Survival

So I survived my first go-live in about a decade. Everything is more-or-less up and running and the bartenders are getting comfortable with the system. We still have some back-end issues to work out, but we are already getting some good information that we've never had before. Like just how much free alcohol we give away. And how much just goes missing. I predict the next bartender meeting will be rather... um... lively.

In other news, Debbie is back to work after another bout of whatever it is that is wrong with her neck/arm/wrist/whatever. This is the third time she's been through this. The first two times, she just took a few days off and it got better. This time was far worse and is still hanging on over a month later. We spent a few bajillion dollars on bone guys and nerve guys and x-rays and the consensus is that there isn't anything wrong. Nothing, that is, other than the debilitating numbness, tingling and pain that goes from the side of her face, down her neck, across her back and down her arm to her fingers. But other than that, everything looks good. We could spend another bajillion or so dollars on still more tests that may or may not reveal anything more useful than the universal shrug she's gotten so far. Or we could spend a few tens of dollars on the only person in Pasco county that is actually doing something to alleviate her symptoms: The Frank Clinic of Chiropractic & Natural Health Care. So much for the medical/industrial complex accomplishing anything useful with the 20% of GDP they consume every year.

Speaking of which, my doctor down at the ghetto clinic was concerned about a spot on my foot and referred me to a local podiatrist. I went a couple weeks ago and of course the only solution was to drive down to Tampa so I could hand over $3K for them to chop on my feet. Oh, and I wouldn't be able to work for a couple weeks. No big deal, right? I flat out told them, "No." From their expressions, you would have thought I had farted in their faces. Debbie's been off completely or on a reduced schedule since the first part of February, and money has been flowing out of our bank account like water from a fire hose trying to get some answers. We don't have an extra $3K just lying around, nor can I take two weeks off work during the absolutely crazy-busiest month at the lodge. Not. Gonna. Happen.

After a lot of arm waving and dire warnings that they might have to chop off my entire foot if I delayed surgery, they agreed to monitor my foot for now and do the surgery later. After two weeks, my foot is essentially healed up and the podiatrist was forced to admit that surgery was not, in fact, immediately necessary, and told me to call when I was ready for the surgery or if my foot started oozing anything.

And the secret ingredient in the secret ingredient noodle soup? Honey. Did it actually help? Who knows? All I do know is that instead of $3K+2 weeks lost wages for a foot surgery, we spent five bucks on big Band-Aids and used a few drops of honey we already had in the pantry. So don't expect the medical/industrial complex to jump all over that.

So I hear there's this whole Trump thing still going on. Last time I saw his bad toupee, he was making excuses for the implosion of yet-another of his "brilliant" ideas that made him millions while wiping out the fools who invested in whatever boondoggle he had cooked up. On the one hand, I just don't see how anyone can take this ass clown seriously. He obviously doesn't take himself seriously, with all the insanity and lies he spews every time a TV camera gets within a half-mile. On the other hand, given the endless failures of... well... pretty much everything the US has attempted in the last couple decades, Trump's string of failures, loose grip on reality and inability to tell the truth may make him the most qualified candidate we've seen in a long time. Especially when the alternatives are complete nut-jobs like Cruz. Not that the Democrats have anything better to offer; there it's either Ms It's-My-Turn staring down an indictment for numerous breaches of national security, or some fossilized socialist who hasn't said anything relevant since I was in elementary school. One reason why I'm just staying home. Again.

And my home town is back in the news:


If no one ends up in prison for this, we owe Charles Manson an apology.

Well, I was able to escape from work a little early today, so I should do something productive, like get our tax return filed. Or maybe just take a nap. One of those things.