Feeling fairly crappy, I called the dentist again, and again left a message telling anyone who’s listening (is anyone listening?) that I’m infected where the tooth came out. Moderate agony here, and the pain pills are running low. Please call me back or just call the pharmacy and get me a prescription for antibiotics. I was electronically promised, "Your call will be returned shortly," but again, my call was not returned shortly.
I also called my doctor from Kaiser-Permanente, and left a message there. They also promised that my call would be returned shortly. That call has also not been returned.
Yeah, I know, it’s Sunday, but the doctor and dentist’s messages didn’t say anything about the weekends. The doctor’s machine says, call 9-1-1 and go to the emergency room if it’s an emergency. Well, yeah. Of course.But I’m not doing that. Not until I’m closer to death, sorry. Non-lawyers can’t comprehend much from the four-page small-print basically-bullshit contract Kaiser-Permanente sent when I'd earned "coverage," but I found the words "emergency room" directly adjacent to something saying I’m responsible for the cost incurred.
Instead I continued bathing the infection in generic Bactine, taking the pain pills (only two remain), and taking aspirin. I also did some doobie, because I’ve read that it helps deaden pain, and ate a lot of ice cream. The ice cream serves no medicinal purpose, just tastes good, but that’s important, too.
♦ ♦ ♦
Speaking of useless phone messages, do you remember the phone tag my mother and I were playing? She kept calling and saying simply, “Please call me,” which is not like her at all. Usually when she calls and gets my machine, she talks and talks and talks.
I kept returning her calls, and getting her answering machine, so I’d say, “I called back. Whatever you keep calling me about, please leave a message on my machine.”
And then she’d call me back, and simply say to my machine, “Please call me.”
After six rounds of this it pissed me off, and I quit calling back. After that, Mom quit calling. Now it’s been weeks since I heard from her, so today I called her number, and she answered, and we talked until I ran out of quarters for the phone booth. And she’s fine. Nobody was sick. Nobody’s died.
“Well, why did you keep calling, Mom, and keep saying, ‘Please call me’?”
“Oh, no reason,” she said. “I just miss your voice, and wanted to talk.”
♦ ♦ ♦
Felt lightheaded. Took a long nap. Woke up wet, but wet with sweat this time, not rain like yesterday. It’s mostly stopped raining. Generally I'm miserable, but what the hell, I’m going to the movies.
Packed the backpack with candy, water, and codeine I wish was cocaine, and BARTed to Berkeley for a noir double feature at the Elmwood — free with one of my Forrest Gump memorial passes.
Key Largo (1948) is Humphrey Bogart at his best, and Bogey's best is basically the best. We’re at a small resort in lovely Florida, but a hurricane is coming, and so are some bad guys. Lauren Bacall simmers on the side like delicious green beans with slivered almonds, and Edward G Robinson is Edward G Robinson, nuff said. There’s a subplot that’s racially insensitive by present-day standards, but the movie was made almost fifty years ago, what did you expect?
Casablanca (1942) is simply one of the greatest films ever made, and there’s nothing new I can say about it. If you haven’t seen it, or for that matter Key Largo, you don’t squat about good movies.
The theater seems to have solved its sound problem of a week ago, but now there’s another grave problem. The popcorn was far too salty.
♦ ♦ ♦
Home. Ate a little. Tired. Mouth hurts. Took more happy pills. Took more aspirin. Smoked more pot. Went to bed. Obviously I'm alive to type the tale, but I am not having a good time.
From Pathetic Life #6
Sunday, November 6, 1994
Yeah...woke up felt fine. Tripped over my cowboy boot...still felt fine. Sat down at my desk...felt fine. Stood up...did not feel fine
ReplyDeleteIt's your back, I assume? Backs can be bastards.
Delete"Got drugs?"
Yes, my back.
DeleteTurns out if you are stretching your back and you feel some pain, but youre not sure if its a good pain or a bad pain so you just go all in on the stretch and hear a pop...not a good pain or a good pop
DRugs I got some advil and Biofreeze...that Biofreeze stuff....amazing
Smell like a tin of wintergreen chaw, but small price to pay
I'm researching Biofreeze now. Never heard of it. Good reviews on Amazon, and you're telling me it works?
DeleteWorks great its like icy hot but different? Im not sure how to describe its effects other than...fricken sweet
DeleteSmells mentholly, I'm guessing?
DeleteI don't suppose they make it unscented — the menthol is why it works, right?
$12 for 2-1/2 ounces. I just posted a question to Amazon, "Does anyone make a cheaper generic knockoff," cuz I might want this stuff, but I am a cheap bastard.
youre not cheap. youre smart. I have no knockoff info lol
DeleteI have a few redeeming traits, but I ain't smart.
DeleteI have to find a way to use 175 hours of PTO by january .
DeleteI want to go to Morocco.
or Iceland.
Possibly Ireland.
Lets take a look and see where i can go with my bank account.
Nevermind...looks like I will be walking to taco bell and ordering water.
Taco Bell and water sounds like a fine vacation to me. Wish someone else was buying, though.
DeleteNo no, there will be no tacos. A glass of water is .10 or if they pitty you...free
DeleteBut I plan on suplimenting the water with all the free sauce packets i can stuff in my pockets
Those free sauce packets are good, and free. I used to squeeze 'em onto generic Cheerios, which was not bad, honest, without milk.
DeleteI used to eat it on my frozen pizza.
Deletenow i liberally add it to veggies, becasue they are bland and I cant eat garlic
I have a spice mix I've mixed just for bland (frozen then microwaved) vegetables, but it has garlic powder, so for you it would be a no-no.
DeleteA giant bowl of veggies, though, makes a great snack, for only 100 calories or so.
Yeah if you like garlic I have this super tasty veggie sprinkle but its like lemon and garlic...i accidentally ate it almost died but it was so tasty. Yours if you want it
Deleteand its healthy
Sure, I'll take it, just to keep you safe if you're allergic! Send it to my PO box.
DeleteI can eat three or four bowls of spiced frozen microwaved veggies and it's filling and hardly even counts toward the belly roll.
You bet! Will send it when i find a box lol.
DeleteI love some smashed brussel sprouts and stuffed spagetti squash,
Brussel sprouts do not microwave well, though.
DeleteStuffed spaghetti squash? You stuff spaghetti into squash?
No they do not! BUT If you take them from the microwave and smash them down flat and then bake them and sprinkle some low fat cheese on it....heaven..
DeleteThat's squash you're squashing?
DeleteYes. So you cut the squash in half. Take out the seeds and non edible stuff grease the pan with some olive oil and place it on the pan face down cook for 45-50 minutes. While its cooking brown hamburger or sausage.
DeleteThen when it comes out stuff with yout protein and cheese then put back in the oven and bake,
I don't have much squash experience and I'm never going to make something that complicated, but isn't squash really firm before being baked? Squashing squash is hard work ...
Deleteno you are squashing the brussel sprouts not the squash!!!
DeleteAh, got it. With hamburger or sausage and cheese. Maybe yum. Someone else has to do the cooking though.
DeleteLOL okay so 2 seperate things lol
ReplyDeletehttps://www.asweetpeachef.com/stuffed-spaghetti-squash-bowls/
https://onedishkitchen.com/smashed-brussels-sprouts-recipe/
this is a good recipe to use when you dont like microwaved sprouts
microwave them to steam them, then smash them with a spatula, then bake them.
its the cats ass.
Is that a good thing, the cat's ass? It doesn't sound yummy, though I suppose it would be quite clean.
Deletecats ass is just a saying.
Deletespagetti squash is very filling and literally tastes whatever you season it to taste like so its super versatile.
might be perfect, really.
Also...try grilling it its amazing.
People tell me I'm cuckoo, but I don't understand the appeal of pasta. Just soooooooo many empty calories, and not much flavor except the butter and sauce you add.
DeleteSome of the sauces are great, so pour that sauce onto vegetables or fruit or jello, anything better than pasta.
I dont like it either, but mac and cheese....I will destroy a pan of that
DeleteOh jeez, now I'm hungry.
DeleteHope you like! I love!
DeleteSolid meat sauce with mushrooms...mmmm get in my belly
why is food so good
Indeed, why is food so good?
DeleteI could drop 50 pounds like that (snaps fingers) if food always tasted shitty.
We should take up smoking, that dulls the taste buds...
DeleteOr something like Mberry, but in reverse.
DeleteMy problem is I have zero control over want, when it comes to food.
DeleteLike if i see a bag of chips. Without even thinking I eat it.
If i see it know its there....i cant stop thinking about it until i eat it.
then i feel sad that i ate it and eat more.
stupid stupid stupid
Nothing works to curb the behavior either.
You’re not stupid. We're among the many victims of what a warped food-conglomerate and ad-campaigns and all the other ills of western civilization have done to us.
DeleteI'm the same way. I bought a sack of popcorn, so I've been popping and eating popcorn all day. For me, the only way to not pop and eat that whole sack of popcorn is to not buy the popcorn at the store, which I usually try to do but failed yesterday, so today I’m having a popcorn feast.
Yeah Im the same way like I go to the BF house and he has ALL the things that I dont need to be eating.
Delete