"Welcome to Monday Night RAW!"

As I previously posted, on Monday, Corey and I had to tickets to WWE's RAW at the Barclay's Center. After work I came home, changed into my fan attire, then hopped on the train.

Getting to Barclay's wasn't difficult at all, it was just that the timing of the trains kinda sucked. Originally, Corey and I were supposed to meet at Jamaica, with my train getting there about 3 minutes or so before his. However, I guess because of "congestion" or "switch problems" or whatever the MTA decides to blame their incompetencies on, Corey's train was delayed a bit longer than expected so I ended up waiting in Jamaica for a bit longer. It was nice to see fellow wrestling fans on the train--though I was definitely the odd one out at Jamaica with all the baseball fans headed to Citi Field for the Home Run Derby that was going on at the same time. It also didn't help that I was carrying a plastic sheep mask (more on that later...).

While waiting at Jamaica I saw an old acquaintenance from high school there with one of his friends. They were on their way to the show too.  I got on the train with them as Corey's was delayed even further and it was nice catching up. I thought the friend was cute and he seemed pretty intelligent so that was a plus. When we arrived at Atlantic Terminal, they went off to get food and I waited for Corey. Thankfully I didn't have to wait long and when he and I met up we went across the street to Barclays.

 

This arena is absolutely BEAUTIFUL! Everything was so clean, neat, and organized. My only complaint is that I felt that the hall that you walk around in (atrium?) to get to your seat section is a bit too narrow. After checking in, Corey and I headed straight to our seats as we got there a bit later than we wanted to and the show was scheduled to start in 30 minutes. Our seats had a phenomenal view and I had no idea how close we were actually going to be when I bought them. I was impressed!

 

This picture makes it look like we were far, but we had amazing seats!

 

After getting settled in to our seats we began taping our wrists and putting big black X's on them ala CM Punk (our personal favorite) and started chatting with a couple of the people around us. I debated bringing a sign with me and I was so glad that I didn't because it would have been one more thing to carry/worry about. Around 7:30 PM, the ring announcer did his job and got in the ring and announced that the show was about to begin! In addition to doing RAW live at 8:00 PM EST, they also film matches for a show that airs on Wednesday nights called "Superstars." It was during those matches that Corey and I realized "Oh crap, we could potentially be on the titantron from where we're sitting."

 

 Corey and I ready for the show to start! My sheep mask was on backwards when I wasn't using it.

 

At 8:00 PM, the lights dimmed, the pyrotechnics went off (something Corey was REALLY excited for) and then the house lights came back on as the camera panned the crowd and RAW kicked off! Part of me was a little anxious knowing that this show is 3 hours long--as much as I love my WWE, I was afraid I was going to get bored and want to leave early. To say that last week's show was fantastic would be an insult and an understatement. And I really think the crowd made the show even better. We were incredibly lively and you could tell even on TV that we just wanted to have a good time.

 

I won't write a synopsis of the show because I know none of you are wrestling fans and it wouldn't make any sense to any of you. But I will say that when the Wyatt family came up, I immediately had my mask on, I stood up the entire time and weeped tears of joy because their segment was AMAZING. The Wyatt's are basically like a bayou Charles Manson-esque family. I love them and they only debuted a couple weeks ago. They are so different and they remind me of the larger than life characters I got to watch growing up like Kane, the Undertaker, and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.

Towards the end of the show, CM Punk came out to the ring to cut a promo addressing what happened at the PPV the night before--his manager, Paul Heyman, turned on him during the match and cost him a chance at a guaranteed title shot. They have been together for years so their promo was incredibly emotional. Corey, myself, and a bunch of other people in our section stood during this entire segment. I actually found myself tearing up from excitement--and some of the things Paul Heyman was saying actually reminded me of some things one of my ex-boyfriends would say to me when we had arguments so it was like a double-whammy for me. During that segment, Corey pointed out that he saw on the tron a few times during that segment (you can see us right by CM Punk's head when he's in the ring).

 

The rest of the show was fantastic and ended around 11:30 PM (they usually have one dark match after every TV taping--usually it's a match that we'll see on TV at some point in the future, and it's a way for the wrestlers to work on certain spots and see what the crowd reaction is/make sure they don't injure each other and get used to working with each other). The train ride back to Jamaica was hilarious--singing different entrance themes, mocking some of the things that happened on the show/shows past. I didn't get back home 'til 1:00 AM and I was so thankful that I had the foresight to take off work that following Tuesday because I would have been miserable that whole work day. Then Tuesday I cleaned and watched the show on my DVR.

That's me in the black shirt with the white square. Corey is to my left in the white shirt with his arm raised. This is also the closest I will ever be to CM Punk's beautiful, stapled head.

 

I am so glad that I started watching WWE again after about a 10-year hiatus. Shows and experiences like the one I had last week are the reason why I keep watching and I am happy that I do. I would love to go to more shows, and Corey and I just might go again when they come back for a house show in early September. I think a lot of my friends forget that I am actually a pretty big sports fan, I just never really go to games or shows because of lack of funds. I love my Yankees but honestly, who the hell can afford to go to a game now? One thing I give credit to the Mets organization is the fact that despite their remodeled stadium, they kept their ticket prices in check and they seem to do a lot more events geared towards families/kids. No one who needs to work for a living can afford to go to a Yankee game. The last one I went to was last summer when my mom's (now my) bosses got tickets for everyone in the company for free. I was my mom's +1. WWE's ticket prices are pretty reasonable (though I think they're more dependent upon the arena--Barclays was WAY cheaper than MSG).

 

So that's been the highlight of July so far. I was in a pretty dark place the past two months or so but things are starting to turn around. I just realized that in two weeks, it'll be one year since my Grandma Helen passed away. It's crazy how quickly the past year went and how many things have happened within that span of time. This weekend my mom and I are meeting up with Barbara and Melissa in Baltimore to celebrate her birthday. She's turning the big 5-0. I'm really excited and it'll be nice to get away for a couple days and be somewhere totally different.

 

Have a good weekend all!



Recap of the Past Week

I'm already starting to slip into that whole "not updating" habit that plagued my last blog. But the truth is I've had several topics in my head that I've wanted to write about the past week--I just didn't actually have the time to sit down and type it out. Or when I did actually sit down in front of the computer to write it out, I found that getting the words out onto my keyboard to be difficult. So for now I suppose I'll post a quick update and then update tomorrow.

I started my new job on Monday and so far I really, really like it. I work for a medical billing and consulting firm on Long Island and my current job is to audit the E&M codes for the ER. Meaning that when someone goes to the ER and the doctor treats them, the doctor selects a code for which to bill the patient/insurance a certain amount of money based on the work they claim they did. My job is to look at the doctor's documentation and see if it meets the requirements set by the Americal Medical Association in the CPT manual. If it does, great! The doctor is doing fine. If it doesn't match, I have to document why it doesn't and whether he charged too much or too little for his service. Due to confidentiality I of course can't talk about any specific doctors or patients or cases, but I will say that many of the doctors I'm auditing are WAY off on their CPTs. When I am finished, I hand the stack to my supervisor who meets with the doctors every quarter to go over what they did wrong/right and to help explain to them how to do it properly. According to her, some doctors really don't care because there's no incentive--they're salaried by the hospital so it doesn't matter how much or how little work they do. Something to keep in mind next time you go to the ER and get the bill a month later.

My co-workers are all pretty nice. One of my co-workers is actually my mother. When her boss heard that I was taking the medical coding/billing courses he asked her for my resume and he hired me. I am so thankful for that because one of my best friends who took the courses with me is still having difficulty finding a job in this field. It's not that the jobs aren't out there--it's just that they all want CPC's with years of experience--she and I are only CPC-A's or "Apprentice Coders." Which is understandable in a way; I mean, I know I would want to hire someone with the most experience I could because I knew they would already have a grasp of appropriate coding and billing protocols. But at the same time, they may also have a lot of bad habits.

I'm a night owl so it has been a bit difficult for me to transition to working 8a-4p and since I'm used to working part-time, I've also had to adjust to working every day. I decided to keep my other job for the time being, stepping down to per diem from part time. So for now I work 6 days a week. Sundays are usually my day off. I could use the extra money for the time being (I still owe my dad money to fix his car door...) and it'll allow me to be able to save more. I've developed some pretty bad financial habits over the past year or so and I'm not really in a position to be able to afford that. Also, I'd really like to pay off my student loan much sooner than is currently projected (15+ years??? blegh). Also, also, I'd really to get a newer car. It doesn't have to be brand new (though the 2014 Chargers are looking mighty fine...), but since my current vehicle was made in 1997, I would really like it if I could have one that was made at least within the past 10 years.

I was going to write about something a little more personal that's been bothering me the past 24 hours, but I realized that it's not worth it. It's really not. Because it ended almost a year ago and the issue doesn't deserve a single thought more.

Tonight I am going with my very good friend Corey to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn to see WWE Monday Night RAW. Tonight is the fallout show from a PPV aired last night and we are SO excited to be attending! My next post I'm sure will be ALL about this. :)

It's a Happy Kind of Anxious.

This past Sunday was my graduation ceremony from the school where I'd been taking courses in medical coding and billing since September. Back in June, I passed my certification exam and I officially became a CPC-A by the American Academy of Professional Coders. It wasn't easy--it's a test where you have 5 hours and 40 minutes and you are not allowed to leave the room. It may only be 150 multiple choice questions but they're incredibly long and very reading-intensive.

On Monday, I start my first "big girl" job as a medical coder. I'm actually working where my mom does. Her bosses really like me and when they heard I was in school, they basically were just waiting for me to pass my exam and then they hired me. I'm excited because I'll finally have a job with stable pay and benefits and I can actually be financially independent. I can save money for all those trips I've always wanted to take. I can pay my bills fully and not have to worry about how I'm going to put gas in my car for the next two weeks. I am anxious to start though. I'm nervous because I don't want to screw up--I'm going to actually be auditing and reviewing others' work. I'm reviewing Evaluation & Management codes to see if they met the proper criteria before being billed to insurance companies. I did well in that section in school, and I actually enjoyed that more than the billing aspect. But I'm nervous because this isn't like practice examples in school--this is real. If I mess up, it can't be billed to the insurance. A doctor's practice or a hospital could lose out on money. If they get audited, I could get in trouble. It's really serious stuff. I'm not worried about going to jail or anything like that, I'm more nervous about appearing stupid in front of my mom's bosses & co-workers... Who I guess are now my bosses & co-workers...

July is shaping up to be a pretty awesome month. On the 15th, Corey & I are going to be going to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn for WWE's "RAW." You may see me on TV. ;) And then the following weekend, my mom and I will be meeting two of our close family friends in Baltimore to celebrate her birthday. It'll be nice to have a little weekend getaway.

Hope everyone had a good fourth of July. See you on the beach!

Hello, World.

Hello. My name is Alex. I'd like to think that "vivacious" is a word that accurately describes me. I used to blog over on a site called Xanga but they recently announced that they are closing shop at the end of July and I had debated for a while whether or not I'd ever want to really blog again. I used that site as an online diary for 10 years. Lately though, I hadn't really kept up much with recording my thoughts or emotions. I didn't really think they were significant enough to record. However, I decided that with everything going on in my life, I guess I need some sort of outlet. A place where I can write down how I feel or what I did or what happened to me, that I can look back at 10 years in the future and be completely embarrassed at what a moron I am now.

This is has been a period of great changes for me not just in terms of blogging, but in my life as a whole. I want to be different. For once in my life, I am actually happy with who I am as a person and am confident that I will actually accomplish things that I've always dreamt of.

I've debated with what I'm going to post on here. I've read some of my friends' blogs and some like to post a lot of stuff related to their careers, some about their writing, and others about their day-to-day life. I was never really able to keep up with a diary. I think I'm going to treat this almost like a collection of personal essays. I don't just want this to be a blog--I want this to be a place where my friends and I can get together and discuss a variety of topics as well. I'll be posting news articles on a variety of things that pique my interest, rants and raves, some photos, and maybe some things that even relate to my career (which I officially start on Monday).

I think now is the perfect time for me to start this blog.

Hello again. Hope to see you again soon.