No Insurance of Good Health

I spent a frustrating morning trying to get the X-ray matter settled. I called the South Jersey Radiology branch at Haddonfield. Yes, they take AmeriHealth. Do I have an insurance card? Uh, no. I didn't think so. I hadn't needed one before. I used Uncle Ken and Bruce's doctor when I got my knee checked out in 2007. I made my appointment for 11:10 tomorrow and told them I'd figure out the insurance thing.

Next, I called Rose for a ride to Haddonfield tomorrow. I don't like asking for rides, especially from someone as busy as Rose, but Jodie and Dad are still down at the Jersey Shore. I told her about my foot and the X-ray appointment. She asked me why I didn't have this better organized and hadn't called AmeriHealth about this. And why don't I have a primary health care physician? Why haven't I had a checkup, or a mammogram?

I don't know. I guess, part of it is the manual they send is long, thick, and filled with boring jargon I don't understand. It would take a very patient doctor to plow through it. The paperwork is endless. Not to mention, I don't get sick enough to need a doctor that often. I just haven't gotten around to the mammogram. I will, eventually.

I wish I knew how to handle this better. This is the first time I've ever had health insurance. Fishing boat workers are considered self-employed and don't have health insurance. My parents always paid for anything health-related when I was a kid.

It was past 12:30 when I finally got off the phone with her and got going to the Haddon Township Library for this week's volunteer session there. It was absolutely gorgeous when I headed out, sunny, breezy but not too windy, and in the lower 60s, perfectly normal and lovely weather for late October in southern New Jersey. I stopped at the Oaklyn Post Office really quick first to send off two Halloween card and a birthday card, then rode through a busy Newton River Park to Westmont.

The Haddon Township Library wasn't busy by the time I arrived. It was too nice to be hanging around inside! This was reflected in the stacks, too. There weren't nearly as many children's books to put away as usual. There was a very small pile of adult DVDs and no kids' movies. I organized the kids' DVDs, put the DVDs that were there away, and shelved kids' books and put Halloween ones on display. I ended up taking out two more Scooby Doo DVDs (the newest movie Scooby Doo and the Phantosaur and another recently-released random episode collection, Scooby Doo and the Pirates) and the Angelina Ballerina DVD Lights, Camera, Action! that has their Halloween episode. (It was the only Halloween episode of any series I could find.)

Went across the street to Westmont Plaza after I left. I needed a few things at Super Fresh. The were having a $1 sale on their generic cake mixes. I needed white cake mix after making that Pumpkin Cake last week. They also have frequent sales on grits, which I love to have for breakfast in the fall and winter. I also grabbed a Halloween card for my sister and nephew.

I made it to the Bagel Shop across the Plaza about twenty minutes before they shut down. One of the waitresses was mopping the very back of the dining area as I ordered my Roast Beef and Provolone Sandwich on a Sesame Seed Bagel with Spicy Mustard, Lettuce, and Onion. There are some advantages to being a quick eater. I managed to finish my sandwich and pay right before they closed.

After that, I went straight home. I spent a couple of hours finishing the Holiday Music Inventory, then baked Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies (thought I'd try a different recipe than usual) and ran the Scooby Doo DVDs.

Phantosaur takes the gang out west to a health spa to try to help poor Shaggy recuperate after their last mystery. As usual, where the gang goes, ghosts follow...no matter what Shaggy wants. When a ghostly dinosaur starts haunting the people of the town and the archeological dig in an old mine, Shaggy's ready to turn tail...until the spa's owner hypnotizes him into becoming truly brave! While Shaggy takes on a biker club, Velma's fallen head-over-heels for the archeologist's assistant, but her feelings for him makes her ignore the weird signals he's giving off...

Not great, not bad. I thought the mystery was interesting, and a brave Shaggy was truly a sight to behold. (Check him out taking on the entire biker club...by himself!) Probably best for dinosaur lovers or Scooby fanatics who have seen the other movies.

The Pirates episode collection was something of a misnomer. The first episode, "Hassle In the Castle" from the original Scooby Doo, Where are You? series, doesn't really have anything to do with pirates. This spooky tale of magic and mystery is one of the best of the first series, though, so it gets a pass. "Go Away Ghost Ship" obviously has a far better relation to the theme. The ghost of Redbeard the Pirate and his ship is stealing cargo from Mr. Merton's line. The gang investigates before Merton is driven out of business.

The third episode, "The Ghostly Creep from the Deep," is from The New Scooby Doo Movies. Scooby Doo fans know these as the hour-long episodes that featured caricatures of kid-friendly "celebrities" from the early 70s solving mysteries with Mystery Inc. The celebs in question here are basketball group the Harlem Globetrotters, who help the kids deal with the return of Redbeard the Pirate, this time in an abandoned inn next to a scary swamp. An old man tries to warn the kids and basketball players away, but what is he really after?

Campy as all get-out, more than the original show, but still pretty funny, too. I kind of wish it had been another celebrity besides the Globetrotters, though. I'm not a basketball fan, and their antics wore out pretty quickly. If nothing else, I got to hear the second theme song that stuck to the show well into the 80s.