Blogger Down! Again! Is it Boogie Fever?

For the second time in a month, I was hit with a high fever, sort of out of the blue. A few weeks ago, I missed a day of work with a 102 fever, and congestion that was off the charts. In fact, when it started, I thought it was just developing allergies. This time, I just felt lethargic and tired, and started feeling a little sweaty. I thought, "I wonder if I have a fever?" But I didn't check, or think much of it. Later, I stood up, and was wobbly. . .whoa! Something was going on.

I checked my temperature, and it was over 100. I rapidly felt worse, and took it again: 101.6, 102. . . By the time I went to bed at 10:00--which I never do on a Friday night--it was 103! It was one of the most miserable nights of sleep I've had in my life, top three easy. I sweated away four pounds. My sheets were practically balled up. And I didn't awaken to anything much better. All day, my temperature has gone from 102 to 101 to 103 again, and back and forth. The hottest was 103.4, which worried me. At 104, I've had hallucinations. Do. Not. Want. Worse, I was supposed to go to a party with The Other Half Saturday. Ugh.

So he's off at the party with my meatballs and vegetable platter, and I'm home, in fits of sweats. But the good news: The temperature has been in decline. From 6:30 pm or so, to now (9:15), I've finally dropped to under 100. That's practically normal! A damned sight better than 103, anyway. The odd thing is, I've had virtually no other symptoms. Slight headache, a negligible cough. Mostly just sweaty, sometimes icy cold and sometimes blazingly hot. And that, in a rather large nutshell, is why I haven't blogged much today.

Travelogue, Part the Third: I've Killed My Parents?

What a trip so far!

First day: arrival and pizza, plus helped prep for the big party..

Second day: picked up The Other Half, helped prep the manse for the big party.

Third day: sickest day of my life. The Other Half works in my stead. Big pizza & beer night w/family sadly spoiled.

Fourth day: sickness continued, party ensued anyway.

Fifth day: Rain turned to snow, briefly to blizzard. Had to take The Other Half to the airport in the worst of it. Sickness abated simultaneously--thank goodness--but I had to resurrect my "driving in snow" skills from 1-1/2 decades ago. Drank a quart of Gatorade, and suddenly feel just fine. Arrive at parents' house after hours driving in snow to find. . .

My parents have the same illness I just climbed out of! Both are solidly down for the count, as is my sister. I have a very small family, but seem to have taken three of them out. Oy. Only one day to go!

Travelogue, Part the Second: Blogger Down!!!

I got a warning from a friend who recently traveled, that I needed to be vigilant against catching something. He and his brother both came back with nasty ailments. And since I'm in the same general area (central Ohio) that they were, perhaps I should have done more. Instead I've come down with a nasty bug, that. . .well. . .is there a nice way to say, "coming out both ends?" That's me in a disgusting nutshell.

I found out that this is a very prevalent bug, even in our extended family. So, while I intended to get into the blog a few times over the last couple of days, today's ailment and yesterday's day-long fight to restore wireless networking to my mother's manse has kept me from it.  Tonight's menu is supposed to be pizza and subs at my sisters (two things they just don't do right where I live in Las Vegas), but haven eaten nothing all day, I guess I'll have to play it by ear. Or rather, gut.

It should be pointed out that we did have White Castle cheeseburgers and onion chips last night, but though that is alleged to be "risky," it has never affected me this way. It would be a handy excuse, were I not still sick. Poot. 

Blogger Down! Blogger Down!

Here I sit, in front of my computer again. I've come home for the day, sicker than snot. I'd like to blame it on the copious amount of wine I had last night, but that isn't it. I felt rather chipper this morning, felt "off" about 8:15, and then went quickly downhill. If it's a hangover, it's a weird one.

Anyway, due to my parents' visit and now my hopefully-not-swine-flu bug, I haven't really been able to keep up with the news on the President's State of the Union address, or much of anything else. But I plan to start digging around here shortly. I just wanted to put up my excuse, in case I don't get anything done!

Antibiotic Cipro Gets New Warning

Photo from source, LA Times

I was surprised to see this on the news. Apparently, the antibiotic Cipro must now carry a warning, because a side effect can be ruptured tendons. That's a strange side effect for an antibiotic, but I already knew about it. I needed to take the drug last year after a minor infection, and the doctor at the Quick Care place warned me plainly of the issue.

Whether by the power of suggestion, or by a real side effect, both of my Achilles tendons felt tight and sore while walking about three days after taking the drug. Simple solution: take it as an excuse to be lazy. As if we need any encouragement. . .

[Excerpt]

Cipro joins the 'black box' club

. . .the class of antibiotics known as fluoroquinolones will now bear a boxed warning, also known as a "black box," because of reports that the drugs increase the risk of tendinitis and tendon rupture. The FDA has told the manufacturers that the label, the agency's most serious warning, is necessary to ensure that the drugs' benefits outweigh the risks. . .

Read more at: LA Times

Oscar Fever

The 80th Annual Acadamy Awards; The Oscars; The Gay Super Bowl is on as I type this, and I really couldn't care less. I love Jon Stewart, and hope he does a good job, but I haven't seen any of the movies nominated this year. What's more, I'm not interested in seeing any of the movies nominated this year.

Do you know what the most recent movie I've seen in a theater was? No, really, I'm asking because I can't remember. I know I saw Sicko (pictured with slight modifications here--yeah, that's my face) when I was visiting Columbus last spring. Since then, I really couldn't tell you.

My recent DVD purchases have reflected an interest in filling in some recent gaps in my movie-going: Shrek the Third and Spider-Man 3. And the not-so-recent: Election, Ruthless People, Jumpin' Jack Flash. The latter two being replacements for my long gone laser disc collection. I guess what I'm saying is, I can usually wait for the video.

I've also not gone in much for the current frenzy for celebrity happenings. At a time when it's more available than ever, thanks to the internet tubes, and Perez Hilton, I just don't freakin' care. Especially when the celebs featured most of all are of dim wattage.

Also tonight, the real reason for my Jamie/Michael Moore Sicko picture is that I'm illin.' I have a bad cold or a light flu, which is making me crabby. It may also make me post fewer things today, but so be it. Anyway, I hope you are having a grand time watching the Oscars tonight. I'll catch the highlights on YouTube.

Oh, My Aching Back!

Posting will likely be light this evening, as my back is thiiis close to being utterly thrown out. I'm home from work, and have spent most of the day flat on my back on a heating pad. Since I don't have a notebook computer, I have to come sit upright to do the posting thing, and that's kind of hurty right now.

If I get tired of the horizontal, I may come in and put up a story or two.

I will be back!

Sicko! This Time it's Personal

I had my own run-in with the health care industry today. It's not much of a story; I knew I had an infection, I knew I needed antibiotics, and that home remedies were not working. So, I called my doctor. He could fit me in, oh, how's September 10th for you? Not so good. I called my insurance provider, and found out that a QuickCare clinic would do just fine ($50 co-pay, OK, whatever).

I took a couple of hours off of work and drove several miles (the QuickCare near my house has been bulldozed to make more airport), and went into the clinic. Wow, depressing. It felt like a third-world country in that place. It was a roomful of mostly minorities (not casting aspersions here, just an observation), all looking fairly sad, many with babies. It really felt like a scene from Sicko.

Now, I'd like to point out to health care professionals that many Americans are unfamiliar with what to do and how to do it. We're coming into this cold. Would it be too much trouble to clearly lay out what you're supposed to do after you walk in the door? Several people were confused. Anyway, I put down my name, and waited patiently.

45 minutes in, and nature was calling in a big way. And I knew they were going to request a "sample." No choices, I went, and then heedless of the "no food, no drinks, no cell-phones" Xeroxed signage, I guzzled water for the next 45 minutes. By the way, Is Dr. Phil ordinarily on for two hours? I couldn't reach the TV to change the channel. Excruciating.

Nobody looked any happier as they filed out of the clinic, least of all the nurses. Not a healthy looking bunch, either. So, to shorten a rapidly lengthening story, I was told I had--exactly what I thought I had. And I was given a prescription for exactly what I thought I needed.

So, two hours off from work, two hours in a depressing clinic, $50 for the doctor, $10 for the prescription, 30 minutes to wait for the presecription, and I am finally back home. Not terrible, and many have far more arduous stories. But couldn't this somehow be easier?

Bush Administration Subpoenas. . .Michael Moore?

Photo from HuffingtonPost.com

Now I've heard everything.

[Excerpt]

BUSHIES WANT TO HEAR FROM MOORE ON CUBA TRIP

This just in from "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," where Michael Moore is a guest this evening:

The Bush administration has subpoenaed Moore over his trip to Cuba with 9/11 rescue workers, which he included in his new documentary film, "Sicko." The press release is in the link below.
- Ken Bazinet

MICHAEL MOORE ANNOUNCES THAT HE’S BEEN SUBPOENAED BY THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION ON “THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO”

BURBANK-July 26, 2007 – Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Michael Moore announced that the Bush Administration has subpoenaed him in the wake of his recent trip to Cuba on the July 26 episode of NBC's "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" (Monday-Friday, 11:35 p.m. - 12:37 a.m. ET). "I haven't even told my own family yet." Moore began, "I was just informed when I was back there with Jay that the Bush administration has now issued a subpoena for me."

This comment made me laugh:

Don't worry folks, I'm going to claim executive privilege and refuse to show up.
Posted by: michael moore July 27, 2007 12:43 PM

Read more at: NYDailyNews.com

"Sicko" Mini Review

Image from MichaelMoore.com

Jamie here, still reporting from Ohio. The Other Half and I went to see Michael Moore's Sicko with his sister and her husband, and I wanted to comment a little bit here.

First, I'd like to say, this movie didn't grab me in the same way that Fahrenheit 911 did. I saw that one prior to my immersion into politics was complete, so a lot of that movie was new (and shocking) to me. I was already aware of much of what was in Sicko, so while the movie was still affecting, it didn't resonate quite as strongly. That said, Sicko is still quite a film.

Now, I'm not going to argue the merits of Moore's examples in this film--did he twist the truth here and there? I don't know. My gut instinct says no, but he may have directed you to his point of view by omission in places. Mostly, he guides you along, telling the story he wants to tell, probably glossing over some of the "bumps" in the story. I think most documentarians with an agenda are guilty of this. So, the details may be fuzzy, but I don't think that's really important, when it comes to this film's overall message.

Sicko is an argument for universal health care, or what opponents call "socialized medicine." It points out that we have socialized fire departments, police departments, libraries, schools and the like, so what's the big deal about socialized medicine? It also points out that England, Canada and many other countries already have this sort of health care, so why don't we? Why could one illness bankrupt people who already have insurance, let alone the uninsured?

Despite any possible fudging of truth Moore may have employed, I simply do not see a valid argument against universal health care. What is so wrong or scary about "socialized medicine?" It seems to boil down to a fear that somebody out there will get something that they don't deserve. They frittered away their money, didn't plan for the future, and ended up in debt--big deal, they deserve it. Compassionate Conservatism anyone?

We have an amazing ability in this country to become divided on partisan lines about any issue. Health care is an odd one to fight about. What sane person wouldn't pay extra taxes if it meant not having to pay so much for insurance? Or doctor visits, or medicine, or surgery, casts, dental work, glasses? Holy crap, man, are we so worried about the words "socialism" and "taxes," that we've lost the ability to do basic math? Are we so eager to poke holes in a Michael Moore film, that we say, "well, health care in Canada isn't really as good as he paints it, so the whole thing should never be done here."?

Ultimately, for any flaws Sicko might have, it brings these issues to the fore, and in doing so may spark enough debate to get this ball rolling. For that, it is highly recommended.

Michael Moore Lets CNN Have It

Photo from source, RawStory.com

Just a link for now, but I'm trying to embed the video. Update when and if I figure it out. Watch it!

RawStory.com

UPDATE: OK, I still can't figure out the code for posting CNN videos (they don't make it easy), but I have a YouTube video of the same thing. The RawStory link is still worth a click for their fine reporting.

Sorry, spoke too soon. YouTube is having trouble. Up soon, I hope.

UPDATE II: OK, here we go. This video does not contain the report aired immediately before of Dr. Sanjay Gupta, sort of slamming Michael Moore, right before a live telecast. That's why he starts out upset here. To see the entire video, just click the orignal link at the top of the post. Othewise, click here.




Sphere: Related Content