What’s top of my mind: At-work shenanigans. Patience above! My work computer at the MESA office gave up the ghost and hours have been spent on calls and texts trying to get help what to do. There is no one at the office with whom to consult and IT assistance is something out of the movie ‘Brazil’ It is hard to do my job. On top of this it’s that time of year when The Overlords demand all patients redo the consent forms, another source of confusion how this gets done. I trust in time these matters will settle down but until then life (at least work) has been a headache.
Where I’ve been: UPS Store. Just a mile away is the local UPS store; I go there for all my shipping needs. I surmise I would save money if I went to the USPS, but that means a longer drive and a wait in a long line, usually next to people quite vocal in their unhappiness about things especially the USPS. The UPS store is staffed with courteous people who take care of me right away. I am in and out and home quick as a quarter note. This all is worth the high price of UPS shipping.
Where I’m going: Namaste. Namaste is an Indian restaurant a couple of miles west of us in Scottsdale. The kitchen and wait staff appear to be one large family, running around and shouting orders at each other, talking in heathen tongues as my father used to say. What they make is beyond scrumptious; my soul swoons at the dishes. I like mine hot to Indian hot but I pay for it later. Oh the pain. But it is worth it.
Avoid curried snacks
What I’m watching: Movies (bits). Apparently we subscribe to six streaming services (names upon request). I don’t watch movies or TV so I’ve not bothered to learn about them until recently. Someone gave me their names and passwords and I downloaded them onto my laptop and phone. This is a mistake, as I have added six new time-sucks onto my devices. Rather than social media, I catch myself scrolling through Hulu et. al. curious if my favorites are there.*
What I’m reading: The New Yorker Magazine anthology of short stories 1925-2025. Last year I bought a hefty tome of The Magazine’s collection of top short stories. In the table of contents I recognize a few like ‘The Lottery’ by Shirley Jackson and “The Secret life of Walter Mitty’ by James Thurber. The majority of stories I do not know. I will read about one per week until done. I love short stories!
Do you have a favorite short story?
What I’m listening to: Mental Illness and Violence: Myths vs Facts. This is one of the best lectures I’ve heard in while. Thems with mentally ill are NOT more prone to violence. There are three things that are correlated to acts of violence. They are: anger; intoxication; access to firearms. Even when someone with mental illness does commit a crime, it is usually not from their mental illness per se, but from drugs, anger, and having a gun – just like everyone else.
When we hear of a mass shooting, we want to think the shooter must have done so out of mental illness as this delusion comforts us since we don’t have mental illness we could never be violent . But we can.
What I’m eating: Bourbon Chicken. One of my new year resolutions is to get cracking on all the saved recipes to ‘some day make’. The first one is done: bourbon chicken. It is sautéed chicken bits in a sauce composed of soy sauce, stock, brown sugar, ginger, onion powder and of course some bourbon. Stir in some chopped scallions. It was good and worth repeating – but next time with less sugar and more bourbon.
Who needs a good slap: The System of The Overlords. Not only for all the hassle of trying to fix or find a replacement for my at-work defunct computer, but their Rx mail order service. I recently received a text a Rx was coming out, only to later receive another text the order was on hold. I called and in time got a person. Apart from the co-pay issue there was the point I didn’t need this prescription for some months. Don’t send it now A few days later I got a text saying it is being processed with the high co-pay. The next day I got yet another text saying again the order is on hold. When the at-work computer fiasco has a moment I have to call them again and tell them to stop this texting nonsense.
On my 1-5 scale, I give large corporations with no easy access to human-based help four slaps.
Who gets a fist bump: The Triple Goddess (work). Despite all the shenanigans at work, The Clinical supervisor, The House Manager, and The Medical Assistant have all done their best to help with the mentioned crisis and impediments. Bless them! One of them got The Overlords to ship me ASAP an Overlord-approved portable laptop to use – like what everyone else has.
What I’m planning: Spending as little as possible. Patience above! December saw some hefty bills, what with Christmas, property taxes, and professional membership renewals. Oh the pain. January (it is hoped) will be a parsimonious month with minimum spending.
What’s making me smile: Stick pins. Last year I purchased a handful of stick pins of the gods and goddesses of Greek and Norse culture. I am rotating them on my sport jacket labels with a different one for each work day. It is a sort of Theo-therapy for me. Jolly good fun !
Can you identify them?
*Mostly no. Despite six streaming services my inquires come up with ‘not available’. It resembles Monty Python “Cheese Shoppe sketch”. Most of what I want to see appear be on Amazon Prime, which is the one streaming service we do NOT have. Oh the pain.
Spo-Reflections 