We've been busy with the store, Molly's swimming, and the implementation of a new point of sale system (oh boy isn't that fun!). Even with the awful weather we had this winter (can you say record snow) we've been able to ride most of the winter on the snow bikes, we got involved with the guys from Speedway Cycles in Anchorage, AK that make the Fatback snow/flotation bikes http://fatbackbikes.com/ If you haven't tried one come to the store and give them a go, they come with more smiles per mile than any other bike. With the snow gone we still plan on riding them on some of the sandy trails in Myles Standish State Forrest and on Plymouth's Long Beach they truly will go where a standard bike can't.
I finally got a few days of xc skiing in this winter, I've been teaching Molly to skate ski, she goes pretty good, the fitness and strength from swimming makes it easy for her on the hills. Her technique needs to improve to be really good at it so I think next year I'll get her a few private lessons to refine it. We skied at Trapp Family Lodge, Ole's Ski touring in Warren, VT and at Waterville with my sister and brother in law. I don't think it will be long before I'm following her.
So I've just received my renewal for my family plan with Harvard Pilgrim it came with a really nice 20% monthly increase for 2011. Sweet I'm now paying more for health insurance than my mortgage. If you think the Democrats trying to reform health care was a bad idea, I have two words for you and they aren't Merry Christmas. I will never vote for some overpaid suit to continue to screw me while he gets rich from PACs associated with insurance companies. My biggest gripe with insurance is there is no parity, I pay more for my policy as another guy does if he has the same policy but belongs to a larger buying group. Remember when the Congress was talking about a single payer system? Well it would have worked for me. I might have been able to give my employees coverage if instead of going up 20% the cost went down 20%. The question remains how long can I continue to buy health insurance at a 20% increase per year? If this level of increase continues, in 5 years I'll be paying something like $4K per month! Should I just say screw it and pay nothing then pay the fine from Massachusetts for Romney Care? (I love how Mitt the Shit is backing away from government mandated health care, Mitt you flip flopping turd) So the next time I hear someone complain that their contribution to their employer provided health plan went up to 50% they'd better pray I don't have something to hit them with. I'll take a 50% cut in my contribution in a minute.
Well that's enough ranting for now.
My buddies Gary and Mike in the snow and woods of Myles Standish.
Molly and my sister Ellen at Waterville Valley.
