Bucking Fush, part Deux

So, here we are 6 months after my last post, and three years into this stupid war that we had no business starting. (Or perhaps I should say "the war was started over business - specifically Halliburton, Bechtel Group, Fluor Corp, Parsons Corp, and the Louis Berger Group - the handful of businesses given wartime contracts worth ~ $1 billion. This total doesn't count the manufacturers like Boeing, Lockheed-Martin, Raytheon, Northrop-Grumman, General Dynamics, United Technologies, etc. that make their money directly off of the consumables used in this war - missiles, planes, bombs, bullets, etc. By the time it all gets added up, over $4 billion has been used on this fiasco. Just to remind you, numerically that is $4,000,000,000.00 - four thousand million.

I can't even finish this post, I'm so mad.....

Fucking Bush

So that fucking moron Bush has now said it's a bad idea to pull out of Iraq because "Pulling the troops out would send a terrible signal to the enemy."

What exactly would that terrible signal be? Something like: "I'm a fucking moron who got involved in a war that my daddy started by telling America that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction even though we knew he didn't. And since we couldn't find Osama in our "he can run but he can't hide" campaign (in which he's been running, but not hiding for over a THREE AND A HALF YEARS) and I had to do something to get America to focus on other things while me & my buddies pass laws to make the rich get much richer, and tax the poor more heavily. And if anyone notices that this little action is taking WAY longer that I said it would, and costing WAY more, both in dollars and in lives, then I'll send up red herrings like "NO GAY MARRIAGE" and "DON'T KILL POOR, DEFENSELESS TERRY SCHIAVO" (even though she made it clear that she did not want to live in a vegetative state, but that's my decision to make, not hers. And anyway, I've been in a vegetative state my entire life, and look where it's got me! I just wish it didn't hurt so much to have both Karl Rove's and Dick Cheney's hands up my ass to control me like the puppet I am.) And those brave young Amuricans who have senselessly given their lives fighting in a war we never should have started, well, that's what they joined the Army for anyway - it isn't like they mattered or anything. I mean, they aren't privileged like I am."

Is THAT the signal you're afraid of sending? Because some of us have heard that message quite clearly for some time now. I became painfully clear right around the time you had your brother rig the election results.

And even though less than 38% of Americans approve of your handling of Iraq and that includes all of your neo-nazi, born-again-even-though-we-think-that-Jesus-
somehow-sanctions-our-hate-and-intoerance-of-anyone-not-white-enough-or-rich-enough, right to life (as long as it only applies to poor women, because it certainly can't apply to us - I mean, being preggers right now would simply ruin the cotillion for Muffy!) Republican zombie drones. You don't care, which is obvious when your reply to the grieving mothers who have lost sons, and the millions of other Americans who want us OUT of Iraq is: "I've thought about their cry and their sincere desire to reduce the loss of life by pulling our troops out. I just strongly disagree."

Like 1840+ dead Americans isn't enough. You fucking prick.

Popsicles, pickles and Polish Sausage

About a month ago (over 4th of July weekend) I went out to buy a new refrigerator. Being the good consumer that I am, I of course wanted the biggest, fanciest one I could find. (Notice, however, that I didn't say 'shiny.' I hate stainless steel appliances.) I had set out to Sears, since they had a 0% interest for a year sale going on, and I wanted one of those three-door jobbers - the kind with two doors on the top for the fridge, and a drawer freezer on the bottom. For some unknown reason, they call that style 'french doors.' After chasing around the city, I ended up at a mall that I thought had a Sears in it, but in fact did not. However, across the street was the Sears Outlet store. lo and behold, they were having a 50% off sale on refrigerators! So, the $1800 fridge I wanted was available for under $900, because it was a scratch & dent model. Fast forward one week, to the delivery day. The delivery guys came in, and although I told them to bring it in the back door off of the patio, they insisted they could fit it thru the door from the living room. Problem - coming thru the door from the living room, there is a counter directly in front of the door, about 36" in. The fridge is 35 5/8", and you have to turn it to get it where it belongs. Counters don't move, and fridges don't "squish" so I didn't see how they would be able to get it thru that door, but I let them try. Twenty minutes and several new scratches later, they agreed to take it around to the patio door, where it fit easily. That was the good part. I plugged in my new fridge, and started transferring the stuff from my old fridge. An hour or so later, I heard the first load of ice drop out of the icemaker. Before I went to bed, I turned the fridge down from the highest setting to medium. In the morning when I got up, the fridge was warm and everything in the freezer was melted. (yuck.) I called Sears, and they told me (after a bit of a runaround) that they would replace the fridge. It is now almost a month later. I was starting to worry, and called the manager of the Outlet Center. It turns out that particular model is discontinued, so after a bit more of a runaround, he told me he would order me a comparable model, new, and swap them out.

Fast forward again to today - the delivery day for the new fridge. I must say, Sears is good about delivery, they said they would be here between 8:30 and 10:30 AM, and they were - that is especially appreciated compared to the "service window" most others (phone company, gas company, plumber - whatever) give you - usually along the lines of "we'll be there between 8AM and 2007. Maybe." the guys were very efficient, and knew what they were doing. They took the old fridge out and brought the new one in, no problems. After they left, I started transferring stuff to the new fridge, and guess what? there is no water filter or water dispenser. This is what held up my getting a replacement - they wanted to be sure I got the same features on the new one as I had on the "old" one. Bonus: the new one has digital controls, Drawback: it doesn't have the water filter, or water dispenser. Bonus: the new fridge is, well, new. It is not a scratch & dent or a returned model. Drawback: I really liked the water dispenser.

So, do I jut take the brand new fridge an shut up, or do I: a.) go thru the whole process again, and hope they get it right this time, or; b.) bitch about it, and try to get $$ knocked off of my bill? I'm not sure...

WTF?

SO, part of my job is to help people that qualify for our state drug assistance program get the drugs they need. Our formulary covers a specific set of drugs, geared to the population we serve. One of the prescription items we cover is Nutritional suppliments, like 'Ensure' - those meal-replacement shake things, geared for people who aren't getting enough nutrition from the food they eat. The other day I fielded a call from a client who wanted a specific nutritional item that we DON'T cover, which is basically the same as Gatorade or Pedilyte - it is a Kool-Aid type of electrolyte drink. I spent about an hour trying to see if there was any way our program could cover this, since it was prescribed byu her doctor. After several phone calls I was able to reach the doctor and the client, and the reason the doctor prescribed this stuff is that the client was dehydtrated. Okay, but why doesn't the client drink more water? Get this - because she doesn't like water. So because she doesn't like to drink water, we are supposed to pay $1.50 per cup for what basically amounts to Kool-Aid?? I don't think so. Why do people have this attitude of "I am entitled" to everything?

This one is for Patrick....

So the other day I was telling a story about Ethel Merman (don't even think about saying "who?") and I realized that unless you are a musical theater fan (or in my case, geek) you may only know Ethel Merman as an old warhorse that sang "There's No Business Like Show Business" really, really loud. Ethel was probably the last great Broadway Star with a capital "S." She starred in movies and Broadway shows, both successfully, and was probably the most powerful voice the belt it on Broadway. She starred on B'way for over four decades - from the 30's till the 70's, and in the days before microphones. (You would never find a body mic nestled in her bodice!) In fact, George Gershwin said "You had better not write a bad lyric for her, because they're going to hear it in the second balcony!" Cole Porter said that she "sounded like a parade going by" and she was called "a force of nature." Ethel's "plant your feet and sing" style, combined with her unerring pitch and crisp diction added up to one hell of a leading lady. She was also not one to mince words. When Harvey Fierstein asked her what she thought of his show "Torch Song Trilogy" she said "I thought it was a piece of crap, but people laughed, people cried, so what the fuck do I know." My favorite line of hers was when she was fueding with a co-star in "Gypsy," and a member of the press asked her if she was still speaking to the woman. In her own immutable style, she said, "Of course I still speak with her. Every night when the curtain goes down, I tell her 'Go fuck yourself!'" None of that namby-pamby 'oh we love and respect each other' horseshit for Ethel. Even her best friend (and longtime rival) Mary Martin was not spared - of her, Ether reportedly said "She's so god-damned sweet, it rots your teeth!"

Oh, if only the stars of today were that honest...

a different perspective

You did WHAT?!


Because of a problem with my foot, I've been wearing this fashionable Herman Munster-boot, and have been using a wheelchair for the past couple of months, and will be for several more months. (Details may or may not follow.) Using a wheelchair has certainly afforded me a new perspective on things. Benefit #1: I never have to look for a place to sit down. Irritation #1: Why do people suddenly think that because I am in a wheelchair I have gone deaf, or am otherwise "slow?" I've never had quite so many people speak s l o w l y and clearly to me before. Benefit #2: I get parking at the front of the lot. Irritation #2: What moron of a planner puts the disabled parking spaces over here, but the nearest cutout in the curb (the little rampy-thing) is 100 yards away, over there? Isn't that counter-intuitive? While I'm at it, Irritation #3: the people who design handicapped-accessable things, be they doors, ramps, bathrooms or parking should have to USE whatever it is, from a chair. Designing it on paper and walking up and down a ramp is not the same as wheeling up and down the ramp, believe me! Same thing for clearances - while you may have made the door wide enough for the chair to get through, did you take into account that my arms and hands are on the outside of the chair, and that's what makes it move? I can't just roll up to a doorway, and then will myself through it, I have to spin the wheels, and that requires some extra clearance for my hands. Benefit #3: my legs no longer get tired. Irritation #4: my arms and shouders get tired instead.

When I was a kid, and had Forrest Gump-style leg braces, I remember saying at one point that using a wheelchair would be much cooler, or at least easier. Granted, it took 35 years for that wish to come true, but I was wrong. The leg braces were easier. At least I could stretch.

We'll see if my mood improves as I go thru surgery (again) and the healing process (again) - though this time, hopefully without the post-operative infection.

Now watch your toes....

I have no idea who she is, but I want to go to a party with this woman!

Misc. Ravings
So today I was at a meeting of health professionals (meeting on: Variant, Atypical and Resistant HIV Surveillance. Sounds fun, huh?) At the end of the meeting when the presenter asked for feedback, an Oromo doctor said how important it is to have accurate translations of the materials. The presenter agreed, and the guy then repeated himself, adding that "(he is) not only a medical doctor, but an expert on the language" and then repeated - again - how important it is to have accurate translations provided. Once again the presenter agreed, and asked him if he would be willing to review the translation. This uncorked a ten minute diatribe on (yes, you guessed right!) the importance of accurate translation. At this point, people in theroom were audibly rolling their eyes. We all agreed that it is important and we get it! Now let it go! Because of this man's single-minded rant, no one else was able to provide feedback. Why must people beat an issue to death when they are in a public forum?