I’ve been offered a job in Chicago and to help me decide what to do I 
have a couple of questions.
What sort of hotel could I expect to get for USD 75 per night in Chicago?
What health insurance “policy maximum” would be reasonable to take out?
What haven’t I thought of?

TIA

-- 
Regards
     Stephen

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On Tue, 01 Mar 2011 17:27:06 +0000, Stephen wrote:

> I’ve been offered a job in Chicago and to help me decide what to do I
> have a couple of questions.
> What sort of hotel could I expect to get for USD 75 per night in
> Chicago? 

Depends on the part of Chicago, but in general, not very good.  A step up 
from Motel 6 (though in that area, it might be a Motel 6 or Days Inn, 
prices in Chicago are a bit higher than in other areas).

Decent hotel in downtown Chicago will run you probably a couple hundred 
bucks a night.  I've stayed at the Marriott downtown - but also if you 
expect to drive, parking is going to cost you probably $50/night (hotel 
valet) at a place that has that kind of cost.

It's less expensive in the suburbs, but if you are to be working 
downtown, the morning rush hour is something to consider, too.  Of 
course, navigation in Chicago is also a bit weird, because of the dual-
layer streets in a few places.  Looking at a map can be confusing, 
because it's not always clear when you're on "level 1" and when you're on 
"level 2".

> What health insurance “policy maximum” would be reasonable to
> take out? 

I'd think it depends on the kind of work you'll be doing and the 
potential risks involved, and how long you'll be in town doing the work, 
too.  You might also check with your GP in the UK for advice on coverage, 
I know a few folks who have visited from the UK and were able to get 
coverage for what sounded pretty decent rates (I can ask a friend who 
dislocated her knee what the costs were when she went to the ER/Casualty 
here in SLC if you like).

It also would depend on your general state of health and whether you're 
looking for catastrophic coverage or just general medical insurance.  
You'll want drug coverage if you need to get prescriptions filled (and if 
you have current prescriptions, make sure you can get them filled here - 
and if you can't, what the US equivalent drug would be).

> What haven’t I thought of?

Probably a few things, I just got back from Phoenix myself and am going 
on about 10 hours of sleep (sounds good until I say that's the cumulative 
amount of sleep over the last 3 nights), so I probably won't think of any 
more until I get some sleep.

> TIA

NP. :-)

I've also got friends in Chicago, and I could put you in touch with them 
if you wanted some 'local' help.

Jim

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On 03/03/2011 6:43 AM, Jim Henderson wrote:
> On Tue, 01 Mar 2011 17:27:06 +0000, Stephen wrote:
>
>> I’ve been offered a job in Chicago
>

Thanks for the reply Jim but I've turned it down for several reasons. 
Mostly because my wife is not fit to come with me and I couldn't leave 
her for the first 6 weeks of the assignment.

> Depends on the part of Chicago, ...

Thanks for the info and it confirms that the job offer, although 
genuine, was a cheapskate one. The hourly rate was acceptable but there 
was no expenses included so I would not have been able to save much.

>
>> What health insurance “policy maximum” would be reasonable to
>> take out?
>
> I'd think it depends on the kind of work you'll be doing and the
> potential risks involved, and how long you'll be in town doing the work,
> too.

Well it would have been sitting in front of a computer all day or 
holding workshops. It was for a SAP Proof of Concept.

> You might also check with your GP in the UK for advice on coverage,
> I know a few folks who have visited from the UK and were able to get
> coverage for what sounded pretty decent rates (I can ask a friend who
> dislocated her knee what the costs were when she went to the ER/Casualty
> here in SLC if you like).
>

Good advice.

> It also would depend on your general state of health and whether you're
> looking for catastrophic coverage or just general medical insurance.
> You'll want drug coverage if you need to get prescriptions filled (and if
> you have current prescriptions, make sure you can get them filled here -
> and if you can't, what the US equivalent drug would be).
>

I’m fairly healthy but I am prescribed some drugs one of them a Schedule 
II. I get them free in the UK in recognition of having survived to the 
age I am. ;-)


>> What haven’t I thought of?
>
> Probably a few things, I just got back from Phoenix myself and am going
> on about 10 hours of sleep (sounds good until I say that's the cumulative
> amount of sleep over the last 3 nights), so I probably won't think of any
> more until I get some sleep.
>

The Joy!

Did I ever say that twice I've worked round the clock on the day the 
clocks went back? Try putting that on a time sheet. ;-)


>> TIA
>
> NP. :-)
>

:-D

> I've also got friends in Chicago, and I could put you in touch with them
> if you wanted some 'local' help.
>

Good to know Jim and thanks. :-D


-- 
Regards
     Stephen

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Stephen wrote:
> Did I ever say that twice I've worked round the clock on the day the 
> clocks went back? Try putting that on a time sheet. ;-)

Heh heh heh!

I remember getting questioned once when I put down like 4AM-2AM work day, 
and they wanted to give me 2 hours pay, thinking I did it wrong.

-- 
Darren New, San Diego CA, USA (PST)
  "How did he die?"   "He got shot in the hand."
     "That was fatal?"
          "He was holding a live grenade at the time."

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On 03/03/2011 9:06 PM, Darren New wrote:
> Stephen wrote:
>> Did I ever say that twice I've worked round the clock on the day the
>> clocks went back? Try putting that on a time sheet. ;-)
>
> Heh heh heh!
>
> I remember getting questioned once when I put down like 4AM-2AM work
> day, and they wanted to give me 2 hours pay, thinking I did it wrong.
>

Neat! :-)

-- 
Regards
     Stephen

Post a reply to this message

On Thu, 03 Mar 2011 11:41:52 +0000, Stephen wrote:

> On 03/03/2011 6:43 AM, Jim Henderson wrote:
>> On Tue, 01 Mar 2011 17:27:06 +0000, Stephen wrote:
>>
>>> I’ve been offered a job in Chicago
>>
>>
> Thanks for the reply Jim but I've turned it down for several reasons.
> Mostly because my wife is not fit to come with me and I couldn't leave
> her for the first 6 weeks of the assignment.
> 
>> Depends on the part of Chicago, ...
> 
> Thanks for the info and it confirms that the job offer, although
> genuine, was a cheapskate one. The hourly rate was acceptable but there
> was no expenses included so I would not have been able to save much.

Sounds like a pretty bad offer all said.  Shame, that.

>>> What health insurance “policy maximum” would be reasonable to take
>>> out?
>>
>> I'd think it depends on the kind of work you'll be doing and the
>> potential risks involved, and how long you'll be in town doing the
>> work, too.
> 
> Well it would have been sitting in front of a computer all day or
> holding workshops. It was for a SAP Proof of Concept.

That wouldn't be very high risk health-wise, unless you were in the 'bad' 
part of Chicago. ;-)

>> It also would depend on your general state of health and whether you're
>> looking for catastrophic coverage or just general medical insurance.
>> You'll want drug coverage if you need to get prescriptions filled (and
>> if you have current prescriptions, make sure you can get them filled
>> here - and if you can't, what the US equivalent drug would be).
>>
>>
> I’m fairly healthy but I am prescribed some drugs one of them a Schedule
> II. I get them free in the UK in recognition of having survived to the
> age I am. ;-)

Yeah, so those you probably would have needed coverage for here unless 
you could bring a large enough supply (and then you'd have to check on 
legality of bringing them in, too.  I want to say that paracetamol is an 
example of something that's not offered here in the US - as an example, 
but there are equivalents.

> 
> 
>>> What haven’t I thought of?
>>
>> Probably a few things, I just got back from Phoenix myself and am going
>> on about 10 hours of sleep (sounds good until I say that's the
>> cumulative amount of sleep over the last 3 nights), so I probably won't
>> think of any more until I get some sleep.
>>
>>
> The Joy!
> 
> Did I ever say that twice I've worked round the clock on the day the
> clocks went back? Try putting that on a time sheet. ;-)

Egads, that must've been fun. :-)

>> I've also got friends in Chicago, and I could put you in touch with
>> them if you wanted some 'local' help.
>>
>>
> Good to know Jim and thanks. :-D

Certainly. :-)

I'll have to remember that you are an SAP person, I actually spent some 
time at the conference talking to someone who works for SAP (in their 
education department) based in Germany (though she's originally from the 
Midlands).

If the discussions she and I had at the conference turn up anything, I 
may need your input on some things. :-)

Jim

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On 03/03/2011 9:49 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:

>
> Sounds like a pretty bad offer all said.  Shame, that.
>

It was from one of those Indian consultancies that do as much work 
offshore as possible, pay below the line rates and somehow convince 
their clients that they do quality work.


>
> That wouldn't be very high risk health-wise, unless you were in the 'bad'
> part of Chicago. ;-)
>

I try to stay clear of "the bad parts" as I was brought up in one of the 
bad parts of Glasgow. ;-)


>
> Yeah, so those you probably would have needed coverage for here unless
> you could bring a large enough supply (and then you'd have to check on
> legality of bringing them in, too.  I want to say that paracetamol is an
> example of something that's not offered here in the US - as an example,
> but there are equivalents.
>

I did not know that about paracetamol in the US. My doctor gave me a 
prescription for it so I can get it in bulk. Although it is "over the 
counter" here in the UK, you are not allowed to buy more than two 
packets at the one time.

>> Did I ever say that twice I've worked round the clock on the day the
>> clocks went back? Try putting that on a time sheet. ;-)
>
> Egads, that must've been fun. :-)
>

I was younger then and got paid for the first time. The second time I 
was a staff and only got sleeping time.


>
> I'll have to remember that you are an SAP person, I actually spent some
> time at the conference talking to someone who works for SAP (in their
> education department) based in Germany (though she's originally from the
> Midlands).
>
> If the discussions she and I had at the conference turn up anything, I
> may need your input on some things. :-)
>

No problem but remember I'm "Logistics" specifically  Plant Maintenance 
and Customer Service.

-- 
Regards
     Stephen

Post a reply to this message

>> Sounds like a pretty bad offer all said. Shame, that.
>
> It was from one of those Indian consultancies that do as much work
> offshore as possible, pay below the line rates and somehow convince
> their clients that they do quality work.

What, you mean low prices /= high quality? Who would have known?

Post a reply to this message

Le 04/03/2011 13:13, Stephen a écrit :
> 
> I did not know that about paracetamol in the US. My doctor gave me a
> prescription for it so I can get it in bulk. Although it is "over the
> counter" here in the UK, you are not allowed to buy more than two
> packets at the one time.

This is due to the lethality of paracetamol.
Destroying the liver is a bad omen for your survival.
And it's so easy: 4g / 24h and it's already toxic.




-- 
Software is like dirt - it costs time and money to change it and move it
around.

Just because you can't see it, it doesn't weigh anything,
and you can't drill a hole in it and stick a rivet into it doesn't mean
it's free.

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On 04/03/2011 12:24 PM, Invisible wrote:
>>> Sounds like a pretty bad offer all said. Shame, that.
>>
>> It was from one of those Indian consultancies that do as much work
>> offshore as possible, pay below the line rates and somehow convince
>> their clients that they do quality work.
>
> What, you mean low prices /= high quality? Who would have known?

Bean counters. But to be fair SAP implementations are very expensive 
running into millions and millions of pounds.

-- 
Regards
     Stephen

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On 04/03/2011 1:30 PM, Le_Forgeron wrote:
> Le 04/03/2011 13:13, Stephen a écrit :
>>
>> I did not know that about paracetamol in the US. My doctor gave me a
>> prescription for it so I can get it in bulk. Although it is "over the
>> counter" here in the UK, you are not allowed to buy more than two
>> packets at the one time.
>
> This is due to the lethality of paracetamol.
> Destroying the liver is a bad omen for your survival.
> And it's so easy: 4g / 24h and it's already toxic.
>

I know and it doesn't always kill you. I once met a young woman who was 
confined to a wheelchair because of an overdose. :-(

-- 
Regards
     Stephen

Post a reply to this message

>> What, you mean low prices /= high quality? Who would have known?
>
> Bean counters.

No, they of all people seem to look only at cost, ignoring benefits.

> But to be fair SAP implementations are very expensive
> running into millions and millions of pounds.

Maybe. All I know is that these days people put words like "value" and 
"economy" on products, suggesting that these things are "good value".

Value is the *ratio* of cost to benefit. Simply reducing the price does 
*not* increase the value unless the quality remains the same. But your 
typical "value" item, while very much *cheaper*, is also very much 
*lower quality*. If you compute the cost/benefit, it's probably far 
*worse* value.

Sorry, that just annoys me... As you were, men.

Post a reply to this message

On Fri, 04 Mar 2011 12:13:13 +0000, Stephen wrote:

> On 03/03/2011 9:49 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:
> 
>> Sounds like a pretty bad offer all said.  Shame, that.
>>
> It was from one of those Indian consultancies that do as much work
> offshore as possible, pay below the line rates and somehow convince
> their clients that they do quality work.

Gotta love that.  Or not. ;-)

>> That wouldn't be very high risk health-wise, unless you were in the
>> 'bad' part of Chicago. ;-)
>>
> I try to stay clear of "the bad parts" as I was brought up in one of the
> bad parts of Glasgow. ;-)

That seems like a good plan no matter where you are. :-)

>> Yeah, so those you probably would have needed coverage for here unless
>> you could bring a large enough supply (and then you'd have to check on
>> legality of bringing them in, too.  I want to say that paracetamol is
>> an example of something that's not offered here in the US - as an
>> example, but there are equivalents.
>>
> I did not know that about paracetamol in the US. My doctor gave me a
> prescription for it so I can get it in bulk. Although it is "over the
> counter" here in the UK, you are not allowed to buy more than two
> packets at the one time.

I'm pretty sure that was it, I'll ask Amy when she gets back from her 
class because she does know the details on what/why.

>> Egads, that must've been fun. :-)
>>
> I was younger then and got paid for the first time. The second time I
> was a staff and only got sleeping time.

I remember being hourly in IT - management 'threatened' to make us salary 
so they could make us work 24x7 and not pay us appropriately.  Needless 
to say, that got shouted down. ;-)

>> I'll have to remember that you are an SAP person, I actually spent some
>> time at the conference talking to someone who works for SAP (in their
>> education department) based in Germany (though she's originally from
>> the Midlands).
>>
>> If the discussions she and I had at the conference turn up anything, I
>> may need your input on some things. :-)
>>
> No problem but remember I'm "Logistics" specifically  Plant Maintenance
> and Customer Service.

Good to know. :-)

Jim

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On 3/4/2011 8:30 AM, Le_Forgeron wrote:
> Le 04/03/2011 13:13, Stephen a écrit :
>>
>> I did not know that about paracetamol in the US. My doctor gave me a
>> prescription for it so I can get it in bulk. Although it is "over the
>> counter" here in the UK, you are not allowed to buy more than two
>> packets at the one time.
>
> This is due to the lethality of paracetamol.
> Destroying the liver is a bad omen for your survival.
> And it's so easy: 4g / 24h and it's already toxic.

Plain ol' paracetamol is over the counter in the US, in doses that would 
probably make your head spin anywhere else. 500 to 650mg pills, in 30 to 
90 count bottles. It's the additives that start moving it up the list of 
'controlled substances'. All of the co-codamols are schedule III in the 
US, requiring a prescription and a doctor to justify why they give them 
out; and they still only give out #3s. The other mixes are not mentioned 
much. Darvon+paracematol was schedule IV, less paperwork for the 
doctors, but is being recalled because someone thought 650mg of para 
taken 4 to 6 times a day was dangerous. Hydro-codone + para is still 
schedule III, everything else is schedule II. And if it is scheduled, 
you will need a doctor to sign a prescription for it. Not that customs 
at the airport will stop you for bringing them in, a friend's dad 
brought in several boxes of co-codamols from London, when I joked that 
they were not as easily purchased in the US. He just went to different 
pharmacies to get the two box limit several times over.

OTC, you can get stuff like caffine and phenyltoloxamine, or allergy or 
sleep meds mixed with them. But nothing that helps for pain.



now to sit back and watch this post set off every spam alarm ever made.

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On 08/03/2011 1:53 PM, Sabrina Kilian wrote:
> Plain ol' paracetamol is over the counter in the US, in doses that would
> probably make your head spin anywhere else. 500 to 650mg pills, in 30 to
> 90 count bottles. It's the additives that start moving it up the list of
> 'controlled substances'. All of the co-codamols are schedule III in the
> US, requiring a prescription and a doctor to justify why they give them
> out; and they still only give out #3s. The other mixes are not mentioned
> much. Darvon+paracematol was schedule IV, less paperwork for the
> doctors, but is being recalled because someone thought 650mg of para
> taken 4 to 6 times a day was dangerous. Hydro-codone + para is still
> schedule III, everything else is schedule II. And if it is scheduled,
> you will need a doctor to sign a prescription for it. Not that customs
> at the airport will stop you for bringing them in, a friend's dad
> brought in several boxes of co-codamols from London, when I joked that
> they were not as easily purchased in the US. He just went to different
> pharmacies to get the two box limit several times over.
>

Thanks Sabrina but it is academic now. As you say you can buy co-codamol 
in the UK also co-dydramol, over the counter.

> OTC, you can get stuff like caffine and phenyltoloxamine, or allergy or
> sleep meds mixed with them. But nothing that helps for pain.
>

I've found that adding caffeine does enhance the effect of 
dihydrocodeine. Or maybe it just makes you feel more buzzy which makes 
you feel the other drug is working better. Never underestimate the 
placebo effect. ;-)

>
> now to sit back and watch this post set off every spam alarm ever made.

LOL at least your not selling blue pills :-P

-- 
Regards
     Stephen

Post a reply to this message

> OTC, you can get stuff like caffine and phenyltoloxamine, or allergy or
> sleep meds mixed with them. But nothing that helps for pain.

My favourite is the paracetamol/aspirin/caffeine mix pills, used to buy 
lots of them in one go (repeated use of self-checkout machine or picking 
different checkout lanes) when I was visiting UK whilst living in Germany.

Post a reply to this message

On 08/03/2011 01:53 PM, Sabrina Kilian wrote:

> now to sit back and watch this post set off every spam alarm ever made.

I work for a company that handles pharmaceuticals. You have *no idea* 
how much fun it is trying to figure out spam filter to not filter out 
legitimate business enquiries, yet still filter out spam... :-D

Post a reply to this message

On Tue, 08 Mar 2011 08:53:01 -0500, Sabrina Kilian wrote:

> Plain ol' paracetamol is over the counter in the US, in doses that would
> probably make your head spin anywhere else. 500 to 650mg pills, in 30 to
> 90 count bottles.

Under what brand names?  I can't remember ever seeing it here...

Jim

Post a reply to this message

On Tue, 08 Mar 2011 14:50:47 +0000, Invisible wrote:

> On 08/03/2011 01:53 PM, Sabrina Kilian wrote:
> 
>> now to sit back and watch this post set off every spam alarm ever made.
> 
> I work for a company that handles pharmaceuticals. You have *no idea*
> how much fun it is trying to figure out spam filter to not filter out
> legitimate business enquiries, yet still filter out spam... :-D

Best response ever. :-)

Jim

Post a reply to this message

>> I work for a company that handles pharmaceuticals. You have *no idea*
>> how much fun it is trying to figure out spam filter to not filter out
>> legitimate business enquiries, yet still filter out spam... :-D
>
> Best response ever. :-)

*bow*

Thank you. :-D

-- 
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*

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On Tue, 08 Mar 2011 19:35:01 +0000, Orchid XP v8 wrote:

>>> I work for a company that handles pharmaceuticals. You have *no idea*
>>> how much fun it is trying to figure out spam filter to not filter out
>>> legitimate business enquiries, yet still filter out spam... :-D
>>
>> Best response ever. :-)
> 
> *bow*
> 
> Thank you. :-D

You're most welcome - and I've shared it with others, and they *loved* it.

Jim

Post a reply to this message

On 3/8/2011 8:50 AM, Invisible wrote:
> On 08/03/2011 01:53 PM, Sabrina Kilian wrote:
>
>> now to sit back and watch this post set off every spam alarm ever made.
>
> I work for a company that handles pharmaceuticals. You have *no idea*
> how much fun it is trying to figure out spam filter to not filter out
> legitimate business enquiries, yet still filter out spam... :-D

I'm guessing a Bayesian classifier is almost useless in this case? :)

Post a reply to this message

>> I work for a company that handles pharmaceuticals. You have *no idea*
>> how much fun it is trying to figure out spam filter to not filter out
>> legitimate business enquiries, yet still filter out spam... :-D
>
> I'm guessing a Bayesian classifier is almost useless in this case? :)

No, a Baysian classifier would probably work quite well. See, all the 
ham contains works like "viagra" in the same sentence as "double-blinded 
randomised trial", while all the spam contains "viagra" in the same 
sentence as "lowest price meds of guaranteed". ;-)

It's the keyword-based filters that fail horribly. (And not just because 
many of them don't let you edit the keywords...)

Post a reply to this message

On 3/8/2011 1:02 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:
> On Tue, 08 Mar 2011 08:53:01 -0500, Sabrina Kilian wrote:
>
>> Plain ol' paracetamol is over the counter in the US, in doses that would
>> probably make your head spin anywhere else. 500 to 650mg pills, in 30 to
>> 90 count bottles.
>
> Under what brand names?  I can't remember ever seeing it here...
>
> Jim

tylenol. The american chemical name is acetaminophen.

Post a reply to this message

Le 2011/03/10 12:45, Sabrina Kilian a écrit :
> On 3/8/2011 1:02 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:
>> On Tue, 08 Mar 2011 08:53:01 -0500, Sabrina Kilian wrote:
>>
>>> Plain ol' paracetamol is over the counter in the US, in doses that would
>>> probably make your head spin anywhere else. 500 to 650mg pills, in 30 to
>>> 90 count bottles.
>>
>> Under what brand names? I can't remember ever seeing it here...
>>
>> Jim
>
> tylenol. The american chemical name is acetaminophen.

US and Canada.

Make that up to 120, 500mg, pills per bottle.

And you can also have it in liquid form. Over 750mg per dose: it's 
called Niquil.


Alain

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On Thu, 10 Mar 2011 12:45:02 -0500, Sabrina Kilian wrote:

> On 3/8/2011 1:02 PM, Jim Henderson wrote:
>> On Tue, 08 Mar 2011 08:53:01 -0500, Sabrina Kilian wrote:
>>
>>> Plain ol' paracetamol is over the counter in the US, in doses that
>>> would probably make your head spin anywhere else. 500 to 650mg pills,
>>> in 30 to 90 count bottles.
>>
>> Under what brand names?  I can't remember ever seeing it here...
>>
>> Jim
> 
> tylenol. The american chemical name is acetaminophen.

OIC, I didn't actually realize that. :-)

I've learned a thing today, so today hasn't been wasted.

Jim

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