Sunday, August 06, 2017

GERMS -- QUESTIONS -- DIGITAL COMA


VIRAL OR BACTERIAL?

“Under the weather” – what a curious saying – is one way to describe how I felt beginning early this past week.   I was annoyed at first when I finally contacted my doctor that he didn’t see me, instead sending me to Urgent Care.  In retrospect, that was probably wise, since UC being directly associated with my hospital can expedite some necessary laboratory tests, if needed, providing results more quickly.

The UC doctor noted a summer flu was going around which was probably what I had, so no need for special medication.  She said just follow the old standard standby BRAT diet – bananas, rice, applesauce, toast.  I had previously resorted to such soft bland foods, having already weathered several days of illness.  

Fortunately, even at its worst this flu was mild – the first I’ve experienced in decades, so never imagined that’s what I had.  In fact, within a few days after I went to UC I am already on the way to being healthy again.    I might never have gone to UC – just toughed it out, as I've done much of my life, when I knew there were others in my home to act on my behalf if I became unable to do so.  Knowing when to seek help, not waiting too long until I’m unable to help myself,  is one consideration that is important when living alone.

As for “under the weather”, I made a brief search for the origins.   One such suggests weather changes sometimes affect how we feel -- not always for the better -- since some describe rainy days cause them to have increased aches and pains, for example.  The saying seems to have come about long ago when stormy weather's roiling seas rocking the ship sickened some sailors.   The seasick Gobs would go down under the deck to recuperate.  

“Gobs” you say?   Yes, that’s a slang term for sailor that H. L. Mencken described as American language war slang.    

“Gob … had been in use in the navy for a long while, though the common civilian designation for a sailor had been jackie. The origin of the terms is much disputed. Gob is variously explained as a derivative from the Chinese (?) word gobshite, and as the old word gob, signifying a large, irregular mass, applied to a new use. The original meaning of gobshite I don’t know. One correspondent suggests that gob was first used to designate sailors because of their somewhat voracious and noisy habits of feeding. He tells a story of an old master-at-arms who happened into a land aëro-station and found a party of sailors solemnly at table. “My Gawd,” he exclaimed, “lookit the gobs, usin’ forks an’ all!”


CONTINUING QUESTIONS

Why have I felt like we’ve been seeing a White House version of an old TV show called “The Apprentice” in which the host gained fame and fortune for saying “You’re fired!”?

Does our leader judge all civilian leaders as being like himself -- capable only of creating chaos – inept of skills to competently lead and direct otherwise?

Why do we need so many military leaders in cabinet and administrative positions to exercise required chain-of-command leadership for order?  

Does our Prez judge everybody by his own behavior, not recognizing most successful leaders do not follow his unsuccessful chaotic management style in govt. or business?

Or, if he ever revealed his income taxes would we learn he's not as successful as he portrays himself -- and has serious conflicts of interest – possibly involving foreign governments?    

How can any patriot not see another nation's intervention in our elections as an extremely dangerous situation, yet our Prez has not been enthusiastic about the need for an investigation?

Wouldn’t ensuring foreign nations are prevented from interfering in our elections be critical to protecting our country?


DIGITAL COMA

Once again, my trusty little netbook’s screen suddenly went to black.   I hadn’t noticed that the battery was not recharging, instead, the energy was just slowly draining away.   Interventions to rejuvenate the device have so far been totally unsuccessful.   Unfortunately, blog notes I had for future posts are on my netbook, so you see what I’ve come up with today.  I'm using my ancient sluggish laptop.  Will I finally have to get a new computer?   Who knows what the future will bring!   




22 comments:

  1. I'm glad you're feeling better. I did not know a summer flu is going around. Good to know as I get complacent about picking up germs in public places this time of the year.

    You are right about the president trying to recreate The Apprentice in the White House. I hate the chaotic and daily shock jock stuff he does. It's not doing our reputation in the world any good. I, too, don't understand why anyone would not want to know the depth of what Russia did to try to influence our election so we can prevent it from happening again. Trump is the most selfish, self-serving person to ever be in public office and what he did to run a private business that way doesn't translate well to running a country. It's all about his ego.

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    1. I hadn't heard there was a summer flu around either, but a friend just phoned me and sounds like her husband may have it. They had attended the Orange County Fair recently, so maybe he was exposed there.

      Yes, people running a private business can operate in unique ways to a degree within their organizations that might not work well elsewhere.

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  2. I also have not had the flu or a cold in years and years. Knock On Wood--there's another expression we could look up on Google.
    My computer tower is going into Hospice tomorrow! There's no hope!

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    1. Hope you avoid whatever this bug was. My sympathies to you -- sounds like your computer tower is terminal.

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  3. Sounds like you are getting over your bug. Mine hangs on ...
    Never knew the history of 'Gobs.' Thanks!
    It almost seems as if that man never plans on releasing his taxes. The whole WH mess is unbelievable!
    Sorry about your netbook. :(

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    1. Hope you get rid of your bug soon. Sounds like he has something to hide by not being willing to release his taxes. We're left to make our own inferences from questions his own words and actions raise.

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  4. Feel better soon! So far, no summer flu or cold going around here in NEO. And as far as 45*, his plan is NO PLAN. And it's easy to cater to his base when said base is full of people who are only narrowly concerned with things like cheap gasoline and deporting people. Many (most?) of them don't really read/follow international news or concern themselves with more global, wider, forward-thinking issues. They think he's being obstructed by the Democrats, even though that's impossible since they are the minority party. Sigh.

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    1. Thanks, I'm feeling just fine now. Supporters of 45* do interpret his motivations and actions differently than the majority of voters. I don't doubt their reasons for doing so are many and sincere in terms of what they believe to be most important. As time passes I think they'll become increasingly disappointed and may choose to reassess their perception of him and what his priorities really are -- they don't include the best interests of ordinary people, contrary to his words.

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  5. As soon as the monsoon sets in, all kinds of flus are reported in India. Much is written about them in the press and after a while people lose interest. Then the next monsoon sets in and the same thing is repeated.

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    1. I hadn't associated the flu with monsoon weather, so that's interesting to me. For the first time I remember in the several decades we've lived in Southern California, the monsoon-like desert weather prevalent in our eastern adjoining state of Arizona has come west to us. Maybe that's the source of this flu. There certainly are a number of other changes with animals and other creatures, vegetation, as we experience climate warming here.

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  6. I'm glad your flu was a light case. Not fun ! I can't believe that our temperature here in North Carolina has been cooler than yours...and to think that there are still people who don't believe in Clinate Change.

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    1. There's definitely climate warming that even the animals and creatures of the earth, including oceans mammals note, but we still have our human equivalent of the flat earth society on this issue.

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  7. For me, your President always recalls the batty uncle in a sitcom, the one given to sudden inexplicable outbursts that the others try to ignore. Except that this batty uncle is actually running the country (or trying to and not having much success)

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    1. That's a funny comparison, but given the state of our nation and the world, it's truly tragic that his behavior would even warrant our having such thoughts. He showed us who he was when he was a candidate, but that didn't seem to matter to many people.

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    2. 45 is the anti-politician a not insignificant percentage of voters longed for, having felt betrayed by politicians from both parties. We have allowed the extremes of the left and the right to control the dialog. 45 is only interested in further enriching himself and his clan and that his core supporters believe he cares about them is laughable. Military men bring a semblance of order to his chaos. He is a guffoon but a buffoon with the keys to the kingdom and we need to weather this storm.

      Dunno about a summer flu but I usually get under the weather a couple of times a tear - when it goes from hot to cold and again when it goes from cold to hot. It is never as bad as what you contracted and I am glad you are on the mend.

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    3. I can appreciate why some people chose to cast our Prez's actions and words as those of an anti-politician, but nothing could be further from the truth.

      Given I think our Prez's actions and behaviors are deliberately designed for the purpose of his ultimately becoming an authoritative leader by altering our form of government, I consider his administration to be a threat to our constitutional democratic republic -- far more dangerous than just his being a buffoon.

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  8. I didn't realize that toast, applesauce, and so on were considered standard treatment! When I'm not feeling well, applesauce, banana, and orange juice are standard. On the other hand, it's been a long, long time since I've been truly ill. I think part of it's that I work by myself, outside. None of those germ-filled offices for me.

    As for "gobs," the unfortunate association I have with that word goes back to summer camp, and a certain song that involved "great green gobs of greasy, grimy gopher guts." At least it taught us something about alliteration. I suppose it says something that I still remember it after all these years.

    Our president has some real problems, and the investigations swirling around are the least of it. His impulsivity and self-absorption seem to me to have been increasing, and appear to have elements of pathology. Many who voted for him are regretting it. It remains to be seen whether the Democratic party can reclaim some of them. Hurled insults and demands for ideological purity aren't going to do it.

    Of course, that's for down the road. Now, we just need some adults to show up in the White House.

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    1. I think I'd remember the word "gobs", too, if I had first heard it in such a colorful alliterative context.

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  9. I hope you're 100% better. I hate getting colds and just keeping my fingers crossed since I've got trips coming up this fall.
    Every morning, news about the White House is like a bad soap opera. It's depressing and scary. I understand, the president can't speak against the neo-nazis because his ratings are so low and he's got to keep his low life base.

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    1. Thanks, Kay. Yes, I'm well over whatever that was -- it was quite mild and turned out to be very short-lived, fortunately. Hope you stay well and enjoy your coming fall trips. Yes, I agree about the unnerving situation. If this WH was written into a soap opera, no one would believe it. There is no excuse for this Prez IMHO -- his moral, ethical and legal obligations are to our country, all citizens and against anything that threatens our nation's security.

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  10. I usually take vitamin C if I have a mild flu.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts.

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