Update

Yesterday was shopping day. I went to Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club. The stores were not too crowded. I used the self-checkout scanner at Wal-Mart for the first time since Hurricane Rita. For a while Wal-Mart operated the scanners with human checkers. Then they shut the scanners down. Maybe more employees have returned. The store is still only open from 7 AM to 10 PM.

I made progress with getting my insurance switched to the Aetna Medicare supplement policy. I got a proper ID card from Aetna. I also checked with my former employer, and they have my 2006 enrollment forms in their database. Tomorrow I am officially on Medicare. It surely makes me feel old. Aetna still has not paid for my flu shot. I actually got a telephone call from one of their customer service representatives on Monday. She had promised to keep an eye on my claim. She called to say they were trying to get more information but did not offer a further explanation. She told be to be patient. Good grief! It is a $30 flu shot. What could possibly be simpler?

Tomorrow I am going on a little two day trip to Galveston. There is lunch at a famous seafood restaurant, Gaido’s. Then there are several activities at Moody Gardens. There is a live stage performance, an aquarium tour, a walking tour of the Festival of Lights and a special IMAX show. The next day there is a tour of the Haak Winery in Santa Fe and Christmas shopping in Kemah. I am ready to have some fun.