How It Works

My wife has a UTI. She had one about a month ago, went to an urgent care, and was prescribed antibiotics. Apparently, it hasn't cleared up, so she went to our PCP office this morning. She was told the doctor wasn't there, and the only nurse practitioner was unavailable. So, she went back to the same urgent care, saw a doctor (he's a really good doctor) who prescribed a different antibiotic, which requires a longer time for the medicine to work, and if the culture indicates, will be substituted with another antibiotic. 

I'm beginning to wonder why anyone has a PCP, other than it allows insurance companies to keep a tight rein on them, and patients. They're supposed to handle the little problems, such as a UTI, but seem to be more unavailable than in the past. That, and they have so many patients, getting 10 minutes of their time during a visit is unusual. While it may seem I'm blaming the doctor, I can't fault them for trying to keep up the with paperwork, sometimes brutally inept staff, unavailability of procedures or test report, Medicare requirements, and  insurance codes that would confound a genius. That, and keeping up with medical journals filled with "research" that is peer reviewed by people that not only are just rubber-stamping the research, they don't even try to find out if the experiments can be repeated to verify the reported results.

This is where we are. Insurance is filled with fraudulent charges, medical professionals are surrounded with incompetence, medications may do more harm than good, research is filled with fraud, and to top it off, the bumbling, bureaucratic cesspools called government agencies not only create more problems, they piss-off money faster than taxes can cover the waste.

Bleh!

Better than Firing

Kimmel is a scum-bag, but I wouldn't fire him. I'd fire his handlers, including ABC, Disney, and all their investors. Turn off the television, avoid all Disney endeavors, and watch them squirm in the heat. Will enough do this? Of course not. Few want to miss their favorite television show, and the kids are crying to go to Disney World.

Venting

I received a notice that my Medicare supplement insurance premium is being raised. It's more of the same line of crap that is being peddled by everyone, including Trump. Regardless of opinions, the way to solve many of the nation's problems requires solutions harder than just letting the Baby Boomers die off, and being rid of their ridiculous ideas about religion, work, responsibility, and national pride. Stringing them on a few more years removes many, and even those still alive can be easily handled due to their age.

*spit*

Today Is The Day

From what I've been reading, after today, certain forms of identification are required for domestic flights. Media outlets are reporting the outrage of this requirement every chance they get, and many are irritated they have now have to have this identification, but the law was passed twenty years ago, and there has been plenty of time.  

Right after the attacks in 2001, most industrial facilities required a Transportation Worker Identification Card (TWIC). At the beginning, a driver license was an acceptable form of identification for the card. After 2005, to have it renewed, an original, or certified copy, of a birth certificate was required for most people. There were other acceptable ID's, but I don't remember what they were. Without the card, I was forbidden to enter any dock, which included every petrochemical facility where I worked, even though I'd worked in most for years. Even the guards recognized me, but would turn me away if I didn't have the card, which required over a hundred dollars of my money every few years to update, and my fingerprints.

So, here we are. They're cracking down on those that probably are not dangerous, but it is what it is. I have some sympathy for those that have to jump through hoops to obtain the correct paperwork for their identification, but not much. There was no hoopla when I had to jump through hoops to keep working, and dealing with a bureaucracy to get a certified copy of my birth certificate took more time than I wished to give.

Thinking About Alligators

 For some reason, I was thinking about alligators this morning, and remembered some times I spent in the marsh back in the early seventies. At that time, alligators were newly placed on the endangered species list, and even today, with their numbers rebounding, they're a protected species. 

Back then, I would go with my brother, and friends, to go fishing in the local marsh. Part of the marsh was impounded with levees, which was fresh water, and the majority of the marsh was a salt water marsh, with an entirely different fauna, except for the alligators. There were many alligators. They thrived in both habitats, and required wariness when in the marsh. While they were usually afraid of humans, large females could become aggressive when protecting their nest. If they happened to attack, and you were alone, they could hold you in a death spin until you drowned. After that, if you weren't found, they could feed on your deteriorating body. Rotting meat being much more tender, eating a person was an easier task. 

Maybe they were endangered, but considering what I saw, I have a suspicion their numbers were probably smaller than when they were originally counted, but never to the point of endangerment. Doing so allowed the species to grow in numbers, protecting the species allowed hunting permits (taxes for more public sector employees) and with government inclusion, opportunities for grants, with other slush funds for politicians. I may be wrong, but I might be right. I'll probably never know, but after watching the antics of government entities, I have a feeling I am probably right.

Calm Before The Storm

Early voting is out of the way, and the anticipation of the election on Tuesday is creating a lot of anxiety. How it turns out is yet to be seen, but considering things up to this point, the conjecture, projections and outright lies will fill the news for a long time. That, and the start of the next election cycle will begin for the next four years of B.S.

Bleh!

The Progression Nobody Cares For

School started about a month ago. So has the seasonal passing of pathogens by children. The usual colds, stomach viruses and maladies without names appeared, and now a great niece that lives close has strep throat. So, the entire family will now be exposed, including a toddler and an infant. My wife, like me, will now avoid them all, keep the hand sanitizer close, and hope we haven't been exposed to any of the illnesses that are now prevalent. 

Bleh!

Lacking Profundity

 There are many things that cross my mind during the day. I think about writing about the thoughts, but the lack of profundity guarantees the effort will be futile. Maybe some earth-shattering revelation will cross my mind, and I will write a post that impresses......or not.

Bleh!

How Things Don't Change

I was perusing a news site, and found an article explaining how people coped during the Great Depression. It showed how the ten things listed could help those in today's economy. It was amazing. All the things my family did while I was being raised were detailed. Of course, my grandparents, and parents, lived through that time, and the items detailed were just part of their every day life. They grew some of their own food. Mended clothes. Canned things from their garden and fruit trees. Had meals that stretched meat, such as beans and spaghetti. Didn't waste what they had. Were frugal with purchases and hunted for bargains. Otherwise, things that make sense to me, but many today wouldn't have a clue. 

I don't know about all people, but just having an article like that should alert everyone how the economy sucks. Those days should be gone forever, yet here we are - almost 100 years later - facing them again.

I'm Cynical

 Cheatle resigned. Now what? More investigations that lead nowhere? No accountability, as usual? More destruction of records and the constant effort to keep anyone from speaking? I see nothing will be resolved, the administration continuing feckless behavior, and the constant chatter of theories as nothing more than a distraction.

Bleh!

So...What is There To Debate?

The economy sucks, foreign policy sucks, unelected officials suck, we have no protection from invaders at the border, perverts are allowed to perform their bizarre theater in front of children, criminals are allowed to be free with a slap on the wrist, the media lies, basic rights are ignored, and our education system is creating a system of ignorant imbeciles. Biden can't rationalize this condition, Trump can say what he wants, but be censored, and in the end the theater of the "debate" will change nothing. I'd rather they give both baseball bats and let the winner be President. It would reflect the madness of our times.

It's Convenient

 So, Hunter Biden is convicted, and his father says he won't pardon him. Of course he won't, until it's necessary, which is probably somewhere after the next election. During the time leading to the election, Trump will be hounded by those that want him out of the picture, few will realize the law that Hunter was prosecuted for is another chink from the armor of the second amendment, and most will just follow the squirrel. It's all convenient, since the media is doing its best job of ignoring the crimes of the entire Biden family, the subterfuge of Pelosi, and the fact a tremendous amount of law enforcement officials lied about the authenticity of the laptop Hunter dropped off for repair. 

Another Week Passes

Mosquitoes were the biggest contributor to the last week. Fogging only allows them to get high, and bite with more vengeance. Mowing was not pleasant, and repellent only exposed the fact mosquitoes can find places you wouldn't imagine. We'll deal with them all season, unless it dries up as much as last summer. 

Rain appeared again, and over a two hour period, we had over three inches, which was bad, but the tremendous straight line winds made it worse. The storm moved slowly, and we were blessed no tornadoes formed in our area, but trees still were uprooted, and low lying areas filled to the brim again. The weather folks called it a derecho, and Houston caught the worst of the large path of straight line winds. It's path, according to experts, was from Austin to Florida. 

The news is still filled with pandering, although it's beginning to look as though even the staunchest of Democrats are realizing they have backed crime that would make a Mafioso blush. So many laws have been broken, and it's looking as though people are going to respond with vengeance in mind.

The prosecutor of Trump's trial is obviously expecting a big payoff by someone. His career is over, and I think even publishers will avoid his story. New York will be exposed to law suits that will be impossible to defend, and those that can leave will do so at the earliest opportunity. May his downfall be a spectacular example of how evil is punished. He deserves nothing better. 

Our road is flooded, so we won't be going anywhere today. It should be down by tomorrow, and we can take a drive to see the damage. I'll avoid the outside as much as possible. I'd rather the mosquitoes feed on something else. 

Inflation Rates and Other Bogus Statistics

From my point of view, statistics, reports, analysis, projections, and other references on inflation are bogus. I use the Walmart bag weight to dollars spent to determine such things. At this point, I've either gained a lot of strength, or my money is buying much less that is being reported by inflation statistics. I'd never notice a 3% to 4% difference in weight, which makes me think the actual difference is somewhere around 25%. To my fixed income, that's unacceptable, and somebody needs to have their ass whipped for this nonsense.  

Really Not Super

 Another "Super Tuesday" has passed. The necessary hoopla announced the arrival; and the politicians basked in their glory. Meanwhile, in spite of all the hype, we go on with all the damage done to satisfy egos, acquire wealth, and to use power for control. My cynical mind tells me it's all the same thing all over again; and some people that need severe punishment will either have access to their avenue for crime, or fade away without punishment.

Bleh!

When the Bad Weather Isn't

 During the year (especially when cold fronts threaten) we can get what I call "dicey" weather. When the storms are really bad, the thump when the first gust of wind hits the house, it leaves a few moments of panic. That, and when you can read a book by the lightning, or the rumble of thunder is like a twenty mile long string of loaded dump trucks passing by, there's no doubt the weather will be "dicey". The worst can bring power outages, and depending on how many trees fall on the lines, how long that lasts can be a crap shoot.

The weather folks (bless their hearts) predicted we had the possibility of some severe thunderstorms overnight. They weren't really really sure if they would reach our area (in fact they were betting they wouldn't) but wanted to keep the possibility open for their general CYA protocol requirements. This, to me, guarantees light sleeping, and a general feeling of anxiety. 

So, with my radar link handy on my phone, I watched television until late, watched a line of really strong storms develop, and decided to go to bed, since it would be hours before the storms arrived. The storms looked like they were losing their punch, and maybe the weather folks were right. 

I didn't sleep long. A low rumble of thunder woke me, and I knew I wouldn't be able to fall back asleep. Within a few moments, I could hear heavy rain falling, which indicated to me the weather was about to get dicey. A quick glance at my phone showed a line of storms with heavy rain, and the white in the middle of the storms made it clear there was either very heavy rain, or some severe weather about to arrive. 

I got up, fixed a cup of coffee, and went out on the porch. The heavy rain had stopped, and there was only an occasional bolt of lightning in the distance. Looking at the weather map, there was some severe weather about twenty miles to the south, and it was looking as though the line of storms in my area weren't severe, although we were about to get some really heavy rain. It soon arrived, passed in a few minutes and only left some steady rain. That was good, but according to the original forecast, there would be two rounds of storms, and the second would happen when the wind shift arrived. 

Now, it's still raining, and the radar is showing round two will arrive sometime in the next few hours. It looks like it will be either bad, really heavy rain, or both. I won't know until arrives. Hopefully the severe stuff will stay away, but I'm not counting on it. I'll go make another cup of coffee, cook some sausage, and make breakfast. If the power goes out, at least I had a good breakfast. 

The Point Where It Is Obvious

My years in construction supervision gave me the knowledge to immediately discern if an employee, or subcontractor, were competent. I had to know such things, or those I worked for would immediately know they made a mistake in hiring me, or allowing me to supervise a project beyond my capabilities. In the honest world, which only judges on skills, it determines who survives, or not, and in many situations, guarantees a critical structure is safe.

After thinking about the news I read daily, I realized the "experts" and "tenured professors" have reached the point they're so incompetent, they have no idea how incompetent they are. To make things worse, governments have hired what should be culls, and they are in positions that allow them to arbitrarily ignore all laws, or legal precedence. Meanwhile, a huge amount of the "journalists" turned out by these ivory towers of ignorance not only have no idea of their real purpose, they have no clue how their pandering, and repeating of the narratives now being ignored, made them useless. 

So, here we are. Those that should be have the most knowledge, and wisdom, are showing daily they not only can't be trusted, their sacred halls of education are becoming as important the dew claws on dogs. The country is full of people with degrees and no education. It's a sad situation, and with the removal of important knowledge for critical responsibilities, we've reached the point where the blind are leading the blind.

Extremes

 According to the experts, we're still in a drought. "Abnormally dry" is the description, and looking at the local ponds, it's an accurate description. The feet of water lost during the long dry spell is still apparent, and only a few inches has been added over the last few month. That's supposed to change over the next few days. 

We're forecast to have between four and ten inches of rain, with higher amounts in certain areas. With the ground finally reaching a point of near saturation, that much water will overwhelm outfalls. How much depends on how often the heaviest of rain falls. If there is sufficient time between the heaviest of showers, the runoff might have time to subside. If not, the water will inundate the surrounding areas and flooding will occur. Due to the timing, much of that may impact rush hour, and certain schools may find they need to close early to keep students from being stranded. 

We'll see how this turns out, but it's necessary to make a Sunday trip to the grocery store. Too much rain will flood the road to my house, and it can take days for it to subside. That, and it's looking like we'll have rain for at least five days. Shopping in the rain sucks, and just going to the store is guaranteed to expose the most ignorant of drivers. 

I Curse Too Much

That's what I was told by an operator that wasn't really an operator and quit earlier this week...without telling me he was quitting.

I really don't know what to write, except I was told that after I asked him to explain to me how someone could live without having money from a job to pay the bills. Of course I know the answer. I was feeling mean and wanted to make him uncomfortable.

 He'll probably apply for unemployment; and I'll have to write a few appeal letters. If it turns out like it usually does, I'll be the bad guy and he'll appeal all the way to the three panel tribunal and it will be decided with a coin toss.... I'm calling heads.

Apathy, Entitlement and Crappy People

I woke this morning, thought about things, and realized way too many people don't care, expect their existence to be guaranteed just because they want it to be that way, and can only be described as shit. Those just the opposite are forever having their fortunes pillaged, chastised for their perceived foolishness, or taking advantage of the programs that supposedly help the "downtrodden". It's a social disease. A blight on the health of a nation.

Meanwhile, the social media is full of millions of mindless posts, or tweets. The substance of what once was a healthy society is now a continuous series of photos of food, selfies and re-posts of famous quotes; written on a backdrop of computer generated graphics, or photographs taken by some stranger.

We've become a huge photo of Alfred E. Neuman; a gap in our front teeth, a silly smile on our face and our only inspiring words? "What, me worry?"