Friday, August 13, 2004

Of Jeeps and Medical Insurance

Today was quite good. For one thing, I'm excited because I'll have Saturday, Sunday, and Monday off of work! On Sunday and Monday my Dad and I will attempt Gray's and Torrey's Peaks for the third time this summer. We'll go up to the trailhead Sunday evening with a friend of my Dad's, camp, then wake up early and summit on Monday morning. And even if there's a blizzard replete with lightning and earthquakes, I will summit this time. Well . . . maybe not. After all, as my uncle Chuck said after our last attempt a few weeks ago, "If we're going to die on a fourteener, it had better not be one of the easiest ones."

My Dad and I went over to our pastor's house to check out a vehicle that his son Marcus has for sale. It's a 2000 Jeep Cherokee Freedom, a limited edition 4x4 only sold in Colorado (so I've heard, but you know how those gimmicks go). Marcus has spent $8,000 over the years adding all kinds of extra features for off-roading, such as freakin' huge tires & shocks, engine modifications, and dozens of other things that I had a little trouble following during his explanations (I'm not especially knowledgeable about cars). We took it for a test drive, and it was completely different from any vehicle I have ever driven (in a good, if moderately frightening way). It is so powerful that, as my Dad put it, it seems like a sentient creature whose one desire is to climb a mountain. Not a bad description. We're going to take it to a mechanic tomorrow and let him check it out.

On the way home, we stopped by Walgreens to pick up one of Joe's prescriptions. It cost $35 for a one month supply, but my Mom had told us on the phone earlier that it would be $10. My Dad questioned the pharmacist, and she said that the price for the pills before our insurance is actually $750. Wow. We didn't complain. Thank God for insurance!


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