Hooray for Boobies!

Nice to be able to post the Friday Boobie this week. Okay, it's a commercial sellout Boobie, but at least it's here.

I am on the loose

Yeah, I'm out of the hospital-released on Monday, but just now making it to the library. The surgery seems to have gone well and I'm healing on schedule so far. Which means it's still painful, but only when I move. Luckily, there are medications for that (though I'm not sure whether they're trying harder to prevent pain or movement; they seem to reduce both).
I'll try to post a lengthier update soon.

This Time, for Sure

God, I'm sick of dealing with health issues. Tomorrow morning I'm having another surgery on my shoulder to return it to proper alignment, and (hopefully) it will begin healing. I'm really tired of being in pain, and I really don't like pain medications, but most of all I'm really tired of feeling like I'm whining. I want to get back to focusing on politics (the rethuglicans campaign of obstructionism is crying out for snark) or sports (look! a 23 year old swimmer with a bong! a baseball player using a substance! shocking, I tell you) or weird animals or anything but my shoulder. But the shoulder must be fixed, and then I must begin dealing with Mom's house (way too much stuff) and find some way to make a living. And quit smoking. And quit whining.
So it's off to surgery. Wish me well, and I'll be back in a couple of days.

Returning to Normal?

I'm (sort of) back, and doing my best to maintain a positive attitude. My Mom did pass away on January 25th, and the funeral was on the 31st. She passed peacefully, and I'm thankful for that. The funeral was quite large, as my Mother had a huge circle of friends and all the family as well. I made it through delivering the eulogy, but I was pretty broken up afterward (I went through the same when my Father passed 16 years ago). I'm trying to remain upbeat and not get too depressed, but it's not easy. Hope to post more soon, but I still have another surgery coming, need to find a place to live, and deal with my financial desperation, so there may not be a lot of posting.

A Boobie's Perspective

It's Friday, and this Boobie is looking for something to celebrate.

Last Booby of January 2009!

Because I had a bit of time this mornin'.........

The Next Bad Thing

I'm really sorry to keep posting bad news, but that's all I've had lately. The latest is that my Mother has had a respiratory failure and is in a coma. So I've postponed my shoulder surgery and am flying out to California tonight to be at her bedside. If you all have more blessings or prayers to spare, please send them Mom's way. Thanks.

Pain and Frustration

Can I scream now? Yesterday the surgeon determined that my shoulder isn't healing in the proper position, something I suspected from my pain level. So I'm having another surgery (probably on Saturday) to realign and add more hardware.
I am not a happy camper right now.

The Return of the Boobie

Barely got a chance to post a Boobie. Here's a Brown Boobie in flight.

Inside Health Care

First off, thanks everybody for your kind and caring comments. It's very comforting to know that people care.

So the basic story is that I fell and landed on my shoulder. X-rays showed that I fractured the head of my right humerus and snapped the humerus about an inch below, resulting in a displaced fracture. Surgery required.

This was my first time in the hospital (as a patient) in many, many years, and it wasn't a good experience. If this is the current state of health care in America (and I believe it is), it's going to take a hell of a lot of reform.

I mentioned in my previous post that I was in the hospital for 4 days. It would have been shorter, but they couldn't get me into surgery on the first day...although they tried. I was in pre-op from about 1 pm until midnite getting conflicting reports on when an operating room would be available, when a surgeon would be, or if I was stable enough for surgery (I have high blood pressure, and laying around in pain wasn't helping). I can understand the delay (only general hospital for a large region), but I found it really frustrating that no one seemed to know what was going on. One minute I'm being told "you're in next" and the next "make yourself comfortable, it's going to be a while." No one could agree on what and how much pain medication I should be given (except that it was not enough) or communicate from one shift to another. All this is simply a result of being over-stretched. There were too few staff for the number of patients to be treated. I saw this problem throughout my entire stay.

The surgery went smoothly, and I am now the proud owner of a metal plate with 14 assorted pins, bolts, and screws keeping it in place. I get to keep it for life, unless, according to my surgeon, "something really bad happens." I'm kinda looking forward to my first metal detector.

Which brings me to the next stage of fun: accessing and enrolling in the state public health system. Because I'm unemployed, uninsured, and completely broke, I should qualify easily, right? Not quite. It's not as easy to document "nothing" as you might think. I've made my way through a mountain of forms, and now I've succeeded in proving that I'm too poor to pay the many thousands in medical costs.

The next stage is the fun of proving "temporary disability." The medical forecast is for 3-6 months of therapy before I regain "partial" use of my right arm, and as I'm right-handed, this might make it difficult finding a job at this time. I've barely begun the process, but I'm already buried in forms.

So thanks for the good wishes, and I'll try to keep posting. All donations are a huge help right now, thanks.

How NOT to Turn 50

Sorry that posting got delayed. I celebrated my 50th by slipping on an icy hill, breaking my shoulder, and spending 4 days in the hospital. I don't recommend this. I hope to tell more of the story soon, but this left-handed typing sucks.

Half A Century

Tomorrow will be my 50th birthday. Half a century spent going around the sun on this planet. While it is only another number, it is also a sort of milestone. It means I've been around long enough to see a chunk of history firsthand.

10 men have been president in my lifetime, and my earliest non-familial memory is of the assassination of one of them. When JFK was shot it shook the world, and even at 4 years old I could feel the importance of the event.

I grew up during an era when nuclear annihilation was a real possibility. The grade school 'duck and cover' drills can't have been good for our psyche, but they did impart a certain fatalistic cheer: "well, we haven't been nuked yet" was a good response to all bad news. And we've gotten through this past half century without a nuclear war (including the Reagan years), so there's reason for hope.

Having watched marches and riots for civil rights, I'll soon get to see an African-American president. More proof that we can make progress.

But something has changed in the American spirit during my lifetime. I'm not sure if I can define it, but we no longer have the "can-do" confidence that I grew up with. The determination that put a man on the moon is no longer present. Instead, there is an ideological morass where the public waits for someone else (i.e. "the government") to address the problems that we face. Opportunities that used to be available are now gone, and nobody seems to know how to build new ones. Technologies that seemed impossible during my childhood are now at our fingertips, but it's not clear how they will be applied to solve our current crisis'. The old economy is gone, but there isn't a new one that works for the people. Global warming isn't really all that complex, yet converting to renewable energy isn't being done. We can find the billions for wars or wall street, but something as simple as saving the planet doesn't fit in the budget.

50 years. I'm sounding like a curmudgeon on my birthday. I'm really trying to be more optimistic. I'll start now:

Happy New Year, everybody! I've always had my birthday on a holiday, and I think everyone else should, too. Or at least have a holiday on your birthday. A good reason to celebrate. This year we get the gift of a new president (something we've all really needed), one with a lot more brains and compassion than the one who's leaving. In spite of all the challenges facing him, we have some reason for hope...just a little optimism as the New Year begins.

Again, Happy New Year!

Consumer Confidence?

Today we got the official report that consumer confidence has reached a 'historic low'. This bit of news would seem rather obvious to anyone out in the 'real' world. There is no confidence; it would be much easier to measure "public panic" although that's not a topic with a historic standard. The forecast is bleak, and getting darker, and "consuming" is becoming a luxury that only the rich can afford. Buying the basic necessities is about all that people are willing to do, as the clouds of uncertainty blanket the future as far as the eye can see.
Over the past few decades America has built it's business system based on a "consumer economy" that depends on the public to buy more stuff, rather than the development or manufacture of real material goods that people need. Our jobs declined as we stopped making things and instead focused on consuming them. An intangible model at best, it's now facing a catastrophic failure.
As we count down the last days of 2008 (and get to my birthday), the prevailing mood is one of "oh, shit, what's next?" Despite the optimism of a new president, the outlook is gloomy.

The Last Boobie of 2008

As another year fades away, the Boobie makes plans for 2009. Starting with a new administration.
And putting a damper on Christmas, 2008:R.I.P, Eartha Kitt and Harold Pinter.

White Christmas

"Yes, Virginia, there WAS a Santa Claus"

Well, whether I want it or not, I'm getting a white Christmas. We've received a fair amount of snow (around 3 feet) over the past week, but tomorrow we're supposed to get the heaviest yet. The forecast is calling for "blizzard conditions" for most of the day. Luckily, I don't have to go anywhere. While a friend is hosting a Christmas potluck dinner that would be fun to join in on, if the weather is as bad as predicted I'll stay home. Even the best of the seasons good cheer doesn't serve well when frozen.

Actually, I haven't got much Christmas spirit this year. Not having any family nearby, and being extremely broke, I'm grateful for the friends around me. But that's true year round, not just seasonally. I'm wishing all good cheer to all, all year long.

So I hereby wish you all a happy, warm holiday.

Basic Philosophical Differences

Perhaps the most simple fundamental change that I hope to see from the Obama administration is one in basic philosophy. That is changing the government mindset from 'reactive' to 'proactive'. Shrub's administration followed the Gingrich philosophy of "shrink the federal government down to where you could drown it in a bathtub", and thus was only able to react when crisis' occurred. I'm hopeful that Obama will try to build government foresight in such a way as to prevent some future crisis'.
The clearest example so far is our current financial disaster. While the terms "bailout" and "stimulus" have been badly abused for rhetorical purposes, there is a fundamental difference in their actual meaning.
Shrub's plan to deal with the economic crisis is to give major financial institutions a whole lot of taxpayer money. This is a "bailout" and is a reactive response to the problem.
Obama's proposed plan is based on infrastructure projects and alternative energy development. This is "stimulus" and is proactive.
The difference is that one is an attempt to fix a past mistake, while the other is an attempt to develop a stronger future. And they represent a major difference in the fundamental philosophy of government.
There is no guarantee that Obama's plan will work, or that he'll engage in a proactive plan in other areas of government, but it's a good start.
(Now if they'd just send me some money)

'Twas the Boobie Before Christmas

And that's about all the holiday spirit I've got.

Shoes for Shrub

(video added because I could.)
I'm sure you've already read about it, but an Iraqi journalist threw his shoes at our shrub to celebrate shrub's visit to Baghdad:

BAGHDAD (AFP) — A journalist hurled two shoes at President George W. Bush on his farewell visit to Iraq on Sunday, highlighting hostility still felt toward the outgoing US leader who acknowledged that the war is still not won.
Muntazer al-Zaidi jumped up as Bush held a press conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, shouted "It is the farewell kiss, you dog" and threw his footwear.
The president lowered his head and the first shoe hit the American and Iraqi flags behind the two leaders. The second was off target.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5ifP24HzJnB4nkp4LS3UtlsaxtOcA
video here:

http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=3906861&cl=11096193&ch=4226716&src=news

I'm also sure that I'm not alone in my support for the journalist. Hell, I'd be throwing something harder than my shoes if I had the chance. Perhaps a live weasel would be appropriate.
The incident has been followed by demonstrations:

Hundreds of Iraqis joined anti-US demonstrations to protest at Bush's farewell visit on Sunday to Iraq, which was plunged into a deadly insurgency and near civil war in the aftermath of the 2003 invasion.

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/afp/20081215/twl-iraq-us-bush-media-7e07afd.html

...

In Baghdad's Shiite slum of Sadr City, supporters of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr called for protests against Bush and demanded the release of the reporter. Thousands took to the streets Monday, chanting, "Bush, Bush, listen well: Two shoes on your head."
Talking to a small group of reporters after the incident, Bush said, "I didn't know what the guy said, but I saw his sole." He told the reporters that "you were more concerned than I was. I was watching your faces."
"I'm pretty good at ducking, as most of you know," Bush joked, adding quickly that "I'm talking about ducking your questions."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081215/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush

Only a little over a month left to go. We're going to need more shoes.

Depressing Times

I know that I'm not alone in my feelings of frustration and depression. Seems like everyone around me has similar feelings. Yeah, it's the economy...but there is a sense that the worst is still to come. Folks I know who're in good jobs are nervous-budget cuts and layoffs on their horizons. Folks like me who're looking for jobs are getting increasingly desperate. And the government 'bailout' plan is offering us nothing. While I have mixed feelings about the proposed auto bailout, at least it would help some folks keep their jobs. The 14.5 billion price tag may sound like a lot, but compared to the 700 billion bank bailout (which doesn't seem to have helped anyone but the rich 'investor' class) it almost looks like a bargain.
Of course the senate rethuglicans had to kill it...might help some union workers...they don't give money to most rethug senators...screw them. The final vote of 52-35 (35 being the rethugs) shot it down.
Sometimes I wonder how the rethugs ever win. I mean, how many times do they get to kick working class people before the people strike back? After almost 8 years of shrub and crew's demolition of the American dream, you would think that they would at least try to pretend to care, but they don't.
We try to hang our hopes on the knowledge that Obama's coming, and that he'll change things for the better. God, I hope so. But I'm not optimistic. The mess has gotten too damn big for any 'quick fix' and a lot of suffering will pass before a real turnaround can take effect.
Or maybe my mood is just because it's December. I have seasonal affective disorder, and I tend to get depressed this time of year.
Nah, it's not just me.

Boobies for Fridays

A fine looking pair of masked Boobies for your viewing pleasure.