Hi guys. A lot of you have e-mailed/commented, asking if I’ve heard anything back from that company in Maine that I interviewed with a couple of weeks ago. I haven’t heard anything yet, but they did mention not to expect to hear from them until sometime around the 9th of July. Which is today. So I should know something soon, and you guys will be the second to know. Behind Calvin, of course.
I hate doctors completely. Absolutely. With the white-hot passion of a thousand burning suns. I went to my GP on Friday to see if they could do something about the screwed up thyroid levels appearing on my blood test results, so that I wouldn’t have to wait until the 31st to see the endocrinologist (see entry on 6/26). I have almost all the symptoms of hyPOthyroidism (lethargy, weight gain, body aches, among others). Yet the doc said that the test results show that I should be experiencing hypERthyroidism, whose symptoms (heart palpitations, high blood pressure, excess of energy, weight loss, among others) are the exact opposite of how I’ve been feeling.
Here’s the part where I got mad. She said that I’m probably depressed, and should take meds. I told her, “No, I know what that feels like. I’ve been on anti-depression and anti-anxiety meds before, and went off them back in November. I’m not going back on them, this is different.”
She just smiled at me in a condescending fashion, said, “I think you should consider it, since that would be in keeping with all of your symptoms,” and pat-patted me on the arm. As if to say, “You can’t fix the problem until you admit there is one.” Bitch. You all KNOW what hell I went through with my depression and anxiety, and for someone to suggest that I’m in denial or don’t know what I talking about REALLY cheesed me.
She wanted to order up yet another round of blood tests and a follow-up appointment, which I absolutely flat-out refused. I am God-awful sick and tired of getting poked with needles. The year is only half over and I’ve had at LEAST six or seven blood tests already, for a variety of things. And I’m sure the endocrinologist (who I am still seeing) will order another round, since their office wasn’t the one who provided this latest blood test, and it will be a couple of months old by the time I finally see them.
Not to mention the fact that each doctor’s office uses different sets of ranges and parameters to measure blood and body chemistry, which I find to be the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard of. Where is the industry standardization? How do they expect to measure results over time, across disciplines, if their methods of measurement are all different? How do they expect to identify trends? I can’t compare the blood tests that I got from the GP, the OB-GYN, and the Gastro doc because they use different measurements and scales for the same labs. It boggles the engineer and data analyst in me.
Let’s see, what else? Ah, yes. Back on the 29th, Calvin and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary (see here for the entry I did about the wedding). What better way to celebrate than to eat steak, and watch steak! We went to The Keg for some blue cheese crusted filet mignon (uh. mah. gah.), then went to the Jobing.com Arena to watch the pro bull riding competition. I’d never been to any sort of bull riding or rodeo event, even though I’ve lived in the “Wild Wild West” for coming up on up on fourteen years.
I tell you what, we had a pretty darned good time. I was rooting for the bulls the whole time, of course. We sat next to a group of guys that were out for a buddy’s birthday, and ended up gabbing a bit with them and sharing the flask-o’-whiskey around. There was a very pretty girl with a low cut top and hiked up assets sitting in the section below us, and every time she would climb up (and then back down, natch) the stairs on a beer run, the guys would all yell, “Puppies!” Yeesh.
Anyway, we took a billion and three blurry bull pictures. Bulls standing on their heads. Bulls standing on their tails. Bulls leaning at 90 degree angles. Cowboys staying on, cowboys falling off, cowboys getting their privates trounced. And a very entertaining rodeo clown that sang and danced to 80’s music. All of the pictures are here, but I think this one sums it all up:
Bull’s got hops.
Calvin and I are going to Oregon in a few weeks for the Oregon Brewer’s Festival. I also intend on visiting Powells, and Moonstruck. We’re staying in downtown Portland and will be there for four days. Are there any readers out there that are native to the area, or have been there, that want to recommend a place to go or a sight to see? Send an e-mail or leave a comment, thanks!
Snerkology 