Doctor's Visit

I arrive at 3:35 for my 3:45 appointment, sign in and take a seat next to the water cooler. Four other people are in the small waiting room and I'm immediately glad that I chose to sit on that side of the room, as the smell from the lady directly across from me is almost overpowering. A man and his wife are sitting in the corner, two people I slightly know but not well enough to start up a conversation with. Another man, just a bit older than me, is wearing jeans and boots and reading pamphlets. Fifteen minutes pass and the only activity is from the women behind the sliding glass window at the receptionist's desk, as they talk among themselves about their lives and the coming Christmas holiday. Someone comes out of the back. Since there are only three examination rooms that means one has just opened up and they should be calling me back soon. Another person enters and checks in, sits down two seats from me. After five minutes more the nurse pokes her head out and calls "Roy". The guy with the boots and the new guy both stand to go back. They look at each other for a second and the new guy says "You're Roy too?". Boots Roy goes back and New Roy sits. Ten minutes go by and another patient checks in, a pretty girl who sits beside Smelly Woman. She realizes her mistake quickly, and keeps her head turned away from the woman, looking out the window. Fifteen minutes later Smelly Woman goes to the bathroom, which is right there in the waiting room. I lock eyes briefly with the pretty girl and she rolls her eyes as if to say "Can you believe that smell?". I give a slight smile and look at the floor. Everyone can hear the woman pee and wash her hands, as there is a vent right above the bathroom door through which any privacy is lost. The couple by the window are called next. It's about 4:25. A big guy comes from the back and waits by the reception window. The doctor comes to the window and explains what medication the guy is to take for his high blood pressure, for confidentiality's sake it's something that should have been done in the examining room, not where the whole waiting area can hear. I was glad I wasn't coming there with a case of VD or something. Smelly Woman's daughter comes in and says her brother is hitting her. They've been waiting in the car and are getting antsy. Smelly Woman gets called next and the pretty girl gets a magazine and moves to a chair by the window, away from the lingering odor. At 5:00 I get called back and have my blood pressure and pulse taken by the nurse who says the doctor will be right back to see me. Thirty minutes later the doctor knocks on the door and comes in. He looks to be the age of my eighteen year old son, and the last time I was there he had acne - seriously. This time his skin looked clearer. After talking to me and examining my elbow, which was the reason for my visit this day, for about three minutes total he sent me to the reception desk for my prescription. It was 5:40 when I walked out of there into the now-darkened outside world. I was just glad that my insurance will pick up the $80 tab for the two hour wait and three minute visit.

Family Time

I remember last Christmas, not because of the presents I got - in fact I can't name one of them, but because all my family was in the same house, in the same room, at the same time opening gifts and actually enjoying each others presence. So many times the kids are bickering and fighting over petty things throughout the year, but last year there was peace in our house on Christmas day. I hope this year is the same, and I hope when the kids get older that they'll remember the happy feelings, not the gifts they got.

Merry Christmas to everyone!

'tis the Season

It seems like there are always things happening at this time of year that don't have anything to do with the holidays, but nonetheless are added to the hustle and bustle of the season. One of the extra events was the Boy Scout Eagle ceremony last week where my son Nathan was recognized along with the other boys who achieved the Eagle rank. Here he is with my wife and me after the ceremony. I never take a good picture, and in this one I'm squinting like Popeye for some reason.

Other things that usually come along at this time of year which aren't so nice are things like; car trouble, broken water pipes, hospital stays, speeding tickets and overdrawn bank accounts. So far this year I've managed to avoid those maladies but there's still a week before Christmas, so anything can happen before then. Speaking of a week until Christmas, I haven't been shopping yet, which isn't unusual for me, ever the procrastinator. My wife buys presents for the kids, so I don't have very many things to buy but I still have no idea what to get her or anyone else. I suppose you'll find me on Christmas Eve at the drug store, the only place open, running around trying to hunt for this and that, giving the Chia Pets and fruitcake a second look as I run short on ideas.

Someday Soon

One of these days I'll have time to get back on here, but lately it's been too busy to sit down and write anything. I hate all the hustle and bustle at this time of the year, but I guess maybe time goes faster when you're busy and Christmas and New Years will be here and gone in a flash, then it won't be long until baseball spring training.

Master Jack

Clicking the title will take you to a video of a song that my sister had in her endless collection of 45's way back when. I used to sit for hours - or until I got caught - and play records by bands like The Association, Tommy James and the Shondells, Gary Puckett and the Union Gap, and Ronnie Dove. This was a looong time ago, before I had my own 45's, except for one, and that one would have been worth a lot of money had I been able to keep it. It was the theme song from Batman, the Adam West version, and many years later when the Batman movie starring Michael Keaton came out the older Batman paraphernalia was fetching a few bucks. Anyway, I didn't start to buy my own records until later, and some of my first ones were by Neil Diamond, Three Dog Night and Billy Joel. I had a pretty good little collection of 45's going for awhile, then I have no clue what happened to them when the 80's rolled around and cassettes and eight tracks replaced records. Stuffed in the attic and discarded I suppose.
On days like today, when it's miserable outside, listening to records was one way to pass the time, those many years ago.