I don't know how I could've forgotten this, but I left out my favorite part of the Houston clinic. I was reminded because I got to experience it again returning from Moody Gardens last weekend. The HOV (high-occupancy vehicle) lanes!! This last Houston clinic was the first that didn't include a one+ hour delay on IH-10 leaving Houston. We would sit on IH-10, mired in the quagmire of west-bound traffic, moving in 5 mph pulses, while cars with 2 people in them whizzed by us at 60 mph in the HOV lane. It's one thing to be passed by all those cars when you're the only one in your car. It's a totally different animal when you qualify to be in the HOV lanes, and you can't find a way into them. Well, that was then...

Prior to our leaving on Thursday, Linda got maps of the HOV entrance points for IH-10 from the Houston metro authority. Getting to one took some looking--the entrance points are not on the freeway itself--but we found one. And one is all you need, baby. We left Houston, triumphantly, at 60 mph, casting aspersions into the sea of red brake lights we were passing. A lot of healing went on for that 10 miles or so. As we zipped past cars, I thought I heard the wind call each one "loser". Oh, that wasn't the wind, it was me. Anyway, it was the true high point of the trip.

Moody Gardens was a delight. The aquariums they have there are truly awesome. (I'm always reluctant to use that adjective, because I mentally hear Keanu Reeves tag it with "..., dude".) There were 3 sharks over five feet long in a million gallon tank. There is a glass tunnel through the tank where you can sit and watch them, and hundreds of other fish, swim over you. Everyone enjoyed the rides (yes, they were tame enough for me to ride), and I came away with a great premise for a short story, which is already in the works. The hotel was fabulous, and the food was great, too. The only problem was going in the Tracer, a compact station wagon. The (older) kids were at each others' throats because they didn't have enough room. I did most of the driving. And, again, on our way out of Houston, we were in the HOV lanes. It wasn't as busy in the main lanes, but we still saved some time.

As for how things are going, the battle over my long-term disability (LTD) is mounting. The insurance company claims I first enrolled in it January 13th of last year. I remember being told (by some qualified company rep) that I had had it all along (since 1998). So we're collecting documents, writing reps, and going back over the plan details to fight this latest move to deny me benefits. I don't know what I expected...in retrospect, it would probably seem odd if the insurance companies paid my benefits in a straightforward and responsible manner. But, as if I could forget, every time I deal with these companies, I'm rudely reminded that they're in business to make money, not to help people. I don't know how some of these folks sleep at night, knowing what they do for a living. I guess it's sterile if you do it through the mail and over the phone. Or maybe life has just kicked them so hard and/or so often their conscience has gone numb. I can see how that could happen. My conscience isn't in peril, but I sure have to guard other parts of my psyche. Well enough.