Beth

A tricolor Australian Shepherd laying down outside on dirt and pine needles, happily chomping a chew stick while his owner watches.

This morning the wolf barked bossily at me until I followed him outside and onto the dirt, where he happily settled down to chomp his chew with my full attention.

I have had United Healthcare for one year and I can say with confidence it is the worst health plan I have ever experienced.

Working for a health insurance company means I am well equipped to call about scary denied claims and reprocess others’ mistakes and understand that insurers are not looking to make care easy for members. They are looking to make care profitable. I do not take it out on customer service.

When Your Husband Spends $300,000 on DraftKings Four women on how sports gambling turned their relationships upside down.

www.thecut.com/article/draf...

Thankful @jacobgrier.bsky.social isn’t a sports fan (aside from his own teams).

A tricolor Australian Shepherd looks curiously at the camera while standing amid a carpet of fallen orange leaves.

Made a strange sound to get the wolf to consent to the photo.

A List of Things Said to Have Been Ruined by Women

🧵

A photo of the aurora borealis in faint shades of red and green.

Catching a glimpse of the aurora from Portland, Oregon over the Columbia River.

Army gynecologist accused in lawsuit of secretly taking videos of patients during exams The lawsuit filed Monday against Army Maj. Blaine McGraw involves a woman at Fort Hood, but it also includes allegations from years earlier in Hawaii.

Another disappointing instance of the U.S. armed forces protecting their own instead of Forty-six plaintiffs in this case alone.

Personally, I would never see a male gynecologist. There are far too many stories like this one and it’s not worth the risk.

www.cbsnews.com/news/blaine-...

A black text sticker that says “User Friendly.” Found on a grey box.

Found in Portland on one of those mystery electrical boxes by an elementary school.

A woman standing in downtown Valencia, Spain during the Fallas festival. A fairy statue is burning in a street intersection with flames reaching to the third story of nearby buildings. The woman wears a handkerchief over her face due to the smoke and a winter hat and coat.

Valencia’s Fallas Festival, 2024. Their annual party goes about as hard as people imagine Portland to be these days (but isn’t, and wasn’t, because we are a culture of great exaggeration).

Two packets labeled LMNT, the real one on the left and a fake one on the right

The best part of having POTS and needing extra salt to stabilize your blood pressure is when someone starts selling counterfeit electrolytes that have no salt in them at all!

If you have POTS, double check the site you’re buying from, especially on mobile.

Nooooo

A Border Patrol agent was caught on video telling another to throw tear gas “for fun,” according to a court filing. They also mocked protesters and residents who were getting gassed.

Say what you want about Warren. She’s one of the few who calls out Trump directly for his Louis XIV aspirations.

Life could be worse. I could be a farmer.

My employer provided option is ~$700/month. That’s actually $200/month more than the open market plans. I work full time via an agency for a major health insurance company. I think about this every day.

a woman is covering her mouth with her hand while holding a bow and arrow in front of a green background . ALT: a woman is covering her mouth with her hand while holding a bow and arrow in front of a green background .

Best of luck to everyone discovering their 2026 health insurance premiums this week.

Obamacare enrollee sees premium spike over 300% as sign-up period begins: 'This will devastate us' Millions across the country will discover just how much their plans will cost when open enrollment for Affordable Care Act insurance plans begins on Nov. 1.

abcnews.go.com/US/aca-obama...

From the HealthInsurance community on Reddit: Affordable premium hack Explore this post and more from the HealthInsurance community

somebody on reddit offered up a healthcare premium “hack” that may work for some people: part time enrollment in a college that has a health plan offered to part-time students. and continuing education is a tax deduction.

not cheap, and not everywhere, but potentially could work for some.

A tricolor Australian Shepherd lays on a white comforter with his nose next to a bowl containing a piece of sweet bread pastry. His blue eyes watch his owner over the bowl.

Sure wish I knew what my dog was thinking sometimes. His needs and wants are so mysterious.

This is my daily experience when going online. What is everyone else doing?

Help! We Found a Hidden Camera in the Bathroom of Our Airbnb.

🎥 Airbnb protects hosts who have illegally filmed you and your family in their rental home. They won’t refund you unless a journalist steps in.

Particularly miffed this takes place in Lake Winnipesaukee, a place I’ve visited for 25 years.

🔗 🎁 Gift link to NYTimes

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/09/t...

Co-signed; AAA of Oregon will tow your bicycle.

“Mafia for colors” should be their new slogan.

From the CrappyDesign community on Reddit: I don’t even know how to fix this Explore this post and more from the CrappyDesign community

Why kerning matters.

www.reddit.com/r/CrappyDesi...

Incredibly accurate take on PhD programs.

Read the report everyone in Portland is talking about: the City Parks fiscal audit.

www.portland.gov/auditor/audi...

The third paragraph has zero logical connection to the first two. “Enjoying life” in your cybertruck is not at all comparable to being a WWII bomber pilot—how incredibly insulting to veterans. Also suggests that critics are the enemy you seek to destroy with your vehicle as weapon. Not a good look.

A tricolor Australian Shepherd gives his owner an impatient glare a grassy stretch of fallen orange leaves along the sidewalk.

The face of a dog who thinks you’ve taken quite enough photos for one walk.

Was asked to suggest an icebreaker. My suggestion, “In this pasture of emotions, choose the barnyard animal that best represents your week” was not weirdly not chosen