It's really so difficult to tell the difference these days. Just look at the governments- everywhere. Honestly, we should have all put monkeys in charge-and I mean real monkeys. They're much more intelligent, more clever, more useful, less antagonistic and egoistic-and, let's face it, they're much better looking.
You can tell that it's been a rough time since last wrote. I had the super flu-maybe the super duper flu-and I was too sick to get out of bed and create chaos and mayhem. And now I'm back to normal (ish). My cough sounded like a combination of a lawnmower and a chainsaw. It was frightening-but people heard it and got out of my way very quickly. I'd rather just be able to trip them with my elbow crutch. My lungs would thank me.
I'm back in the fight with the hospital. This time it's over the antibiotics that I need to nebulize. The GP refuses to prescribe them because the local plonkers who decide what drugs are acceptable (read that as being what drugs are cheap) have denied a whole family of antibiotics-not the really poisonous and noxious ones, mind you, but the expensive ones that work and don't almost cripple the patients. So I'm in a fight (verbal, obviously. Anything physical and I would just fall over).I'll let you know who ends up with the (virtual) black eye and bloody nose. I'm American. We fight. Then we sue.
Like I said, it's increasingly difficult to tell the monkeys from the organ grinders. Go to any hospital clinic and everyone-even the receptionists, who sometimes know nothing, act like the organ grinders. This is what happens when you deal with the dross of the NHS.
Something interesting has happened, though. Since my vestibular (balance) system was completely destroyed (by monkeys who thought they were organ grinders), I've had a very tough time learning how to walk again-and a tougher time staying upright. Even my bruises have bruises (just ask them). But-the Dutch have developed a balance belt. It doesn't stop you from falling (I learned that the hard and painful way). It vibrates when the wearer is not standing straight. The belt is filled with electrodes, I switch it on while I'm wearing it, and it vibrates furiously if I'm leaning to either side (or front or back). It is an alert system that tells me when my balance is off kilter.
The belt doesn't send information wirelessly to the developers. It exists to tell the wearer when they are not standing (or sitting) straight. And it does work, although I wear it around my waist and the vibrations make me feel like my stomach is rumbling and I'm hungry.
The funny thing about the belt is that it emits a low sound to show that it's plugged in and working, If someone is standing close to me they can hear the sound of the motor. It isn't loud, but it is noticeable. I was standing next to a neighbor (one of the gossipy ones) the other day and a few of us were talking. She demanded to know what the sound was-interrupting someone else-so I said: what sound? Don't you hear that? she asked. There's no sound. Are you sure that you don't have tinnitus? I'm going to have this checked out, she said (I'm not being grammatically correct-but today I'm an extremely lazy typist). Now- this is also the person who swore that she was suffering from Ebola when the epidemic began. The rest of us will be hearing about tinnitus forever.
That brings you up to date. On Friday I get to have a frank and open discussion (verbal fight) with the hospital about prescribing the antibiotic I'm supposed to be taking every day. Hopefully no more clattering and sounding like a bag of hammers.
Talk over the weekend. Bloodied but unbroken.