type of legal action. Overall, I feel where my parents are is probably better than many other places. The state of elderly care in the country is just really bad.

[BrewersSuperCollector]

In regards to the pricing of elderly care. I don't take my car to auto shops to get fixed. Doesn't the auto repair centers also charge in the same manner meaning a fixed hourly rate and the "book" says how many hours it should take?

[JimH5]

Patrick, my dad lived in Las Vegas and his care was there. There are lots and lots of retirees there, so perhaps Nevada laws are more demanding for accurate recordkeeping. And, LTC Insurance providers likely require those records to make payment for services.

 

He was of sound mind up until his death, and my dad was paying out of pocket for care, so he was sure to "get his money's worth" per hour. He wouldn't watch the clock, but surely wouldn't have gotten shorted by much. He had hospice care to handle most of the medical and end of life stuff. Comfort Keepers were largely there to prepare meals, walk his dog, go shopping and provide companionship.

 

Hope that your parents get some enjoyment in their remaining years. Being old is difficult.

[nodakfan17]

My wife and I went to a restaurant yesterday that added a 3% surcharge for payment by credit or debit card. The waitress was kind enough to disclose this when she handed us the bill and we paid in cash to avoid what would have been about a $0.75 charge. I realize it costs 2-3% for retailers to process electronic transactions, but I thought that was built in to the cost everywhere. It struck me as odd. My wife says we can’t go there anymore.

[jerichoholicninja]

My wife and I went to a restaurant yesterday that added a 3% surcharge for payment by credit or debit card. The waitress was kind enough to disclose this when she handed us the bill and we paid in cash to avoid what would have been about a $0.75 charge. I realize it costs 2-3% for retailers to process electronic transactions, but I thought that was built in to the cost everywhere. It struck me as odd. My wife says we can’t go there anymore.

 

This is becoming quite common in all types of businesses, either adding a percentage surcharge for using a CC or giving a discount for using cash or check. Remember of course 5 or so years ago we were all being encouraged to use a CC for everything.

[wallus]

My wife and I went to a restaurant yesterday that added a 3% surcharge for payment by credit or debit card. The waitress was kind enough to disclose this when she handed us the bill and we paid in cash to avoid what would have been about a $0.75 charge. I realize it costs 2-3% for retailers to process electronic transactions, but I thought that was built in to the cost everywhere. It struck me as odd. My wife says we can’t go there anymore.

 

I have seen this being discussed online a lot lately by irritated/angry credit card users. This is going to happen more and more as the credit card fees increase. For my family's business, some can be almost 4% which is ridiculous.

[GAME05]

I told my auto bodywork guy to start doing that, or more specifically to offer discounts if paying cash. Since his bills are pretty high, he's losing upwards of $100 to the credit company every time someone pays a bill.

[FVBrewerFan]

It's just poor marketing. Instead of adding a fee, it should be a discount for cash. It's all about how you present it.