Packed Hospitals and Baseball Stadiums
Straight from work, I went to the hospital yesterday to visit with Grandma. She was literally in the hallway of the ER for almost two full days before they finally put her in some overflow room and then finally got her into a room last night. I'm sure that won't affect how much they charge her, right? Hallway stays and room stays have the same nightly rate, I'm sure. This entire medical system we have here in America is one big fucking joke.
I must say, however, my dear grandfather was from one of those last generations who worked for a company that offered actual benefits to a person for remaining loyal to the company. Not only that, but the company eventually sold overseas and left the country, and all the pensions and shit got left in the dirt. Years later, that same company got bought out by a larger company—or something along those lines—came back to the States, tracked down all the people who were still alive, and re-established their pensions. For note-takers, this was Allis-Chalmers and the UAW. Having grown up entirely in careless industries, this is all so mind-blowing to me. So, as much crap as there is at the hospital regarding this or that, the fact that literally everything is 100% paid makes that burn feel slightly less intense.
Either way, shortly after my visit with her, they finally put her in a room. Hopefully, when I go back there after work today, she will be in somewhat better spirits. Her physical state is really starting to take an emotional toll on her. Her legs are her primary issue. Having broken both of her hips in the last year, she's struggling with the basics. They're talking about taking her back to the same rehab clinic (the previously mentioned UTI factory) on Friday. As much good as it would do for her to get some strength back so she can get up more easily, the high probability of having the added bonus of getting a UTI while she is there, coming back home, and then having to return to the hospital to treat the UTI just seems like a vicious cycle—and it's what has been happening for the past year now.
We will remain focused on the best possible outcome, and Christina and I will be there for my grandmother 100% of the way, but once again, my pattern-recognition algorithms are buzzing.
MLB Postseason
Baseball's postseason has proven to be a welcome distraction during all this chaos. I got into the sport two years ago, I think, as a solution to remedy my distractible timeframes away from politics and focus on something more digestible. Bread & Circuses, yes, I know, but I am just one person, and one person cannot dethrone an entire planet of satanic pedophiles, which I am, at this point, convinced the entire power structure of the world is guilty of being.
Our Milwaukee Brewers really do seem like they have a chance to put a dent in the bracket this year. Can they go the whole way? I don't know. They would have to rely on the Dodgers misstepping somehow and beat these Padres, who seem to be the hottest thing on the planet right now. But the energy I saw at that stadium these last two games is the same energy you have at Miller Park on a Tuesday in Milwaukee. (Yeah, Miller Park.) So, it's going to be a hell of a weekend.
October is Here
October is here, and that means my birthday is coming very soon. I don't like to get all excited about my birthday at all, but I do allow myself to get into it every three years, and with 45 hitting this year, it would have been one of those years to “have a birthday get-together,” but we're not doing that this year. Grandma's shit takes precedence, and also, if she can't be there with Christina, me, and the Pride, well, then it's just not a real birthday, is it?