Hugh's Worthless Blog

Since I receive e-mail from just about every place imaginable, I actually somehow signed up to receive messages from both the Democratic and Republican campaigns for just about every upcoming election. One thing that is consistent is that they all want my contributions, but in some cases they will give you special swag. I found it interesting that for the exact same $35 donation you can receive a very different special gift from either campaign.  If you donate $35 to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) you will receive two reusable cloth face masks that not only help reduce the spread of respiratory viruses, but help promote that everybody go out and vote during the election. You can definitely purchase face masks for less, (like from one of my co-workers who sells custom made, decorative masks for just  $7 to $9 on Etsy ), but you are also paying more to help the Democratic Party promote their candidates. If you donate $35 to the Trump re-election campaig...

My mother-in-law had been experiencing dementia since her early 80's and was living in a nearby assisted living facility when she fell and broke her hip in early January this year (2020). That was the beginning of the end for her, but we did not realize she would end up passing away in April during the COVID-19 pandemic when the St. Louis area and much of the country was under a "stay at home" order. This has made taking care of all of her affairs much slower and more challenging, but luckily we had planned a lot in advance to make the whole procedure less aggravating. My wife, Penny, decided to write up her ordeal and I have posted it on my site as " Dead Reckoning " our guide to setting up and executing an estate plan for a parent. Enjoy!

Last week the new east end garage opened on Danforth Campus of Washington University in St. Louis which was great for all the people who want to park there. But for those of us who take the Metrolink to and from campus, there is now a wonderful almost fully precipitation free path to get from the Skinker Metrolink Station to Brookings Hall (or Scott Rudolph Hall.) The map above shows the path, but it is not all on the same level so it needs some explanation. Green Hall Doorway - WashU ID required The first part is easy, getting from the Metrolink station to the archway of Green Hall. Then you enter the double doors there, but realize you need a WashU ID to enter those doors. Withou a valid ID, you must walk around to Brauer Hall where the center double entry doors are always unlocked. Luckily part of that outdoor path around Brauer Hall is even covered so you would hardly get wet if it were raining. Green Hall hallway towards Brauer You then keep walking through Green ...

WUSTL Family HMO Premiums 2004-2019 It is open enrollment time at good old Washington University , and for the first time I have switched from the HMO/EPO choice we have been using forever to the HDHP (high deductible health plan) that the university is offering and obviously pushing. The university is even contributing $800 each year to our HSA for the family plan ($400 for single plans), and with the EPO premiums now about 3.5 times the HDHP premiums ($475.79 vs $136.89) we decided it was time to switch.  Since I have been with the university over 15 years and they now store all our old paystubs on line, it was easy for me to extract the data to see how the family HMO premiums have increased over time. Back in 2004, the HMO premiums were only $189.75 per month which was less than 5% of my gross salary. For 2019 the $475.79 represents a 150% increase whereas my university salary has only increased about 70% over those 15 years. This now represents  almost 7% of my sa...

A new semester started this Monday on the Danforth Campus of Washington University in St. Louis , but along with the new faces within our building there was also new construction outside our building. A brand new sidewalk now connects the sidewalk between our building (Scott Rudolph Hall) and Physics (Crow/Compton) and the northern door of Brookings Hall. There is also now a large mulched area just west of the sidewalk, just east of Cupples I (Math), which I am hoping will eventually be filled with some lovely plants of some sort and maybe even some benches or statues (who knows?) This is the first time the northern door to North Brookings has been open since the week after commencement, as well as the stairway into the northeast corner of the quadrangle. Now I am just waiting for them to open the southern door near my office in Rudolph Hall. Since the undergraduates have returned I have now seen multiple students staring at their cell phones walk straight through the first set...

No Exit! Just try leaving our building! We are lucky that most of the students, faculty and staff at Washington University in St. Louis are very bright, motivated individuals. Otherwise they would never be able to navigate around the east end of campus this summer to get where they need to go. This summer the east end is truly a mess with both ends of Brookings Hall being closed off, as well as the area just north of the Brown School of Social Work as well of the area south of our building, Scott Rudolph Hall , which just a few weeks ago was still a lovely landscaped area. Just last week I heard a terrible noise outside my window and saw an earth moving construction vehicle ripping up the concrete sidewalks next to our building. Scene from Rudolph Hall, May 25, 2018 - One Week after Commencement So now we only have one fully available entrance/exit to our building, the door to the west leading to Compton and Crow ( Physics ) so we must plan our trips across campus carefu...

Next month our church, Samuel United Church of Christ in Clayton, is doing something incredible. We are converting a large quantity of corned beef, lamb stew, sides and desserts into a portion of an affordable home for a low income family in St. Louis. That is right, we are hosting our annual St. Patrick's Day lunch and dinner at our church to help fund a home through Habitat for Humanity here in St. Louis. All the meat and sides are being donated by the Kern Meat Company who is also preparing the delicious feast. Beverages and scrumptious homemade desserts are being provided by the members and friends of Samuel UCC, as well as the labor to serve everybody. That means 100% of the proceeds are going to Habitat to provide funding for the future home of a needy St. Louis family. Our church is not earning a dime, and neither is Kern Meat Company. Better yet, any tickets purchased in advance before March 1 will be matched 100% by a donor to increase the funding to Habitat eve...