Real Life
I am AFTK almost totally. I have managed to maintain the Iditarod posts, but I don’t have the time to look at news sites or much of anything else because of a family emergency.
I’m hoping that we can develop a schedule with a little cooperation from the outside agencies involved, but they are also swamped.
I will get to responding when I can and I do read comments when I get to either of the computers I have been using, but it won’t be quickly except by coincidence.
In addition to all of that I have a switch of ISPs scheduled because it will cost me $60 less than my current provider who wasn’t interested in dealing.
26 comments
Hi m8. Take it easy if you can, and sincere best of luck my friend! I hope everything works out and settles down for you. 🙂
I know how you feel…
Anyway, don’t worry about the news. *shrug* It’s all the same old… yadda! Most US news sources are reporting on nothing worthwhile (the usual *Obama is Satan*, *OMG! What IS she/he wearing?* and so on. Most news services outside the USA are reporting with glee (to varying degrees) about the latest US SNAFU and so on. 😀 See… too easy! 😉 😆
The current non-news Item (with a few exceptions) in the USA is Senator (D) Dianne Feinstein’s double-standard outrage that The CIA has been spying on her committee investigating the CIA’s torture program and deleting sensitive documents on their computers. But it’s good and proper and legal that the NSA/CIA/FBI do it to *normal people*. Which is normal behavior for the the standard political hypocrites in Gov (everywhere).
It seems that the moron’s on Feinstein’s committee (herself included) had not one iota of a clue that allowing the CIA to set up a computer system to be used by Senate committee staff to produce a report about the agency itself, may have been not only somewhat of a conflict, but amazingly stupid. But that’s politicians for you. As the CSM put it: it “created a ‘classic case of the fox looking after the henhouse.'”
What was that quote the Sen once used… Ahhh, yes! The classic “If you have done nothing wrong, you have nothing to fear!” I wonder if she’s rethinking that? I doub’t it.
Here’s a couple good ones to save you searching, whenever you get a chance to look at them. 😉 🙂
What’s Feinstein So Upset About? CIA Just Spied On Senate Intelligence Committee ‘Metadata’
Deleted CIA files: Did the Senate committee err in trusting the agency?
I’m going to believe that the CSM were using satire in that title. 😉 😆
There ya go! Just trying to help. 😉 Have a laugh on me (well… more accurately, on US politics). 😉 😀
OK! Well… I’m off to take some antihistamine (3mg Dexchlorpheniramine Meleate), a strong anesthetic throat lozenge (a cocktail of: 650 mcg Amylmetacresol + 1.5 mg Dichlorobenzyl Alcohol + 12 mg Lignocaine Hydrochloride), a good strong pain killer (1 g Paracetamol + 36 mg Codeine Phosphate + 12 mg Doxylamine Succinate), and a nice cup of herbal tea! That on top of my regular prescription med’s means I’m a full supporter of the Pharma industry! It’s all human’s Patriotic duty (apparently)! 😉 😛
And with all that, I’m off to take a nap (before my head hits the KB)!
Bryan, take care of “real life”, we’ll all be waiting here when you get back! Hope everything works out well for you, and good luck.
And Kryten, sounds like you need a little good luck, too! Here’s “Get well, soon” wishes for down under.
Hope all things (human and mechanical) are patched up and functional soon! Hugs.
Bryan, do what you must, but one thing you must do is maintain your health. Family emergencies have a way of infringing on that imperative. Hold fast, my friend!
I thank you all for your kind thoughts. Things should improve once the organizations involved commit to a semi-firm schedule, so I know what I need to cover, and hire some people to do it.
The basis of the problem is ‘defensive medicine’ and an absolute lack of hard information about the affects and dosages of medication on women and the elderly. Hell, MDs aren’t as careful as Vets when prescribing. Vets at least base dosage on weight, and then reduce it based on age. With people it’s one standard for adults.
I assume that I will find the tunnel and eventually the light at the end.
Thanks again.
Bryan, you take care of RL or there is no online. Things have to be done. I’m sorry to hear you are going through some tough times but life has a way of throwing you curve balls about the time you think you got it all straightened out. Things will still be here when the time comes to pick up the reins again.
@Kryten42,
I find it amazing that Feinstein can suddenly “get it” when its her group that is spied on. She has a history of pro-security power grabs for at least as long as she’s been on the Intelligence Oversight Committee. Just like Merkel, it’s horrid that she personally was spied on but not a peep out of either of them about their citizens being spied on. That pretty much tells me all I need to know about all this from the political aspect. It’s just more stage show.
Thanks a lot Juanita! It means a lot from you. 😀 And I truly hope all is well with you, and life is getting a little easier at least!
Yeah Bryan. I NEVER take any med a quack recommends or prescribes without talking to a very good Pharmacist that’s been saving me from the quack’s for some years new. It’s truly amazing the number of times she’s written a letter for the Doc explaining why something he prescribed was a bad idea! When I had my 2nd surgery just over 2 years ago, I ended up with hives because some moron didn’t know that Ampicillin and Penicillin (that I’ve been allergic to the past several years) are the same family, and if you are allergic to one, it’s a pretty good bet you are allergic to all of them! In fact, my Pharmacist said that people allergic to Penicillin will usually have a stronger reaction to Ampicillin (which is why I have hives and have to take antihistamine).
Never trust a GP and med’s!!
@Bryan: I hope you are luckier than I am my with that light/tunnel. 😉 I do understand. I have a couple *Organizational* problems to deal with also right now. *shrug* Same old… 🙂
@Dizzy: Yeah, you got that right. 🙂
Kryten, there have to be a dozen ‘new and improved’ versions of penicillin, and I have taken most of them because it is the best antibiotic for me. Augmentin is the most common to be sure they have killed it. Amoxcillin is the most common antibiotic I use on cats, and it is really just the children’s version, as it is pink and bubblegum flavored. Good pharmacists are vital to staying alive. As bad as hives are, Stevens Johnson Syndrome is an allergic reaction that you never want to deal with.
I fully agree with Dizzy, the privileged people at the top are happy to back and approve any indignity that afflicts ‘the little people’, but that’s because they assume they are immune. They raise holy hell when they discover that they are subject to the same treatment as the ‘plebes’.
This place is part of my anger control mechanism, and it helps to release some of the frustration. I had another problem resolved tonight, but I worry about the welfare of other people. I don’t want anyone overdoing, so they will feel put upon, because they are vital to the operation, and if they burn out, we are in real trouble.
My sanity requires some time around here to decompress, but it will be limited.
There’s a good article over at Techdirt about the violation of client/attorney privilege in dealing with the NSA spying. Gen. Alexander responds with a letter basically saying yeah, it’s gonna happen.
What blows me away with all this is two things.
One is that these security/spy agencies have been violating both the intent as well as the letter of the law so long that their answer pretty much comes down to “So what?”. There is not one iota remorse, we broke the law, we violated anything, just the assumption of it is their right.
The second one is that American Bar Association isn’t hell bent for court addressing this but rather chewing the fat over it with Alexander. What the heck is wrong with this picture? This is on par with some of the revelations of the Nixon Watergate era or the Pentagon Papers.
To be honest I see no way things are going to continue as they have been. The real pressures haven’t yet been brought to bear against all this. It’s like an avalanche that is slowly building pressure until release.
ICANN is the latest to fall victim as it will now leave US control as a direct result due to the NSA revelations.
I dunno why I became allergic to penicillin, except that it happened after my accident in ’07 and I had a golden staph infection that they had to use a strong cocktail of antibiotics to kill. I dunno if you were given penicillin pills in your Military time, but we were issued a bottle of them in Cambodia and other unhealthy places and we ate them like candy. We also carried a half-dozen self-injecting ampules of morphine, which came in handy a few times. 🙂
As for anger management… yeah, me also. Thanks m8! 😀
Dizzy: It will get worse. Maybe then it will get better. Who knows? *shrug*
Well… damn! just… dammit! *SIGH*
You know, I am starting to think that reading news is a bad idea! 🙁
I check a few news sources about various things. When I was in SF for awhile, I discovered almost by accident a rather wonderful burger joint (I’d heard about Mission St. and decided to check it out)! Now I know most people (even American’s) think all the burger joints in the USA are fantastic! After sampling several in various States, I can say that most are garbage, some are good, and a few are amazing! Anyway, I discovered Joe’s Cable Car Restaurant. I loved the place (as well as various seafood places in SF of course!) Now I just found out it’s closing down (or has just closed). I’ve been hoping that I will get back to the USA one day, and that was going to be one of the places on my *must revisit* list (also Blooms Deli in NYC). So I started looking for other places I knew… and many have closed! Several blame the recession.*sigh* At this rate, I won’t have much of a reason to blow a small fortune going back to the USA. *shrug*
Closing time nears for Joe’s Cable Car Restaurant
Still, Joe (the owner) really does deserve to retire! He’s worked hard over 50 years and has provided a lot of happiness. 🙂 I’ll remember him fondly. I really hope he enjoys his retirement, I’m sure he has a ton of good memories. 🙂
I hope you all get a chance to read the above. It’s a really good story, though it’s kinda sad. But all things end. 🙂
Thanks Joe! Be well, be happy. 😀
Bryan and Kryten: Apparently, dealing with the medical establishment is about the same throughout the Western world now. My closest friend just battled breast cancer last year which you can imagine required a slew of specialists, surgeons, etc. It was a battle just keeping the left hand aware of what the right hand was doing – all during a period of time she barely felt like lifting her head.
In other similar news, I was one of those lucky self-employed people that was told my particular medical policy was no longer supported by the new healthcare act. Sigh…I really needed more things to do, right? Off to the healthcare.gov site I went, and now I have an assortment of policies to choose from.
But I just don’t understand why it has to be so complicated. I had a high deductible, but everything was paid after that. So simple. Easy to plan your budget. Now, it’s 15% of this, 20% of that, 30% of the other thing. God only knows what you’ll end up paying. You won’t know until after you’re buried somewhere.
Add all that to Dizzy’s comments and you just realize that the “little people” are invisible. Sort of like wallpaper.
My oldest friend’s wife (also a friend) had breast cancer and had to have a double mastectomy, as well as chemo etc. That was 8 or 9 years ago. To this day, she still has associated problems to deal with. It’s very hard to be a friend and feel pretty much useless. She’s on heavy antidepressants because she can’t cope. She was the first female Pharmacist in the RAN (Aus. Navy) and became the senior Pharmacist at a major hospital, and couldn’t cope with not being able to do her job. She was also a capable artist and wanted to become better at that.
Add all that to Dizzy’s comments and you just realize that the “little people” are invisible. Sort of like wallpaper.
It’s understandable when you realize that most of *them* (the so-called elites) are mostly narcissists and/or sociopath’s, also remember that they are a tiny minority compared to the vast majority of *little people*. Of course it’s supremely inequitable since they have the majority of money and power. It can’t last.
yikes. I had to look that up; it’s awful.
Sometimes I think I come off as one of the conspiratards. None of the things being revealed about spying agencies is really new, it’s just different methods. Sooner or later it will all fall down, as it has done many times before, only to be buried and then slowly resurrected again. That’s the key to why this hasn’t been solved and buried as an old problem.
I often wonder about the rampant cancer we are seeing in society as a whole. Is it that medical tech has advanced enough to recognize cancer when we see it now as opposed to in the past just calling it some sort of disease of opportunity? Or is it that our industrialized society now puts so many additives in our food chain that there is no way to prevent ingesting cancer causing ingredients? When you look around, very few of us don’t know someone that has some form of cancer. When you get to looking at it that way, it is widespread through out the world populace.
@Kryten42
I’ve long held that there are no real burger chains anymore or at least those that are considered fast food joints. I gave up on them long ago and today nearly don’t do fast foods. I’d much rather sit down to my grill, pop a cool one, and do it myself. Those come out looking and tasting like a real burger instead of some grey, smooth textured, thing they call meat. It always rests in the back of my mind that when I see a fast food burger to holler, “Where’s the beef?”. What they call meat in a burger doesn’t resemble anything I’m accustom to seeing. When you compare taste, there is no comparison.
No one should any longer wonder at McD’s french fries that left unrefrigerated still resemble what they went in looking like after 3 years in a sealed container. That’s not exactly what I know real potatoes do.
Oh, I forgot. Hello to you, JuanitaM. I am sorry I haven’t had the pleasure earlier. *waves*
Bryan, gosh, did I ever misunderstand the nature of your problems, and on top of that, underestimate their complexity. Please do what you can to take care of yourself. Kryten is right about finding a good pharmacist to give you advice; I don’t have one of those, but Stella, in the nature of her own work, stays up to date on such things through various sources, and passes on to me the items relevant to my… and her… health. In any case, you need more than just one overworked MD, however good s/he may be, to keep things on track. Hang in there!
Kryten, I carried a large bottle of penicillin and a hand full of “wasps” in my flight suit in SEA. It was standard issue in the event you ended up on the ground. We used the penicillin like breathe mints, because there were so many things we had no natural immunity to in that environment.
The new rules on cooking beef insures that hamburgers will be dry and tasteless, and all of the chains are using french fries that are formed from dehydrated potato ‘dust’, rather than french-sliced real potatoes. Only the small local joints find it feasible to use real potatoes and real ground beef in their operations.
Juanita, the problem with Obamacare is that it didn’t include a real public option. Medicare for All would have been cheaper, easier to implement, and better for everyone, but they decided to keep the insurance companies, who are actually the main cause of the spiraling costs. Insurance companies increase their profits when they can stop people from getting health care, so they stall the system whenever they can. Now that they have to accept anyone who wants a policy, and provide a reasonable level of service for their premiums, they are screwing up the process by making it as difficult as they can. I wish you luck, because I have Medicare and know how hassle-free it is.
Dizzy, I was part of NSA in the 1960s and ’70s and can tell you the crap they are pulling was flat illegal and you were told that you would pay a penalty if you messed up. 9/11 changed everything and created this mess, as Congress rubber-stamped every bad idea that came down the pike. The current intel guys keep chanting ‘terrorists’ to keep Congress in line, and don’t worry about the consequences – because there aren’t any.
Hipparchia, most doctors don’t know what it is and will treat it steroids which will make it worse in some cases. It’s an allergic reaction, so you stop taking any new medications to stop it from getting worse and start using oxygen because the mucous membranes include your lungs.
Steve, the whole system is messed up. One of the best things about Kaiser-Permanente and the VA system is they actually are systems, and there is information sharing going on to prevent unnecessary tests and procedures, as well as conflicts. When you go to individual specialists, they just worry about their specialty, and don’t really understand your medical history.
We have a good pharmacy, with a good system for conflicts, and they have no problem calling doctors and asking if they are out of their minds prescribing certain meds or doses. They notify us if anything looks wrong, or is questionable.
As the health insurance system was bad enough, the health delivery system is almost as dysfunctional.
@ Bryan,
I’m sorry to hear of your problems with penicillin. When I was a young lad, I lost a brother this way who was allergic to penicillin. Doctors loaded him up with it then decided to read the records later when they started having problems. By then it was much too late.
We never really appreciate good health till it’s gone. In this I am extremely lucky to have been disgustingly healthy pretty much my entire life. Other than catching the usual things in a closed work environment. When people are home they catch what the kids have in school and bring it to work to share with you. Once I got out of that type of environment, I haven’t had a cold, the flu, nor anything else in better than a decade. I’ve been extremely fortunate.
But all that can disappear in the flash of an eye blink. Some nut on the cell phone runs into you, you blink and miss an important danger sign, or just happen to be in the wrong place at the right time through no fault of your own. Maybe one of the things I fear the most is getting sick and winding up in a hospital where most people catch the serious stuff rather than what they came in with.
Our medical industry is and can not be self sustaining under it’s present load. If you are without insurance and have to go, what little help you receive to get you back out the door, will usually cost pretty much everything you own. Most people going into serious hospital stays with insurance are also the ones that wound up claiming bankruptcy, making up the majority of bankruptcy cases.
The medical industry is expected to take up 20% of the GNP by the year 2021. It will never make that given how people are barely surviving today and the trend that employment is going. It won’t make that because there are a lot of other expenses in the day to day living and pay and benefits are barely covering if they are at all, a living wage. This trend will not get better until things reverse in the direction it is now headed or congress can ignore it and the lid will blow off soon enough. I suspect mainly through the pressures of living costs, inflation that has been covered up, unemployment, increases in food prices, and a lack of tax support because of the large unemployment factor.
All of this is going to come to a head. To me, the government already knows this through it’s think tanks and that is the answer why the DHS, IRS, and even the USPS that has no armed agents of any sized force are purchasing large bulk buys of ammunition (as well as to drive up the cost through scarcity to prevent the public from buying more to become better armed). I think the government already knows where we are headed.
The ammunition purchases are long-term contracts not all at once, and USPS, IRS both have uniformed officers, and there are multiple police functions in the DHS, including the Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs officers. Most of the ammo is for training and requalification purposes. I was using a minimum of 100 rounds a month staying proficient with my service weapons, and I was providing that ammo. The department budgeted 100 rounds a year per officer for qualification.
The ammunition manufacturers are not adding capacity to meet the demand, which drives up the price and their profits, while telling people it’s the government. The government is buying a lot of .223 to replace what has been used in Iraq and Afghanistan, but .22 rimfire is in short supply and the government doesn’t use it. Corporations screw you and blame the government.
Dizzy, I don’t have problem with penicillin, Kryten does. I haven’t taken anything but aspirin and decongestants for the last 30 years, which is the last time I saw a doctor. I manage to survive without the health care providers. I do get flu shots, and other immunizations on a regular basis at a reasonable price from the health department.
I’m dealing with the illness of a family member who has a legion of doctors, none of whom talk to each other, and none of whom bother to read the patient charts that clearly state specific drug allergies.
There are more accounting personnel than medical personnel involved in the US health system.
@Dizzy: yeah m8… ’tis I! 😀
As you said Bryan, Summer colds are the worst! I thought I was improving over the weekend, but it decided it wasn’t done with me yet. So I spent most of the day in bed listening to the rain in between naps and taking meds. Just got up an hour ago (about 2AM) because I haven’t eaten much the past couple days and realised I needed to. Now I’m awake and can’t sleep, so my routine (what I had of one anyway) is gone. 🙂
I haven’t taken anything but aspirin and decongestants for the last 30 years, which is the last time I saw a doctor.
Ooooh! I REALLY envy you right now! 😛 😉 😆
And I hope it stays that way for you my friend. You really don’t want to have to be dealing with the crap your family member (I know how that is) and I are dealing with, for yourself also. These days, if you have good health, you are way in front of the pack.
I wasn’t sure how much time you spent in SEA, but since you were there I’m not surprised that you also had lot’s of penicillin (and probably multivitamins also as we did). A soldier can only carry so much, and spending a couple weeks or more in an SEA jungles, we needed all the help we could get, and the lighter, the better. 🙂
The high protein/carb rations tasted like crap, but were the best way to stay alive for extended periods. Water was the big problem, as you know. We had ways to help with that, but none were as effective as we’d have liked. *shrug* So, penicillin and high doses of vit. C etc. were necessary. And salt pill’s too. Oh, also a anti-rash salve, 2 pairs of spare (dry) socks, and sulfur powder (101 uses! Especially for pyromaniacs like us!) . 😉 LOL Ahhhh… the memories come flooding back! *sigh*
When we wern’t on missions, and we were on base, we’d spend at least 1-2 hours per day at the weapons ranges. When you are trying to hit a target at 2+ klicks… you need constant practice. 😉 Also for sidearm and other weapons, including bow, knives etc.!
Anyway m8, stay well and sane. And good luck with your family. I’m sure you’ll sort it all out. You are one of the most capable people I know. I’m sure that, like myself, you wish you didn’t have to be. Way of the World today I’m afraid. 🙂
Hi hipparchia! I hope you are well and good also! 😀 And yes, it is awful.
Our survival rations at least contained a ‘cereal bar’ that tasted like graham crackers, so that was fine, but there were a number of other things that were eaten because you had too. After a couple days fried grubs looked pretty tasty, and lizards were a real treat. They were designed to last, to eat without a fire, and maintain fitness, not to please your taste buds, and they succeeded.
The salt tablets were helpful in cooking if a fire was possible – aircrews will eat anything that is hot and salty. Deep frying would be even better, but you can’t have everything.
Hang in there, Kryten. The damn things last three times as long as a normal cold, but they eventually lose interest in tormenting you and move on to new victims.
“the problem with Obamacare is that it didn’t include a real public option”
Exactly! After all the unholy fight that went on over the new healthcare law, we ended up with mostly stuff we didn’t want and very little we did. We needed that public option to force insurance companies to have competition. They are all in cahoots on the pricing of these policies anyway, and it amazes me how they’ve managed to avoid federal anti-trust laws. I guess they spend more money on Congress than the mafia does, so they get a pass. Maybe the mafia should take note and get themselves a lobby.
Also, have you noticed how insurance prices have skyrocketed since all the insurers went public? You can almost track to the year double digit price increases annually when companies like our Blue Cross Blue Shield went from a non-profit to a profit machine.
Bryan, like you, I haven’t been to a doctor in years and don’t take drugs (except one case of Lyme about 4 years ago and doxycillin knocked that right out). For my last insurance policy, they required a nurse to come by and take blood, etc. Everything was in normal healthy ranges, so I really didn’t need a policy for the small stuff or prescriptions. I wanted to be protected from major medical for a reasonable price which is exactly what I had. There’s no comparable policy on healthcare.gov. Oh, they have the high deductibles alright, but instead of paying everything after that, you still have these high co-pays, etc. It’s terribly disappointing.
Okay, I’m through venting. Sorry everyone, but I needed that! Did I hear someone mention “anger management”? 🙂
Oh, and *waves* to you too, Dizzy! Sorry you caught me in a bad temper. I get that way every time I have to deal with either insurance or taxes.
You, in a bad temper Juanita???! Never! 😉 😀
Heh… you have as much right as any of us to have a bad day, or more! Heck, I’ve thought for years that Bryan should change the blog’s name to something like “The Grumpy Old
Men’sPeople’s Club”! 😆And just BTW… having a bad temper after dealing with any Gov agency would be considered a sane and reasonable response. Me, I sometimes wish I still had my trusty ol’ problem solver, the .60cal (15.2mm) sniper rifle! 😈 😉
And I’m glad you are in good health. I hope it continues for a long time! 🙂
Our wonderful new Gov. is now talking about bringing in co-pay to our once great Medicare system. What a surprise (for anyone here who is a moron or totally clueless). It’s a funny thing… But whenever anyone asks anyone here if they voted for Abbott, nobody will admit it. It’s a complete mystery how he got elected! *shrug*
See… people are stupid everywhere!
Juanita, somewhere in the policy there is supposed to be a maximum outlay for co-pays per year, after which the insurance pays everything, but nothing, by design, is easy to find in insurance policies.
There is no public option because the insurance companies didn’t want the competition. Medicare gets by with a 3% overhead expense, but the insurance companies are complaining about being limited to 20%.
I’m still looking for someone who actually wanted to spend hours looking at insurance policies on their own, rather than being told what it would cost. Who has the time to do the ‘choosing’.
Oh, yes, Kryten, people should have known this was coming with the Tories in control. All real assistance is for the elite, not the plebes at the bottom. You have to explain to Canadians what a co-pay is, and they really don’t understand why people put up with it. I don’t understand it either, but I’m told it is essential.