There are things that doctors tell you, but you don’t really understand the meaning. Well, that was the case with cancer treatments resulting in my lack of saliva production. That didn’t seem like a big deal at the time, but it really is a problem.
A couple of weeks ago, I am picking up my car from some repairs and decide to make a pass through town to do long overdue errands, despite the bad clothes, messed up hair, 5 days worth of stubble and a little car grime.
Going into the only store that will carry my “saliva substitute” I find a line at the pharmacy that extends the width and length of the store and the young lady at the cash register is snarling. So I circle the store, impulse buy and scare the hell out of other shoppers with my appearance.
Finally, the line is gone and I step up to the counter. The young girl at the cash register doesn’t look up as she barks “can I help you?” Just grunting I continue to empty my hands, giving her time enough to be irritated and truly focus her attention on me. Perfect!
Babbling and acting nervous, like a 14 year old trying to buy condoms, I finally ask her “Ummm, I was wondering, umm… do you sell spit?” Speechless, she crosses her arms and scowls at me. The pharmacist looks up from his tasks, worried about what kind of old NUT he has at the front counter.
Giving a full 5 count, I apologize, pointing at the shelf where my order is at telling her that it’s really called saliva substitute and it’s...
Rattled, she goes the other way, barking something about not having it and that I would have to special order something like that. Again I point at the order and try to tell her I HAD actually ordered it … as she cuts me off, INSISTING that it has to be a special order. I point at the shelf and started to speak as … she cuts me off again.
Finally the irritated pharmacist walks around to the counter, grabs the two boxes and hands them to her. She marches up to the cash register and starts to scan them in, stating rather indignantly that “she wasn’t sure that’s what it was called” HA! I got her again, saying: “What? The brand name spit? Nobody would buy THAT!”
I start to explain to her that I can’t get pharmacies to take this matter seriously; they either laugh and walk off or refuse to carry it for long because they can’t make any money on it and ask her to order it ahead for me. Still irritated, she proclaims that she does not understand what the big deal is and I can just order more when I run out.
The pharmacist bounds forward, eager to demonstrate some customer service to his trainee, telling me he takes this seriously, explains to her that I can't ever run out and asks me if I had ever tried eye drops. Now I have to wonder if I am about to get “the business” back for a change right? No, he is suggesting that I use medicated eye drops in my mouth to gain better control than with the drugs I am using.
The young girl’s eyes widen as the pharmacist and I banter at the level of any two medical professionals. Suddenly that greasy, homeless looking “hillbilly” went from wiping snot on his sleeve and yelling “hey lady, du u sell spit?” to a needy and intelligent customer. She put on her coat and started to leave as I shouted behind her “hey lady, do u sell spit?, leaving me to laugh about this one for days and wonder if the message I was sending her sank in.
Next time, I wear a suit eh?
Work retail? If you see me coming, RUN!
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
Home again!
Hey all, its been a while.
We have been back home for months, we rather fearful of my losing my job at the School due to budget cuts, I am scrambling to actually get another part time job I was asked to take with the US Census Bureau. They are a little concerned that I might be Law Enforcement due to my activities with various cyber-defence and forensics orgs. I hope I can straiten this out because I really need more work and very soon!
The good news!
The car is fixed, finally! I had the diagnosis correct (MAP sensor) but was rather nervous about dropping say $500 I didn't really have into the repair and not actually fix it. I wasn't getting the error codes from the computers because ...
The BULB was burnt out?? How embarrassing, but I got a certified tech to give it a once over and it runs like a champ! now all I have to do is keep it that way. Now lets see if I can get the silly thing to get over 60 MPG.
For those of you who know me well, you know I had very bad luck with "the big cancer org", they were very nasty and abusive. I found, what looks like a very good support org http://oralcancersupport.org.
They seem to appreciate the pranks I pulled on the medical staff and see humor as important as I do, no matter what monster you are jousting with. Check the "MY PICS" link at the top of the page to see pics of the 2 biggest pranks I pulled. Watch for MORE, the best one is yet to come!
We have been back home for months, we rather fearful of my losing my job at the School due to budget cuts, I am scrambling to actually get another part time job I was asked to take with the US Census Bureau. They are a little concerned that I might be Law Enforcement due to my activities with various cyber-defence and forensics orgs. I hope I can straiten this out because I really need more work and very soon!
The good news!
The car is fixed, finally! I had the diagnosis correct (MAP sensor) but was rather nervous about dropping say $500 I didn't really have into the repair and not actually fix it. I wasn't getting the error codes from the computers because ...
The BULB was burnt out?? How embarrassing, but I got a certified tech to give it a once over and it runs like a champ! now all I have to do is keep it that way. Now lets see if I can get the silly thing to get over 60 MPG.
For those of you who know me well, you know I had very bad luck with "the big cancer org", they were very nasty and abusive. I found, what looks like a very good support org http://oralcancersupport.org.
They seem to appreciate the pranks I pulled on the medical staff and see humor as important as I do, no matter what monster you are jousting with. Check the "MY PICS" link at the top of the page to see pics of the 2 biggest pranks I pulled. Watch for MORE, the best one is yet to come!
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Rockets and Bombs and Dead Chimps, Oh My!
Off to Alamogordo we went before dawn. Seeking to test the FIXED hydrogen modifications and pick up a Penski truck for the long trip home ... The hydrogen kit could not handle the Frequency Modulated data from one of the sensors, problem solved.
The Space Museum got in the way http://hedgy62.spaces.live.com/photos/cns!758678228BC11E9A!1062/ Where a ton of historical space toys can be seen. You may also find one of my pipe tobacco cigars on the grave of Ham the chimp, our first astronaut, someone had left a plastic banana? Boys give that chimp a cigar!
On to White Sands Missile Testing Range. Relics from the first atomic tests, hand wired computer boards the like I haven's seen since my youth! Rockets and launchers and ... well have a look!
http://hedgy62.spaces.live.com/photos/cns!758678228BC11E9A!1133/
I am quite surprised by New Mexico, its not at all what I expected and I would love to come back again. One more day in Roswell and we roll out. EEK!
We will try to post from the road. If we can't I will post from home in a week or so.
The Space Museum got in the way http://hedgy62.spaces.live.com/photos/cns!758678228BC11E9A!1062/ Where a ton of historical space toys can be seen. You may also find one of my pipe tobacco cigars on the grave of Ham the chimp, our first astronaut, someone had left a plastic banana? Boys give that chimp a cigar!
On to White Sands Missile Testing Range. Relics from the first atomic tests, hand wired computer boards the like I haven's seen since my youth! Rockets and launchers and ... well have a look!
http://hedgy62.spaces.live.com/photos/cns!758678228BC11E9A!1133/
I am quite surprised by New Mexico, its not at all what I expected and I would love to come back again. One more day in Roswell and we roll out. EEK!
We will try to post from the road. If we can't I will post from home in a week or so.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Battles n Bombs
Well, the hydrogen modifications are installed and working, but not properly. We can't seem to locate a critical computer signal and the information seems unavailable since the vehicle is very new. The system seems to have doubled the MPG in the city, but halved it on the highway. if we don't get it right today we will override it and proceed without it.
The Gopher doesn't help! There WILL be a short video of me clenching a dynamite like smoke bomb in my teeth and dropping it in a gopher hole right where we have been working. * Visions of Caddy Shack * even after we tried to smoke him out TWICE, he came back and tunneled a second entrance into the work area, built a big mound over the first entrance and blocked that one off. Its tunnel system must be HUGE, we never saw any smoke coming out of the ground anywhere. We are out of smoke bombs and there have not been any reports of smoke 70 miles away at Carlsbad Caverns ... Where IS that dayumed gopher???
We get the Penski truck tomorrow the 9Th and should be rolling out very early the 11Th, so you won't be getting much in the way of posts for a week or so, unless we get lucky and have a camp grounds with good Wi-Fi.
Gas prices!!! geeze! $3000 in fuel to go 2700 miles with 2 rigs? Add the truck rental and a bit of maintenance we could wind up over $2 a mile, even with us sleeping in the seats for a week. That's more than a years worth of house payments for me to drive half way across the US, I can't wait to get my hands on a full hydrogen conversion kit.
Will be home soon!
The Gopher doesn't help! There WILL be a short video of me clenching a dynamite like smoke bomb in my teeth and dropping it in a gopher hole right where we have been working. * Visions of Caddy Shack * even after we tried to smoke him out TWICE, he came back and tunneled a second entrance into the work area, built a big mound over the first entrance and blocked that one off. Its tunnel system must be HUGE, we never saw any smoke coming out of the ground anywhere. We are out of smoke bombs and there have not been any reports of smoke 70 miles away at Carlsbad Caverns ... Where IS that dayumed gopher???
We get the Penski truck tomorrow the 9Th and should be rolling out very early the 11Th, so you won't be getting much in the way of posts for a week or so, unless we get lucky and have a camp grounds with good Wi-Fi.
Gas prices!!! geeze! $3000 in fuel to go 2700 miles with 2 rigs? Add the truck rental and a bit of maintenance we could wind up over $2 a mile, even with us sleeping in the seats for a week. That's more than a years worth of house payments for me to drive half way across the US, I can't wait to get my hands on a full hydrogen conversion kit.
Will be home soon!
Friday, September 5, 2008
Hydrogen kit - route planning
Well, we are using Vaseline, dynamite and jack hammers to stuff the partial hydrogen conversion kit into the rig ... the vendor shipped just enough parts that it will run. Horse flys, mosquitos and mutant killer ants are making this even MORE fun ... LOL
Spending several hours yesterday with an atlas and yahoo maps, I have a big chunk of the scenic route back to Moses Lake figured out. Trying to hold the travel and tourist time to 12 hours per day and end up at a camp grounds for the night since finances are really shaky and we stay free in the national campgrounds. The trip will include most major tourist traps from New Mexico to central California and then up the middle of Oregon to get home.
Going to see allot of stuff, leaving the 11Th and arriving back home the 16Th or 17Th. Its still possible that we may abort and I fly home, sure hope not! Either way, I won't be smuggling any of Yvette's Cinnamon rolls back, sorry!
Spending several hours yesterday with an atlas and yahoo maps, I have a big chunk of the scenic route back to Moses Lake figured out. Trying to hold the travel and tourist time to 12 hours per day and end up at a camp grounds for the night since finances are really shaky and we stay free in the national campgrounds. The trip will include most major tourist traps from New Mexico to central California and then up the middle of Oregon to get home.
Going to see allot of stuff, leaving the 11Th and arriving back home the 16Th or 17Th. Its still possible that we may abort and I fly home, sure hope not! Either way, I won't be smuggling any of Yvette's Cinnamon rolls back, sorry!
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Roswell - Carlsbad- Giant Cave Slug!
Well its been a fun trip so far.
It's nice to know that I can still fly again. I was concerned about that since I couldn't stand the pressure changes 10 years ago and was forced out of my profession because of that. The cancer treatments seem to have fixed that problem.
After a couple of days in Roswell NM we took off for a day of filming in Carlsbad Caverns, 15 hours on the site and came back with massive data to review.
While capturing we cought a glimpse of a something odd and spent a very long night working with this short clip: http://www.veoh.com/videos/v15800961MjjKeq37
We will be working with it further, discussing a second trip down and will post the "rest of the story" in a week or 3. This is going to be a fun educational tool when we are done, codecs n stuff ... * snickers *
Still looking for the little aliens ...
It's nice to know that I can still fly again. I was concerned about that since I couldn't stand the pressure changes 10 years ago and was forced out of my profession because of that. The cancer treatments seem to have fixed that problem.
After a couple of days in Roswell NM we took off for a day of filming in Carlsbad Caverns, 15 hours on the site and came back with massive data to review.
While capturing we cought a glimpse of a something odd and spent a very long night working with this short clip: http://www.veoh.com/videos/v15800961MjjKeq37
We will be working with it further, discussing a second trip down and will post the "rest of the story" in a week or 3. This is going to be a fun educational tool when we are done, codecs n stuff ... * snickers *
Still looking for the little aliens ...
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
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