327 Market

Paying the Sanity Tax, the Honesty Tax and the Preventative Medicine Tax.

Spent the morning being responsible. You are lucky that I waited a little to cool off before I wrote, otherwise you would have been treated to pure, unadulterated vitriol directed against all levels of government, the medical establishment, the folks who were responsible for laying me off, the drug companies, the health insurance people, the receptionist at the clinic who didn't tell me that the shot she was giving me would be costing 150 bucks (and that was only half of it), people who "abuse the system," Enron, the state's financial crisis and any other agency/group who might remotely have anything to do with the fact that paying for medical care is going to cause me a lot of financial hardship (wah wah wah) . To add insult to injury, while I was waiting for my malaria pills, diptheria vaccination and antibiotics, I ran into my Uncle Palomar (not to be confused with the plethora of tias locas) and he was looking really good and seemed in good spirits (which is a big deal, its not everyday that he takes his pills and can get himself out of his room). He was grousing about how Arnold was going to make him pay a copay the next time he went to the doctor. Then he went on and on about how the state pays for all of his health care, and all his expensive drugs and yadda yadda yadda. He also talked about how his girlfriend hides all her money from her social worker and how her friend steals from Social Security. When I was checking out at the pharmacy he realized I was paying for everything. His eyes got big,
"you're paying for this yourself?"
"Yes"
"You must be rich!"
He thought I would benefit from lying about my income in order to get medi-cruz.

He's crazy.

but its all good. I ate some tortillas. The culinary genius who invented the tortilla really ought to be canonized. Somehow I can face the bills with a tummy full of tortillas and hot tea with cream. My heart is full of love (btw my blood pressure and pulse were excellent) (I am trying, anyway). I am going to be out of the Land Of Fucked Bureaucracy soon (well, hm, I am trading Evil Bureaucracy for land mines, grinding poverty, malaria, and Unsafe Food and Water).

Maybe I am crazy, too.