I was watching MSNBC tonight. It is my preferred political talk source. They generally provide backup to their claims, with videotape with dates and locations, etc. They are generally thoughtful and complete in their presentations. But sometimes even they go thin on the analysis and it irks me.
Chris Hayes did a piece on rip-off hospital charges. And while it is generally true that US medical professionals and hospitals seem to get a lot more than in other countries (so that the costs can be legitimately questioned) the example he used was abysmal.
He was talking about IV saline solution. He said they use Morton salt and inexpensive bottled water. I expect that its true because MSNBC doesn't slip on basic checkable information like that. His big point was that some hospital charged a patient $91 for 88 cents worth of salt and water. OUTRAGEOUS!
But wait-a-minute... Aren't there other costs in providing that saline solution?
I'm no doctor and not even related to the least grade of medical assistant, but I can immediately think of a lot of costs involved beyond the saline solution.
1. Someone has to mix the salt and water precisely.
2. The saline solution has to be put in (I assume) a sterile plastic bag.
3. A sterile tube has to be attached to the bag.
4. The saline bag has to be delivered to the patient's location.
5. A needle has to be inserted into the patient.
6. The saline bag has to be attached to the needle.
7. I assume there is a drip-rate control that needs to be set.
8. The saline drip has to be monitored at some times.
9. The use of the saline drip has to be recorded for billing purposes.
10. The use has to be billed.
11. The billing usually has to go through several cycles (the whole bill to medicare, then the uncovered amount to the insurance company, and finally some small bill to the actual patient.
12. Some percentage of patient bills will never be paid, so those get distributed into other hospital overhead costs. I'm a little uncertain on this last one, as those costs may be included in the above costs. But even then, some of those costs will be distributed into hospital services that were not involved in the provision of the saline solution, so they aren't in the cost of the saline (meaning they got added to overhead for ER, cancer ward, meals, etc).
I'm not mentioning this to complain about medical costs (though that is worthy of attention and challenge). I'm not qualified to accurately set the cost of an appendectomy (an operation I had once) or a heart transplant (which I haven't).
But if I can easily see a dozen more costly parts of a procedure, couldn't MSNBC's fact-checkers and editors see the same?
I have to accuse MSNBC and Chris Hayes of pulling a sleight-of-hand with the facts on this issue. Rather FOX-like, in "convenient factlessness"...
Showing posts with label Commentary. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Commentary. Show all posts
Monday, August 26, 2013
Friday, November 25, 2011
The Lord of the Rings
I happened to watch LotR, Fellowship of the Ring tonite. I think it is the best of the 3 movies. I never liked the one where Frodo and Sam are slogging through the swamps and fighting Shelob. Quite frankly, that was dull. Essential to the story, but it didn't develop the story much. And I never quite thought the ending was right. Dramatic, yes, but I always thought Frodo should have been able to throw the Ring into the fires of Mt Doom himself.
He had already managed to release or offer the Ring several times. He handed it to Gandalf at home where it was tossed in the fireplace, placed it on the table at the Council of Elrond, offered it to Galadriel, and held it out for taking by Aragorn just before the Fellowship split up.
And I'm one who gets annoyed by story changes. Frodo DIDN'T go over the cliff in the books when Gollum fell clutching the ring, for example. And it wasn't Arwen who saved him from the Black Riders over the river, it was Glorfindel.
But that's not why I am mentioning all of this.
I wish I could read the books for the first time again. Watching the movie, I knew what the characters were going to say too many times in precise quotes. I wish I did not have that memory. It may sound stupid, but I really wish I could read the story anew.
Sone day, there will be a forgetfulness pill, where you take a pill, watch a movie (or read a book) and you will forget it entirely. And enjoy the watching or reading brand new...
PS, my other prediction is that someone will produce a perpetual kittenhood shot. Cats will stay kittens until old age and suddenly die at the usual 16 years old. Who doesn't want utterly cute kittens?
He had already managed to release or offer the Ring several times. He handed it to Gandalf at home where it was tossed in the fireplace, placed it on the table at the Council of Elrond, offered it to Galadriel, and held it out for taking by Aragorn just before the Fellowship split up.
And I'm one who gets annoyed by story changes. Frodo DIDN'T go over the cliff in the books when Gollum fell clutching the ring, for example. And it wasn't Arwen who saved him from the Black Riders over the river, it was Glorfindel.
But that's not why I am mentioning all of this.
I wish I could read the books for the first time again. Watching the movie, I knew what the characters were going to say too many times in precise quotes. I wish I did not have that memory. It may sound stupid, but I really wish I could read the story anew.
Sone day, there will be a forgetfulness pill, where you take a pill, watch a movie (or read a book) and you will forget it entirely. And enjoy the watching or reading brand new...
PS, my other prediction is that someone will produce a perpetual kittenhood shot. Cats will stay kittens until old age and suddenly die at the usual 16 years old. Who doesn't want utterly cute kittens?
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
I Miss JFK
I remember where I was when I heard he died. In a classroom, staring at the public announcement speaker at the top of the wall behind the teacher. 7th grade Social Studies class, I think, but that wasn't important. The PA Speaker was light brown wood, about a 12" cube, dark brown cloth covering the grill. The announcement from the Principal, that President Kennedy had been killed in Dallas Texas and that school would be closing for the day. That students who took buses were to go to the assigned pickup points and wait with teachers. That students who walked or rode bikes and had a parent at home (pretty routine in those days) should go directly home. That those who did not should go directly to the cafeteria to wait for a parent to pick them up. And then just stunned silence.
I sometimes wonder what he would have been like in a 2nd term, then retired to "senior statesman" status for another 30 years. Would the Vietnam War have developed as it did? Would he have influenced the Civil Rights years? Would he have become a great person in his elder years? We'll never know, of course.
I wonder what he would think about our current political situation. Could he have imagined that both parties would cease having conservative, moderate, and liberal factions? Yes, there used to be Conservative Democrats and Liberal Republicans...
There used to be only 3 TV networks, too. NBC, CBS, and ABC. All that was on TV for several days was news about his death, the aftermath (Jack Ruby killing Lee Harvey Oswald), and the funeral.
I miss him. A glowing candle, snuffed too soon, dimming the room for us all...
I sometimes wonder what he would have been like in a 2nd term, then retired to "senior statesman" status for another 30 years. Would the Vietnam War have developed as it did? Would he have influenced the Civil Rights years? Would he have become a great person in his elder years? We'll never know, of course.
I wonder what he would think about our current political situation. Could he have imagined that both parties would cease having conservative, moderate, and liberal factions? Yes, there used to be Conservative Democrats and Liberal Republicans...
There used to be only 3 TV networks, too. NBC, CBS, and ABC. All that was on TV for several days was news about his death, the aftermath (Jack Ruby killing Lee Harvey Oswald), and the funeral.
I miss him. A glowing candle, snuffed too soon, dimming the room for us all...
Monday, November 7, 2011
Michael Jackson
I'm tired of hearing about Michael Jackson, his strange life, his spiral into near-lunacy, the charges of child molestation, his death, and FINALLY the last gasp of the trial of his doctor. I'm glad it's over.
I am not big into "celebrity".
But I recognize talent. Michael Jackson was probably the most multi-talented entertainer I have ever seen. He could dance better than Fred Astaire and Elvis Presley combined, he could sing with a breathless passion, and he produced songs (so far as I know) of an originality slightly beyond the Beatles or Bob Dylan. The Moonwalk, Billy Jean, and Thriller amaze me to this day almost 30 years later. But that WAS almost 30 years ago.
I regret the curse of great riches that happens to some people. As it did Michael Jackson. Some people can handle money, some can't. Jackson couldn't. I wish he could have stayed "merely wealthy". At some level of income that would have have made his life great but not overpowering.
I couldn't like him in his last 20 years. He just became too weird. He "lost touch". We will probably never really know what drove him down his own personal rabbit hole, and I regret it happened, as I would regret it happened to the poor and average among us. But it happened.
I an reminded of a question in a Philosophy class. "Your very good tennis partner is accused and acquitted of child porn. What do you do?"
My answer was "play tennis, but not allow him to babysit the kids". I gave reasons, of course; it was an essay question. But that was the the core of the answer.
In the same way, I admire Billy Jean and Thriller, etc, but I am vaguely glad that he is gone... And with the trial of his "doctor" over and done, I hope to never hear his name again on TV.
I am not big into "celebrity".
But I recognize talent. Michael Jackson was probably the most multi-talented entertainer I have ever seen. He could dance better than Fred Astaire and Elvis Presley combined, he could sing with a breathless passion, and he produced songs (so far as I know) of an originality slightly beyond the Beatles or Bob Dylan. The Moonwalk, Billy Jean, and Thriller amaze me to this day almost 30 years later. But that WAS almost 30 years ago.
I regret the curse of great riches that happens to some people. As it did Michael Jackson. Some people can handle money, some can't. Jackson couldn't. I wish he could have stayed "merely wealthy". At some level of income that would have have made his life great but not overpowering.
I couldn't like him in his last 20 years. He just became too weird. He "lost touch". We will probably never really know what drove him down his own personal rabbit hole, and I regret it happened, as I would regret it happened to the poor and average among us. But it happened.
I an reminded of a question in a Philosophy class. "Your very good tennis partner is accused and acquitted of child porn. What do you do?"
My answer was "play tennis, but not allow him to babysit the kids". I gave reasons, of course; it was an essay question. But that was the the core of the answer.
In the same way, I admire Billy Jean and Thriller, etc, but I am vaguely glad that he is gone... And with the trial of his "doctor" over and done, I hope to never hear his name again on TV.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Earthquake and Storms
[Sorry no pictures today. Blogger has been rejecting pictures on THIS blog, but not my other. Can't figure out why. I'm not exceeding any limits.]
Well it sure has been an interesting few weeks. First an earthquake on Aug 23rd, then Hurricane Irene Aug 27th/28th, and then Tropical Storm Lee Sept 5th-9th!
It was the 1st earthquake I ever felt, and while it was nothing like West Coast earthquakes, it was certainly more of a surprise. My first thought was "It CAN'T be an earthquake, they don't happen here!", but after a few seconds, it was obvious it wasn't a tree falling on the house. And then we had to wait to see if there would be aftershocks.
Hurricanes aren't terribly common here. They tend to either make landfall south and approach over land, weakening rapidly, or pass by further off the coast. But we do get serious ones occasionally. I remember Hurricane Agnes in 1972. It came right up the Chesapeake Bay and sank the family boat (a complete loss). Then there was Hurricane Floyd in 1999. That one dropped so much rain so fast that my street was flooded, half my front yard was flooded, and I stayed up all night wet-vacuuming water from the basement. It is the only time I've ever seen the 2 storm drains next to my yard actually completely covered with standing water!
So then we had Irene. Fortunately, the ground was very dry and basically absorbed all the rainfall and there wasn't even standing water afterwards on my low front lawn. Still, 7" fell here, and it was the strongest wind I have experienced in my 25 years at this location.
Tropical Storm Lee was actually worse. First, it came over Maryland and just sat there for 4 days raining almost constantly! Not as hard as Irene, but for over twice as long. Second, the rain bands were heading directly north the last 2 days. The strongest ones kept going directly through my county. It was depressing, as if the rain bands were following the highway through town! I had to empty my good rain gauge twice! The total for Lee here was 10.5"! The airport 15 miles west only got 5.5" and to the east they got only 7". That made 17.5" of rain in 13 days... Third, the ground was completely saturated from Irene, so the rainfall had nowhere to go but across the surface seeking low spots.
One of those low spots was my patio! The entire yard slopes gradually from the far back to the street front. Part of the patio has cinder block walls to hold the slope. The non-cinder block entrance is at ground level. The patio was never built properly. The house builder didn't properly slope it slightly toward the lawn to prevent water collecting there. And over the years, the lawn has risen slightly, enough so that prolonged rain can lap against the sliding glass basement doors and seep in. I have occasionally had a slight problem with that.
Well, after the 3rd day of rain, it finally started seeping in again. I tried the wet-vac, but it was too prolonged a rain to stop seeping in. I finally had to go out in the pouring rain at Midnight and dig a 6" deep and wide ditch 10' to a more downslope spot at the fence gate. Happily, the water collected in the patio started rushing out! I was relieved. In only 10 minutes, the collected rainfall was a foot away from the doors and I knew I wouldn't have any further problems in the basement.
It finally stopped raining very early this morning...
One odd note about the storm. The County came by just before Hurricane Irene and cleaned the collected debris of several years from the primary storm drain. It worked fine for Irene. But Lee covered it back up again. That shows how much more forceful rainfall drainage there was from Lee. And not only tree debris; there are golfball size stones covering the woven tree debris covering the storm drain! AND, it appears that the brick storm drain has been broken by the force of the debris and stones. The back bricks appear all loose and tilted, and the metal grate at an angle. I will have to call the County about that. I'm sure they will be thrilled!
Can I please have a break from earthquakes and hurricanes for a while? Please?
Well it sure has been an interesting few weeks. First an earthquake on Aug 23rd, then Hurricane Irene Aug 27th/28th, and then Tropical Storm Lee Sept 5th-9th!
It was the 1st earthquake I ever felt, and while it was nothing like West Coast earthquakes, it was certainly more of a surprise. My first thought was "It CAN'T be an earthquake, they don't happen here!", but after a few seconds, it was obvious it wasn't a tree falling on the house. And then we had to wait to see if there would be aftershocks.
Hurricanes aren't terribly common here. They tend to either make landfall south and approach over land, weakening rapidly, or pass by further off the coast. But we do get serious ones occasionally. I remember Hurricane Agnes in 1972. It came right up the Chesapeake Bay and sank the family boat (a complete loss). Then there was Hurricane Floyd in 1999. That one dropped so much rain so fast that my street was flooded, half my front yard was flooded, and I stayed up all night wet-vacuuming water from the basement. It is the only time I've ever seen the 2 storm drains next to my yard actually completely covered with standing water!
So then we had Irene. Fortunately, the ground was very dry and basically absorbed all the rainfall and there wasn't even standing water afterwards on my low front lawn. Still, 7" fell here, and it was the strongest wind I have experienced in my 25 years at this location.
Tropical Storm Lee was actually worse. First, it came over Maryland and just sat there for 4 days raining almost constantly! Not as hard as Irene, but for over twice as long. Second, the rain bands were heading directly north the last 2 days. The strongest ones kept going directly through my county. It was depressing, as if the rain bands were following the highway through town! I had to empty my good rain gauge twice! The total for Lee here was 10.5"! The airport 15 miles west only got 5.5" and to the east they got only 7". That made 17.5" of rain in 13 days... Third, the ground was completely saturated from Irene, so the rainfall had nowhere to go but across the surface seeking low spots.
One of those low spots was my patio! The entire yard slopes gradually from the far back to the street front. Part of the patio has cinder block walls to hold the slope. The non-cinder block entrance is at ground level. The patio was never built properly. The house builder didn't properly slope it slightly toward the lawn to prevent water collecting there. And over the years, the lawn has risen slightly, enough so that prolonged rain can lap against the sliding glass basement doors and seep in. I have occasionally had a slight problem with that.
Well, after the 3rd day of rain, it finally started seeping in again. I tried the wet-vac, but it was too prolonged a rain to stop seeping in. I finally had to go out in the pouring rain at Midnight and dig a 6" deep and wide ditch 10' to a more downslope spot at the fence gate. Happily, the water collected in the patio started rushing out! I was relieved. In only 10 minutes, the collected rainfall was a foot away from the doors and I knew I wouldn't have any further problems in the basement.
It finally stopped raining very early this morning...
One odd note about the storm. The County came by just before Hurricane Irene and cleaned the collected debris of several years from the primary storm drain. It worked fine for Irene. But Lee covered it back up again. That shows how much more forceful rainfall drainage there was from Lee. And not only tree debris; there are golfball size stones covering the woven tree debris covering the storm drain! AND, it appears that the brick storm drain has been broken by the force of the debris and stones. The back bricks appear all loose and tilted, and the metal grate at an angle. I will have to call the County about that. I'm sure they will be thrilled!
Can I please have a break from earthquakes and hurricanes for a while? Please?
Friday, July 29, 2011
Its Been A Hard Week
Well, I should summarize the week...
Sunday - Ayla suddenly started extruding pus from her vulva. I spent the afternoon and night keeping her as clean as I could.
Monday - Brought Ayla to my regular vet first thing in the morning. He did some tests to eliminate urinary infections, then did x-rays to search for a reproductive tract problem. He scheduled surgery for Tuesday.
Tuesday - Ayla was opened for exploratory surgery first thing in the morning. At noon, the vet called to say that he had found the spayed uterus remnant was infected, which led him to discover her left ovary was intact. He removed both. Considering that the breeder's vet had done both a first and a followup spay operation, he was quite surprised! I was very angry towards the breeder's vet.
Ayla (and I) have gone through frequent and lengthy heat cycles for 3 years. Most times lasting for 10 days separated by 2 weeks of calm. Occasionally, there was a whole month between heat episodes. The news that my vet had found the cause was a matter of extreme joy. I was thrilled. The $800 was well worth all the trouble.
Tuesday night I picked Ayla up to give her the antibiotic, and I discovered she was dripping with red stuff all over the incision. I assumed it was blood and brought her to an emergency pet hospital. I was there for 2 hours. The ER vet put a pressure bandage on her, did some tests, and decided she should see my regular vet in the morning.
Wednesday - My vet was upset and distressed that I had had to go through all the ER stuff. He explained that scar tissue is difficult to seal and that sometimes there is seepage. But he apologized for not having advised my of that, and I am OK with the apology. It DID cost me $1,000 at the ER hospital to learn that Ayla COULD have just lain on a thick towel all night. The ER vet COULD have told me that, but he is running a business and I DID request service. It was still pretty shoddy, though.
Anyway, my vet kept her for observation and examination all day at no charge.
Thursday - Brought Ayla back to my vet for further observation. He found the incision healing, not seeping, and he removed the IV catheter. No charge, more apology, and lots of discussion. And he gave me his home phone number in case of night time problems.
I hate the cone she has to wear, so I went out and bought an inflatable collar (XS dog collar, if you want to find one for a small cat, S for a regular size cat). Ayla doesn't mind the inflatable collar, it even seems to make a decent pillow!
Friday - Ayla is alert and walking around, eating, and drinking. She seems fine now, healing well with no "sera" seepage.
I spent the morning giving her lots of attention and scritching the itchy incision area that she can't get at with the inflatable collar. She enjoyed that a LOT!
In the afternoon, I unwound by watering the veggie and flower gardens. I have a nice system. Stab a spading fork with a "D" handle in the ground, fit a hose nozzle in the handle (most will fit one way or another), and turn the water on for 5 full minutes at each spot. Move the spade and repeat. All afternoon! Sit in a chair in the shade and drink a beer while listening to classical music on a little boom box. Very relaxing and theraputive.
It was 100+ outside, but I was sitting in the shade and there was a slight breeze. There was water spraying, birds around, etc. I NEEDED that!
Speaking of the gardens, the reason I was watering was because we are so dry here in MD. There have been rains, but brief and hard and not much for several weeks. How dry has it been? The hosta bed still has dry crunchy leaves from last Fall. They won't decompose! Too dry.
More bad news! A sign at the entrance to my neighborhood advises that electricity will be turned off for 5 hours August 1st! Oh joy... The forecast for that day is over 100 again. I see that Verizon is digging up the neighborhood for some reason, so that must be the cause.
More bad news! Have you ever used a garden hose and forgotten to turn the water off? And the hose burst? And not gone out there for 2 days? That happened to me Tuesday. I don't know exactly when the hose burst. If I am lucky, it burst just before I went out and noticed. If I am unlucky, it happened shortly after I went inside and it spewed water for 2 days. And, of course, the water was not even spewing near any of my plants... I will find out on the next quarterly bill.
More bad news! Because of Ayla's apparently finally successful spay Tuesday, I contacted a radio vet show (The Animal House). I had been a guest in June of last year discussing unsuccessfully "Twice-Spayed Ayla, and they asked for followup. So I was scheduled for a taping Wed afternoon. Well, Wed morning I had been up all night and morning, so I had to call to cancel (because I needed to collapse in bed). They didn't want to reschedule for the next week, so they are just going to read the email I sent them. I sure wish I could have been on-air to talk to them. That would have been thrilling! I guess I missed my 15 minutes of fame...
It will be broadcast in August and I will give details for that later.
I think it is finally safe to have "too much to drink tonight"! And I plan to. I just haven't decided whether it will be my favorite cheap wine (Twisted vine Zinfandel) or my own Sling recipe (1/2 oz gin, 1/2 oz pomegranate liquer, a shot of real pomegranate juice, fill up the glass with ginger ale over ice, and drink through straw).
I HAVE had worse weeks, but not often, and this one ranks way up on the list. My baby sister died last Summer, Mom died last Fall, Skeeter died in Dec 2008, LC died in Jan 2010, I failed out of college in 1975 (I returned and graduated in 1993), and I got fired from a job because I couldn't roll tires off a truck fast enough. All considered, I think this week places 5th. Maybe 6th because I think at least Ayla IS finally spayed and that's good.
Sunday - Ayla suddenly started extruding pus from her vulva. I spent the afternoon and night keeping her as clean as I could.
Monday - Brought Ayla to my regular vet first thing in the morning. He did some tests to eliminate urinary infections, then did x-rays to search for a reproductive tract problem. He scheduled surgery for Tuesday.
Tuesday - Ayla was opened for exploratory surgery first thing in the morning. At noon, the vet called to say that he had found the spayed uterus remnant was infected, which led him to discover her left ovary was intact. He removed both. Considering that the breeder's vet had done both a first and a followup spay operation, he was quite surprised! I was very angry towards the breeder's vet.
Ayla (and I) have gone through frequent and lengthy heat cycles for 3 years. Most times lasting for 10 days separated by 2 weeks of calm. Occasionally, there was a whole month between heat episodes. The news that my vet had found the cause was a matter of extreme joy. I was thrilled. The $800 was well worth all the trouble.
Tuesday night I picked Ayla up to give her the antibiotic, and I discovered she was dripping with red stuff all over the incision. I assumed it was blood and brought her to an emergency pet hospital. I was there for 2 hours. The ER vet put a pressure bandage on her, did some tests, and decided she should see my regular vet in the morning.
Wednesday - My vet was upset and distressed that I had had to go through all the ER stuff. He explained that scar tissue is difficult to seal and that sometimes there is seepage. But he apologized for not having advised my of that, and I am OK with the apology. It DID cost me $1,000 at the ER hospital to learn that Ayla COULD have just lain on a thick towel all night. The ER vet COULD have told me that, but he is running a business and I DID request service. It was still pretty shoddy, though.
Anyway, my vet kept her for observation and examination all day at no charge.
Thursday - Brought Ayla back to my vet for further observation. He found the incision healing, not seeping, and he removed the IV catheter. No charge, more apology, and lots of discussion. And he gave me his home phone number in case of night time problems.
I hate the cone she has to wear, so I went out and bought an inflatable collar (XS dog collar, if you want to find one for a small cat, S for a regular size cat). Ayla doesn't mind the inflatable collar, it even seems to make a decent pillow!
Friday - Ayla is alert and walking around, eating, and drinking. She seems fine now, healing well with no "sera" seepage.
I spent the morning giving her lots of attention and scritching the itchy incision area that she can't get at with the inflatable collar. She enjoyed that a LOT!
In the afternoon, I unwound by watering the veggie and flower gardens. I have a nice system. Stab a spading fork with a "D" handle in the ground, fit a hose nozzle in the handle (most will fit one way or another), and turn the water on for 5 full minutes at each spot. Move the spade and repeat. All afternoon! Sit in a chair in the shade and drink a beer while listening to classical music on a little boom box. Very relaxing and theraputive.
It was 100+ outside, but I was sitting in the shade and there was a slight breeze. There was water spraying, birds around, etc. I NEEDED that!
Speaking of the gardens, the reason I was watering was because we are so dry here in MD. There have been rains, but brief and hard and not much for several weeks. How dry has it been? The hosta bed still has dry crunchy leaves from last Fall. They won't decompose! Too dry.
More bad news! A sign at the entrance to my neighborhood advises that electricity will be turned off for 5 hours August 1st! Oh joy... The forecast for that day is over 100 again. I see that Verizon is digging up the neighborhood for some reason, so that must be the cause.
More bad news! Have you ever used a garden hose and forgotten to turn the water off? And the hose burst? And not gone out there for 2 days? That happened to me Tuesday. I don't know exactly when the hose burst. If I am lucky, it burst just before I went out and noticed. If I am unlucky, it happened shortly after I went inside and it spewed water for 2 days. And, of course, the water was not even spewing near any of my plants... I will find out on the next quarterly bill.
More bad news! Because of Ayla's apparently finally successful spay Tuesday, I contacted a radio vet show (The Animal House). I had been a guest in June of last year discussing unsuccessfully "Twice-Spayed Ayla, and they asked for followup. So I was scheduled for a taping Wed afternoon. Well, Wed morning I had been up all night and morning, so I had to call to cancel (because I needed to collapse in bed). They didn't want to reschedule for the next week, so they are just going to read the email I sent them. I sure wish I could have been on-air to talk to them. That would have been thrilling! I guess I missed my 15 minutes of fame...
It will be broadcast in August and I will give details for that later.
I think it is finally safe to have "too much to drink tonight"! And I plan to. I just haven't decided whether it will be my favorite cheap wine (Twisted vine Zinfandel) or my own Sling recipe (1/2 oz gin, 1/2 oz pomegranate liquer, a shot of real pomegranate juice, fill up the glass with ginger ale over ice, and drink through straw).
I HAVE had worse weeks, but not often, and this one ranks way up on the list. My baby sister died last Summer, Mom died last Fall, Skeeter died in Dec 2008, LC died in Jan 2010, I failed out of college in 1975 (I returned and graduated in 1993), and I got fired from a job because I couldn't roll tires off a truck fast enough. All considered, I think this week places 5th. Maybe 6th because I think at least Ayla IS finally spayed and that's good.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Weird Neighbors
I had the strangest experience with some neighbors last night! Basically, my side of the street are homeowners, the other side are renters. The house across the street was rented by some nice quiet guy for 5 years. Last year, two couples rented it. They have been nutso from day one.
Right off the bat, there was a screamng late night fight between a guy and gal involving the guy trying to drive away and the gal standing in front of the car pounding on the hood. Good start. They generally sit outside on the side steps smoking, so I guess they are forbidden from smoking in the house. They also seem to love having screaming yelling arguements.
Did I mention they also love to work on cars with outstandingly loud bass stereos? At night and early morning? Yes. Yes they do.
They went at it again last night. Screaming hateful arguements. It penetrates my double glass windows and is louder than my radio plays. I lost it.
I went out and yelled at them to keep the noise down or I would call the police. I knew that was an empty threat. The police have better things to do than worry about domestic noise complaints. But one of the guys threatened to come over an beat me. THAT was interesting!!! But I was more worried about the threat to the woman there, so I went inside and got my cordless phone, flashlight, and camera and came back out to sit quietly on the front steps putting my flashlight on them. They especially didn't like THAT, but quite frankly, I didn't care!
There ARE times I am willing to sit in quiet evidence. I expected violence. I told them they were better than most "reality TV shows and I had 911 on speed-dial". THAT got some attention.
The guy got mad and said he could destroy a car. He got in his and peeled into the street, then into the driveway. I thought he was going to ram the car there, but he changed his mind and peeled off down the street out of the area.
The woman went and knocked on the neighbor's door. Several times over many minutes. With no reply. I know that that neighbor and they seem close in some way. But with no reply, I went to the street and again asked her if she needed any help. I was prepared to call the police, but she said NO!
Here is where it gets strange....
I ended up talking to her for an hour. She is the mother of the guy she had the screaming arguement with. And the (she says) ex-wife of the neighbor who refused to answer the door she was pounding on. I regretted getting involved immediately, but she had ahold of my wrist and wasn't letting go.
And she was drunk as hell! I suspect they all were. I drink a bit myself (I do like wine with dinner), but good lord, nothing like THAT! On my worst day, I was better off then them on their best day. You know what I mean? As far as I can tell, they are all permanently drunk. Or high (there were "druggie" accusations flying). It seems that it takes all 4 (5?) of them to manage to work enough to pay the rent on a 1 bedroom ranch house that I think goes for $500 a month..
But as I said, I talked to her for an hour (wrist freed). Such a sad story poured out. Bad marriage, cheating, divorce, hateful (and hated?) children. She had a cat she loved SO much, but lost it (I can't IMAGINE why it left, ahem). Ex living next door...
I pointed to the house next to mine ) on the "owner" side of the street) and mentioned that the guy there had an affair with HIS neighbor and that when it was revealed, she killed herself and he has become an absentee owner. She didn't even blink.
I think I need to move.
I can hardly conceive such a life. And I didn't USED to live in the wrong part of town, but I've been here 25 years and things have been changing. There was the first gang war here 2 months ago 2 houses away. A dozen kids with baseball bats going at each other and several police cars. Adults screaming at the police who were trying to stop the fights. Several cars (2 abreast sometimes) screaming down our dead end street to try to escape the police. I sure never saw THAT before! I guess I didn't notice what was going on. My current home is no longer my sanctuary.
Right off the bat, there was a screamng late night fight between a guy and gal involving the guy trying to drive away and the gal standing in front of the car pounding on the hood. Good start. They generally sit outside on the side steps smoking, so I guess they are forbidden from smoking in the house. They also seem to love having screaming yelling arguements.
Did I mention they also love to work on cars with outstandingly loud bass stereos? At night and early morning? Yes. Yes they do.
They went at it again last night. Screaming hateful arguements. It penetrates my double glass windows and is louder than my radio plays. I lost it.
I went out and yelled at them to keep the noise down or I would call the police. I knew that was an empty threat. The police have better things to do than worry about domestic noise complaints. But one of the guys threatened to come over an beat me. THAT was interesting!!! But I was more worried about the threat to the woman there, so I went inside and got my cordless phone, flashlight, and camera and came back out to sit quietly on the front steps putting my flashlight on them. They especially didn't like THAT, but quite frankly, I didn't care!
There ARE times I am willing to sit in quiet evidence. I expected violence. I told them they were better than most "reality TV shows and I had 911 on speed-dial". THAT got some attention.
The guy got mad and said he could destroy a car. He got in his and peeled into the street, then into the driveway. I thought he was going to ram the car there, but he changed his mind and peeled off down the street out of the area.
The woman went and knocked on the neighbor's door. Several times over many minutes. With no reply. I know that that neighbor and they seem close in some way. But with no reply, I went to the street and again asked her if she needed any help. I was prepared to call the police, but she said NO!
Here is where it gets strange....
I ended up talking to her for an hour. She is the mother of the guy she had the screaming arguement with. And the (she says) ex-wife of the neighbor who refused to answer the door she was pounding on. I regretted getting involved immediately, but she had ahold of my wrist and wasn't letting go.
And she was drunk as hell! I suspect they all were. I drink a bit myself (I do like wine with dinner), but good lord, nothing like THAT! On my worst day, I was better off then them on their best day. You know what I mean? As far as I can tell, they are all permanently drunk. Or high (there were "druggie" accusations flying). It seems that it takes all 4 (5?) of them to manage to work enough to pay the rent on a 1 bedroom ranch house that I think goes for $500 a month..
But as I said, I talked to her for an hour (wrist freed). Such a sad story poured out. Bad marriage, cheating, divorce, hateful (and hated?) children. She had a cat she loved SO much, but lost it (I can't IMAGINE why it left, ahem). Ex living next door...
I pointed to the house next to mine ) on the "owner" side of the street) and mentioned that the guy there had an affair with HIS neighbor and that when it was revealed, she killed herself and he has become an absentee owner. She didn't even blink.
I think I need to move.
I can hardly conceive such a life. And I didn't USED to live in the wrong part of town, but I've been here 25 years and things have been changing. There was the first gang war here 2 months ago 2 houses away. A dozen kids with baseball bats going at each other and several police cars. Adults screaming at the police who were trying to stop the fights. Several cars (2 abreast sometimes) screaming down our dead end street to try to escape the police. I sure never saw THAT before! I guess I didn't notice what was going on. My current home is no longer my sanctuary.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Eyeglass Fun, Part 3
Writing yesterday's post reminded me that I had had 2 pairs of the previous prescription and ruined one. The frames had a tendency toward loose screws. I brought the previous back to For Eyes several times for that (after searching the office carpet for lost screws at least twice). They simply re-installed screws (Duh, I can do that).
I finally decided to epoxy the lenses to the frame and end the problem. Now, I'm a reasonably "ept" repair person. But I sure chose the wrong way to do it! With my slightly shaky hands, attempting to apply epoxy inside the frame rims and then getting the lenses back in while also trying to tighten the frame scres, I botched it big time! I had epoxy smears all over the lenses...
I contemplated the disaster. It wasn't the frame, it was the simple little screw. On the OTHER pair of glasses, I dabbed the tiniest bit of epoxy into the screw hole with a toothpick, tightened the screw and the problem was solved forever!
Man, I can be stupid sometimes!!!
I will do that with the new frames as a pre-emptive measure...
I finally decided to epoxy the lenses to the frame and end the problem. Now, I'm a reasonably "ept" repair person. But I sure chose the wrong way to do it! With my slightly shaky hands, attempting to apply epoxy inside the frame rims and then getting the lenses back in while also trying to tighten the frame scres, I botched it big time! I had epoxy smears all over the lenses...
I contemplated the disaster. It wasn't the frame, it was the simple little screw. On the OTHER pair of glasses, I dabbed the tiniest bit of epoxy into the screw hole with a toothpick, tightened the screw and the problem was solved forever!
Man, I can be stupid sometimes!!!
I will do that with the new frames as a pre-emptive measure...
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Eyeglass Fun, Part 2
Well, better news about the new eyeglasses today! Previously, I mentioned how I had 3 botched appointments with the Dr at For Eyes. I had exams there before and they were excellent. But they seemed to have lost the ability to manage the appointment schedule (an estimated minimum 1.5 hour extra wait each time), so I went right around the corner ta another place.
THAT exam went just fine, but their frame selection was AWFUL! All the frames were expensive designer types at ridiculous prices ($200+ for one frame, and I wanted two) And being "designer frames", they were the size of postage stamps. Sorry, I don't want to even SEE the frames when I wear them.
And I told them that when I went in for the exam. It's why I didn't go there first to begin with! So I got done with the exam, paid for it, and they wanted to say "bye-bye". Wait, I need the prescription!
"Oh gosh, the Dr is with another patient now and you'll have to wait.. Um, wasn't it obvious I would want the prescription? Probably, but they wouldn't get paid for that.
Revenge time: I spent 10 minutes pacing rapidly around the waiting room. That disturbed them. Finally, a clerk came over and said they would have the prescription faxed to where ever I wanted. Good!
So I went back to For Eyes, with the great selection, walked in, and said I want your 2-for-1 deal on these (showing them my current frame). They had them at 2 for $109, great. They got the prescription faxed, I paid and left.
I picked up the new glasses today. They fitted them perfectly in 5 minutes and I was out of there! They work great; I can read small print again, and the newspaper and computer are easy to see.
Too bad the good appointment scheduler at one place didn't work at the place with the good frame selection. They'd all be rich.
But all's well that ends well (to coin a phrase, LOL) and I can now laugh about it. Until next time...
THAT exam went just fine, but their frame selection was AWFUL! All the frames were expensive designer types at ridiculous prices ($200+ for one frame, and I wanted two) And being "designer frames", they were the size of postage stamps. Sorry, I don't want to even SEE the frames when I wear them.
And I told them that when I went in for the exam. It's why I didn't go there first to begin with! So I got done with the exam, paid for it, and they wanted to say "bye-bye". Wait, I need the prescription!
"Oh gosh, the Dr is with another patient now and you'll have to wait.. Um, wasn't it obvious I would want the prescription? Probably, but they wouldn't get paid for that.
Revenge time: I spent 10 minutes pacing rapidly around the waiting room. That disturbed them. Finally, a clerk came over and said they would have the prescription faxed to where ever I wanted. Good!
So I went back to For Eyes, with the great selection, walked in, and said I want your 2-for-1 deal on these (showing them my current frame). They had them at 2 for $109, great. They got the prescription faxed, I paid and left.
I picked up the new glasses today. They fitted them perfectly in 5 minutes and I was out of there! They work great; I can read small print again, and the newspaper and computer are easy to see.
Too bad the good appointment scheduler at one place didn't work at the place with the good frame selection. They'd all be rich.
But all's well that ends well (to coin a phrase, LOL) and I can now laugh about it. Until next time...
Monday, February 28, 2011
Various Stuff...
I help the cats blog so much I start to lose track of my own stuff at times. So it is time to catch up a bit.
It is time to start my garden veggie seeds. The basement is, quite frankly, a mess! All Winter long, I just kept "doing things" and never mind the clutter. There was always time to arrange things for the early seed plantings. LOL, guess what time passed? Yeah, it is time to plant seeds and I am SO unready for it.
Grandiose plans for better seed/light planting shelves are now forgotten and I have to make do with the old structures. I have almost no southern light to help the plants, so I depend on fluorescent bulbs. Even the best ones are inherently weaker than real sunlight. I had thought to widen the shelves to increase the 2 bulbs to 4. I had thought I might add mirrors behind the shelves and in front to increase the reflected light. But I didn't.
So, what I did today was the best I could. I cleaned and reorganized enough space in the basement to collect all my gardening seed-starting materials into one place. I was actually leased with the results, though it is not worth a picture. If you want to picture it, just imagine a workbench with 10 sq ft empty space where there was none yesterday. :)
Well, at least I have THAT! And I sorted through my various bags of soil amendments to see what I had for a good seed starter blend. The local garden centers don't even have sterile soil-less mixes available yet. I am thrilled to see that I do have vermiculite, milled peat moss, fine sand, and some sterilized loam left over from last year. At least that will get me started!
On other news, Marley the cat is getting used to the new home. He is the fastest adapter I have had in decades. The others hid for several days, but Marley was ready to come out and find his place in the house after the first day.
He plays with Iza mostly. Iza outweighs him 12 lbs to 6 pounds, but he is fearless. It was a shock to Iza at first because she was "Top Cat" mostly by virtue of weight. Marley pounces from anywhere! At first, Iza was quite upset and poofed her tail and whapped him hard, but lately it has become more cooperative play with them taking turns chasing and then curling up together.
Ayla is the "odd cat out". As a small cat (yet the oldest) she never has been one for aggressive play. I think she is getting used to it though. She isn't doing the "chase and wrassle" that Iza and Marley do, but she does a certain kind of "you can't catch me" game with Marley. She hisses mildly, then provocatively hops OVER him several times then runs off. I think she is showing him that he really can't pounce her because she is just SO much more agile than he is.
That doesn't stop him from trying, of course. He's only 6 months old and braver than he is experienced. Marley chasing Ayla is like Marley chasing a shadow. When when she lets him get close, suddenly she is up on the top of the closet door and he is looking around for her on the floor.
The crocuses are starting to bloom! Yay! Spring is coming.
I made a hamburger yesterday. That may seem bland. But I ground up the meat (short ribs) myself. I sauteed mushrooms, red and green bell peppers, and some onion. Then I made a mayo/mustard mix with some minced garlic. What a great topping! I've had worse (good) steaks!
Tomorrow, it is back to cleaning the basement. There is so much more to do!
It is time to start my garden veggie seeds. The basement is, quite frankly, a mess! All Winter long, I just kept "doing things" and never mind the clutter. There was always time to arrange things for the early seed plantings. LOL, guess what time passed? Yeah, it is time to plant seeds and I am SO unready for it.
Grandiose plans for better seed/light planting shelves are now forgotten and I have to make do with the old structures. I have almost no southern light to help the plants, so I depend on fluorescent bulbs. Even the best ones are inherently weaker than real sunlight. I had thought to widen the shelves to increase the 2 bulbs to 4. I had thought I might add mirrors behind the shelves and in front to increase the reflected light. But I didn't.
So, what I did today was the best I could. I cleaned and reorganized enough space in the basement to collect all my gardening seed-starting materials into one place. I was actually leased with the results, though it is not worth a picture. If you want to picture it, just imagine a workbench with 10 sq ft empty space where there was none yesterday. :)
Well, at least I have THAT! And I sorted through my various bags of soil amendments to see what I had for a good seed starter blend. The local garden centers don't even have sterile soil-less mixes available yet. I am thrilled to see that I do have vermiculite, milled peat moss, fine sand, and some sterilized loam left over from last year. At least that will get me started!
On other news, Marley the cat is getting used to the new home. He is the fastest adapter I have had in decades. The others hid for several days, but Marley was ready to come out and find his place in the house after the first day.
He plays with Iza mostly. Iza outweighs him 12 lbs to 6 pounds, but he is fearless. It was a shock to Iza at first because she was "Top Cat" mostly by virtue of weight. Marley pounces from anywhere! At first, Iza was quite upset and poofed her tail and whapped him hard, but lately it has become more cooperative play with them taking turns chasing and then curling up together.
Ayla is the "odd cat out". As a small cat (yet the oldest) she never has been one for aggressive play. I think she is getting used to it though. She isn't doing the "chase and wrassle" that Iza and Marley do, but she does a certain kind of "you can't catch me" game with Marley. She hisses mildly, then provocatively hops OVER him several times then runs off. I think she is showing him that he really can't pounce her because she is just SO much more agile than he is.
That doesn't stop him from trying, of course. He's only 6 months old and braver than he is experienced. Marley chasing Ayla is like Marley chasing a shadow. When when she lets him get close, suddenly she is up on the top of the closet door and he is looking around for her on the floor.
The crocuses are starting to bloom! Yay! Spring is coming.
I made a hamburger yesterday. That may seem bland. But I ground up the meat (short ribs) myself. I sauteed mushrooms, red and green bell peppers, and some onion. Then I made a mayo/mustard mix with some minced garlic. What a great topping! I've had worse (good) steaks!
Tomorrow, it is back to cleaning the basement. There is so much more to do!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
OUCHIES
I'm the kind of person who is always mildly injured. It's not that I'm clumsy (I'm not), but also not because I plays rough sports. I just push myself or engage in risky actions. And even then, I don't mean that I go rock-climbing or parachuting.
It's the small daily events that get me. I got annoyed at a squirrel once and tossed a rock at it and messed up my rotator cuff for 6 months. I ordered some large stones (small boulders?) and hurt my back moving them around a small pond I built. Once I was cutting a branch off of an apple tree and didn't realize the branch was torqued. When cut through, it sprang up against my hand pushing against the saw blade. I cut the the finger to the bone. These things happen. I'm active and live alone. so I always have to do things that should really take 2 people. There is always some strained muscle or sore joint...
So today I am am humorously writing about a fingertip. "A fingertip"? Yes.
On New Year's Eve, I set a small fire in the basement fireplace. Nothing big. I don't have any good fireplace wood. I used some clean wood scraps and some newspaper. I just felt a fire was traditional. Well, in the course of feeding newspaper to the fire, I brushed the hot grate with a finger. OUCH!
But that sort of thing is common. I work in the garden, sometimes I get a blister. I work in the yard, sometimes I strain a muscle. BFD. I pretty much ignored it. 2 days later, I noticed the tip on a finger was numb and hard. I remembered the grate incident. But it didn't swell up like burns usually do.
It just sat there.
Today, 17 days later, it suddenly fell apart! 17 days???
It went apart like sunburned skin. All of a sudden and nothing first, the skin was flaking off. I've had burns before. I managed to drop a pot of spaghetti water once and burned both legs badly. And having a fireplace, I've had my share of minor burns. But not delayed like this!
It isn't painful yesterday. I was able to rub the old skin off and the new skin isn't sensitive. But it sure was weird!
If a blister had formed the day after and it hurt and swelled like such things usually do, I wouldn't have bothered to mention it. But the delay and lack of the normal irritations of a burn made this very strange.
It's the small daily events that get me. I got annoyed at a squirrel once and tossed a rock at it and messed up my rotator cuff for 6 months. I ordered some large stones (small boulders?) and hurt my back moving them around a small pond I built. Once I was cutting a branch off of an apple tree and didn't realize the branch was torqued. When cut through, it sprang up against my hand pushing against the saw blade. I cut the the finger to the bone. These things happen. I'm active and live alone. so I always have to do things that should really take 2 people. There is always some strained muscle or sore joint...
So today I am am humorously writing about a fingertip. "A fingertip"? Yes.
On New Year's Eve, I set a small fire in the basement fireplace. Nothing big. I don't have any good fireplace wood. I used some clean wood scraps and some newspaper. I just felt a fire was traditional. Well, in the course of feeding newspaper to the fire, I brushed the hot grate with a finger. OUCH!
But that sort of thing is common. I work in the garden, sometimes I get a blister. I work in the yard, sometimes I strain a muscle. BFD. I pretty much ignored it. 2 days later, I noticed the tip on a finger was numb and hard. I remembered the grate incident. But it didn't swell up like burns usually do.
It just sat there.
Today, 17 days later, it suddenly fell apart! 17 days???
It went apart like sunburned skin. All of a sudden and nothing first, the skin was flaking off. I've had burns before. I managed to drop a pot of spaghetti water once and burned both legs badly. And having a fireplace, I've had my share of minor burns. But not delayed like this!
It isn't painful yesterday. I was able to rub the old skin off and the new skin isn't sensitive. But it sure was weird!
If a blister had formed the day after and it hurt and swelled like such things usually do, I wouldn't have bothered to mention it. But the delay and lack of the normal irritations of a burn made this very strange.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Dirty Celery
I can't help it. This is the DIRTIEST celery bunch I have ever seen!
Are they growing this stuff in volcanic ash or peat moss?
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Jennifer
I figured out the scanner. Here are her young pictures... This is my memorial to her.
She was such a happy child. I delighted in every move she made.
When she was very young, she loved to play peekaboo with me. The box is where the christmas ornaments were kept. When it was empty, she loved to hide in it an pop up.
In no particular order...
This is the most precious picture I have of her...Absolute happiness. She loved that Raggedly Ann doll for many years.
Drinkin the Big Brother drink... Above. And wearing my hat, She loved that. She always thought my hats were special. Wearing my hat always made her feel great.
One of her earliest moments. That is Hai U Phin in the doll bed. Jen loved that cat. As did I.
Jen asleep in my old bed. She always liked my red and yellow walls.
Jen posing for a picture. She loved to be photographed. I wish I had taken a 1,000 more,,,
The spots in the photo are accidents of time. But I want to think of them as stars in the cosmos. She deserves to go out with all the stars around her. She would have liked the idea of "cosmic"...
Intelligent, organic, loving, good mother, friend...
Farewell good sister, good friend... My life is emptier without you in it.
She was such a happy child. I delighted in every move she made.
When she was very young, she loved to play peekaboo with me. The box is where the christmas ornaments were kept. When it was empty, she loved to hide in it an pop up.
In no particular order...
This is the most precious picture I have of her...Absolute happiness. She loved that Raggedly Ann doll for many years.
One of her earliest moments. That is Hai U Phin in the doll bed. Jen loved that cat. As did I.
Jen asleep in my old bed. She always liked my red and yellow walls.
Jen posing for a picture. She loved to be photographed. I wish I had taken a 1,000 more,,,
≈
Jen with Hai U Phin...
The oldest picture I have... Jen as a teenager.
My dear little sister Jen... 44 years old, gone forever...
Intelligent, organic, loving, good mother, friend...
Farewell good sister, good friend... My life is emptier without you in it.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Happy Birthday To Me
Turned 60 today. Heh.
I didn't care when I turned 30. Or 40. Or even 50. But I thought I would care when I turned 60. Somehow, I thought turning 60 would be a major change, like turning 21.
Nah. I feel the same as 40. That's actually weird. I feel like I SHOULD feel different. I think I SHOULD feel older at 60. I just don't though. I'm just as competent or not competent at the same things as I was 20 years ago. I know more science than I did at 40, but that's only because there is more science to know now and I do keep up with it. I don't understand people any better now than I did at 40, but that's probably just me.
I guess I'm still in that "middle-aged" limbo. Somewhere between "stupid young adult" and "losing-it old guy".
I'm not doing anything today to celebrate it, but I'm not doing anything to mourn it either. I just don't feel like today is all that different from yesterday or a day 10 years ago. Maybe 70 will start to feel "old". I'm just not there yet.
Which is maybe a good thing...
Last year on this day, my parents were visiting. Once, my Mom asked what the date was. I said "May 21st, my birthday". She asked again an hour later and I said the same thing. That didn't even get a reaction from either parent. Dad was there at the table. Neither one recognized "my birthday" as having any meaning among us. And that's when I knew they were "losing it". Because Mom never forgot my birthday before. And Dad was supposed to be the "memory" for both of them. She has lost her memory and HIS memory no longer serves them. And they don't realize it. That is so sad...
So today, and each year on this day, I mostly now mourn the "loss" of my parents. They are still alive, but their memories, their "selves", our connections, are gone... I will never have "them" back.
*SIGH*
I didn't care when I turned 30. Or 40. Or even 50. But I thought I would care when I turned 60. Somehow, I thought turning 60 would be a major change, like turning 21.
Nah. I feel the same as 40. That's actually weird. I feel like I SHOULD feel different. I think I SHOULD feel older at 60. I just don't though. I'm just as competent or not competent at the same things as I was 20 years ago. I know more science than I did at 40, but that's only because there is more science to know now and I do keep up with it. I don't understand people any better now than I did at 40, but that's probably just me.
I guess I'm still in that "middle-aged" limbo. Somewhere between "stupid young adult" and "losing-it old guy".
I'm not doing anything today to celebrate it, but I'm not doing anything to mourn it either. I just don't feel like today is all that different from yesterday or a day 10 years ago. Maybe 70 will start to feel "old". I'm just not there yet.
Which is maybe a good thing...
Last year on this day, my parents were visiting. Once, my Mom asked what the date was. I said "May 21st, my birthday". She asked again an hour later and I said the same thing. That didn't even get a reaction from either parent. Dad was there at the table. Neither one recognized "my birthday" as having any meaning among us. And that's when I knew they were "losing it". Because Mom never forgot my birthday before. And Dad was supposed to be the "memory" for both of them. She has lost her memory and HIS memory no longer serves them. And they don't realize it. That is so sad...
So today, and each year on this day, I mostly now mourn the "loss" of my parents. They are still alive, but their memories, their "selves", our connections, are gone... I will never have "them" back.
*SIGH*
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Belated Mother's Day
I tried my best to get the scanner to work Sunday and Monday, but I couldn't. I fixed it today.
This is the picture I wanted to post...
All my love, Mom...
Mark
This is the picture I wanted to post...
All my love, Mom...
Mark
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Animal Crush Videos
I am against crush videos, of course. There is enough suffering in nature. No animal should ever be harmed for no useful purpose. That said, I have to agree very reluctantly with the Supreme Court ruling.
The law, though well-intentioned, was poorly written. When I first learned of the law last week, I spent some time thinking about it. The law was intended to prevent obvious abuses. Filming animals being slowly and painfully crushed is beyond defense. It is my personal opinion that only a very sick individual would want to watch such pain, and that such a person needs immediate therapy. So it is hard to defend the Supreme Court striking down the law aimed at preventing that.
But I gave the law a decent reading and considered the objections to the existing law. Some of the objections are weak and self-serving. But some of the objections are legitimate. As I understand it, the existing law could prevent:
1. Documentaries trying to show animal abuse in order to promote more humane laws.
2. Documentaries opposing dogfighting to be used in criminal cases.
3. Documentaries opposing abusive animal experimentation.
4. TV hunting shows.
5. Personal videos of hunting activities.
6. Nature films where any animal is hurt or killed naturally.
Do I think those likely? No. Is it intended? No. But it is possible under the existing law, and therefore it is “overly broad”. For that reason, the law needs to be re-written to specify the kind of abuse intended. It is not a question of whether exploitive and cruel crush videos are permitted, just how to define them properly.
I struggled to develop an analogy for this. Suppose that someone made a real crush video for exploitive purposes. And then suppose an animal rights activist made a copy of the video to use to raise public awareness against the practice. The same scenes, but for different purposes.
Both would be equally punishable under the existing law. That is not right, and that’s where the existing law went wrong. Intent matters!
I fully support a more carefully-written law that specifies details and intent to protect animals from deliberate abuse more clearly. The existing law just didn't do that very well.
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