My public service
With the elections coming up, and the increasingly bizarre campaigns, I thought I’d publish a satirical handbook for taking over the country. Once I did that, I realized that it wasn’t enough to say how to do it; I needed to offer strategies for resisting such attempts, mostly using non-violent communications techniques. I used Amazon’s Kindle Direct, which is pretty easy. However, since I had to upload the manuscript as a pdf instead of Word document, my first ebook was difficult to read; so I just uploaded a replacement. If interested, go to Amazon, enter Nicholas Rogers and the title, or click here.
You can read it on any tablet or laptop, as long as you download the Kindle app. It’s very short and can be read in one sitting. If you think it’s worth reading, tell your friends.
On July 29th, I had my second surgery on my left shoulder. I did the first a year ago, and then I re-tore the bicep tendon when I had my accident in Barcelona. The first surgery left me with “Popeye deformity,” which left a gap between my upper and lower biceps. That has now been repaired, and, luckily, the rotator cuff was still intact. This means that the recovery is much easier, but I’m still in a sling for a month. At least I’ve had lots of practice – last summer in a sling and this past winter in a cast. In any event, it was worth it; the surgery went great and I am without pain.
A note for my fellow seniors: I suffered for months with body aches, which I attributed to the problems in my shoulders. It turns out that I was having a bad reaction to my statin, a generic of Crestor. I’d taken a small dose for years, but the pain started last year. When I went off it, the pain went away and I’m sleeping great.
It’s funny how conversations change from our 20s to our 30s to our 70s.
Palm Springs has been extremely hot, and I’ve been, for the most part, housebound. I realize that I can no longer tolerate the heat, so I will definitely be leaving the area by the end of the year. My Spanish visa is in process, and my plan is to spend another two months checking out different cities in Spain (e.g., Valencia). However, I’m still open to affordable locations in southern California. Has anybody been to Eureka?
During a recent visit to my primary care guy, his assistant did the preliminary work, including blood pressure and the usual questions. When she asked me what my pain level was, I asked “Where?” She replied, “It doesn’t matter.” This is what script-driven customer service has become.
As for all the childless and miserable cat-ladies, I don’t believe that they want to make everyone else miserable, with the possible exception of allergy sufferers like me. Even then, I’ve seen no evidence that they want to make me miserable, only that they do.
Ciao for now