"Every human being is interested in two kinds of worlds: the Primary, everyday world which he knows through his senses, and a Secondary world or worlds which he not only can create in his imagination, but which he cannot stop himself creating." W.H. Auden
Lindens finally cleaning up the long-time ad extortion plots, and if they are small, and you have land on 3 sides of them, the Lindens will put them to sale to you if you ask. This particle 64 m2 idiocy was here for nearly 3 years. It originally had a huge radio tower on it, and was set to an extortionist price to buy back the view. When I first told the extortionist I wouldn't bite, he responded by putting a stupid hot tub on the parcel, leaving it set to $8000 -- for the next 2.5 years. Until finally Guy, God bless him, got to it on his huge, long list. Yay, Lindens!
About 12 days ago I had to take my son, who already has several chronic illnesses, in for an appointment with a specialist, but it seemed like he had the flu on top of allergies. We were shunted from one office way downtown to another...we waited for ever...finally the nurse and the residents began checking. Then I saw that half-cocked-head, half-frown that doctors get that means "We're not liking what we see here."
Then the questions began. This symptom, that symptom, temperature, aches, coughs? any trips outside the U.S.? Or anywhere? Or? Resident after resident came in, checking and checking. The chief specialist came in and made a really thorough exam -- and then went over everything again. I was puzzled. What was all this? Were they having one of those typical "teachable moment" intern days or had I just drawn a science nerd from the deck? More and more questions, then doctors exiting, and hearing them in consultation in the room. Hours had passed by now. I felt as if we were being detained. "We're sorry we're holding you so long," said a nurse several times, taking supplies out of the closet. More and more doctors. I began to think if we weren't sick before we came in here, we would be soon by the sheer number of people coming in and doing exams. I noticed that they didn't seem overly zealous about washing their hands but then some of them had gloves on -- of course asking you if you had a latex allergy.
More waiting. The chief guy came in with even more obsessive questions. Blood tests were needed. No, they couldn't be given because you can't be sick when having some of them. No, actually, they will be taken, but this wording here, see, on this form, isn't worded properly for managed care to bill. Phone calls to the insurance company and instructions to go back to the primary caregiver and have him write the right thing on the order for the blood tests. No, say "test" not "evaluate". No, he's not in now but we've left a message. All typical managed care stuff that routinely eats up a day -- and I routinely allow a day for these visits with all their machinations.
But again, the chief specialist came in with that cocked-head, half-frowning look, just as we were leaving, and himself, personally, listened to my son with the stethoscope, again and again, while he was already standing up and dressed. I began to think I was in some sort of strange Groundhog Day. He admonished me to take my son back to his primary pediatrician to be sure. Etc. OK, more hours spent on more managed care, yada yada. All this was before I had even read in the papers about something called "swine flu".
Soon, I was paying attention, as we were to go to doctors several more times, with more tests, with bungles, with more instructions and still more tests to come -- but finally a clear-cut response that it was "flu, but not THAT flu". Nobody ever seems to give a clear list of symptoms of the pig flu anywhere, even on blogs, I guess because the people who have it aren't bloggers and may not even have Internet connection. (Actually, you can find bloggers once you start looking, just as you can just about anywhere these days, complete with twitters about "love in the time of swine flu".)
Note this poll results fly against conventional SL forums wisdom and blog ranting as follows: Do you plan to submit to new verification required to visit explicit adult parcels in SL? o No, I don't wish to visit adult sites -- 99 o No, I don't trust verification companies -- 216 o No, I will do what I wish on my own land -- 133 o Yes, but I'm not happy with it -- 83 o Yes, it's not a big deal at all -- 189 Total 720
Cylindrian Rutabaga playing live on the radio in Georgia and in SL with Beth Odets at the Blue Fusion Jazz Club, with a Filthy Fluno painting in the background! FF is here dancing, too.
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