Key Grip: Eric Martin
Happy Labor Day weekend. In the spirit of the holiday, I've scaled back the rant.
One request:
If you call me on the phone, you do not get to ask "Who is this?" before identifying yourself. It was you that called me for the love o' god?
One regret:
Summer? Sob.
One thought:
Thank you all. ObWi rocks.
If you're talking on your cell phone in a public place, you do not have to shout! Also, get up and go outside the restaurant please. Finally, do not even bring the damn thing into a movie theater.
Posted by: Ugh | August 29, 2008 at 03:48 PM
One good reason to not change your name when you get married? To screen out folks who don't know you.
If they ask for Mr Wife's Last Name or Ms Husbands Last Name, it's a telemarketer.
Posted by: MobiusKlein | August 29, 2008 at 03:58 PM
If you call me on the phone, you do not get to ask "Who is this?" before identifying yourself.
Unless you're Bogart and Bacall in The Big Sleep.
Posted by: Hogan | August 29, 2008 at 04:02 PM
If you are in front of me in line and the person at the counter is trying to help you but you’re too busy talking on your cell phone that’s grounds to immediately send you to the back of the line.
Posted by: OCSteve | August 29, 2008 at 04:10 PM
If you call me on my cellphone and I answer with "I am at work right now" that is a signal that you should say "I'm sorry, when can I call you back?" unless it is something that will genuinely not wait a couple of hours.
It is not an invitation to start telling me why you called me, to apologise for not remembering that I am generally at work at three o'clock in the afternoon, or to ask if I've seen the latest from Big Brother on TV.
OCSteve: If you are in front of me in line and the person at the counter is trying to help you but you’re too busy talking on your cell phone that’s grounds to immediately send you to the back of the line.
Amen.
Posted by: Jesurgislac | August 29, 2008 at 04:17 PM
When you're in line at McDonalds, there's nothing wrong with looking at the menu and figuring out what you want to eat before it's your turn to order (also, it's freakin' McDonalds, you've been there before, you know what they have, it ain't that hard to pick something).
Posted by: Ugh | August 29, 2008 at 04:19 PM
OC -- One of the pharmacies near me has a "please turn off your cell phone at the counter" policy posted. I'm sure other places do too. High time.
My mom works high-end retail and will turn away and help another customer (if one is waiting) if the person she's helping answers their phone and stays on it.
Posted by: farmgirl | August 29, 2008 at 04:19 PM
Do NOT stop at the exit from the supermarket parking lot, waiting for a left-turn opportunity to materialize. Not with that No Left Turn sign sitting right next to you.
Of course, you will anyway. Jerk.
Posted by: Slartibartfast | August 29, 2008 at 04:24 PM
Congratulations on running the redlight and then being forced to stop in the intersection blocking cross-traffic, you've not only broken the law and pissed off a bunch of people, but you've done it for nothing!
Posted by: Ugh | August 29, 2008 at 04:33 PM
Happy Labor Day weekend. I posted an earlier link to an earlier version of this, but I've added more since, and besides, with 85 open threads in the past week, no one replied, though I did hear very nicely from Donald Johnson with a very generous donation and thoughts.
I had my first visit with my new therapist today. He strongly encouraged me to continue with a Social Security disability application.
Other than that, my life still sucks, awful stuff is going on that involves other people that I can't talk about, I'm still crying a lot, and it's still making me feel overly close to suicidal though there's probably little danger that I'll actually do anything, I just feel that awfully, horribly, bad. And scared.
Hoping you are better.
P.S. I just watched The Big Sleep last week, and colorization is an abomination before God and the lack of any god.
Posted by: Gary Farber | August 29, 2008 at 04:34 PM
thank you, Mr Spammer, for using my email address again as the return addr on you latest bulk mailing.
there's nothing that pleases me more than having people think my business sells imaging software and Anna Kournikova screen saver viruses.
Posted by: cleek | August 29, 2008 at 04:39 PM
When you're in line at McDonalds, there's nothing wrong with looking at the menu and figuring out what you want to eat before it's your turn to order
Also, when you're in line anywhere, you don't have to wait until you hear the total before you start looking for your money. Unless they usually give you stuff for free.
Gary: 1) Agree about colorization. Bill James once wrote, in a baseball context, that Ted Turner is the kind of guy who would think that Casablanca could be improved by being done over in pastels--he worships mediocrity.
2) Apologies if this doesn't apply or is something you already know, but my wife tells me that if you're using a lawyer to pursue a SS disability claim, it's a lot better to use a lawyer who specializes in SS disability than a GP who does it on the side: it's an area of law where specialization makes a big difference.
3) Feel better. (A wish, not an order. Although I could make it an order if that would help.)
If you call me on my cellphone and I answer with "I am at work right now" that is a signal that you should say "I'm sorry, when can I call you back?" unless it is something that will genuinely not wait a couple of hours.
"'I think you'd better come with me, sir.' She has a key to the handcuffs, for which you are duly grateful, but she wants you to put your phone away, and that's surprisingly difficult, because your sister Sophie keeps going on about something to do with your oldest niece's birthday and Confirmation--hubby Bill wants Elsie and Mary to have a traditional upbringing--and you keep agreeing with her because will you please put the phone down, a Dutch cop is trying to arrest me isn't a standard way to break off this kind of scenario. (If only families came with safewords, like any other kind of augmented-reality game.)"
--Charles Stross, Halting State
Posted by: Hogan | August 29, 2008 at 04:53 PM
I know you think being in the 15 item "express" line at the grocery store with 19 items is just fine and all, but really, you're not that important. Plus the fact that you're paying with a check? Nooooooooooooooooo!
Posted by: Ugh | August 29, 2008 at 04:59 PM
Just because there's a landing on the BART steps does not mean that you are invited to stop there during rush to look at your crappy hotel-provided city map.
Posted by: crionna | August 29, 2008 at 05:07 PM
I'm sorry you're feeling so low, Gary. I wish I had some bit of reassuring eloquence for you, but all I have is this. Be well, and take care of yourself.
Posted by: Slartibartfast | August 29, 2008 at 05:23 PM
There is a reason people stand to the left or right on escalators, and it's not just to pack more people on or make pretty zigzag patterns of humanity. It's like highway lanes: fast to the left, slow to the right. If you want to stand around and take in the scenery, get your ass to the right-hand side of the escalator so that people who actually need to be somewhere can pass through.
Posted by: Catsy | August 29, 2008 at 05:39 PM
Sending cyber-hugs Gary. I hope you get some metaphorical sunshine, soon and lots of it.
Posted by: ThatLeftTurnInABQ | August 29, 2008 at 05:41 PM
there's nothing that pleases me more than having people think my business sells imaging software and Anna Kournikova screen saver viruses.
Ever think of putting in a new line, cleek? I mean, as long as you're getting the ads for free anyway...
Posted by: Bernard Yomtov | August 29, 2008 at 05:48 PM
Finally, do not even bring the damn thing into a movie theater.
Why not, if you turn it off before the previews as I do)?
===============
Unless you're Bogart and Bacall in The Big Sleep.
Ew, colorized, ick poo! It's better in B&W!
-------------------
Bill James once wrote, in a baseball context, that Ted Turner is the kind of guy who would think that Casablanca could be improved by being done over in pastels
I saw Curlytop in color, and it wasn't pastels. Still not crazy about colorization, but apparently they are getting better at it. But for film noir? No, thanks, it's MEANT to be black, white and shades of grey (plus keylighting. Can't do keylighting near so effectively in color).
===============
it's freakin' McDonalds, you've been there before, you know what they have, it ain't that hard to pick something.
I always decide before I get in line (not at Mickey D's -- they have nothing I like), but simetimes it takes a minute to decide what I want, especially if there's a new special.
===============
I just feel that awfully, horribly, bad. And scared.
I'm very sorry you feel like that and hope the therapy helps.
Posted by: Jeff | August 29, 2008 at 06:00 PM
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-830847669785163577&ei=I1S4SJW_LYTSrAKt3NX9DA&q=big+sleep&vt=lf&hl=en>Here's the call (without the setup) the way the director intended!
Posted by: Jeff | August 29, 2008 at 06:02 PM
I may have screwed up a link; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwXc4N_10rA>This is the B&W version of the "prank call".
Posted by: Jeff | August 29, 2008 at 06:06 PM
If you are McDonald's, please explain something to me: why do you charge $1.09 for a cheeseburger, and only $0.99 for a double cheeseburger? What am I to infer from the fact that you're willing to pay me a dime to take a burger pattie off your hands?
--TP
Posted by: Tony P. | August 29, 2008 at 06:07 PM
What am I to infer from the fact that you're willing to pay me a dime to take a burger pattie off your hands?
That the volume boost they get from the "bargain" of selling "Double Cheeseburgers" at 99 cents more than makes up for the lost dime?
Posted by: Ugh | August 29, 2008 at 06:18 PM
Thanks, Hogan, Slartibartfast, ThatLeftTurnInABQ, and Jeff. Strange as it may seem, even sympathy and acknowledgement by just a few people does really help a bit. Not at changing any of the underlying conditions, of course, but simply in not feeling quite so isolated and alone and uncared for.
Someday I'd just like to again find someone who loves me as much as I love them.
Posted by: Gary Farber | August 29, 2008 at 06:26 PM
The DVD of The Big Sleep, incidentally, has a fifteen minute or so mini-documentary on how the film was revised for its release in 1946 from the original version shot in 1945, but held back for various reasons, including Warner Brothers desire to get all their more war-related films released while the war was still on or just over. A lot of the details are here, but some of the deleted scenes remain interesting.
The whole sequence with Bogie and Bacall doing horse race double entendres was filmed a year after the rest of the picture, for instance, due to the desire of the studio, stimulated by Bacall's agent, to beef up Bacall's part and appeal, following To Have And Have Not, but also her lack of success and bad reviews in Confidential Agent. Martha Vickers as Carmen (the troublesome younger sister) also had her part way cut down, to not overshadow Bacall, and the actress who played Mona Mars was replaced entirely. Bacall had a scene were she wore a veil deleted. And so on.
But who did kill Owen Taylor?
Posted by: Gary Farber | August 29, 2008 at 06:35 PM
But who did kill Owen Taylor?
"I" said the sparrow
"With my bow and arrow
I shot Owen Taylor"
Posted by: Jeff | August 29, 2008 at 06:42 PM
To Have and Have Not -- I believe that's the one in which she teaches him to whistle.
Oh, my.
I fell in love with Bacall when I saw that -- no wonder Bogie did.
(Feel better, Gary -- your "adventure" last night sounded very taxing. I've always found that emergency rooms are enough to make you sick unto themselves.)
Posted by: bedtimeforbonzo | August 29, 2008 at 06:49 PM
To Have and Have Not -- I believe that's the one in which she teaches him to whistle.
Quite correct. It's an attempt to make a Hemmingway short story into a knock-off of Casablanca, but it works because of "Steve and Slim" and Walter "Wuz you ever stung by a dead bee?" Brennan.
Posted by: Jeff | August 29, 2008 at 07:03 PM
That the volume boost they get from the "bargain" of selling "Double Cheeseburgers" at 99 cents more than makes up for the lost dime?
Well, that can't be right. Whatever volume of single cheeseburgers they're selling now at $1.09, that volume would increase if they priced them at $0.99 like the doubles.
Anyway, it's just a frivolous little puzzle, to take my mind off politics for a day.
Also, to Gary: my sincere sympathy. Which tooth is it, Gary?
--TP
Posted by: Tony P. | August 29, 2008 at 07:11 PM
"Which tooth is it, Gary?"
I have a bunch of bad teeth (and a couple of outright missing ones, fortunately in the rear where they can't be seen), but the worst is the second from rear, top right, which is largely eaten away; the gum around it was/is infected, although now getting better, though still painful, waxing and waning, since starting Amoxicillin last night.
Circumstances regarding my living situation, and relationship, and depression, and emotional state, and life in general, are not so much getting better.
Posted by: Gary Farber | August 29, 2008 at 07:26 PM
Gary - The only advice I can give on the SS thing is to be persistant, and to always double check any information they give you. I can't tell you how many times something one of the SS employees told me turned out to be off.
I'm never very eloquent with well wishes, but I hope things take a turn for the better for you very soon.
-----------
Speaking of fast food, when I ask if my chosen condiment was bagged with the rest of my order, don't tell me, "It should be in the bag." Yes, I know, it SHOULD be in the bag. That doesn't tell me whether or not it's actually in there.
Posted by: Tracy | August 29, 2008 at 08:02 PM
Gary: Good thoughts going your way. If I could I would back that up with $, but I can’t right now. I’m really sorry about that, and there isn’t much to say beyond that…
I know how stupid and useless it sounds, but keep your chin up.
Posted by: OCSteve | August 29, 2008 at 08:57 PM
"I know how stupid and useless it sounds, but keep your chin up."
Tell me, does anything hurt worse than being hurt by the person you love most?
I'd rather have a thousand toothaches, plus gout and kidney stones.
And now I'm crossing into TMI.
But thanks.
Posted by: Gary Farber | August 29, 2008 at 09:33 PM
My "Change We Can Believe In" t-shirt finally arrived from the Obama store today, btw, after a couple of months of waiting. It looks nice, in black with white ("CHANGE") and blue ("WE CAN BELIEVE IN").
They sure take a while shipping that stuff out, though. They've obviously immensely backed up. And my "North Carolina For Obama" shirt never arrived at all.
Buying more is obviously not in my budget for a long time to come.
Posted by: Gary Farber | August 29, 2008 at 09:40 PM
But who did kill Owen Taylor?
Joe Brody killed Owen Taylor. That's how he got the picture of Carmen Sternwood. He followed him when he fled Geiger's house after shooting Geiger. Then when Taylor ran his car off the road Brody sapped him down, took the photo from him, set the hand throttle on the Packard, and ran the car off Lido Pier.
And this is one of the most romantic scenes in the history of movies. Music courtesy the great Max Steiner.
Another great scene, with a young Dorothy Malone.
Posted by: AndrewBW | August 29, 2008 at 09:54 PM
Gary, there is no hierarchy of pain. Nobody can measure which is worse - losing a child or being hurt by your love, waterboarding or breaking a hip.
It's OK to feel pain, feel hurt.
Just remember to take your meds & painkillers.
Posted by: MobiusKlein | August 29, 2008 at 09:57 PM
"Nobody can measure which is worse - losing a child or being hurt by your love,"
Good point.
Having had a broken limb yanked to be set, had kidney stones, and gout, among other things, for all that those are pretty horrible, I'd generally rather take physical pain than extreme emotional pain. But that's me, and the way I'm messed up.
Thanks.
Posted by: Gary Farber | August 29, 2008 at 10:06 PM
Gary: Tell me, does anything hurt worse than being hurt by the person you love most?
To be honest – no. But in my experience that person does something to make a point without realizing how hard you may take it. Bad communication all around. Talk it out. I’m no authority beyond being married for almost 26 years…
Posted by: OCSteve | August 29, 2008 at 10:12 PM
Speaking of To Have and Have Not, the absolute best moment in that film is at the end when Bacall is leaving the bar and does a little samba with her hips when she walks by Hoagy Carmichael.
Posted by: liberal japonicus | August 29, 2008 at 10:16 PM
Tell me, does anything hurt worse than being hurt by the person you love most?
Nothing does.
OTOH, in my experience of being hurt by the person I love most, having really bad toothache while this is happening just makes everything worse.
Nothing can fix the emotional pain. OTOH, a whipround to send you to the dentist ASAP can at least provide means of fixing the toothache.
How much would you need in the tip jar to be able to make an emergency appointment on Monday?
Posted by: Jesurgislac | August 30, 2008 at 01:40 AM
If life begins at conception, then we might very well say that any embryo which is indistinguishable from a human embryo should be granted full protection as well, unless we're speaking only of the potentiality of becoming human. However, what is the essence of this so called human potentiality. Isn't all of life beyond conception, until death, derivative. Conception may be the only non derivative potentiality of human (and all living) existence. Beyond that, death is the only other potentiality which remains, and even that has an aspect of derivativeness. Therefore, may it not be postulated that, in conception itself we have the unitary fulfillment of life's highest meaningfulness, and all that remains afterwards is decay with abortion thus providing us an exceptional opportunity a second and otherwise unrealizable non derivative potentiality for life. Is there some aspect of living which is non derivative that should be considered, which would give life an objective meaning. I would like 3,000 words by Thursday. Continue reading in the course text through chapter 11, and be prepared for a quiz next time.
Posted by: Mr. Limpet | August 30, 2008 at 04:52 AM
I keep getting an error message when trying to post or preview to this thread.
Posted by: Gary Farber | August 30, 2008 at 10:06 AM
Okay, that's weird. It just won't post my composed post.
I'll try in parts.
"How much would you need in the tip jar to be able to make an emergency appointment on Monday?"
That's extremely kind of you, Jesurgislac. Thank you.
I'm taking the Amoxicillin (antibiotic), and that's reducing (and presumably will eliminate, at least for a while) the infection, which lessens the pain. Beyond that, the problem is that my teeth have been slowly but surely rotting away for years, as the last time I was able to afford dental care was in the mid-Eighties. I have, as I mentioned, a couple of teeth in the rear that are completely gone, and a bunch of others that are quite cavitied, as well as the couple that are otherwise going. It's all bad.
Posted by: Gary Farber | August 30, 2008 at 10:07 AM
Pt. II.
So there's no fix that isn't a major fix, and unless I can find some miraculous free treatment (unlikely, to put it mildly), there doesn't seem to be any fix that doesn't cost thousands; the cheapest fix, last I had it checked a couple of years ago, was simply to yank most all of my remaining teeth and part teeth. And, oh, joy, get false teeth. Which would still cost something on the other of, I'm really not clear, but I gather over a $1K.
So last time I had a major problem, all I could get done, despite some contributions from others, was treat the infection. Since I don't expect any number of other people to come up with, I don't know, $2K or whatever (that's even at a charity/sliding-scale treatment-for-the-poor, or dental school, place, so far as I've thus found), and I don't even have the chutzphah any more to again write other bloggers to ask them to link to my post, or to write another begging post -- I feel I've gone back to that well far too many times, and far past the point of diminishing returns, in every possible way, and I just don't have it in me to ask anyone again -- so I don't see much solution beyond just letting them naturally rot away, I guess.
Posted by: Gary Farber | August 30, 2008 at 10:08 AM
Pt. III. (I guess there's suddenly or temporarily a length limit?)
Otherwise, this is the big Labor Day weekend in the U.S., so everything is closed through Tuesday, anyway. I did get a list of clinics from the hospital (WakeMed) I was at the night before last, and will call them all on Tuesday and Wednesday, if I'm not too depressed (which I can't promise I won't be), and maybe I'll find some wonderful better answer. But the first one on the list is the one I already tried, the one whose charitable rate is $135 just for the part exam of the immediate problem, and whose charitable rate for a whole mouth exam is $275. Obviously treatment at that charitable rate would be far far far more. So I'm not optimistic. But, to be sure, I haven't tried the other places on the list yet, so, who knows, maybe there's some hope.
At this point I'm so overwhelmed by the ongoing relationship/household problems, and my extreme depression, that, having gotten the antibiotic to take care of the infection, it's all I can do to get myself up to the keyboard, and care about doing anything at all other than lying in bed and crying and thinking I'll never succeed at having a good relationship again, never get it together to have a normal life again, and having no other options to either leave here anytime in under a year or so, or support myself, well, it's a good thing I'm rather repelled by the idea of opening up my veins, and don't have access to some pills to just put myself down and out.
Posted by: Gary Farber | August 30, 2008 at 10:09 AM
liberal japonicus: "Speaking of To Have and Have Not, the absolute best moment in that film is at the end when Bacall is leaving the bar and does a little samba with her hips when she walks by Hoagy Carmichael."
As Jeff said, the movie was a knockoff of Casablanca -- but what a knockoff. Is there an actress today that could play that part?
---
Don't blink or you could miss it but I saw a great Obama ad last night featuring McCain and Bush to the tune of "Don't Know Much About."
The big man-hug McCain gives Bush at the end sends quite a message.
Can't link to YouTube at work, maybe someone can help.
Posted by: bedtimeforbonzo | August 30, 2008 at 10:20 AM
Hey Gary, I just remembered about a 60 Minutes show about a free medical clinic including dental in Knoxville. Not unreasonably an impossibility for you to access, I hope. Here is the URL about it. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/02/28/60minutes/main3889496.shtml
Posted by: J | August 30, 2008 at 10:23 AM
"Not unreasonably an impossibility for you to access, I hope."
I live in Raleigh, North Carolina, and neither have a car nor a driver's license. Knoxville, Tennessee, is 297 miles from here, according to this.
Even more to the point, if you read the story, you'd see that they just set up for that weekend:
Thanks muchly for the thought, though, to be sure.(Also, I know this sounds picky, but just having my teeth yanked, and leaving it there, isn't a solution I greatly look forward to.)
Posted by: Gary Farber | August 30, 2008 at 10:32 AM
Here is your ad, btfb.
Posted by: Gary Farber | August 30, 2008 at 10:34 AM
Here is the ad btb mentioned
Posted by: liberal japonicus | August 30, 2008 at 10:34 AM
O.K. Gary, my bad. I just dashed it off assuming they were ongoing. I appreciate the tooth truth, I'm there. They will flat do you in.
Posted by: J | August 30, 2008 at 10:55 AM
Gary -- thinking of you.
In fact I have been particularly thinking of you since you wrote a tiny bit about your relationship context a while back. For me: been there, done that, would never do it again. My story is long and messy (whose isn't? -- maybe just the most lucky and most unlucky folks qualify there) but I lived in so much pain for so long that looking back, it's a wonder I survived. I was numb (in the sense of not really letting myself feel my feelings or understand the situation) a lot of the time, so in a weird way I think actually feeling what you feel enough to cry about it is healthier. Then I went through a phase where I cried a lot (metaphorically and literally) and wondered if I could get through it. (And "it" wasn't really one thing, it was more than half my adult life. But never mind, I said it was long and complicated. I once got a fortune in a fortune cookie that said, "The whole story is long and complicated." I still have it somewhere.)
I did get through it -- I think you can too. I've been single now for a long time and that's nice in some ways and not as fun in others. But I am more my own person, and that's a good thing.
I don't believe much in advice because I don't think it's much use, but if fellow-feeling is any help, you've got it.
Posted by: JanieM | August 30, 2008 at 11:34 AM
JanieM, this probably isn't something you'd want to do, and that's fine, but if you felt like giving me your email address for private correspondence, mine is gary underline farber at yahoo.com.
Only if you want to.
Posted by: Gary Farber | August 30, 2008 at 11:48 AM
Gary, lj,
What do you guys think of the ad?
For me, it seemed subtle, offbeat, but got its point across.
Posted by: bedtimeforbonzo | August 30, 2008 at 12:27 PM
"When you're in line at McDonalds, there's nothing wrong with looking at the menu and figuring out what you want to eat before it's your turn to order (also, it's freakin' McDonalds, you've been there before, you know what they have, it ain't that hard to pick something)."
This is my biggest regularly encountered pet peeve.
If you are in a long line, you have plenty of time to figure out what you want. If for some reason you get to the front and haven't thought about it, for God's sake let me order.
Posted by: Sebastian | August 30, 2008 at 12:38 PM
When I was poor and without insurance, I went to a dental school for help. Is that option not available, and/or is that what you mean by the charity rate?
Posted by: Sebastian | August 30, 2008 at 12:43 PM
"Is that option not available, and/or is that what you mean by the charity rate?"
I'll be calling through all the available clinics on the list, and any local dental schools, Sebastian, on Tuesday, like I said.
Assuming I'm not otherwise disabled from depression, inability to sleep, etc. I know that's hard to understand if you don't understand the mental illness of depression. ("Why don't you just pull yourself together?")
I'm getting an error message again, so splitting response.
Posted by: Gary Farber | August 30, 2008 at 01:08 PM
In addition to the error message when trying to post more than the above, I'm also not getting the sidebars, and the formatting is all gone, btw. Is that just me?
Pt II: But I don't expect the answer to be different than it was in Colorado, which is that it would cost many hundreds, or a couple of thousand, dollars, to get false teeth/dentures, since apparently most of my remaining teeth would have to just come out.
I can, presumably, go pay just a few hundred dollars, which is to say, all the money I have, to just get however many of my teeth removed. Period, end of story. I'm just not terribly eager to do that.
I'm also worried about possibly not having a place to stay in the mid or near future, if things get worse here, and I'm reluctant to spend any money at all, given my desire to hoard what little money I have against that possibility, if you must know.
Posted by: Gary Farber | August 30, 2008 at 01:09 PM
I take it, Sebastian, that when I wrote "(that's even at a charity/sliding-scale treatment-for-the-poor, or dental school, place, so far as I've thus found," that that was unclear.
What I meant by "dental school," however, was dental school.
Posted by: Gary Farber | August 30, 2008 at 01:11 PM
Hmm, the page looks normal with Internet Explorer, so obviously it is just me, and some kind of Firefox problem, or problem that's only showing up via Firefox.
Posted by: Gary Farber | August 30, 2008 at 01:19 PM
Gary, it seems as though N.C. is quite advanced in terms of health care for the needly. Here is a part time volunteer dentist's web site in Raleigh. See just above "Contact Us" on the page.
Posted by: J | August 30, 2008 at 01:39 PM
http://www.northraleighsmiles.com/ It would be useful to include the URL!
Posted by: J | August 30, 2008 at 01:41 PM
http://www.northraleighsmiles.com/ Doh!
Posted by: J | August 30, 2008 at 01:45 PM
btb, I was at how short the ad was. But, though the ad hits hard, the music makes it feel like it is unserious, and with the pick of Palin, I think the emphasis should be on seriousness.
Posted by: liberal japonicus | August 30, 2008 at 01:48 PM
I looked at J's link--the actual place where you go for dental treatment for the poor or uninsured is in the link below. It sounds good--I hope it works for you, Gary.
Wakesmiles">http://www.rwcds.com/wake/index.htm">Wakesmiles
Posted by: Donald Johnson | August 30, 2008 at 01:51 PM
Donald, J, thanks for the link. I'll contact Wake Smiles. I see that they want referrals from "Urban Ministries Open Door Clinic or a resident of the Raleigh Rescue Mission"; I'm familiar with these outfits already; they treat the homeless. I'll contact them to see if I qualify, but I'm not confident that I do if I'm not homeless. But maybe I'll be in luck, for a change, which would be great.
And Wake Health Services is also on my list; they may be an even better bet.
Posted by: Gary Farber | August 30, 2008 at 02:22 PM
Oh, no, crap, Wake Health Services is the place I already spoke to. :-(
One finds, when one actually needs charity, that a lot of promising sounding things turn out to be not so promising. :-(
Posted by: Gary Farber | August 30, 2008 at 02:23 PM
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v286/jhlipton/whymccainchosepalin.jpg>Why McCain Chose Palin (via The Political Carnival)
=====================
Speaking of To Have and Have Not, the absolute best moment in that film
My favorite was when Bacall asked Brennan "Were you ever stung by a dead bee?" "She's all right, Harry; she can come!"
Posted by: Jeff | August 30, 2008 at 02:52 PM
Gary, you could make a direct inquiry to the dentist. He's the one to say what goes and what doesn't go if you do some 'splainin' directly to him. I saw numerous indications of volunteer dentist activities, so if he won't he could probably give you leads to who does. Specifically, I'm referring to retired dentists who volunteer part time. I have heard tales of the old retired dentists, who set up garage offices. Track 'em down.
Posted by: J | August 30, 2008 at 03:20 PM
Since I've been going on so much, and probably entirely inappropriately, about my mental state and personal life, here, let me update that the Biggest Thing which has been affecting my emotional state is my primary relationship, and we've just had another talk in which we got more clarified that she was just mad at me about something, and stressed, and it wasn't The End Of All Things, as I was worried. We're still new enough at this together that we haven't established a framework for making that clear, which makes all the difference in the world to me. I certainly hate it when I've made the person I love mad (in this case mostly she was stressed out about having to take me to the emergency room, and being up way late, which is understandable), and it seems like there's nothing I can do about it but wait, which is pretty much the way she's established it has to be, but I can live with that; it's entirely different from being convinced that it means that she wants to end the relationship, or is on the verge of that. So we're going to work on figuring out some ways to establish that difference in future, I hope.
So while I'm still a highly depressed person, with a lot of problems, and under a ton of stress, and other major difficulties in this living situation (her other boyfriend who hates me, sweetie's daughter who hates me, the living room taken over by the other boyfriend, my being trapped here without a car or driver's licence, etc.), I'm feeling much better now than I was an hour ago or earlier today or for the past few days.
I'm merely miserable now, rather than terrified and near-suicidal. :-) Much better! (No, really. No, really.)
Posted by: GaryFarber | August 30, 2008 at 03:30 PM
Gary- I suck at giving advice on emotions (I was freakin' dumped on my birthday once!), but I can sympathize with the tooth thing. I didn't really take very good care of them as a kid and now I'm paying for it. 2 emergency root canals in 3 weeks isn't my definition of fun. So FWIW, I feel your pain. ^.^;
And everyone else, make your kids take care of their teeth! They'll thank you for it, and if they don't, they're ingrateful little bastards. You can tell them some guy on the Internet said it. ^.^
Posted by: MeDrewNotYou | August 30, 2008 at 03:47 PM
"Since I've been going on so much, and probably entirely inappropriately, about my mental state and personal life . . ."
Don't feel that way, Gary.
These open threads are useful for that sort of thing.
I'm really down right now, really down, and am just hoping September is a lot better than June, July and August were -- some good fortune would be nice.
Posted by: bedtimeforbonzo | August 30, 2008 at 05:01 PM
So as a follow-up, today -- well, Sunday -- was a good day.
Posted by: Gary Farber | September 01, 2008 at 02:51 AM
If you are in front of me in line and the person at the counter is trying to help you but you’re too busy talking on your cell phone that’s grounds to immediately send you to the back of the line.
Amen.
When you're in line at McDonalds, there's nothing wrong with looking at the menu and figuring out what you want to eat before it's your turn to order (also, it's freakin' McDonalds, you've been there before, you know what they have, it ain't that hard to pick something).
Amen.
If you are McDonald's, please explain something to me: why do you charge $1.09 for a cheeseburger, and only $0.99 for a double cheeseburger? What am I to infer from the fact that you're willing to pay me a dime to take a burger pattie off your hands?
True.
Sunday -- was a good day
And that news made my Monday. Gary, you're my homey.
Posted by: Eric Martin | September 01, 2008 at 06:43 PM
Since this is an open thread . . .
A quick thought:
I was reading the baseball box-scores today, saw where the White Sox are still in first place -- barely -- and saw where Ken Griffey, batting sixth, went another 0-fer.
It would be nice for Griffey if the Sox make it to the World Series. But it is strange seeing this career No. 3 hitter batting in the six hole as almost an afterthought.
My Phillies are dumbfounding. Split with the Cubs, winning the last two games of a four-game set, then were losing 6-0 to the Nationals when I tuned the game in for a spell this afternoon. The Nationals?
Still, I think we're better than the Mets. I hate the Mets.
Posted by: bedtimeforbonzo | September 01, 2008 at 08:15 PM
So as a follow-up, today -- well, Sunday -- was a good day.
Sweet.
As is so often true, slarti states in one sentence what would take me a paragraph to say:
Be well, and take care of yourself.
We're thinking of you.
I hate the Mets.
I will always love the Mets, because my grandfather took me and all my cousins, two by two, to see them every summer at Shea Stadium back in the 60's. There were a lot of us, but we each got to go to at least two games a year.
A hot dog, a Coke, a program, a ball game, one of my numerous cousins, and my irascible grandfather and his smelly cheap cigars.
Heaven.
I have a straw hat that looks like the one my grandfather wore. My wife covers her eyes and cries if I wear it in her presence (with good reason) but I will never get rid of it.
Plus, when I was 12, the Mets defied all laws of probability and won the world series.
They also gave Willie Mays a gig when he was old and no longer such a hot shot.
Willie F'ing Mays. I saw the man play ball, with my own two eyes. Imagine that.
Sure, it's all nostalgia, but then again, what isn't?
Thanks -
Posted by: russell | September 01, 2008 at 09:08 PM
It would be nice for Griffey if the Sox make it to the World Series. But it is strange seeing this career No. 3 hitter batting in the six hole as almost an afterthought.
See, Griff has been more of a number 5 or 6 hitter for the last 7 years or so. Even if the Reds wouldn't admit it. His numbers haven't really been the same outside of Seattle save one or two seasons. Even on his better years, his numbers look more like a 5 or maybe 4 hitter. But not third.
Posted by: Eric Martin | September 02, 2008 at 09:50 AM
"And that news made my Monday. Gary, you're my homey."
Not many folks are liable to come back to this thread, but I feel like noting that Sunday, and Monday, and Tuesday were fine days, and my sweetie and I are all made up, and I'm doing ever so much better (though still full of sleep/wake insomnia problems until I can get medications again, not that you could tell), and am vastly happier and less depressed, for now, than when I was writing in most of this thread, and the last couple of open threads. Not that my longterm problems aren't still here, but my short-term crisis has passed for now. (Until, you know, the next one; but my sweetie and I have worked out some stuff, and keep learning better ways with each other.)
Love is good, love is wonderful, it's a Waldorf salad, it's a Berlin ballad, however imperfect.
Posted by: Gary Farber | September 03, 2008 at 05:23 AM
Sonny, true love is the greatest thing in the world. Except for a nice MLT, a mutton, lettuce and tomato sandwich, where the mutton is nice and lean and the tomato is ripe. They're so perky, I love that.
Posted by: Hogan | September 03, 2008 at 12:10 PM