Poor, Poor Pitiful Me

I know that I’ve been strangely silent of late.  I’m still at home recovering.  I went to see both my surgeon and infectious disease doctor last week.  The surgeon found another area, near the first, that caused him concern.  He excised more skin and there was additional drainage from that area.  I go back to see him this Wednesday.  The infectious disease doctor doesn’t seem as concerned.  At my urging, he continued my IV antibiotics for another week, then is switching me to oral antibiotics.  He didn’t change the IV antibiotic even though the first area is still draining and a new area has cropped up.  I’m not a doctor, nor do I play one on tv, but it seems logical to me that the current IV antibiotic not only hasn’t cleared up the infection, but also hasn’t stopped it from spreading.  Hopefully the results of the culture sent out by my surgeon will result in trying a different antibiotic.  

PICC line for IV antibiotics - not me in picture

I had planned to put up a post following the massive tornado strike in Moore, OK early last week.  It’s written (mostly), but I just lost my motivation.  The focus is on the plight of animals in all types of disasters.  Following the unexpected minor surgery last Wednesday, I was in a lot of pain and, frankly, feeling sorry for myself and down in the dumps.  Yes, I can be ridiculously self-centered and pissy.  I really don’t make a good patient, maybe because I’m an impatient person and I despise being held back by infirmities.  

I haven’t felt like watching my favorite “political” programs on MSNBC or even Jon Stewart’s show.  The crap going on both on Capitol Hill and in state legislatures across the country is so overwhelmingly horrible that it is demoralizing, at least for me.  The firm grip that major corporations and uber-wealthy activists (yes, Koch Brothers, I’m talking about you) is unbelievably maddening.  Often times it leaves me feeling hopeless, which is much easier to accomplish in my doom and gloom mindset.  Instead, I’ve spent much of my time napping, playing Cat Herder – an online game, or watching television.  On the television front there is some good news.  Both The Glades and Longmire are premiering tomorrow night.  Major Crimes on TNT will be back on later in June (bad news, these shows conflict with each other).  In the fall, ABC has picked up the Joss & Jed Whedon/Melissa Tancheroen show, The Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – WHOO HOO!  There is the problem that it’s opposite one of my favorites – NCIS.  Love me some Mark Harmon.  

I will make a shout out to the incredible women of Sky Dancing.  I have been getting my political fix from them.  With their amazing posts, a couple of times each day, I am able to keep up with not only the rancid news of the day, but amazing stuff happening as well.  Sky Dancing has been my lifeline to the real world through the eyes of like-minded bloggers and readers.  Thanks to one and all there for giving me a modicum of sanity in this insane world.  And, of course, my darling kitties and crazy dog, Maggie, have kept me smiling…..except when Maggie insists on barking at absolutely nothing.  

Random Thoughts on the Presidential Campaign & Politics

I’ve been spending an inordinate amount of time watching MSNBC (love Rachel Maddow), the endless Republican debates (thank you Brian Williams for silencing the audience), reading the amazingly informative, intelligent blog and comments at Skydancing (http://skydancingblog.com/) and, of course, watching and loving The Daily Show. 

Initially my reaction to Mittens releasing his tax returns was “Ho Hum.”  He’s rich.  Knew that.  He pays his taxes at the legal rate.  Knew that, too.  Then I watched last night’s Daily Show and, thanks to the wonderful staff on the show, Jon Stewart provided some background information that it would be wonderful if every American knew.  Mittens was shown stating that he pays his taxes according to the law and that he didn’t think the American people would expect (or want) a candidate who paid more than they actually owed.  On the surface, that sounds reasonable.  But Jon pointed out that Mittens didn’t tell the whole story.  Back in 2007, Chuck Grassley (a Republican Senator) had sponsored a bill to raise the taxes on capital gains and carried interest.  Mittens and his hedge fund, venture capitalist buddies formed a lobbying group to fight this bill.  And, amazingly, the bill went nowhere.  The tax rate on these ‘funds” remained at 15% instead of being increased to 35%.  Watch the segment here:

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-january-24-2012/indecision-2012---i-know-what-you-did-last-quarter?xrs=share_copy

On the same show, Jon’s guest was Elizabeth Warren who is running for Senate in Massachusetts against Tea Party favorite, Scott Brown.  Here’s a link for the interview, Part 1:  http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-january-24-2012/exclusive---elizabeth-warren-extended-interview-pt--1?xrs=share_copy   In the clip Ms. Warren says that the top 50 (I believe) companies in the U.S. spend more money on their lobbying efforts than they pay in taxes. 

But back to Mittens.  After The Daily Show I then moved on to Hardball.  Matthews talked more about Mittens’ wealth -he makes from his investments about $ 58,000 A DAY!  And he doesn’t actually WORK a single day a year.  That’s more than I make in an entire year, working 35 hours or more 52 weeks a year.  It got me to thinking about the Republican rhetoric surrounding the Obama Administration’s and the Democrats in Congress call for letting the Bush tax cuts expire for Americans making over $ 1 million dollars a year.  The Republicans rallying cry:  don’t increase taxes on The Job Creators!  Taxing them more would stifle economic growth.  It would prevent them from creating jobs to the unemployed and underemployed in America.  And I thought, just how many jobs has Mittens created with his tax break during the time he stopped going to work?  He left Bain Capital in 1999.  He served as Massachusetts governor from 2003 – 2007.  For all intents and purposes, Mittens has been “unemployed” for at least 4 years, years when our unemployment rate soared.  If he is the astute business leader he says he is, why didn’t he come to the rescue with his reduced taxes windfall and start a business?  Create jobs for people?  Put that money to work to improve the economic outlook for hundreds or even thousands of Americans?  How many of the other uber-wealthy like him who are living on the interest from their investments have taken the same path as Mittens?  How many have simply sat back and kept their hands wrapped tightly around their wealth while the middle class collapsed, thousands upon thousands of families lost their homes and the ranks of the homeless swelled across the country? 

The 1% are NOT job creators, they are wealth protectors – their wealth and that of their cronies.  It’s THEIRS, all theirs and damn it, they are going to keep it for themselves.  America, stop being fooled by the rhetoric, the empty catch phrases.  The 1% understand self interest and it’s past time for average, every day Americans to do the same.  Vote like your very life and livelihood depend upon it, because they do.  Vote YOUR self interest, not THEIR self interest. 

Land of Confusion

As an avid NPR listener I am rapidly approaching political overload.  Add to that the television programs I watch on a relatively regular basis:  The Daily Show, The Rachel Maddow Show and occasionally The Last Word and The Ed Show.  Not only are the candidates making quite a few statements that I find disturbing, in the very least, and outrageous, at their worst, but they keep changing their position or are making statements that I find have no logical explanations.  

 

One of the things I like best about The Daily Show are the dueling clips for various politicians.  Current clips are shown followed by the politician stating an opposite position months prior.  It certainly makes me wonder – do they actually believe in anything they are saying?  Apparently I’m in the minority in thinking this since most of them score relatively high in all of the polls taken.  Maddow, O’Donnell and Schultz have started doing similar segments as well.  

I can’t help wondering why people support these folks who one day like trees and a month later say trees are limiting our oxygen supply and should all be cut down.  (I just made that one up – but, hopefully, you get my point). 

There are quite a few issues where this is happening.  Bloggers and the aforementioned media sources can do a better job of pointing out these seeming discrepancies or outrageous positions much better than I.  However, since this is my blog and my opinion, I shall proceed anyway.  Since the list continues to grow, I plan to tackle each issue as a separate blog post.  And, I might even throw in a gratuitous cat post here and there, just to keep this from becoming too serious and mind-numbing.

So here’s the list so far:

·         DISASTER RELIEF

·         SMALLER GOVERNMENT

·         FEWER REGULATIONS

·         NO TO SHARIA LAW

·         SOCIAL SECURITY/MEDICARE/MEDICAID

·         JOBS

More later………….the litter boxes are calling.

My World - It Sucks

Wow, I hadn’t realized that I haven’t blogged since the end of January.  Life has been getting me down even more than usual lately.  The visits to the hospital for wound care slowed down to once a week.  I had about 11 derma grafts, to stimulate skin growth on the wound.  Then, surprise!  I got another infection and was back on antibiotics and the derma grafts stopped.  Once the antibiotics were done, we’ve been in slow motion, allowing the skin to grow at its own pace.  This fun stuff has been going on since August……………nearly 8 months.  At least now, I can get into the shower instead of giving myself sponge baths at the sink.  Showers are a wonderful thing!

On the critter front, life hasn’t been any kinder.  I found Chase dead about a week before Christmas.  I haven’t blogged about it because it simply hurt too much to think about it.  Several years ago I nearly lost her due to plasma cell stomatitis.  After vet bills of nearly $2000, which put me deeply into credit card debt, she pulled through.  She remained terribly thin, but a real pistol.  She had been a feisty girl since she was a tiny kitten.  She got her name because she would make me Chase her every night when I tried to corral her and keep her in the bedroom.  I started loving on her for an extended period of time once I caught her in hopes of conditioning her to come more willingly to me.  Ever since that time she would so love to be held and petted.  I told people she was the cream cheese and I was the bagel – she would smear her entire body over my arms and chest, ecstatic with the petting/rubbing/loving.  She also liked to eat with her paws, scooping food from the bowls and plates and eating what she had “caught” off her paw.  Sloppy, messy eater but darling, none the less.

When I returned home from the hospital last September, both Chaz and Charlie (littermates) were sickly.  Charlie is still hanging in, with numerous ups and downs in his weight.  The vet can’t tell me exactly what’s wrong with him.  We go through periods where I have to give him sub-cu fluids frequently and he’ll only eat baby food.  Chaz developed an inoperable tumor in his left ear.  It had a major growth spurt in February and I finally euthanized him.  He was such a mellow, sweet and unassuming cat.  He was just a well mannered gentleman cat.  Then Colin and Claudia both got sick around the same time.  Colin succumbed to kidney disease and I euthanized him in March.  Claudia has hyperthyroidism and is on daily medication.  My friend Barb treks across the street twice a day to hold her so that I can pill her.  She managed to bite me last Monday and I ended up at my doctor’s office and on antibiotics.  Thumb is healing nicely.

 Sorry, no picture of Charlie or Claudia.  This was Colin in much better days, several years ago.

Last Friday, Barb called to say that Caleb, my eldest dog, wasn’t able to stand.  Although he’s had bouts of spinal problems for the past several years, this was something different.  She feared that he had a stroke.  I came home from work and we took him to the vet.  Even with injections of steroids, muscle relaxants and pain meds, he remained throughout the night in bad shape.  Around 4:30 Saturday morning he tried to stand unsuccessfully and was obviously in pain.  I gave him a pain shot, which didn’t help much.  Barb went with me to the vet when the office opened on Saturday.  The vet felt that he had most likely had a stroke and I chose to euthanize him since it was highly unlikely that he would recover from this.  I had written about him earlier this year and his recovery from his previous spinal problem.  I think he was about 15 or 16 years old, which is remarkable based on his early life and his size.  It’s unusual for medium sized dogs (shepherd mix) to live quite that long.  He was a sweet old boy and is sorely missed.  

With all of this going on, I haven’t been able to muster my regular outrage over the political climate.  Suffice it to say that what is going on in our nation’s capital, Wisconsin, my dear Florida, my birth state of Ohio, Japan and the Middle East qualifies as CRAZY.  The only bright spot on the political front?  JON STEWART!  He never fails to make me laugh at the lunacy.  If you don’t get Comedy Central, check out the videos on their website.  His recent imitation of Glenn Beck had me in stitches.  At least I’m still able to laugh…………………………………occasionally.