What's messing with your Groove?

[Timbuk2]

Finished work for a four day weekend.

Uneventful tube and train journey home.

Spring has finally arrived with a vengeance, sudden +20 degree temps, flowers everywhere, sparkling orb of sunny delight in the sky.

Walk from train station along street to my apartment, spring in my step.

Man with sun-glasses perched atop bald head, wearing shorts and T-shirt, comes out of doorway ahead of me, turns back toward door and says; "Look after mum for me won't you". He clambers into car.

Daddy!

Walking on I pass open doorway and look in. There's a young girl in school uniform, about 9 years old, with a heart-breakingly sad and disconsolate face, tears about to erupt from her reddening eyes.

Divorced Daddy!

I catch her eye unintentionally as I pass, she looks down suddenly, not wanting strange man to see her discomfort.

[GGT]

That is sad, Tim. Brought back some bad memories. Nothing more eviscerating than seeing a child's heart break while trying to appear brave, holding tears in big doe eyes.

[GGT]

Well, I finally figured out why my son kept coming home from his dad's visitations hungry. Sometimes ravenous. Apparently, he's been feeding our son the South Beach diet because that's what he and his fiancee are doing....for their own weight loss! It's like a Mediterranean diet that focuses on the "glycemic index", which sounds great until applied to a 15 year old growing athlete, who needs more than 1,500 calories, and isn't trying to lose weight but consume energy and muscle building calories!

What kind of a father does that to his own son? What kind of step mother does that to a growing boy she claims to care about? An ounce of broiled fish and a fist-full of green leaves isn't going to satiate or nourish an active growing teenaged boy.

[Catgrrl]

I'd seriously look into changing visitation. Between assaulting your older son, and leaving your younger son for periods of time when he was supposed to have visitation, it really seems like your ex is not the sort of father he needs to be, and probably shouldn't be around your son anymore.

But, if your son does want to be with his father I guess it's best to deal with the problem. Can you talk to your ex at all about the conditions he puts his child in during visits?

Sounds like an awful situation to be stuck in. And I know divorce/custody decrees probably don't make things any better.

[GGT]

None of this is "court ordered". We divorced thinking we could work things out as rational people. We have a legal contract but only mildly. (Something I'd advise against, BTW, for anyone currently in divorce proceedings where minor children are concerned).

He wants and needs time with his dad. He's not fond of the soon-to-be-step-mother. Once dependents turn 14 years old, they have self-determination legal power in deciding their main home, visitation, summer vacation, and whatnot. He can refuse visitation if/when he wants, but I can't deny him the choice.

I can fill in the blanks, that's why I didn't uproot and move to another state (even though I could have). He comes home hungry and I feed him roast and potatoes, or eggs with cheese and bagels, or ice cream with peanuts, or whatever. I was just venting about my ass hole ex husband, mostly.

[Timbuk2]

Once dependents turn 14 years old, they have self-determination legal power in deciding their main home, visitation, summer vacation, and whatnot. He can refuse visitation if/when he wants, but I can't deny him the choice.

Sounds like sensible policies.

I can fill in the blanks, that's why I didn't uproot and move to another state (even though I could have). He comes home hungry and I feed him roast and potatoes, or eggs with cheese and bagels, or ice cream with peanuts, or whatever. I was just venting about my ass hole ex husband, mostly.

This is about the best you can do in this situation I think Gee - be there for your son and do all you can to shrug off and work around your dick of an ex's selfish and self-absorbed behaviour, for as long as your son(s) want to continue to visit him.

[Catgrrl]

It's understandable, GGT. If your son wants to visit his Dad he should, I think both parents should always have access to their kids (as long as said parent isn't neglectful/dangerous). I just get pissed at people who don't spend time with their kids when they only have a few hours/days to do so a week. I'm glad your son isn't afraid of your ex after what he did to his brother.

[littlelolligagged]

My interwebs/teevee/fellytone have been out since this morning.

[EmperorNorton]

So, I had all four of my wisdom teeth extracted today. Bloody bastards were growing hook-shaped roots. Didn't cost me a dime, but I am paying for it in pain. Damn pharmacies are all closed today (Saturday), and aspirin can only do so much. Damn you, evolution.

[GGT]

That sounds horrible. What do you mean all pharmacies are closed on Saturday? You need some decent pain meds! Shame on your oral surgeon for not sending you home with more than aspirin (which isn't good for bleeding, btw) for the whole weekend!





EDIT for Tim and Cat --- thanks for your input that makes me feel better.

[EmperorNorton]

GG, they performed the surgery right at the dental tech college as part of a 'Restorative Day'. Because the trip was three hours to Vermont, I figured I'd get my prescriptions filled once arrived home. Unfortunately, by the time I got back, all the pharmacies had closed by 4PM.

[GGT]

That's crazy. Your state doesn't have 24 hour CVS/RiteAid/Walgreen's? Not even a 24 hour Walmart?

[GGT]

Come to think of it, even our 24 hour "super" Walmart's pharmacy closes at 9pm. And I've had to use our hospital pharmacy before, to get emergency Imitrex. But that was a stocking issue for an obscure and expensive med. Why don't you have retail pharmacies open 24 hours to fill routine pain meds like acetominophen with codeine (Tylenol # 2), or hydrocodone/vicodin, or simply straight codeine?

[Ominous Gamer]

none of our Publix/WalMart/Target/CVS/Walgreen pharmacies are open 24 hours...

[GGT]

If that's a common theme, then even more "shame on you" to oral surgeons sending someone along, after having all four wisdom teeth pulled, and not sending them along with enough pain meds to get through the night.

But ya know, those who get "free" treatment at these medical cattle calls can't expect any sort of excellence, let alone standard pain management. Because it's free. So they don't dare complain, they're just grateful for getting the care they need but couldn't buy.

*That was sarcasm, in case people like Loki didn't notice*

Go go USA #.....wait, what number are we now?

[Loki]

It's funny that you make that point, as that's just the kind of behavior that's prevalent by the "free" doctors in Britain.

[GGT]

It's funny that you make that point, as that's just the kind of behavior that's prevalent by the "free" doctors in Britain.

How is post-op pain "funny"? Norton is in the US, and sending him along with a few "free samples" until he can fill a prescription doesn't "cost" the oral surgeon anything.

It's also cost-free for an oral surgeon to note where their patient lives, how far they had to travel, and look at their damn watch. It's not unreasonable to notice the patient won't return home until "most" pharmacies are open to fill a Rx, so they should send a few doses of pain meds upon discharge.

[GGT]

It's also messing with my groove that Professor Loki would pop into this thread, comparing UK's NHS to Americans using a free service, and try to equate the two.

[Khendraja'aro]

none of our Publix/WalMart/Target/CVS/Walgreen pharmacies are open 24 hours...

Don't you have some kind of emergency agreement? In Germany, every pharmacy has a sign on the door which highlights which pharmacy in town/district is open around the clock that night.
Same goes for the doctors.

[Illusions]

I am now waiting to see if they are submitted as separate payments to my bank.

My bank is processing the Citibank student loan payments today, and yes, it appears that they are submitted as separate payments, where before they were lumped together as one. I will now have to check with my bank to see if their "unlimited check writing" is extended to e-checks (since my per year e-check writing is about to go from 36 to 156). I'm uncertain how the free markets would fix something like this.

[littlelolligagged]

My desk chair is too large for the location of the new desk I bought to move the PC into the living room. Put a porch chair there for now, but that's not nearly as comfy.

Oh well.

[Flixy]

Traded video cards with a neighbour. First it seemed like this one too would not give any display on my TV, but somehow it suddenly did (while changing another setting, but hey, it worked so I won't complain. Weird though). It was black and white though, so I tried updating the drivers to the latest version to get colours again. Made sure to save my settings first, to be sure. Now the sync suddenly is messed up again, so the image on the tv is thoroughly fucked up. I go to the Nvidia control panel to try and fix this... but suddenly 3/4 of all settings are blank now and cannot be changed. That's just weird. And the option to load old settings is gone, too. Ugh. Nvidia is really starting to piss me off.

[GGT]

Not sure what's going on, but MSN alerted me to a new version to download. So I clicked on the icon, like a good little sheeple. Damn thing is stuck loading half-way. NOW what do I do?

[oldmunchkin]

Everything is messing with my groove lately. I have been kinda down and depressed for a couple weeks, and now the weather is matching my mood, gray and cloudy! (Altho GGT managed to cheer me up tonight! )

Speaking of GGT, and the others who answered about the pharmacies being open, or not depending on the day/time. Here is another wonderful thing about BFE! If you need meds in the middle of the night, on weekends, in the middle of the night on a weekend, whatever, you call the pharmacist at home, and he or she will come down and fill your meds for you, at no extra cost. The pharmacy tech here even drove 60 miles one way, in a fucking blizzard, to get my enzyme pills, on a Saturday, after she had worked all day! Then on Sunday (Superbowl Sunday no less) Monica...pharmacist...and Linda...tech...went down and got me some insulin and DELIVERED IT TO MY DOOR, at no extra charge! They wouldn't have had to do these things if the fucking idiots in Casper had thought about my not being able to fill the scripts on the weekend! Then too, the pharmacies I went to in Casper to get them filled didn't have the enzyme pills in stock. Now, if you have to special order them in a fucking city, why would a doctor think a small town pharmacy would carry them? Surprisingly enough, the pharmacy in Torrington had a few in stock because they had just come in on Friday as a special order for someone there who takes them. The pharmacist there called the man who takes them and asked if he had enough to get thru until Tuesday, so I could have them over the weekend. If I hadn't gotten them, I might have been back in the hospital by Monday!

[Timbuk2]

Not sure what's going on, but MSN alerted me to a new version to download. So I clicked on the icon, like a good little sheeple. Damn thing is stuck loading half-way. NOW what do I do?

Go make coffee, have a banana, and consider alternatives to the mediocre MSN.

[GGT]

Go make coffee, have a banana, and consider alternatives to the mediocre MSN.

Wise advice for wee grasshoppers.


The coffee part sounded great, because I do love coffee. 5am and there's one little chirping bird outside talking to me while preparing the pot. She's probably the same chickadee that flitted about in freezing temps, thanking me for bread crumbs and raisins rolled in peanut butter. If I wanted to sleep at least until the sun rises, would she care?

[oldmunchkin]

Wise advice for wee grasshoppers.


The coffee part sounded great, because I do love coffee. 5am and there's one little chirping bird outside talking to me while preparing the pot. She's probably the same chickadee that flitted about in freezing temps, thanking me for bread crumbs and raisins rolled in peanut butter. If I wanted to sleep at least until the sun rises, would she care?

LOL! She probably cares about as much as your kitties do!

My fucking hair is still falling out in large amounts! At this rate, I'm gonna be bald by June! I have tried Vitamin B12 (usually always works) to no avail, I have postponed a visit with Miss Clairol way too long, and I am trying to treat it as good as possible. Still, it falls out by the handful! WTF is up with my hair?

[GGT]

Oh dear, that warrants a call to your doctor, munch. Hair loss can be a delayed reaction to some medical conditions, but that sounds extreme. You might need B12 injections if you have absorption problems. But don't wait until you're bald to ask your doctor!

[oldmunchkin]

Oh dear, that warrants a call to your doctor, munch. Hair loss can be a delayed reaction to some medical conditions, but that sounds extreme. You might need B12 injections if you have absorption problems. But don't wait until you're bald to ask your doctor!

Ok. I probably have to go see him again in the next couple of weeks for meds refills, so will ask him then. Altho, I did ask him last time I saw him, but he was too concerned about my low potassium levels to pay any fucking attention to what I was telling him. And my potassium was low because I had been out of pills for 3 days, so I hadn't been taking them for a few days! I think he thought it was just vanity on my part, but I have run into people who I haven't seen for a while, that have remarked on how thin my hair is getting to be!

Another thing messing with me is...THESE FUCKING HOT FLASHES! FFS, I never had hot flashes before going into the hospital, now I get 12 to 15 of them a day, some only lasting a couple of minutes and some lasting as long as 1/2 hour! I don't know if it's the meds I'm on now that are messing with my system, if they are a result of my illness, or if I need a stronger dose of bitch pills! If I have been this hot in the winter, WTF is summer gonna be like for me? It's really gonna suck if I can't handle the heat, especially since I have never been able to handle the cold or the rain/wind! The seasons just aren't working for me anymore!

[Flixy]

Go make coffee, have a banana, and consider alternatives to the mediocre MSN.

I'm too lazy drinking coffee and eating bananas to go looking for alternatives.. which can you recommend? Until everyone just switches to skype or something.