Note: these Ws are a rawther lugubrious; thems prone to the mulligrubs may want to skip over this one.
What’s top of my mind: Money. Inflation is a worry, not that I can’t afford things, but how it will lead to a toppling of the government and the return of Trump. My own money worry is a legion of unexpected expenses: car repair, medical matters, house and teeth matters. These are estimated to be about 5,000$ dollars or more. So much for summer travel plans – or much else.
Where I’ve been: Under the kitchen sink. My kitchen sink consists of two tubs: the left side has the garbage disposal while the right side is large enough for doing dishes by hand. The right side now has a leak somewhere down below that if the water is run, it drips down below. Mercifully, there is a blue plastic tub there, holding various cleaning devices and the dishwasher soap. The mephitic mess was easily cleaned up but the sink remains unusable. I think there is a connection problem between the drain and the sink proper. I am timorous to try to fix this myself, lest I make a mess of things. Time to call in a plumber of someone like him. More repairs! More money! This sh-t never ends.
Where I’m going: The periodontist. In 2020 I had a back molar extracted and there is a gap there. In theory a three-part procedure puts down a foundation, a middle bit, topped by a crown, like a candy corn. As the gap isn’t visible, I figured I can live without a full set. Now that it looks like I will be around longer than anticipated, perhaps I should get this completed. This vanity will cost me time and money. The periodontist wants ~ 2,500$ up front. Afterwards The Good Dentist will want his cut as well. Is this really worth a tooth I wonder?
What I’m watching: Videos of rainfall. It’s that time of year: sky is perpetually cloudless, blazing blue and hot as hell. I compensate by listening and watching videos of rainfall. I love the sound of rain, especially in a forest setting. One of life’s greatest pleasures is a weekend (Sunday is the best for this) with a quiet rain, telling you to stay put indoors and read books and drink tea. I never get this anymore; videos of rain are a comfort.
What I’m reading: The mechanisms of action of viloxazine. There is a new medicine, indicated for adult ADD. Alas, Babylon! In my field there is rarely anything ‘new’, just variations of things already available. Sure enough, this one isn’t new but used in Europe for the treatment of MDD (major depression), as it is an antidepressant. Someone decided to repackage it as a new medicine indicated for ADD. Unlike in Europe where it is a generic, here it’s ‘brand’ (viz. expensive) and no better than generic medications in its efficacy. I am already using similar generic medications in this class in the off-label treatment for ADD, so why would I use a ‘new’ one that quite expensive? The pharm rep for this product did their pony-show how vouchers and downloading discounts and using specialty pharmacies may circumvent its high cost. This means ‘more work’ for me. While I never say ‘no’ to a new medication option, I say screw this nonsense.
What I’m listening to: The Trial of Louis Riel. I am listening to a Great Course lecture series titled “Great trials of history”. Most of them I recognize: Socrates; Oscar Wilde; Salem Witch trials. Last weekend I heard one about a fellow I’ve never heard of. As is sometimes the case, I am completely clueless about someone who is well-known by millions, in this case, Canadians. Mr. Riel’s life makes a smashing story. He was part English/Protestant and part Native American/French-Canadian/Catholic. When he was elected to Parliament the old meanies wouldn’t let him serve his elected posts. Later on Mr. Riel went a little nuts, perhaps in a psychotic depression combined with PTSD, and he was exiled to the States. He later returned to Canada, where he raised a ruckus and many things happened and he was put on trial. The defense team argued he was barking mad and thus not responsible for his actions. Thems in charge didn’t buy it and they hanged the poor sod. I consulted some amis in Canada. They told me some see him as a national villain and others see him as a martyr. They even made an opera about him. Oh, but I love learning!
What I’m eating: Midwest casserole – my own recipe. Having eaten countless casseroles I don’t need a recipe, I just follow the basics rules and ingredients at hand. Last weekend I chopped up some chicken breasts and combined them with some tins of mushrooms and jalapeños (after all I live in the Southwest), some shredded cheese, and bound it all with the obligatory can of cream of this/that or the other. I sprinkled it with buttered bread crumbs, popped it in the oven at 350 for some time, and voila! a dish fit for a church basement get-together. It was quite tasty and I ate it with relish. If had combined it was rice or some noodles it would have been perfect.
Who needs a good slap: The Overlords at work. A few months ago the powers that be at work hired another psychiatrist. He seemed a sharp and experienced fellow. Soon there were hints of expanding the place with new treatment options like TMS. Yesterday I was told by The Medical Assistant (who heard it from her boss) he announced he is leaving. He lasted only a few months. I don’t know the reason(s) why he is going. Perhaps there was a sudden turn of unforeseen events. However there is a pattern of my place of employment hiring people and not keeping them. I have lost count how many have come and gone. What is the matter(s) in the interviewing process or in the support or salary that makes folks not stay? Another beef: always hear about these things through the grapevine of the staff and never directly (like in an email). I have to remind myself I don’t run the place, and they are not under obligation to tell me anything along this line. I will probably inherit his patients after he goes. It is not the first time a departed prescriber dumps their workload into my lap as a departing gift.
On my 1-5 scale, I give management at work two slaps.
What I’m planning: A state of nihilism. Somewhere in the archives of my blog I wrote of an experience I had in my youth of going into a small closet-like area on the second floor of my childhood home. It had no windows, so once the door was closed it was the completely dark, the most ‘no light’ I’ve ever experienced. It was fascinating. I would like to experience that again, but how? I think if sit in the walk-in bedroom closet and close the sliding doors (done at night) I might be able to experience it again.
What’s making me smile: Nothing. Again. I sometimes think to eliminate this “W” as it is the hardest one for me to fill. Unlike the others, ‘nothing leaps to mind” quickly. I have to think hard and often my mind is a blank. I will keep it, as it is important to always look for the good and the gratitude in everything, lest one becomes submerged in gloom like a small child lost in the forest. I hope by the time I edit this I have come up with something that is making me smile.
36 comments
June 15, 2022 at 1:48 AM
DwightW.
I think the reason they call it a money pit is that we aren’t choosing to sell it . Real estate is the highest it’s ever been where I am , but we are choosing to live in it as opposed to liquidating it and buying some where else. I have rediscovered peanut putter I’m in heaven. Trump Won’t win DeSantis might. Especially since Biden is being made to look bad by people who want to do business with the Former Moron insert Russians and Saudis here. If it’s not the disposal side the repair should probably be a gasket and less expensive.
An implant is a luxury for many, glad a periodontist would do the actual bone implantation and grafting. Much greater success rate. Casserole sounds good. My dogs always make me smile. My mother got new glasses Monday she can read everything. This makes me smile.
June 15, 2022 at 6:57 AM
Urspo
I am glad to hear from you and read all your thoughts. I am glad your mother got her glasses. It makes me feel good knowing there is someone who is happy.
June 15, 2022 at 10:05 AM
DwightW.
Thank you , I cherish your kind comments.
June 15, 2022 at 3:00 AM
Paul Brownsey
“they hanged the poor sod”
This leapt out at me because I thought “poor sod” was British English and not at all American English.
June 15, 2022 at 6:59 AM
Urspo
Yes, it is British. I grew up listening to BBC comedy (Monty Python; The Goodies; Benny Hill).. Besides entertainment they provided me with a lot of fun words. Few besides me here in Arizona when caught in a fib say “It’s a fair cop” when caught
June 15, 2022 at 3:46 AM
David Godfrey
A wise man once told me, if you can’t remember the last time you laughed, it has been too long. Watch duck soup in a dark room.
June 15, 2022 at 7:00 AM
Urspo
I think I will watch some farce. This is more certain than parody or satire to get a guffaw
June 15, 2022 at 4:09 AM
jenn
Riel can be looked at in a couple of different ways, but always as a “character”. I found it interesting that your casserole naturally involved jalapeno peppers. I don’t think I’ve made a casserole with them! But now you’ve got me thinking… Inflation is a big worry for me – gas prices are insane, heating your home (always a concern for us Canadians), food prices…Right now, my gardens make me smile – everything is bursting with colour and fragrance (peonies!). -Jenn
June 15, 2022 at 7:02 AM
Urspo
The jalapeños was an add-on, as I live in the Southwest and everything gets some hot sauce or chilies, it’s the law. By now food doesn’t taste right without some.
Growing up in the Midwest there were no such add-ons. The fine herbs of Ohio are salt and pepper. Sometimes if daring, paprika is used. Imagine adding chilies to hamburger hotdish!
June 15, 2022 at 4:12 AM
Moving with Mitchell
Did you call casseroles “hot dish” when you were growing up or was that further west of you? There are only a few plumbing issues we’ll tackle ourselves. And SG is skilled. Just not worth the risk. I’d probably give your work mgmt three slaps.
June 15, 2022 at 7:05 AM
Urspo
Yes, they were called hot dishes. Just saying the word conjures up hot scrumptious servings of mom’s cooking and church get-togethers. This sort of eats is the opposite of haute cuisine; sometimes it is what’s wanted.
June 15, 2022 at 4:55 AM
Bob
I agree about inflation. The GOP won’t help to alleviate the problem, but will use it against Biden in the elections. People need to realize that this inflation is a global thing mush related to the pandemic left unchecked by The Former Guy’s regime.
June 15, 2022 at 7:06 AM
Urspo
Throughout time inflation is successfully used by political leaders to scapegoat someone/s to their advantage. This always works and probably will work again.
June 15, 2022 at 5:26 AM
Debra She Who Seeks
As a Manitoban and former Winnipegger, I am steeped in Louis Riel lore! I wrote a post about him a few years back:
https://shewhoseeks.blogspot.com/2010/11/louis-riel-canadian-folk-hero.html
June 15, 2022 at 7:06 AM
Urspo
Hot puppies!
I will have a look-see at this anon.
June 15, 2022 at 7:23 AM
Robzilla, Native Of Slam Diego
Yeah, it’s been a tough week for a lot of us. Hang in there.
Getting the tooth fixed is necessary. As they say, the teeth and gums are the gateway to bad health if they’re not maintained. I had a tooth get infected thanks to a bad crown job by a prior dentist. It caused sinus infections that only stopped when I got it extracted and replaced with an implant.
As for why the employees leave, I wonder if maybe the overlords did the old “bait and switch”? I nearly left my current employer over that. For now, I remain but I have no idea how long.
June 15, 2022 at 7:55 AM
Urspo
Theories abound why folks don’t stay. A crude survey of the leaving staff who speak on such, it seems to be mostly about pay: they can get more elsewhere, whether they work in billing or as a therapist.
June 15, 2022 at 7:44 AM
Glenda
I experienced “absolute darkness” once and even tho it was years ago, it is one of my most vivid memories. We were deep in Mammoth Cave and the leader turned off the lights. It almost felt like being wrapped in black velvet.
June 15, 2022 at 7:56 AM
Urspo
Yes, that is what I want to encounter again. Sometimes I feel my senses are flooded with sound, sight etc. and it is too much.
June 15, 2022 at 8:24 AM
Old Lurker
For the Spo-fans wanting to read about the nihilist experience: https://sporeflections.wordpress.com/2016/09/22/something-ineffable-2/
(There is no time like June revisit the closet.)
It is such a shame the other psychiatrist is leaving. I had hoped he would work out so you could get more time off-call. Instead it sounds as if your workload will increase. No wonder the Bosses are so eager to hang on to you. (I am tempted to make some snarky remark about your insurance situation, but I shall refrain.)
June 15, 2022 at 9:38 AM
Urspo
thank you. I was hoping you would know this. I looked but could not find it. Did you get my email asking you to try or did you do this via my telepathic plead?
You are correct, another loss with him gone is I won’t have a colleague to ‘cover’ when I go anywhere, so no proper vacation for me again.
June 15, 2022 at 10:37 AM
Old Lurker
Telepathy. I did not receive your email. You can contact me via the email I use to comment, but I don’t send outgoing mail using this.
I searched for something like “closet” “dark” “child”
Speaking of Arizona heat, are your tomatoes hanging on?
June 15, 2022 at 10:49 AM
Old Lurker
Or rather, I may have received the email but I did not see it. I will look into this later this week.
I do hope you will be able to have proper vacations at some point.
June 15, 2022 at 10:03 AM
jefferyrn
Reading your blog makes me smile. I understand where you are coming from though. With so much nonsense going on in the world it is hard to pick out something to smile about. Home repairs are a never ending story. You need a luck dragon in the closet with you.
June 15, 2022 at 3:11 PM
Urspo
Is that a reference to “Die Unendliche Geschichte’ ?
June 15, 2022 at 3:31 PM
jefferyrn
Yes but I don’t know German. Had to look that up.
June 15, 2022 at 11:00 AM
BadNoteB
Your mention of total darkness immediately brought back memories of the Waitomo Glowworm Caves outside of Auckland NZ… I’d never experienced the total absence of light before and, frankly, wasn’t sure I welcomed the experience given that it would be shared with spiders, eels swimming about us and other creatures of my worst nightmares sure to present themselves in honor of my squeamishness toward all things creepy-crawly. Floating through the caves, trusting my life to the laws of physics, and gazing up at the iridescent worms glowing in the black abyss above was one of the most amazingly spiritual experiences I’ve ever had… a total sense of selflessness? out-of-body? weightlessness of space? oneness with the universe? I still can’t describe the experience without calling upon one of my favourite Britishisms, “gobsmacked”. Be certain to place it on the bucket-list as an exciting alternative to late night in your bedroom closet!
Due to my Dad’s experience with food aboard ship in the Navy, there were three dietary restrictions honored in our household: No chipped beef, no Spam, and no casseroles. While never a Spam fan, to this day there’s a forbidden-fruit appeal to “creamed any-meat” on toast and tuna noodle casserole. I’d never heard of Hot Pot (Hot Dish) until Amy Klobuchar ran for President, offering to solve all of our world problems over a hot dish “ya’ll come” at her campaign headquarters … I continue to chuckle and conjure images of the Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup can every time she’s on TV. Bless her heart!
June 15, 2022 at 3:14 PM
Urspo
What delightful reading this all is!
Growing up on the Midwest as I did no matron would be bereft of cans of creamed of (mushroom; chicken; celery) soups. Also good for casserole binding. No one actually ate them as soup.
My cousins in Hawaii use cans of SPAM in similar ways.
June 15, 2022 at 12:55 PM
Will Jay
Imagine dear Warrior Queen Anne Marie swooping down out of the ether and administering Cosmic Dope Slaps.
Are you smiling yet?
June 15, 2022 at 3:14 PM
Urspo
I would like if she should visit La Casa de Spo and do some haunting. That would be nice.
June 15, 2022 at 3:02 PM
Debbie W.
Even if you have no reason to smile, you can smile because your writings give joy to so many. After many challenges over the past several days, your post has given me many smiles, and a few laughs as well. 😊
June 15, 2022 at 3:15 PM
Urspo
This made me smile; thank you.
June 15, 2022 at 10:24 PM
Linda Practical Parsimony
I experienced total darkness in Mammoth Cave. I just wanted the lights to come back! Once, during a tornado loss of electricity, on a moonless night, I did experience total darkness with no lights from the things that usually stay on at night like the lights on the tv, clock, microwave. I could not find a doorway with any bit of ambient light from inside or out. It was a really weird feeling.
You do not want a space left by a tooth. The teeth on each side will shift. The tooth above will not be held in place. Once teeth shift, your teeth will not fit correctly in your mouth, leading to more shifts.
June 16, 2022 at 7:15 AM
Urspo
I have my appointment on 6 July. I will spend my birthday (the next day) recuperating knowing I did the right thing.
June 19, 2022 at 5:26 PM
Frogdancer Jones
Funny. I find the “who needs a slap” the hardest to fill each week.
June 28, 2022 at 5:35 AM
Sassybear
One good thing about having a chronic illness: it is great distraction from the woes of the world, work, and what have you. Every day you wake up and get out of bed by yourself, all your bodily functions and senses are working, you have a roof over your head, food in your tummy, utilities, and transportation should be reason enough to smile. It’s good to try not to take such things for granted. And if that’s not enough to make you smile, there’s always funny pet videos on tumblr and instigram 🙂