FRIDAY FIVE

Appetizer – Name a sound you like to hear.
Purring.
I have four cats (well and a stray Siamese I’m feeding on the back
porch who now doesn’t run when I come out after over a month but still
won’t let me touch him). Nike purrs if you even look at him, so loud
the vet has to muffle him to listen to his heart on exams (he’s a stray
too who’s lived here for years now). He’s also the one who gets in the
most fights – go figure. Smoky only purrs after much cuddling and even
then you have to put your ear right up to his head. I think he had the
purr squashed out of him by my grandson before he was handed off to me
when baby sister came along. He plays hard to get but loves to be
caught. Sushi moved across the street to my house years ago without
telling me he really belonged to my neighbors. When they moved they
informed me that he liked me better than them so he could stay with me.
Who knew? He came from the street even before he lived with them so
I’ve learned his PTSD signals (don’t walk up right behind him like
someone would if they were kicking him out). He’s the only one that
dares to leap from the floor onto my sleeping self in the middle of the
night. That’s when I hear him purr. And finally Zoe – the only female
of the bunch – who was also handed off as a kitten about 11 years ago
and weighs more than all the others. Her forte is a screech/hiss, which
is why she’s had no scratches or scars ever. Her purr is faint but
she’s lap obsessed. Nothing makes her happier than getting me to sit
down for longer than 10 minutes. You can learn a lot about people from
listening to cats purr. Mainly you can learn to listen.
Soup – What is your favorite kind of cheese?
When
my grandchildren came along I took up string cheese (easy snack). Right
now I have Kraft Snackables made with 2% milk in my fridge. Mmm, I
think I’ll have one now. I’ve been playing with Mediterranean cooking
lately because it’s supposed to be so healthy, so I’ve made a few
things with feta cheese. Now there’s an acquired taste. But strangely
seductive.
Salad – Do you sleep late on Saturday mornings? Why or why not?
I
never sleep late, well unless you consider 6:00 am late. For years I
got up at 4:00 am to get to work at 6:00 am, so having retired only
last summer it’s taking awhile to creep forward. Then at this time of
year, it gets light so early. The birds are chirping and the cats are
wanting to get on with their day. Plus, the older you get the more you
value the daylight. You just have to take my word for it.
Main Course – When was the last time you forgot something? What was it, and how long did it take to remember it?
Yesterday
I left my keys behind in an AA meeting. It only took me a few steps
down the hall afterwards to reach in my pocket and not find them there.
That hasn’t happened in ages. I keep a spare key in my purse just for
that reason so I went out and looked in my car. They weren’t there so I
went back to the meeting and found them on the table where either I had
set them down or someone had picked them up and set them. I belong to
Triple A for this very reason but it’s been a really long time since I’ve
had to get my car unlocked. I hope this wasn’t a portent of losses to
come.
Dessert – Fill in the blank: I notice ____________ when _____________.
I notice that when someone I care about ignores me, it makes me very, very cranky.

Guess the Movie:
“There are two kinds of people in this world: Those that enter a room
and turn the television set on, and those that enter a room and turn
the television set off.”  Answer:  The Manchurian Candidate, 1962.  Winner:  thenarrator.

SUNDAY GOOD NEWS

Seemingly
ages ago I first posted about Sicko, Michael Moore’s new film currently
premiering out of competition at Cannes. Yes, it’s Cannes time again.
Having just retired from the health care field last July, I’m so
looking forward to any headway this work may make in the corrupt world
of pharmaceuticals and health insurance. Because of retiring, I also
had to totally change my medical and dental insurance.
Unfreakingbelievably complex, especially when factoring in Medicare. I
don’t know how anyone who doesn’t have at least a partial college
education and deep moral support can get through the Medicare
supplement world without a meltdown. Many many phone trees into the
process I found myself paying $119/month for a policy that covers both
medical and dental but limits the dental to an amount I know won’t last
me the whole year and that I’ve essentially already used up in less
than 6 months with one root canal, one crown, and a prophylactic
cleaning and yearly exam with x-rays. As for medical, the internal
medicine doc I settled for has basically turned over most of my visits
to her nurse practitioner. Don’t get me wrong. I’m blessed to have
insurance at all. Many don’t. And lucky that so far I only require a
prescription for the minor issue of a thyroid gland that pooped out 15
years ago. Many aren’t so lucky. Over the past six months, the other
grandmother of my grandchildren suffered and died of ovarian cancer.
The amount of chemo protocols, doctor visits, traveling to another
state for care part of the time, and hospital stays, plus surgery,
medicine, and loss of income were undoubtedly ginormous. So I’m
counting on Michael Moore to be as fearless in his attacks on these
industries as he was with Fahrenheit 9/11. And I hope those who persist
in concentrating on his manner of attack or his overweight slobbiness
will restrain themselves. He’s always endured Attack the Messenger
Syndrome. There’s a saying in 12-step circles that it takes being sick
and tired of being sick and tired to get started on Recovery. Hopefully
Sicko will encourage us to be sick of being victims of sick health
industry profiteers.