Summary: Just a reminder that nobody cares about you and will do as little as you find acceptable + How to use knowledge to demand more.

A Lesson 10 Years in the Making

Over 10 years ago I dislocated my patella (kneecap) in a slip and fall, which moved the familiar bulge of my knee to the outside of my leg as I felt the most intense pain of my life. At the time I was under my dad’s medical insurance which was top tier, the most expensive option available from his employer. Over the next 10 years I managed to injure the same knee 3 or 4 more times under two other insurance carriers. When I turned 26 I was forced out of my family plan due to my age. Obama's new policies got me free health care as long as I remained a full time student. Think of the most prestigious university in your state and imagine the top notch medical facility they would have. Now fill it with the most promising doctors and you’ll know where I was getting treated, for free. The only downside was the appointments were always 4 or 5 weeks out because they were so busy and at least an hour of waiting in a room that resembled a zoo, even when I showed up to an appointment on time.

Since I’m self employed, it's expensive for me to get coverage with my medical history. I currently have mediocre insurance and I’m still paying too much. In November of 2015, I dislocated my patella again and started the process I had become too familiar with. Emergency walk in, referral to an Orthopedic specialist with an MRI in the meantime, and eventually physical therapy. I’ve gone through this process on all 3 insurance plans and I can tell you that their is no big difference in the quality of the doctors or services they provided, I was paying for the pleasantness of the experience, or a lack thereof with my current coverage. For example if I want a MRI, I need a X Ray first since it's cheaper. If I want to see a specialist I need a good reason so the doctor will submit a request to the insurance company which gets me a notification letter in a week either approving or denying the request. I have not been denied for a single thing and get my approvals in a day or two on the phone through a lot of nerve and a little persistence. Every woman (they’re all women) at my doctor's office knows me as I shamelessly follow up the next day after a request, gently moving things along. Finding commonalities with these women is necessary and easy. Necessary because I have to be personable in between asking them to bend a couple of rules and to speed up the process. Easy, because once you're known as that handsome fella who's becoming fitter with every visit, it becomes a pleasure for them to serve you. While the waiting room is full of people who will wait 7 days for a denial letter there I am: with stronger frame and additional game to impose my will. Credit goes to TRP.

During my dozens of visits with therapists, specialists and surgeons over the years I have been prescribed pain medication, received direct knee injections, given options to undergo reconstructive surgery, offered a knee replacement from a cadaver, assigned exercises and even massaged by good looking therapists. Not once have I been told that the groove where my patella slides into is more shallow than average, predisposing me to dislocations. I’ve never been informed my VMO muscle on the inside of my knee is weak while the muscle that sits on the outer edge is too strong causing what is known as patellar tracking disorder. They failed to mention because of one genetic abnormality (the shallow groove) it could be causing my IT bands to be too strong and tense all the time which make hip flexors behave incorrectly which can affect the muscles of the lower back which are…. which will…. that's why…. and ultimately…….

On Friday I had an appointment with my Orthopedic specialist because I have been working out regularly and recently felt pain in my knees. I went with a full sheet of paper full of questions and the new MRI’s from a radiologist I had given specific instructions to about including certain observations. Everything the research had warned me about was confirmed. As I started asking more questions I realized his level of involvement was completely different than the first time I saw him in November. He was actually having to think about certain questions before answering them. We talked for about 20 minutes (compared to 5 minutes the first time). He seemed very enthusiastic to help and gave me a bunch of tips besides the standard Rest Ice Compression Elevation bit. He referred me to a sports medicine specialist for a second opinion and submitted a request for Platelet Rich Plasma injections for both knees, both of which were his idea. What became clear by the end of the appointment was that his standard of service was raised to meet my demand for quality.

[If anyone has had the same injury (did not mention meniscus tear, lateral patellar tilt/subluxation + a shitload of edema and contusions) or is currently strengthening their VMO and relaxing their Lateral Retinacular please message me if you have any good resources (websites, youtube channels) that have advice for care, physical therapy, etc. If you have any advice for me as someone who lifts after enduring such an injury please let me know as I’m most interested in that.]

People Are Lazy Unless You Demand More

It is the nature of animals, to do as little as possible to keep the status quo. That’s why a woman will serve up some vanilla maintenance sex to her beta because that's all he requires to stick around. She can let herself go and act like a cunt, because her man has become complacent and is acting like a pussy. The reason why a professional will meet the minimum requirements to get the job done is because they have no incentive to do more. On the flip side of this is gaming women (speaking with purpose) and being knowledgeable enough to (game) speak purposefully with a professional. You are setting the standard, issuing a personal challenge (1st incentive), and piquing their interest (2nd incentive) all at once. The human ego hates to feel inadequate and unworthy so they will rise to the occasion: a woman steps up her passion while a professional steps up his service.

Preparation & Prevention

Get familiar with whatever professions you deal with now especially if they could have a big impact on your life. Don't forget about those you don't predict having to deal with in the near future, the day will come when you need one. Many years ago my father showed my brother the ropes on car care, taking him along and introducing him to his body guy and mechanic. My brother didn't need a personal relationship with these guys because my dad could get whatever my brother needed done thru him, but he went anyway. When someone who is already established as a person you don’t fuck over brings you in, unless you are a loser/easy mark you are more likely to be treated fairly. The guy who made the introduction serves as a reminder to both parties that the status of the original relationship needs to be protected. Now my brother takes me along so he can give me the game because if your not in the know, a mechanic can turn a $200 sensor swap into a $2000 engine rebuild, just ask an ugly chick.

Me and my dentist are both the same age and met through a friend, which might allow him to be lax with me. While we joke around and keep the conversation friendly during appointments, I’m proactive in asking for information about dental work he suggests and comparing alternatives with him, etc. I totally trust his judgement, but psychologically it lets him know I am paying attention and he consistently brings his A game.

Customer Service

They definitely named this department to make it sound better. They should be called by the position they are trained to play: defense! They are not there to help you through your issues, they are there to manage the brand's reputation and protect the money you have already spent with them. Customer service reps are following a rote script of standard questions and objections all in the name of assisting you. Most interactions end in a completely predictable outcome so a script works just fine. If you are looking for a refund or want special treatment they will shit test you endlessly to throw you off your game, eventually convincing you to agree to an option that will cost the company less money. I treat all customer service reps like women I want to fuck: frame is a must, game is a plus. Companies rely on a customers laziness to get away with certain things. The whole business plan of the story I’m about to tell depends on one misinformed decision and continued indifference/laziness by the customer to make money. I’m confident these companies don't even offer an actual product.

About 16 months ago, my mother had been duped into signing up to preferred shopper program when she ordered something online and was trolled by some 3rd party marketing company. She was promised a bunch of perks for a one time payment but in actuality had signed up for a monthly paid membership with two companies. Somehow it had slipped past her razor sharp accounting skills (/s) for the last 16 months. I called the first company and she soon offered cancellation and one month of credit. I chuckled and mentioned that within 16 months we had not even received a membership card to this supposed service they provide. I continued giving her shit and told her because we have not benefited from any of their services it was a strong reason to issue the refund. When you say the word “because” followed by a reason, you raise the chances of getting compliance from people. She offered me a 4 month refund. I asked her how she would feel if she paid $320 for a membership to a company she had never benefited from. She promised me that she could only go up to 6 months and that was all she was allowed so I escalated to a supervisor. Within 5 minutes of passing shit test after shit test and overwhelming her memorized objections she offered me 12 months, but we settled for 14. The 2nd company started running the same song and dance, so we argued for 10 minutes and I ended up getting all 16 months refunded. The name of the game is discount + overwhelm. You discount her proposed solutions as not good enough and then you overwhelm her with reasons why she needs to comply with your requests. Here is how it went just last week. I never get mad or nasty, my words might be harsh but my tone is still neutral or even positive. I have had people actually sound like they are enjoying being dominated as it is probably a nice change from the boring work day.

Research Costs Less Than Experimentation

I started supplementing with some basics recently as I've cleaned up my diet and trying to make sure my body is getting everything it needs to perform as well as it can. Fish oil contains EPA and DHA, the two reasons why people supplement it at all. The number of benefits provided by those two chemical complexes are countless, but they have to have a correct relative ratio and mg concentration to work as intended. Magnesium is crucial in over 300 processes in the body and can be found in either Epsom Salt or Magnesium Oxide, which is the most common form found in supplements. The problem is the bio availability of Magnesium Oxide and Epsom Salt is somewhere between 4% to 20%.

I walked into Walgreen's on Friday to fill a prescription for my knee injury and during the wait I checked every brand of Fish Oil, Magnesium and Multivitamin they had. Every single item that contained Magnesium had it in the form of mag oxide. The fish oil situation was even fishier (ha!): several of them boasted on the front label to having over a gram of fish oil in each capsule, but the back labels detailed that only a total of 20 - 30% of that was EPA or DHA. The rest was filler that provided no benefit (the stuff I use contains 90% EPA/DHA of 1.2 grams). Two other brands didn’t even break down the EPA/DHA mgs on the back. Never would I have guessed that I’d care enough about such things to put in the effort to research them, which is funny because I’ve learned enough about supplements to know I can never again buy on just the word of anyone else, especially a brand. The convenience is where they screw you.

The Professional You Never Want to Encounter

A cop knows that amid your fun lays his opportunity. Where there are women, there will be alcohol, drugs and the possibility of violence. Whichever one of those are included in your lifestyle, you should research the penal codes in your area for those crimes you’re probably committing. I would check on consent laws especially if you go to university, and privacy laws for digital recordings if you like to keep records. If you are driving around with contraband, the search and seizure laws will be of interest to you, their are a lot of nuances. If you drink and drive often you should familiarize yourself with the laws (especially how the DMV and courts take action individually) and how your body metabolizes alcohol. The time it takes to refuse a field sobriety test and get driven down to the station to take the official test could allow for the body to rid enough alcohol from your bloodstream to bring you below the limit. Also, buy a handheld BAC reader from Walgreen's for an approximate reading.

When you are well informed you become more confident and much harder to manipulate. Cops will threaten, bluff, and straight out lie to you to trip you up and have their way with you. I’m not suggesting you learn a few things and pretend you're a lawyer, but being too passive usually means your overwhelmed and an easy target. When they first engage you, cops are looking more at how you act and less on what you say. This is your chance to talk and vibe with them, not be standoffish. If it’s not a serious offence, your likability factors into whether or not you will be getting a citation or being arrested. If questioned, use verbal gymnastics to give them no real information, if forced to lie, make sure you have plausible deniability on your side. If you have hot women around, use them. They already know what to do to get out of trouble, you just need to create the situation for it to be alright to act.

A couple of years ago I was leaving a bar with a date, both of us a little tipsy. I got pulled over and when the cop asked if I knew how fast I was going, with a smirk I said “too fast since I was being a show off in hopes of getting lucky tonight.” She didn’t even flinch before she started doing her cute/sexy feminine thing and the cop let us go without a citation. It was a Hail Mary, but I only needed it to work once since I was in a pretty tight spot.

If you are arrested you should simply STFU. Don’t talk to them about anything that happened, don’t talk to yourself if left alone in the car or the holding tank and definitely don’t talk to any other “cool/friendly guys” at the jail about your situation. All that “street code” and “no snitching” talk coming out of your buddies mouth is just that, talk. The only law of the jungle is self preservation.

My Last Point Worded Succintly

I am not suggesting that you perform an info dump on your doctor to impress him, because you will not. You’ll look like an idiot who’s trying too hard. Interactions are a two way street, you need to figure out when to do what, to succeed. The research allows you to ask a well thought out question or deliver an informed answer naturally, thus demonstrating that you care enough about yourself to have researched the topic. The essence of this whole post is captured in the advice given to applicants on what to do during a job interview. It is recommended that you research the company you are applying to and actively listen during the interview so you can ask 2 or 3 quality questions at the end of the interview to set yourself apart. You are showing the interviewer you are not just going through the motions as applicant #14,152 but as somebody that isnt afraid to speak up and ask quesions because you actually have something to say.

Lessons Learned:

A man acts, a woman the world reacts.

Nobody will do for you, like you will do for you.

People are lazy, demand better.