When I was years, years younger,
And traveling in my car,
I'd find the radio station
And tune in to NPR.
I heard a noted doctor,
one expert in the field,
Discussing medical options
And the problems
That would yield.
"When people reach age 60,"
He asserted with true flair,
"A million, jillion dollars
We will spend on their health care."
I really couldn't comprehend
How this could come to be.
What possible expenses
Could amount to such a fee?
Fast forward to the present:
MRI, CAT and the EKG,
And ailing seniors scrambling,
Hoping to be ailment-free.
A test for every symptom
With findings we may rue.
As to many many jillions,
Ah, tis true, Tis true.
.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Shifting Allegiance
I hate to do it, but I have to.
For the last few months, there have been 2 cars parked in my driveway: a blue 2003 Ford Taurus and a white 2012 Honda Accord. I reluctantly decided to replace my Taurus when a piece of it fell off in the road when I was driving it, quite a long piece of the strip beneath the passenger side doors. The side had been rusted out only since the past winter, but the car ran so well and had been so well maintained that I planned to drive it forever, until it started to fall apart, that is. I was afraid that the entire bottom of the car might be rusted into a meshy substance that would deteriorate and leave me flattened on the highway, though an inspection at the nearby auto repair shop said otherwise. Still, I felt the time had come to get another car. I had owned the Taurus almost 10 years, and have been very satisfied driving it, but until I replaced it I hadn't realized how comfortable a fit it was for me. I'm not admitting that I don't like change, but the last 3 cars I've owned have been Ford Tauruses, and I add, coincidentally, all 3 have been blue. Different shades of blue though!
I bought a Honda, almost new, with all the latest appointments and accessories: power seats, leather upholstery, moonroof, Sirius radio and Bluetooth potential, dual controls for passenger and driver comfort, automatic driver adjustment positioning, about a thousand computers and half a million other accommodations. Seems perfect, right? But no, it's not; it just cannot compete with my ride of the last 10 years.
My faithful old Taurus also has leather upholstery, power seats, moonroof, adjustable steering wheel, and many other added features. Of highest importance is that I can easily secure the seatbelt, whereas doing so in the Honda means dislocating my shoulder to reach the strap, and then the seatbelt tends to stick in the doorway instead of neatly retracting. The Honda steering wheel is about an inch less in diameter so I have to change my driving position slightly, oh, the strain. And when the wheel is in the proper position, my view of the instruments is blocked; I have to crane my neck to check the speedometer. Honda has installed rear seat headrests that may be safer but they loom up in the rear view mirror in a disconcerting manner, and I have not yet carried a single back seat passenger. Whereas the headlight controls and windshield wipers were in their old familiar places on the right and left, with nice firm descriptors, the Honda has dainty little controls which have to be read to regulate them. And the steering wheel is in the way! Between the bucket seats on the Taurus, is a large open console that can be opened for convenience of versatile storage or closed and swung back for a smooth surface. The Honda has a rigid console with tiny little compartments restricted to specific size uses, like one of those purses with too many compartments. The Honda has stuff on the steering wheel that I don't get or don't understand---Bluetooth, etc. I've just learned to turn on the radio, don't know how to program stations, play CD's, or switch from one mode to another. I'm not sure the headlights are on when I'm driving in daylight, and probably most annoying of all is that every once in a while the windshield wipers sporadically wave back and forth. I guess at how to turn them off, and sometimes I'm successful. On second thought, that is not the most annoying feature. Even more annoying, or rather embarrassing, is that I became trapped in the Honda, in a hospital parking lot. I would not have thought it possible that the driver door would lock, and trap the driver inside. But it happened. I did what I hate to do: read a manual to figure out how to exit the vehicle. I had attempted trial and error, pressing buttons randomly, but all that did was trigger the car alarm. It has not happened again, but it could. I really hate reading those hundreds of pages manuals. I know the front seat is heated in the Honda; someone turned it on, and I don't know where the control is to turn off the heat. A heated seat is nice sometimes, but it can also be a distraction. Especially on high heat. And another thing--the keys hang down from the ignition and touch the top of my leg. Who needs that!
I could probably find a few dozen more reasons why the Honda is not as comfortable as the Taurus, including the fact that the visor is not as easy to pull down when driving into the sun. Instead of easy access as in the Taurus, there is just a tiny slot where you have to precisely insert your fingers to pull it down. Another instance of technology tailored to large Americans rather than the petite Japanese.
Now that I've vented my gripes, I guess I'm going to have to eat my words because I was just informed that the brake light is on in the Taurus, likely indicating the need for a brake job. I suppose it's unlikely the result of sabotage, but the thought did cross my mind. So WW II is over; I'll support the Japanese.
For the last few months, there have been 2 cars parked in my driveway: a blue 2003 Ford Taurus and a white 2012 Honda Accord. I reluctantly decided to replace my Taurus when a piece of it fell off in the road when I was driving it, quite a long piece of the strip beneath the passenger side doors. The side had been rusted out only since the past winter, but the car ran so well and had been so well maintained that I planned to drive it forever, until it started to fall apart, that is. I was afraid that the entire bottom of the car might be rusted into a meshy substance that would deteriorate and leave me flattened on the highway, though an inspection at the nearby auto repair shop said otherwise. Still, I felt the time had come to get another car. I had owned the Taurus almost 10 years, and have been very satisfied driving it, but until I replaced it I hadn't realized how comfortable a fit it was for me. I'm not admitting that I don't like change, but the last 3 cars I've owned have been Ford Tauruses, and I add, coincidentally, all 3 have been blue. Different shades of blue though!
I bought a Honda, almost new, with all the latest appointments and accessories: power seats, leather upholstery, moonroof, Sirius radio and Bluetooth potential, dual controls for passenger and driver comfort, automatic driver adjustment positioning, about a thousand computers and half a million other accommodations. Seems perfect, right? But no, it's not; it just cannot compete with my ride of the last 10 years.
My faithful old Taurus also has leather upholstery, power seats, moonroof, adjustable steering wheel, and many other added features. Of highest importance is that I can easily secure the seatbelt, whereas doing so in the Honda means dislocating my shoulder to reach the strap, and then the seatbelt tends to stick in the doorway instead of neatly retracting. The Honda steering wheel is about an inch less in diameter so I have to change my driving position slightly, oh, the strain. And when the wheel is in the proper position, my view of the instruments is blocked; I have to crane my neck to check the speedometer. Honda has installed rear seat headrests that may be safer but they loom up in the rear view mirror in a disconcerting manner, and I have not yet carried a single back seat passenger. Whereas the headlight controls and windshield wipers were in their old familiar places on the right and left, with nice firm descriptors, the Honda has dainty little controls which have to be read to regulate them. And the steering wheel is in the way! Between the bucket seats on the Taurus, is a large open console that can be opened for convenience of versatile storage or closed and swung back for a smooth surface. The Honda has a rigid console with tiny little compartments restricted to specific size uses, like one of those purses with too many compartments. The Honda has stuff on the steering wheel that I don't get or don't understand---Bluetooth, etc. I've just learned to turn on the radio, don't know how to program stations, play CD's, or switch from one mode to another. I'm not sure the headlights are on when I'm driving in daylight, and probably most annoying of all is that every once in a while the windshield wipers sporadically wave back and forth. I guess at how to turn them off, and sometimes I'm successful. On second thought, that is not the most annoying feature. Even more annoying, or rather embarrassing, is that I became trapped in the Honda, in a hospital parking lot. I would not have thought it possible that the driver door would lock, and trap the driver inside. But it happened. I did what I hate to do: read a manual to figure out how to exit the vehicle. I had attempted trial and error, pressing buttons randomly, but all that did was trigger the car alarm. It has not happened again, but it could. I really hate reading those hundreds of pages manuals. I know the front seat is heated in the Honda; someone turned it on, and I don't know where the control is to turn off the heat. A heated seat is nice sometimes, but it can also be a distraction. Especially on high heat. And another thing--the keys hang down from the ignition and touch the top of my leg. Who needs that!
I could probably find a few dozen more reasons why the Honda is not as comfortable as the Taurus, including the fact that the visor is not as easy to pull down when driving into the sun. Instead of easy access as in the Taurus, there is just a tiny slot where you have to precisely insert your fingers to pull it down. Another instance of technology tailored to large Americans rather than the petite Japanese.
Now that I've vented my gripes, I guess I'm going to have to eat my words because I was just informed that the brake light is on in the Taurus, likely indicating the need for a brake job. I suppose it's unlikely the result of sabotage, but the thought did cross my mind. So WW II is over; I'll support the Japanese.
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Phew!
Watching the Grammys, I was afraid that Faith Hill, whom I haven't seen in some time, had suffered a stroke. Her mouth seemed all twisted to one side, and it seemed her speech was affected. But now I read that she has had braces put back on her teeth because she failed to wear her retainer after she first had the braces put on. Let this be a lesson to all you young'uns.
Friday, February 8, 2013
Tyson the Chameleon
I watch TV throughout the night sometimes, and this morning I came across Katie Couric's interview with Mike Tyson, which I must have missed in prime time. The entire hour was devoted to him, and he filled it up, with his attractive young wife in the audience, clips from his TV shows and movies, and even his hobby of raising homing pigeons, one of which Katie gamely held. His is an interesting persona, someone formed by who-knows-who out of who-knows-what.
Without a father's presence in his home, and a mother with whom he never formed much of a bond, the first people to impact his life were street thugs and he adopted their lifestyle very well. Then he was fortunate enough to come under the tutelage of Cus D'Amato, under whose influence Tyson became a champion boxer. Money, fame and power were his next idols and he basked in the glow of their teachings and became the epitome of an immoral and ruthless monster, as well as a criminal.
It would appear he was irretrievably lost, as are so many who follow that path, but once again he found a new Svengali, this time celebrity-hood. As natural as he was as thug, champion and felon, he seems to have conquered the world of stardom also. He is confident of his image, articulate and totally undaunted by any questions from major interview hosts. When Ms Couric asked him why he'd been so violent toward women in his "previous life," he admonished her with such a stern "No, no," that she looked startled until he went on to say that he had not been violent toward women, he had been violent toward everyone. She did recover and go on to ask him why the violence. He responded with the perfect and acceptable psychologically in vogue answer of today: he had hated himself. Mike Tyson in control.
Moreover, the reason why he is making guest appearances is to promote the tour of his one-man show. People are buying tickets to listen to him talk and watch his various performance acts. Going with the flow of Mike-Mania , I actually went on Katie's website to enter a contest for tickets to his coming show. The closest site is Niagara Falls next summer: it would be a nice birthday present for Dave. He and Don always followed his career as they grew up in the same area, though years apart, and then Dave would see him in Albany later on. He attended several of his fights in Albany and Glens Falls with family members; on one occasion we (Dave, Marilyn, David, and I) saw Tyson fight at the Colonie Tent. He came out like a wild man and demolished his opponent in the first round amidst a shower of water, sweat, and blood. I think Tyson was 19 years old then: who knows what lies ahead?
Without a father's presence in his home, and a mother with whom he never formed much of a bond, the first people to impact his life were street thugs and he adopted their lifestyle very well. Then he was fortunate enough to come under the tutelage of Cus D'Amato, under whose influence Tyson became a champion boxer. Money, fame and power were his next idols and he basked in the glow of their teachings and became the epitome of an immoral and ruthless monster, as well as a criminal.
It would appear he was irretrievably lost, as are so many who follow that path, but once again he found a new Svengali, this time celebrity-hood. As natural as he was as thug, champion and felon, he seems to have conquered the world of stardom also. He is confident of his image, articulate and totally undaunted by any questions from major interview hosts. When Ms Couric asked him why he'd been so violent toward women in his "previous life," he admonished her with such a stern "No, no," that she looked startled until he went on to say that he had not been violent toward women, he had been violent toward everyone. She did recover and go on to ask him why the violence. He responded with the perfect and acceptable psychologically in vogue answer of today: he had hated himself. Mike Tyson in control.
Moreover, the reason why he is making guest appearances is to promote the tour of his one-man show. People are buying tickets to listen to him talk and watch his various performance acts. Going with the flow of Mike-Mania , I actually went on Katie's website to enter a contest for tickets to his coming show. The closest site is Niagara Falls next summer: it would be a nice birthday present for Dave. He and Don always followed his career as they grew up in the same area, though years apart, and then Dave would see him in Albany later on. He attended several of his fights in Albany and Glens Falls with family members; on one occasion we (Dave, Marilyn, David, and I) saw Tyson fight at the Colonie Tent. He came out like a wild man and demolished his opponent in the first round amidst a shower of water, sweat, and blood. I think Tyson was 19 years old then: who knows what lies ahead?
6. 6. Drat !
A man resigned from his job because his employee ID# contained three 6's in a row, still another occurrence of the ominous serial sixes in his other documents. His religious vibes warned him to back away, so he quit his job. (His employer has promised to abolish all three-time sixes, and has offered him his job back, with a new number.)
I'm all in favor of avoiding satanic influences, so I looked for any potential numerical foreshadowings that may portend evil in my life. Possibly I'm particularly sensitive to numerology because recently I've been to a plethora of medical facilities where the most prevalent question asked, after insurance of course, is for date of birth. (I 've said before that to save time, and potential embarrassment, it might be a good idea to have our birthdays tattooed on our foreheads, which could be covered by Michelle bangs, by women anyway.) There is one 6 in my birthdate, so that in itself wouldn't qualify as demonic, I hope. Before this story broke, I wouldn't have known any good reason to look at my Employer ID#, but I did so and it has one 6. Again, a sense of relief.
My latest medical procedure,which was to last a total of 5-6 hours, involved a 6+mm kidney stone, I was assigned to Room #6, the surgeon is in his 60's, the nurse said 12 lithotripsies had been scheduled for that day, which is 6x2. These 6's don't necessarily seem to bond tightly enough to be a sign, but I did like the movie "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon" and he was pretty evil in "The River Runs Through It" so possibly I should consider quitting my job, if I had one. Oh wait, I didn't have a job, but now I do again; I don't know what to think.
I'm all in favor of avoiding satanic influences, so I looked for any potential numerical foreshadowings that may portend evil in my life. Possibly I'm particularly sensitive to numerology because recently I've been to a plethora of medical facilities where the most prevalent question asked, after insurance of course, is for date of birth. (I 've said before that to save time, and potential embarrassment, it might be a good idea to have our birthdays tattooed on our foreheads, which could be covered by Michelle bangs, by women anyway.) There is one 6 in my birthdate, so that in itself wouldn't qualify as demonic, I hope. Before this story broke, I wouldn't have known any good reason to look at my Employer ID#, but I did so and it has one 6. Again, a sense of relief.
My latest medical procedure,which was to last a total of 5-6 hours, involved a 6+mm kidney stone, I was assigned to Room #6, the surgeon is in his 60's, the nurse said 12 lithotripsies had been scheduled for that day, which is 6x2. These 6's don't necessarily seem to bond tightly enough to be a sign, but I did like the movie "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon" and he was pretty evil in "The River Runs Through It" so possibly I should consider quitting my job, if I had one. Oh wait, I didn't have a job, but now I do again; I don't know what to think.
Thursday, February 7, 2013
False Prophets
The Christmas Cactus finally sprung into bloom this week, and the daffodils outside the front door have sprouted up, yellow where the flower will be. The groundhog signaled his approval, so where is spring?
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Bad, Worse, Worst
"ROBBERY GONE BAD" reads the newspaper headline. "A robbery gone bad results in the death of a Troy man," says the TV newsman. I wonder what the outcome of a robbery that went well would be?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)