I moved six months ago. I was absolutely certain I took everything with me, but when I got to my new place, my spare car keys and the keys to my safe were both missing. I had to pick the safe’s lock in order to get at my birth certificate to get my driver’s license updated.
Anyway, I’m searching for a USB key today, and, after searching through the drawer where it’s supposed to be, I check the small pocket on my laptop bag. Surprise, surprise, there’s a Ziploc bag with two sets of keys in it.
And then I checked the drawer again, and, sure enough, the USB key is exactly where it was supposed to be.
So, yay! Keys that I thought were lost forever aren’t!
Those who have been around for 15 years or more might remember I used to build computers from discarded junk and give them away to children and old people. Still do, actually.
Anyway, one of the kids I built a machine for had cystic fibrosis from birth, and was not expected to live to see 20 years old. I’ve always found her to be a truly delightful person, full of life although restricted by her condition. She enjoys reading and is from a non-reading family, so we used to take her to the library every week with our kids, and we kept the important medications in our house in case she stayed for lunch or something. She’s known that her life would most likely end while she was still a child for longer than I’ve known, and always dealt with that stoically.
But a month ago, instead of to a funeral, I went to the post-surgery party at the community pool and drank a whole lot of beer to celebrate her successful double lung transplant on August 14th. At the time of the transplant, she had less than 20% lung function, rapidly declining.
A couple of weeks ago, I am told, she walked two miles unassisted. She’s now 21 years old, doing well in college, and has a good prognosis for the future.
I personally believe violence and other crimes would be down by a lot if everyone received the health care they needed. And I hate having to shop for a new physician and the reality of insurance changing. Stay with a primary care provider who understands our bodies and health history and our survival chances improve. The benefit otherwise is that the patient is a consumer in healthcare. My doctors are aware, as they mention this, that we hire them and ultimately it is we who determine if a second opinion is warranted, factcheck to make sure the doctor knows what she’s talking about and her knowledge is up-to-date, and read up on the potential side effects of prescribed medication. In some other countries the doctor does the directing and is never questioned by the patient.
I don’t like to admit this, but the waitlist for cancer treatments in Canada, at least 20 years ago, was not just a Rush Limbaugh yarn. My mom had to wait months for radiation therapy for her cancer.
What’s very galling is that these physicians where we live spend ten minutes on nutrition in a lengthy, intensive study program training them to diagnose and treat ailments in the human body, and they rely on government-established diet guidelines that are 40 years old, and don’t approach health by treating the root of a problem, only its symptoms. “Oh, obesity’s been rising steadily since 1980? Obviously systemic moral failure and hedonic impulses gone amok among Americans.” I beg to differ.
The doctors who are very keen on lifestyle counseling as adjunct therapies are the ones who are overworked in health care clinics (thinking of UK’s National Health Service) and understand how a gradual series of changes a patient undertakes can reverse or prevent a good number (sadly not all) of maladies. Fewer patient visits, more time to spend with the patients with serious diseases that need physician-supervised treatment.
The Automotive Association that I’m a member of (you know, locked cars, towing, etc). just sent me an incredibly insulting “special upgrade.” To the effect that, if I pay the market rate for the upgrade to the next level of service, I’ll get the next level of service, all couched in language that this is something that they’re only offering to me because they value me so much.
So I (very politely) ripped them a new one and issued them an ultimatum to the effect that if they send me so much as a coupon before my next renewal date, I’m cancelling my service with them.
Hopefully this gets the message across that, while offering your members extra value to reward loyalty can make their customers more loyal, offering them bullshit can blow that same bullshit right back at them.
ETA:
Gah!
I forgot to gripe at them about how the whole letter referred to me as Lastname Firstname. Oh well. Something to improve upon for next time.
I replaced the driver side interior door handle on my car today.
Yay, me!
The part was $15 at Amazon and and I spent about as much time watching how to videos as doing it, but still. I did it. The person I most want to tell about it has said no more than five words to me since Memorial Day, so I’m telling all of you. He might be done with me, which is more of a FML and I’m just trying to keep it together, but I’m still proud of myself for the door handle.
The old, broken utility sink has been removed and a new stand pipe for the clothes washer has been put in. A half wall was built to work around\conceal the exposed plumbing and the cabinets for the utility room are installed with one coat of stain.
Counter top sits in the garage mocking me. I have slowed over the years. Or perhaps I ponder tasks more in an effort to not do the same work twice.
Maybe I’ll finish installing the counter top and new sink this week. But I ain’t counting on it
AFC Wimbledon are above Milton Keynes (the fake Dons) in the league for the first time since the original Wimbledon FC were moved to MK 14 years ago and the fans had to start a new team.
Met with my oncologist this morning. Toward the end she said, “Okay, I’ve been seeing you every three months, but now we’re going to change that to every six months.”
Since I can’t carry a tune in a bucket the real victory is that I didn’t sing out loud right there in the office, but the song was in my head…
