Just imagine.  Diva is sitting in a quiet, corner booth at Catscratch Jane’s.  It’s 9:30pm on a Wednesday night.  Diva is occupying this booth solo.   This is surreal, and I started thinking, which is usually not a good thing when beer is involved.

My 1st thought is this:  I am sitting here, alone.  Am I bummed that my friends aren’t here?  Am I feeling as if my friends have deserted me for bigger and better things?  Do I feel like I am being neglected?  Am I getting bitter?  No. No. No. No. And no.

I am actually quite content with my life and the way it’s turning out. I’m glad to see all of my friends are happy, content and satisfied in where the last year has taken them.  I am totally capable of amuzing myself and having fun in the situation I find myself in.

My second thought:  Yes, I miss my friends.  But, we have a lifetime of memories made in the short span of approximately one year.  It’s not often that a group of mis-matched people come together like we did.  Every single one of us had some sort of need that this rowdy, loud bunch was filling.  Why, it was only a year ago that we all magically morphed to Catscratch Jane’s.  And dear Lord, the place wouldn’t be the same for several months.

Then something happened.  We all started to settle down.  Some of us fell in love.  Some of us found satisfaction in our careers… Regardless of what it was, we all started to find what we were looking for in life.

All of this brings me to a minor crash in self-analyzation.  I’m 100% secure to know that, although I’m sitting quietly in a corner watching the goings on around me, we all meant and still mean alot to each other.  In some cases, we’re far apart in our physical being. In some cases, we’re just right down the road.  Regardless, we are still together in soul.  Pirates deep down?  Maybe just a little… that Pirate dwells in each one of us forever.

We are really fortunate to have had the opportunity to build bonds that keep us close enough to have a quick lunch, early dinner, a cold beer, or even just a comment on MySpace.  God bless technology.

I really do love where my life is now.  But I still thank God every day that I’ve been blessed with a bounty of friends ~ near and far~ ~old and new~

Sappy, yes.  But, sometimes even Pirates can be sentimental.

Ok.  If I’m nothing else, I’m completely honest and tend to let all my inhibitions fall to the ditch with my pals in our little blogging world.   Since only a few of you know me on a totally personal level, and have never seen my face, and could most likely not pick me out in a line-up… I don’t mind sharing my innermost thoughts with you… even if they are sometimes a little off. 

So, we were at Catscratch Jane’s, and Scotty reminded me that I was going on about how much of a hottie Toby Keith is.  Yes, it’s true.  I’d sop that boy up with a biscuit.

In the midst of a discussion about blogging a “Hottie of the Day” about Toby Keith, I (without thinking, of course) blurt out that, “I have had so many wet dreams about Toby Keith, I can not possibly do it justice”…

So…  I will not attempt to discuss why Toby is such a hottie, but will continue seeing him “Dream walkin and Pillow talkin”. 

I will recess now to the confines of my cold shower.

Peace.  Out.

So I’m not forwarding it to anyone.  But if someone wants to do it, add your blog and location to the bottom of this list, and send it on.

A Secular Franciscan Life - Billings, Montana, USA
Erica’s Blog - Brooklyn, New York, USA
Groanin’ Jock - Montrose, Scotland, Great Britain
The Kat House - Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
blogitude.com (Mark Steel) - Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
WhoreChurch - Tennessee, USA
blogitude.com (Diva Howe) - Knoxville, Tennessee, USA 

WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
My father had an ear for the beach tune back in the day. I was promptly named Rhonda after that catchy ditty “Help Me, Rhonda”.

Thanks, Daddy. Without fail, at least once a day, somebody will serenade me.

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
Wow, remarkably, it’s been about three and a half minutes since I cried. Which is amazing because Diva is a big cry-baby.

DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
No. Especially when I’m in a hurry. My hand writing is all fat and bubble like.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
I don’t do lunch meat. California veggie sandwich for me, please. Avocado, sprouts, cucumber, pepper cheese all topped off with salt, pepper and vinaigrette.

DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
I have plenty of children running around. Two of them are actual products of my pain and suffering through 9 months of hell. Two of them are mine by proxy, and I love them very much. The youngest, the boy, my grandson, is currently undergoing the morphization into the terrible twos

IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
I’m sure I would be. I can appreciate a sarcastic and extremely snide bitty.

DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?
Absolutely not.

DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?
Indeed I do.

WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
I’m not sure I have it in me to go flying off of a perfectly good bridge or platform anymore. I’m turning wimpy in my old age.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
I’m a sucker for Rice or Corn Chex.

DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
Flip-flops don’t have laces

DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?
No. I’m a wuss, physically and emotionally.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
Double Chocolate Malted Crunch from Thrifty.

WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
If they are nice or mean or stuck up or snotty or sweet.

RED OR PINK?
Pink everything.

WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
I have no will power.

WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
I miss my mom and my sister. They are too far away and I only get to see them now and then.

WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
khaki capris and brown Jesus sandals

WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?
A pack of crackers and coffee for breakfast.

WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
The fan blowing in our common area

IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
Pink. One of the bright ones though.

FAVORITE SMELLS?
My grandbaby when he is fresh and clean after his bath.

WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
Amanda.

FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
UT VOL ball, NASCAR

FAVORITE HAIR COLOR[S]?
Blondish, with some brownish and redish mixed up in there.

FAVORITE EYE COLOR?
Mine are blue.

DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
Nope. I’m supposed to but they drive me completely insane.

FAVORITE FOOD?
When I get to pick, it’s almost always the same. Taquitos. It’s hard to screw up a taquito. Slap some chicken and onions and stuff in a rolled tortilla, fry the hell out of it, serve with guacamole, sour cream and pico. It’s a mini art form.

SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
Love a good horror flick.

LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
I was twitchin for some original Star Wars and the postal employee just happened to bring it to me the other day from Netflix.

WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
Brown tank

SUMMER OR WINTER?
I have decided I hate summer in East Tennessee almost as much as I hate winter in East Tennessee. I basically just hate the climate here year round.

HUGS OR KISSES?
Can’t I have both?

FAVORITE DESSERT?
I love me some Crème’ Brulee.

WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
I never bothered to learn how to read.

WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
Its one of those liquid filled numbers.

WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT?
Laid on the couch and watched Boston Legal.

FAVORITE SOUND[S]?
Rain on the roof/porch. Love to hear the tree frogs too.

ROLLING STONES OR THE BEATLES?
I like them both about the same. I’d rather hear The Doors if I have a choice.

WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?
Germany

DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
You bet I do. I’m working on becoming leader of the Darkside.

WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
Cottage Hospital in beautiful Santa Barbara, California

WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK?
I’m not forwarding this. I’m not asking anyone to complete this. I’m just sitting here at work, bored as hell.

Her Royal Hotness at The Kat House has tagged me yet again… If she doesn’t stop that, I’m gonna start thinking she likes me or something…

So I’m gonna morph this LALOLKFATYK (Learn A Lot Of Little Known Facts About Those You Know) meme into something a little more useful.  Add your blog and location to the bottom of this list, and send it on. 

A Secular Franciscan Life - Billings, Montana, USA
Erica’s Blog - Brooklyn, New York, USA
Groanin’ Jock - Montrose, Scotland, Great Britain
The Kat House - Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
blogitude.com (Mark Steel) - Knoxville, Tennessee, USA

WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
It’s biblical… Because I was, after all, born and ritually abus…errr, raised… a strong Southern Baptist.

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
Guys don’t cry.  Sure, right.  I’d challenge any guy not to cry when a woman he’s known his entire life has a stroke at 80-something.  Worse yet, I didn’t find out for a couple of weeks — yesterday.

DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
Which one?  I write with both hands.  Each one has at least a couple of styles.  They’re always legible… but out of five styles, there are a couple that I like, and a couple that I don’t.  heh

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
Thin-sliced Cajun-style roast beef from the supermarket deli…

DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
Accordingly to a crazy who will henceforth be known as “Chastity” (because it’s a cruel joke) and a complete nutjob known only as Laney (who, as it turns out, is a Male skinhead-wannabe), yes I do… But no, I do not have children.

IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
We’d prolly piss each other off.

DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT?
No, never.  *rolls eyes*

DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?
I don’t know — I’ve never checked.

WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
Not anymore.  The last time, I hit it on the way down, went into a spin and screwed my back up pretty good for a few weeks…

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
One they don’t make anymore: Fruit & Fiber Date, Raisin & Walnut.

DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
Never.  I have engineered my shoes so that I never have to tie and untie them.  But I hate slip-ons…

DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG?
When I get bored, I move pool tables.  ’nuff said.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
Häagen Dazs® Triple Chocolate with the truffle bits…

WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
The eyes have it…

RED OR PINK?
Depends what we’re talking about, now doesn’t it?

WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
Impatience, which is caused by looking forward and dwelling on a final outcome.

WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
My grandfather.  He died when I was three, and I remember him like it was yesterday.

WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? 
Faded blue jeans and black dress shoes.

WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE?
The last bits of spaghetti & metaballs from Pizza Palace…

WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
The sound of the air conditioner.

IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
Charcoal.

FAVORITE SMELLS?
The scent of a special someone when I curled up behind her and breathed against the back of her neck… The smell of a certain house in South Knoxville where the elderly women who live there have always accepted me with open arms… The smell of Cornhusker’s Lotion, and Zippo fluid, which always remind me of my grandfather…

WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
Tish.

FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
World Cup Football (Soccer), although, I don’t watch it often.

FAVORITE HAIR COLOR[S]?
Dark brown, near black…

FAVORITE EYE COLOR?
Brown and deep…

DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
Sometimes… Well, most of the time, really.

FAVORITE FOOD?
I love food, but if I had to say what meal is consistently perfect and just makes me feel really good to eat:  It’s going to Ali Baba’s Timeout Deli on Kingston Pike and ordering King Solomon’s Chicken with the middle-eastern vegetable of the day (especially the potatos) and a hummos plate.  There is absolutely no doubt that their hummos is the best in the world.

SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
Depends on the mood.

LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
I watched Shaun of the Dead again… heh  That’s currently my pick for the best Zombie movie ever made.  The fact that it’s so typically English adds to the hilarity.

WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
White.

SUMMER OR WINTER?
Winter.  I can always put on more clothes to get warm… but when it’s too hot, even getting naked doesn’t help.

HUGS OR KISSES?
Long kisses…

FAVORITE DESSERT?
A really rich, baked cheesecake…

MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
To what?

LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
A good two-thirds of the population of Washington DC don’t respond to anything…

WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
Ummm, I’m not reading a book right now… I’m doing this meme.

WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
I don’t have a mousepad — I use the couch, my jeans, the cat…

WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT?
I very, very rarely watch television.

FAVORITE SOUND[S]?
The sound of distant breaking glass… Soft jazz echoing through city streets… Spectacular thunderstorms….

ROLLING STONES OR THE BEATLES?
Depends on the year, and the mood.

WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?
Sydney, Australia, which is pretty much dead opposite of where I am.

DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
The “Special Purpose” that Steve Martin had in The Jerk.  *snicker*

WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
Fort Sanders Regional Hospital - Knoxville, TN.  Been around the world, and back again.

WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK?
Ya know, I don’t know.  I don’t really mind either way.  But hey, I’m gonna tag three people here, just because I feel like being a ‘tard.  The whole point, to me, is to use these random annoyances to spread the help get the word out about some pretty cool blogs that I read on a regular basis…

Rantz?  Consider yourself tagged.  So, uhh…. who else can I annoy?  Fracas, because I haven’t annoyed her much lately!  You’re tagged.  ;-)  Oh, and WhoreChurch, who probably won’t do it, but I’d love to see if he’ll prove me wrong.  *snicker*

Remember: Beer is proof that God loves us and wants to see us happy.

Monday Melee

1. The Misanthropic: Name something (about humanity) you absolutely hate.

The obsession with the Great Green Evil… MONEY!  Why must everyone be obsessed with it?  Is it not possible to do without this concept in its entirety and still have a successful society?  Oh well, I suppose I will have to learn to at least live with this in some shape, form or fashion.  (Barring total armageddon or the collapse of society as we know it…  Which I can’t have, I love my computer… It allows me to keep in touch with people who are out of reach.)

2. The Meretricious: Expose something or someone that’s phony, fraudulent or bogus.

I will now offer a tribute to the bogusness of the town I so formerly was a resident of…  Now beyond time and space we shall travel back a few years.  Yes, you have now reached the time of the Wilks Bucks Scandal of Maryville, Tennessee.  Funny how the only newspaper article I could find was from The Oak Ridger and his name was changed. 

Hmm… Something fishy is afoot I do believe.

The Maryville paper quite possibly could have just forgotten about the whole incident for some reason.  What that may or may not be I will never know.  Although it seems kind of unusual for Oak Ridge to have made a report on the topic and no where else in the state.  I was there I knew what happened. 

The moral of this story is: Kiddies think twice before trying to defraud our glorious government because big brother is watching.

3. The Malcontent: Name something you’re unhappy with.

I am rather distraught with my total lack of faith in people that are around me.  It’s not necessarily that I don’t trust them.  It falls more along the lines of I seriously question their ability to follow through with things.  After all most people are easily much more easily distracted with things that directly affect their own person.

Secondly, I am let down by the lack of excellent and groovy living in the world.  With this lack of easygoing natural course of living,  life is difficult.  While I realize that for the most part life can be summed up from a quote in The Princess Bride, “Life is pain.” I require myself to think differently. 

Last but not least, on this note can’t we all just f*cking get along.  (I know I used the word f*ck, but when I used it it had more emphasis didn’t it?)   

4. The Meritorious: Give someone credit for something and name it if you can.

The rest of the reading world, well hell you made it this far.  Just keep on truckin’.

5. The Mirror: See something good about yourself and name it.

 The mirror broke this week, check back later… (I apologize for the complete lack of interesting and funny dialogue but  I’m just full of sour satire this week…)

On the other hand I did find a six pack of Samuel Adams Cream Stout… Boy is it yummy it really hits the spot.   Also it is great to blog by and as Moe says, “I highly recommend it!”

6. The Make-Believe: Name something you wish for.

Visible progress in four key areas (not the armpits, a**hole, crotch and teeth…*): my love life, unfortunate financial situation, extending the arm of friendship my daily grasp, and feeling as if I can’t quite fulfill the requests of friends and family.

* In most civilized communties, these are great places to keep clean. In addition, you can save time if you use the same brush for all four areas.

Thus is the conclusion of my Monday Melee.  You too can join in the fun by visiting The Monday Melee page and completing the steps.  Kick-start your brains on Mondays, meet other bloggers, and by George have a darn good time too.

1. The Misanthtropic: Name something (about humanity) you absolutely hate.

 I hate that there are some people in this life that take everything that happens to them seriously.  I guess you’d call them drama queens/kings.   These are the people that must have everything revolve around them.  These are the people who keep the shit stirred.  And if they don’t have their own shit stirring, they go and stir some for someone else… just to keep something going at all times. 

People like this need to be bitch-slapped.  Real problems are drama.  Not the fact that your lay of the day, whom you’ve found on an internet dating site, is seeing no less than 4 other people at the same time as you.  This is not drama.  This is poor judgement.

Real life drama is loosing a child.  Real life drama is wondering how you’re gonna pay the rent.  Real life drama is your car breaking down and having no money to fix it.

2. The Meretricious: Expose something or someone that’s phony, fraudulent or bogus.

Paris Hilton.  I know it seems like I’m obsessing over her lately.  Maybe I am because I’m bored and have no real life of my own.  Regardless of that, the skank is totally a fake.  Just because she’s locked up in a cage, she’s claiming to have found Jesus.  She told Babs Walters that she’s been reading the Bible and other and a sorted variety of other religion-inspired books. 

First, I’m not so sure that after only 4 days in jail that the girl had time to read AND ABSORB enough information out of the inspired books.  Look, it takes biblical scholars years and years of reading and studying to make heads and/or tails of the Bible.  And she wants to convince all of us common folk that she’s really getting into it and learning something. 

B- Anybody who watches E! News (or Fox or CNN for that matter) has heard about the humongus “Paris is getting out of jail” bash that’s being planned.  Do you think that she’s gonna read enough about Jesus and righteous living that she’s not gonna turn up a bottle and get ripped?   Me either. 

3. The Malcontent: Name something you’re unhappy with.

I’m extremely unhappy that I went outside on a scorching hot Sunday afternoon to wash my car.  I did a bang up job too.  I even cleaned the wheels with that crap that can eat the skin off of your hands.   It looked super great!

I went in the house to get a glass of ice water.  When I came back outside 10 minutes later a bird had already shit on the trunk.

4. The Meritorious: Give someone credit for something and name it if you can.

I give my kids credit today.  After all that he put them through while they were growing up, they still try to treat their dad with some sort of love and respect.

5. The Mirror: See something good about yourself and name it.

I am coming out of “sloth” mode and getting motivated to do something and be somebody again.  Which actually feels really, really good.

6. The Make-Believe: Name something you wish for.

I think I’ll wish for sex this week.  Sex and days off from work.  Sex, days off from work and a new car.  Sex, days off from work, a new car and to win the lottery. 

Sex, days off from work, a new car, to win the lottery, and lots of beer.  Yah, that would make today alot of fun.  Sex, on my extra day off, in my new car that I got with my winnings from the lottery which was sponsered by a beer company.

Yah, that’s it.

Now it’s your turn.

You can take part in The Monday Melee, even make it a regular feature at your site by visiting The Monday Melee page and following the steps. Kick-start your brain on Mondays and meet other bloggers.

1. The Misanthtropic: Name something (about humanity) you absolutely hate.

Nouns. Nouns and adjectives. Nouns, adjectives and gerunds. And dangling participles. Dangling participles really piss me off. C’mon man, f*ck, dude and buddy. Don’t make me break out the thesaurus just to get my point across?
Mwahahahahahahaha! Luv me sum Zacque.

2. The Meretricious: Expose something or someone that’s phony, fraudulent or bogus.

Nathan Fillian, (Malcolm Reynolds, beloved Captain of Serenity) does NOT wear underwear under his kilt, and I’ll have words with anyone who disputes this self-evident fact.

3. The Malcontent: Name something you’re unhappy with.

My psycho-kitty is shedding EVERYWHERE! Couldn’t I just vacuum her coat… just once? Please? … and maybe a little tumble in the dryer?

4. The Meritorious: Give someone credit for something and name it if you can.

All Hail to Divalicious! Keep me rolling, Mama.

5. The Mirror: See something good about yourself and name it.

I dunno about good, but it’s honest and accurate. I am a well-spring of unsolicited advice. NE1 gotta cork?

6. The Make-Believe: Name something you wish for.

I wish for what everyone wishes for. Love, Mark to get Sex, Money, Mark to get Sex, Fun, Mark to get Sex and a RETURN of really cool prizes at the bottom the Cracker Jacks (you young’uns weren’t around yet when they were really cool prizes, like tiny cap guns and weeny whistles) And we all wish for Mark to get Sex… Zeesh

Now it’s your turn.

You can take part in The Monday Melee, even make it a regular feature at your site by visiting The Monday Melee page and following the steps. Kick-start your brain on Mondays and meet other bloggers.

     Once you say, it’s out there.

     Doesn’t matter if it’s a blog, a conversation with a mentor, a friend, a wife, a lover, a random asshat, or a random idiot screaming about the how the death of Lady Diana affected him on a personal level so deeply that it affected the way he thought about life, the Universe and Everything …

     Sometimes it’s better to just back away …

     Get your thoughts together …

     And if you can’t … or they can’t …

     There’s always tomorrow …

     Sometimes.  *shrug*

My household is short one member this morning.  My daughter is super sad. 

I woke up around 1-ish this morning and the livingroom lights were on.  I rounded the corner to find my child, her boyfriend and my new son sitting around looking extremely sad.

My first instinct was to be pissy because the boyfriend was still here.  Then I figured by the solemn expression on each face that something indeed was troubling them.

(taking a diaper the grandson break…. DEAR LORD the smell)

The next thing I noticed was the lizard’s habitat was not in the girl’s bedroom, but in the livingroom with the depressed looking children.  I was told the lizard was passing into the next life.  Immediately, I was transported into late night depression too.

FLASHBACK:  “Mom, we’re goin out to catch lightnin bugs,” my daughter said.

They came in and went to the bedroom, where the lizard habitat is housed, lightning bug contraption in tow.  Out of the bedroom I hear them giggle as the lizard must have been performing tricks to get the treat.

Lizards eat bugs, that’s nature.  So, they figured since it would jump across its home to get a cricket, it would jump in the air to get a flying critter. 

They finish feeding it 3 of the luminescent delicacies. And put in a movie.  That’s when I went off to bed.

BACK TO THE NOW:  So, whilst Diva slept, the lizard was becoming very ill.  By the time I woke up, it was too late.  They had looked it up on teh internets.  Fireflies are TOXIC and not to be ingested by any other living creature. 

We will be burying Joey today.  Out back.  Next to the rat that didn’t make it through baby rat birth.

I suppose in order to ease her sadness, I’ll wait a day or two and go get her another reptilian playmate.  We’ll try a snake this time I think.

Ok.  It’s Saturday morning.  I just woke up.  My eyes are glued together.  My nose is crusty.  My chest is full of crap that just doesn’t want to come up.  In short, I have yet another sinus infection. 

Did I go to the doctor to get his verification of my diagnosis? NO!  

Why? 

Because the cost of going to the doctor these days is just ridiculous.  Besides the fact that I was only well for 10 days after the last time I paid my doctor office co-pay and $200 for a dufflebag full of medicatons that obviously didn’t do it for me.

The only perk I can think of today is that I’m high as a kite on the refill of codeine cough syrup Dr. Dude (hehe, I know you love that, Zacque) called in for me last time.  Thank God for refills.

 I feel for those in this great country that aren’t fortunate enough to have some kind of health coverage.  I mean hell, I’ve got it and I still find myself in the sorry ass position of making a choice between getting well or paying the damn rent and feeding my kid.

It’s ridiculous when the most prosperous country in the world has somewhere around 23% (I know they are lying about the numbers) of its citizens walking around with no way to get well when they get the crud, or worse have serious health complications.

I don’t have it all that bad.  My $200 sick day would have been near $325 had I not had my shitty insurance. 

A friend of my family has a heart issue and needs a transplant.  He’s a great man.  Works hard every day.  Yet, because he is self-employed he’s screwed.  No insurance.  And basically, until an Angel of light (anonymous) arranged a monetary donation of a huge sum, he was told “So sorry, go die”.  Well, maybe it wasn’t quite that harsh, but he could get no help.

As soon as some cash was waved around, it was amazing how fast that he was placed on the list of people waiting for a potential heart donor.

Anyway.  I just figured since it’s Saturday morning and I’m still sick (again), that I would pitch a tizzy fit about how we should be better taken care of.

Unfortunately, even having a fit over it isn’t making the shit in my chest break up.