Healthy Me

Lobbyists, AMA (American Medical Assoc.) and the Republican Party that are against the health care reform bill have now compromised the reform to the point that I don't know what the Senate will be voting on soon. I thought it originally was a version of Medicare type coverage for all; with all the changes and shaving of coverage, I'm clueless as to what they are passing now for that bill.

I realize that some people don't believe health care is a right for all; watching your child die from lack of treatment might change your mind on this. Soon or maybe now, only the wealthy can afford health care and it gets more frightening not by the year but by the day. Withholding a luxury might anger some people; withholding health care is barbaric. We are the only industrialized nation that does not have universal health care. How did we come to this state of affairs? http://www.wvgazette.com/Opinion/Editorials/200909150272

Health coverage has been debated and fought for and against for years. See above link! Insurance companies are frightened that this bill will pass and deprive them of all the power they hold sway over the general public.

Right now I pay almost 500.00 a month for a policy that protects against catastrophic incident only. This means, I pay for all my medicines and all my doctors' visits and all diagnostic tests. The only coverage this policy provides is for hospitalization and all costs related to that inpatient visit. This is to protect against having to claim bankruptcy should one of us have to be admitted to a hospital. Catastrophic. A hospital stay, because of the astronomical costs would bankrupt most people. I could buy more coverage at the cost of 1300.00 a month.

How many working families can afford an insurance premium of 1300.00 a month? Yes, I'm watching with interest this health care reform. I'm watching for some change. Isn't that what our President campaigned on?

Compu-Love

She telephoned and she sounded frantic. "Hey, what's up?" Breathless she replied, "My computer is down!" "Struck down by the lighting storm last night."

I know that being without the internet is not pleasant but it's really not the end of the world nor is it permanent. I suppose being a little strapped for cash might hinder buying a new computer or having the old one fixed but to have this much emotion over a computer problem seemed a bit dramatic. I didn't understand so I questioned her. Her reply "I use it to do my homework." To this I say "What about the old way of doing homework?" "What about using the computers at the library at the college?"

This did not seem to be a viable option and I couldn't understand why this wouldn't work for her.

It was not until a few months had passed that I finally found out why all this drama about her computer was so catastrophic for her. It was her online affair that she was concerned about. It was that newly found man and being unable to contact him that had her so upset. Unable to connect by stroking the keyboard; unable to check email for a love note had devastated her.

Her online romance was new and in the developmental stage. Having no online access is extremely important in the developmental stage and to not be able to connect might have cooled the whole thing down. She didn't want to admit to what really had her upset about the fried computer. A new one was quickly ordered and love forged ahead.

Thank the powers that be for the internet. It's the swingers haven of the 2000's.

The Journey

Off we go to hunt. It was a hunt with two inexperienced hunters. We looked, we listened and we captured. We returned to the house a few hours later and about 1500.00 less in the bank account courtesy of the salesment/hunt guide at the computer store. It's 1993 and we have our first computer and a whole lot less knowledge about what to do with it but AOL was our first stop.

We signed on and on meant the internet. I've always entertained myself with books and reading the written word of any kind. The internet was the perfect home for me. For the next few months I soaked up everything I could about the computer and the internet. I was hooked. I marveled at all the places I could visit; the people out there doing the same thing and the friendships developed through this medium. Awesome! A whole world opened up with this CPU and screen.

It didn't take long for me to use it (the internet) for most of my needs. I could order products, contact friends through email and chat screens, look up directions, print maps, pay bills and on and on. Soon I was converted to digital photography; another hobby of mine and I discovered photo editing. Lots to learn and I enjoyed all of it.

As the years passed, family and friends started getting computers and getting online. Many of these newbies I coached through the learning process and my sister was one of them.

Coaching sister was a bit tricky. Five years after getting her first computer and I was still her coach. Now, there is nothing wrong with sister's brain. She is a bright and intelligent person although a bit scattered at times. She wanted to "do" and wasn't particulary interested in learning. She wanted to know how to do what she was working on; not to learn what the computer could do and how it did it. I, on the other hand, had to know how this thing worked and what it could do.

The first thing I did was learn the terminology. Sister could have cared less and to this day when I instruct her to type an address into the "browser" she has to ask "Where is that?" I just smile and shake my head and be grateful she can't see the look on my face.

Sometimes she would call and out of fustration with her, I would hand the phone to hubby and have him explain. He looked exhausted when he finally finished talking to her.

I have to conclude this with how much she has impressed me lately with her bravado on the computer. She was trying to get videos to play that she had recorded and was unable to find the player on her laptop. She went online and found a player, downloaded it and VOILA, she has video capabilities. Lets stand right now and give her a round of applause, shall we? I was too impressed! Then I mentioned "browser" to her and she asked

"Where's that?"

7months2wksTKR

Thunder is rolling overhead and occasionally the rain that is clotted in the clouds is released to form puddles at the end of my driveway. The humidity is so thick you can almost part it with your hands; it's a curtain of moisture mist hanging.

The cool air has vanished like a faint memory. The temperatures are back to the high 80's and add in the humidity and you have a day that sucks! I should be looking at this as just a different sort of day. A day that sucks would encompass sickness, death or disease so my description shouldn't be taken too seriously. Occasionally the sun breaks through and the dreariness of the day disappears instantaneously. It's amazing what a little sunshine will do.

Carrie left this morning to go hang with her mother. She was excited to be going to visit her mom. She said "we have fun together; we do fun things" although she couldn't elaborate on what those fun things might be. She slobbered kisses all over me and her Poppy and was on her way. She tuned the radio to music of her choice and sang with the song while dancing in her seat all the way home. She knows the words to the popular songs being played or at least on the station that her brother listens to with her. She learns quickly and I can see why people say their brains are like sponges at this age.

I'm taking this opportunity of an almost empty house and no demands from anyone to continue stretching exercises on the knee. Always with the stretching. This is Monday and I should post an ugly knee picture. It's for "The Record". That would be the record I'm keeping on here. I've found my memory is not what I think it is. I scroll back to older posts and don't actually remember the time frame for some of the healing on this knee. It's nice to have it recorded on here and to that end, here is that UKP(ugly knee ).

I still don't have full extension. I use a 10lb weight and with the weight it will extend to "0". I still have the pain in the achilles tendon and I'm still taking the Celebrex although I really don't think it is effective. I'll take another 2weeks of it then I'll have to address it again with a foot specialist. That's it for the clinical update for this week and this month. I'll post another knee update in a month.